Wow! I am having wonderful birthday fun, and I have so much to post about - birthday at "home", birthday with Kenny & Carly, birthday presents, amazing birthday good mail, birthday deliveries. But, right now I wanted to post one more special "36" list. A while back I read some things I had listed as my favorites when I was a senior in high school. It was fun to see how my life has changed, how I have changed. I wish I had made more lists in the past 18 years.

.....

36 Things

that make me smile

.....

"I love you" from Carly.....Kenny hugs.....family.....girlfriend time.....sonic drinks.....long hot baths.....going "home".....snuggling with Carly.....laughing with Kenny.....good mail.....a fire in the fireplace.....porch swing.....compliments from Kenny.....a good book.....quiet time.....Dad's pats.....sunsets .....B&W photos.....traveling.....Christmas stockings......Easter baskets......a new magazine......wonderful wrapping.....taking pictures......playing games......stationery.....school supplies.....Halloween......scrapbooking.....blogging.....the beach.....no dirty laundry.....progress with a work kiddo.....gerber daisies.....sweet notes.....date nights

Today's List

36 Foods I like to Eat

1. tomatoes (especially homegrown in the summer and especially with #2, #10, #17, #25, oh and don't forget #21)
2. eggs (scrambled, fried, poached, quiche, frittata, stuffed, omelets, egg salad, got it? I pretty much like eggs)
3. mom's meatloaf (and chicken & dumplin's and chicken spaghetti = comfort food)
4. Finn's sweet pickles
5. homemade vanilla ice cream
6. pound cake (don't forget the Cool Whip)
7. birthday cake (oh, okay and wedding cake too)
8. chocolate covered strawberries
9. sushi
10. salsa
11. cheese grits
12. doug's biscuits (including when they are made by Kenny )
13. chocolate chip cookies (definitely soft and even better if hot and gooey)
14. Pig Stand BBQ ...in memory :o(
15. Kenny's BBQ ribs
16. BBQ nachos
17. pimento and cheese (homemade, not that stuff you buy in the grocery)
18. broccoli cornbread
19. Italian salsa (exactly like bruschetta topping or tapenade, but completely different)
20. Celeste's ravioli & salad dressing
21. bread (pretty much any kind, it all has it's place)
22. ice cream sandwiches
23. sweet potato casserole (which makes me want the rest of the Thanksgiving meal too)
24. shish-ka-bobs (look Dad your cooking even made the list!)
25. chicken salad
26. stuffed mushrooms
27. smoked tuna dip
28. crabcakes
29. shrimp poboys
30. seafood gumbo (starting to see a pattern here? I started thinking about the beach)
31. chili
32. Wise family chicken soup
33. Finn's vegetable soup
34. fried okra (makes me want to go to Ala Carte right now!)
35. mashed potatoes (especially with #3)
36. movie popcorn

wordless wednesday

knock knock

who's there?

36

36 who

36 things about Kim Sue

that you wish you knew

......

Today's list

36 of my Favorite Movies

......

Top Gun

Pretty Woman

Mystic Pizza

You've Got Mail

Grease

Somethings Gotta Give

Italian Job

My Cousin Vinny

Thelma & Louise

As Good As It Gets

Good Will Hunting

Wizard of Oz

Micheal

Notting Hill

Ocean's 11

Borne Identity

Ghost

The Fugitive

When Harry Met Sally

The Breakfast Club

St. Elmo's Fire

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Outsiders

Dirty Dancing

Road House

Risky Business

Urban Cowboy

Sleepless in Seattle

Parent Trap

The Devil Wears Prada

That Thing You Do

Pelican's Brief

Thomas Crown Affair

Hitch

National Treasure

Step Mom

I was there!

Kendra emailed this to me today.

I was there.

Thanks Kendra for taking my picture and sharing it!

{Carly & I - Heber Springs - Labor Day 2008}

germantown festival

Nothing says "Fall is coming" like the Germantown Festival.

It is held each year the weekend after Labor Day.

......

There are booths after booths of handmade wares such as pottery, jewelry, clothes, candles, dried flowers, paintings, food products.

......

Celeste (MIL) and Doug have a booth

selling their handmade wooden spoons.

It's called 'Sis & D Spoons'.

......

It gives us the opportunity to see Celeste and Doug. We stop by and visit and wander around to shop a little. The weather was gorgeous (hinting of the coming fall) and the crowds were large. Each time we came by the booth there were lots of customers.

Beside 'Sis & D Spoons' was a lady selling the most amazing clay art. She was sitting in front of her booth making small pieces and giving them away. Carly was mesmerized. She spent a lot of time watching. The lady made Carly a orange morning-glory. You can see the flower in the picture. Then she added a leaf with a tiny inch worm on it. We carried it around all day. She put it in a tiny vase for her room. It is hard to tell in the picture but on the front of her little table are tiny clay animals (roosters, monkeys, turtles, frogs, pigs, birds) which had such amazing details.

.....

......

Behind 'Sis & D' spoons was a children's clothing booth. It had the cutest clothes. Hanging beside the booth was this super cute green gingham dress with smocked pumpkins...CUTE! I tried several times to talk Carly into it. Nope. When she saw me go over and look at the price tag, she said "mom you promised, no more scrunchy dresses". A couple of weeks ago, when I made her put one on for church, I promised when she outgrew the couple that were in the closet that I would not buy anymore. She held me to it. I couldn't even talk her into it as MY birthday present. Nope. So, all I got was a picture of the super cute pumpkin dress.

......

We had a great day. I bought a Christmas present. We ate fair food. We ran into people we knew and enjoyed a beautiful day out and about.

......

......

AND,

Kenny & Carly got my birthday present.

Shhhh.....I'll save more about that for later!

happy grandparents' day

"what my grandparents have taught me this year"

by Carly

......

Finn....."how to color pretty"

grandaddy..... "how to love animals and about turkey calls"

......

mam mam....."about math and reading"

nona....."about cooking"

d....."about making biscuits"

Thank you for all the lessons, little to big,

and for all the fun that you have together.

We love you, very, very much!

first birthday present

A couple of weeks ago, I gave Kenny a list of birthday gift ideas. On the top of the list, with a star beside it, and noted as "this is what I REALLY want" was to clean the garage out. Weekend before last, we worked all day on Saturday cleaning, organizing, putting away, throwing away, and putting our garage back into working order. Yippee!

......

Since we cleaned it out, I smile each time I pull my car in!

Thank you Sweetie, it's perfect!

august reads

• Reckless Abandon by Stuart Woods

I like books in a series. Each time you read one you feel like you get to know the characters a little better. Obviously, it is best to read them in order which is what I typically do. But, I picked up a Stuart Woods' book a couple of months ago and now have read a couple more. This one comes 'before' the others specifically Iron Orchid. Holly comes to NY on a manhunt for a multi-murder "hidden" away by the FBI in the witness protection program. She enlist the whole list of characters to help including Stone, Dino, and Lance.

.....

......

• One Mississippi by Mark Childress

I thought this book was depressingly sad. Really, I felt sad for everyone in the book. They all had problems. Pretty much they were all dysfunctional. Critics quoted on the book covered said it was "humorous". Hmmmm, maybe in a black comedy kind of way? It was an interesting read - in a "can't look away from the train wreck" kind of way. t. I was sure with each chapter I started that something else was going to happen to the characters. And, I was right.

......

• Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman

Alex Delaware and his buddy Detective Milo Sturgis are the main characters in this crime novel. I've read several in this series but when I went to find a picture, I discovered there were lots of them (22?). They are good characters that are generally trying to find out "who dun' it?" This time they are interested in a group of murders without apparent motive and connected only by a suspect with multiple "looks". Oh, and a side story about Robin (Alex's girlfriend) making a mandolin for a wealthy .com entrepreneur. I think Robin would make for an interesting lead character. Hmmm

......

.....

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Nope, I don't think I had ever read it? Not sure why. Probably because it was written in 1908 and took place on Prince Edward Island? But I'm glad I decided to. It was a wonderful story with brilliant characters. I think I might have to read the sequels. Or, maybe re-read this one with Carly and then read the sequels together? I think Carly would like Anne too. She was feisty and full of life. "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it?" Anne

our plan....

.....a fun weekend with friends

{Labor Day weekend at Heber Springs with the Bradshaw's}

{girl fun}

{cocktail hour}

{"okay, one smile that's all you get"}

{"I love my daddy"}

{"stop, I want off"}

{"my stuff is going to hurt tomorrow"}

{synchronized rock jumping}

{refreshments}

plan for next time (if we get invited back).......

make sure Kendra & I are in a couple of pictures!