So, here I am yesterday, sitting in my computer/craft room waiting on my videos to load on YouTube. As I looked around the room, while just sitting in my chair doing nothing, I decided to do some organizing. I began cleaning out the closet. It is amazing to me just how much stuff can accumulate in a closet. None the less, I filled my room with an abundance of 'stuff'. I couldn't believe just how many unused scrap books I had. I used to be really into scrap booking, but for some reason, I stopped doing it. Now I realize that I really need to get back into it, because I have a ton of money tied up in all of my supplies. So, this weekend I plan to get my picture mate printer up and running again. Then I will be able to print the picture I need to get busy scrap booking. I am actually looking forward to the idea of getting back into this old hobby of mine. It is just so time consuming, so I guess that is one of the reasons I let it go by the way side. I do enjoy it though. So it looks like this may be one of the things I spend my weekend on.
The 3 albums above were purchased 'just because'. I had no specific intent for them. I just liked them, so I bought them, forever ago. ;)I bought the daisy hill plaid one to do for Hunter. I have done some for the girls, but only one for Hunter. At the time that I bought this one, I was having a hard time finding one that was boyish looking enough but didn't cost too much. The clear box this one is in is full of all of the papers and stickers and such that I purchased separately to match. You can't see most of them though, because they are on the backside of the album.These books are really neat. There is a slot on the front of the book for pictures of each grade K-12. Then on the inside, there are 4 pages (2 front and back) for each grade. Each page is a pocket page where you can put papers and such inside. Then it has a place for class photos and fill in the blanks for all of their favorites at that specific time in their lives. The only problem lies in the fact that I may or may not remember the specifics for that long ago. I can only hope that in all of the papers that I have kept from the kids classes over the years there will be clues for this. :) I am anxious to get these up to date. Each page also has a place for them to write their names. This may be a bit of a challenge since I can't go back in time and have Kristen, for example, write her name as she did in Kindergarten. I do think that I have papers from each grade for each child where they have written their name though. Then I guess I can just scan it into the computer, print it out, cut it out, and glue it on the line. Gee, I wonder why I haven't gotten busy on these yet. lol. It is going to take me forever to go through all of their stuff to get them up to date. I guess now is as good a time to start as any, huh? :)This princess album was purchased for Karen. It was/is my intent to fill it with all of her Disney experiences. She has been to Disney World once and on a Disney cruise once. While at Disney World, she had breakfast in Cinderella's castle and met all of the princesses and had pictures taken, as well as other characters there and throughout the day. Then, on the cruise, she met all of the characters and had her picture taken with all of them. So, it will suffice to say that I have plenty of pictures to fill this album from just those 2 trips. I think she will love this now and when she grows up.This is just a picture frame for a scrapbook page. I plan on using it for pictures from her first cruise on the Disney Magic. I have no idea where I am going to put it in her room, because it is wall to wall stuff in there. But, I will do it anyway. ;)I got this book for Hunter. Basically everything I said about Karen's princess album will apply here for Hunter. I have a drawer full of all of the Disney papers and stickers and such for all of the Disney albums. Again, the amount of money I have tied up in these things... I really just have to do them for that reason alone if no other. :)This is another frame like the princess one. It is for Hunter as well. I have a ton of Disney pictures that are framed as well as Disney things (not just pictures) that I need to frame without even doing these two. I really need to just create a Disney themed room, but then where would I put all of my other stuff. I just have sooo much stuff!!! And it's ALL important to me. What to do, what to do!!This scrap book is for our family vacation on our first Disney cruise. We took it in September of '06. I really need to get with it on this one too. lol. Again, I have the paper laid out here, but I also bought tons of stickers and die cuts as well. I am so pathetic. :)These are my albums and 2 frames all laid out. I didn't include the 3 school years books though. I didn't think about them until after the fact. I have enough here to keep me busy for a long time.Here they are all stacked up on the hutch of my scrap booking desk. Yes, I even bought a desk specifically for scrap booking. And here is the whole desk. I have some of my sizzix die cuts in the tower to the left and several others in a drawer. The press for the sizzix is in my closet. That little thing is surprisingly heavy. On the top 2 shelves: the large thing on the left is full of paper for my albums, under that is Karen's scrapbook that I have actually completed, the blue box directly beside that is full of about 1500 photos, and sitting on top of that box is my label maker. The shelf on the right has 3 photo boxes also full of about 1500 photos each and sitting on top of those boxes are some more albums that are finished. We've already covered the bottom left shelf in the previous picture to this one. The bottom right shelf is full of still more albums that are mostly completed, and some of which are just your traditional photo albums, a case full of die cuts, an acrylic box with some of my scissors and cutting tools, and then a few framed pictures. And, the things I have posted on here today are just some of my supplies. It's crazy what I've spent on this hobby that I no longer do. Therefore, I really need to get on it!!!

I hope I didn't bore you all to tears. lol. I like reading stuff like this on other blogs, so I figured what the heck. :)

It's all Karen! :)

Well, first off, I suppose I should have started my last entry of the list of 100 things I may or may not have done in my life with some sort of explanation or something. It was like 2 in the morning when I posted it, and it just did not occur to me to do so. :) I guess I just thought it was self-explanatory, but maybe it wasn't. So, sorry about that if you didn't get it. (Billy) lol.

I haven't posted in a few days, because over the weekend, I wasn't feeling all that great. I realize this is now Thursday, but I have no real excuse for Tuesday thru now. I consider Monday still part of the weekend since the kids were out of school, and yes, I was feeling bad then too. Besides, I didn't really know what to say. Yes, that does happen on rare occasion. lol.

So yesterday I broke out the camera so I would have something to put on here. I decided to dedicate this post to Karen since she was my source of inspiration. :) She is just the sweetest little girl, although some of the video did take a small amount of bribery. ;) But what's a little change anyway? She was happy to get some money to add to her bank, and I was able to get something to post. It was a win, win.


This next video is of Karen singing the Star Spangled Banner. She is so cute. :) I've been trying to get her to sing this for me for 2 months now. She was a little nervous, but she managed to get it all out. :) She sings this at school every morning and sings it around the house too. I'm glad I finally got her to do it. So, here ya go. :)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (It's on the very short list)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain (Does Stone Mountain count? I hope to climb Mt. Fuji with Troy when I go back to Japan.)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (no desire to do so, ever!)
12. Visited Paris (hotel in Vegas. :))
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (at the Venetian in Vegas. lol)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (I'm just happy if I hit the ball.)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (til it was all spent:))
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (on my own machine at home.)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (I watched a live feed of it on the internet last year. Does that count?)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (I saw it while passing through the Straight of Gibraltar but never actually stood on land there.)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (I've seen the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel in Vegas. :))
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China (This too is on the short list. I'll go just as soon as I can talk Billy into it.)
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (I paid $600 for a six month contract for my son to not take it. That should count for something.)
59. Visited Russia (I flew right over it on my way to Japan, but it too is on the short list.)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (It's on the short list. I hope to go this summer.)
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I did this once, and it did not go so well for me. Apparently it's a good idea to eat more than 14 hours prior to doing this. lol)
65. Gone sky diving (It is definitely on my to-do list!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (I've eaten escargot, that's just as disgusting. Does it count? lol)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (and I hope I never do!)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous ( I actually met Nikki Sixx from the Motley Crew band on a church outing when I lived in Tampa in 1986. He had left the band and was trying to get his life right. That didn't last long. :))
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100.Read an entire book in one day

Looks like I need to get busy. However, there are several things that I have no desire to do, so I may go back and revise this list of things I've done and really want to do, then post it. For example, I don't ever want to be stung by a bee, so that should not be on my list. Besides, isn't it more of an accomplishment to make it to my age having never been stung? I think so. :) So, I know you can change this around. I get that. But, I wanted to post it as is first. Now I need to get working on a better version. :) Because, half of this list is a "never wanna do" type situations. There are many thing on it that I want to do before I die though.

Oh how fun a cart can be!

This video isn't the greatest quality, because it was taken with Kristen's phone. She texted it to me yesterday. All I thought when I saw it was that I sure hope she doesn't hit any bumps while running that fast with those 2 little girls, or it would be pretty bad. The kids were over at the tennis court playing on their scooter and skate board. They found a cart from the Dollar General. I guess they figured it would be much more fun to play with it instead. lol. I suppose it is certainly no more dangerous than some of the things we did as children. But when you are riding a bike, you are the one in control. When you are skating on a skate board, you are the one in control. Karen and her little friend were not the ones in control since they were the ones in the cart. It seems that thought never even crossed their minds. :) Oh well, I gotta let my kids be kids, even if I think it may be a bit risky at times.

I'm kind of bad about being super protective of Karen though, since she is my baby. It amazes me the things I allowed Kristen to do when she was much younger. I think now about some of those things, and I can't help but wonder what on earth I was thinking. She has always been much older in my mind than in reality. I guess because I had 2 younger than her, it made her the BIG girl. I've realized that now and am much more careful in recognizing her actual age to not allow her to do things that she shouldn't. I'm just glad nothing has happened to her thus far. lol. How many things do you parents look back at and wonder why on earth you would allow your child at that particular age to do a certain thing? I guess that comes with maturity too. :) But don't most parents tend to be most protective of their first child and as they go down the line, they slack off? I am quite the opposite it seems. :)

Sweet Onion Casserole, Yum-Yum!!

First of all, I can't seem to make up my mind on what template I like most for this blog. I've only had it for 9 days, and I've already had 3 different templates. I can see why some people choose to design their own. I will do that eventually, I'm sure, but I'll have to figure it all out first since I am new to this whole thing.

Last night it came time for me to cook dinner, and since I had not planned ahead as I should have, it really came down to what could be fixed quickly. I ended up making red beans and rice and some green beans, but I had a recipe (sort of in my head) that Terra had told me over the phone that I've also been wanting to try. So, I decided to do that too. The red beans and rice were really good, and the green beans, well, they were just green beans. But this new recipe, I couldn't quite remember exactly how it went, and Terra wasn't answering her phone, was on the brain. I figured I'd just wing it. Oh My Gosh! It turned out soooo great! It isn't exactly as Terra had told it to me, but I just put my own twist on it I guess you could say. So I decided I would put a picture of it on here along with the recipe. Of course the picture was taken after we ate it. But I had to make sure it tasted good, because who takes a picture of something that just ends up in the trash, right? Well, if you are an onion lover, then you will love this. I mean, I don't eat them like apples or anything, but I love onions on a lot of foods. This thing, as Terra would say, is the bomb diggity! So ya just gotta try it. It is super cheap and super easy. So here ya go...

Sweet Onion Casserole:
3-4 med. to large sweet onions (sauteed)
2 packs of Ritz crackers
1/2 c. butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c. shredded Mexican cheese

Melt butter. Crush crackers and mix with melted butter. Press in bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Slice onions into rings and separate. Saute onions in oil or butter and place on top of cracker mixture. Mix cream of mushroom soup with one can of water and pour over top of onions. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes.


That's an onion hanging out of her little mouth. :) I suppose you could chop them up instead of into rings. It was easy enough for me to eat, but my mouth is much bigger than hers. lol.

And as you can see, Karen loved it. She's the only one of my kids that will eat onions. She even asked me if I would send some to school with her today. Which I did, in her food thermos. Of course, she may have difficulty getting anyone to play with her today after lunch with onion breath, but this is good stuff.

I think I am going to start putting my favorite recipes on here each week. I have several. I don't know about you, but I am always interested in getting good, inexpensive recipes from people, that are recommended. I get tired of eating the same stuff over and over again. Most people I know are the same way. So, if you have a favorite recipe, send it to me, please. :) And if you try any of mine, please leave a comment to let me know what ya think.

Another trip down memory lane.

I've decided to go ahead and put a bunch more pictures up. Again, the captions for each picture will be under the picture itself. Now, some of these pictures are lacking greatly in quality to say the least, but they were unfixable with any program I have. So, there ya go. ;)

Petra, I put these few up for you. :) Although quite the grainy pic here, it is Tami and Titus at Marci's wedding to James, June 6, 1987.

Just as poor a quality as the one of Tami and Titus, but this is Tabi and Matt. Same wedding of course. :) I am sooo glad my current camera takes better pictures than this.

Again with the cutting of the pictures. I guess I thought it was necessary, huh? This is Terra and Timberly at Marci's wedding to James as well.

Not sure what this expression of Tabi is. lol. I'm sure she'll love this one.

Aunt Cherry here. I think I liked taking pictures of her back then for some reason. I always liked going over to her house to play. She was so laid back. But I always knew it when she meant business. Her voice went up several octaves. lol. Summer, 1986.

Uncle Neil and Derek. Just gotta love those tanks. :) And Derek, love the glasses. lol. I can't say much, I had a pair just like 'em, only mine were purple. hehe. Summer, 1986.

Whether she's washing dishes or posing with her family for me or driving a car, ain't she a beauty? :) See, I did like taking pictures of her. lol. Summer, 1986.

This is Heather when Grandma Woods took us strawberry picking. I guess she's just enjoying some of the harvest. :) Summer, 1986.

Kendra holding the strawberries we picked. I still remember doing this. I don't think I've been strawberry picking since then. I keep saying I'm gonna take the kids, but I'm sure my kids would be like, "Uh, mom, can't we just buy some from the store?" I think I'll try to remember to take them this year though, since there is a place not too far from here. But doesn't she look proud of her strawberries? :) Summer, 1986.

You can't really tell, but that is Kendra. I remember jumping on the drive through line at the Moby Dick to make it ding and the cashier asking to take our order. We thought that was so funny. :) Summer, 1986, and I guess I should be saying where. All of the above photos so far are taken in Louisville, KY.

Petra sent me these when we used to write each other all the time. I don't know where these were taken, but I'm sure Petra does. So, let me know. This is Tori Goodling in March, 1988. I don't know that I've ever actually met Tori though.

Petra also sent me this one of Tori, which was also taken in March, 1988.

Titus holding Tori, March, 1988.

Andrea Goodling after bath time apparently. February, 1988.

I really don't know how I ended up with this picture of Uncle Neil. I'm sure I asked for it. :) Not a bad picture though, don't ya think?

This is Matt's senior pic. Alright Matt, ya gotta love this one. :) I don't know about you, but when I look back at my senior portrait, I can't help but thank God those days are over. lol.

Aunt Cherry and Cory in the background and in the front are Daniel and Timberly. This is at Sherry and Lyle's (is that how you spell his name?) wedding in Illinois. Summer,1985

Kendra doin' her thing. :) Good times, good times. I'm guess this was also the summer of 1986 although I cut the writing off the back of the picture. What was with me and all the cutting anyway? Must be a kid thing because one of the pictures above that Petra sent me were cut as well. Who knows?

Tom Sawyer and me in Illinois. This was taken at our family reunion in Chatsworth, Illinois in 1985. I really need to go see him since I haven't seen him since my wedding in 1994. He was just my most favorite person in the whole wide world when I was a kid.

Now this is how I remember Mike McMurry looking. Oh so young here. I saw him at our family reunion in July, 2007. He looked all grown up then. :)

Heather Holser in Kindergarten, October, 1982. Awe, isn't she cute. :)

Melissa Poole and Kendra at Beth Haven Baptist Church. Summer, 1986.

Hope those of you who actually know these people enjoyed this trip down memory lane. I know I have. And I suppose I could've put these in better order, but oh well.

Let's take a trip down memory lane.

Ok, so I found a few more old photos to post. I have several more as well, but I figure I shouldn't post 20 at one time, right? I am really enjoying looking back through my life. And the fashion will never cease to amaze me. I mean, wow.

Tami, Terra, me and Troy on a Sunday morning when we lived with Grandma and Grandpa Woods on Whitney Ave. I loved living there with them. They really were the best. I think this was in 1981.

Above, a Picture of Tami, obviously.

Above, a picture of me :)

Above, a picture of Terra :)

Above is a picture of me and Troy

Above is Tami and Troy

Tami, Terra and me in front of Wendy's. We always went there after church. I guess Grandma and Grandpa really liked Wendy's, huh?

Ok, the back of the picture says Mike and Eric's graduation, 1979, so I guess that's when it is. :) I sure don't remember this. I turned 5 that year, and I look older than that to me, but since I don't know when they graduated, I just have to take Grandma's writing on the back at face value. ???

Christmas morning at Grandma and Grandpa Woods' house. Did I say I loved living there? Well, I did. :) I believe this is the Christmas Eve of 1980.

Now ya gotta love the perm Grandma had done to my hair. lol. I remember her taking me to J.C. Penney's to have this beautiful thing done to me. And ya know, I loved it! This was Christmas 1982 according to the picture. :) And if anyone knows who the little girl holding the toy in the picture is, let me know. Looks like Heather to me, but on the back of the picture, Grandma wrote, little girl, Terra? I know it's not Terra. She also wrote that that is Uncle Skip in the chair, which it isn't. It's definitely Grandpa. I don't know when she got these developed or decided to write on the back, but her vision wasn't all there, that's for sure. :)

Me with a doll Grandma got me for Christmas, 1982. I still have this doll. I'm sentimental that way. :)

Tami, me, my dad (Duane), Troy, Grandpa Woods, and Terra (pouting) at Rock City. What I remember about this trip, hmmm, it was COLD. And my brand new sandals got wet and the soft inside of the shoe was no longer soft, but hard and scratchy. Ugh! And I remember trying to drink from the water fountain and the water blew all in my face. I also remember that my mom (Beverly) bought us all new clothes, jammies and shoes before this trip. (That didn't happen often. So it stands out. :) ) I am so grateful to have gotten to do some things like this with Grandma and Grandpa Woods though. And I'm even more glad that I actually remember it. :) I think this was in 1980.

I have more pictures of other members of the family to put up later. It's fun taking trips down memory lane. :)