Tanner's Office

When T was only 16 years old, he took the 8 hour drive to his family's annual "Hunting Season" in Elk Creek, Nebraska. His family is from there and a few still farm and live there. It is family tradition to head out before dawn and hunt until sundown. Well, 1999 was T's year. He spotted his deer, sighted it in, and took a shot. The deer took off over a hill. The guys jump in the truck and head towards it. T knew it was good shot, but man did that deer run!
As they topped the hill, there he was...dead. T had shot him dead center in his heart. So after a few hundreds dollars in a mounting and being at his parents house for years, he proudly was hung in T's home office today. I had to do some shifting of pictures and accesories. What do you think?


This picture is one of my most favorites. It is a beautiful country french landscape, hand painted oil. I bought it on sale at Tuesday Morning for only $39.00


I had to show an up close picture of the dog statue. He is so precious and also a sale item! I just love good deals on cute accesories!!!


This last pic is a wall grouping that I did right after we moved in. The only thing I changed was adding the "M" for my new last name. The golf picture is another original oil and the bear statue was a gift from my mother in law.

My 1st decorating project

MaMaw's House!!!

My MaMaw has the most awesome house! She is busting at the seams with antiques and very unique accessories. I was so excited to help her when she asked me for a new updated look. I started with the formal dining room, it was the easiest of all the rooms. Here are the before pictures:

The buffet is the focal point of the room, I love her antique lamp but something wasn't just right, and what about on top of the china cabinet #1? BORING!!!

I love her pub table, but the fake red roses have to go! I think the tea set needs to be moved.

China cabinet #2, needs something. I don't like the position of the clock. Needs to be turned sideways maybe?!?!
There is a china cabinet #3 but I forgot to take a before pic.

MANY ours later I had a finished product. What do you think???

I found the pineapple lamp on sale at JC Pennys for $50.00 I am tempted to go back and buy myself one! MaMaw is NOT a fan of greenery, but it adds so much to her once boring cabinet top. Don't you think?

Buffet is now home to the tea set. I didn't have time to polish it, so tarnished it sits. That is an all day project in itself!!

The newly decorated pub table is probably one of my most favorite spots in this room. The 3 red apples are my personal favorite.

Her yearbooks from back in the 50's are just enough to get the lamp up higher. Why have them sit in a closet? Let's see those vintage babies! The pitchers each have a story too. the purple one dates back to the 1930's.

China cabinet #2 only got a face lift on the top. I wasn't about to tackle the inside, it didn't bother me so much. The silver butter dish lid has a cow grazing on the top, I need to get a close up of his detail!

And last but not least, china cabinet #3. This is all the heirloom crystal. I was forbidden to open the doors and touch anything! I only rearranged the top.

Like I said before after many hours, this room has been completed. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner will now be eaten in style. I can't wait to show you the rest of the house!!!

Name change

I have decided to change the name of my blog. I am going to start using this blog more for a decorating than family updates. I will still update on my family, but maybe not quite as much. I have reacently been hired by my MaMaw to redecorate her house. The following posts are going to show the transformation! I hope you all enjoy!

Las Vegas

On July 15, mom and I boarded a plane to the FABULOUS sin city, city of lights, LAS VEGAS!! Every year we go to a bowling tournament hosted by a friend of ours Vicki. She organizes the whole thing and has over 1000 participatants. This year we didn't bowl so swell, but we had a blast.



We stayed at the Rio and had a wonderful room with a gorgeous view. Upon check in we headed over the Gold Coast and gambled with some friends. Mom and I sat a Roulette table until 5AM Vegas time which was 7 AM Oklahoma time. Needless to say we were up for over 24 hours and got about 4 hours of sleep that night.



Then we had VIP tickets to the Voo Doo Lounge ontop of the Rio. So on Thursday night we headed up. ALL of us. Mom, me, Bran Starr, Bret, Blake, Jr., Londa, JP, Harper, and Janna. What an experience everytime I go! This year we had witch doctors. This is like Elk Creek water or trash can punch except the place dry ice in it, so it boils like a witches brew. They are mighty strong and mighty pricey at $26.00 each!


Horrible pic of my friends, but a great pic of the witch doctor!!





Onto bowling, we didn't do great, we didn't even do good. I had 1 game that I bowled a 236, and it won me some $$ in brackets. The only good thing that came out of it, was that Tanner's aunt and cousin came to see me. Kim and Conner. They hung out with me for awhile and we got to chat and have a good girl time. I love them to death, wish we could see them more often!




The last full day we were there, we walked to WHOLE strip. From Treasure Island to the Excaliber and then rode the tram to Mandilay Bay. What a long day and a lot of walking! We ate lunch at The Venetian and had a drinks at TI and Paris. We bought souveniers at Jimmy Buffet's for dad and Tanner. Hopefully they don't wear their shirts on the same day or they will be twinkies! It was a record 115 that day and we were melting. We went in and out of most of the casinos to cool off.




Saturday night I started to itch. I have been getting a rashy hivey thing now for about 2 years. It comes and goes and is extremely itchy. Well, I decided to stay in the room the the last to rest and pack. Well, when I woke up Sunday morning I looked like a cross between a Cabbage Patch Doll and Chucky. My face was so swollen I couldn't even move it. My eyes were almost comlpetly swollen shut! It tingled but it didn't hurt persay. All I wanted to do was get on the plane, fly home and get to the doctor.



Well Londa gave me some Benadryl to help with the itching, but the swelling never went down. By the time I got on the plane, I was so drugged up on Benadryl, I couldn't keep my eyes, err I mean slits open. I slept for a little while on the plane to Dallas. Then when we get there, our flight home was CANCELLED!! I was so upset. All I wanted was to seek medical attention and I was stuck at the biggest airport in the U.S. with no flight home.



Mom and I decided no to do standby, we took the tram to another terminal and then a bus to the rental car terminal. We rented a car from Thrifty and headed to OKC. We finally pulled into World Rogers at 11:00PM. The plane we could've used for standby was late by about 20 minutes and our luggage was on it. So after driving home from Dallas, stopping to eat a burger at Braums, and fighting the DFW traffic, we were back on Okie soil. We picked up our luggage and mom got me home at 12:30PM.



I won't post pic because I was just flat out too scary looking. Look forward to the next blog for and update on what was causing the "itch".

Well.... I am a little slow, we have been traveling alot, so I am ready to post new pics and posts!

The fourth of July was a blast! As always, we went to the lake for this fabulous holiday. I LOVE fireworks, so I was thrilled when Tanner returned from Cookson with a box full. He bought me my favorite- sparklers! They were the kind like we had at our wedding- really long lasting, but these changed colors! Mom and I had a blast with them. Tanner shot the others and boy did our dogs NOT like it! Molly wanted to attack them and poor Macy was shaking like a leaf.

You can't go to Lake Tenkiller without a little rain. Soooooo, of course it rained all day on Saturday. After a long day of circle of death on the front porch it cleared up. We all got loaded up in my parents boat and headed out on the water to watch the fireworks. Well after tying up with some friends, the rain and lighting started again. As you can see we all got a little wet! We soon headed back to Chicken Creek. By the time we loaded the boat it was clear skies again. We drove over to some friends house and watched their display. It was a good weekend altogether but definitely a wet one!

Crazy Busy!

What a busy weekend! I will update soon with pics from July 4th!!!

Follow up to Tanner

So, Tanner had his endoscopy on Tuesday and as we thought, he has ulcers, 4 of them and they are bleeding ulcers. The doctor has proscribed Nexium to cut down on his acid. It is a pricey little pill. $168.00 for 30 of them. SO for a mere $5.60 per pill, Tanner is gonna be alright. I just hope that this helps with the pain in his stomach and his belching.
He has to cut out anything acidic, caffeine, alcohol, and most importantly stress. Here is a fabulous website if you want to read more on it. http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/119/main.html

On a lighter note... I love to shop and who doesn't like a bargain. I recently have discovered the website www.propertyroom.com and it is amazing! It is a website full of stolen goods that have been recovered by police. They auction off the items and the money goes back into the community. I scored a $75.00 necklace for $1.00!!!! I'll post a pick when it arrives. I love sharing good deals, so this is the bargain of the month. Hope you all get to check it out and find a good buy. Let me know what you find!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July. Enjoy the BBQ's and fireworks and see you all next week.

Tanner's Endoscopy

Well, Tanner has been having some stomach pains that are keep reoccurring. So he is going in for an endoscopy at 3:00 this afternoon. An endoscopy is a minimally invasive diagnostic medical procedure that is used to assess the interior surfaces of an organ by inserting a tube into the body. The instrument may have a rigid or flexible tube and not only provide an image for visual inspection and photography, but also enable taking biopsies and retrieval of foreign objects. Endoscopy is the vehicle for minimally invasive surgery, and patients may receive conscious sedation so they do not have to be consciously aware of the discomfort.

After doing much reading on the Internet, we are hoping that the pain and side effects he is having is from a bleeding ulcer in his stomach lining. I will be sure to keep you all posted on the outcome. Please keep us in your prayers.

Russ Warren Insurance

So, as you all know mom and I have Russ Warren Insurance. We sell every kind of insurance except life and health. I'd thought I'd post a new pic for you, we recently re-did the outside. This week is going to be a fast and fun week. We are closed Friday for the July 4th holiday. There is one thing about dealing with the public.... there is NEVER a dull moment. I swear I could write a book and be a millionaire with all the stories.
I have heard it all!

Examples: From: I didn't get my bill, my kid made an origami bird outta my security verification, can you find me cheaper rates, to one of my all time favorites.... my car was stolen last night from my driveway, then the customer called back later that afternoon and said he had found it in his garage....my oh my!

Another reason we are so busy is that the state of Oklahoma has recently changed the auto insurance laws. The basis of the new law says that a police officer can run your tag or vin# (serial number specific to each vehicle) and be able to tell if your car insurance is current. The insurance companies are updating with the Department of Public Safety daily with up to the minute information on each person's policy. This will hopefully cut down on the number of uninsured drivers, and lower all of our insurance rates. I don't know where all these people are coming from, but we are super slammed. Don't get me wrong, I love the business and it makes the day go by fast, but I never truly realized how many uninsured drivers are out there! SO, next time the cop is sitting behind you at a light, beware... he could be checking your insurance!
Here is the link if you'd like to read more: http://www.ok.gov/oid/

30 THINGS ABOUT ME

Since I just turned 30, I thought I'd fill you in with 30 facts about me and my life.

1. I am happily married to the love of my life, Tanner. I can't imagine life without him.
2. We have 2 dogs, a pit named Molly and a mini schnauzer named Macy.

3. I work along side my mom at our insurance business. It is highly rewarding and a pleasure to work with such an amazing woman.

4. My dad knows a little bit about everything. He can solve any problem and is the smartest person I know (besides myself of course!)

5. I have a little brother, Matt, he is an awesome guy who is obsessed with skydiving...why you would want to jump out a perfectly fine airplane is beyond me!!
6. I love traveling, doesn't matter to where. Although, Disney World, Cozumel, Vegas and the lake house are my favorites.

7. Speaking of the lake, I love going to Tenkiller. My in-laws just bought the house next to ours and it is like a family compound. SOOO AWESOME!!!

8. I have the most amazing group of friends, and we all get along extremely well. There are about 12 of us who are really close and I cherish every moment with them.

9. My biological clock is ticking...loudly...can you hear it?

10. I am obsessed with Wii Fit Active and Julian Michael's workout DVD.

11. I love decorating the house and changing all the accessories around from room to room.
12. I have a love for monkeys. My house is filled with monkey oil painting, lamps and hidden ones you have to search for!

13. I am leaving in 2 weeks for a bowling tournament in Las Vegas. 2 years ago we placed 6th out of 200 teams!

14. I love to go to the local casinos and gamble. Slots are ok, but 3 card poker is my game!

15. I could eat sushi for every meal of the day for the rest of my life... yum-o!

16. I do not like ice cream at all. Doesn't matter the flavor, it is not my thing.

17. I despise filling my car with gas, I will go till I am on fumes before I stop to fill up. What ever happened to all the full service stations????

18. I am a certified scuba diver and have been since I was 16 years old. My whole family is for that matter.

19. I love me some good wine... cold, boxed, imported or by the bottle... I LOVE IT!!!

20. I am highly allergic to cats and pine trees.

21. I have never broken a bone in my body.

22. I am legally blind without my contacts in or glasses on, sucks!

23. I am addicted to Lifetime movies, I just can't help it!

24. I pick the same lottery numbers everytime I play, one of these days I will win more than $12.00

25. I am terrified of frogs.

26. I love shopping. Hemisphere's is my favorite furniture and accessory store, with Tuesday morning in a close second. I also love to shop at Cesar's Tan for fun outfits for myself!

27. I can't sleep in past 7:30 am, my body won't allow it!

28. 28- this is my favorite number- 28

29. I have become increasingly obsessed with working out, it makes you feel so good!!!

30. I am leaving in 3 weeks for a vacation in Cozumel. Tanner and I are taking our niece and nephew and they have never seen the beach- I am so excited for them!!!

Thanks for reading, now you know a few fun facts about me!