Finger and Toe Nails High Maintenance!

This is about three girls who cannot breathe if they do not have their finger and toe nails done! Then they have to go back and have them filled in every couple of weeks. They are what I call HIGH MAINTENANCE! I have never had my finger or toe nails done in a salon, but then I have really hard strong nails. I also do not like polish on my finger nails, but I do like to keep my toe nails painted. These are only examples of some of the nails they have spent good money to have put on their fingers or toes.

These are not professional toe nails...

these are some my granddaughter did for me at home.

She used polish, decals, top coat and it lasted for over a month!

I know my toes are old and ugly, but I wanted you to see what $4 could do from home...

 instead of $40 from the salon.

Stain Removal

I get so much junk mail, but the other day I received this really neat Stain Removal information. I wanted to share it with you, so here it is:

Lots of information and since I can read the print I sure hope you can too!

Paint Sample Art Project

Tiffiany sent me these photos of the ART PROJECT she did using PAINT SAMPLES.

She purchased 2 inexpensive 11 x 14 frames that already had a 8 x 10 opening mat.

Then she picked up some of those free paint sample cards at the store.

She purchased some Pearlescent Paper, but said you did not have to use this.

Couple pieces of aluminum foil and some glue.

She put the Pearlescent Paper in the mat.

Then decided how she wanted the paint samples laid out.

She crumpled up some pieces of the aluminum foil just to add a little bling.

Once she got the patten she wanted she glued everything down to the paper.

She made two different pieces of art to compliment each other.

I think they are really awesome!

The photo below shows how she made a complete art installation on the wall.

This is Tiffiany...my "third" daughter.

Thanks Tiffiany for sharing this project with us.

Scalloped Potatoes with Spam

Scalloped Potatoes with Spam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Peel and slice 6 or 8 potatoes

Layer in bottom of 13 x 9 baking dish

(spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray)

Slice and layer a medium onion on top of the potatoes.

Dice one can of Spam and layer on top of the onions.

Slice Velveeta cheese and layer on top of the Spam.

Mix one can cream of mushroom soup with one can of milk.

 Add black pepper to taste.

Pour on top of Velveeta.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately one and a half hours or until potatoes are cooked.

Never tried Scalloped Potatoes with Spam before, but it was a really good idea!

P.I.N.K. Method

I have been excited, because the Dr. Phil Show now comes on ABC at midnight in my time zone. I love Dr. Phil, and I think it is because he is like me, he gives frank honest answers. I am forever telling someone...don't ask me a question unless you want my honest answer.

I was watching the Dr. Phil Show the other night and the show was about weight loss. Dr. Phil was setting some ladies up with this new diet method called the P.I.N.K. Method. I thought I would look it up and see what it was about. Pretty much it is like every other diet program. You have to eat right and exercise. You have to make life-long changes. I thought I would share the information:

P.I.N.K. Method – Pink Diet Power for Women

The P.I.N.K. Method, as seen on the Dr. Phil show and The Doctors show, is empowering women to lose weight and keep it off. This new revolutionary diet for women is sweeping the nation. According to Dr. Phil, it is the "first comprehensive doable plan for women" where the result is permanent and fast weight loss. Read more on the pink method diet for weight loss.

P.I.N.K. Method – What is it?

The P.I.N.K. Method is a system for fast weight loss that combines diet and exercise for long-term results.

P.I.N.K. stands for Power, Intensity, Nutrition, and Kardio.

It is designed specifically for women that are in good health and are not pregnant and/or nursing.

P.I.N.K. Method – What's Included?

Included in the program:

Nutrition Guide – 240 pages

3 Workout DVDs (20 to 40 minutes)

Bonus DVD (15 minute Yoga/lower body workouts

P.I.N.K. Method Certificate

P.I.N.K. Method daily motivation wristband

P.I.N.K. VIP Membership

Included in the VIP membership: lifetime access, 82-day full program, diet and workout plans, trainer and nutrition support, tips to personalize the program, tracking tools, and online community support.

P.I.N.K. Method – The Program

The P.I.N.K. Method is unique because it is designed specifically for a woman's needs. It is a step by step process that is unlike any other program on the market today. They have divided the system into four stages, which include:

P.I.N.K. Reset – This is a short time detoxifying stage that is designed to give your metabolism a boost.

P.I.N.K. Primary – This is a fat-fighting diet stage that introduces your body to high-energy foods that provides the fuel your body will need during the Phase 1 fitness program.

7-Day Shred – This is a seven day program that includes a "Shred Soup" that will help you lose those last few pounds, as well as help to prevent weight loss plateaus.

P.I.N.K. Preservation – This is the sustainable weight management program that will help you keep that weight off. This is the key to your long-term weight loss success.

These stages include the combination of diet and exercise that work together to provide maximum results for weight loss.

OK, as I see it the P.I.N.K. Method is just another "diet program" created and being marketed to make money for the lady who put it together. All of the diet "programs" and companies marketing their plans tell us the same thing...eat healthy and exercise!

Chickasha, OK Catholic Church

On a trip through Chickasha, Oklahoma I saw this beautiful Catholic Church building. I always want to know more when I see a building with such great details. I snapped these photos to share with you. The Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church was built in 1926, the work of architect Harold Gimeno. Many view it as his most beautiful design. The basilica-type church is noted for its beautiful rose window and its sixty foot tall gothic bell tower. It was constructed of red brick with limestone highlights. It marked Gimeno’s largest commission. Gimeno was the son of a noted artist at the University of Oklahoma, and received a Masters in Architectural Engineering from Harvard. He established his practice in Norman, Oklahoma around 1925, and his work can be viewed in several homes, fraternities and a theater in Norman, Oklahoma. The interior of the Church is likewise a work of art. Beautiful marble altars and statues filled the cavernous interior. Over the years, the church building has been modernized and updated, most noticeably the ornate marble altar pieces and floors. But the building structure with it's beautiful stained glass windows remains the same.

Holy Name Catholic Church in Chickasha, Oklahoma, began as a small mission to the Indians surrounding that area. The story of the beginnings of that Parish, is largely the story of the first priest who served there. Reverend Urban Alphonse de Hasque was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on July 16, 1875. He had never intended to become a missionary to the American Indians, but a young missionary Bishop, Theophile Meerschaert, persuaded Father de Hasque and several others to assist him in organizing new parishes, building churches and schools, and securing financial assistance for those projects.

It soon became Father de Hasque’s role, to make Catholic history in a land that was once but a name on a map to him. He began recording the history of the Catholic Church there, and published the first parochial bulletin ever issued in the diocese, dated 1905, called "The official publication of the Holy Name of Jesus (Catholic) Church." On its cover, the booklet carried a picture of the little white frame church that had been dedicated on May 15,1898, by Bishop Meerschaert. Father de Hasque was appointed as pastor of the Holy Name of Jesus Church, at Chickasha, in 1901. There he began his duties as a missionary to the Indians in this part of the Indian Territory.

Confronted with the problem that the church in Chickasha possessed only a quit claim deed to a block of property, with a two-story school building on it, Father de Hasque moved rapidly to put his new parish affairs in order. He had the church building (which stood on another lot) moved to the actual location of the property in question, then petitioned the Secretary of the Interior to appraise the entire school block to the Catholic Church. At that time, the twenty-eight lots in the block were appraised at the sum of $1,172! The full amount for this property was raised in the following years by annual bazaars put on by ladies of the Church.

He continued to minister to the Chickasaws in the Territory, and managed to overcome their hostility to the White man among them. At the end of 1905 there were twenty Chickasaws enrolled in the parish school. He resigned his pastorate in Chickasha in 1912, at the request of Bishop Meerschaert, to become Chancellor of the diocese, a post he was to fill for six years. Father de Hasque built and dedicated churches throughout the Southwestern part of Oklahoma.

Grace in a Sack

This is my daughter's cat Grace...she loves to play in grocery sacks or boxes.

My daughter named her Grace, and this is the most UNGRACEFUL cat ever.

Bless her heart. My daughter says she can fall off the bed just laying there.

But, her "Saving Grace" is that she is a really smart cat.

Peek-a-boo Miss Grace...I see you!

Personalized Name Craft

Does your child or grandchild have an unusually spelled name? When my daughter was born I thought I was being cool to name her after her parents. Kenneth and Brenda = Kennda, the first half of his name and the second half of my name. DUH! What was I thinking? She could never go to the mall and find ready-made personalized name items. Looking back I should have only used one 'N' and it would have been easier for others to say and spell.

When my daughter's friend was moving into a new house I made PERSONALIZED NAME "art" for each of her children, who all have unique names. This was a house warming gift for each of them to hang in their rooms. This project is easy and inexpensive to make.

18 X 24 Wood Poster Frame

Gift Wrapping Paper

Scrapbook Paper

Glue

Sissors

For Alexxus I used pink flowered paper for the background to match the colors of her room. Then I cut out freehanded letters of her name, with in a color that matched the leaves in the paper. I should have used stensils, but the freehanded letters are a bit more funky and certainly one-of-a-kind. Glue the letters on top of the wrapping paper and put into the poster frame.

Aaliyah loved cats, so I used wrapping paper with cats and tied in the colors of her room with the letters. On her letters I glued them down to rectangle pieces of scrapbook paper, before gluing on the background wrapping paper. I also added triangle shaped scrapbook paper on two corners, before framing.

Traeton needed a sports theme for his room. I used sports paper with basketball, football, soccer, and baseball items. The letters are a color just lighter than the basketballs, so they would stand out.

All three of the kids loved to have something personalized with their names. It was a special gift for some special children in my life.

My daughter took these photos and sent them to me, because they live over an hours drive from me. She took them with her phone...I have given this child two cameras and she still uses her phone! They are a bit blurry, but I hope you can see them well enough to get the idea of a fun craft you can make.



Cotton Bowl 2012

COTTON BOWL 2012

#6 Arkansas vs. #8 K-State

Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 

7 PM CST

Cowboys Stadium

Arlington, Texas

TV: FOX

RAZORBACKS!

Peppers

I love peppers of all kinds and colors. I eat jalapeno peppers with nearly every meal. I found this information on a WebMD e-mail and thought I should share it with you. This is only part of the information, because the rest of it was way too much medical stuff.

Peppers -- hot or not -- may do more than round out your omelet, spice up your salsa, and make for a colorful stir-fry. They help you get some of your daily vitamins and contain compounds that may be linked to weight loss, pain reduction, and other benefits.

Peppers, by the way, are fruits, not vegetables. Whether spicy or sweet, peppers contain many phytochemicals, which are naturally occurring compounds found in plants. Many of peppers' phytochemicals have antioxidant abilities. This means they can help neutralize free radicals in the body, which damage cells. So they may help prevent or reduce symptoms of certain diseases.

Peppers come in a rainbow of colors, including green, red, yellow, orange, and even purple, brown, and black. Whether mild or fiery, peppers are nutrient-dense. They're one of the richest sources of vitamins A and C. Just a cup a day can provide more than 100% of your daily needs.Go for a variety of colors in peppers to get the biggest bang for your buck. Red bell peppers are a good source of fiber, folate, vitamin K, and the minerals molybdenum and manganese. And, they're especially rich in nutrients and phytochemicals such as:

Top your baked potato with peppers.

Vitamin A, which may help preserve eyesight, and fend off infections

Vitamin C, which may lower cancer risk and protect against cataracts

Vitamin B6, which is vital for essential chemical reactions throughout the body, including those involving brain and immune function

Lutein and zeaxanthin, which may slow the development of eye diseases, such as cataracts or macular degeneration

Beta-carotene, which may help protect against certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer in women before menopause

Lycopene, which may decrease the risk for ovarian cancer

What about the noteworthy antioxidant that gives spicy peppers their zing? You know, that tear-jerking, sweat-inducing, fiery blast of heat? That's capsaicin. It's a flavorless, odorless, colorless compound found in varying amounts in peppers. Fiery habaneros contain the most. Jalapeños have some. Bell peppers have none. The more capsaicin, the hotter the pepper, and the higher the antioxidant level. Red chilies are usually hotter, but even the green ones have capsaicin. You can't always go by the color to determine how hot a pepper might be when it hits your mouth.

It's more than a little ironic: The compound that gives peppers their burn -- capsaicin -- can actually relieve the burning from nerve pain. Studies show that capsaicin is also effective in reducing the pain of osteoarthritis and psoriasis. Some people apply capsaicin topical creams on their forehead for headaches.

It's easy to include peppers in your diet. You can grill, stuff, steam, bake, and stir-fry them. Many peppers are also delicious raw, simply chopped as a crunchy complement for dips or cottage cheese.

Here are a few suggestions for adding spicy peppers to your diet:

Chop up peppers and put in sauces and add to noodles.

Make a salsa with mild peppers and add it to tacos or rice and beans.

Add to guacamole. Start with half a jalapeño.

Toss peppers into chicken soup to give it a little kick.

Roast poblano peppers on the grill. Peel off the blackened part, removing the seeds and some of the veins. Combine with roasted tomatoes, garlic, and cilantro in a blender.

When you're ready, move on to spicier peppers, such as serranos.

Add peppers to cornbread!

Also popular and easy are ready-to-eat hot pepper sauces. You can make these and homemade sauces a side dish to meals, not just a dip for chips.

Other ideas: Add chopped bell peppers to tuna or chicken salad. Steam cored bell peppers, stuff them with rice salad, and bake. The possibilities are practically limitless.

Source: WebMD

Goddaughter turns 30!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY COURTNEY

How can it be that my Goddaughter is 30? It just seems like yesterday that she was born. When her mom ask me to be her Godmother I was thrilled and honored. When Courtney turned 18 her mom told me I was off the hook now. I never felt like I was "on the hook," I have always loved this child as if she were mine. I just always thought her mom was extremely smart to make arrangements for the "what if," and know her child would be taken care of by someone who loved her. Everyone should be that thoughtful about the most important people in their lives.

Courtney at 3 days old with her mom, Pat

Courtney at 10 days old with me

Courtney with Louise posing for her mom's photography class project

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY COURTNEY

I LOVE YOU!

Fix Broken Mirror

My Granddaughter broke her full length mirror all across the bottom. The mirror has a purple frame and her room decor has purple and zebra. I took a piece of zebra scrapbook paper and lots of Elmer's glue and fixed the mirror.

Between the heavy scrapbook paper and the glue the mirror is probably stronger now than before she broke it. Instead of a broken mirror, now it looks like a custom designed mirror.

There was one big break that went higher than the paper would cover. To "mask" that crack I took a flower applique and glued it over the crack. This close up shows the crack, but if you are just glancing it is not noticeable. She was tickled with the newly "designed" mirror and I was happy to not have to go buy a new one:)

How would the world survive without Elmer's Glue and Duck Tape?

January is National Soup Month

January is National Soup Month

Chicken Noodle will always be one of my favorite Campbell's Soups. It is such a comfort when I do not feel well and I swear it helps me get over a cold. We make a lot of home-made soups, but it is still nice to just be able to open a can to heat and eat. What is your favorite soup?

A fast-food first! Soup has been so popular throughout time that it’s actually considered one of the first fast foods. There is documentation that as early as 600 B.C., the Greeks sold soup as a fast food on the street, using peas, beans and lentils as main ingredients.

Before there was soup, there was broth, which people used to pour over a piece of bread in a bowl. That bread was known as sop, and from sop came the word soup.

No matter what you call it, there are lots of variations on the basic theme of soup, each offering a wide range of nutritional benefits. Cream soups such as chowders and bisques are often high in calories and fat due to the cream or milk content. Broth-based soups such as consommés will typically be low in calories because of the high water content. Soups loaded with beans and vegetables, such as chili and gazpacho are great sources of fiber and phytochemicals (like lycopene). Canned and condensed soups typically contain large amounts of sodium to enhance the flavor.

The most recognized soup company in the world is the Campbell Soup Company. It was founded in 1869, and originally called the Joseph A. Campbell Preserve Company. The business produced canned tomatoes, vegetables, jellies, soups, condiments, and minced meats. In 1897, the general manager of the company, reluctantly hired his 24-year-old nephew to join the company. Dr. John T. Dorrance, a chemist who had trained in Europe, was so determined to join Campbell that he agreed to pay for laboratory equipment out of his own pocket and accept a token salary of just $7.50 per week.

Dr. Dorrance quickly made his mark on history with the invention of condensed soup in 1897. By eliminating the water in canned soup, he lowered the costs for packaging, shipping, and storage. This made it possible to offer a 10-ounce can of Campbell’s condensed soup for a dime, versus more than 30 cents for a typical 32-ounce can of soup. The idea became so hot with Americans that in 1922, the company formally adopted "Soup" as its middle name.

Sources: http://www.hgtv.com/

http://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/

Time for a New Year!

I can't believe it is TIME FOR A NEW YEAR!

2012 IS HERE....HAPPY NEW YEAR

I love watches...don't ask me why, but I do. If anyone ever had a question about something to give me for any occasion, they would be safe giving me a watch. I love big watches, I love small watches (except now they must have a face big enough for me to see), I love seasonal and funny watches, but my favorite are the ones that come with lots of bands that can be changed to match my mood or outfit.

HAPPY NEW YEAR....

I HOPE 2012 IS THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE!