Highly Recommended!

 

Something that we 

"Highly Recommend" 

that you do this summer is...

 "go to see the Disney/Pixar movie 

UP!"

We grabbed Ging and headed to Amarillo to have a "Dinner and Movie" night on Saturday.  We splurged to go see the new release and WOW! - UP is totally incredible - especially in 3-D; again... WOW!

 Sentimental, sweet, suspenseful, exciting, super laugh out-loud scenes... the graphics are outstanding... and you get to wear 3-D glasses (so cool! check out the pics of the boys' in their 3-D glasses! Long way from the red and green lenses!  But they SO WORK!  It's amazing!).

Go see UP!  It's "highly recommended" for this summer!  Let us know what YOU think of UP... It's sure to make you smile, laugh, cry and feel good! Appropriate for ALL AGES!  

Dinner was at Fazolio's.  Our "Dinner & a Movie" was the perfect way to start out the summer!  Thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT summer! Yahoo!

2009 Piano Recital

Piano has finally came to an end for another year for "The Vannoy Boys"!  The big "crescendo" for the boys was playing before "The Judge" for the Piano Guild and then the annual Recital for Monson Music (Hey Jay..!  Mr. M does remember you and still is in therapy from you and JJ! LOL/JK!).  Alex and Aric have survived and are taking a summer vacation from piano.  

We rushed (literally 90 mph to Quanah) on Friday - we were late!  The boys appointment was at 3:15 pm.  Alex was in the middle of the "CJHS Park Party" WET - I brought his church clothes... but no dry underwear!  So Alex got to perform "Comando"...  shhhhh!  It's a secret - but isn't that hysterical!  Argh!  Aric forgot his church shirt and wore just a t-shirt under his sweater vest - but no one noticed (or care)!  We all survived!

Both boys scored a 96% on the guild report card from the judge - Aric topped out with 20 c's; Alex had 20 c's also with 1 a... Alex was not happy that his little brother beat him in the brother duel that they alway have between each other - life goes on!  Here's some pics from the recital!

  

  

Wonderland Park Pictures

Tuesday, KV and I took a personal day to help sponsor a trip to Wonderland Park in Amarillo, Texas.  The 3rd, 4th & 5th grade AR students were awarded a trip this spring for the end of the year having 100 points.  A great time was had by all!  

     

  



  

  

New Recipe Swap Day!

Through a chain of "unfortunate  events" - it has came to my attention that several of my blog readers would like RECIPES!! Our family post monthly recipes on the sidebar of the blog - but MORE has been requested! Wednesday will now be a day (hopefully) that I will share a recipe from my recipe box.  

Last week, Alex (my 2nd son) accidently hit my "favorite" recipe box in the kitchen and spilt out all of my recipes onto the floor. ARGH!  Taking this as a hint, I made new dividers and reorganized the recipes.  I have collected recipes 4 EVER!  Some recipes are on napkins, others on snips of paper... ALL are special.  The box was handmade by the late Jackie Smith and hand painted by his wife Charlene - I cherish this recipe box!  It was given to me during an "Announcement Brunch" that I was honored with before my wedding!  My 1st, 2nd, 5th grade teachers, along with many other wise women were present and gave me recipes - "super idea"!

    

Okay!  To make a long story, longer... I took all of my recipes to school to lay out on tables and organize and my  students were amazed that I had recipes...  I'm sure their moms do too... they just hadn't noticed - imagine that!  Some of the students began copying down different recipes... they wanted all these recipes.   I have friends that call frequently for recipes; my oldest son ANDY - loves to cook and calls for recipes... so my girl-students came up with this idea for my blog!  SO! Hence the Wednesday Recipe Swap idea!

Today's recipe is a POPPY SEED CAKE - it's cooling in my kitchen right now!  Super easy (it's "semi homemade") recipe from Terry Vannoy - my husband's stepmom. We LOVE this cake - "naked" - that is with NO frosting!

Terry's Poppy Seed Cake

1 "Duncan Hines" yellow cake mix w/butter

1 cup Sour Cream

4 Eggs

3/4 cup Oil

1/2 cup Sugar

2 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray Bundt Pan w/ grease and sprinkle with sugar!  Mix all ingredients together well.  Pour into bundt pan and bake for 40-44 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes; flip out of pan and cool completely!  Serves 8-10

Wordless Wednesday

 

  

Making Memories.../Class Sponsor

Being a sponsor of a selected class of students (Freshman, Sophomore...), is part of our teaching job here at Childress High School. KV and I are class sponsors and our group are finally Seniors this year - and the month of MAY has us thrown with this bunch of crazy kids OFTEN! This group holds some special kids! They have been a great bunch to sponsor and watch grow up. Also we are only senior sponsors every 4 years - so we forget everything that this job (Sr. sponsor) entails... So we are making "mad dashes" to get everything ready for the 2009 Graduation! PRAYERS would be much appreciated!!

Yesterday, we took 62 Seniors to 6 Flags! It's called the "Suicide Trip" - being that we go and come back all on the same day AND then go to school the next day... argh! I am TOO OLD for this stuff! We had a SUPER time. There were also 3 other sponsors and 2 bus drivers. We just THOUGHT the kids would be so tired that they would crash on the way back home - WRONG! Quote:  "They were making memories..." this was their last (school sponsored) trip together and they made the best of their time (I guess!). I thought by riding on the BOY bus, that it would be boring and quiet - NOT! Those boys sang, danced, led cheers, made the "Honk" gesture at EVERY semi-truck that past, ALL THE WAY home! (18 year olds...MEN (they think...!) hmmmmm!) My ears are still ringing because of all the noise! Ahhhh, the memories!

KV and I enjoyed Six Flags! It was an odd situtation to be there without our boys! We tried to ride everything - but we both got "so dizzy" on each ride. "AGE!" , huh! The Titan was AWESOME - both of our #1 pick for the best ride, next was either the "Batman" roller coaster (where your legs dangle) or the "Flash Back" - both were so cool! The "Magic Mountain" ride (inside the dark tunnel) was great! We found ourself riding the old rides - not sure if it was for our childhood memories or for the sake of our kids... hmmmmm! Like the Judge Roy Scream, Runaway Mine train & Speelunker's Cave (except that's not what it's called now... but if you're OLD - maybe you'll know what I mean!!) LOL! Needless to say - we had a great time! Brought back 6 Flag shirts and "Super Hero" capes for the boys and VERY sore bodies for us - hee hee!

Now it's time for Baccalaureate services on Sunday, regular classes M-W, semester tests on T-F, Graduation Ceremony Friday night and then SUMMER...

"Raise the roof..."

The "Raise the Roof" gesture is one of Gracie's new things that we all got such a kick out of doing with her!

  When she's excited, she "raises her hands up" - such a fun thing - especially when she can get 5 or 6 other people doing it with her!  LOL! 

 Can ya tell that we love this little girl? Yep!  We do!  Here are some pictures of the family playing with Gracie during our "Mystery Trip #2" to Midland, Texas this last weekend!

It's a GREAT DAY...

It was a GREAT DAY to be a BOBCAT at CHS!

We celebrated our last "Pride Program" of the school year today - The 8th graders joined us and afterwards, we all ate brisket sandwiches "al a fresco" and watched brave souls Rock Climb the Tower or Ride the Mechanical Bull! We all had a GREAT day at Childress High School!

(Yes, this is my BIG boo-tee climbing the tower - argh!)

Mystery Trip #2

MIDLAND, TEXAS was the "Mystery Trip" destination for our 2nd road trip!  We had a great time - zoomed up there on Friday and came right back on Saturday after Gracie's 1st birthday. This mystery trip, we took my mom - it was a "Memory Lane" trip for her!  My father and mother both spent their high school days in Midland, Texas!  We even found their old "Date Night" restaurant - the "Blue Star Inn"!  Of course, the boys loved swimming in the indoor pool and staying at a hotel (they both LOVE hotels!)  We shopped, got snow cones at Bahama Bucks, ate great food... and spent some good "Gracie" time with this precious sweetheart!  Catch her birthday pics here!  Now it's Monday and back to work ):  Where did our looooooong weekend go?  How was your weekend?  Hope you had a good one!