Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Crepes!

Being a 'Funk' you are required to like several breakfast items. I grew up learning to love and appreciate them. One that has been passed down through many generations of my family is Crepes. I make them often during the summer for dinner when fresh fruit is in abundance.

I just love having breakfast for dinner.

When we take a trip to see my uncle and aunt in Lubbock you can guarandamntee that we'll have them while we're here.

My uncle uses the traditional family recipe, tasting and tweaking it as he goes until he gets it just right. I personally use a Betty Crocker recipe because I have to have exact measurements.

Even though we're here this time to see my uncle following his two heart attacks in two weeks, he still got up our first morning and made us breakfast.

Luckily he had some help.

It takes a village to feed the Funk family.

Eight times the recipe makes a bunch so Kevin got right to work.



As quickly as the stack would start to grow the demand would knock it down.


Remember when I mentioned the two heart attacks? After many, many crepes it was time for reinforcements. Luckily this guy showed up.


Remember him? He showed up just in time and took over for his dad.
He had to get all fancy on us, but it was certainly entertaining!

He made some amazing connections with plates.


Not mine though. I panic when things are coming at me.

Even when it's my favorite breakfast food!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A little more Christmas joy for you

Another fun find at Party Galaxy!


Tis the season!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

When left to my own devices...

While shopping with my aunt today for New Years Eve party supplies I found these.


These, too.

And these.
Well, you get the idea!














Saturday, December 27, 2008

Snow?

We spent this Christmas no where near a white Christmas. At least it wasn't a brown one like we've had before.

What's a brown Christmas you might ask? It's what's left over after the beautiful white snow melts and gets nasty.

This year was beautiful temperature and weather wise but not Christmasy.

Oh well.

Today as we headed to Lubbock for some family time we drove through two towns that had white stuff piled on the roadsides. The roads were perfectly clear but the white stuff was everywhere.

Oh wait, it was cotton.

No wonder the roads were clear.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas Faces



Hope your Christmas was full of surprises and blessings:C)



Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It seems like I just wrote last year’s letter and now I’m doing it again. Where does the time go?

McKinley is in 7th grade and continues to grow into a beautiful almost teenager. Is that possible? She keeps us hopping with many commitments. She’s in her 9th year of piano and has started hearing music somewhere and coming home and playing it. Often she doesn’t like a song so she just makes up a part that she does like. In her 4th year of voice she was accepted into Children’s All-State for the third year and also made a Junior High Honor Choir. To audition she had to memorize three songs, one in Latin and another in Portuguese! She also tried out for and was chosen for the yearbook committee and show choir at school. Her calendar is more filled than mine.

Kennedy is in 4th grade and flourishing. She joined orchestra this year and is playing the viola. She couldn’t wait until they were able to use the bow! Since she’s in her 6th year of piano she knew notes well and started playing viola songs to go along with McKinley on the piano. We have enjoyed quite a few concerts. She asked to start dance this year and is now learning jazz. Her school music teacher feels 4th graders are too immature to be in Children’s All-State but her private voice teacher (Aunt Janis) entered her and she was chosen! She’s excited to follow in her big sisters footsteps. She was asked again this year to sing in Prayer Meeting at church and until recently though she’d be the only Conrad sister to do that.

Reagan is a 1st grader. Hang on while I grab a Kleenex. She’s happy to be in school all day and loves her teacher. She is in her 3rd year of voice and was recently asked to sing in Prayer Meeting. Several older people couldn’t hear her well so they invited her to sing in their Sunday School class. She was so excited. She’s on her 3rd year of piano and just decided she wanted to be a ballerina and so has started ballet. She finished her third season as the only girl member of 'The Crew' and held her own at every game. She was also one of the top scorers! She turned 7 on Thanksgiving and is such a joy.

Shawn has had quite a year. He was offered an exciting sales job in April and spent the next six months working in different OKC hospitals selling a closure device for cath labs. When the economy took its first downward turn his company panicked and let go of several employees, including him. His old boss welcomed him back until he finds another job so he hasn’t been here making me crazy! He just received a call today from the VA with an offer to come back and will start in 2 weeks. He was asked by a friend to run a half marathon in November and used his three indoor soccer teams as his training. He finished in great time. He continues to computer tutor many clients. His newest endeavor is slide scanning. A friend asked him if he could do it and of course he said yes. A slide scanner and feeder have been purchased and we now have 100 carousels of their slides on our back porch.

I am still a domestic goddess and love almost every minute of it:) I am making the elementary yearbook for the 4th year and still serve on the Bethany Foundation Board. Giving back to the school that meant so much to me growing up (and now for my girls) means the world to me. I was asked by my friend Tracy to run a half marathon in January to help raise money for Leukemia research. She lost her 10 year old son to the disease last September. Her goal was to have 40 friends join her for her 40th birthday to raise $140,000. Our group, Mitchell’s Angels, is now 50 women and we’ve raised $180,000! Each of the Angels had to raise $3,600. I’m so grateful to many of you who helped me reach my goal! We run four days a week; three on our own and one as a team. So far we’re up to 11 miles in our training! I never thought I could accomplish something like this but for such a wonderful cause, who could say no? I’ll be in Phoenix on January 18th to cross that finish line.

This summer saw us headed to Florida for a trip to Disney World. My uncle and aunt asked us to join them for a 12 day vacation. Since they are seasoned DW people we couldn’t say no! Shawn was new enough at his sales job that he didn’t have any time off but told us to go ahead. He knew we couldn’t pass up this opportunity! We spent 8 days doing all things Disney which some days meant being in 3 different parks! We are so grateful to Kevin and Carrie for such an amazing time.

We have had ups and downs this year but through it all God has been so faithful. We hope this letter finds you and your family healthy and happy. Have a blessed holiday season!
Shawn, Stephanie, McKinley, Kennedy, and Reagan

Red Hot? Okay!

I stopped by my statcounter today and found this.

Recent keywords entered that brought people to my blog:

-red hot popcorn
-recipe for red hot popcorn
-red hot camby popcorn (I spelled just the way they did!)
-"popcorn ball" "red hot"
-red hot candy popcorn
-popping popcorn with red hots
-red-hot popcorn
-red hot popcorn recipe

...and my personal favorite

-my red hot moms

I guess I'm either a 'red hot mom' or...wait, I don't think there's an 'or'. :0)

Monday, December 22, 2008

It's that time of year!

I haven't been on here much but look what I've accomplished!

The Pioneer Woman's Spicy Molasses Cookies.


and her Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies.Marshmallow Wreaths
And Oreo Truffles. Oh my. I can't make them pretty but trust me, they're good!
Hope your holiday baking is going well.


Saturday, December 20, 2008

Tulsa Mountains

I grew up in one town listening to a radio station in another one. My mom loved a radio personality that was in a town 2 hours away. Luckily AM stations can go the distance. The only problem with that was we always knew what the weather was, in another town. We always knew where the traffic tie ups were, on different highways. I always heard what was on the lunch menu, at a school I never attended.

I just got used to hearing about everything Tulsa.

The dj would talk about 'The Tulsa Mountains' during the winter season. He discussed the ski slopes and even had names for some of them. The one I remember hearing the most was 'Pantyhose Run'. Years later when I met and married a man from a Tulsa suburb I realized there were no 'Tulsa Mountains'. It's hilly, but not mountainous.

Well, today I have discovered the mountains.

We are visiting for family Christmas and since it's Saturday morning I have a group run with TNT. I met up with the Tulsa Team at 96th and Riverside. I was excited to run around the river and take in the views. Um, no. The first 6 miles were the opposite direction from the views I was anticipating. We headed out and 1/2 a mile in encountered our first hill.

I hate hills.

Really.

Yep, all 6 miles were continually up. When we turned around at 3 I realized I had been going down a little from time to time but hadn't realized it. That meant more hills on the way back. We also were running right next to the turnpike which isn't the quietest place. It was miserable! Luckily the last 4 miles were next to the river. But by then I was worn out and just wanted to be done!

So John Earling, I've now seen the 'Tulsa Mountains'.

They're lovely.

I hope to never run them again.