Hey just wanted to give a quick SHOUT OUT to any of the gamers who browse my blog. My husband told me he told his friends about my blog- HEY GUYS! Brian, I am so thrilled for you that you found your dream job. The job sounds like it was created with you in mind, but man we'll miss you!!!! I had such fun the night we all "gamed".Oh well, now we have a reason to visit Minneapolis-we'll bring you pasta. Will you grow basil plants for pasta at your new place?? "Natasha", Charlie, Pete and Lee-happy gaming.

I am hoping to view some movies this weekend-whether at the dollar theatre or rent some flicks. Anyway seen any good movies lately? Oh and Jewel and I plan on recruiting Frank and Cannon to work on the 1500 Coca-Cola puzzle. We will make progress!

And exercise, I must do some serious exercising this weekend.

Enjoy the sunny day!
Jennifer

Howdy everyone:

I'm not certain how well the Walnut Ridge Alumnus keep up with one another, but I have an important prayer request to pass along. Julie S. (I don't want to post her maiden or married last name without her consent)who graduated from Walnut Ridge the same year I did from West High went in for a routine mammogram. The mammogram showed evidence of breast cancer which her Dr. confirmed-she is receiving treatment at a local hospital-she actually lives in a town close to mine-, but it "doesn't look good" is what I've been told. So please everyone pray for Julie (who is now married with 3 small children at home) -for healing (at whatever level is in agreement with God's plan), strength, and energy !!!!

THANKS!!
Jennifer

P.S. An a comparatively insignificant note -Frankie's car is DEAD so we must purchase a vehicle. Our plan-we think- is to "upgrade" my vechile (which currently has over 200,00 miles on it) and he can have mine. Cannon's foot healed up! so the stitches were all removed-he only has steri-strips on now.

Well, took Cannon in to have the stitches out of his foot, but the Dr. was unable to take all of the stithces out because the wound isn't healed yet. So.. took some of the stitches out and put steri strips? (spelling?) in their place, told Cannon to be careful and hopefully it will be healed up by this Tuesday when the Dr. will try to remove the other stitches and strips. So no wrestling for awhile and he missed an AWANA Olymics practice, but hopefully soon it will be better.
I haven't checked on Addison in awhile, hopefully, she is doing well. Jewel drew some pretty cool "designs" this weekend while I finished 1/2 of 2 different scrap book pages; it's been 6 months since I worked on pages and still only completed 2 sets of 1/2 pages I'd already started (the rest of the pages from Sara, Amber, Kris and Cannon's trip to Kansas City in 2003-yes you all can laugh. I'm SO far behind, but progres is progress I keep telling myself). Cannon, Jewel and I worked on "the puzzle" a 1500 piece puzzle Cannon got from his Secret Santa from his class at school- it's actually pretty fun.
I finally got my Valentine's present!!! The Mad About You best of collection-Frank bought it on sale; good man. Jewel and I watched the entire collection this weekend (we stayed in due to the -16 degree weather). My in-laws are back in Iowa, safe and sound! My father-in-law told me they had a wonderful time and even had some pictures taken during the vacation developed already. WOW!!!
Cannon "preached" to Jewel this weekend when she confused being baptized with being saved- Even though he told me he changed his mind this weekend about becoming a financial planner when he grows up to being a doctor "more stable income- he said" I still think there is a preacher in him. He made some really good points while talking to her.
Is any of this exciting? No, but it's my life and I'm very thankful for it.

More later,

Jennifer

Okay, really weird thought that is probably going to show I'm a dork that's married to a geek, but does anyone else ever worry about how close he/she (you- the reader) become to your in-law family?? I've been dating and/ or married to Frankie a full 15 years so I'm really truly feeling like his family is my family too, but then I worry about what if we get a divorce or he dies and then I love these people, but they won't be my family anymore??? I know a few people who maintian relationships with ex-in-laws, but the thought worries me. Would I still be "Aunt Jennifer"? It makes me a little nervous to knock down all of my "walls" to love people because they could be "taken away". How weird is that?? Does anyone else think about this or am I truly that "out there?".

Jennifer

Happy Post Valentine's Day!

Somehow, I missed that my in-laws will be returning next week not this week .HeHe. I think I truly did "know" that, but when blogging failed to connect the dots.
I hope they are having a BLAST!
Katie, thank you for your favorite holiday comment. How is little Addison doing?? That's all I know for today. Stay safe in the snow tommorrow.

Smiles,
Jennifer

Howdy all:
Well (for a Monday) today is going great! Tomorrow is Valentine's Day -one of my favorite holidays!!! (probably my favorite holiday or a tie between Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day). I love hearts and cutie stuff and CHOCOLATE!!! I've got Jewel's present all planned, still working on Cannon's present, and I've got Frank's presents, but I'm not sure he'll like them. My Mom made all of us kids these awesome heart shaped pillows for Valentine's Day one year. I cherish my pillow-even asked for it when I was in the hospital when I was in 5th grade. My parents alwasy gave us kids our own heart filled with fancy chocolates and my Mom made us heart shaped cupcakes or mini cakes and some years we also got stuffed animals. Dad always got Mom the largest package of chocolate sold, but us kids ended up eating most of the candy (which was okay because she alwasy said, "I don't need all this chocolate"). Now he gives her flowers or money-good man. I love St. Patrick's Day because St. Patrick is my favorite saint (even though I'm Baptist I do cherish the example "the saints" left for us. St. Partick was a daring missionary). Also, my mother's grandmother was 100% Irish and she died very young from a stroke; so I strive to keep her heritage alive in my life. The year that I died my nails green when I couldn't find green fingernail polish is probably the funniest St. Pat's memory. "Back in the day" as Frank would say there was not the range of finger nail polish colors that are available now, so in my determination to have green fingernails I used a Magic marker to dye my fingernails green. Yup took about 2 months to grow out my nail to it's original color, but I looked green on St. Pat's day and several of the grocery store patrons that went through the check-out line I worked commented (most of them positive)

Do any of you have favorite holidays and why?

Our adorable niece, Addison, is suppose to be released from the hospital today and my in-laws should be returning from their trip; so all in all everything is closer to as it should be. After several days of being really sick within 24 hours after Addison was added to a prayer chain she was improved. Hum.. the power of prayer or God's ultimate timing? Still. I need to remember to utilize the prayer chain immediately instead of "waiting to see how things go". I can't wait to see pictures from my in-law's trip so I hope the pictures get developed quickly. I even got to "do the aunt thing" Saturday night so my sister-in-law could go take a quick break. I always wanted several children, but life didn't work out that way. I LOVE being an aunt-the more the merrier. I have awesome nieces and nephews. My children and I hope to spend a lot of time with all of them this spring and summer. We are waiting for the arrival of my nephew from Guatemala (any day now, right guys??) so I am excited about that. I am truly excited and anticipatory for each addition to my family.

Okay, breaks over.

Jennifer

Well, my in-laws are never allowed to go on vacation again. One hour after they left, Frankie's little niece was hospitalized (pray for her please) and later that night my beloved son, "Learned an important lesson the hard way" as he told the E.R. nurse. Poor, sweet Cannon left his belt in his jeans and left his jeans on his bedroom floor after chaning into his P.J.s. He then walked back into his room to get something and stepped onto his jeans with the belt's prong facing upward. The prong then went into his foot, he tried to "walk" out of the prong and instead ran it further down the center of his foot. So my new goal as a Mom is not have such large reactions when my children are sick or get hurt. So... after 20 or so minutes of the wound bleeding and Cannon crying I take a look- well let's just say I called Frank at his friend' s house and 1st Nurse (he was lucky to not tear any tendons) so after midnight we got home from the hospital with 3 very long stitches and a very sore foot (the injury is mostly the deepness of it not the lenght of it). I downplayed it to C-man but the cut is still pretty open today. YUCK. Oh well my Mom took my brothers on many occasions to the E.R. for stitches and/or broken bones, I'm sure this is just the beginnning.

Oh my sister-in-law reminded me to change the comments section so anyone can comment, not just registerd users.. so if you wish to, go ahead and post a comment.

Hey does anyone know how I add links to this blog? I do not have the time right now to figure it out and I'm not as computer savy as I'd like. HELP please!

Have a Happy Day!

Jennifer

Here's the info. on the original and GREAT movie, "Yours, Mine and Ours". (1968)
Based upon the real story of Helen Eileen Beardsley and her husband.
The real Helen Eileen Beardsley appeared on "To Tell the Truth" (1956) where she related her story to the panel.
Helen Eileen Beardsley (who wrote the book Who Gets the Drumsticks? on which this was based) died 26 April 2000, aged 70, Healdsburg, California, USA (Parkinson's disease).
The wedding invitation used in the movie is the actual wedding invitation designed by Frank Beardsley, husband of the real Helen Eileen Beardsley. The children's' names are listed in their real-life birth order.
The baby born at the end of the movie is Joseph John Beardsley. He was born in the early hours of 14 July 1962.Lucille Ball co-produced the film under her company, Desilu Productions. When the film became a surprise smash hit grossing over $17 million on a $2.5 million investment, she became furious about it. She hadn't anticipated the film's huge box-office success and failed to provide a tax shelter for her personal profits, resulting in most of her share going in taxes.

Oh funny, "Kathie Lee" moment story. Last night Jewel was "helpful" by washing her hands by herself at the kitchen sink. She spilled 1/2 bottle of hand soap all over the kitchen floor. Well, my floor needed scrubbing, but I truly would have used less soap.

Jennifer

Pomegrant seeds. I'm 30 something, but Friday was the 1st time I've ever eaten pomegrant seeds. Loved 'Em. so I had to race to Hy-Vee to purchase some and made a tropical fruit salad which no one else in my household will eat except for me, probably because it is nutritious. SO if any of you have not ever eaten pomegrant seeds I HIGHLY reccommend eating them.

Did anyone else love last night's Grey's Anatomy? I'm hooked. I took the kids (thank you dollar theatre)to see the new version of Yours, Mine and Ours they loved it, which is good because after seeing the original with Lucille Ball, the new version did nothing to inspire me. I still haven't read (or found for that matter) the book the original movie was based on ,"Who gets the chicken wing" - or something to that effect. You see.. Yours, Mine and Ours is based on a true story- and as Frank will tell you- if it's based on a true story I've just got to see it. One of Jewel and I's favorite T.V. shows The Brady Bunch was also based on the original movie, so we can't go wrong. Waltons was also based on a true story (okay so loosley, but still).

I am wanting to get CeCe Winan's latests C.D. for the song, "Pray", but I will wait until my birthday this summer. Right now Jewel and I are scoping the eisles at Hastings for used Brady Bunch seasons.

Smiles,

Jennifer

Wow, February is here. I tried the new diet cherry vanilla Coke yesterday and loved it; I try to look for little things to be excited about because the bigs things don't always come along very often :-) I am also signed up to help with my 6 year old's Valentine class party next week; Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday so hopefully this will go well for me. I don't know any of the other parent's signed up to help. I hate to even admit it, but Frank worked all weekend so I miss him. Tonight we have ballet and then... hum, don't know. I'm reading the 3rd book in the YaYa Prayer Group series, but not reading as much as I'd like. Oh well the Mom gig has it's perks. Just so you all know I got a splinter on the piece of wood Frankie and Cannon set up over our kitchen table(so the table is big enough for terrain-obviously) and Jewel cut her hand (okay barely, but to her).
More later... Have a chocolate-filled, joy-filled day.
J