Friday Five - 1.27.12

1.  In my last post, I shared a photo of one of our gorgeous Camellia blooms.  Here is a pic of the entire Camellia shrub.  Isn't it lovely?  I think I need to research how to prune and maintain these beautiful shrubs so that they continue to thrive.

2.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, my mom is teaching me how to sew.  When I'm in Tulsa for any length of time, we often tackle a sewing project since my mom has a sewing machine and I do not.  (Actually, I "have" my late Grandma Johnson's sewing machine and cabinet, but we have not yet transported it to SC.)  Over the holidays, my mom and I made several burp cloths to give to my friend, Laura, and we made them differently than the ones we've made in the past.  I think they turned out really well!

3. For my 30th birthday, my mom gathered a ton of old photos of me, and we really enjoyed looking through them.  Here's one from Christmas morning many, many years ago...26 to be exact.  :)

4.  This is random, but it was so helpful that I have to share.  I don't know if any of you have smooth top stoves, but we do and I have had a hard time getting ours completely clean.  I've purchased the specialty cleaning products and followed the instructions exactly, but they haven't removed the faint cooking stains that come from liquids sizzling on the surface.  While looking for something at Walmart recently, I stumbled upon this cleaning tool and I was happy to see that it was safe for glass and ceramic stove tops.  I gave it a try when I got home, and it worked (without scratching the stove top)! 

5.  I attended a baby shower recently, and I saw something I've never seen before...a diaper tricycle!  Isn't it clever and adorable?!  I had to take a quick pic with my phone so that I could save the idea for future reference.



Friday Five - 1.20.12

1.  I received a very special birthday wish from South Carolina while we were in Oklahoma, and it came from this precious cutie-pie. :)  Thanks to his momma at The Newman Network for sending this sweet photo!

2. My heart melted again that day when I received this video from one of my favorite toddlers.  It's the sweetest version of "Happy Birthday" I've ever heard! :)  Thanks for sending it to me, Kee!

3.  While we were in Tulsa, Kevin and his mom found his high school letter jacket!  Check him out. :)

4.  Last weekend we went bowling for a friend's birthday, and Kevin scored a 246!  He knocked down all but like 3 pins during the game...which is CRAZY to me since he doesn't play that often.  I guess he and his buddies played quite a few times during the deployment but apparently he never did this well.

1. I had nothing to do with the nicknames.  2.  No, I will not identify my score.

5.  This is our first "winter" (if you can even call it that when it's 66 degrees outside) in our new home, so I am just now discovering that our two shrubs produce beautiful blooms this time of year!  Thanks to Al, who knows way more than I do about gardening, I've learned that they are most likely Camellia shrubs.  (Our builder planted them.)  Here's a completely unedited photo to show you how gorgeous and vibrant the color is.  This shrub is covered with blooms right now, and I am loving it! 

The big 3-0

I didn't blog last weekend because I was busy turning THIRTY years old!!!  Instead of a Friday Five this week, I thought I'd share some party pics.

My sweet husband and wonderful parents threw a fabulous birthday bash for me last Friday night, and I so appreciate all of our friends and family who came over to celebrate (especially the ones who came from out of town!!).  I am an extremely blessed 30 year old.  Unfortunately, I don't have photos of everyone who came, but here are some photos from the party. 

Susan & Laura

Gorgeous flowers from Susan!

Vern & Belinda

Rick & Toy

Laura's baby Ava, Kimmy & Caleb

Mom

Gina, Laura's baby Ava & Laura

Thank you family and friends for making me feel so loved!

Friday Five - 12.30.11

1. Our Christmas Tree

We still need to find a topper that we like.

2.  Our mantel in South Carolina

I found the garland at Michaels BEFORE Christmas and it was 60% off!

3. Lights covering a F-86 Sabre at MCAS Beaufort

I wish we had a better photo, but this was the best we could get using an iPhone from our car.

4. Christmas #1

Tara, Toy, Rick, Erin, Kevin, Kelly

5. Christmas #2

Vern, Belinda, Erin, Kevin, Kelly

Christmas #3 (with my parents and brother) was great as well but we didn't take a single family photo!  Pretty shocking since photos are a BIG deal in the Johnson household. :)  Oh well, we had fun and made memories. 

We had a fabulous Christmas with all of our loving families, and we hope you had a wonderful Christmas, too!

Friday Five - 12.2.11

1.  Holiday Mail for Heroes - As a military wife, I can't help but think about the men and women who are currently serving overseas and the fact that they will be away from their families on Christmas day.  If you'd like to send a card to a servicemember, please visit the American Red Cross blog to get the address and other information you will need.  If you'd like to create a card online for $1.00, you can do so through this website and it will be printed and mailed for you.  Cards must be postmarked by December 9th.

2.  Sophia Grace and Rosie - After watching these adorable little girls (ages 8 and 5) appear on the Ellen show a second and third time, I've decided that Sophia Grace reminds me of Russell Brand!  Watch their second hilarious appearance on Ellen here.  I know it sounds bizarre that an 8 year old girl could remind me of a 36 year old man, but she really does!  Their British accents are very similar, both have bold personalities and both are laugh out loud funny!  So, you can imagine how ironic it was to see Russell Brand discussing Sophia Grace and Rosie on the Ellen show the other day!  Click here to see him talking about and imitating Sophia Grace on Ellen.  In the same segment, Ellen said she wants to have Sophia Grace and Russell Brand appear on her show together, and I cannot wait to see that!  Click here to see the girls sing along to their favorite Nicki Minaj song and click here to see the girls interview stars on the red carpet at the American Music Awards.  These videos are sure to make you smile!

3.  Union High School (our alma mater) won the Oklahoma 6A Football State Championship for the 4th year in a row last night!  Way to go, Redskins!!!

4.  I just love spending time with my friends' sweet kiddos, and I got to see some of them recently!

5.   BEDLAM - OU plays OSU Saturday night!  This is always a big game for both teams, but this year's game is huge because both teams are ranked in the top ten in the BCS.  It starts at 8:00/7:00c on ABC!

BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday Five - 11.25.11

1.  Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you were able to see loved ones and enjoy tasty food yesterday!  As I mentioned in a recent post, my late Grandma Johnson's pumpkin bread is my favorite Fall recipe.  I made it again this week, and I think that everyone needs this easy recipe.  So, here it is.

My Grandma Johnson’s Pumpkin Bread

3 c flour                                                                           
3 c sugar                                                                         

1 ½ tsp salt                                                                     

2 c pumpkin (approx. 1 can)                                        

4 eggs                                                                             

2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon                                                   

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cloves
2/3 c canola oil
2/3 c water
1 c chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix well.  Divide batter between two large loaf plans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 ½ hours. 

2.  My mom and I made another pillow this week, and I can't wait to take it back to South Carolina to see how it looks in our living room!

Translation: Make yourself at home :)

3.  Gift Idea - Christmas is just one month away, and slowly but surely, I am getting my shopping done.  If you need a gift idea for someone who likes to cook or read then I highly recommend The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook or The Pioneer Woman's book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.  The cookbook is full of delicious, step-by-step recipes, and the book is intriguing and laugh out loud funny!

4.  UNION HIGH SCHOOL (our alma mater) beat Jenks High School tonight, 30-29!  What an exciting game to watch on TV with my family.  Next week, Union will play for the 6A Football State Championship...and yes, Kevin and I have been out of high school for over a decade, but high school football pride runs deep in Oklahoma. :)  Go Redskins!

5.  Operation Christmas Child - I mentioned this on Facebook, but it's such a wonderful cause that I want to post it here too.  If you're looking for a way to help a child in need this Christmas then go to this website to find out how you can pack a shoebox and send joy to a child in another country.

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

Before I went to Ada for East Central's homecoming, I had the privilege of attending a very special 3 year old's birthday party in Stillwater!  I was very excited to see his baby brother and parents, too. :)



The Felkers

Athan is so precious!

It's always a treat to see these girls and their sweet babies.

On Sunday, Kevin and I spent the afternoon with his mom and Vern in Ada.  It was a gorgeous day, and we walked around campus taking photos and listening to stories about my mother-in-law's and Kevin's college days.  So fun!

I hurried home from Ada that evening so that I could go to the Carrie Underwood concert with my Mom and some of our closest family friends.  Her concert was absolutely incredible! 

I also got to be in town for my Mom's birthday.  I'm not sure what her favorite part of the day was, but my favorite part was eating at On the Border that evening.  We had a big lunch at Michael V's that day and weren't very hungry at dinnertime, so we ate chips & queso & guacomole at OTB while enjoying girl talk.   Here's a pic from that day, and I guess this photo proves what people always tell us - we do look alike! :)

Take me out to the ballgame...

After spending a lovely week in the place I called home for three years (Dallas), I got the chance to go to the place that will always feel like home (Tulsa).  My loving mother drove all the way down to Dallas to pick me up and take me back to Oklahoma, or God's country, as Kevin calls it. ;)  Because my mom and I love to shop in Dallas, we spent about 24 hours shopping, eating and seeing Kevin in Ft. Worth before we made the drive back to Tulsa.  You wouldn't believe how much shopping we accomplished in such a short time!  We had so much fun, as we always do, when shopping together and telling each other what clothes we MUST buy.  We also stopped in Oklahoma City during the drive to have dinner with two of my aunts and four of my cousins.  It was really great to catch up with all of them.

While I was in Oklahoma, I met Kevin in Ada for his alma mater's homecoming weekend.  We saw a lot of dear friends and family while we there, and the most exciting part of the weekend requires a little bit of background.  I have known Kevin for approximately five and half years.  In that time, I've watched him play golf, flag football, slow pitch softball, volleyball and dodgeball, but I have NEVER had the privilege of watching him play the sport he played in college...BASEBALL.  I've seen high school and college photos of him in his baseball uniforms (and boy did he wear them well!), but I've never even seen a video of him playing baseball.  So, when it worked out for Kevin to be in Ada to play in the East Central University Alumni baseball game, I was pumped to go watch him play.  I sat in the bleachers with my father-in-law with my camera in hand, anxiously waiting for Kevin to take the mound.  Finally, he did...and I started snapping photos like crazy.  Here are some shots of my handsome husband in action.