Happy Birthday Holly!

I just want to wish Holly a very happy birthday. You're getting up there, you know :-) But at least you still have an impressive rear-end!!! (you'll have to read her blog to know what I'm talking about).

Have a great day! I love you!

And here's one of my favorite pictures of Holly. Just being her fun and goofy self...she's a pro at that. No wonder her kids have so much fun with her....she's such a great Mommy!

Winner To Be Announced Tomorrow ~ And If There's a Tie.....

At 11am tomorrow morning I will post the winner of my contest!!!

IF there's a tie, there will be a question posted at that time. The first person to post the correct answer will be the winner, simple as that!

So be sure and check out my blog at 11am tomorrow, Sept. 1st, and be ready to answer the question...just in case. Good luck! I sooooo can't wait to go buy my copy (and yours) of Catching Fire!!!

1 Day 'Til Catching Fire

And one picture of The Girl on Fire, Katniss Everdeen!!!



Great job, artist burdge-bug on DeviantArt Honestly, I don't like the face because it looks too old for Katniss, I mean, she's only 16, but the rest looks awesome!

2 Days 'Til Catching Fire

Here's the only two celebrities I ever crushed on. Funny thing, they're both LDS football players, quarterbacks at that. I can't think of one movie star I ever "dreamed" of; is that weird??? I guess I'm just a sports-loving kind of girl....

My first love was Danny White of the Dallas Cowboys.


I was about 10 years old at the time. I never got to see/meet Danny. When I was 11, just a couple months away from 12, he came to Corpus to give a fireside. Since I wasn't in Young Women's yet, I couldn't go. I was SOOOOO upset. I cried and cried and cried about it. But nope, they wouldn't let me go. I know the rules are there for a reason, but I'm not sure I'll ever get over that one!

Then came Steve Young of the SF 49ers.


I was about 16 when Steve came into my fantasy world! My only chance at the time to see him play was the last season the Oilers were in Houston. First offensive play for SF, Steve drops back to pass and gets hit. Concussion ~ out of the game!! I guess that's what I get for going on Sunday....

You know, I actually know several people who know/knew Steve. I could have met him! But NOOOOOO, instead he marries some liberal chick, or so I've heard. Oh well, his loss :-) LOL

And guess what? Just last night I attended my first Cowboy game ever. And who were they playing???? The 49ers! Too cool!

3 Days 'Til Catching Fire

Three knock-knock jokes....

1.)
Knock, knock
Who's there?
Adolf.
Adolf who?
Adolph ball hit me in de mowf. Dat's why I dawk dis way.

2.)
Knock, knock
Who's there?
Dwane.
Dwane who?
Dwane the bathtub -- I'm dwowning

3.)
Knock, knock
Who's there?
Centipede.
Centipede who?
Centipede on the Christmas tree.

4 Days 'Til Catching Fire

Four calling birds.....

Here's a little Hunger Game trivia for ya!

1.) The Mockingbird....

Mockingbirds are renown for their ability to mimic the songs of other songbirds. They serenade the neighborhood for hours in the spring and summer, often at night by the light of a full moon or nearby street light, probably because of the hormonal changes that accompany mating and nesting during this time. Mockingbirds can master 180 calls and more than 400 song types in a few months. Their own call is a musical burble punctuated with an occasional harsh tone.

2.) The Jabberjay.....

(No known picture in existence)

A special bird muttation, called mutts for short. They have the ability to memorize and repeat whole human conversations. They were homing birds, exclusively male, that were realeased into regions where the Capitol of Panem's enemies were known to be hiding. After the birds gathered words, they'd fly back to centers to be recorded.

3.) The Mockingjay.....

(Only known photograph is on the cover of The Hunger Games)

The result of female mockingbirds mating with jabberjays. Created a whole new species that could replicate both bird whistles and human melodies. They had lost the ability to enunciate words but could still mimic a range of human vocal sounds, from a child's highpitched warble to a man's deep tones. They could recreate songs. Not just a few notes, but whole songs with multiple verses, if you had the patience to sing them and if they like your voice.

4.) The parrot.....

Okay, the parrot has nothing to do with The Hunger Games, but I had to have four callings birds, right? It's not three. And parrots mimic people, SO THERE!!

Jabberjay & Mockingjay info from pages 42 & 43 of The Hunger Games.

5 Days 'Til Catching Fire

Five silly signs....

6 Days 'Til Catching Fire

Six things I miss:

1.) My Parents!

2.) The rest of my family.

3.) Water (the beach, a lake, anything ~ just water! and maybe a little sand, too)

4.) Making out ;-) (Uh-huh!)

5.) The days when I could travel all over the country with my parents.

6.) Friday night high school football games!



Six things I don't miss:

1.) Roaches!!! (Enough said)

2.) Preparing a lesson every week. (I miss the kids, but not the lessons)

3.) Going to school (blah!)

4.) Every weirdo I ever dated! (Most were good, but there were a couple of odd ones.)

5.) Living in an apartment. (I absolutely love my house!)

6.) The days when you had to get up and turn the channel. (Yes, I lived there/then, and did that. Can you imagine not being able to channel surf?)

7 Days 'Til Catching Fire

I'm doing a countdown to Catching Fire. So for today, here are seven things that drive me bananas and make me go "hmmmmm"!

1.) People who are looking right at you when you're speaking but you know they're not listening to you. (What, do you think I'm stupid and I don't notice???)

2.) AT&T for constantly calling and sending me mail asking me to return to them as a customer. (Hello, I joined AT&T U-Verse. Don't they realize they're the same company????)

3.) People who don't return my phone calls, or my emails. (Says to me: You're just not that important to me, you loser.)

4.) People who drop by my house without calling. (I'm not answering the door if I don't know who you are...HELLO!!!)

5.) AT&T for calling and asking if I'm someone I'm not. (If they're the phone company, don't you think they'd have the right number????)

6.) Geckos that get in my house. (I'm sorry I have to kill ya, but I can't sleep knowing you could jump on me at any moment!)

7.) Men who stop and stare down a beautiful woman. (Again, do you think we're stupid!!! We can see you, you idiots!!!) Side note ~ I almost hit a car the other day because the idiot stopped in the middle of a turn to look at a skinny woman walking her dog - jeez!


Tomorrow will be happy things :-)

My "Catching Fire" Contest

Do you think you're in the lead??? You may think you are, but maybe you're not. I don't know, I'm just saying............

You know it ends on August 31st. Remember: Only one comment per post counts. And there's going to be a tie breaker, if needed, so be sure and put on your thinking caps............

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

Today is my beloved Mother's 80th birthday. I know everyone says they have the best Mom in the world, but if you know my mother, you know that she is not only that but also one of the greatest women to ever walk the earth!!!

I want to share one "rather embarassing story about me" but one that will demonstrate this great lady's love for her children.

As you all know, my mother is a nurse so she's trained in "all" the duties that go with being a nurse. When I was younger, I wet the bed ~ yes, I know, it's hard to believe. Anyway, every SINGLE night, my mother would come into my room to see if I had wet. If I had, she would change my wet sheets (in the middle of the night) so that I wouldn't have to sleep in my wetness. She was so skilled at changing sheets that sometimes I wouldn't even wake up. I'd be so proud of myself in the morning ~ "Hey, Mom, I didn't wet!!!!" "Ummmm, yes, you did, I changed your sheets while you were sleeping...." "Oh...."

Now, I know this isn't some huge story, but to me it's truly a testament of a loving, selfless mother who constantly is concerned about her children's welfare (even today).

As my mother gets older, the one thing that bothers her the most is the fact that she can't do all the things she used to do ~ which is, physically caring for others. It really bothers her that her physical ailments (mainly the tremendous pain in her back that doesn't even allow her to stand for long or walk very far) slow her down and she is unable to serve. Trust me, she's done enough in her life to deserve a break, but she doesn't see it that way and she doesn't want a break. I pray that she will have some (if not all) of her pain alleviated so that she can do the things she so desperately wants to do. This is not a selfish prayer because my Mother doesn't have a selfish bone in her body. She lives to serve!!!

I LOVE YOU MOTHER!!!! You are my example and my rock!


**When I get home tonight, I'll post more pictures of Mom!!!**

Can't Wait!!!

Sparks are definitely going to fly!!!!!! Soooo excited.

Donny Osmond - Dancing With the Stars

Okay, this season ~ not so many people I want to see on Dancing With the Stars, BUT....there's Donny!!!! And according to the article below from SeattlePI.com, he's the early favorite. Let's hope he wins the whole thing. He's got to be better than Marie was!!!! Oh, let's hope!!! My guess is: Patty will be watching Dancing With the Stars this season :-)

Can Donny Osmond do what Marie couldn't and win Dancing with the Stars? Twenty-six percent of TVGuide.com voters think so.

In a poll that asked users to pick their early Season 9 frontrunner, Osmond emerged victorious, nabbing more than a quarter of the nearly 4,000 votes cast. Osmond's sister, Marie, finished in third place on the ABC hit's fifth season.

With 16 percent of the vote, Melissa Joan Hart is voters' second favorite to win, edging out Mya. The R&B singer/actress, who sang and danced in Chicago, garnered 13 percent.

Tied with 7 percent are singer Aaron Carter, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Iron Chef America's Chairman Mark Dacascos, who is also a trained martial artist.

Kathy Ireland, Michael Irvin and Chuck Liddell each earned 4 percent of the vote, followed by Kelly Osbourne with 3 percent, and former House majority leader Tom DeLay and Entourage's Debi Mazar tied with 2 percent.

Bringing up the rear with 1 percent each are Macy Gray, Joanna Krupa, Louie Vito and Ashley Hamilton, whose father, George, finished fifth on Season 2.

Go Donny, Go Donny!! Here's another picture just for you Patty :-)

New Calling

I'm no longer the Primary 7/8 teacher...sniff, sniff. I'm now the assistant in the Nursery...Yay! And yay, I don't have to give lessons unless I'm asked to.

I'm super excited about this calling!! ~ And I'm so grateful I'm staying with the children and not moving to the adults :-)!! Oh, and who could forget snack time, B-O-N-U-S!!!

Dream Soon-To-Come True

Yes, one of my dreams is about to come true!!! Julie, Bryan, Brant & I are going to a Dallas Cowboys game on August 29th! It's a pre-season game, but I'm perfectly fine with that. It's going to be awesome ~ especially with the new stadium. Cowboys vs. 49ers. Can't wait. Thanks to Julie for thinking of me!!!!

OTC's 1-year Anniversary

Can you believe it's been a year today since we started Our Twilight Chronicles???? Wow!

It's been quite a bit of work to keep up with, especially since our contributors have dwindled down to pretty much just me and Tara, but it's still so worth it when I get emails from people all over the world thanking us, including well-known magazines and even the assistant of Michael Welch, who plays Mike Newton in the movie. There are even funny emails with people thinking we have connections that we don't have ~ "Can you get me Robert's autograph, I just love him." I just have to laugh! I don't necessarily think we're the "big-time", but it's fun to think maybe we are :-)

Special thanks to Tara ~ see, I wasn't joking, she is ALWAYS there for me!!!

Blonde Joke

A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, "Please come over here and help me.. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get started."

Her boyfriend asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?"

The blonde says, "According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster."

Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle.

She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says,

"First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster."

He takes her hand and says, "Second, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then," he said with a deep sigh. .. . ... . ..

"Let's put all the Corn Flakes back in the box."

Tara's Birthday

Last Sat., 8/1, Tara turned the big 12 + 12 + 1 + 2.

I just want to wish her a "belated" birthday. (I did text her on the date, so I didn't actually miss it. :-)

Tara has been such a help to me! I try hard not to abuse her with asking her to help me too much, but I will say that she is ALWAYS there when I do need her assistance. These last couple of years have been difficult for me and it's so nice to know that I have a loving niece who I can count on to help me with chores around my house or just to "hang" with me when I need a friend. Thanks Tara for everything!!! Love Ya!!!

The Time Traveler's Wife Review

I read this book over the weekend and I really enjoyed it, it really is a great story, BUT..... to me, this book is rated "R". Maybe I'm just more innocent than most, (okay, we know that's true), but the intimate scenes were just a bit too graphic for my taste and the "worst word you can think of" was thrown around like candy flying out of a pinata.

Now, the movie, which comes out on August 14th, is rated PG-13. So I'm actually looking forward to it (you've all read about my book/movie feelings of late) because I feel that the "bad" stuff will be left out and I can truly enjoy the story. Let's hope that's true!!!! ~ Now, will there be initimate scenes in the movie, you bet, but I doubt very seriously that they will be as graphic as the book was. If they were, it would be rated "R".

So can I recommend you read the book? unfortunately I cannot, which is really just a shame because the story is so good. But hopefully the movie will be decent and you'll be able to enjoy the story through it.

Do they rate books??? If not, I think they should!!!!

Lights Out

(Sorry this is a little long, but I need to rant!):

Well it seems of late that the weather haven't quite been getting along.


This morning a bad dream woke me up (another story) and I heard a funny noise. I thought "oh, yeah, I think we're supposed to have bad weather this morning, guess I better check the local news." So I get up, turn the TV on, change the channel from Disney to Fox4 :-), just in time to see the weather guy say: "There is rotation in this area in South Ft. Worth, if you're in the path of this storm take cover now." Which of course, I WAS!!! So I go to put my contacts in, have the first contact on my finger and BAM, electricity goes out!

I manage to put both contacts in with NO light at all - luckily I didn't lose them. Then I think: "I guess I better listen and take cover. It's kind of weird that that's all I heard in the 10 seconds I could see the TV." So I take blankets and pillows to the Blue bathroom, put clothes and shoes on, get a flashlight and camp out for a while in the bathroom. Nothing happened! (but thank goodness!) Finally decide to try and go back to sleep. Oversleep. Get up and get dressed in the dark.

Then the fun begins: How do I get my car out of the garage??

I go unlock the door, open it up, pull my car out, go back in and shut the door, get a chair, knock Frosty over and watch his head roll across the garage floor (with just a little light from the flashlight), put Frosty back together again, get on the chair, try to figure out how to lock the garage door, finally figure it out....

Then...go out the front door, slip in the mud, get rained on, unlock the combination lock on my gate to the back yard, slip in the mud, continuing to get rained on, go back in the house, notice mud all over my shoes, wipe it on the front mat, which now I'll have to clean, lock the front door (I have to do this because I don't have a key to the front door ~ Dad changed the doorknob out and I have no idea where the key is), and then finally go out the back door.

Took about 15 minutes to get out of the house!!!!!!!


I call my neighbor at about 1pm ~ still no power. I sure hope it's on when I get home. Once when Jeremy was visiting, the power went off for three days. Oh, I sure hope that doesn't happen again!!!

Thanks for listening.... I feel better now (or at least until I get home :-o)

P.S. The picture of the down power lines isn't at my house, but doesn't it look like it could be????