You might be from Oklahoma if......

Your sunglasses have burned your face......

If you have lived in Oklahoma you understand when we say it's been a hot summer we mean scorching temperatures. I've lived in Oklahoma for, well all of my life. I've even been blessed to be from the hottest part of this great state - Southwest Oklahoma. I remember summers being hot, but this summer has been unreal. I understand that most people that read my blog are also from Oklahoma so you understand my pain.

Ironically,  I'm writing this blog on a day when the weather is actually normal.. {in the 90s rather than 130s!} but most of this summer has been pretty rough.

Things I have learned this summer:

- Leather seats CAN be deadly. The man who thought of leather seats and a wood grain steering wheel has obviously not experience 120 degree temperatures! Skirts/shorts are cooler when outside but once you sat down, you are looking at third degree burns on the bootay. I have considered driving with potholders so I can handle my steering wheel. I can imagine the looks I'd get as I'm driving down the road with big potholders, I think it would prevent texting and driving. {I might be onto something here!}
- I've learned why people cannot live on the surface of the sun. Although, I'm thinking we've come as close as humanly possible this summer.
- Why my dad insisted I keep the doors closed as a child..because "we don't a/c the entire neighborhood!" Yes, I've come to find out how much a cool house costs.
- I have also learned that the Oklahoma clay ground can actually shrink up from the excessive heat and burst water pipes and close a town for a day...except pharmacies. We don't close. We're more reliable than the mail! Anyone in Shawnee last week had to learn this lesson the heard way.

And this last thing might just fall into the "You might be a redneck if.." but whatevs. I have found a solution to burning my face each time I put on my sunglasses.

I should probably mention that I'm slightly embarrassed and how dusty my car looks in this picture. I didn't realize it until it's blown up for the world to see. I'll get right on that! 

Yep, that's right. You can laugh, but it works!

and on the bright side...you aren't having to shovel snow each morning just to leave your house!

Kind of low quality phone picture but you get the point! 

Josh's Birth: It's Kind of a Funny Story

After blogging about the current camera dilemma at my house, it made me think of a fairly funny story...

Since birth, my youngest brother has been a little bit of surprise child. The whole fact we were having another brother was QUITE a surprise so to offset that shocker we had planned his birth. He was to arrive by planned c-section on Monday morning, April 17, 2000. We had planned one last weekend of fun with just two children. We were going to go stay in Lawton at a hotel and then get up Monday morning and get a little brother. We were going to eat at Cracker Barrel and get to swim at the hotel. It's sad now that is what excited us, but we were from a small town and we were little and enjoyed simple things.....or we're SUPPOSED to that is. Joshua being the little toot that he is decided to come on Friday night...at around 2am or something insane. No one had expected that. We all rushed to the hospital. {For some odd reason, my parents gave me the camera and told me keep up with it. I was 12. I couldn't remember my homework but a camera should be fine right? Hello that's a BIG responsibility.} I'm sure you see where this is going....we get to the hospital which was an hour away from our house and I have to go to the bathroom...this is the last time I remember seeing that camera. I hope someone enjoyed using it that day. Thanks to them my little brother will grow up not having any pictures from his birth. If he didn't look so much like my dad, he might think he was adopted..which I have tried to tell him before. ;)

This baby picture is pretty believable, right? I'm working on a project to create pictures for his childhood memories...I feel like it's the least I can do..I'm kidding but I do love a little Photoshop craziness. {MOM - please show this to Josh. I know he will CRACK up because I am!!}

I'm glad 11 years later we can joke about this. People still won't leave me with the responsibility of  keeping up with the camera...which I guess is appropriate considering my charger is lost - oops.

Which this brother is the same brother here---> Oh Brother!. I think I could have an entire blog about the things my siblings do and say..seriously they're hilarious. Even though they are surprises or as they say - "bonuses"...I wouldn't have it any other way.

Tuesday Thoughts: Blogging

I read many different blogs and so many of them seem to have super fascinating lives and always have something cool going on in there lives...I have on question for them - how do you have time for all these projects and pictures?????

I keep telling myself I'll take more pictures - then I can't find my camera charger. So alas, dead camera = no pictures = uninteresting blog.

I'd use my roommates camera {because I do that sometimes} but you wouldn't believe this --it's MIA. So if you happen to find a nice camera or a camera charger laying around somewhere - it probably belongs to someone at my house. Give us a call. There's really not a reward - we don't have any money, but we do have a particular set of skills. {No, not skills like that crazy awesome Liam Neeson from Taken} I'm talking more like the crafty, baking, loyal friendship sorts of skills. Not as awesome when fighting for your life but makes for some fun times. So hey... help us find our stuff.
Because I re-decorated my bedroom and I'd LOVE to share that with you...

I'm sure my mom is cracking up at this because we aren't big picture takers. We have outstanding memories but they all reside in our minds so I pray we don't get Alzheimers because we will have no physical images to remind us who people are....


Anyways - that is all I have today. I just wanted Channy to have something to read at work today. ;)

Thursday Thoughts: Must Love Dogs

Well I wrote this about two weeks ago - and thought I had it set to auto-post. I suppose that didn't work since I just found it in my drafts. I will go ahead and post it now. 


I'm a terrible blogger. My bad. 


If you know me you might know I'm not a huge dog lover. I just wanted to prove it is possible for me to like them though. I'm dog sitting this week and I actually have played with this dog and sorta enjoyed it. 

Wednesday Thoughts: To my cousin Melissa

Melissa,
I know you probably won't see this blog until weeks from now. I'm sure that whole "having a baby" thing will probably trump reading my blog. I am sure you are spending this last night as a child-less couple celebrating. Actually, I can imagine it being more like one last freak out moment to make sure EVERYTHING is ready. I know that is going to be me. I know sleeping probably isn't easy. It's like that "night before Christmas" feeling..expect instead of bringing home that baby doll from Santa you are bringing home a real life human..that you have to feed, bathe, educate, and raise. AHH. That is scary. I'm sorry you probably have thought of all of that. Let's just say I'm glad it's you and not me at this time. But all of that aside, I'm not writing this blog for scare tactics I wanted to write in honor of this significant moment in your life.

Many of my childhood memories include you. Staying the night at meme and papa's house, playing hairdresser, playing Nintendo, jumping on the trampoline, wearing your hand me downs {until I outgrew everyone}.. all of those memories seem like just yesterday. {It also reminds me how much cooler your house was than mine - for no wonder I was always there!} I'm sure you don't remember this - but I remember making cookies with you and telling everyone we made them from "scraps" instead of from scratch.

Now you are going to be a mom..... You spent many years bossing me around and watching after me and there is no doubt in my mind that you will be one terrific mother.

I cannot wait to wrap my monkey arms around that sweet baby. Also, I'm ready to know that baby's stinkin' name!

I love you and Ben. I am so excited to watch you raise this sweet little girl and the memories associated with that.

Love, Your "little" cousin Jenn.

P.S. Little Baby Girl Jenkins, enjoy your beautifully organized closet - that was all me! Your mom was always cleaner than me when we were kids..so I had to prove I grew out of my messy phase!

Trendy Tuesday: Selfishness

Selfishness trendy, what!?

The title isn't really reflective of what I'm talking about..well, not really. Lately, I've just felt very selfish. I've noticed that our world is very self-centered...so see what I mean..It's trendy. We are always thinking about ME. I'm preaching this to me. I get so caught up in what is going on in MY world I forget there are billions of other people in this world who might also be having a bad day.

Anyone else had this slap in the fact lately? You just need to hear- Hey, SLOW down. Enjoy life, look around, smell the flowers, and get to know the people around you.

What if being selfless became trendy. I mean, really think about it. Think how your grocery store trips would be different. Think about how work could be different. I mean, it could be LIFE changing. You know how we make this "trendy"..it starts with us.

I'm challenging myself to slow down and try to get to know people and look at their needs. I am going to challenge myself to not get so caught up in ME and try to focus on OTHERS.


I want to challenge you to look at it too. Maybe you are already selfless - if so I applaud you because its something I struggle with. I often expect my mom to just drop what she is doing because I have a major world crisis..(not really) and need her to talk to me..not thinking "oh yeah, she has 4 other kids and her own life."

So yeah, let's see how this goes.

Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Update: Catch Up

Well, I obviously missed a few posts. I have the book reviews written but I forgot to post them and I already have things to write about today so I will finish up the other book reviews later this week. Another post that didn't get posted was the yummy Oreo recipe. So I'll just hold off on that one until this Friday. 


But let's catch up with my weekend. I LOVE local businesses. Why, of course, I do...I work for one and spend all my time promoting one! I didn't intend to have a "downtown" day on Saturday but I stopped by two local eateries this past weekend and BOTH were wonderful. I am still stuffed from both. (Don't judge me by the amount of calories I inhaled this weekend!) 


My first stop was fairly new little spot in downtown Shawnee. If you haven't visited sips downtown kafe on main street..where have you been the last 6 months. This place is THE PLACE. They have a wonderful coffee selection. (to be honest, I'm not the world's greatest coffee connoisseur but I do enjoy some sugared-up, creamy coffee drink, you know the kind that really has no coffee in it!) They also have a GREAT lunch menu, I'm talking delicious paninis with yummy local veggies. I am making myself hungry just thinking about it! Although, I have frequented sips other times I have never tried their waffles. I honestly have no idea why. They were sooooooooooooooo amazing. 

Photo courtesy of Amanda Teape!
I shouldn't have eaten lunch on Saturday after such a big breakfast but I did...I stopped by another Shawnee local business. It has been open for a couple of months - Brickhouse Pizza. I had the pepperoni calzone. The waitress told us that this calzone would probably feed two people but me and Rachel decided to get our own. It was HUGE. I think 4 people could have eaten it. It made a nice meal the next day! 

So go support your local businesses. Go visit these two places and I PROMISE you will not be disappointed. 


Oh another note: You may have noticed I can find my way around a kitchen...well one thing I am going to confess to right now is that I couldn't make a grilled cheese without burning it. Not long ago I even had to text message my brother to ask how to make a grilled cheese...but guess what I did this week---PERFECTION.

I'm sure you all are starving now. I apologize!