This Is What We Had For Dinner Tonight At Applebee's...

We went to Applebee's tonight after Weight Watchers.  This is what we both had for dinner and it is only 13 points!!  Whoo Hoo!!  Yippee!!  I've never been a big beef eater, but I am learning to like a good sirloin steak...

Signature Sirloin Steak with Garlic Shrimp, Herb Potatoes and Broccoli

Another Secret Sister Post...

Last night, my Secret Sister gave me a bookmark that a friend of a friend of hers made to pay her way through college.  It is gorgeous!  It has sage green ribbons (one of my fave colors) and on the end is part of an antique spoon; not the bowl part, but the other end!!  Very unusual, very feminine, and very pretty!  She also gave me a very nice card.  I learned something new about her...that she crochets.  I've been trying to learn how to crochet and not doing well at it at all.  I'm hoping that maybe she has LOTS of patience and will try to teach me how to crochet, after we finally get to meet!!  She is so encouraging to me.  I truly do appreciate her.  I took some pics of the bookmark and some of the cards she has given or sent to me, however, I can't get the card reader thingy out of our camera.  So, tonight after Weight Watchers, I'll ask Brother Sacker to help me and then I'll show off my gorgeous bookmark!!  Until then...just use your imagination!! 

These are the last two cards from my Secret Sister

This is my Cook Book Mark!

Secret Sisters...

I have the best Secret Sister!!  She sends me cards every week...and, admit it...we ALL love to get mail.  Well...okay...at least I love to get mail!  Today, after a long day of shopping with Liz and Billy, I checked my mailbox and this time...she wrote me a four page letter!!  Really...a four page handwritten letter!  I love her!  I can't wait to meet her!!  However, I want to wait until our reveal luncheon to find out who she is! So...if you know who my Secret Sister is...please keep it to yourself because I want to be surprised!!  I found out today that she loves Girl Scout cookies.  That today she had a bad hair day!  That she misses Bethany as I do.  That she is planting a large veggie garden this year.  (Please bring me some home-grown veggies...I love veggies!!)  That her husband got their tractor stuck and almost slid into the creek!  That she used to be on Weight Watchers.  I don't know who she is, but I can hardly wait to meet her and get to know her better.  I love that she prays for my son, Tee Jay just because I asked her if she would.  I do enjoy the little gifts we get to exchange, but I LOVE the cards every week and I LOVE the fact that she took the time to write me a letter and just "chat" with me!!  I mean, really...who does that in this day and age, when we all use texting and emailing?  It just meant so much to me...thank you Secret Sister...you truly are a blessing to me.

A Greater Love Hath No Dog Owner...

Remember in my post about our weekend, I mentioned that Sundance was limping quite badly and he was going to the Vet today?  Well...$461.00 later...Sundance is home.  I dropped him off this morning before 8:00 AM and we picked him up at 8:00 PM!  He had blood work done.  He had doggy X-rays done.  He had a complete physical exam done.  He had a steroid injection and an injection for pain.  Needless to say...our golden boy was thrilled when we finally got to see him.  We went over ALL the test results with our Vet.  Sundance has arthiritis.  He is not limping because of that...he probably just landed on a small rock and hurt a ligament.  He is not limping as badly as he was Fri., Sat. or Sun.!!  He is, however, so lethargic and unresponsive that Brother Sacker and I were becoming quite concerned.  Anyone who has ever met Sundance knows his exuberance knows no bounds!  Tonight...well, you can tell from the pictures below just how un-exuberant he is.  I Googled side effects for the two injections he got and found a website called JustAnswer.  It is very cool!  You type in your question to a Board Certified Vet and $18.00 later...you get your live online answer!  The online Vet explained that one injection is actually a pain medication in the morphine family and can have powerful sedative effects. The good news is that it doesn't generally last for very long and to try offering warm chicken broth to tempt him to drink.  So...at midnight tonight, I started warming up chicken broth for Sundance.  Thank goodness we always have beef and chicken broth in our pantry.  Although, I would have driven to WalMart to pick up chicken broth for him if we didn't have any!!  Tomorrow morning...actually this morning (since it is now 12:30) I will call our Vet and let her know how Sundance reacted and how is he now.  Right now, he is conked out on his bed next to my side of our bed!   Yes, I love my boys!  And, to my friends that I play Words With Friends with...this is why I haven't played all night!!

This is what Sundance usually looks like!!

This is Sundance tonight...pathetic, isn't he?!

He really is not looking great here.

Yes, I had to put the warmed up chicken broth in his own bowl to get him to drink it!

So...now we all know that chicken broth is good for humans AND dogs!!

I Forgot to Say Something REALLY Important!!

Well...we all know that I was healed of breast cancer.  What I forgot to mention was that I had gone up for healing prayer two Sundays in a row.  The first Sunday, Brother Howard, my pastor, annointed me with oil and prayed with me.  I felt an incredible peaceful feeling.  The next Sunday, (which would have been the Sunday before my diagnostic tests), Brother Waldrep, our church Evangelist, annointed me with oil and prayed with me.  By the time he was done praying with me, I was shaking all over and barely made it back to my seat!!  It was incredible!  It was awesome!  It was my miracle!  It was God touching me!  To God be the glory!

A Wonderful Weekend and a Friend Encourages My Shoe Addiction!!

We went on a short hike on Saturday...Lovers Leap trail in the Queen Wilhelmina State Park in Arkansas.  The boys were really anxious to be hiking...as were Brother Sacker and I!!  Unfortunately, Sundance has hurt one of his front legs and has been limping since Friday night.  But, that didn't stop our Golden boy from hiking!!  Little does he realize that he will be seeing Dr. Nickel (our much loved Vet) tomorrow!!  Anyway...we had a great time!  After our hike, we drove to Mena, AR and Brother Sacker ordered two chicken salad salads at Spinnelli's Italian Restaurant and we drove back to the State Park and had a picnic!  All in all...a wonderful weekend.  Made it back to Tulsa in time to shower, dry my hair, get dressed and make it to Sunday School on time!!  And...BTW...Sister Pat...I uploaded the pics after Brother Sacker emailed them to me!!  I'm learning...yippee!!

Deborah Rodgers (the friend mentioned above!) gave me a darling new cup...see below.  Thank you, Deborah!  I absolutely LOVE it!! 

Brother Sacker and I and Sundance and Valentino at Lover's Leap!!

Me...doing what I love...hiking and laughing and spending time with Brother Sacker!

Yeah...the inside says it all!!

New mug covered with shoes, glorious shoes!!

I am SO anxious for Springtime!! And, I'm Losing It!!

Brother Sacker called me yesterday and asked me if I had seen the weather forecast for this weekend.  He said it is going to be in the 70s this weekend and we need to get away and do some hiking with our boys (Sundance the Golden Retriever and Valentino the Cairn Terror...uh...Terrier!!).  So, Brother Sacker is taking off early from work today (noon...I hope!) and we are heading to Talking Trees Campground.  No...we are NOT camping!!  We stay in one of their cabins!!  TT Campground is about ten miles south of Heavener, where the rune stones are.  It is at the bottom of the scenic Talihina Drive.  I am SO excited to be able to hike again!  Neither one of us could have gone hiking a few months ago, but now we are getting in better shape and can start doing short hikes.
Last night was Weight Watchers.  I have lost 15 pounds so far!  Brother Sacker has lost 30 pounds!!  (Apparently men lose their weight twice as fast as women.) Yippee for the Sackers!!
Hope all y'all have a fabulous weekend!!

It Is Time To Say See You Later...

Today our church family says see ya' later to Sister Marie Morrell.  She was such a wonderful saint of God.  We will all miss her tremendously.  She played the organ at our church.  She was the most fabulous baker...she made and decorated many cakes for all occasions.  Her banana pudding was unsurpassed!  She did tailoring for many of us.  In fact, I am wearing a dress to her funeral today that she altered for me!  She is the kind of Godly woman that I want to be when I grow up!!  I love Sister Marie and I will miss her quite a bit.  Many of us are just a little jealous that she made it to Heaven before us...but we will see her again soon.  So, I won't say good-bye to Sister Marie...I'll just say "See you later, Sister!"