Linda's Sunflower

Corby has spent the last few days fixing Kaitlin's truck. When she came home - or tried to come home - from work last Sunday, her truck kept dying. After buying the car repair manual and studying it, Corby determined it needed a new water pump, as well as fan motor? Of course, he had to go to an automotive store in DERBY to find the tool he needed, and $150 later, the truck seems to be running fine. Again, I make sure the kids understand that if we had to take it to a repair shop, they would be paying a lot more, so it's nice to have a dad who can do a lot of work on vehicles. Now, if we could only afford more tools and a diagnostic machine! We also got rid of one vehicle today - sold the old Corsica! So now our "used car lot" is down to 6 vehicles with Brandon home. We are looking to get rid of the van too, so soon, we'll be down to 5, and then to 4 when Brandon heads back to K-State. Ugh - the Jets just beat the Chiefs in OT! Not that it means anything. The Chie...

I found this web site some time ago - bookmarked it - check it out every now and then - and LAUGH MY HEAD OFF. Thought those of you who like animals - mostly cats and dogs - might like to check it out. It is icanhascheezburger.com Let me know what you think.

We went to Warren East tonight to see Alvin & The Chipmunks, the first time we've all been out to a movie in a long time. We even got there about 50 minutes before showtime - however IT WAS SOLD OUT! They told us that movie had sold out every showing today. Since we couldn't agree on any other movie - Corby and the boys and I would have liked to seen National Treasure, but Kaitlin adamantly refused to - we decided to go out to eat instead. (By the way, those of you with young daughters, get prepared for the teenage years - they turn moody, crabby, hormonal, etc.) Anyway, I had eaten at Cheddar's several times with friends, but Corby and the kids had never been there. After about a 40 minute wait, we were finally seated. We had a wonderful dinner, and the best part is - I will be reimbursed $30! The kids' boss at Leeker's gave them each a coupon for a $15 meal for Christmas. They just have to take him the receipt and he'll give them (and in this case, ME!) th...

I saw this video player on a friend's blog, and copied her idea. (Thanks, Jennifer!) Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Had a great Christmas, but am glad the hustle and bustle is over. We had a quiet Christmas Eve. The twins both had to work 10-7, so they got home around 7:40. Leeker's was giving out poinsettias for free as they closed, so Kaitlin grabbed one for me. We had junk food night. Made queso, a cheese ball, spiced pecans (yummy, coated w/cinnamon, sugar, egg whites, etc. meatballs in bbq sauce, etc. I enjoyed several margaritas while Corby was drinking rum and coke. The kids exchanged their gifts, and then we all settled in to watch CHRISTMAS VACATION. It's one of our favorite funny Christmas movies! Yesterday was a fun-filled family day. We opened gifts before pigging out on Corby's wonderful meal of ham, hash brown casserole, sweet potato casserole, brussel sprouts, broccoli, rolls, and of course pumpkin and pecan pies. Mom enjoyed the Garth Brooks t-shirt we bought her at the concert in November. Brandon loved his K-State hoodie. It's a little big, so we're hoping it sh...

Had to show this picture of our 12 year old cat - Callie. She basically lives on Kaitlin's bed, and was snuggly warm during today's snowstorm. I got my Christmas wrapping done today. Here's one pile. You won't see any bows on these gifts yet, since Muffin (Kaitlin's wild kitty) will NOT leave bows alone! She will dig them out of my gift wrapping tub and drag them all over the house. I opted to go "bowless" until we get ready to open gifts!

Okay, I didn't venture far to take these pictures. They were all taken from inside the house. This is looking out the boys' bedroom window at our driveway. This is looking out our patio door at the picnic table on the deck. And this is looking out at the drifts in the backyard. Driving was definitely treacherous today. We tried to go to Sam's (on N. Rock) this morning. However, when we got down the street from us to 61st St. and saw 1 small truck, 1 large truck, and one car in the ditch, we opted just to go to Leeker's and get our grocery shopping done. That was bad enough, as you couldn't see 10 feet in front of your vehicle. Thank goodness we took the Suburban - Corby popped it into 4 wheel drive, and off we went! The twins are working 5-10 tonight, so Corby just took them. No way were we letting them drive in this!

Hope and I decided to dress up on Friday. Well, Hope was a bit more festive than I was. She offered to make me a skirt, but most of you know I rarely wear skirts or dresses, so I told her "thanks, but no thanks!" Also said bye Friday to Kim - who is leaving Kansas for Houston, TX. Her husband got a job there, and they leave town on Dec. 31. Kim and I have worked together since before our oldest kids were born. She and I were pregnant at the same time. Her oldest, Drew, is at KU. Goodbye and good luck Kim! SNOW PICTURES TO COME! Can't get outside with my camera yet! It is still blowing! BLIZZARD!!!!

I can't believe I forgot to mention BOOKS when I did my "love" list. My older brother, Terry (Jim, Jim Bob - yes, he has 3 names) reminded me tonight. He couldn't believe I left them off my list. He's so right. We are both book-a-holics! Absolutely, absolutely, LOVE TO READ! I read, on average, 3 books a week!

Okay, now that I've done the "10 Things I Hate..." post, I'm told I have to do the "10 Things I Love..." post. So - here goes. I may not be able to stop at 10 - we'll see... 1) GOD. No explanation necessary. 2) MY FAMILY. My husband - quite possibly the best husband anywhere. I am so lucky that he LOVES to cook and clean! My kids - three teenagers who I am VERY proud of, and who have caused us NO trouble whatsoever. See the lucky streak here? My mom, my 2 sisters and 2 brothers, my nephews and my favorite niece, Lenore. For those of you new to the blog, you can access Lenore's blog under my favorites "Presenting Lenore". She is a world traveler, currently living in Germany with her German husband of a year and a half, Daniel. 3) MY FRIENDS. I have the best friends in the world! And you all know who you are! 4) SCRAPBOOKING. Don't get to spend enough time doing it, but still love it! 5) CORBY'S CHEESECAKE. Some of you have been lucky...

...okay, a friend did this list, and it sounded like fun...so here goes 1) RACHEL RAY. There is something about that woman that I cannot stand. Way too perky and fake for me. 2) BEANS. Just about any kind of beans (except green). Never have liked 'em, never will! 3) SPONGE BOB. I don't get it. My husband and teenagers love Sponge Bob. 4) HARRY POTTER BOOKS. Okay, don't shoot me. I absolutely LOVE to read, but could not get in to the Harry Potter Books. 5) RAP MUSIC. I love just about any kind of music, but rap. Guess that makes me OLD! 6) GEORGE STRAIT. Sorry country fans. He's way too bland for me. 7) RODENTS! Any kind. Gerbils, mice, hamsters, etc. 8) PEOPLE WHO DRIVE LESS THAN THE SPEED LIMIT IN THE FAST LANE. 'nuff said! 9) NEGATIVE PEOPLE. I know, I know, we all have our negative days. But some people are determined to be negative 24/7. 10) ALMOST ALL REALITY TV SHOWS. Guess I'm showing my age here, but I could care less about American Idol, Survivor, etc. ...

My friend Chris did a post about memories of her Christmas ornaments. Here is a picture of the big snowman on a sled. My neighbor made these one year for a craft fair. And here's one of my favorite greenery pieces. It doesn't really go with my Americana decor, but it's still pretty after all these years. Here is a beautiful ivy?? plant. Corby's work sent this when Charles passed away. I am trying to keep it alive, though I'm not very good with plants. Kaitlin and I had to run to my friend Chelsy's today to drop off some cookie dough she bought through Kaitlin's music program fundraiser. We sure enjoyed playing with Zoey. She was really shy with us for about 15 minutes, and then she was Miss show-off and gabby! Here she has her little pink purse and her hat, and she's telling us bye! She was headed out the door to go shopping (not really, but we're pretending here)... Here she is opening the book we gave her for Christmas. She loves ducks, and this wa...

It's been a busy week at our house. Brandon got home from K-State on Thursday. Due to the ice storm, his Architectural History final was rescheduled to Saturday, and then cancelled altogether. His last final was Wednesday night at 7. The bad news is that Leeker's apparently is over-staffed and it doesn't look like he will get to work over the holiday. It's rather upsetting because the owner told him when he left for school to let them know a month before Christmas if he wanted to work for the month he was home. He let them know, and now they aren't honoring their promise. It's doubly upsetting because he could have worked at one of the Dillons here - but he needed to get paperwork from his Dillons allowing for the month transfer. It's too late to do that now. Corby is going to see if they have any parts delivering or anything he could do even 20 hours a week at Foley. I thought about seeing if he could work in the mailroom at the Eagle for a month - but the ...

Muffin covered herself up in a blanket...

Kaitlin and I went to see the movie ENCHANTED last night. What an enjoyable movie! Disney did a masterful job of meshing together a fairy tale cartoon with real life. And of course, Patrick Dempsey is HOT! I think the big ending was a bit overdone, but overall, it was a fun movie! Corby made another trip to Chandler on Wednesday. Kaitlin ended up going with him. She is caught up @ school and such a good student that I didn't think it would hurt for her to miss a day. They got the house cleared out and all the utilities shut off. Corby will have to go back down one more time for court - to have a judge name him executor of Charles' estate - which is basically the insurance policy. That probably won't happen until January. We did all of our Saturday errand running and got home by about 2. Since it's so yucky outside, we are getting some inside chores done this weekend - plus my normal 10-15 loads of laundry! Bought a new CD today - Michael W. Smith's newest Christmas ...

I met my friend, Chelsy, for lunch today. Those of you who work at the Eagle should remember Chelsy. She was our production commercial graphic artist. She is now working for The Golf Warehouse. Here is the cover she designed for their latest catalog. And here is a Nike insert with Tiger Woods that she designed for the center of the catalog: She told me she originally designed this one with another picture of Tiger to the left, faded behind the copy. When she sent it off for approval, she found out that Tiger doesn't allow any print to cover his face, so she had to remove that picture. I guess some celebrities have specific ideas on using their photos in advertising. Anyway, had a good visit with Chelsy. She loves her new job. We talked about little Zoey, who is now almost 19 months old. She sounds like a very independent little girl. I intended to take a picture of me and Chelsy, and even had my camera with me, but we were so busy gabbing I forgot! Corby fixed some yummy stew for d...

I am feeling better than I was mid-week, but I am still not over this crappy cold! I either have a head full, a sore nose, a sore throat, or a headache. I am also whinny, can you tell? Corby and I went back down to Chandler yesterday to do the estate sale at Charles house. We were able to sell almost all of the small to middle-size stuff; but were pretty surprised that the furniture didn't sell. Right before we closed down, we had a lady interested in the king-sized bed, and another lady interested in the couch. Corby has to go back down on Wednesday to get everything else cleaned out of the house, haul trash to the dump, take stuff to Goodwill, etc.; so hopefully they will buy the couch and bed. That leaves a mirrored dresser, a rattan-style desk, one recliner, one regular lounge chair, one glass-topped end table, and a few other odds and ends. We don't really want to haul all that stuff home and sell it here, so we'll probably just give it away. We didn't get to see C...