Happy Anniversary!

We celebrated 11 years this weekend!  Happy Anniversary to all of you as well.  I know your dates are right around ours.  We wanted to go out to dinner on Saturday, but our sitter was not able to look after the girls.  So, we opted for a nice drive around the country.  We went to a small state lake just to the north of us.  At a low water crossing, we stopped and let the girls out to play in the water.  We had a good evening.

I did not do a darn thing this weekend.  Saturday we went to town to get minerals for the cows.  We stopped by this little place that sells closeout specials on furniture and house "fixings".  I have talked Joe into replacing the carpet in the living room with a hardwood floor.  It did not take lots of convencing.  :o)  So, we picked out some nice laminate.  We hope one of his friends can come up to visit and install it for us.  He's had lots of experience with this type of thing.  I guess that we are going to wait a couple of years on the new house.  I'm not in a hurry.  We've just decided that we will get some more things paid off, and another kid out of daycare!  So, I'll settle with a new floor in the living room.

I've lost 9 pounds this week on my diet.  I'm hoping to continue the success.  I'm fairly optimistic.  I've just been praying for will power.  Hopefully God will give me the strength to continue to loose weight and the strength to keep it off.  None the less----I'm just happy that I've lost nine pounds already.  It gives me incentive to continue.

My spelling is terrible today.  I think my brain has officially checked out for the summer.   We are up in arms around here today at work.  many of us have "mini" refrigerators in our rooms.  They are not going to let us have them next year.  They supposedly cost the district too much money in electric bills.  They won't even consider letting us keep them even if we pay a fee.  it's not like we get any other perks with this job.  i think it's a crappy thing to do!  oh well.

well, more later.

Cassie

Circus

Over the weekend we took the girls to the Shriner's Circus in Ft. Scott.  We went with our friends Randy and Leanne and their foster boys.  The kids had a great time.  I can't say that the circus was impressive, but they had fun and that's what matters.  They had some tigers, a camel, and some trained dogs.  That's about all.  The "acts" were simple.  I think that the kids had the most fun getting thier faces painted!  :o)

Cassie

It's been a while.

I've been so busy!  Doing what?  Couldn't really tell you.

Mother's Day weekend we decided to surprise our moms.  We went to Arkansas on Saturday.  Needing to stay the night somewhere, we checked in at the Clarion in Bentonville.  I called a friend that we had not seen in a long time and had lunch with her and her son.  It was so nice to be able to visit with them.  She had not seen the girls in quite some time.  After lunch, we did a little shopping.  I was wanting to find a swimming suit.  Joe patiently watied with the girls while I shopped.  It didn't take too long, thankgoodness.  After that we went back to the hotel and took a nap.  We woke up just in time to get ready to meet Natalie, Mike, Kevin, Jennifer, and Stephen in Fayettville for dinner.  We ate at the Power House, my favorite restaurant of all time.  The serve the best sea food!  It was so busy that evening becuase the U of A had held graduation earlier in the day.  We were give a couple of tables in an upstairs room.  There was only one other party upstairs with us.  It was pretty nice.  We had lots of room and could visit as long as we wanted to.

On Sunday, we went to Joe's mom and dad's church in Gravette.  Dad and Kevin told mom that they were going to take her to "brunch", and they met us there.  Mom was totally in the dark.  She was so surprised to see us.  Joe's mom didn't have a clue that we were coming either.  You should have seen the look on her face when we showed up in her church pew.  :o)  Natalie and Mike were a little late, but they were there too.  After church we had planned a picnic.  It was pretty cool weather, with a chance of rain.  So, Joe's mom insited that we go back to their house.  We had a "picnic" in the kitchen.  It was so nice to have the chance to visit with everybody without having to run "here and there".  Joe's daughter and her fiance (I'll use that term loosely) joined us as well.  We had a good time.

It was a long drive home that afternoon.  We were ready for bed about 7:30 that evening!  Needless to say, a full weekend makes for a long, exhausting week to follow.  And it's been just that!

Jennifer and I planned a little vacation for our families just after July 4th.  We are going to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City for a couple of days.  It's an indoor water park and hotel.  It should be lots of fun!  The girls will just love it.  I'm actually trying to talk Joe in to going up on the 4th and staying in KC to watch fire works.  I bet we probably will.  :o)  It would be so nice to see a big firework display.  We've never seen one.

I'm starting a new diet to help shed a few pounds for the occasion.  Wish me luck!  I know several others that have had lots of success with it!

My good friend Leanne (aka Aunt Lou) just e-mailed me today with good news.  They will probably get the opprotunity to adopt the foster boys that they have been keeping.  Please keep them in your prayers.  It's been such a long, tough experience for all of them.  We are praying that they will get to keep the two boys.  We are attached to them as well.

Ok, enough for now.
Cassie

The girls had fun playing as we waited for a table at the restaurant.

Madison and Abby had fun playing with Grandpa Edmondson at Grandma&Grandpa Duncan's house.

White Cheese Dip????!

Help!  Have you ever made white cheese dip.....the kind that you get in a Mexican restaurant?  I tried it last night and it flopped!  I've looked online for recipes.  Lots of them say to use Assada cheese.   I can't find that in the grocery store anywhere! 

I used a "mexican" blend that included Cheddar, Assada, and Monterey Jack.  I found some mexican cheese---and i don't even know the name of it----- it was white----so i used it------and some Pepper Jack, and some White American, which I could only find in wrapped singles.  I also used half and half, cilantro, and cumin.  It did not melt well.  I think it was largely due to the Mexican cheese taht I used.  It was kind of crumbly.  The consistency of the dip was lumpy and a little like gravey.  I even added more half and half to it to thin it out.  Next time I'm not using the mexican cheese.

Do you have a recipe for white cheese dip?

Natalie's family is coming up in a week or so.  We are going to have "Mexican"  I was hoping to make the dip then.  Her family in not big on Rotell dip and neither is mine. I like it, but Joe and the girls are not very fond of it.  Me....on the other hand....i'll eat about anything-----except for that stuff I made last night.  It was gross!  I just tossed it out!

The girls at work told me about some kind of dip that they can get in the deli section at Wal-mart.  I looked there, but I'll have to look harder I guess. 

I've got to take Madison after work today to get her kindergarten physical.  It's hard to belive that she's going to start school this coming year.  Abby is growing so much too.  She is talking a lot. She and Madison play pretty well toghther.  She thinks that she has to do everything that big sis does and keeps right up with her.

Wish me luck on the dip!  Help me out if you can!

Cassie

This has got to be a better week!

Oh my gosh!  I've got to have a better week this week than last week!  Let me just recap for you.

MONDAY:  Inlaws were coming for dinner.  Dinner in crockpot.  Crockpot to shift to warm-----it didn't.  I came home to bunred b-b-q beef and had to re-cook something.

TUESDAY:  Abby-----bean up the nose.  Had to go to doctor.

WEDNESDAY:  Woke up about 30 minutes late. Loaded girls into car.  Flat tire on car.  Unloaded girls.  Reloaded into truck.  Low fuel in truck. Prayed all the way to work.  Was almost late.

THURSDAY:  Not too bad.  Kicked a kid out of class.  Went to chiropractor after work.

FRIDAY:  Hit a deer on the way to work, driving Joe's truck.  Lots of damage.  Didn't make it in to work.

I guess that it could have been worse-----like it all could have happened in one day! 

Saturday and Sunday were good though.  The weather was great.  Easter was a good day.  Church service was the best Easter service that I've ever been to.  We grilled out ----hamburgers.  Hunted eggs. And we went for a buggy ride.  It was a good day.

Hope this week is bettter!  How was your Easter?

Cassie

Coffee Beans Up the Nose!

Yip!  Up the nose!  Abby thought it would be a good place to store her bean.  I guess that they were playing with them at daycare for some kind of project and she shoved one up her nose!  I had to leave work and take her to the doctor.  We waited for an hour. And by that time it had bothered her enough and she had rubbed her nose enough that it came out.  All the doctor had to do was inspect to see that the entire thing had come out.  Abby was pretty traumatized though.  We had to hold her down for the doctor to look up her nose.

Only my kid!!! Right???!!!!

Guess her caffine adiction is getting to her.  We are going to have to wean her off that coffee for breakfast!  :o)

Cassie

Busy! Busy! Busy!

Oh my goodness!  Have we been busy!  The week before spring break we all had "something". It was related to the sinuses.  But we were all on antibiotics.  I actually had about three rounds of antibiotics and had to get a steroid to kick it. 

I missed work the entire week before spring break.   I was feeling terrible.  Madison was not feeling well either.  One day, Joe had to take Abby to work with him.  Madison and I just laid around on the couch all day.

Over that weekend we went to a bull sale.  It was north of Salina, which was about a 4-5 hour drive.  We purchased two yearling bulls.  Our bull died in December, so we were really in need of one.  We were not able to bring them back with us, but arranged to pick them up this past weekend.

We all finally got to feeling better just in time to go to Grandmas' and Hot Springs.

The girls had a ball visiting both sets of grandparents.  The weather was nice and they got to play outside.  Of course all the spoiling they got was great too!  Joe and I had a good time in Hot Springs.  We did not do anything other than visit the horse races.  We enjoyed it so much!  It was such great weather, and just nice to be outside.  We didn't win or loose big. Just had lots of fun together.  We went to dinner a couple of nights to nice places.  So great to just be by ourselves.  It was just what we needed.

Last week was busy.  Getting back into the swing of things  at work after spring break took some doing!  The girls didn't want to get back into the routine very easily, since we had nealy two weeks off due to sickness.

It was my birthday over spring break, and I really enjoyed celebrating.  In fact, I celebreated right into this past weekend. We had to go this weekend to pick up those bulls that we bought.  I had it in mind that the girls and I were in desperate need of a Yorkie puppy.  So, I had been researching online, and trying to locate one in our area.  Well, just so happens that we were going to be going through Wichita to get those bulls; and I had located a puppy in Wichita!  Joe was ABSOLUTELY THRILLED!  :o)   He managed to cooperate.  We brought home an 11 week old male.  His name is Amos.  :o)

The girls are absolutely in love with him.  He's quite fond of them too, already.  He's been trained to use a potty pad.  He's pretty good with it.  He's had a few accidents, but that's to be expected.  He's done quite well.  I'm going to have to learn how to goom him.  I've not had any experience with this.  I ordered a pair of clippers.  The lady that I purchased him from took a lot of time with me and answered lots of questions.  She even showed me how to trim him up.  I'll probably need to take him to a professional groomer for an appropriate hair cut though.  :o)

Oh my goodness!  Easter is upon us!  This Easter Bunny needs to get in gear!  We've missed church so much lately due to illness and out of town.  We absolutely have to make it this Sunday.  I'm surprised that they have not called to chastise us yet!  :o)   I'm ashamed!  We are going this Sunday though!  We are just having Easter by ourselves this year.  We invited the family up, but nobody wanted to come.  I think we might just put something on the grill for lunch or dinner.  It's supposed to be great weather!  We've got to make some time to dye eggs too.  And I've got to get Easter baskets!  Oh my!  My list just keeps growing!  I'm so thankful that Madison and Abby's daycare is religion based.  They always do a great job of helping them understand the purpose for such celebrations.  I'm so thankful!  I could not think of a better place for them to be.

Joe's mom and dad are actually going to come up this evening to bring us some beef.  They gave us a full beef as part of our Christmas present this year.  It's finally been processed, and they are supposed to be here this evening.  I've put on some b-b-q beef for sandwiches and have all of the fixings ready.  I've just got to hurrry home after work.

What are your Easter plans?  :o)

Cassie