Now that the Hillbilly Gatherin' is over, it's time to get on task with the Race for the Cure! Some people have been having a hard time signing up. If you click on the link to the right on this page, it will take you to a page that says "Join Jodi's Team". Easy enough huh! THEN it takes you to a page where the actual link to join the team in in hot pink in a dark colored bar and almost impossible to see. So, when you find the dark colored bar, roll over it until your mouse finds the words to take you to the proper place. Feel free to either call, email, or leave a comment here if you need help.

To those of you who have signed up and/or made a donation to our team - THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm truly hopeful that by the time my granddaughters are adults, breast cancer will be history and something they don't have to worry about.

First Annual Hillbilly Gatherin' - But Certainly Not the Last!

The Hillbilly Gatherin' was awesome. Better than I hoped for a first-year event. Lots of folks having a great time. I should have put these pictures in better order, but I'm tired! So here you go, if you missed it, we had a GREAT time and raised over $1,300! I was going to be really happy if we raised $1,000 but we had a lot of very generous people!

Dancin'



The frozen t-shirt game - Shane the fireman is really hard on the eyes...






We didn't have a name for this game but it was FUNNY!


Pin the mustache on sister...









Thanks to all of you who came - I had so much fun with you and the money is going to a great cause! To those of you who didn't make it, hope to see you next year for a bigger and better event!

WHAT?

I was heading to the grocery store this evening and Elmer was standing outside. As I started the old red truck he ran up to the window...

"Your rockers are knockin', that's not good."

"What?"

"Your rockers are knockin'."

In my mind, all I could hear was "Your knockers are rockin'"

Funny, I have no knockers...

He said I needed to stop in and get it serviced on my way to the store. All the way there I was chuckling to myself thinking Elmer had told me that my knockers were rockin'. Dumb broad.

So, what do you think I did? As Kate would say, Yes I did.

I pulled into Oil Can Henrys and he asked if I needed my oil changed. "Yes" I told him. "And my husband says my knockers are rockin'"

I bet he's never heard that one before...

Another Elmer Story?

'Fraid not. This time it was me...

Elmer had to go to Cabelas this morning to exchange an injector for the big pig next weekend. He decided to drag me along with him.



I wear prescription glasses and also have a pair in sunglasses. So as we walked into Cabelas, I removed my sunglasses and put them in my purse. We made the exchange after about an hour of "Oooooooooh, that's neat, should we buy that?"

"No."

"Oh man we could really use one of those, should we get it?"

"No."

We finally made it back out the door and after we got back into the truck I took off my regualar glasses and reached into my purse to put on my sunglasses. We drove for a little bit and I kept thinking how blurry my vision was. I kept reaching up and rubbing my eyes. Nothing worked. About halfway home Elmer was talking when I looked over at him and he got this real puzzled look on his face... "Where's the lens to your glasses?"

"What?"

"You only have one lens in your sunglasses..."

I reach up and take them off and damned if one wasn't gone.

Elmer had to tell me what an "old person" thing that was to do.

"Well thank God we finally figured that out. I've been wondering for the last 15 minutes what was wrong with my eyes, I thought I was havin' a stroke..."

You've Gotta See This...

This You Tube video should remind us all how easily we, as a human race, tend to judge others simply by the way they look. If this doesn't just give you the chills, nothing will. Enjoy!

YEE HAW!

Supposed to be in the 70s all weekend and 76 on Monday!!!

Easter...

We had a wonderful Easter...

Dothesame.org

I've been so incredibly blessed to have come across some of the most incredible people in my life. My friend Mindy was the President of the Idaho Peace Officers' Memorial and is now on to other things.

I received an email from her tonight about a new venture that she and her husband, a Nampa Police Officer, have started. It's called Dothesame.org, an organization that matches people with needs to people who can help. I hope you'll take the time to read the following, go to their website, and if you feel you have something to offer, sign up to help someone who may need you! Whether you sew, cook, have mechanical abilities, can use a hammer and nails or have connections to help find an item someone may need - it's a great way to give to your community!

DotheSame.org is all about connecting people across the US who desire to help with those who need assistance. Everyone is gifted with skills and knowledge that can be shared. Likewise, at any given time, someone has a need or problem to be solved. DotheSame.org is designed to help match gifts and talents with those in need. Strong, successful communities start with those who take personal responsibility in making their neighborhoods and cities a better place to live. Make your community better by sharing your gifts and talents with others.

I heard about a young man that placed an ad on Craigslist, he wrote, "I don't have a lot of money to give but I have good hands, a strong back, and a heart for helping others." This young man would go out on one of his days off and help his neighbors that contacted him. That made me start to think about why there isn't a web site designed for such liked hearted people willing to serve their neighbors. Imagine the impact that we can have in our communities by giving just a fraction of our time. Let's make a difference one life at a time.

Be sure to visit their website DotheSame.org! If you choose to sign up, be sure to register, then get your password, sign in, and be sure to click "I can help" so it registers where you're available to help and your skills talents. This isn't just a Boise organization - it's for the entire US.

Thanks Mindy and Jacob, for helping those who need us, to find us!

Scrapbook Cookbook...

In 2007, I won what I considered "the cancer lottery" when I was able to attend Idaho's first Casting for Recovery Retreat in Idaho. It meant so much to me that I've offered to raise enough money ($12,000) to make sure that next year's Casting For Recovery Retreat will be able to be held. They're a small organization with no local fundraiser and each state has to raise their own money.

As I was looking for my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe the other day, I realized how many loose recipes I have in a manila folder in my cupboard. Many of them are loose recipes from my grama. A few from my mom. But most are from when I go into a doctor's office and find a recipe I MUST have so I ask the receptionist to make a copy for me. Or, if you're really BAD, you secretly, and oh-so-silently, tear the page out of the magazine while pretending to read it. Now I've NEVER done this, but I'm sure some of you have...

I started thinking about scrapbooking and how cute of a cookbook you could make with those recipes and a few supplies. So, I'm going to make one cookbook for myself to try it out and, if all goes well, I think I'll put a few weekend sessions together where gals can sign up and we can all drink wine and hopefully raise a few dollars for Casting For Recovery. Could be fun!



Do you think this would be something women would be interested in doing?

SO Me...

and Maxine...

Unfortunately, as I have gotten older, I have become a little less sensitive. So, after trying my new job as a Wal-Mart greeter, last weekend (a good find for many retirees), I lasted less than a day... About two hours into my first day on the job a very loud, coyote ugly, nasty woman walked into the store with her two kids, yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance. As I had been instructed, I said pleasantly, "Good morning, and welcome to Wal-Mart. Nice children you have there. Are they twins?"

The ugly, nasty woman stopped yelling long enough to say, "Hell no, they ain't twins. The oldest one's 9, and the other one's 4. Why the hell would you think they're twins? Are you blind, or just stupid?"

So I replied, "I'm neither blind nor stupid. I just find it hard to believe you got laid twice. Have a good day and thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart!" My 25 year old supervisor said I probably wasn't cut out for this line of work...

Knock, Knock...

Yesterday evening I heard an odd tapping on my front window. I thought the boys were playing a prank and went to investigate. No one there. I went back into the living room where, a few minutes later, I heard it again. I tiptoed to peek around the corner and this is what I saw...









It's obviously breeding season and he saw his reflection in the window. Silly bird. I guess he finally got a headache and moved on to find a less painful rival.

Life Is Good!

I'm so excited! My brother Steve, who is a TRUE hillbilly (oh yes, you'll meet him at the Gatherin') has been working his butt off up north to get all of our expenses covered for the party. I hate this picture of me, but it shows Steve's true spirit of what a wonderful and loving person he is when he shaved his head while I went through chemo.


He's a logging truck driver and has been since he graduated from high school. The company he works for, Bruce Baumgartner Logging, has donated enough money to cover the cost of the pig. He also hit up Zepos in Pullman, WA (a sports bar/bowling alley/gambling establishment) for a donation which will help cover the beer and wine costs.

He's also working with an old friend from Horseshoe Bend who used to be with the group "Jerusalim Sweetwater" - trying to see if they have that weekend open to donate their time and come and play. They sing wonderful songs like Hoyt Axton's "Boney Fingers" - you can hear it here and "The Rodeo Song" by David Allen Coe.

So, things are coming along better than I ever expected for a "First Annual" event. And just to let you all know, we had planned on donating proceeds to the Komen Race, but I found out a few weeks ago, that another charity I work with, "Casting for Recovery" doesn't have the money they need to put on their retreat this year in Idaho - so all money will go to them. You can read about them here. I was lucky enough to have attended their first retreat in Idaho and it was the best experience I could have had as a survivor. Hope to see you all there on April 25th at the Hidden Springs Barn - and feel free to invite friends!

Bakerella...

I don't cook, I do love baked goods, but unfortunately, I don't bake either. I do love this blog I've found called Bakerella. She does some of the most awesome things with cakes! Someday I'm going to try one of them. I love what she does with "cakepops". See for yourself and maybe you'll want to try some of these!


I don't think I've ever seen anything as cute as these!


If you want to see more of what she does, here's her blog address - Enjoy!
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/

A Day At The Spa...

Zooey is almost a year old and I'm ashamed to say, she's never been to the beauty parlor - so, it was time. Now mind you, we HAVE given her a lot of baths, but I just thought she needed the royal treatment. So, here's the girls after a day at the spa...