Linda's Sunflower

K-STATE beat KU! AWESOME! It was a tense game. Corby is a huge KU fan, and even having a son at K-State hasn't changed that. I am happy when any Kansas team does well; but I had to root for K-State tonight. If the Jayhawks had to lose, I'm glad it was to K-State. Michael Beasley is a great player, and my only concern is that he will leave after his freshman year and go pro. WAY TO GO CATS!

As some of you know, I used to be a Longaberger consultant. Needless to say, I own dozens and dozens and dozens of Longaberger baskets. I decided today that I own WAY TOO MANY! They are gorgeous, long-lasting, hand-made baskets, but I've decided to part with some of them. The picture only shows some of what I intend to sell. I have Christmas baskets, Easter baskets, Horizon of Hope baskets, specialty baskets, every day baskets. I'm not sure when I will have the sale - sometime in the next month or two. Let me know if you're interested in coming, and I'll let you know when it will be.

While going through drawers of mementos (and CRAP!) this afternoon I found this Cat Fancy magazine. Now I know it is dated March 2005. Why, you ask, are you keeping an old Cat Fancy magazine around? Well, because I'm a proud mama, of course. Kaitlin had a poem published in this issue, a poem she wrote when she was 12. There is a funny story behind this...I loved the poem "THE VET" she wrote after taking our cat in for her shots. At the time, she subscribed to Cat Fancy. I sent her poem in, and nothing happened. I'm sure they get hundreds, if not thousands of poems submitted every month. Her subscription ran out about a year later, and we opted not to renew it. About 9 months later, we received a magazine in the mail. We had no idea why, it just showed up. I thought maybe they were trying to lure her to subscribe again. The magazine sat around the house for a few days. Finally she had time to look at it. A short while later, I heard her scream, and this is what she fo...

VACATION DAY! YIPPEE! Any vacation day is a day in paradise! This would be my kind of paradise. A little cabin in the mountains. Maybe someday! Had a great time in Manhattan yesterday. It was an early start though, as Brandon ended up having to work 2pm-11pm. We got up there early, hung out for a while, took the boys to Old Chicago for lunch, and then headed back when Brandon went to work. I got some video of the fun car ride up there, but haven't figured out how to load my new Flip Video on my computer yet. I'm missing some ingredient in Microsoft, and have to download it and see if that helps. I hope to get that accomplished today. Anyway, Brandon's car is tiny - a Toyota Corolla - and here you have these 4 adults riding in close quarters when we are used to a van or a Suburban. It was quite hilarious. We all took turns driving. It sort of reminded me of a trip we took to visit Corby's folks in Dumas, Texas when the kids were really little. We owned a Corscia at the t...

This is usually done in an e-mail that goes to all your friends, but I thought I'd try to do it on my blog. Feel free to comment with your own answers, or post it on your own blog - blogger buddies! 1. What time did you get up this morning? 8am 2. How do you like your steak cooked? Well done 3. What is the last film you saw at the movie theatre? Enchanted 4. Favorite TV show(s)? CSI, CSI Miami, Shark, Criminal Minds, Without a Trace 5. What's your middle name? Sue (how do you do?) 6. What is your favorite cuisine? Italian or American 7. What foods do you dislike? BEANS! Brussel sprouts! Asparagus! Liver! 8. What are your favorite chips? Fresh tortilla chips with queso 9. What is your favorite CD? This changes day-to-day. I'd have to say Melissa Etheridge's latest - The Awakening - is my favorite right now. 10. What kind of car do you drive? Just got rid of our van (no more car payments!) so I'm driving our old Suburban for the time being (or will be after we pick ...

Wasn't today beautiful? We're looking for more of the same tomorrow as we head to Manhattan to take Brandon's car to him and get the Suburban back. Great basketball today! Both KU and K-State won. Am really looking forward to the KU/K-State game this Wednesday. Corby is a huge KU fan, and with Brandon at K-State, I have to root for them! GO CATS! I am a Shocker fan too, and their game has just begun. Hopefully they can get back on the road to winning tonight. ENJOY THE REST OF THIS BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Another wild and wooly day at work...typical Friday though! Corby did not end up having to replace the starter in Kaleb's car. Turns out it was just a loose starter WIRE ! YIPPIE! That saved about $150! Are ya'all as sick of this cold weather as I am? I am looking forward to the 50's they are predicting for this weekend. SUNSHINE! HAPPY TRAILS!

We sent Brandon back to Manhattan last week with Corby's old Suburban because his car started acting up right before he left. Since "radiator hell" last fall, his car has been running pretty good. We decided it was the water pump. Corby finally had a chance to look at it on Sunday. Since it's a Toyota, it's not as easy to work on (meaning they hide parts well). After taking some parts off to try to get to the water pump, he decided it was just too hard to get to and he didn't have all the right tools. We took it to a mechanic here in Park City recommended by a guy we know who had worked on the old Corsica for us. Well, $575 later, the Corolla is finally fixed. Not only did he need a new water pump, but he needed a new timing belt. The timing belt wasn't at the breaking point, but it was almost there, and since he had to remove it anyway to get to the water pump, we told him to go ahead and replace it. Otherwise we would have had to pay for labor twice. UGH...

I found some old pics from my childhood and my senior picture. (Still haven't found the one in my maxi dress, but will post it if I ever do)... Here's my 1 year picture - can you see the tiny mohawk? I was about 6 in this picture. That's me on the far left, with my brother Terry (love his geeky glasses?), holding my little sister, Marilyn, and my older sister, Rhonda. My youngest brother, Mike, was still a twinkle in my mom and dad's eye at this point. I was 9 in this picture and definitely in need of those braces I got a few years later. And TA-DA - my senior picture. Love those bushy eyebrows? Around this time is when we used to "curl" our hair on orange juice cans to make it straight. Go figure!

I'm still looking for old pics of me when I was a kid, but while looking, I found some of my favorites of my own kids. Now remember, the camera we owned 15 years ago was a piece of crap, so the pics are kind of grainy - but here goes: Here's our first family picture the day the twins came home from the hospital. Brandon and I are holding Kaleb, and Corby is holding Kaitlin. The twins were 8 days old, and Brandon was just shy of 2. Here's a picture of Brandon clowning around while the twins were in Kaitlin's baby bed. No, they did not sleep in the same bed, not even at the beginning. You can sort of see the Disney decals on the wall. And here's one of my favorite pics because it defines Kaitlin's "ugh, leave me alone" personality! I'll keep looking for pics of me so I can show you all how geeky I was! If I can find it, I'll show you a picture of me wearing the "maxi" dress I made freshman year. Oh my gosh, it defies description!

I just ordered this Flip Video camera on Amazon.com. Here's what it's all about: Simple to use, pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and digital zoom Holds 60 minutes of TV-quality video on 1GB of built-in memory; no tapes or additional memory cards required Convenient USB arm plugs directly into your computer for easy sharing and archiving Built-in software lets you easily e-mail videos, share them on YouTube and Grouper, edit footage, and capture still photos from video Watch videos instantly on TV with included cable I've heard a lot of good things about this video camera, especially how easy it is to use. I finally talked Corby into getting it. It's regularly $149, but was on sale for $122 with free shipping! Look for videos to come...

It's been a fairly uneventful day - needed it after the last 2 days at work. The funeral of our church class friend this morning was very beautiful. We visited mom, did grocery shopping, paid bills, watch K-State whoop up on Texas A&M (sorry Turgeon-not really!) and are now sitting by the fire drinking margaritas. What more can you ask for on a bitter cold winter night? (oh yeah, add DOING LAUNDRY to the mix, as usual!)

I know, I know - I only had to work 2 days this week; but man, they were killers! You know how sometimes it doesn't pay to take a few days off? This was one of those times. From the minute I walked in the door yesterday at 8:15am and left at 6:15pm - I didn't stop. I ate lunch at my desk, which was about the only 10 minutes I was at my desk. Between a 90 minute management training session in the morning, and making plates all afternoon, IT DID NOT STOP. I was still making plates at 6pm! UGH! HAVE I SAID BEFORE HOW MUCH I HATE MAKING PLATES? Today was really busy too, but I did manage to get away for lunch with a friend. Kaleb has a friend spending the night tonight. His name is Sen-Xiang. He is a foreign exchange student from Germany - yes Germany! His family moved to Germany shortly after he was born. He speaks wonderful English and seems like a very nice young man. Corby is making chocolate chip cookies tonight. Truly - he doesn't always bake like this. He is actually mak...

WE HAVE HOT WATER AGAIN! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! WE HAVE HOT WATER AGAIN! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! After shopping around yesterday, we finally found the right part for the hot water heater. Corby replaced it when he got home from work, and TADA - we had hot water! Since there has been a class action lawsuit filed against the maker of our water heater, we will be reimbursed for up to 2 thermocouples. We are going to go buy one more (at Star) and keep it on hand in case it goes out again. We've heard stories that people have already replaced this piece 2 or 3 times. It is only a $17 part, but if you don't have a handyman (like our neighbor Paul) to show you how to install it, it can cost $150 for a service call and replacement of the part. THANKS PAUL! Now Corby knows how to do it himself!

It was almost as hard to see Brandon go today as it was in August when he first left for K-State. All of you moms out there with younger kids - enjoy the time you have with them. They head off to college WAY TOO SOON! Don't you just love this pic of Brandon when he was about 3? Gotta dig that lime green hat and pink sunglasses! Here's a pic of the kids in the fall of 2006 - first day of school - Brandon (Mr. Goofy Grin) was a senior and Kaleb and Kaitlin were sophomores. Soon the twins will be heading off to college. MAJOR BOO HOO!

On vacation for a few days (return to work on Thursday)...here's where I wish I was... I plan on enjoying some peace and quiet...and possibly, if I get motivated, getting some cleaning and organizing done in the office area of the basement. We'll see if that motivation arrives (it's not here yet)... Good news for Park City residents...recycling came to town the first of January. We are charged $4.00 month (added onto our already high water bill); but it has lowered the price of our trash pickup. The company P.C. contracted with has a much lower price than the company we use. Our company matched the price, so our trash bills went down (considerably) AND we get to recycle. We can recycle almost all our plastics, newspapers, cardboard, aluminum cans, cereal boxes, glass, motor oil, etc. We've got two big bags to set out tomorrow. Just doin' our part for the environment. We are without hot water right now...our hot water heater needs a new thermo-couple? It's a fair...

Brandon heads back to K-State tomorrow. BOO HOO! I've gotten used to him being home, so it's going to be like losing him all over again! His first semester went well, though, and we are very proud of him! Have a great time, son! We'll be up for a visit sometime next month.

What can I say? Corby is still on a sweet kick. Don't get me wrong. I love my sweets. It's just that I need to lose the 15 pounds I've put on over the last 6 months. Yeah, I need to lose more than 15 pounds, but I'll settle for that for the time being. It's hard to do when he's making things like this scrump-dilly-icious chocolate mayonnaise cake. Here's the beginning of the cake... Here's the finished product. YEP, IT'S YUMMY! That piece was my lunch!

Saw this on another blog, and thought I'd copy it. Been doing that a lot lately. Guess I'm just a "blog stealer"...not creative enough to think up this stuff on my own! TOP TEN BANDS/GROUPS 1. STYX - all-time favorite! 2. EAGLES 3. REO Speedwagon 4. Rascal Flatts 5. Osmonds 6. Bee Gees 7. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band (counts as a band!) 8. Creedence Clearwater Revival 9. Doobie Brothers 10. Journey oops - can't stop at ten - guess this will be TOP TWENTY! 11. Foreigner 12. Jars of Clay 13. Kansas 14. Little River Band 15. Matchbox Twenty 16. MercyMe 17. The Monkees 18. Montgomery Gentry 19. Pearl Jam 20. .38 Special

My friend Marcia became a Grandma this week. Here is a picture of her with her new grandson, Ethan Andrew and her boyfriend, Russ.

Oh my gosh, I've had a few beers tonight (don't tell anybody!), and I have been having a great time watching music videos on YOU TUBE. I've watched Bruce Springsteen, the Bee Gees, Rascal Flatts, Styx and Barry Manilow. Of course, Corby is watching the Jayhawks, and bitching as usual. I'm just blasting my music videos and ignoring him! (But I still love him-just not when he's watching the Jayhawks!)

This is the last weekend Brandon will be home. He heads back to Manhattan on Tuesday. Last night, one of his best friends, Owen, spent the night. Brandon, Owen and Kaitlin played ROCK BAND for about an hour. Brandon played the guitar, Kaitlin played the drums, and Owen sang. Probably a good thing that they were doing this in the privacy of our home, and not at a club! HA! When Kaleb got home from work they headed out to Northrock for some bowling. I am going to miss Brandon when he heads back to Manhattan. It will be like August, when we sent him off for the first time. BOO HOO!

We finally found a new comforter for Kaitlin's room last weekend at Target. I wish I could show you a picture of a beautifully made bed - but Callie was snuggled up in the bedding, and I didn't have the heart to move her and fix the bed. For those of you who haven't seen previous pictures, Kaitlin has two walls painted lime green, two walls painted orange, and her curtains are bright pink! It is definitely a TEEN room - but I like it! Went to a patient care meeting at Presbyterian Manor today for mom. My little sister Marilyn came too. It was a good meeting. We all agreed that mom is thriving in the health care area. The staff love her because she interacts with all of the people who live there - especially those that are in more dire physical condition. Mom's physical condition is very good, so she is always on the go, helping the staff when she can, and visiting with residents who don't get many visitors. They took her off the anti-depressant in October, and she...

I thought I'd do a post about all the artists I have on my Ipod. If you have no desire to know, STOP, READ NO FURTHER! I have a wide range of musical tastes, and this is only a partial list. There are also a lot of other artists out there that I want to add...maybe someday! Here goes: Air Supply, Alabama, Alison Krauss, Alter Bridge, Amy Grant, Amy Winehouse, Andy Gibb, The Anointed, Audio Adrenaline, Avalon, B.J. Thomas, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Bad Company, Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Bee Gees, Billy Dean, Billy Idol, Billy Ray Cyrus, Blake Shelton, Blessid Union of Souls, Blondie, Blue Oyster Cult, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Bon Jovi, Bonnie Raitt, Boston, Brad Paisley, Bread, Brooks & Dunn, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Building 429, Caedmon's Call, Carly Simon, The Cars, Casting Crowns, Cheap Trick, Chicago, Chris Tomlin, Cinderella, Clint Black, Collin Raye, The Commodores, Craig Morgan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cyndi Lauper, Damn Yankees, Dan Fogelberg, Dau...

Yucky combination, right? Kaitlin and Kaleb worked 11-8 today, so their lunch was at 3. She fixed spaghetti-o's. PHEW-EEE! I can't stand them, but Leeker's had them on sale, and Kaitlin begged me to buy some. She loves those things. For a girl who likes "real" food, it surprises me! Corby made this awesome apple pie today. When we ran to Sam's this morning, he saw the Granny Smith apples, and made the spur-of-the-moment decision to make a pie. Now all of you out there reading this blog, and I know there are two or three of you, Corby does not cook and bake like this all the time. He goes through spurts where sweets sound good to him, and that's when he bakes. Most of the time he doesn't eat many sweets (that's my job). It's a good thing he doesn't bake like this all the time. I'd weigh even more than the considerable poundage I already carry around! And I had to take a picture of Frisbee-head Corby. We were cleaning out the hall clos...

well, I WAS headed to the recliner, but before I made it I read a friend of a friend's blog, and she had this cool question and answer thingie...thought I'd copy it and fill in my own answers. Ya'all can quit reading now if these things bore you... 1. It’s 2AM on the weekend, and you are not home. You are more than likely: tough one, as we are rarely out late. Only time I've been out past 2am lately was when we had to take mom to the hospital last July and it turned out to be an all-night deal. 2. What’s the last thing you spent more than $100 on? My new Kodak Easy-Share All-in-One Printer 3. What do your bank checks look like? Plain, boring blue; but I rarely use them since the invention of the debit card. 4. Where did the shirt you are currently wearing come from? I hate to admit this on the weekend, but it's an Eagle sweatshirt. 5. Name something that was on your Christmas wish list: Melissa Etheridge's latest CD, and no, I did not get it for Christmas, but ...

You would think I'd be safe from colds since I had one about a month ago. Not sure what I have going on, but I have a hacking cough (bronchitis?). We all intended to go see Alvin and the Chipmunks tonight, but I wasn't up to it, so Corby and the kids went. Mom is just getting some quiet, relaxing, COUGH HER HEAD OFF time! Been sucking vitamic C lozenges, Cold-Eze zinc lozenges, and of course, Halls cherry cough drops! Wah, wah, can you tell I'm whinny? We did get some things accomplished today. Corby stayed home and put a new thermostat in the car he inherited from Charles. Brandon spent the day with my older brother, helping him move his basement items back to his basement. My brother, Terry, and his wife, Sandy, had a flood in their basement about 4 months ago, and it's taken this long (insurance hang-ups, etc.) to get everything repaired and replaced. Terry knew Brandon wasn't working over Christmas break, so offered to pay him if he would come help carry everyth...

Anybody got some ear plugs you could loan me? I am sitting here in our den/office area with 5 screaming people! The KU Bowl game is on. Brandon's roommate, Brady, is here, lending Brandon ANTI-KU support. After all, they DO go to K-State! I'm okay with that, but the rest of us are for KU - hey - we gotta be for the Kansas team, don't we? Anyway, Corby is yelling, the kids are yelling, and I'm just gettin' a headache! I hate watching sports with Corby anyway. He's unreasonable, vocal and his team rarely wins! I think I'll head upstairs shortly to read for a while. It's gotta be quieter than where I am right now!

We had a fairly quiet New Year's Eve. We prefer staying home and out of the way of those "once a year" party-ers! Corby did it again. He made homemade pizza. Well, he made the dough. The boys and I made our own pizzas. We each like something different on them. I had to get a picture of Corby and the mess he makes on his clothes. Yes, he has aprons. Man aprons of course. Does he wear them? Rarely! Here are some of the ingredients we used. I don't like mushrooms, so I didn't put any on mine. I had ground beef, canadian bacon, pepperoni, onion and cheese on mine. Here's my fresh-from-the-oven pizza! Here's what the boys did after dinner. Yep, played video games. Poor Kaitlin. She had to work 5-10. We all managed to stay up until midnight and say "Happy New Year" and then us old fogies hit the sack. Oh yeah, had to show you this picture of Muffin. Both cats love my space heater, and Muffin sprawled out behind me last night. I couldn't get near th...