Penny Serenade

If you haven't seen this movie... "Penny Serenade"... run out right now and get it!

Rent it... buy it... just get it!

This ranks as one of my all-time favorites ... ever!

It is not the best acted film, or best written, or best cinematography... it is just a good, tear-jerker that you will laugh and cry... and you will feel good that you just spent two hours watching a good ole' Cary Grant and Irene Dunne movie that was worth watching!

They just don't make them like they use too!

And, I have often thought that there is no way they could ever re-make this film. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne cannot be duplicated. The black and white should never be colorized. This movie is pure emotion (all of your emotions) and that make this such a special film.

Even, my hubby... who does not share in my love of old films... even gives his thumbs up approval for this one!

Trust me on this one!

Christmas Cooper

He put up with an entire day of me making him wear his Christmas collar!

Christmas Table

Thought my Christmas Eve dinner table turned out pretty...

Baby Lily...

Here are a few pictures of our baby Lily, who really isn't even a baby anymore. Just precious pictures of our darling Lily... whom Brian and I always say " we are so glad we had her" :-)

Christmas Morning

We woke up to the wonders of what Santa left behind... and everyone got what they wished for Christmas.

Caroline got her beloved "Baby Alive"

Lily got her new "Big Girl Bike"

Mommy got her "white christmas outside"

Daddy got "lots of smiling little girls beaming over their new presents"

He actually stopped by our house before his big trip!

Yep, that is right! Santa made a quick stop at our house at 4 p.m. to tell say hello to the girls! He even brought by some small gifts for them.

The girls went nuts! They were screaming and jumping and couldn't believe that Santa would actually stop by their house before he took off on his sleigh trip around the world!

He told them that if they were good, he would be back that night to deliver their presents! And they must have been good, because later that night... Caroline and I heard Santa outside her window. He was shaking his sleigh bells and telling Rudolph to be quiet. Then next thing we knew, he was inside our home and walking down the stairs to our tree. Caroline and I crept quietly over the staircase and actually saw his back as he put the presents under the tree!

Caroline was so excited... she ran back to her room, so he wouldn't see her and fell back to sleep dreaming of what he had left behind under the tree!

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Oops... I forgot to tell Santa!

So we went back to tell him what we forgot!

Gifts for the Baby Jesus

Caroline's school (a catholic one) hosts a baby shower for the baby jesus. Every child brings a gift for baby jesus (which is donated to a local organization that helps women and children) and the kids get to open them up and show the class. Caroline was determined to get the baby jesus a duck rattle... because she really thought he'd like it. It really helps the kids understand the reason for the season!

One of the many reasons I love catholic school!

Crown Center Christmas

On Dec. 15th, the family headed to Kansas City in a blizzard to go to Crown Center for some Christmas fun...plus attend the WSU v. UMKC game. The girls finally had their big chance to see and talk to Santa... and talk they did! They told him exactly what they wanted and asked him what kind of cookies they should leave him on Christmas Eve.

They also met a few of Santa's friends... Garfield, a penguin, a green crayola crayon, a snowman. With the snow falling outside, it was a great way to get into the holiday spirit.

The girls also went over to Kailidoscope, which was so much fun! Very creative! Caroline could have spent the entire day there!

Read this Book!

A page turner...

Can't set it down...

Read this book!

It's that good!

Get This Book!

Just got this book "Feather Your Nest" by Mary Carol Garrity for my birthday... from my dear friend Marna! I have been reading and studying it like I am going to have a final on it! It is that good! You will be inspired and excited to "feather your own nest"... I guarantee!

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful!

No pictures yet, but let me tell you... I should have some beauties of the ice storm we are getting tonight!


It looks like the girls and I will be hunkering down on Tuesday watching some movies and drinking some cocoa!

A New Tradition

The girls started a new tradition in our family... making a gingerbread house, or in our house, a gingerbread doghouse! If you looked close, you'll see little sweettart dog bones attached to the house :-)

And, as you can see from the pictures, you'll see both girls are quite proud of their accomplishments, especially all the frosting and candies that landed in tummies!

Dec. 1st... Jumping into the Holidays!

Forgot the camera tonight, so you'll just have to read about our evening!

The family was invited in a "Gingerbread" cookie and house making party at some friends of ours. The entire playgroup families got together for the evening... and you know when it comes to treats, my girls were front and center decorating their gingerbread men!

Caroline and I left the party early and attended a Christmas ballet show that was phenomenal. Caroline and her friend Elizabeth got all dressed up in their finest and sat on the front row- mesmerized watching this wonderful show!

It 's was the perfect first day of December... we'll see what the second one brings!

First Snow!

The first snow of the winter hit us last Saturday... I think the temps went from 80 degrees on Monday to 30 on Saturday! That is Kansas weather!

The girls woke up screaming that there was "snow outside" and before we knew it... there was Lily getting her snowboots on over her pajamas so she could go outside!

They both enjoyed the big "inch" of snow... making their snowman and sledding down the drive way!

By noon, the snow had melted... but stay tune, they are predicting more snow this weekend!

The Wilson Cousins...2007

All the Wilson Cousins (Cindy's side of the family) gathered for a photo at this year's Thanksgiving. Caroline, Lily, Kennedy, Drew, Eli and Josh...

It's Always Fun When BaBa is Around...

Some cute pictures from our Thanksgiving day at Brian's Aunt Sheri and Uncle Gene's home in Garnett, Kansas. We then went over to Brian's Aunt Donna's home before heading back home.

Of course, the highlight of the day was the "BaBa" monster-thon! All the kids got a kick out of him!

We are back from the Islands... Mon!

We are back from the Islands... and what beautiful islands they were!

We arrived on a Wednesday.... and set out on Thursday to explore the beautiful resort of Frenchman's Reef. We pretty much hung out by the pool all day. That evening we took a ferry over to the neighboring island of St. John for dinner at Asolare. More later on that experience! And it was a dining experience!

St. John is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. Over half of it is a National Reserve... pristine and pure is the best way to describe this island. After dinner we had drinks at a great beach side bar called The Balcony... it overlooked the Cruz Bay. And it was there that I discovered my vacation drink "Lime in da Coconut".

On Friday, we went spent the day at the Marriott's beach and swam in the ocean pretty much all day. The water there is like swimming in the pool... crystal clear and 90 degrees! We were definately beach bums!

That night the Shockers played their first game... and lost.

Saturday we took a ferry over to Charlotte Amalie and shopped their downtown. Fun shops... tons of jewelry... if you are ever looking for a diamond, this is the place to get it! Duty free and tax free! Of course, I was not shopping for diamonds :-(

That night the Shockers played again and lost again.


Sunday was a great day at Coki Beach... a local beach made of pristine sand and crystal blue water. It is a snorkeling beach... so we swam with the fish that day. That night we took the ferry back over to St. Johns for another amazing dinner on top of another mountain.


Monday we had planned to rent a catamarran, but it rained and we went shopping to pick up a few more gifts that we needed. That afternoon we finally got a Shocker win! And to celebrate we enjoyed dinner by the Beach.. and one last "Lime in da Coconut".

We were home Tuesday... the kids still remembered us... and the house was still standing!

All in all... a great vacation!

The Local Scene from the Islands

The Caribbean Blue

I wanted to share some of the pictures of the beautiful blue Caribbean Ocean that is simply amazing.

The thing that just amazes me about that part of the world are the vivid colors every where you look... the blue sea, green trees, brown sand... every color just exploded!

A View To Savor

By far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and to have the priviledge of having dinner at was a restaurant called "Asolare" in St. John, USVI.

This is the view!

We took a ferry boat from St. Thomas over to St. John with about 30 Shocker fans and were taxied up the mountain to this little restaurant that overlooked this view. We sat for about three hours dining on fabulous food, great wine and fun people!

It was a night to remember and a view to savor!

The Local Brew...

Even though he is a typical "Bud Light" guy, every where he goes he likes to sample the local 'brew'.

In St. Thomas that beer was called "Blackbeard Ale"... named after the famous pirate Blackbeard who loved to terrorize the Caribbean waters that surround the Virgin Islands.

Brian thought that it was pretty good... but for the next round it was back to a Bud Light!

The Island of Iguanas!

Every where we went around our resort... we faced these little creatures... called Iguanas!

And creatures they were! They had these frog legs, long tail and "dinosaur" type faces. They were very tamed and pretty much kept to themeselves. The only we were told is not to wear red toenail polish or they would thing they were cherries and might start tibbling on your toes :-)

Brian and I would stand looking out at the trees and next thing you would know you would be seeing tons of them in the trees... green ones, red ones and chamelion type ones! Just like you would see dogs and cats on the road here in the states... there it was all about the iguanas!