The Babbling Brooks

It's Baby Week at Ohana Mama...

and she's got some great giveaways! Today's prize is a Peek which I've written about before. If you are an e-mail addict be sure to take a "peek"! Click on the Baby Week button to the right to get to this and the rest of the giveaways. Good luck!

Please Support Team Emma in the March of Dimes Walk!

Resourceful Mom (aka Amy) could use your help in meeting her fund raising goal for Team Emma. They will be walking in the March of Dimes Walk at the end of April. Her family has experienced the wonderful things this organization does first hand and is giving back by helping to raise funds. You can read their story HERE and they will be grateful for any donation you are able to make. You can donate by clicking the link or by using the widget that's posted on the right sidebar. To sweeten your day, Amy is also giving away a VADO pink digital video camera that has been donated by New Baby. You do not have to donate to enter the drawing, there are other ways to win...but I know Amy will appreciate it if you do. Thanks!! (Entries for the drawing end April 10th.)

I Heart Faces

Another week! Another face! This week's theme...pouting. I don't have many pouting shots as we don't seem to have a lot of pouting going on with the grandsons. But this one...I love this one! Here's Zachary tired and unhappy at Cafe Jax. The shirt says it all!

 

Want to see more little ones at their best? Click HERE or on the I Heart Faces button! 

Camera Critters

   

I found a new site today called Camera Critters! Each week you can post an animal photo to share and link back to the site. (It's like I Heart Faces, but you post an animal instead of a face.) There are no judges on this site, it's just a place to share. Since I love to photograph animals and have plenty of photos of them, I thought I'd play along. Here's my first share...I took this one last week at the San Diego Zoo while I was in California with Legend and Brad. We saw the pandas last year, too, but this time we got to see them eating and it was really a treat.  You can hop over to Camera Critters to get to the links to see some great photos, just click the purple button above the photo. Enjoy! 

Sunday Smiles

It's Spring in Oklahoma!

Here's what our place looked like today and there was ice caked on the windows this morning! How's your weather?

Someone I Knew...

It's usually a little exciting when someone you know or have crossed paths with makes the news. Especially if it's big news...national or maybe even international. Not this time. In the mid-80s the FAA hired people to work as Air Traffic Assistants (ATAs). Thoseof us who were in training to be air traffic controllers also learned the position and worked as ATAs while we waited for an opening in the next training phase, but those in permanent positions did not train to move on. There was a nice man, just about my age, who had been furloughed from his job as a pilot who came to work in Area B (where I worked) while he waited to be recalled by the airline. I remember him as rather tall, baby-faced, always pleasant and smiling and fun to work with. He died Monday morning. His name was Kevin Mosley and he was the pilot of the Federal Express MD-11 that crashed at Narita in Japan. It's been years since I'd seen or heard about Kevin, but I imagine he was someone's grandpa by now and well loved. Peace be with you and your family, Kevin...

I'm A Winner!

I'm excited that I won 3 eyeshadows from LUIRE ! Thanks to Stacie at Simply Stacie  for the wonderful giveaway!

BTW, I also won a prospective jury summons from the US District Court in Great Fall, Montana! Normally, I would be a little excited about this. A federal district court has the potential for some interesting cases on which to serve. But...the travel from OKC and the time away from John makes it a little daunting. I'm hoping I'll be excused this time! 

Another chance at a ClickFree!

Kelsey at Vanilla Joy is also giving away a ClickFree backup drive! Click HERE for your chance at winning! 

I'd Like To Win...How About You???

Momma's Review is giving away a ClickFree DVD backup package and she's not making it easy. For this one you have to write a haiku as your entry. OK, I admit it...I had to check Wikipedia to review the haiku rules! So here's mine...

Tears fill up my eyes
Though disc has dumped it’s contents
Smiles still in my heart

Go ahead, give it a try! Click HERE to get to the contest post! 

I Heart Faces

 

Another week, another photo...this week's theme is "No Flash". I took this photo of Legend inside our Worldmark condo in St. George (he loves it when we stay there :). He was sitting across the counter waiting for breakfast and I leaned over and snapped this picture. Love that hat...and that dimple!

 

Remember to take a look at some of the other photos that have been entered this week! You can click on the I Heart Faces button or click HERE. Enjoy! 

Sunday Smiles

A little late with this today! I've been on the road and without internet access. Look for a Spring Break post later this week!

I Heart Faces

 

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is "Green"...the photo must have something green and a face. So, here's a quick kids entry before we are off to another day at Disneyland. I took this one of Legend at Disneyland yesterday :)

   

Remember to take a look at the amazing photos posted by photographers of all types or post your own...click on the link or the button to get there! 

Breakfast of Champions...

Nothing like a great breakfast to get you started on Disney day!

I Win Again!

This time it's a set of 5 DVDs for preschoolers from Lots To Learn ...

• Lots to Learn: Nature - Introduce your preschooler to the wonderful world of Nature with this fantastic first volume from Lots To Learn. Includes: * Matching Games * The Beach * How many Shells? * Shapes, Colors and Sounds * Waterfalls * Counting Caterpillars * Sunsets * Stretch Like A Tree * Clouds, and much more!
• Lots to Learn: In My House - Your children will love to discover the surprises that can be found in and around your home. Includes: * Spelling Games * The Alphabet * The Ball in the Cup * Counting in Spanish * The Stairs * Counting Houses * Toys in my Toy Box * My Kitchen * My Garden, and much more!
• Lots to Learn: Buster’s Favorite Animals - Lions and Tigers and…Penguins! Oh my! Join Buster and Gato on a fun-filled, interactive safari through the animal kingdom as we explore the sights and sounds of your child’s favorite animals. Includes: * Five Green Frogs * Match the Pattern * The Zoo * Gato Counts in Spanish * Old MacDonald * Five Little Monkeys * The Singing Chickens * Animal Rock * The Alphabet, and much more!
• Lots to Learn: Buster Loves Music - Join your child on an exciting and entertaining exploration of the world of music! Your whole family will love learning about musical instruments, notes, and sounds. Includes: * Count The Kazoos * Loud and Soft * Pequeno and Grande Violin * Drums, Drums, Drums * Musical Staff * Lots To Learn Theater * Change the Color * The Trumpet * The Alphabet, and much more!
• Lots to Learn: Head to Toe with Buster - Discover everything about our bodies through songs, puzzles, exercise, fun and games. Includes: * Dancing Bones * Thumbkin * Bob McGrath sings “Your Face” * What Color Toothbrush? * Find the Sock * Big and Small Feet * Change the Eye Color * Count Your Fingers * The Alphabet, and much more!

Thanks to Jentifa at The Dirty Shirt for the giveaway! I know a preschooler in Puyallup that I'm sure is going to enjoy these! 

RCS Friends

Legend and I have arrived safely in California. Mickie and her family are here visiting from Texas, too. After we got here Carol and her family stopped by for a quick "Hello"! Perfect time for a photo of friends, spouses, kids, and grandkids! I didn't have my tripod so I set my camera on a piece of furniture, but I couldn't get my head around the back to set up the shot. So we did some practice shots first :)

              

Here's the four of us! Mickie, me, Gigi, and Carol!    

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Yes, indeed, there are mountains in Oklahoma! Who knew?!! I'm told there are some better ones on the eastern side of the state. We'll find out in late April when we are planning a visit to Grand Lake. This time we headed west. Tony and Tonya took us hiking in the Wichita Mountains last Saturday and we went to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge where there are wild longhorns, bison, prairie dogs and elk (so we're told, no one in our party had actually ever seen any here). We made our first stop at the top of Mt. Scott. 

     

The wind was howling at the top! But we had a great view all over western Oklahoma. (You may recognize that first photo from Sunday's post:)

Our next stop was a quick one at the visitor's center and then we went on to Holy City...built by a man who decided to build a replica of Jerusalem where he could hold Easter services. I'm pretty sure it falls a little short of the real thing, but the thought is there. The chapel is very pretty inside and the stone architecture is interesting. It was very popular when it was built in the 1920s and drew huge crowds for decades. It's a little lacking now and could use some serious work, but they still hold Easter services.

                        

After the holy tour we headed down the road to our hike. Along the way we stopped to see some of the residents.

                 

Our hike took us out along a small river and up to a boulder field. Tony and his brother had scrambled over it a few weeks ago, we didn't...maybe next time :)

                                     

We were more than ready for lunch when we returned to the car. The Martinis took us to the hot spot for lunch, the Meers Cafe. It was built over 100 years ago and had to be moved when the wildlife refuge was established. It was moved to Meers and placed on a bed of granite rock. As the restaurant expanded rooms were added here and there at whatever level the granite allowed. The floors inside are sloped and uneven. Tony was sitting with his side leaning on the wall all during lunch :) The "famous" hamburgers here are made with longhorn beef only and were delicious!

  

Love the addition to the sign :)  

On the way back to Yukon we drove around the wind farm and got as close as we could to the turbines...

      

And then the last stop of the day...something I remember well from my FAA tours of duty to the Academy in the 80s and 90s!

  

   

The Promised Photos....Mt. Rushmore and the Yukon Tornado

Oops! I've had some Mt. Rushmore and tornado photos ready to post for awhile and totally forgot.

We arrived at Mt. Rushmore just as they opened in the morning and had cold, sunny weather for our visit. We'd waited to visit in the morning so that the sun would be shining on the faces. It certainly had changed since my last visit when I was about 10 :) There is now a beautiful walkway leading to the viewpoint, an outdoor amphitheater, and a museum. When we went to the Oshkosh Airventure in 2001 John and I met in Rapid City on the way home and we flew over Mt. Rushmore in the Skyhawk. That was quite a view, but it's almost as good from the ground :)

     

And here's a few photos I took of the tornado as it blew over the top of us headed for Warr Acres and Edmond (This was February 10th, our second day here). It was just beginning to swirl around the edges. We had another tornado watch tonight, the first one since we got an emergency weather radio. It went off at 2:45 announcing a watch till 10:00 pm, guess that means we're safe now :) We did get some loud thunder, some lightning, and a little hail...but nothing more than that this time. Here's the pictures from last month...

                   

Hmmm...I'm hearing more thunder and pounding rain right now. Maybe we're still in for a storm tonight! 

Another Win...Time to Learn to Quilt!

When I was a little girl I use to watch my grandma quilt. She'd have her quilting frame set up in the living room and we'd talk and visit while she stitched. I can remember going to quilting bees at the womens group in the valley where she lived with her. She saved all her sewing scraps for those quilts. I still have the one she made for me when I was a kid and a couple she made for my kids. She used scraps left over from some of the many dresses she made for me and that makes them even more special. I've always wanted to learn to quilt. There's a quilting group in the Tobacco Valley I can join and they teach beginners, so that's on my list of things to do when we return to Montana. So, I entered to win this giveaway at Berries and Cream Blog Design and won! Time to get started!Thanks to Linda and Revka for the giveaway! 

I Heart Faces

This weeks theme at I Heart Faces is Creative Cropping. Here's my entry in the Kids category. We were in St. George and took Legend for our usual morning treat at Starbucks. He climbed up behind Papa and was teasing and laughing with John. They were having so much fun and I wanted to get some pictures. It was difficult to snatch a photo cause Legend was moving around a lot. This is one that I cropped to get the final photograph.

  

There are always lots of great photos to look at, so go on over to I Heart Faces and take a look (click on the link or the button above!). 

Sunday Smiles

  

Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma: Butt Rock (A huge thanks to Tony for his help on this one:) 

Winning Photo!

Hurray! My photo in the adult category at I Heart Faces took 7th place this week! I'm so thrilled to have made it into the top ten! Check the March 2nd post if you haven't seen the photo...thanks to Paul for allowing me to use his face :)

WWWW! (What a Wonderful Week of Wins!)

I can hardly believe it! Piera at Jolly Mom just e-mailed me to announce that I am the lucky winner of these beautiful earrings which are handmade by Janna at jaC Jewelry. 7 days = 7 wins!   

Memo to Barack Obama #6

A quote by the late Dr. Adrian Rogers (1931-2005), Founder of Love Worth Finding Ministries

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Mr. President....are you paying attention???

 

My Planets Must Be Aligned.....

     

This morning I received an e-mail from Amanda at Amanda: A Stay At Home Mom's Point of View that I am the winner of two rolls of custom printed wrapping paper from iWrapped. I'll have a hard time choosing! Thanks, Amanda! This is win #6 in 6 days! I'd better check to see if Oklahoma has a lottery or plays Powerball!   

Another Win!

This time it was a giveaway for Piggy Paints , all natural nail polish meant for little girls. I'll be sharing with a couple of little girls I know...Someone else had originally won this giveaway and did not respond in the alloted time, so Erin at The Mom Buzz decided to do a "live" giveaway. You'll see them every now and then in the giveaway blogosphere. I saw it just as she announced it on Twitter and jumped in. The 50th comment would win the prize and there were rules as to how to comment and how many times in a row you could comment. I was able to "earn" the right to keep commenting and talk about anything I wanted by entering a couple of other giveaways and letting her know where to find those entries. Sounds complicated, but easy if you just read and follow the rules. So I typed quickly and watched the comment numbers climb...and hit #50. Winner! Thanks, Erin!   

What About Windex???

The one household product I use more than anything is Windex. I use it on windows, mirrors, countertops, sinks, faucets,bath tiles, spills on tile floors, appliances, plastics...I go through gallons of the stuff. So why am I telling you this? Because Alice at We Heart Household Products just started her blog and because in celebration she is giving away a Flip video camera :) If you'd like to enter, click HERE and let her know what your favorite product is! Be sure to check out the rest of her blog while you are there!

I Heart Faces (Kids and Adults)

This week's theme is "Messy" and I knew immediately which photo I would post. Here's Zachary on his first birthday! He dove right in with no encouragement from anyone and really enjoyed that cake!

 

I didn't think I had this photo on my laptop and all the CDs and negatives are at home in Montana. But...I found it deep in the recesses of my hard drive!! This is Paul after a hard day's work...taken the day we made the big concrete pour on our foundation. You can tell he really enjoys what he does!

     

Be sure to go over to I HEART FACES to see all the wonderful photos! You can click the link or the button to get there. This week should be especially fun....and messy :)  

UPDATE: This photo of Paul took 7th place in the Adult category at I Heart Faces!

Sunday Smiles...Yanni Voices :)

 

Be sure to turn Beethoven off before listening to Yanni Voices (right sidebar)!

Wow...just wow!

Win #4 this week! This morning I won two matching Tahitian Black Pearl bracelets from Mom's Most Wanted ! It really does pay to enter, but I've also really enjoyed reading the reviews and finding some favorite new products, sellers, and web sites....and making some new cyber friends along the way! Check out Mom's Most Wanted blog by clicking the link above or the button on the left sidebar! Thanks again, Mom!