Strawberry Pickin'

This post, I'm backtracking to May to report on my traditional trip to the strawberry patch with the kids. Last year the wacky weather got the blueberries and blackberries but the strawberries produced and this year they were even better.

There's nothing tastier than a ripe Tennessee strawberry right off the vine. You know, strawberries cannot continue to ripen after they are picked? I was surprised to find that out.
Here are some shots I took of Micah and Hope in the patch. We picked a total of 3 buckets, sliced the berries and froze them for our morning shakes. YUM! I hope to keep up the tradition. I am sure the day will come when the kids won't be so excited to go strawberry pickin', but 'till then, I will make every effort to keep this tradition alive. I hope to post my recipe for MILLION DOLLAR POUND CAKE soon. It's terrific with these berries.

Murder!

Here lies Mitch Maverick, murdered in cold blood at the Deadwood Saloon. Gunshots rang out when the lights went off, right before Mitch was to collect his 100 Grand for winning the most recent poker tournament:

Here's Mitch with Taffy Garrett, "employee" of Deadwood Saloon. She is such a gossip and has been known to take a bribe to spill the beans on prominent local citizens. She knows the in's and out's of the regulars and the outsiders at Deadwood.

Here's Harry and Henrietta Highstakes, owners of Deadwood Saloon. Rumor has it that Harry is broke and won't have the funds to pay the winner of the poker tournament.


Here's Miss Holly Hicock, a southern belle transplanted to the wild west. She's an incessant flirt with all the men at the saloon and she knows a thing or two about poker. Rumor is that she had a private meeting with Mitch at his hotel room the night before he was murdered.

Elizabeth and Montgomery Money are land investors passing through town from back east. Montgomery claims he is interested in purchasing the saloon for himself. Nobody is really sure what brought him to Deadwood because Harry High Stakes claims the saloon is not for sale.

Here we have Billy the Bartender, Banker Bonnie, and local Sheriff SAMantha. Sherrif SAM has been accepting money from Harry, but WHY? Bonnie has been hanging out at the saloon a lot lately. Billy the Bartender knows a lot about the poker tournaments:

Other suspects in the murder of Mitch are outlaw Jesse Wales who divorced his wife Poker Alice for another woman. Days before the murder Jesse received a telegram with orders to murder someone. Jesse was also attacked the day before the murder and his divorced wife Alice would do anything for her employer, High Stakes Henry:

Black Barbara left town years ago when Jesse Wales married Poker Alice. Nobody know why she has returned to Deadwood. Barbara is sneaky and tight lipped. Did she return to woo Jesse, or did she have something to do with the bank robbery and murder?

Happy Hopie can be found slaving away at the local restaurant. She waits and buses tables with a cheerful heart and happy spirit. She's the one last pure heart in Deadwood:

More suspects in the murder include Sally Starr and Clay Coldwell, a gambler who's been known to cheat a time or two. Did Mitch cheat him, or did he cheat Mitch?

And finally we have a Federal Marshal Dalton in town to solve the crime. He is posing here with out of town, two bit hussy, Minnie Money, daughter of Montgomery and Elizabeth Money. Minnie is a flirt with the poker winners, has been seen socializing with Mitch Maverick following winning the poker tournament. Taffey hasn't been getting much attention from the customers since Minnie came to town.

Yesterday, our home was transformed into DEADWOOD SALOON for an evening of murder, mystery, and fun. Richard invited a group of home school parents/friends over for this mystery dinner as a way to celebrate my getting older. It was by far the best time we've had lately. We got to forget our worries and pretend to be characters in a historical event. Thanks hun for planning this wonderful evening and working so hard to get everything ready. I'm glad you are really alive and hope we have many more birthdays together. You're the greatest!

50 Habits of Highly Successful People

This is a great list created by LifeHack, of qualities that successful people have, which have been noted in many books on the subject:

1. They look for and find opportunities where others see nothing.
2. They find lessons while others only see problems.
3. They are solution focused.
4. They consciously and methodically create their own success.
5. They may be fearful, but they are not controlled or limited by fear.
6. They ask the right questions -- the ones which put them in a positive mindset and emotional state.
7. They rarely complain.
8. They don’t blame, and take complete responsibility for their actions and outcomes.
9. They always find a way to maximize their potential, and use what they have effectively.
10. They are busy, productive and proactive.
11. They align themselves with like-minded people.
12. They are ambitious.
13. They have clarity and certainty about what they want.
14. They innovate instead of imitate.
15. They don’t procrastinate.
16. They are life-long learners.
17. They are glass half full people, while still being practical and down-to-earth.
18. They consistently do what they need to do, regardless of how they are feeling on a given day.
19. They take calculated risks.
20. They deal with problems quickly and effectively.
21. They don’t believe in, or wait for, fate, destiny, chance or luck.
22. They take action before they have to.
23. They are more effective than most at managing their emotions.
24. They are good communicators.
25. They have a plan for their life and they work methodically to turn that plan into a reality.
26. They become exceptional by choice.
27. They work through the tough stuff that most would avoid.
28. They have identified what is important to them and they do their best to live a life which is reflective of those values.
29. They have balance. They know that money is a tool and ultimately, it’s just another resource.
30. They understand the importance of discipline and self-control.
31. They are secure in their sense of self-worth.
32. They are generous and kind.
33. They are happy to admit mistakes and apologize.
34. They are adaptable and embrace change.
35. They keep themselves in shape physically.
36. They work hard and are not lazy.
37. They are resilient.
38. They are open to, and more likely to act upon, feedback.
39. They don’t hang out with toxic people.
40. They don’t invest time or emotional energy into uncontrollable things.
41. They are happy to swim against the tide.
42. They comfortable with their own company.
43. They set high standards for themselves.
44. They don’t rationalize failure.
45. They know how to relax, enjoy what they have in their life and to have fun.
46. Their career is not their identity, it’s their job.
47. They are more interested in what is effective than in what is easy.
48. They finish what they start.
49. They realize that not only are they physical and psychological beings, but emotional and spiritual creatures as well.
50. They practice what they preach.

Here are some things I consider successes, or even blessings more so:

My precious Hubby, I really don't deserve him, but am glad he's mine
The children God gave me. Of all the women God could have chosen to be Ethan, Micah and Hope's mom - and He chose me, I feel truly blessed.
I'm glad I perservered and completed an education.
I try to do a good job for my boss

So feel free to share some your success here!

Campers Have S'more Fun

Last Thursday we headed to the wilderness for Memorial Weekend. Those who joined us included several families with numerous children. In all there were 3 Elizabeths and 2 Hopes present. There were 3 girls in our group who were adopted from China. There were 13 children, 4 boats, 3 tubes, and a SeaDoo to share. Sat night we all enjoyed dinner on the lake at sunset. Thanks to Glen Shroder's dad, our whole group got to taste his wonderful fried chicken! There was also home made banana pudding, baked beans, home made ice cream, a gigantic pot of mashed 'taters creamed with oodles of butter and real cream! My ankles are still puffy from all the carbs I consumed.

Hope commented that she just LOVED camping. I asked her why she loved it so much. She simply stated, "Because, its like one huge sleepover that lasts a long time." It is pleasant to be in the company of real HAPPY CAMPERS.Here are some highlights:

Mommy, Mommy, my Life Jacket is tooo tight!

Dinner with the Girls at Sunset

Beautiful Sunset on Cordell Hull Lake