Operation Christmas Child

The girls and I had fun shopping at Target to fill shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse this past Saturday. We did 3 boxes for girls 10-14 and 1 boy box, the same age. Some items we purchased were: hair accessories, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, brush, watch, slinky, paper tablet, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, stuffed zebra and giraffe, ball..that's all I can remember. Our church is a distribution center and collects thousands of boxes each year. Here are a couple pictures of Abbi and Hannah in front of the outdoor Christmas tree as it was being put up and inside at the collection table.

www.samaritanspurse.org




HAVE A SAFE AND THANKFUL THANKSGIVING!

Homecoming

WOW...I lot has happened since I last posted. I'll start with Abbi's 1st Homecoming which in Texas, besides football, includes: mums, garters, t-shirts, dinner, and dance.

Breakfast with Pirettes (and Earl) at the Ball Park

Texas Pirettes congratulate each other after properly disposing of Texas Glory batter.

No, this is not a corny dog!  It's a Pancake on a Stick with Sausage inside!
Macy's mom, has got it goin' on.  She can eat anything and doesn't gain an ounce.
  Delicious!  Has to be with 14 grams of fat!  Yes, I had one too!  Jan, made me do it!
Meet Earl....the Pirette's new mascot.  In case you can't tell, it's a locust.  Does he look a little stiff?
Randy keeping the books.  It was a beautiful day at the ball park with nice weather, covered seating, and a nice lake view.

Here's Abbi, with her wind up.  The Pirettes went 3 for 3 today after losing the first 2 of 3 games yesterday.  Way to finish strong!

Brandon Heath - Give Me Your Eyes

Here's a song that Abbi & I like:

My Favorite Mexican Dip Recipe

Easy & Delicious Mexican Layer Dip 

Layer in glass or stoneware dish: (approx 7 ½ x 11) 

8 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese (soften & spread to cover bottom)

I always use original instead of fat-free or low-fat...it has a better consistency & taste!

1 Can Black Beans - drained

1 Can Rotel Mexican Festival Tomatoes - drained slightly

Grated Mexican Blend Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese 

Bake in 325 degree oven just until cheese is melted. 

Top with mixture of chopped green onions and Cilantro to cover & taste. 

Serve with Tortilla Chips & Enjoy!

I got this recipe from at an end of the season soccer party back in the day when Abbi still played soccer.  It was so easy I never had to write it down until this weekend when a friend from church asked for it. 

San Antonio

The girls and I went to San Antonio for 4 days and spent time with my sister, Shari and niece, Randi Lane.   Here's Aunt Shari, Abbi & Hannah on the log ride at Fiesta Texas.   We had a nice day weather wise with overcast skies considering it was mid August.

Below is a picture of them contemplating  a piece of art at the McNay Art Museum.  I took this picture for Randy because it is made of junk found in dumpsters or a river or something.  There are tin cans and old boots, etc.
After the art museum, we went to The Witte, Science Museum.   As you can see it was pretty interactive and a lot of fun.  It rained a good part of the day, so it was a good thing we had planned indoor activities.

Here is our picture from our Natural Bridge Caverns tour taken on Sunday when Randi Lane could join us.  We didn't buy the picture, Randi just took a picture of it for us.  The caverns were pretty neat, but I expected them to be cooler as the website said they were a constant 70 degrees.  I forgot to factor in the humidity of 100% which made it feel more like 85. 



Aunt Shari rode the roller coasters and other rides with Abbi & Hannah at Fiesta Texas. This one is called The Scream.  Abbi decided she didn't want to.

Abbi's Softball Skills Video Posted on YouTube

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Check out Randy's 1st production. This is a video for college coaches to get a look at Abbi's softball/pitching skills. 

Hannah also helped by going to the Apple Store to help her dad remember how to do everything.

Hannah's Orchestra Camp

NEW POST ALERT! ...... Hannah attended a week long camp at UT-Arlington a couple weeks ago and loved it!   They had a concert on the final night and Randy's sister, Joanne, and her family were able to come over from the farm in Arkansas to watch.  They also got to see Abbi play softball the next day.

Here's a picture of Hannah with Aunt Joanne after the concert.

The camp was for students going into 8th-12th grade, and they had 6 orchestras.  BRAG ALERT!  Hannah made the 2nd from the top orchestra and was originally seated 20th chair Viola, but when they re-auditioned on Thursday, Hannah made 1st Chair!  She also rec'd the Most Improved award for that orchestra and gets 1/3 discount off next year's tuition.  Best of all she had a terrific time and made some new friends and wants to go again next summer.

Hannah's solo was posted on You Tube

Someone posted a video of Hannah's solo with the Wilson MS Chamber  Orchestra on You Tube.   Try not to get dizzy watching it.  It was taped by a parent from the top of the gym bleachers.  

MORE NEWS:

Hannah got her braces off this past Wednesday & has one more week of  her summer school class, Communication Applications.  She is officially starting her freshman year.

Abbi's Softball team, the Texas Pirettes, will be going to Aurora, CO to play in the Colorado Fireworks Tournament.

 

Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra

Hannah auditioned for the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra - www.gdyo.org back in March and was notified recently that she was accepted into the Dallas String Ensemble part of it.  This will start in September and go through the 08-09 school year.   The main orchestra gets to go on an international tour every 3-4 years, so she is hoping she will be able to go in a couple years.  Here's a picture from her final Middle School orchestra concert.   She had a solo and Randy taped it, but I don't know how to post a video.

Abbi's Tournament Last Weekend

 

Abbi's Club Team competed in their 2nd 18U tournament Memorial Day Weekend.  They had pool play on Sat and Sunday and the top 2 teams from each pool came back to compete on Monday.  The Pirettes won their first game Monday against Oklahoma Shootout, but they lost their next game 2-1.  Abbi pitched the first game, and all but one inning of the 2nd game.  The 2 runs were scored in the 1st inning, before Abbi came in.  I'm sure the coach hoped to give her a couple innings of rest as she had pitched a lot on Sat and Sun, but she was feeling good. Oh well.... she needed to go home and write an essay anyway.....They tied for 5th with about 4-5 other teams out of 40 teams....some of which had 1st year college players.

Hannah's Recital

Hannah's Private Lesson Teacher had a recital for her students last Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Dallas.  Hannah played Sonata (for Viola) , Movement I, the solo she played for UIL competition and did a great job.  The composer of the piece, Mary Alice Rich, was in attendance and so was the person to whom it was dedicated.  

 

Guess it's about time I posted....

...since it's been 4 months and the first sememester of school is almost over....plus I've rec'd a gentle nudge from my avid blogger friend, Sheri.

Abbi and Hannah are busy studying for semester exams which are next week. This was the first year our school had Christmas break before exams, so we will see how much they forgot!

Here's a brief summary of the girls' activities since school started:

Hannah: 8th grade cheerleader, orchestra (viola), working on Science Fair project on DNA proteins, being a homebody with Mom.

Abbi: Softball with Texas Pirettes and Plano Sr. High, Student Council and FCA. Sweet 16 birthday and hanging out with friends if she ever gets free time.

The Plano Wildcats placed 2nd in the 1st Pre-season tournament in Round Rock last weekend. The 2008 season starts in Feb!