Just put on a little lipstick...

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I keep seeing this photo that someone creatively crafted using the Royal Couple and comparing them to Cinderella. While I do think it was a fairytale wedding and their are similarities, it's not completely accurate. Also, I feel a little bad for Fergie's girls. They are probably really sweet young ladies who just chose to wear odd hats and were photographed at unfortunate angles. So to set the record straight....here's are actual photos from Cinderella. She had blonde hair and Charming didn't wear red.   When Jenni was little she used to spend hours analyzing Disney princesses, and when I saw this comparison photo I knew something wasn't quite right.

 Who knows their Mommy? Thank you Jenni- I will enjoy watching this!  from Josh - I love it!

When I think about my Mom now I don't picture her as she was at the end of her life. I picture her running up and down the stairs at the Home Ec. building, teaching classes and enjoying her students. She was one busy lady and enjoyed every minute of it. It was apparent to everyone that Mom loved teaching and her students loved her right back.  Mom was a very important part of my children's lives. I am so thankful they got to spend so much time with her and were able to build lots of wonderful memories with their Reba . For me and my friends, she was the neighborhood kool-aid mom. We always had a house or yard full of friends and I don't remember her ever complaining. She and Dad always welcomed our friends with open arms. I can still close my eyes and remember Mom's scent, she wore a perfume named "unforgettable". That is what she will always be for me and so many others...unforgettable.   I love ...

Look, maybe I was a little confused, maybe I was a little frustrated, but I knew what I was doing was important, because it means something to raise human beings. What saw me through was pride ~ Caroline (Mr. Mom) Well, a boy's best friend is his mother ~ Norman (Psycho) I can’t have a baby because I have a 12:30 lunch meeting. ~ J.C. (Baby Boom) From your head to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows. But you're so precious to me, cute as can be, baby of mine ~Mrs. Jumbo (Dumbo) 

I no longer wear white and deliver hands-on patient care in the hospital setting, but my heart is with all of you that do. It is not glamorous work, but it is important work. I want to wish all my nurse friends a happy week - I hope you get the respect and compensation you deserve.

 Linda and Laura -sitting under an axe I have two fabulous sisters. Linda arrived 14 months before me, so I have never known life without her. From what I hear, she was a little shocked when I arrived and I took some getting used to. Linda was born with strong organizational skills, her toys were put away neatly and her drawers were organized - this is when she was 3! I remember Mom saying she had to put us in separate bedrooms because I kept my living quarters too messy and this was causing sister friction. Other than that we were two peas in a pod -same haircuts, matching outfits, best friends. Of course we had a few moments as well - she tried to get me to pick up a ping pong ball sitting by a copperhead, considered stabbing me while we watched Dark Shadows (our babysitter was asleep) and cut off all my hair with pink paperdoll sissors, but this is normal sister behavior - right? On Halloween week of 1974, Mom told us that she w...

Today it was announced to the world that the FBI's most wanted person Osama bin Laden had been located and killed. He admitted to responsibility for the World Trade Center bombings as well as many other horrific acts. Clearly this man needed to be stopped and brought to justice. I heard multiple interviews today with 9/11 widows, parents and survivors - the sadness on their faces showed that even though bin Laden's death will give them some closure, it will not erase their pain, and can never bring their loved one back. We still have troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as many other dangerous places. This war is not over, and until it is and our troops are safely home I don't feel we can truly declare peace and begin the celebration.   I am very proud to be living in the United States of America that allows me to live freely. I am very thankful to those who protect and serve our towns, cities and this country. I will continue to pray for peace for our wo...

  Willie tells it like it is, and it makes me smile. Here are some of my favorite "Willie" quotes from the book: “Using your religion and faith as a guide to your actions will do more for other people than if you just talk about it.” “The wisdom is in the moments when the madness slips away and we remember the basics.” “I believe that creative imagination rules the universe. I believe in the beauty of first love and the eternal power of all love. I believe in dreams and in dreamers, being one myself. I believe in the power of modern medicine and the wisdom of ancient medicine as well. I also believe in the power of laughter and the beauty of a good joke.”   “If you forgive your enemies, it messes up their heads.” “If someone is a jerk, that’s their misfortune, not yours.” “Like they say, you’ve got to slow down and smell the flowers. Or in my case, smoke the flowers.” “In the end, all of us are just angels flying too close to the ground.”

There are some things in your life that stick with you. Do you remember what you were you doing on July 29th, 1981? I do! I was in a cabin at Reelfoot Lake with my Mom, Sisters, Cousin Greg, Aunt Jewel and Grandmother Tucker. We got up at 4am to watch the wedding of Charles and Diana. I remember thinking it was like watching a fairytale play out. This week Jenni got to experience that same feeling when she and her roommates watched William and Kate's royal wedding. I couldn't help thinking how proud and happy for her sons Diana would have been had she still been here. William and Kate - I wish you all the happiness in the world!

Tornadoes are a part of life in the south. I remember as a small child, a tornado blew away our wooden fort that Dad had built us in our backyard. It didn't harm our house, but got the fort in the backyard. The fact that the wind got close enough to the house to destroy our fort made a big impression on me. I also remember being little and Mom telling us that we were going to have to take cover because there was a storm headed our way. Our "safe place" at that time was our hallway. Linda and I proceeded to take all the covers off the beds and pile them in the hallway. We literally took cover! Tuscaloosa, Alabama tornado This past week a F5 tornado went through the south. One of the areas that took a direct massive hit was Tuscaloosa. It was terrifying to see those images and know there were people we loved in the path of that huge swirling cloud of destruction. After several harrowing hours we did get the news that Aunt Jane, Uncle John, Hayley, Jonathan, Grayson, Be...

“At the breaking of the Easter dawn may the Risen Savior bless your home with grace and peace from above, with joy and laughter, and with love And when night is nigh, and day is done May He keep you safe from all harm.” ~Beannachtaí Ná Cásca oraibh

Later that day Lisa, Chadd, Josh, Chassi and the girls joined us for a cookout and Easter egg hunt. Jenni made homemade Amish muffins, Lisa made cupcakes and Bryan grilled us an awesome dinner. We ended the day with family movie night under the stars.

Bryan, Jenni and I went to eat at the Spears house after Easter services on Sunday morning. Mike grilled some delicious ham, and Sophie made a cute and yummy bunny cake for dessert. Thank you Spears family for being such a blessing to our lives!

I had my check up with Dr. Whitworth this week. I am continuing to have some nerve pain in the right side of my chest, but they reassured me if it is intermittent pain then it's totally normal. Evidently it takes years for all those nerves to re-generate. Also, they say it is perfectly normal to continue to have phantom pain where the tumor was. It's all VERY strange, but as long as they say it's normal I will just deal with it and go on. I have so much to be thankful for! Thank you God for another good check-up!

 Welcome Back Kotter cast  I was a child of the 70s and even though we only had 4 or 5 channels to choose from we had some great shows. This year's TV Land Awards show reunited some of my favorites. Hall and Oates also got the Music icon award this year and they sounded better than ever. The whole auditorium seemed to be vibrating with love and happiness as they all reunited with their TV families and friends.   Hall and Oates

Even though my Mom is no longer with us on this earth, there are so many reminders that she is still with me every day. Just today I walked outside and saw some beautiful purple iris blooming in my yard. Mother loved her flower gardens and she always had some fragrant beautiful blooms. Dad did a great job of diving bulbs to make sure we could all have some of her flowers for our yards.