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Cowboy Woody

Blaine fell in love with the movie, Toy Story. So, for part of his birthday he got a gift certificate I used to purchase WOODY. I had to go online since our Disney Store closed but got free shipping so it worked out great. He went online with me and picked him out and then we watched the UPS Tracking guide until he arrived. It all played out perfectly and the day he arrived...well you can see he was so excited!

Crab Dip & Marinated Coleslaw

Jeff's grandmother used to make this crab dip every time we would visit. It always followed by a card game called, Hand & Foot. Man, those were some fun times! So, this year for Valentine's I surprised Jeff by making the crab dip. We served it with boiled shrimp, popcorn shrimp and marinated coleslaw (another family fav) . Both our kids love shrimp and was a great Valentine's Day Dinner followed by a few games at the local bowling alley!

Crab Dip
8 oz. flaked crab meat
8 oz. cream cheese
2 T. white cooking wine
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. mayonnaise
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 t. garlic powder
8 oz. cocktail sauce

Mix these together and serve with crackers.

Marinated Cole Slaw
1 c. vinegar
2 T. sugar
2 t. celery seed
1 c. wesson oil
1 T. salt
1 t. dry mustard
3 bags of shredded cabbage
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 c. sugar

Combine first 6 ingredients and heat to boiling point. Set aside. Mix the vegetables and cup of sugar. Add the liquid and put in refrigerator. Good as long as it lasts!

Valentine Dog Spa

I never thought....I would send my dog to the Day Spa...but they were having a Valentine Special and I couldn't resist. The kids were excited to have Callie ride with them on the way to school (I had the day off) and when school was out we would all go to pick her up from the Dog Spa! They were so excited. Callie got the full treatment (it was like $6 extra to have the Valentine Special). Here's her day of beauty:

1) Full Coat Come-out

2) Hydro Surge washing with Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shampoo

3) Hot Towel Wrap

4) Blueberry Facial

5) Home-made Dog Treat (bone dipped in white/pink yogurt)

6) Pawicure (pedicure)

7) Hand Drying

8) De -Shedding (the most important part since she's been shedding already due to our very mild weather)

She even got a pink & red scarf with hearts on it! My mom said she wanted to go next time...I think it was the hot towel wrap that got her!

On the Road Again

Jeff is on the road again, this time with a new/used 5th Wheel Trailer. Yes, we are now the new owners of a 5th Wheel that we won't get to take camping very often - It's Jeff's Home away from Home when he's on the road. This next journey is Carlsbad, NM. He leaves out Sunday night and comes home on Friday night. I cannot complain though because we've had him home for almost 2 years every night! The kids are looking forward to traveling one weekend to see Dad and stay in the trailer. We'll get to see the Caverns too!

Not the Traditional Superbowl Sunday

Well, I have to admit...I did not even watch the game nor was I even home.....I know! It's the first but when you have kids and a nephew that love horses as much as you do...you'd do the same!

I had a scary but rewarding day with tons of excitement no superbowl could ever replace!

Scary Part I had to haul three horses (load and unload) by myself for the first time ever. I was very lucky that Jeff gave me some quick 5 minute lessons before I left and great advice from my dear friend and horse pro, Amy Tucker, just go nice & easy and slow down in time to stop. The first stop I had to make, well...lets just say I may have rolled through the stop sign slightly before stopping completely. I didn't injure any horses just my pride....the other 5 stop signs or so and two red lights were plenty to break me in and now I'm a pro....well....close enough that I am ready to do it again next Sunday!

Kids for Christ - this is our first year to experience Rodeo Life with our kids. I cannot imagine a better organization with a great Christian message and family fun! They took a group picture of all the kids a few weeks ago and was available for the kids to sign. I think they'll hand these out in the awards ceremony end of this month! We found out Brooke has earned enough points to get an award.

My first and most proud moment was taking Blaine on his first barrel race on our 11 year old horse, Henry. Henry is a great horse for my kids because he will follow me around like a puppy dog and he did just that...all the way around the barrel pattern. We even jogged home and that was Blaine's favorite part, he told me later he was ready to go again (10 times) . I nearly fainted.

My nephew, Caden, was able to join us too! He called me “Aunt Jana” most of the day, makes him seem so grown up. He rode our horse Henry most of the day and the real funny part was he didn't want to “park” by the fence w/ everyone else. He wants to be smack in the middle of the area so he can see everyone. I even caught him having a conversation with a young teenager “horse taking”. I entered him in the Flag Race. This was Caden’s first time to participate in the Rodeo too! I think I told him when we were about to enter the arena that “Aunt Jana is going to run and you just keep kicking Henry and hold on"! Henry followed me around the barrel and Caden grabbed the ribbon just as I slowed down and never stopped kicking! At the end of the day we found out we got 1st place. I was so proud!

Brooke had one of her best days too! She placed in all her events and we cannot wait to see what she does next! Here's a video of her with friend, Gracie! They were the only ones in their age group to enter the RESCUE RACE together. The crowd was just cheering them on. (this was taken w/ my cell phone so it's blurry but seeing her jump on the back of our horse, J.J., is just priceless! Way to go girls!