A great Christmas!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas!! Bryce and Terry both got here on Christmas Eve. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows in the fireplace and the kids got to open one gift each. Ed and I also opened our gifts for each other. We actually got to sleep in a little on Christmas morning. Then we all had bubble cake and opened gifts. It was a wonderful morning. The rest of the day we all just sat around and visited and the kids and I played games together. Friday morning Bryce and Terry both had to leave. Ed, the girls and I just hung out the rest of the day. Then Saturday Ed went to haul some pipe and the girls and I took the tree down and got the house all cleaned up. They are out of school the rest of this week. I'm sure gonna miss them when they go back next Monday!! Yesterday we went to Liberal with Becky and her girls. We had our nails done, went out for lunch and did some shopping. Tomorrow we are going to see Marly and Me. Thursday I think we'll stay home and get some housework done and then Friday we are going to Laverne to see my Mom and Aunt Vicki and Grandma Margie and Aunt Carolyn. Sure wish we could see Gina and Sherry and Carolyn's boys too! Then I think Saturday we're gonna have a cookout with Becky and Colby and their girls. Start the new year off with friends and family, who could ask for more?

Been busy baking!!!

The girls and I have been busy today getting all the goodies ready for Christmas!! So far we've made white chocolate macadamia nut bark, muddy buddies (puppy chow), chocolate and white chocolate covered pretzels, and chocolate covered almond balls. We are still going to make fudge, billionaires, and a lemon cake and apple crisp. Then we'll get started on all the other stuff. We are just having finger foods all day on Christmas. We started doing that last year and it's so nice that I can have most of it all done before Christmas and then I get to spend Christmas day enjoying my family and not cooking all day!! We'll have our traditional weenie roast and s'mores from the fireplace tomorrow night. Then we'll get up and open gifts on Christmas morning!!! Bryce will be here sometime tomorrow and will be staying until Friday probably (unless he has to work Friday). Terry will also be in sometime tomorrow to spend Christmas with us!!!


Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!

Toby Keith was in Guymon!!!!!

He was here this past weekend for a pheasant hunt. How cool is that?? We never "seen" him. Seems as if we were right behind where he was going. lol He was in Caktus Jacks on Thursday night, I was in there Friday afternoon! He was in Tractor Supply Friday and the girls and I were in there Saturday! :( Oh well - still pretty awesome that he was in Guymon, OK! Here is the article from the Guymon Daily Herald.



Country Music Legend Toby Keith Visits Guymon for a Quick Shot at Pheasant Hunting, City Gets Star Struck

By J.D. DENNIS
This weekend Guymonites gabbed over the unusual visit of country music legend Toby Keith as he stopped for pheasant season in the Panhandle.Keith enjoyed a two-day pheasant hunt with friend George Foote and Foote's family. Through all the success and experiences Keith has ventured in his life, one would think that he would seem like a superstar, and perhaps even have an aura around him when he entered the room. Quickly, however, many realized that Keith was just a small town Oklahoma native out on a weekend hunt with some friends.Whispers of the star's presence had more than worked around town by Thursday afternoon, and soon many residents were out 'Toby Hunting' and scouting for a reported maroon Ford truck with Kansas state tags in which some claimed to have spotted him. That night Keith and company shuttled into the local restaurant Caktus Jacks for dinner after a long days hunt looking like every other hunter coming in as the sun rested over the plains. Dressed in his camouflage overalls, OU beanie, and sporting the reward of a two-day-old stubble left from the loss of clean swipes of a razor, he sat down to eat with his friends and the circus began. Once word quickly spread to the others in town the restaurant became the hottest place to be on a Thursday night. What started as a small dinner crowd quickly turned into packed seating all around within less than half an hour. From people leaning over booths to small children standing up on chairs merely to get a glimpse of the country music star, Caktus Jack's quickly erupted into a frenzy of fans wanting either a glimpse, word, picture, or autograph of Keith. After finishing his dinner, the town's guest of honor and his friends left the restaurant and walked outside for him to sign the autographs and take the pictures with the adoring public. When finally given a chance to be asked, Keith agreed to a 6:30 am. interview the next day at the Ambassador Inn, where he was staying.When asked about his sudden visit to Guymon, Keith simply stated that it was a two-day hunting trip with some friends before he left the country for his Christmas vacation. Toby said It was his first visit to Guymon, and the farthest he's ever been in the Panhandle. "I've lived in Oklahoma all my life, but the furthest I've been towards northwest Oklahoma was Vici and Woodward," Keith said. "It's been great, a great stay."When asked about the hunt he made it clear that he and his friends were skilled hunters, and found plenty of success on their outings. "We had a great hunt. We hunt a lot so it was typical, but we killed a lot of birds," Keith said. The conversation then steered towards his latest movie "Beer for My Horses" and how the movie itself seemed to represent small Oklahoma towns in several different ways. One difference, however, was noted when he remembered the scene of the movie involving pig hunting. "Y'all don't have pigs up here though," Keith said with a grin on his face. Not many wild pigs to hunt indeed, but instead he found out the Panhandle has it's own wild friend that infests the area as was seen Thursday night when the winds gusted up. A most memorable impression, naturally was of something Panhandle residents consider a pesky burden. "It was pretty crazy watching all of those tumbleweeds flying around," he said.

Free Throw Contest!!

Dakota just came home and told me that she won the free throw contest at school today, so she gets to go on to Guymon to for the next competition to represent Straight School. The contest is on January 10th. Wish her luck!!! If she wins there, she goes on to district.

Today's basketball game!

The girls won their basketball game today!! In overtime!!!! It was such an exciting game!! At the end of the game it was 16 to 16. Janelle got fouled and got to shoot two free throws. She made one, putting the score at 17 to 16. Then Dakota made a basket making it 19 to 16 and in the last few seconds of the game Jordan made a basket for a final score of 21 to 16!!! It was so exciting and an excellent game!!!!!

A busy week!!

This is going to be a busy week for us. Last night (Monday) Jordan had gymnastics. Tonight the girls have their Christmas play at school. Tomorrow they have a basketball game, then Christmas party at Awana. We have company coming in for a big pheasant hunt. Some of them will be here tomorrow, but Rick (who is staying with us) won't be here until Thursday. He'll be staying until Sunday and they (all the Simon's guys and customers) will all be having a trap shoot out here at our house on Thursday, then a guided hunt on Friday and Saturday. Then Ed will take them around to some places he's lined up for them on Sunday. Even though Ed no longer works for Simons. They are including him and paying his way for the entire hunting trip. They told him he wasn't an employee anymore, but he was still family. I thought that was pretty sweet!! Saturday evening is Grandma Margie's Christmas in Laverne. Sure hope we manage to get to go. Just have to see if we can talk Rick into going with us or not, since he's staying here all weekend. The girls last day of school is Friday, then they are out until January 5th!! I can't believe this year is almost over already!!

It's Cold!!!!!

I think winter had finally arrived!! It's been so cold here the past few days! Yesterday Jordan took this picture of my pond with the waterfall all iced over. It's really pretty!

Today the kitchen sink drain was froze up. Ed had to come home from work to unthaw it. I'm sooooooo ready for summer!! lol