Linda's Sunflower

Today was a good day for Kansas basketball! WSU beat Drake 63-47. K-State beat No. 12 Texas in overtime 85-81 and KU beat Colorado 66-61. Way to go Kansas sports teams! Here's Abby's latest pose. It's in the same location as the picture I posted the other day, but it's at a different angle and makes her look like a statue. Plus, she's sitting on one of my Longaberger baskets. Ornery kitty! And here's Muffin (or her nickname "Muffy") in the Easy Mac box. She barely fits. Current music: Working on a Dream, Bruce Springsteen's newest CD. Lovin' it so far! Current book: Shelter Me, the debut novel by author Juliette Fay. This is a Target "bookmarked" book club selection. From the back cover: "Four months after her husband's death, Janie LaMarche remains undone by grief and anger. Her mourning is disrupted, however, by the unexpected arrival of a builder with a contract to add a porch onto her house. Stunned, Janie realizes the po...

Kaitlin found out yesterday that she has been named a Governor's Scholar for the state of Kansas. We don't know too much about it yet, but her counselor told her she would be getting a package in the mail explaining everything. Apparently it's given to the top 1% of students in Kansas (she's one of four students from Heights) and we are invited to Washburn University in Topeka in May for a banquet with the Governor...now...if it would only include scholarship money!!! Way to go baby girl! WE ARE SO PROUD!

Abby still entertains us every day. She hasn't settled into a fat cat yet. She startled me yesterday morning when I was getting ready to leave for work. Yep, she looked like a statue! Glad it warmed up a bit today and melted that crappy icy stuff. Couldn't really call it ice, and couldn't really call it snow. How about "snice"? It's basketball heaven for Corby tonight. KU just beat Nebraska on ESPN, WSU is on Channel 12 (they're behind right now), and K-State is on the Fox Sports network. Go CATS!

I've been tagged by a friend on Facebook. Write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. Here's goes: 1) I subscribe to lots of magazines, including Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, People, Scrapbooks Etc., Good Housekeeping, etc. 2) I love all kinds of music: Contemporary Christian, Classic Rock, Alternative, Pop, Country, New Age 3) I am the middle child. I have an older brother & sister, and a younger brother & sister. 4) I LOVE TO READ! I know, if you're a reader of my blog, you already know this. I read EVERY day, even if it's just the newspaper. It's what I do to wind down before bed. 5) I love to work puzzles - crosswords, sudoku's, word games, jigsaws, etc. Maybe that's why I love to lay out papers. It's definitely a jigsaw puzzle every day. 6) I feel blessed to have 3 wonderful kids and a super-fantastic husband! Now if we could only win the lottery! 7) I like to munch on dry Cheerios. (pretty healthy) 8) I als...

here's Cinnamon going after a Pup-peroni dog treat! How do you like that mid-air twist? and here's pretty puppy A recent grocery list for Leeker's - DOUBLE DOLLAR week! See my $1.00 coupons? And some goodies in our mini-fridge in the garage. Hey, this is reality! In the real world, the news of layoffs just gets worse and worse! Caterpillar announced layoffs of 20,000 today. Since Corby works for Foley, the local Cat dealership, it's kind of scary. We're hoping those layoffs don't trickle down to his area, but we'd accept any prayers you have to offer. And how about the news concerning the paramedic who is charged in the John Travolta $25 million extortion plot? How sick is that? Someone trying to make money off of the loss of a child? What is this world coming to? I hope the guy gets the book thrown at him and he rots in jail! And a quote for this wintery Monday: "Be yourself. Who else is better qualified? You may be disappointed if you fail, but you ar...

I'm copying this from my niece, Lenore. You can see her version here 7 Things I Did Before 1. Babysat a bunch of urchins 2. Flipped hamburgers at Hardee's 3. Classified inside sales 4. Weekend cash office employee at Target. I counted bunches of money and this was about 25 years ago when they first came to town. 5. Lead typist in a production environment. 6. Executive Administrative Assistant for VP/Operations. 7. Layout Manager (along with various other duties including managing our classified inside sales staff). 7 Things I Do Now 1. READ 2. Scrapbook 3. Hang out with my family 4. Spend too much time on the computer 5. WORK FOR A LIVING 6. Blog 7. Play with our menagerie of animals 7 Things I Want to Do 1. Go up in a hot air balloon 2. Visit my niece and her husband in Germany 3. Be a disc jockey 4. Win the lottery (at least I'm honest) 5. Meet Keith Urban 6. Travel to Australia 7. See a Broadway play 7 Things I Say Most Often 1. dear, Dear, DEAR!!!! (I have a husband wit...

Corby went to the doctor this morning and got attached to a "Holter" monitor. You know, you tend to get attached to things on your body! It will monitor all heart activity for 24 hours. This was ordered by Dr. Messner because of his fainting spell last Saturday morning. While the doctor doesn't believe he has a heart problem, he's ruling it out. Tomorrow morning he will "lose" the monitor and they will do an echocardiogram. Hoping for good results! Just an FYI for anyone who might live in the north or east part of town - Leeker's is having double $1 coupons today through next Tuesday. I've already got my stack out and am rarin' to go! Had lunch yesterday with my good friend Anne. We are both working on a "picture a day" project, so we took turns taking "self photos". I didn't do a very good job with mine, but at least it's a picture! I haven't posted a picture of Cinnamon in a while - mostly because she won't ...

Kaitlin brought me flowers when she came home from work Sunday night. No reason. Just because. Wasn't that sweet? She said it was because they were purple and she knows my favorite color is purple. What a beautiful 17-year-old!!!! Here's Abby's latest pose. Yes, she's laying in Corby's lap while he's in the recliner with his Cubs blanket on. She likes to lay under the blanket. Goober! And today, history was made. Whether you voted Republican or Democrat, it's time for all of us to work together to straighten out the mess this country is in!

for my Project 365 Kaitlin's meds for her walking pneumonia, which she hates. The cough syrup is really nasty and the pills leave a bad taste in her mouth. But she has to take them to get better... A walk in the park with Cinnamon A Stampin' Up card-making gathering at my sister-in-law Sandy's house. This is Sandy with my great friend Anne. We're having a laid-back day today. Corby is still resting from his medical trauma early yesterday morning. He seems to be feeling okay, but I'll be making a doctor appointment for him tomorrow so he can get his 24-hour heart monitor. I'm working on Project 365 pages and doing laundry. We're also watching football. YEAH ARIZONA CARDINALS! I think I'm for the Steeler's in the second game. Not a big fan of either the Cardinals or the Steelers, but I always pick someone I'd like to see win. My current book is Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson. I like James Patterson, and sometimes he writes something ou...

with a frying pan. These are the injuries Corby got at 4am this morning when he passed out in the bathroom. I called an ambulance, and he was transported to St. Francis. After running blood tests and an EKG, they determined it was not a heart attack. Actually, they couldn't really determine what caused it. This has happened before - twice - but it's been about 7 years since the last one. He was having bad cramps and was nauseous before passing out. They call it "vasovagal syncope" - where extreme pain or shock makes you pass out. After running the tests and calling our doctor, they released him around 7am to rest at home for a few days. He will be going to the doctor on Monday and they will probably set him up with a 24 or 48-hour heart monitor just to make sure his heart is beating correctly. Needless to say it freaks me out when this happens. Nothing like waking up from a deep sleep by hearing a LOUD crash! He's a little stiff and sore from hitting - well - we...

not Jack-in-the-Box... do you suppose they have inside sources at their advertising agencies? I know they aren't printed at the same place, because we print Leeker's. These similar sales seem to be happening more and more often though...except...Leeker's still does double $1 coupons about every 5 or 6 weeks. Dillons hasn't done a double $1 coupon in several years. But, with kids working at both stores, I go where the sales are. More often than not it Leeker's because it's closer and they are very friendly! I know almost all of the managers, and everyone treats you great. They carry groceries out for everyone! At Dillons, they usually ask you if you want help out with it, at Leeker's - it's not an option. I am TIRED of cold weather! It was almost unbearable outside today. Poor Corby - he had to unload a truck that took almost 2 hours this afternoon and he was only starting to feel his fingertips at 7pm. Hope it's not frostbite! I know it's only Ja...

I was too tired to post last night, but we got Brandon moved yesterday. It was a long day, but we got everything done. His new dorm roommate wasn't back from Christmas break yet. I imagine he met him today. We hadn't eaten all day, so we took Brandon to Freddy's Frozen Custard before we left town. No, it wasn't in our plan for healthier eating, but we felt like we deserved it because we worked hard all day. Here's Corby pigging out on cones. He ordered a small vanilla cone, but the guy accidentally made him chocolate, and just gave it to us, along with the vanilla one. So of course I had to get a picture. He didn't make it through both cones, but he tried! Here's me and my baby. Okay, so he's not my baby since he's the oldest - but as far as I'm concerned - when you're a mom - they're ALL your babies... And here's a couple of pictures of the sun setting as we were driving home. This one is headed west into Salina... And this one is ...

We got word Wednesday night that Brandon's roommate will not be returning to K-State second semester due to poor grades. Poor kid! He's our "third" son, so I feel really bad for him. That said, it's been a mad rush trying to make other living arrangements. They already had a "new" third person moving into their apartment for 2nd semester, and Brandon wasn't too cool with finding another "new" roommate. He's kind of a shy guy, and I don't really blame him. So - he's moving back to the dorms! Corby and I have to take Tuesday off and go to Manhattan to play the "apartment/dorm" switch-a-roo! We'll be cleaning his apartment, loading up Kaitlin's truck to bring his stuff home, and then moving him to the dorm. Sounds like fun, huh? Not really, but - at least we get to see him! He'll still have a new roommate - but he'll be in the dorms where he'll be able to make new friends. Friday night I went to Sandy...

Day 5 - Kaleb had a dentist appointment. Since I was too chicken to take my camera in and ask Dr. Orth if I could take his picture, his "signage" will have to do. Day 6 - Muffin and Abby - lovin' my space heater... Well, it's back to work tomorrow. I've truly enjoyed my two days off. I wish it were in my future to live a life of leisure at home...but unless we win the lottery - that ain't gonna happen! And quite honestly, I'm thankful I have a job, especially with the woes of the newspaper industry these days.

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Keith Urban is coming back to Wichita on his 2009 tour! Don't know when, but I'm gonna be there. Just joined his fan club so I can score some good seats! Okay, Linda, calm down! Take a deep breath! Have another beer! Gotta run, have to watch some Keith videos!

I know there are folks out there who read my blog, at least once in a while. Would you please do me a favor? Would you make a comment every now and then? It's easy...just click on comment, and if you don't have any of the accounts set up that are listed, you can post as "anonymous". Just identify yourself in the comment. I'd like to know how many people out there are actually reading my blog, albeit occasionally. THANKS!

Today I've been working on my before-mentioned Project 365. Here's the cover for scrapbook number one (I have a feeling there will be several). I also got updated through today, so I'm off to a good start. Let's see if I'm able to keep up as the days roll on by. We took down our Christmas decorations today and got the house cleaned. It's always a good feeling to get things back where they belong. I love the holidays, but I'm glad they're over for another year! My current book - Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews, an author I haven't read before. You might be able to see the $3 price tag. I picked this up at our Book Ladies book sale at work (the money raised goes to charity). I think I even got it for $1.50. The last hour of the sale everything is half price...I'm only about 100 pages into it, but it's pretty good so far. Short synopsis: A female and male chef are competing for the next big star on The Cooking Channel, and I think there is a roman...

Day 3... a visit with mom, who was suffering from the stomach flu and grocery shopping Day 4... LAUNDRY!!!!!

My brother Terry (Jim) has finally started his own blog. His daughter, Lenore, helped him set it up when she was home for Christmas. He's only got a couple of posts up so far, but check it out here.

UPDATED 1/3/09: I wanted to add that this project come from Creating Keepsakes, and they have a kit you can purchase, but I am choosing to do it on my own without the kit...you can see more about the project at Becky Higgins blog here. I've started a new project this year...it's a quick scrapbooking documentation of 365 days in your life. You take a picture, or some mememto, from each day during the year, and you scrapbook it in whatever way you choose - a week's worth of photos/mementos on a page, or a page for each day. It's really up to you to determine how you want to document it. For right now, I'm trying to take a picture a day and keep notes in the computer until I have time to buy a spiralled scrapbook (hopefully this weekend). For January 1 - here's my picture: This is money that Kaleb owed me - and yes - it's already in the bank. So don't try to come hit me over the head and rob me. For today - My new Debbie Mumm calendar. I'll try to post...

I can't believe it's 2009! We had a fun family New Year's Eve...here come the pictures: Started it off with some good music... and some drinks...margarita for me Jack and coke for Corby then some food...queso and chips barbecued smokies and meatballs then some pictures of various family members Brandon and Corby Kaleb Kaitlin me - yes I wore my K-State stocking hat all night! Abby and Muffin wanted in on the action (really, they just wanted food). You can see Cinnamon outside just behind Muffin's head...she of course came in when fireworks started going off... and then we played Trivial pursuit a-l-l-l-l-l-l night without a winner...some of those questions are dang tough! But we had a great time, and Corby was hilarious! He doesn't really like to play games - I think the Jack and Coke loosened him up a bit. HA! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! I hope 2009 treats everyone well...