Whew... it has been a busy week... and on top of it all, I've come down with some sort of cold/flu thing... I'm wiped out... I've just worn too many hats lately... But don't worry... I'll share it all soon...

Things that are like crack to me right now

This video...

This blog....

The Pioneer Woman

And this show...

Seriously... like crack to my poor addicted little soul.... can't get enough!

Sundays are for relaxing... and blogging about your weekend...

Right now I'm wearing my night cap... so what if it's only 5... Sundays are just the perfect day for relaxing. I intend to enjoy this one to the fullest...

Yesterday was a good day. I wore my cowgirl/birthday party hat... yeah, try imagining that one... My Dad and I went out to our county fair Saturday late morning...

I've decided that county fairs are solely there to sell you farm equipment and to be a place to find anything you could ever imagine deep fried and/or on a stick.... and speaking of fried food... this is what my dad and I partook of while at the fair...

Elephant ear for the pops... and a much healthier and smarter (just give me this one, OK) choice of fried veggies for me... my tongue was numb for hours... burnt from all that fresh, hot oil.... Good thing I had some fresh squeezed lemonade handy....

We rode the Ferris wheel....

And check out this sign!!! Too funny! I laughed so hard!!!

Anyway... after that was a birthday party for my wonderful cousin...

I just love the time I spend with my family! We don't have to do anything but be in the same room with each other, and it's fun! Per my cousin's request, my Aunt made "Grandma's Famous Rice and Beans"...

Notice above the proper technique of eating the Spanish rice and beans... Step 1) Tear strip of tortilla. Step 2) Scoop bite of yummy rice and tasty beans into tortilla. Step 3) Enjoy!!

I'll spare you the details of the rest of the birthday party, but we had fun... just being together. Seriously, it was great... And then I had an impromptu photo shoot with this little thing...

She wasn't the most cooperative model... she just wanted to play... and then she just got snooty and stuck up... so I said, "That's it Sophie! We're through!" And she brought me her toy... and we made up... The end...


Ah!!! Who let these two crazy girls in?!?!?!?



P.S. I've decided to try my hand at making jewelry and as I was talking to my family about it this weekend, my aunt remembered something.... she had a whole tub full of old jewelry that used to belong to my Grandma... so she brought it up and let me go through it to take whatever I might want to use in this new adventure.... check out the stash I walked away with... exciting!!

I'm wearing my Jane Austen hat today... actually, it's more of a bonnet....

I may or may not be watching Pride and Prejudice again for the 1,000th time... I can just never get enough of this movie, or any of the other Austen flicks for that matter! I don't know why. What is it about these movies that makes me want to sit for hours... literally many, many hours, to watch a story I know so much by heart already? I think there's just something about the simplicity of Jane Austen's era that I love to watch and read about. I love the decency, the formality, the chivalry... A time when men were men and women were ladies. Where manners mattered and proper etiquette ruled the day. I like to escape into Jane's world now and then. It makes me believe that I was born in the wrong era. Oh, to talk and act like an Elizabeth Bennett, sassy and yet very well mannered... that would just be sublime! And the men in Jane's books!! Don't even get me started there! Uh oh... too late!! Oh my... I just swoon over the men Jane wrote. I think my love life has been ruined by my complete obsession with all things Austen because no man will ever be able to measure up to a Mr. Darcy, or a Captain Wentworth. The superiority of men like these has been seared into my head and heart. Oh, the chivalry, the kindness, the complete love and devotion they bestowed on their women... it makes my heart go pitter-patter! Do men like this even exist any more? And if so, where can I find one for me?? I blame my perpetual singleness on you Ms. Austen, and on you alone!!

Today I am just myself... I'm wearing the "me" hat... and that's OK with me... I do want to sing the praises of a form of technology that is not new, but new to me. You see, I have never had a DVR or Tivo or anything like it. But you know what, I do now. And guess what? I don't know how I ever lived without it! Seriously! I don't miss my favorite shows, I can pause the tv when I need to (who knew how handy and helpful that was), and the BEST part... I can skip commercials!! Oh my... that is heaven to me because I seriously, seriously hate commercials. I think I'm in love...

Lately I've been reading some blogs and these blogs have made me realize something. There are a lot of things out there I want to do! I look at some one's photography blog and i want to be photographer.... I look at some one's jewelry online and I suddenly want to make my own jewelry... I browse Etsy and I want to sew, create, craft... and the list goes on. So you know what I've decided... since I can't seem to ever figure out what I want to be when I grow up (well, truly I really just want to be a housewife but you can't be that without a husband) I've decided that I'm going to do these things. I will self teach myself (with the help of online tutorials) how to do all the nifty, crafty things I want to do. So... join me as I attempt to be all that I can be (uh, no, I'm not joining the army... that is NOT one of the many hats I want to wear). What hat should I wear first... interior designer (I need to decorate my new apt), jewelry maker (I have a really neat idea I want to try to make... it involves lots of beads, and a big flower), or a photographer... hmmm... Let's go with photographer for tonight... only because I have a few photos that I think are pretty cool. Check them out and tell me what you think...

This is a picture of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis

This is a picture I snapped at Grandma Bea's old farm in Southwestern MO...

This is a pretty hydrangea I picked from my Mom's (I call it my own) garden...

This is just a start... I want to learn more about using my camera and photoshop, so stay tuned!!