These Girls Were FRAMED!

We had to take advantage of a day with a small amount of wind sweeping down the plains!
These girls are graduating this year.....Carlye, Madeline & Sydni.
They have been friends FOREVER!
It won't be much longer and they will be parting paths....

Remember this girl? She is the one that went on the college tour with us...
Yah, the one that I couldn't get a good picture of because
she and Sydni were being so silly....yah, that girl.
Guess what?
I got some good pictures of her!

This is Sydni's bike she got for Christmas....it hasn't been out of her bedroom until the day we shot these pictures. She was afraid it would get DIRTY!

I can't believe they are ready to head out into the big ole world.....

May God guide your every step....

I love you,

Mom Traci

What Do You Do When You See a GIANT Wurlitzer on the Side of the Road?

You stop and try to play some MUSIC!!

This is Angel's Diner in McAlester, OK.

It is right on Highway 69, just south of town.

We've passed this place numerous times and I FINALLY

talked the old man into stopping.....starving him all day might have sealed the deal.

Why am I making this face in the below picture?

Because 2 minutes before, I tried to move the statue and take a picture with my good friend Marilyn.....and just the thought made Elvis LOSE his head!

I mean the head was broken and someone discretely put it back on the stand....until I TRIED TO MOVE IT....

STUPID PROTECTIVE ELVIS KEPT ME FROM A GOOD PICTURE WITH MARILYN.
Oh, and the waitress said they didn't know it was broken either....glad they didn't blame me!

Even the napkin dispensers were retro....

Elvis sang to my mother......

She lost control and had to KISS HIM!

The menu even had the jukebox on it....

Look at the neat menu items....

FRIED EGG SANDWICH....oh yes, and FRIED Green Tomatoes....

Yah, so the kids weren't as thrilled for some reason....

They just wanted FOOD!!!

I hear the motel that sets behind this restaurant is styled in the same manner....Elvis rooms, etc.....hmmm....how do I get my LOVE OF MY LIFE to take me to there?

Homemade Fire Pit for Practically NOTHING

For at least 2 years, I've been pestering my husband to make a simple fire pit in the backyard. I just wanted to sit around a fire in the cool evenings and RELAX.

Our backyard faces the west and we see some beautiful sunsets.

Back in November, we visited a cousin who had a simple one in their backyard.

This finally inspired my husband!

I knew I needed an edge in the ground or our lovely dogs would think we just started a hole for them to continue until they found China.

My husband can weld, so he checked prices of metal.....OUCH!

So, I did the next best redneck thing.....TRACTOR WHEEL!

Thanks to Dennis for finding us a super cheap ($24.00) NEW rim....hee hee...heard it even has a warranty. Think if it burns, it will count in the warranty?

We live near a lake. People who build their homes near the lake have ROCKS...a lot of rocks free for the picking.

So, we headed to the nearest "pick your own" rocks place...aka Shorty and Angie's and picked our rocks.

I really need to start drawing my ideas, because no one really understood how simple I was trying to make this fire pit. They thought I was going to make an elaborate patio of rocks.....I THINK NOT!

They thought we wanted BOULDERS...which they would have gladly supplied.

I just wanted platter sized rocks to "hide" the redneck tractor rim that was sticking up out of the ground.

Did I mention that we pretty much dug the hole deep enough to fit TWO rims in?

So, we got to add the dirt back.

We have had terrible wind conditions lately.....we had to seize the moment of no wind before we could start a fire!

We left a birthday party early just so we could rush home and see if the fire pit would work....

IT WORKED!

We made S'mores!

LIFE IS GOOD!

I Took the Walk....

Tom's Shoes sponsors a "One Day Without Shoes" walk to

create an awareness of those in the world who live day to day

without any shoes.

Our local sponsor is Ida Red Boutique...great shop that is the official gift

shop of the original Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK.

You are encouraged to go all day....which I did!! I made coffee barefoot....
I went to Bible Study barefoot....

Regan slept barefoot....

I shopped barefoot....

The real one mile walk took place in a part of town called Brookside....

Sydni, Regan and I getting ready.....

We signed up so they knew we "officially" took the walk....

We decorated our feetsies.....

Then we walked.....

Oh, I forgot to mention that HANSON led us on the walk.....

Do you REMEMBER the mmmmbop song?

Yep, THAT HANSON......

Even dogs took the THE WALK.....

Yep, that dog only has 3 legs....

We finished and had the dirty feet to prove we TOOK THE WALK....

If you didn't already know....when you buy a pair of Tom's Shoes....they donate another pair to 3rd world countries for children who don't have shoes!

TOM's SHOES LINK