Friday, December 31, 2010

Snowblowing Service in Leoti

Give Skyler and Brice Mason a call if you need someone to use a snowblower to clean snow off of your walkways and driveways. Their phone number is 375-2133.

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SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL!!!

Weather predictions came out yesterday, December 30th, that we were in an area in Western Kansas slated for some wintry precipitation. Of course, there were those out there who chose not to believe that we would get anything. Others like my daughters and I, hoped that we would. Well...Wichita County got a beautiful snowstorm!!!

Around 6:00, we began having snow flurries. But by 8:00, we had very heavy snow coming down. And with it, came strong winds. This was the first snowstorm of the 2010-2011 season and it was GORGEOUS!!! That is, of course, if you enjoy snow...

Because of earlier complications in our afternoon, it was 8:30 before we made it to our office cleaning jobs in the country and downtown. We paid for that one! I drove to the country. Thank God that Stan went with us. I thought that I was on the highway until Stan corrected me. About 30 minutes later, we had concluded our business there and headed back to town. Wow! It was incredible how much the road's condititon had deteriated in that short time! This time, Stan drove the van back to town. Drifts were EVERYWHERE!!! Once we entered the city limits of Leoti, the roads took a major dip. They were slick and snowpacked even worse than in the country. We made our way to the downtown offices. Once we had finished there, we went home. Getting up the steps of our front porch was a lot of fun too! LOL!!! We were tickled pink to arrive in the house nice and safe. Thank You, God!!!

I have no plans of leaving the house today. My doctors as well as cardiologists have warned me that as thin as they must keep my blood so that it can travel through my mechanical heart valve, I cannot afford to have any falls. One doctor told me that even if I had a doctor with me when I fell and hit my head, there would be no way that they could safe my life... So, Folks, I heed their warnings and stay indoors in weather such as this.

Stan called me from the mill this morning. He told me that the roads from the eastern Wichita County line to Garden City are snowpacked and very icy. They received freezing rain before the snow settled in. Here in town, it looks like we must have gotten at least 3 or 4 inches of snow. We need to be thankful for each and every drop of rain and each and every flake of snow. It has been terribly dry here for months.

So, if you need to get out, be very careful!!! If you have any kind of health issue, DON'T scoop your own sidewalk or driveway. That can be deadly. Skyler and Brice Mason own a snow moving machine and can clean it for you. Their telephone number is 375-2133.

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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Incident at Main and Broadway Intersection

I received a phone call a short time ago from a disgusted witness who had watched as an oil derrick being hauled South, clipped off one of the major highway signs, and drove right on through without stopping to try to get it repaired, etc. A pilot car was in front of the truck and another one behind the truck.

The person who told me the story told me that he believed the truck driver had to have seen the damage that he had just done. Even if he had not, one or both of the pilot vehicle drivers should have seen the incident. Not one of these drivers stopped. They just headed right on down the road.

As it turns out, the person who called me was following the truck and it's pilots. Given the fact that the derrick was blocking the highway, it looked like it would be a very long trip from Leoti to Lakin when the person who called me would be able to turn off of the highway. But that was not to be the case... Fortunately, the Wichita County Sheriff, Randy Keeton, received information on the incident evidentally. He went after the trio and pulled them to the side of the road.

The man who called me told me that he doubted any of these three drivers were very happy to see Mr. Keeton. LOL!!!

So, here's two pieces of good news. 1. I assume that the company hauling the derick will be held responsible for their damage--not the taxpayers. 2. The man who I talked to was able to pass the rig and get on down the road. Ha! Ha!

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Dale Davis--Garden City

Dale Edwin Davis
(April 1, 1928 to December 29th, 2010)

Dale Edwin Davis, age 82, died Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at the Garden Valley Retirement Village in Garden City, Kansas. He was born on April 1, 1928 in Sawyer, Kansas the son of Burl E. and Myrtle E. Ball Davis. A resident of Garden City since 1946 moving from Wichita, Kansas he had worked for the Garden City Police Department for several years retiring in 1980.

He was a member of the First Christian Church of Garden City, Kansas. Dale was a US Army Veteran of the Korean Conflict and a lifetime member of the Garden City VFW.

On January 1, 1953, he married Carolyn Holderness in Garden City, Kansas. She survives.

Other Survivors Include: One Son, Blaine (& Tammy) Davis of Garden City, Kansas; One Brother, John C. Davis of Wilmington, North Carolina; Two Sisters, Mildred Miller of Mulvane, Kansas and Mary Lou Wright of Kiowa, Kansas; One Grandson, Jasson (& Emily) Wagner of Wamego, Kansas, Three Granddaughters, Bree (& Jacob) Greer of Wichita, Kansas, Micah David (& Nate Hudson) of Colorado Springs, CO and Allie David of Wichita, Kansas and Four Great-Grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by two sons, Terry Lee Davis & Lloyd Alan Davis.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30am on Monday, January 3, 2011 at the Price & Sons Funeral Home in Garden City, Kansas with Rev. Scott Schurle presiding.

Friends may call from Noon-8:00pm Sunday @ the Price & Sons Funeral Home in Garden City, Kansas.

Interment will be in the Valley View Cemetery in Garden City, Kansas.

The family requests memorials be given to the Garden City Family YMCA in care of Price & Sons Funeral Home of Garden City, Kansas.


Obituary courtesy of Price and Sons Funeral Homes of Garden City, Scott City, Leoti and Tribune.

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Singles, Doubles and even Triples!!!

No, I am not talking about ice cream or hamburgers. I am referring to telephone service, internet and satelite service.

Yesterday, we received mail from our local telephone company, Fairpoint. They were announcing that you can now purchase your landline phone, internet AND Direct TV satelite service directly from them at extremely good prices!!!

In case you are interested in checking out what all is available please go to their website at

www.FairPoint.com

OR CALL THEM AT

375-4300 (Wichita County ONLY) or 1-877-688-2808 (toll-Free number)

I think that you'll be surprised to see how much you can save by signing up on one of these plans! At this time in our country, how can we afford NOT to save as much money as possible???

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Another virus!!!

We just received an email from people whom live in Leoti. According to what was written, the family was stranded in Scotland with no money thanks to a robbery. If you received this email, IT IS NOT TRUE!!! We were wanting to send money to the family to help them get back to Leoti. According to the email, they would have returned the money to the people whom loaned the money. I knew that these people would have paid us back as soon as they got home.

Anyway, the email is titled "Sad News.....and then one lady's name".

I called the family just in case this was a hoax. The family is safe at home.

Just thought that I should post this in case you may have received the same email.

Thank you!!!

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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Wal-Mart in Garden City

Wal-Mart will be open all day and night on New Years Eve and New Years Day.

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Hobby Lobby in Dodge City

Hobby Lobby will be open from 9:00 to 5:30 on Friday and Saturday, December 31st and January 1st.

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Home Depot

If you have some gift cards to Home Depot in Garden City that are burning holes in your pockets, you'll be happy to know that they are open until 5:30 on both, New Years Eve and New Years Day.

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City of Leoti's Holiday Hours

Just to let you know, the City of Leoti will be in operation from 8-5:00 both Friday and Monday, December 31st and January 3rd. They close every day from noon to 1:00.

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Cheese Pastry Triangle Appetizers

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons ground red pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Lightly grease baking sheets; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, red pepper (if using), and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until the size of coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/2 cup finely shredded cheese. Add the 3/4 cup milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Form into a ball.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 10-inch square, 1/4 inch thick. Brush with the 1 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with 1/2 cup finely shredded cheese; press lightly. Cut into sixteen 2-1/2-inch squares. Cut each square in half diagonally to make 32 triangles. Place on the prepared baking sheets.

3. Bake about 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 32 triangles.

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Bad News

After I posted our "need" to learn how last night's THE CLOSER ended, I did some research on the matter and was disappointed at what I learned. THE CLOSER will be ending after it's 2011 season.

What a downer for our family... We lost MONK a year ago and now this???

Why is it that TV shows with real class die so young? LOL!

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The Closer

Got a question for you... We absolutely LOVE Kyra Sedwick in The Closer. (She is the wife of actor Kevin Bacon.) Anyway, the show is grrreat. So great that we have it set to be recorded on our DVR every Monday evening. Well, we finally got around to watching last week's show tonight. We were going to watch it's conclusion also tonight. Problem was that only the first 14 minutes of last night's show was recorded. WE HAVE TO KNOW WHO THE MURDERER WAS!!! If you know, could you please let us know???

Thank you!!!

The Blau Family

Newly Re-Discovered Cousin

A year ago, I was signed up on FACEBOOK. In the beginning, I checked out FB several times a day. Now, I usually check in once or twice a week. Time is hectic for me now. But, I had received a friend request from someone named Tiffani. I did not recognize her last name. Before I discarded her request, I did discover that she and I had one similar friend. At that point, I realized that this Tiffani was none other than my great cousin, Tiffani Pepper, who lived in Leoti many years ago. It is great to be reconnected with her!!! Tiffani is the daughter of Bob and Judy Pepper who owned one of Leoti's Daylight Donut Shop and the Pepper grocery Store which was just north of the courthouse here. Tiffani has one younger brother named Thorndale. Both are younger than me.

See, these social networks can do a lot to bring people from our pasts back to the here and now.

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Monday, December 27, 2010

Hanoi, Vietnam???

Occasionally, I make my appearance in the land of FACEBOOK. Last week, someone asked "to be my friend on FACEBOOK". When I tried to go on to the social network, I received a notice that it appeared that someone was trying to hack into my account. Why??? What do they hope to gain??? I don't know. I had to fill out more information before I could be on FB. It was determined that my would-be hacker was in Hanoi, Vietnam. To my knowledge, I know no one there. However, people from Vietnam tune in from time to time on my blogsite. I doubt that they are the people responsible for my hacking.

Anyway, at least in my case, it was easy to straighten everything up. I just had to come up with a new password. Once I had done that, I was once again able to connect with all of my FB buddies.

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Static Phones???

We have landline phones in our bedrooms, dining room and living room. For the most part, we have good service except for in our daughters' bedroom. Their phone line is always staticy. It is so bad that they can hardly understand a word. Today, I spoke with our phone company about this issue. She told me that people who have wireless internet in their homes like we do, sometimes have problems with static. When that happens, you need to comtact your phone service provider and tell them about it. They will then send out a pigtail-like thing that you will very easily attach to the phone line in the room with the problem. This thing is a filter. Once it has been hooked up, the phone should be clear and static-free.

Anyway, something that I thought that you might need to know someday...

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Marriage Perk-Ups

The year, 2010, is coming to a quick close. 2011 is about to come out on our stage. Every year around this time, we run around making promises to ourselves that this year is going to be different...I am going to change this and that. Though I have known people who have had outstanding marriages, I have yet to meet the couple with the perfect relationship. I am dubious that I will ever meet that couple considering the fact that it would take two perfect singles to make that perfect couple. We all know that humans are not perfect. Far from it.

I would like to suggest that you check out this marriage blog. Who knows? You might even read of things that you can do to enrich your own marriage. It reaches out to people with just a small problem or two in their marriage or goes all of the way to marriages where infidelities have split the couple apart. In other words, everyone can learn a thing or two about marriage that they never thought about before.

www.MarriageMoment.org .

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Keeping a Relationship Alive and Well

I had a somewhat jarring experience this afternoon that I just had to tell you about...

Stan and I have been blessed with three beautiful children, Adam, Leighlyn and Abigayle. After God gave us these three dolls, He saw fit to bless us again with Adam's lovely wife, Mel. Adam called me this afternoon to tell me of some very sad and emotional news of people whom we know. The couple was just getting ready to celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary when circumstances have changed that will probably result in an ugly divorce. I am not going into any further details on this matter but I want to do some bragging on our son.

Adam recently visited with the couple whose marriage is in danger. Though he is only 31 years old, that boy has some great wisdom for a man of his age. Adam tried to give them some pointers that might help to fuse the pair back together again. He mentioned to them that it is the little, not the big, things that we can all do every day that bonds us better than anything else. Most of these little things require no money--just thoughtfulness. He also pointed out that today, when most of us are in one sort of financial distress or another, it is not always easy to go out and purchase tickets for you and the love of your life to go on a 'round the world cruise to solidify your relationship but so many itty bitty things will get the job done even easier.

He went on to communicate that one day this month, he told his wife that he wanted to do something special with her. He took her to a convenience store in Garden City where they each purchased a cup of hot chocolate. With their cups' lids in place, they drove to a local park where they could hear Christmas music that was being played in the downtown business area. Once there, they walked to the park and just sat together, drinking hot chocolate and holding each other's hands... Now, if that is not romantic, I don't know what is! So many women constantly complain that their men don't have a romantic bone in their body. Well, Folks, Adam has romance in his soul. He learned it from his own father, my Danley.

Unfortunately, I think that Adam's advice got to the couple too late to make any difference now. But I want to pass it on to all of you who might be willing to give little pieces of your love every day. Those little pieces will stick together and make great differences in your love's life.

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Wanda J. Minnix--Scott City and Garden City

(March 27, 1932 - December 26, 2010)

Wanda J. Minnix, age 78, passed away on Sunday, December 26, 2010 at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas. She was born on March 27, 1932 in Grainfield, Kansas to Edgar & Edith Cook Kriegh, the 4th of 14 children. The family later moved to Wallace County, Kansas where she graduated from high school. On November 18, 1951 she married J. Berl Minnix in Sharon Springs, Kansas and moved to the Minnix family farm in Southwest Scott County, Kansas. They moved to Garden City, Kansas in 1988. Berl passed away on June 19, 1998 in Garden City, Kansas.

She was affiliated with the Prairie View Church of the Brethren of Friend, Kansas and United Methodist Church and the Builders Sunday School Class of Garden City, Kansas. She was an active member of the Rebekah Lodge, the Kolorful Kansas Art Klub, Beta Sigma Phi – Laureate Alpha Upsilon, HGL Club, and was a 4-H Community Leader.

Survivors Include her One Son - James & Eilene Minnix of Scott City, Kansas, One Daughter - Carol & Tom Zackary of Salina, Kansas, Two Brothers - Max Kriegh of Wynona, Kansas, Ron Kriegh of Salina, Kansas, Four Sisters - Madge Gaschler of Westminister, Colorado, Lou Duffey of Rexford, Kansas, JoAnn Radiel of Salina, Kansas, Kay Kinney of Aurora, Colorado, Seven Grandchildren, One Great Grandchild.

She was preceded in death by her Parents, Husband, One Sister – Edeline Fischer, Six Brothers – Delbert Kriegh, Lawrence Kriegh, Marvin Kriegh, Edgar Kriegh Jr., Donald Kriegh and Rex Kriegh.


Funeral Services will be held at the United Methodist Church in Garden City, Kansas at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 29, 2010 with Rev. David Bell and Rev. Jon Tuttle presiding.

Graveside Service will be held at the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 29, 2010.

Memorials may be given to the Rebekah Assembly of Kansas or Scott Community Foundation % of Price & Son Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas.

Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas.

Obituary courtesy of Price and Sons Funeral Homes of Garden City, Scott City, Leoti and Tribune.

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Tribune--Movie--of--the--Weekend

Make your way to the Star Theatre on Saturday and Sunday, January 1st and 2nd, as UNSTOPPABLE comes through town. This Action/Adventure, Drama/Thriller is rated PG-13 because of sequences of action and peril, and some language. Stars include Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, etc.

A veteran engineer and a young conductor try frantically to stop a 1/2 mile long freight train that is carrying enough combustible liquids and poisonous gases to wipe out a nearby city.

Each movie is shown at 7:30 CST.

Tickets are $5.00 for everyone 13 and older. Everyone else pays $4.00. Refreshments are extremely well-priced also!

See you at the movies in 2011!!!

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Prayers and Thoughts Needed

At this time, I cannot go into any kind of detail on this subject. I do need to ask for your kind thoughts and prayers at this time. Possibly, I will be able to be more specific about the details of this later.

Thank you!!!!!!

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Blau Christmas gifts

What a Christmas we all had!!!

Grandma, Mama, both of my sisters, their families and us met at Leif and Lori's house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The company was wonderful!!! The food was outstanding!!!

Lori and Lona Sue spent HOURS UPON HOURS on their construction of handmade gifts for everyone. They were beautiful!!! Lori used her newly discovered love for crochet, knitting and loom work to proudce gifts for everyone. Lona Sue made beautiful items that she came up with with such things as ceramic tiles, etc. Everyone was thrilled! As for Mama, she bought H--U--G--E Christmas sacks that she filled all yearlong with gifts for each of us. What an array of things that she gave including everything from candy to books and toys for the little kids to cash for everyone! It took hours for everyone to open all of their gifts just as it had last year.

Earlier this month, an ENORMOUS box landed on our front porch via Fed Ex. It was from Chris and Peter. Inside it were gifts for the Christmas Children and our family. Bless Chris' heart, everything was beautifully wrapped and ready to go under the Christmas tree. Peter had been concerned that because of something that I had written on my blog, I would not enjoy one of their gifts. I have not figured out yet what I wrote because I LOVED everything!!! For my birthday you'll remember that they gave me a purple Coach bag and it's matching coin purse and key chain. I was rather embarrassed to pull out my billfold because it was nothing like the bag. That is no longer a problem as they sent me the matching billfold now! YAY!!! I also received a Coach neckscarf. Something that really tickled me was when I opened up an Estee Lauder box and discovered my all-time favorite fragrance, BEAUTIFUL! The very last box was VERY large and contained a very large glamour gold glamour bag and make-up case that carried my brand new Estee Lauder cosmetics all contained in shiny gold containers! To say that they were beautiful would not be doing them justice... They are simply exquisite!!!

I am all set now!!! I was instructed from Mama to take the cash that she gave me and go out and purchase clothes and shoes. Between them and the cosmetics and perfume, I will look much better than I have in a long time. As I mentioned before, I have really taken a skid in my appearance. I just have to start working on that and dress like someone who will make my family proud to be seen with.

Chris and Peter gave Danley a couple of Home Depot gift cards. He could not have been happier with anything else!!! He has had his eye on a couple of tools that he will now purchase PLUS we just discovered another project that we need to get done SOON. These giftcards will be a tremendous help!!!

Leighlyn received a new IPOD with all of the trimmings. She has hardly put it down since Christmas Eve!!! Abigayle received something that she has wanted for two years--an American Doll and clothes!!! She was just tickled pink when she removed the Christmas wrapping!!! They also received more clothes for themselves. I wasn't even allowed to wash them before they wore them!!! (I have this phobia against wearing new clothes that have not been laundered before we wear them. You never know who tried them on before we bought them... LOL!!!)

I don't know how Lori did it but she managed to knit the most beautiful neckscarfs for all of us except for Hunter that I have ever seen!!! She chose colors of yarn that looked great with each of our coats. I cannot believe the beauty of the new yarns out there! For Hunter, she knitted a lap robe that he just adored! There is just something about those gifts that come from your hands. As your hands are working, your heart and mind are thinking of the person whom you are making your creation for... Lori is readying herself to teach the girls and I how to crochet and use the tadpole loom! We can hardly wait!!! Maybe next Christmas, we'll be able to make treasures also!!!

Lona Sue made really neat trivots for everyone. There are no two alike. She personalized each and every one of them just for us! We all thought that she should start making them for a sideline business. They would definitely sell! Lori's knitted and crochet items are also things that so many of us would love to purchase!!! So many young people are not learning how to carry on these arts. If more of us don't learn how to do these things now, crocheting and knitting will be lost to our world just as tatting has all but disappeared.

Anyway, it was a fantastic Christmas with so much joy...

Thank You, Lord, for Your Son, Jesus, and for our family...

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Modern Day Monopoly Game

One of the few things that Leighlyn wanted for Christmas was the newly released game of Monopoly.

Instead of using cash as the previous versions had, it uses debit cards. Another difference is that new properties are used. For example, before you could purchase St. James Place, Boardwalk, etc. Now you can buy the New York City skyline and a park in Denver that we had never heard of before.

Also, players are dealing with much more money than ever before. The banker requires a debit card machine to handle any banking transactions other than property trades with other players.

We played the game the last two evenings and even though I have never been a fan of this very popular game, I really like this new one.

Thank you, Abigayle, for giving this to Leighlyn!!!

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

LadyBug Flower Shop

The LadyBug in Leoti is here to serve all of your floral needs. Give the girls a call at 620-375-2172. They provide fresh flowers and plants at all times at very inexpensive charges. They accept VISA and MASTERCARD.

They will deliver your gift for you.

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Susie Oberheim--Garden City and Leoti

Susie Oberheim
(June 13, 1932 - December 23, 2010)

Susie Oberheim, age 78, died Thursday, December 23, 2010 at the Homestead Health & Rehabilitation Center in Garden City, Kansas. She was born June 13, 1932 in Stamford, Texas the daughter of J.C. and Connie Pearl Conder Owens. A resident of Garden City since 1969 moving from Leoti, Kansas she had worked with the Meals-On-Wheels program for several years.

She was a member of the First United Methodist Church, the Godmothers, the Builders Sunday School Class and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program at the Finney County Senior Center all of Garden City, Kansas and she was a former member of the Rebekah Lodge.

On July 22, 1951 she married J.P. Oberheim in Leoti, Kansas. He died May 23, 1990 in Garden City, Kansas..

Survivors Include: One Daughter, Crystal Dailey of Kearney, Nebraska; Three Sons, Rex Oberheim of Mountain Home, Arkansas; Lee Oberheim of Garden City, Kansas, Rod Oberheim of Holcomb, Kansas and Seven Grandchildren, Two Step-Grandchildren, and One Great-Grandchild.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, James & Spohn Owens.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00pm on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church in Garden City, Kansas with the Rev. David Bell presiding.

Interment will be held in the Valley View Cemetery in Garden City, Kansas.

There will be no public calling times at the funeral home.

The family requests memorials be given to the Church in care of Price & Sons Funeral Home.


Obituary courtesy of Price and Sons Funeral Homes of Garden City, Scott City, Leoti and Tribune.

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Vera Emma Miller--Leoti and Scott City

(July 9, 1923 - December 24, 2010)


Vera Emma Miller, age 87, passed away on December 24, 2010 at Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas. Vera was born July 9, 1923 in Greeley County, Kansas the daughter of Dedrich G. and Ethel Letha Hurt Mitchell. She was a homemaker and a lifetime resident of western Kansas.

Vera was a member of the Assembly of God Church in Leoti, Kansas. In 1941 she married Raymond Melvin Miller in Greeley County, Kansas. He passed away on June 1, 1958 in Eugene, Oregon.

Vera surviving family includes- Two daughters and their husbands- Rilla & Melvin Giesick- Castle Rock, Colorado Ruth & James Bender- Wichita, Kansas Three sons and their wives- Larry & Nelda Miller- Klamath Falls, Oregon Jim & Donna Miller- Klamath Falls, Oregon Rick Miller- Leoti, Kansas One sister and her husband- Mary & Willie Pfeifer- Topeka, Kansas One nephew and his wife- Stanley & Delberta Pfeifer- Topeka, Kansas Nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren and one great great grandchild

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and one great grandson.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at Assembly of God Church, Leoti, Kansas with the Reverend Ralph W. Russo officiating.

Burial will be in Leoti Cemetery in Leoti, Kansas

Friends may call from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday and 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the Price & Sons Funeral Home in Leoti, Kansas.

Memorials may be given to the Assembly of God Church in care of the funeral home.


Obituary courtesy of Price and Sons Funeral Homes of Garden City, Scott City, Leoti and Tribune.

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Martin Torson--Scott City

Martin L. Torson - Scott City
(November 3, 1939 - December 19, 2010)

Martin L. Torson, age 71, passed away on Sunday, December 19, 2010 at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas. He was born on November 3, 1939 in Dighton, Kansas, the son of Vernon Mel and Mary Alice Teeters Torson. A resident of Scott City, Kansas since 1957 moving from Dighton, Kansas, he was a Cowboy.

He was a member of the First Christian Church and AA both of Scott City, Kansas.

On September 15, 1959 he married Mary L McEachern in Juarez, Mexico. She survives.


Survivors Include his Wife - Mary L. Torson of Scott City, Kansas, One Son - Martin & Debbie Torson, Jr. of Shawnee, Kansas, Four Daughters - Doreena & Randy Marshall of Garden City, Kansas, Becky & Lewayne Tresner of Pratt, Kansas, Joletta & Jack Mize of Bonner Springs, Kansas, Shelly & T. Barnes of Shawnee, Kansas, Four Brothers - Vernon Torson, Jr. of Dighton, Kansas, Tony Torson of Sublette, Kansas, Rickey Torson of Dighton, Kansas, Victor Torson of Dighton, Kansas, Two Sisters - Beverly Bockelman of Shields, Kansas, Melva Barnett of Dighton, Kansas, Twelve Grandchildren and Five Great Grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his Parents, One Grandson – Spencer Buck, Two Sisters and One Brother.

Memorial Services will be held at the First Christian Church in Scott City, Kansas at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 23, 2010 with Steve Payne presiding.

Inurnment will be in the Dighton Cemetery in Dighton, Kansas.

Memorials may be given to the First Christian Church % of Price & Son Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas.

Obituary courtesy of Price and Sons Funeral Homes of Garden City, Scott City, Leoti and Tribune.

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Want to Buy

I am interested in purchasing a table or desk that could be transformed into a vanity-type piece of furniture. If you have anything like this that you would be willing to sell, please post your comment here, send me an email at slblaus@gmail.com or call me at 620-375-4584.

Thank you!!!

VLE-B

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Prayer Request

A young woman, a mother of one young child, was hit by a feed truck while she was at work in Scott County on Christmas Eve. So far, what I know is that she was lifewatched to a hospital in Wichita. One of her back's vertabrae was completely cut off of her spine, her spleen was ruptured and she had bleeding on her kidneys. I would like for you to pray for her. Her name is Melissa Ivey. She is our son's biological cousin.

Thank you!!! I will try to keep you updated.

VLE-B

Friday, December 24, 2010

All Has Been Delivered

I want to thank each and every one of you who gave to our Christmas Children this year and last year!!! My family and I managed to deliver all of the gifts before 5:00 this afternoon. We were given many hugs and thank yous from most of the children.

Our son, Adam, called me shortly after we returned home. I told him that he and his siblings are the reasons that I have decided to have Christmas Children. His response? He cried and told me how proud he was that other kids don't have to face Christmas with no gifts...

From the bottom of my heart...thank you!!!

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Our Christmas Plans

Well, Christmas Eve has arrived!!!

We finished up the bulk of our Christmas shopping including the rest of the Christmas Children's shopping, yesterday. We still have some wrapping to do but that will have to wait until Stan gets off work and comes home later today. Right now, the girls and I are working on our homemade dough for cinnamon rolls that we will be taking to Leif and Lori's house this evening. Tonight, we will be enjoying wonderful time with Grandma, Mama, Leif, Lori, Lars, Lona Sue and Hunter. We are so very blessed to have such wonderful family so near to us!!! Unfortunately, Adam and Mel will not be celebrating with us this weekend. They spent Thanksgiving with us. Now, it is time for their celebration with Mel's family in Texas. We will have our Christms with them next weekend. We look forward to that!!!

After the fellowhip there, we will return home to await our secretive visit from Santa Claus. We will come home far enough in advance of Santa's visit so that our family can open gifts from one another tonight. After those gifts are all opened, we will retire to our beds.

Tomorrow morning, much cooking will be done again before we join the same people at Leif and Lori's house. Normally, we spend one day at our house and one day at their house. Because of the fact that Lori must be on oxygen this year, we all decided that it would be much simpler to enjoy all of the festivites at their house.

Tomorrow afternoon, we will follow a new family tradition for the Elders. All of the 4 kids will pass the gifts out to the recipients. Last year, we started with the youngest of the family on up to the oldest getting to open all gifts before moving on up to the next person. Leighlyn said that she would like to draw numbers this year to determine when each person opens their gifts. Last year, it took all afternoon to get the gifts all unwrapped. We had a wonderful time!!! For us, this works best because everyone gets to see the expressions on the face of the person when they see what good fortune they have with each gift!!!

I hope that each of you will have a very special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!!!

God bless each of you!!!

Stan,
Lynn,
Leighlyn,
Abigayle

Ma and Pa's Donuts and Sandwiches in Scott City

Just to let you know, Ma and Pa's will NOT be open the week of December 26th through Monday, January 3rd.

Thank you!!!

VLE-B

Update on the Christmas Family of Three Young Kids

I received word through the grapevine yesterday that the three youngest Christmas Children had another major defeat the day before yesterday. I only wish that I could lay out all of this family's information but I cannot. I can tell you that one thing the children could always depend on for being there for them was their dog. On Wednesday evening, the dog got out of their house and was struck and killed by a vehicle. Just one more slap in these children's faces...

Once I received this information, I immediately checked into dog adoption in our area. I discovered 3 or 4 dogs in Leoti and Scott City who are on death row. Any one of these dogs would have brought great joy to the kids. Stan contacted the father. He declined any of the dogs. I don't know why he turned them down. I do know that he was very hurt by the death also. Maybe he just believed that the family needed to heal before they accepted a new dog into their family.

After hearing of this disaster, I was even more determined than ever that what we do for these Christmas Children is totally important!!! I know these three kids and I can imagine what they are dealing with right now. In the next three hours, we will be delivering their gifts to them. Finally, they will will have something to look forward to--not looking backwards at the dog they soooo loved and lost.

To all of you who have given gifts to these children, I want to tell you that each and every cent that you spent on them will be worth so very much more!!!

God bless all of you!!!

VLE-B

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Christmas Travel

Earlier this week, it looked as if there would be no precipitation that could effect travel throughout Kansas for the holiday weekend. Now, it looks like we could get some snow or a bit of ice starting tomorrow (Thursday) evening. I don't think that it will amount to much but it could still slow travel down some. My advice to you would be to check out your current weather forecast before you strike out.

Travel safely!!!

VLE-B

Clarification

I appreciate each and every comment that people leave for me--most of the time. LOL!!! Of course, I am like most other people. I do not like to be criticized especially when I don't think that I deserve it...

My latest commenter made some fine points. (If you haven't already read it, you should.) One thing that was asked is if my decision to halt the blog is just for "sympathy" or not. What the commenter and you only know is what you see in print. You don't know about the phone calls and other conversations that I have with other people. If you did, you might understand my pain considerably more than what you are able to understand otherwise. Sometimes when something that someone writes to me hurts me, I call upon those closest to me for support. Sometimes I receive it. Other times, I am pegged just that much more. For instance, when I was hurt about the subject of private people should not be involved in such things as Christmas Children, I called someone to visit about it. I definitely received NO support. Instead, I was told how stupid I am for doing this. Other people's children are none of my business. Well, that is partially true but I am not the kind of person who can just sit by and do nothing to protect an innocent child from being disappointed when Santa Claus doesn't stop by his house. You see, that is how Christmas Children began for me last year. A little boy who was 8 at that time told me all about how he heard Santa Claus' sleigh land on his house the previous Christmas Eve. He was SOOOOOOOOO excited and could hardly wait to see what he had brought for his family!!! But...the next morning, he ran to his living room where no Christmas tree had been put up, only to discover that Santa Claus had left nothing. He was still devastated about that several months later when he told me the story. He simply could not understand how he was just as good a boy as his neighbors and friends but while they got gifts, he got none.

You only need to be told something like this ONE time to know that you should do everything in your power to make sure that that child and none other should have to go through that again.

Stan read my previous post when he got home from work. He did all that he could to encourage me not to give up on my blog OR on the people who make my blog a joy to write. I've thought and I've prayed about it. Right now, I think that Stan is right about what he has told me. As he pointed out to me, I need to concentrate on the people who believe in me and who genuinely enjoy and appreciate what I write. Just as I don't try to force anyone to give gifts to my Christmas Children, I don't try to force anyone to read this. So...read this if you want to. Don't if you don't want to read it. LOL!!!

You do your thing and I'll do my thing. Together, we'll make the world a more interesting place to live. Right???

VLE-B

My Final Word on the Matter

If you've been checking in on my earlier post that dealt with me having difficulty finding someone to cash a check for the Christmas Children, you know that several opinions have been stated there. At this time, I want to TRY to finalize everything on this matter.

What started out as a somewhat difficult day for me has mushroomed into a dreadful day. I am sooooooooo hurt by those of you out there who scorn me for wanting to help children in our area at Christmastime. What I did to you or anyone else to cause you to hold so much hatred and resentment for me must have been just horrible!!! I can never remember a time in my adult years when I ever tried to come up with anything to hurt anyone or anything. At this point in time, I am having physical distress at some of the comments made to hurt and belittle me. Because of my health problems, I cannot handle much of this.

I have NEVER EVER tried to force any of you to come forward and give to some area children. I thought that given the fact that I have a fairly popular blog here, that I could use it to help someone out. If you had the impression that you had to give, I apologize but I cannot see how anything I that I ever said should have given anyone that idea. Someone mentioned that donations should be given to churches and public organizations so that the help can get to the necessary people and so that the giver can also receive tax breaks. I COMPLETELY suggest that people do that if they are so inclined!!! No, I cannot offer you any tax incentives. That is not what my Christmas Children help is all about. I do this stictly on a personal level.

Maybe it is difficult for some people out there to realize that my husband, daughters, son, daughter-in-law and I do whatever we can to help the children of people out there who are having financial problems right now because we feel that that is something that we can and should do. And...we enjoy doing it!!!

After reading some of the comments this afternoon, I have come to a very painful but necessary realization--it is time for me to discontinue my blog. I am hurt extremely deeply tonight. Today, my husband and I were attacked for not having a local bank account. Quite frankly, THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!! We do encourage people to shop locally but we definitely do NOT demand that you do!!! We do our best to shop at home but I admit that we do not do all of our purchasing at home. In a small town such as Leoti, it is not always easy to find everything that you need at prices that you can afford. In the past, I have mentioned various businesses on my blog that I thought deserved to be spotlighted. I have pointed out the exterior as well as interior changes that have taken place with these businesses. Was I wrong for supporting our Wichita County businesses???

In closing, I really hope that you can think of at least one positive thing that you enjoyed about my blog. I sincerely hope that something that I wrote on here gave you a little bit of sunshine every time that you met me here. As tears are filling my eyes, I just want you to know that I enjoyed getting to meet and know many of you here! So many of you have become like family to me. To those of you, I will be missing you...

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!!!

VLE-B

Christmas Children Check

I have GREAT news to share with everyone now!!! I just received a phone call from a bank outside of Leoti. Though we have never had an account with them, they were only too happy to cash our $200.00 check for us!!! So...the check will be cashed tomorrow morning and by tomorrow evening, the rest of our Christmas Children shopping will be completed for this year!!!

VLE-B

Christmas Children Problem

I posted here last Saturday that a very kind businessman in Wichita, Kansas had called me about contributing to our Christmas Children. I received his company check yesterday in the amount of $200.00 which was just what he had promised to give. His money would have been all that we needed to complete our gifts to the local children.

Once I received his check, I discovered that no one in our county or in Scott County is willing to cash it. Not because it is a bad check but because Stan and I do not have a bank account in either of these two counties. I called various stores in Wichita and Scott County. Again, no one could help us.

My sister, Lori, suggested that I try some check cashing businesses in Garden City. One lady who works at one of them told me that she is going to try to obtain permission from her supervisor to cash it for us. Normally, they allow a person to write a personal check to the check casher. The business then cashes it when the customer's paycheck is given to the employee. Of course, there are fees for doing this. This particular case is different. So far, I have heard nothing back from the company to let me know if they will be able to help with this or not.

So, we have a great man who wants to help these children. I have his check. No one will cash it. Isn't that just GRAND???

VLE-B

Trash Pick-up in Leoti

If you are accustomed to having your home or business trash picked up on Fridays or Mondays, it will not be picked up this Friday, Christmas Eve, or next Monday, December 27th. The City of Leoti employees will be on Christmas vacation starting the evening of Thursday, December 23rd, until 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 28th.

The Wichita County Sanitary Landfill will also be closed at that time so that the Wichita County Road and Landfill employees can have the same Christmas vacation.

So...if you are interested, you may want to get to the landfill before the end of the day tomorrow, Thursday.

VLE-B

Upcoming Movies at Tribune

As you know, HARRY POTTER will be playing again this Sunday, December 26th, at 7:30 CST, at Tribune's Star Theatre. There will be no movie on Christmas Day.

UNSTOPPABLE will be playing at 7:30 CST on Saturday and Sunday, January 1st and 2nd. It will also be the January 5th matinee at 11:00 a.m., CST. Matinee tickets are $4.00 each for everyone.

I have an announcement to make! Starting in 2011, Stan and I are very proud to become two of the people who will be volunteering at the Star Theatre!!! I cannot tell you when we will be working. A schedule is drawn up and the volunteers work on a rotation basis. Stan and I are VERY proud to be doing our part in keeping this amazing theatre up and going!!! Without volunteer workers, there is no way that the theatre could retain these minimal admission and refreshment prices.

VLE-B

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Update from Mr. and Mrs. Rene Mora

I received a phone call from Mrs. Mora yesterday. I want to share her information with all of you now.

They have found a new home in Leoti. They plan on moving into it as soon as possible. It does not have everything such as appliances and a water heater that they need in order to live in it right now.

She was also happy to tell me that someone just gave them a bed and dresser for their bedroom and a TV set.

I will be updating the original post that I made on my blog of things that they are in need of to begin their lives over again since they lost their home and it's contents to fire earlier this month. If you have any items or money that you want to give, please call Mrs. Mora at 620-214-2129 or call me at 620-375-4584 or 376-8922. You can also email me at slblaus@gmail.com .

Thank you for any help that you can give to the Mora family!!! They did not have any homeowners insurance so they will not be having any insurance checks coming in to help with the replacement of anything. You'll remember that they lost everything except for their clothes and three cooking pans.

VLE-B

January 5th through the 19th

I received word last night that it is official now, Chris and Peter will be making their first trip to none other than Afghanistan in 2011. They will land there on the 5th and will not leave until the 19th as far as they know right now.

They will, of course, not be on the front lines but they will be able to spend time with the soldiers and let them know that they are in complete support of what they are doing for us.

Of course, not all of us can do this. Just a very people are allowed to do so. Once they submitted their paperwork to do this, the proper government agencies went through it with a fine tooth comb.

As you'll remember, Chris and Peter make several trips every year to Africa to help with the ongoing plight of so many of the African people who live in tent cities (refugee camps).

Please pray for Peter and Chris!!!

VLE-B

AMAZING CHRISTMAS GIFTS!!!

I have known about this for almost a month now. I chose not to mention it here until I had the proper permission to do so. Though I speak with this responsible couple very often, I kept forgetting to ask until last night. Now, I will share the news with all of you!!! In addition to what I am about to disclose here, I want you to know that they are two chief contributors to our Christmas Children and have been for the past two years. They provide so much joy to each of these kids...

Unless you have been napping under a rock for the past several years, you are fully aware of the fact that we are at war with Iraq and Afghanistan. No one has given as much to this fight as the men and women who are actually fighting the war and their families who are back here hoping and praying that their loved ones there will be returning home sometime soon, alive and healthy.

The public is invited to be involved at any time to give their thanks to each of these soldiers and their families. The bulk of us choose to be involved at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Others continue to do their part yearround.

Chris and Peter are people who help our soldiers all year long. One of those ways is extremely emotional. They belong to an organization that is notified every time one of our courageous men and women is killed in combat. Lately, they have been receiving more of this information than at any time since this war has begin in 2001. Once they have the information, they sit down, pen in hand, and write a letter to the surviving loved ones and tell them how much they appreciated the dedication that the solider had for his/her country and give their heartfelt sympathy for the family left behind.

But, not all of their support is given in times of sadness. Every year, they go through massive information of soldiers and and their families who are on a list to be adopted by members of the public at Christmas. This year, Chris and Peter eventually chose three families. All of them are headed by men who are currently serving overseas. One of these men is currently in Afghanistan. None of the men will be home for the most beautiful holiday of the year.

As they went through their information, they discovered that each of these men make a total of $600 to $900 per month. One man is a Marine, one man is in the Army nad one man is in the Navy. None of these men's families live close to the bases. None of these families own a vehicle that they can use to get to the bases to take advantage of lower priced foods and supplies. To say that they are barely getting by financially, would be a definite understatement.

When you join this organization to adopt a soldier, you are asked to donate a $20-30 gift for each child in the family and to give the parent at home $50.00 to spend on their family's Christmas dinner. That was not good enough for these families that Chris and Peter adopted. Instead, early this month, Peter purchased three 2011 Ford Explorers that will be given to each family. Still, that was not good enough. They have purchased gift after gift for everyone in the family. Each gift is beautifully wrapped. The gift purchasing is not complete until there are enough gifts to go from the floorboards to the ceiling in each vehicle. The only place in each vehicle that is empty is the driver's seat. Chris and Peter will have their assistant, Martin, deliver each vehicle to each family on Christmas Eve. (All families live in California.) At that time, Martin will film the family as they discover their gifts. Then, the footage will be given to Chris and Peter. I can hardly wait to see the footage! Chris and Peter will be sending it to our family to see also!!!

Footnote: I have written several posts on Chris and Peter on my blog. Chris is the former Chris Campbell of Leoti. Her mother was Joann Campbell who owned a major insurance firm here. Local family members here include Iona Dierks, Jana Simon, Ruth Ritter, Kim Watt and Matt and Lisa Dierks.

Peter M. is from a very well-known and distinguished family from back East. I prefer not to disclose their name at this time. Just know that if I did, you would definitely know who am I talking about.

I just want to express my love and admiration to Chris and Peter who are doing so much for our soldiers...

VLE-B

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas Eve

This year, Christmas Eve is on a Friday. Many offices and businesses will be closing down for the holiday. You may want to do your business with stores, companies, offices, etc before Friday unless you can wait for next Monday.

VLE-B

Reader From Kansas City

I just received an email from a man who lives in Kansas City. His first name is William. He emailed me to see if I was related to another Elder. I am! She is one of my favorite aunts!!! The lady is William's cousin! Just more proof that this world of ours is smaller than we might think...

VLE-B

Turtle Update

Awhile back, I told you of a turtle that the girls had discovered in our lilac bush. Eventually, we set him free so that he could dig a hole to hibernate in for the Winter. I assumed that that is where our story would end. I was mistaken...

It is windy but rather warm for this time of the year--59. It seemed too nice of a day not to take advantage of it to gather trash that has blown into our front yard this Fall. While the girls were gathering trash around our ornamental pond, they discovered that our little reptile friend was in desperate danger. He had evidentally seen the water which was far from the top of the pond, gone in to get a drink and found it impossible to return to the ground above.

The girls called me right over. If we left him where he was, he would probably die. OH, HOW THAT POND WATER STUNK!!! Trash and weeds had blown into the stagnate water. To say that the odor was nauseating is an understatement.

I got the hoe and was able to pull the turtle from the bottom of the pond. He was hardly moving anymore. I assume that this was probably due to the extreme cold. Ice was on top of the water. And I am also sure that he was hungry. Leighlyn ran into the house and got a carrot and chopped it up. About an hour later, he was beginnig to move a bit and he had eaten 2 pieces of the carrot. We put him in a plastic box that we laid on its side and hid him in the lilac bush. Hopefully, he will be fine soon.

As for the pond, we poured water into it until it was full and the water was clear. Now, dogs, cats, etc can get a drink there this Winter whenever necessary. We are also going to put out more birdfeed for the birds. With no rain or snow, we need to do our best to water and feed the wildlife as possible...

VLE-B

Squirrel Patrol

This morning was spent in running errands with Grandma in Scott City. After we returned to Leoti, Mama needed to run a couple of her own errands here. We decided to take a short ride in town to check out Christmas decorations. Of course, they are not nearly as pretty in the daylight but we still enjoyed them.

While we were out on our ride, we came across--or should I say--under a brave squirrel that must be training for a circus somewhere. He was doing a trapeze act on an electrical wire stretched across a street. We thoroughly enjoyed his routine so we parked and watched him for several minutes. (Boy, life in Leoti must seen very exciting to those of you who do not live in Leoti. LOL!!!) There were a few times when we wished that a firetruck was nearby to rescue the brave little guy. There were a few times when we feared that we would watch him fall to his death. He walked for at least another 50 feet before he found a nice tree that was sorta adjoined to his high wire. It was good to see him leave the wire!

As we drove around for another 15 minutes, we came across a couple of squirrels playing in a yard and a beautiful albino squirrel who had found some grain in the middle of the street. We were concerned that he would be run over as he refused to move to allow us to pass where he was standing. Again we parked and watched him as he entertained us. Once his grain was eaten, he scampered to a yard and disappeared up a tree.

For many years, Leoti had no squirrels. A few years ago, someone must've brought a pair to town. Little by little, they are reproducing and moving throughout Leoti neighborhoods. Most of us are enjoying them! However, there are others who claim to have a fondness for their flavor. Because of those people, I am not going to give any details of these particular squirrels' whereabouts. LOL!!!

VLE-B

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmas Children Update

I know that a couple of you are planning on bringing your gifts over for the Christmas Children sometime this week. I just want you to know that we will NOT be at home tomorrow, Monday. The girls and I are taking Mama and Grandma out of town for the day. We will also be out-of-town on Thursday and most of Friday. We should be home most of the days and evenings on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It might be best if you call me at 620-375-4584 or 620-376-8922 to let me know when you want to come over. You can also email me at slblaus@gmail.com . I usually check our email several times a day and evening. Please know that we are very willing to come to your house at a time that is convenient for you to pick them up.

Again, we sooo appreciate all of your kindness and generosity!!!

VLE-B

Oven Question

We purchased our new kitchen stove less than 2 years ago. Until now, it has been GREAT! But, today, I am preparing turkey and homemade noodles (from my Grandmother Elder's recipe that is over 100 years old!) We'll also be serving mashed potatoes and Stan's mom's recipe for WONDERFUL pumpkin bars. Everything is cooked on top of the stove except for the pumpkin bars. So, Abigayle and I mixed up the batter, placed it into the pans, popped them into the oven that was supposed to be preheated. Instead, it was only 100 degrees. Does anyone have any idea what is wrong??? We're taking dinner over to Grandma's house tonight. Looks like we might be baking the bars at her house...

VLE-B

7 Day Weather Forecast

Of course, if you live in Western Kansas, it is very easy to find out what our forecast is. I mainly post this here for my viewers who do not live here. They may not even live in the U. S. I just think that they might find it interesting to know what our weather is like right now. Last night, our 8-year-old daughter asked me if I knew that while we are having Winter here, people in China are having Summer. Kinda difficult for a child her age to comprehend...

Unfortunately, I can see no sign of any snow or rain in our immediate future... But then again, Christmas miracles have, can and will continue to happen!!! If it does not snow, travelors should have no problem getting through Western Kansas.

You will notice that there is a range for the predicted highs and lows. The first number is what is predicted for Northwest Kansas. The second number is the prediction for Southwest Kansas. Here, in Leoti, we are basically on the line that seperates Northwest Kansas from Southwest Kansas.

Sunday: Highs: 48-49 Lows: 24-27 Mostly sunny

Monday: Highs: 53-62 Lows: 22-26 Mostly sunny

Tuesday: Highs: 45-46 Lows: 20-22 Partly sunny

Wednesday: Highs: 40-45 Lows: 22-29 Partly to mostly cloudy

Thursday: Highs: 43-45 Lows: 18-24 Mostly cloudy

Christmas Eve: Highs: 36-36 Lows: 14-18 Partly sunny

Christmas Day: Highs: 36-38 Lows: ??-?? Sunny

VLE-B

Blokus

Blokus is one of those boardgames that all can enjoy playing!!! It is ended for 1-4 players. Anyone who enjoys strategy challenges will get a kick out of it. It consists of small pieces so children, 3 and under, should not be allowed to play with it.

There are very simple rules which only take a minute to learn. But... that does not mean that there is no challenge to it! Beginners and experts will enjoy it over and over again.

For more information, please go to the following website:

www.mattel.com

This just may be the best gift you give or receive this year!!!

VLE-B

Spy Alley

I just felt obligated to mention this here in case you are still shopping for loved ones who enjoy a good game! We received gifts this week that were intended for Christmas. Two of the games were to go to our whole family. The girls bugged us until we finally gave in yesterday and allowed them to open just those two. One game was William Stephenson's Spy Alley. Spy Alley is a registered trademark of Spy Alley Partners, L.L.P. of Maple Grove, MN.

This game can be played by 2 to 6 spies and is intended for people from 8 on up. It is NOT intended for children from 3 on down as it contains very small items that can pose choking hazards.

Spy Alley has received major awards including the following:
1. MENSA Select
2. Australian Game of the Year
3. Family Life's Best Learning Toy
4. Parents' Choice
5. Games Magazine Top 100

Now, I am not always a big game fan but I thoroughly enjoyed this one!!!

You can learn more about this game of suspense and intrigue by going to

www.spyalley.com .

In some ways, it is similar to Monopoly but the approximate playing time is only 45 minutes. This is one of those games that young and old enjoy!!!

VLE-B

Dirty Falls and Winters

Homeowners and renters are always encouraged to change out their heaters' air filters at least once a month. If they have a permanent filter, it needs to be rinsed out and dried every month also. Right now, it is also very important to check those filters more often if you live in an area such as our's where it has been so dry this season. You may need to change it more frequently than monthly. There is so much dust floating in our area since we have no moisture to keep it where it belongs. By doing this, you will help your heater to run more efficiently and may help people in your home who suffer with allergies and asthma. The allergens just continue to build up in your filters and are then transmitted into the air we breathe.

VLE-B

RBSES Christmas Program

You may have noticed that I have not been updating my blog as I normally do. There have been various reasons for that I hope will be resolved soon. During this period of time, I did not mention my report on this Christmas program. I apologize for that!

The 5th and 6th grade band performed at the beginning of the program. We enjoyed their music. I was really impressed with the students' posture and ability to hold their instruments in the proper method, both, during the time that they were playing as well as when they were not playing in particular areas of the songs. Looks like Mr. Allen Brockmeier is teaching them well so that they will become the same outstanding bands that we have grown accustomed to in his high school classes!

The high school auditorium was packed with parents, grandparents, etc. Students from kindergarten through the 6th grade showed us their musical talent. Kindergartners are always so very cute to watch! They provided us with ample reasons for laughter! More importantly was the fact that even these little kids sang their words very clearly. It is always sad to see them walk off of the stage... It's nice to know that there will be a fresh crop of kindergartners for next year's Christmas program! LOL!!!

Next, came The Twelve Days of Christmas musical. The balance of the grade school students performed in it. Their production was just excellent! Again, their words were loud and clear. I mention this because I have attended other grade school programs throughout my 49 years that did not produce understandable lyrics. Those programs really lack a lot for the audiences in attendances. Again, Mrs. Jayme (Brown) Bishop has outdone herself!!!

Wichita County is so fortunate to have excellent music instructors to teach our children who love to make music even better!!!

VLE-B

Butterball Turkey Product

I reported earlier this year about the fact that Seaboard Foods had purchased the famous Butterball Turkey Company. I had hoped that we might receive some turkey with our Christmas meat package that Seaboard gives to their employees each year. I got my wish! Along with our pound of applewood bacon and a teriyaki tenderloin, was a Butterball turkey breast.

The breast portion weighed approximately 1 pound. It was precooked. You just needed to heat it in the oven for about 30 minutes. When Stan pulled it out of the oven, he sliced it into about 10 thick slices. The meat was juicy and delicious!

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this to small families, couples or singles. Any extra meat can be refrigerated and used for sandwiches or noodles.

VLE-B

Winter Maintenance of New Trees and Shrubs

In areas where an abundance of moisture falls from the skies, this tip is not necessary. In areas like Kansas which have not received much or any moisture this Fall, you might want to do this. I picked this up from a Wichita, Kansas news channel earlier this week.

Your perennial plants will probably be okay. However, if you just planted shrubs or trees this past Summer or Fall, it might be in your best interest to water them thoroughly right now. Chances are that their roots have not grown enough to reach pools of water below the earth's surface. If you have turned off your yard water for Winter, carry 5 gallons of water to each plant. This could make the difference between your plant living or dying.

VLE-B

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Tribune--Movie--of--the--Weekend

Don't forget that the Star Theatre will be showing the latest Harry Potter movie tonight, tomorrow and Sunday, December 26th. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS will be showing each evening at 7:30 CST. The movie's synopsis, etc is located elsewhere on my blog.

Children, 12 and under: $4.00
Everyone else pays $5.00.

Don't forget to sign up for the Greeley County Chapter of FFA's ham which will be given away on Monday, December 20th!

See you at the movies!!!

VLE-B

Answer to Prayers for Christmas Children

Last year, we had little trouble accumalating much wanted gifts for Leoti's Christmas Children. Ten local children were served and ten children were THRILLED with their gifts!!!

This year, we are only trying to give to a total of 8 children. Times have gotten tougher all over the nation. Many families will be having to give less to their own families. Therefore, fewer people are able to give to children whom they normally would not be thinking of at Christmas time. All of this is totally understandable. I have been lying awake at night worrying about how we were going to help all of the children sufficiently. The people who are helping are being very generous in their gifts. I can't thank them enough!!! Our only problem is that the gift-givers are not as plentiful this year as what we had last year. Because of my fears, I have been praying about this.

Well, this morning, I received a phone call from a business in Wichita, Kansas. The gentleman at the other end of the line owns a business there that employs 6 people. I gave him the generalized information for all of the children except for their names, of course. I was floored when this man told me that he is sending us a $200.00 check to be used for our Christmas Children!!! His check should be here before mid-week--just in time for us to finish up our shopping for all of the kids!

In turn, I wanted him to give me information on his business so that I could post that right here. I always think that one good turn deserves another. The gentleman declined my request. He explained that he was not looking for advertisement possibilities. He just wants to help some good kids out here who deserve a good Christmas!!!

I just had to pass my prayers' answer out to all of you!!!

Merry Christmas to one and all!!!

VLE-B

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Casual Observation

Why is it that during the season that surrounds our Savior's birth, when the mood should be light, cheery and full of great promise, is it that so many people choose to stomp and tromple on others??? No. I am not referring to the crazy Black Friday-type mania!!! I am talking about the people's feelings and over-all make-up.

Bah Humbug!!!

VLE-B

Another Blog Moment in Time...

Time after time, I have written about our home on my blog. I am very proud of our house and enjoy showing it off to others! But, right now, I am a bit concerned about our living room. Our front door opens up to our foyer. From the foyer, you end up in the living room.

Normally, our living room is nice and roomy but once we bring out the Christmas tree, we find that it is difficult to place it with all of the furniture and not have it looking cramped. I DO NOT like that at all!!! Right now, we have our large closed up entertainment armoire sitting right next to our large curio cabinet with nothing else between the two. This is not how I like to have everything set up!!!!! So, yesterday morning, I decided to move the curio cabinet into our bedroom until after Christmas. Fine. Right? Wrong! It took me 45 MINUTES to move the curio just four feet in the living room. Once I finally got it to one of the archways that seperate the living room from the dining room and kitchen, I had to remove the floor's moulding that covers the point where our wood floor meets the kitchen's ceramic tiled floor. Eventually, I managed to push the cabinet all of the way down the hallway and angled it off to go through our bedroom doorway. Great! Right? Wrong!

All of a sudden, the cabinet made contact with something hard and refused to budge. For 4 HOURS yesterday afternoon, I tried this and I tried that to get the cabinet through our bedroom door to no avail.

Folks, during this whole day, I was wearing my night gown. I am not accustomed to wearing my night clothes all day but I could not get into our bedroom so that I could change my clothes because of the blockage that I put there! I continued to try this and to try that. Still, nothing changed. I had it wedged into the doorway just well enough that it was impossible for me to pull it out. A few minutes before 4:00, Leighlyn, Abigayle and Danny got home from school. I asked Leighlyn to come and take a look at "my project" and see if she could figure out how to get the cabinet pushed in to the bedroom or pulled out of the doorway. Unfortunately, she had no advice either. I had her stand on our kitchen step ladder to see what in the world we were up against. Unfortunately, even with the aid of the ladder, she could not see the top, let alone, what was on the other side of the cabinet...

It was at that point that I decided to see if Danny wanted to be adventurous. He was only TOO happy to help!!! He climbed as high as the ladder would take him. Then, Leighlyn and I boosted him the rest of the way upwards. He climbed onto the furniture's top and quickly realized that the corner of the cabinet was up against one side of the doorway.

So...try as we had, this cabinet was not going into the bedroom without us tearing the wall down. But...then Danny told us that his body was S-T-U-C-K on the cabinet!!! He couldn't go forward because his head would become stuck. He couldn't go backwards or sideways because he was afraid of falling. I did all that I could to bring him down safely but nothing worked.

Stan is training a new truckdriver this week and was having to work later than normal. Both of us were supposed to help prepare and serve food for the GAP kids at church last night. I was STILL in my night gown and Leighlyn refused to let me out of the house until I was dressed a bit better. (Boy! She is particular!!! I also offered to wear my infamous moo moo to which she exclaimed "NO WAY!!!")

It was obvious that we had no other choice than to call Danny's father, Gonzalo, over to rescue him. I made that phone call to Gonzalo. Gonzalo began laughing as soon as I explained this his son was stuck on top of our cabinet! Gonzalo came right over, climbed up the ladder and rescued his son!!! He then did some checking and told me that there was no way that the curio cabinet was going into our bedroom unless we brought it through one of bedroom windows.

Now don't you go thinking that we would never do such a redneck thing, because we would and WE HAVE done just that!!! A little over a year ago, we could not get a certain sofa through the front door so...we did the next best thing--took out one of the windows. Gonzalo and I stayed in the house while Stan and Justin and another guy lifted the sofa up to the window at which time, Gonzalo and I pulled it onto the inside of the house!!! Can you imagine the laughter that our neighbors and passersby must have enjoyed at that sight??? LOL!!!

Well, the curio cabinet has been returned to it's unrightful place next to the armoire in the living room. Chances are that it will remain there until the day after Christmas when the tree, etc are taken down and put away for another year.

As for me and my clothes, once the cabinet was moved back to the living room, I was able gain entry into our bedroom again. I put on a pair of jeans and the "red velour' shirt that Mama had gotten for me to wear for the holidays. I sure got some funny looks from people at church when they saw my "fashionable shirt" but, at least, I did not embarass Leighlyn by wearing my night gown or moo moo. LOL!!!

Stan gets so irritated with me for worrying what our guests will think when they come over and the furniture is not set up "just right"... Hmmm, just another joy Stan gets to have for being married to me!!!

VLE-B

Two Additional Christmas Children

I just received a phone call alerting me that there are 2 teenaged boys who could use gifts that they otherwise will not be receiving. Here is their information in case you can give:

17-year-old: He loves music, movies and art

15-year-old: He is also into music, movies, model cars and trucks, etc.

As always, these boys live in Leoti. We can deliver those gifts at anytime before Christmas.

If you are interested in helping them, please let me know.

VLE-B

Christmas Plants and Flower Arrangements

Well, Folks, we only have 9 days before Christmas. I know that some of you will want to send some plants or flowers to the ones whom you love in Wichita County. Well, let me recommend the LadyBug Flower and Gift Shop in Leoti. They only sell the best and the freshest at unbelievably great prices!!! They also deliver your gift!!!

Call them at 620-375-2172. They accept credit and debit cards over the phone or in person.

They are open until 5:00, Monday through Friday, and until noon on Saturdays.

Your loved ones will get a thrill out of what you send them from the LadyBug!!!

VLE-B

Don't forget!!!

Tonight is the RBSES Christmas concert. It starts at 7:00 at the Wichita County High School auditorium. Come one! Come all!

Our daughter, Abigayle, who is a second grader, will have a speaking part in their Christmas musical!!! She will be dressed as a ballerina doll.

Hoping to see you there!!!

VLE-B

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Microwave Kettle Corn

Our family thoroughly enjoys our time spent at the Outlet Mall in Castle Rock, Colorado (between Denver and Colorado Springs). Every summer, a cart is pushed out onto the outdoor patio. Employees make just the best kettle corn there! Of course, since it is delicious, a lot of us buy it!!!

In the past couple of years, various companies have come out with microwaveable kettle corn. The girls and I always get excited about it--until we taste it. It simply does not compare with that at Castle Rock.

Last Saturday, Danley and Leighlyn went to Mel's to purchase a few groceries. When they returned, Leighlyn told me that they had bought a box of kettle corn. Hmmm...I was not too enthused and did not try it until yesterday afternoon when I was close to starving to death! LOL!!! As soon as I had eaten a few popped kernels, I was hooked!!! We'll be buying our fair share of it from now on on!

Just in case you are interested, here are all of the details:

Shurfine Microwave Popcorn
Kettle Corn Sweet and Salty
3 bags-3.3 oz each bag

Try it! I think that you'll like it! (Just make sure that you leave some for us!!!) LOL!!!

Have a popping good day!!!

VLE-B

Wichita County Fair and Rodeo

You might think that I am a bit premature in posting the 2011 dates for the next fair and rodeo but, really, I am not. Our fair becomes more and more popular with every passing year. Believe me, not all fairgoers live in Wichita County. For those of you who do not and want to make arrangements to join us in 2011, the fair is scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th.

AND, if you are wanting to reserve a room at the Hi-Plains Motel in Leoti, you need to do it right away as they book quickly for the fair! Their phone number is 620-375-2239 AND 620-375-4438.

Here is a list and phone numbers of Wichita County Bed and Breakfasts. The B and B's tend to fill quicker because they cannot handle nearly as many guests as Hi Plains.

Pleasant Valley: 620-375-2874 (Ken and Sue Schwindt)

Vic and Deb Case B and B: 620-375-4561

Leta Berning and Kathy Bangerter's B and B: 620-375-2200 AND 620-375-2651

I have heard that there is another B and B north of Leoti. Until I know that that is correct, I will not be posting that information.

Leoti is 24 miles from Scott City, 21 miles from Tribune and 60 miles from Garden City. If you do not get reservations booked right away, you will have no other choice but to stay that far from Leoti.

One of the many reasons that people come from literally all over the world is because we offer 25 cent tickets! Each and every ride and game requires just ONE ticket!!!

Maybe even more importantly is the fact that all of the people who operate and service these rides live right here. They are people whom you can afford to trust with your children!!! Many of the county's people come together to produce the fair and do not get paid for it. That is why tickets are only 25 cents. The money made is used to purchase fuel, electricity and new rides.

Once here, you will find that various local churches and organizations produce food for all to enjoy right on the fairgrounds. Again, everything is priced very fairly.

If your class graduated in any year that ends with a "1", chances are that your class will be holding a reunion this year. They are always held during the fair in Leoti. For example: 1931, 1941, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001 are the classes that should be getting togther this year. Don't forget that some classes meet on the 5th, 25th and 50th anniversary also!

Don't forget to make those calls right away!!!

Hope to see you there!!!

VLE-B

Just a reminder...

You won't wanna miss the RBSES Christmas Program tomorrow evening (Thursday), at 7:00. It will be held at the high school auditorium. There is NO admission charge and EVERYONE is invited to attend!!!

See you there!!!

VLE-B

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Wichita County Schools Powerschool Account(s)

Wichita County began using this amazing POWERSCHOOL program a couple of years ago. Parents who are set up on this account can go online ANYTIME to see just how well their child(ren) is/are doing in all of their school subjects. It also gives you a detailed account of their current lunch and milk money. Each of the teachers can choose to post a comment about your child if they want to. Amongst other things, parents can go online to see how many days your child has not been in school this quarter/semester, etc. Parents can also sign up for having the child's daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly grades, etc sent directly to their email address automatically. We choose to have these details sent out once a week. So, we usually have them in our email box early Monday mornings. Of course, you can check things out any day at any time!

Recently, you may have noticed that this information is not in your email box. This is due to the fact that parents whom have several students here were complaining about too much POWERSCHOOL email. Mr. Nathan Brown who is in charge of POWERSCHOOL, has gone onto this program and changed things so that once you complete the new online form, you will only receive one piece of email that consists of all of the details for all of your students. At the top of the new form, you will find all of your children's names. Click on the name of the child whom you want the information on.

To get everything re-set, please go to:

http://powerschool.leoti.org

Once there, the directions are very easy to fill out. You will need your child's user name and password that the school sent to parents early in the school year. If you do not have that information, you can contact Mr. Brown at the high school. That phone number is 620-375-2213. Just leave a message for him and he will call you back.

Hope that this helps you!!!

VLE-B

BBQ Pork in a Crockpot

1 10-12 pound Boston pork roast (Or ask your butcher what a good substitute would be for this cut of meat.)

1 large bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke

1 small onion; chopped OR 2 tablespoons of dried onion flakes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

hamburger buns

condiments such as ketchup, mustard, pickles, sliced onions, etc

__________________________________________________________________________


Place your roast into the crockpot. Set crockpot on LOW.

In a seperate bowl, combine the BBQ sauce, Liquid Smoke and chopped onion. Mix well. Pour this mixture over the roast.

Cook the roast until it is done and tender. This will usually take from 6-8 hours. Once the meat is tender, drain off the fat. (This might be easier if you remove the meat first. Once this has been done, place the roast back into the crockpot. If desired. you can add more of the same kind of bottled BBQ sauce.

You can either eat the pork just as it is or spoon it onto hamburger or hot dog buns. Top with ketchup, mustard, pickle slices or onion slices if you want to.

VLE-B

Monday, December 13, 2010

Dry...Dry...Dry...

A local television station's newsroom reported during their noon hour show today that it is now official. Today is the 25th day in a row since ANYONE in the state of Kansas has received any measurable moisture. That is an exceptionally bitter pill to swallow when we hear of the system that dropped 2 feet plus of snow in various areas of the country such as Minnesota just last week. Area wildlife is finding it more difficult to find drinking water in their habitats.

My solution??? Pray! Pray! PRAY!!!

I think that many, if not most of us in our area, would be THRILLED to wake up to a beautiful white Christmas!!!

VLE-B

Wichita County Schools Semester Test Schedules

The junior high students will be reporting to their regular classes on Thursday, at which time, they will be taking any required semester tests. They will remain at school for the entire day. They will NOT be having any school on Friday.

The senior high students will be reporting to school on Thursday whenever they have assigned tests. I THINK that the odd-numbered houred classes will take their required tests on Thursday. On Friday, the students who have to take tests will report for the rest of their tests. All testing will be completed for them by noon.

VLE-B

Wichita County School Schedule of Events

This is the final school week of 2010. YAY!!! Here are the planned events for this week. The teachers will return to school on Monday, January 3rd for a Teacher Work Day. Students do not return until Tuesday, January 4th. Report cards will not be distributed until Wednesday, January 5th.

Monday:
4-H meets this evening

At 3:30, the High School Scholars Bowl will be at Winona.

At 5:00. the Junior High Basketball Team will be playing against the Syracuse Bulldogs at Leoti.

At noon, the USD 467 School Board will be meeting.

Eligibilty of the WCJR/SRHS students will be announced.


Tuesday:
High School Basketball game at Oakley at 4:45


Thursday:
7:00 RBSES Winter Concert at the WCJR/SRHS Auditorium

Friday:
End of 1st semester (report cards do NOT come out until the first week of January.)

5:00 the Stanton County Trojans Basketball Team takes on the WCHS Indians in Leoti

All RBSES Christmas parties are held in each classroom at the grade school.

Saturday:
Leoti wrestlers will be performing in Goodland starting at 9:00 a.m.

Christmas Break officially begins on Monday, December 20th. There is NO sports practice on December 23rd through the 27th.

VLE-B

Leoti's Results for the Scott County Basketball Tournament Held Last Week

The tournament is over and the results are now finalized. Here is what I learned today when I called the WCJR/SRHS Secretary, Mrs. Kelley Matteson:

There were a total of 6 boys teams who performed in the tournament. Leoti took 6th place.

There were 7 girls teams who participated. Out of those 7 teams, the Leoti girls took 3rd place. YAY!!!

At the end of the tournament, an honor team is formed. This team does not actually play any future games with one another. It is just a great honor to be selected to it. I am happy to say that out of the ten girls chosen from all over, Hannah Mehl and Riley Matteson, were chosen to be on the All-Tournament Team!!!

VLE-B

Stan???

For awhile, our nephew, Hunter, has been telling us that he sees a man who looks just like my Danley in Garden City quite often. He does not know who he is. Last week, Mama and Lori happened upon the same person. They were dumbfounded by the fact that these two men could be identical twins!!!

Anyway, there is a saying that claims that we all have an identical twin somewhere in the world. Well, it seems that Stan's must live in GC--just an hour away from Leoti.

Of course, Stan and I would love to meet this gentleman who even sports a beard just like my Danley. Word of warning...if you meet this man on the street and he does not respond to you as you would expect to be acknowledged from Stan, please do not get your feelings hurt. Chances are that you just met his double!!!

VLE-B

Tribune--Movie--of--the--Weekend

The famed story of Harry Potter continues now with the 7th edition of HARRY POTTER, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, which will be playing at Tribune's Star Theatre on Saturday and Sunday, December 18th and 19th, AND on Sunday, December 26th. There will NOT be a show on Christmas. Each showing will be at 7:30 CST.

This is the 7th and final adventure of the Harry Potter series told in 2 full-length movies. Part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the Horcruxes--the keys to Voldemort's immortality. On their own, without the guidance or protection of their professors, the three friends must rely on one another more than ever before. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart...

Meanwhile, the Wizarding World has become a dangerous place for all enemies of the Dark Lord. The long feared war has just begun and Voldemort's Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, who are terrorizing and arresting anyone who might become the opposition...

Stars include Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, etc...

All people 13 and older, pay $5.00 each. Everyone else pays $4.00 each. As always, refreshments are very fairly priced.

See you at the movies!!!

VLE-B

RBSES Christmas Program

Just a reminder that the grade school's Christmas program is this Thursday, December 16th, at 7:00 CST, at the high school auditorium. The "stars" of the show are kindergartners through 6th grade. Vocal as well as instrumental music will be shared with the audience.

Their music teacher is Mrs. Bishop. Mr. Brockmeier is the band teacher of the interested 5th and 6th graders.

You'll be in for quite a production!!!

VLE-B

Christmas Angel Trees, Etc.

I was just told about this for the third or fourth time this year and think that this is more information that I need to give to you.

All of those people have told me that some people are trying to pass rubbage on to us at such places as American banks where you can choose the age, sex and Christmas want or need of a person who is signed up to receive Christmas gifts. These "children" are supposed to be kids who will not be receiving any Christmas gifts unless we are able to provide them. In most cases, the children are from financially stressed families.

All of these complaints that I have received so far, claim that these "children" are in need of "adult-sized clothing, etc". If you have found something like this at your bank, please take it to an employee of the bank for additional clarification. Of course, that angel might very well belong to a child who wears adults clothing. Unfortunately, the people whom I have heard from have told me that when they asked for more information on this child, the banks did more research and discovered that the angels had been given to very young children. At that point, the bank employee and the potential giver determined that the parent of one of these kids was actually trying to get clothes for himself or herself.

This is a very honorable service that our banks provide for area citizens. In most cases, these gifts get to whom they were intended--people 18 years of age and younger. But, we all need to know that there are always those people who take advantage of the system of kindness.

Not only do some people who sign up for angel trees "steal" from the good-hearted, so do others who claim that without your help, their kids will receive nothing. My advice to you on that matter, is to do some research of your own. If you learn that the parents drive nice vehicles, engage in such activities as smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products, brag about producing daily meals that consist of foods that YOU cannot afford to give to your own families, or if their kids have better clothes or "luxury items" such as Blackberries, IPODS, etc. than what you can afford to provide for your own children, or children who belong to parents who choose to be unemployed and just live off of the welfare system, etc. and the kindness of others in the community, my advice to you is NOT to purchase anything for that family. Use that money for someone who REALLY deserves the gifts. If you do not know the family personally, do some checking around with others who do. You'd be surprised at how much information some of these "needy families" will ignorantly place on FACEBOOK, TWEETER, MYSPACE, etc... What they write usually says it all...

So, my advice to all of you is to USE CAUTION when considering your gift-giving to people whom are seemingly less fortunate than you this Christmas season... Personally, if you have considered giving gifts to my blog's Christmas Children, please contact me for additional information on these 6 children.

620-375-4584 620-376-8922 slblaus@gmail.com

VLE-B

Not All Gift Cards are Created Equally!!!

I learned an important lesson yesterday and want to pass that knowledge on to all of you.

If you are under the same illusion that I was, you think that ALL companies who offer gift cards, charge a fee to activate that card. Usually, that is somewhere between $4.00 and $5.00. NOW I know that if you purchase a gift card from the only company that that card can be used such as Wal-Mart, TARGET, etc, those cards are free of charge. You just pay for the face value of the card. In many cases, YOU decide how much money you want that card to be worth. Maybe you want to make that card worth $5.00. Maybe $500.00. It's all up to you. And...the card is reloadable at any time. That works especially well for college students. They keep the card and their loved ones can return to the store at anytime to put additional money on it!!!

Just something that I thought some of you might be interested in knowing...

VLE-B

Home Depot's Cyber Monday

If you have been planning on taking advantage of Cyber Monday savings at Home Depot, you need to know that today, December 13th, is the last day to do that. To go to their online store, please go to: www.homedepot.com . Order now and your items will be here BEFORE Christmas!!! I do not know this for sure, but if HD is like many other companies, you can make arrangements to have your gifts sent directly to the front door of the person whom you are buying for. That works great for those loved ones who you will not be seeing for Christmas! Don't forget that Home Depot also sells gift cards for any gift giving needs!!!

You can still receive F--R--E--E shipping on more than 60,000 products!!!

VLE-B

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Cleaning for a Reason

I've mentioned this before on my blog quite awhile ago. I want to refresh everyone's memories as I am sure that since reading my prior post, you have learned of other ladies in your life who have just been diagnosed with cancer. The disease is tiring enough but the chemotherapy is literally POISON. It also takes a great deal out of people. I am sure that these ladies would appreciate a FREE cleaning service!

It works like this!

1. The patient goes to this website:

http://www.cleaningforareason.org/

Once there, she will find all of the details including a FAX number.



2. She then contacts her doctor and asks him to FAX a simple note that specifies that she is currently stricken with cancer and is taking treatment of chemo and/or radiation. No further personal details are necessary.



3. At that point, the folks at Cleaning for a Reason take over. This very worthwhile organization will hire a reputable cleaning service in that person's county who will do the necessary work. The cleaning will be done once per month for four months.

Tell the lady whom you know about this service. She'll thank you for it!

VLE-B

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Being 104

I just read a good one that I thought you might enjoy!

A reporter was interviewing a woman who was celebrating her 104th birthday. He asked her what was one of the best things about being 104. Her reply? She no longer has to be concerned with peer pressure.

Loved it!

VLE-B

Mary, Did You Know...?

This is one of my very favorite songs!!! Please go to their website:

www.godtube.com/watch/?v=9M9OBINU

This video will just give you the goosebumps... Beautiful!!!

VLE-B

7-Day Weather Forecast for Leoti

Today's high was 46 and the low is expected to be 12.

Sunday: High: 40 Low: 14 Sunny

Monday: High: 54 Low: 22 Mostly sunny

Tuesday: High: 55 Low: 31 Partly sunny

Wednesday: High: 43 Low: 28 Chance of snow (YAY!!!)

Thursday: High: 45 Low: 27 Cloudy

Friday: High 43 Low: 19 Sunny

Saturday: High: 41 Low: ??? Sunny

I heard some bad news this week. Some weathermen are expecting 4 snows at the most here this winter. They doubt that any of those snows will result in any serious weather conditions that will require school being let out. Sooo disappointing for me...

VLE-B

Movies in Garden City

I have the website for current movies being shown at the Sequoyah 8 in Garden City. If you're ever interested in seeing what is playing and at what times, go to http://sequoyah8.com

VLE-B

Oh, soooo casual!

Ya' know, life is sweet here in our small little town of Leoti. For the most part, we all seem to know each other. No one expects a great deal of formality in our day-to-day activities. Most churches in town do not encourage their members to wear formal clothes on Sunday mornings. It is more important to wear more cmfortable clothes so that you pay more attention to the Bible's teachings rather than how hard your shoes are pinching your big, fat toe! LOL! Shoot! If you know me, you KNOW that I definitely do NOT put on any big fronts when I go downtown. I normally wear my everyday work-at-home clothes when I head to the grocery store, Dollar General, etc. I am normally involved in various activities at home that require absolutely no dress-up clothes. Maybe it is just the artist in me, but I think that it is part of the sweetness of small towns like Leoti to be able to recognize people for their characters--not just by the clothes that they wear.

But, today, I saw something that even shocked me! The girls and I had made a trip to a local store to purchase a few things. Leighlyn and Abigayle went in to make our purchases as I stayed in the van to be with "the herd". For some reason, I looked up from a letter that I was reading to see a young Leoti woman exit the store that the girls were in. I was stunned to see that she had worn a pair of fleecy pajamas and some blue fluffy slippers to go shopping! The picture would have been complete if she had curlers stuck in her hair.. Maybe some white night cream would have just finished off her outfit. LOL!!! She had a couple of her children with her but they were not dressed in their night clothes. Honestly, they looked a bit over-dressed in comparison to her...

Anyway, right off the bat, it dawned on me that Leoti is really getting more and more casual everyday. LOL!!! I realize that some people who saw her were probably not too pleased to see her dressed like that. But, at least she did not feel she had to be dressed like a model to go downtown... There was a man with the family whom I had never seen before or since. He actually looked like he had just stepped out of one of those email with pictures of "Wal-Mart shoppers". LOL!!!

It'll be interesting to see if others follow in the path that this couple has just blazed. LOL!!!

VLE-B