Ann Tucker Blog

If you had money...

2009-11-09T11:46:00.005-06:00

Where would you be?

If you had all the money your heart desires?
If you had the most fabulous home in the perfect neighborhood?
If you had no worries?
If you came home and the finest gourmet meal is waiting for you?
If your bath water had been run?
If you had the perfect kids?
If your partner was awaiting you with open arms and kisses?

so, where would you be?

Well...... HELLOOooooo!!!!
You'd be in the wrong damn house!!!!!!!

Elephant Crossing?

2009-11-08T19:11:00.004-06:00

(Photo: elephant gets loaded into truck to go to the vet)

You may have already heard about this, as it has been all over the news
but if you haven't, check out our latest excitement:

Couple Hits Elephant in Enid

ENID, OK -- While listening to Bill Carpenter describe what happened to his SUV Wednesday night, you would think he had been attacked during a safari. But he and his wife Deena were driving home from church on U.S. 81 in Enid when they hit an elephant. "Probably half a dozen people said 'you hit a what?,"" Bill recounted with a smile.

Enid Police say the 4,500-pound animal ran down the street from the Garfield County Fairgrounds after being spooked by an employee with the Family Fun Circus. Part of its tusk ripped a hole in bill's car, and broke off. Deena tried to flag down incredulous drivers.

"I said 'we just hit an elephant', and the husband (of one driver) said 'you mean a deer', and I said 'I hit my head but it wasn't that hard, I saw an elephant'." Local veterinarian Dr. Dwight Olson remembers being called by police, who informed him that his services might be needed. "They need you to go sedate him," Olson remembers, "and I said 'now tell me the real reason'." Olson says he gave the animal antibiotic injections and anti inflammatory medication. "The elephant didn't appear to have any broken legs, didn't have any major lacerations," he says. "It was still in its right, alert mind." The Carpenters are now doing fine, with the exception of having a severe case of disbelief.
"I said, did we really hit an elephant?" Bill remembers. "I said no, this is Oklahoma. There's no elephants in Oklahoma!" "We got back in the car and didn't know whether to laugh or cry," Deena added.

You Can't Make This Up

2009-11-05T16:55:00.004-06:00

NEW YORK - resident Kathy Evans brought humiliation to her friends and family when she set a new standard for stupidity with her appearance on the popular TV show, 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.' Evans, a 32-year-old wife and mother of two, got stuck on the first question and proceeded to make what fans of the show are dubbing 'the absolute worst use of lifelines ever.' After being introduced to the show's host Meredith Vieira, Evans was posed with a typically easy initial $100 question. The question was: 'Which of the following is the largest?'

A) A Peanut
B) An Elephant
C) The Moon
D) Hey, who you calling large?

Immediately Mrs. Evans was struck with an all consuming panic as she did not readily know the answer. 'Hmm, oh boy, that's a toughie,' said Evans, as Vieira did her level best to hide her disbelief. 'I mean, I'm sure I've heard of some of these things before, but I have no idea how large they would be.' Evans made the decision to use the first of her three lifelines, the 50/50. Answers A and D were removed, leaving her to decide which was bigger, an elephant or the moon. However, faced with an incredibly easy question, Evans still remained unsure. 'Oh! It removed the two I was leaning towards!' exclaimed Evans. 'Darn. I think I better phone a friend.' Mrs. Evans asked to be connected with her friend Betsy, who is an office assistant. 'Hi Betsy! How are you? This is Kathy! I'm on TV!' said Evans, wasting the first seven seconds of her call. 'Ok, I got an important question. Which of the following is the largest? B, an elephant, or C, the moon. 15 seconds hun.' Betsy quickly replied that the answer was C, the moon. Evans proceeded to argue with her friend for the remaining ten seconds. 'Betsy, are you sure?' said Evans. 'How sure are you? Duh, that can't be it.' To everyone's astonishment, the moronic Evans declined to take her friend's advice. 'I just don't know if I can trust Betsy. She's not all that bright. So I think I'd like to ask the audience,' said Evans. Asked to vote on the correct answer, the audience returned 98 percent in favor of answer C, 'The Moon.' Having used up all her lifelines, Evans then made the dumbest choice of her life. 'Wow, seems like everybody is against what I'm thinking,' said the too stupid to live Evans. 'But you know, sometimes you just got to go with your gut. So, let's see. I'm going to have to go with B, an elephant. Final answer.' Evans sat before the dumbfounded audience, the only one waiting with bated breath, and was told that she was wrong, and that the answer was in fact, C, 'The Moon.'

Caution...they walk among us!

Garage Sales Tracker

2009-11-04T18:39:00.006-06:00

Garage Sales Tracker asked me to pass on, to all my blogger friends,
information about their website. If your town is listed it might just
save you some gas and time. Have a look.

Garage Sales Tracker has created a bargain hunters dream for a place to find
and sell their yard sale items. Now, it is easy to find local garage sales in
your area with turn by turn directions provided by Google Maps as well as the
largest comprehensive directory of Consignment Shops, Thrift Stores,
Re-sale Shops, and Flea Markets in the country. If that wasn't enough
there is an iPhone application launching soon so you can have all of these
benefits in the palm of your hand. Finally Garage Sales Tracker is about
to partner with over 250+ affiliates to expand the garage sale section to
have the most listings in the world.

Stay tuned for a free iPhone giveaway to promote the upcoming application.

Doin' The Turkey Stroll

2009-11-03T18:40:00.003-06:00

We were driving along doing some garage saleing last weekend when I looked up into this yard. There, just strolling around checking out the yard for lunch, were 7 full grown wild turkeys. Guess they are not too concerned with the fact that this month is Thanksgiving. They weren't too fat and probably don't have much to worry about.

For some more Outdoor Wednesday posts, check out
A Southern Day Dreamer

Jury Duty Scam

2009-11-03T09:05:00.002-06:00

This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen. The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois, and Colorado. This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud. Check it out here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm And here: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp. Please make sure and pass this on.

Your Vote Counts

2009-11-02T13:01:00.001-06:00

Election Day (Tues., Nov. 3, 2009)
If your state is having elections - be sure and VOTE!!
Since 1845, by act of Congress, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is the date for choosing presidential electors. State elections are also generally held on this day. The date is a legal holiday in certain states.

Beware Halloween Yard Sales

2009-10-30T10:02:00.006-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!

Daze in a Maze

2009-10-27T19:25:00.003-05:00

We hopped in the car Sunday and drove over to a farm about 45 miles from here where they have a Daze in the Maze. It is one of those places where you wander around, and around, and around and hope you can find your way out. I sat down at a picnic table and let the daughter and grandson do that.

This is a real nice place that is open from Labor day to Thanksgiving. They have a smaller maze, volley ball spot, picnic area, and they give pony rides, a hay ride, there is a petting zoo and they have a sand pile where kids can dig for dinosaur (not real) bones. We got through just in time as a light rain started falling.

Crystal Aspirin

2009-10-26T10:17:00.005-05:00

Something that we can do to help ourselves. Nice to know.
Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets. Why keep aspirin by your bedside?

There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm.
One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently.

Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack. The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.
If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water.

Afterwards:
- phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by
- say "heart attack!"
- say that you have taken 2 aspirins.
- take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and...
~do NOT lie down~
A Cardiologist has stated that, if each person, after reading this, tells 10 people, probably one life can be saved!

Feel free to copy and forward this message; it may save lives!

Chicken/Cheese Spaghetti Recipe

2009-10-22T10:57:00.004-05:00

for more recipes

Chicken/Cheese Spaghetti Recipe

3-4 pieces boneless chicken breasts
1 regular can of Rotel
1 regular package of spaghetti
1 regular block of Velveeta cheese
Boil your chicken until done, then dice it up. Boil your spaghetti until soft. Melt your Velveeta cheese in the microwave. In a casserole dish add diced chicken, spaghetti, Velveeta cheese and can of Rotel. Mix together and bake for about 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees, until the top gets slightly golden.

My daughter makes this frequently and it is delicious. Add a salad for a quick family meal.

My Halloween Yard Decorations

2009-10-21T13:10:00.002-05:00

For more outdoor ideas

Summary of Life

2009-10-20T19:46:00.002-05:00

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground..
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional..
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

A Little Trivia

2009-10-18T19:48:00.003-05:00

Did you know that more of the infomercial people have an English accent because Americans are more likely to buy from them since we trust an accent.

That the majority of walls of Restaurants are painted Red because Red makes us feel hungry.

Burning an aroma therapy candle of Pine will increase alertness and Cinnamon will improve focus.

Mark Twain was born on the night Haley's comet passed the Earth, and died the night it passed the Earth.

The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

Elvis had over 600 recorded songs, but never wrote any of them. He was the biggest tax payer in the US in 1973.

It is believed that it took Noah 120 years to complete the Ark.

(Elvis from FreeClipArtPics.com)

A Commentary by Ben Stein

2009-10-17T17:22:00.005-05:00

I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS
Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I do not feel threatened. I do not feel discriminated against. That is what they are, Christmas trees. It does not bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I do not think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It does not bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it is just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I do not like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I do not think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed
around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can not find it in the Constitution and I do not like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way, where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we are not allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that is a sign that I am getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it is not funny, it is intended to get you thinking. Billy Grahams daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina ). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we have been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want
prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we
said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we should not spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spocks son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he is talking about. And we said okay.

Now we are asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they do not know right from wrong, and why it does not bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world is going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send
'jokes' through email and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass
freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you are not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, do not sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Vintage America

2009-10-16T11:06:00.000-05:00

A little of the past in todays America!

Glass Pumpkin Jars

2009-10-13T16:36:00.004-05:00

Do It Yourself Day

I got two clear glass pumpkins at a garage sale (2 for $5).
Then I filled each one with orange pom-poms and tied the black ribbon around the stems.

Caption This Photo

2009-10-12T12:42:00.002-05:00

1. I don't mind the purring, I really don't...but those dang claws... EeeOWWW!
2. You never know what's gonna come out of an egg nowadays.

The Art of Halloween

2009-10-08T13:37:00.002-05:00

All NEW
Halloweenology - The Art of Halloween
The October 31st Holiday
The Sneaker Wearing Zombies are proud to bring you the most definitive website devoted to Halloween. Browse our collection of Halloween information, ideas and graphics. You'll find everything from fun to gross and cute to scary.

Witch Hits the Pole....

2009-10-07T17:47:00.004-05:00

Check more Outdoor Wednesday specials

OK, you know Fall is here and Halloween is on its way

when the Witch hits the telephone pole!!!

This Weeks Wonders

2009-10-06T17:11:00.004-05:00

OOPS! A crowd of 150 doctors gathered in the Rose Garden to support the  health-care overhaul — as White House staffers scrambled to hand out  camera-ready white coats to those who forgot their own, just so nobody missed Obama's  hard-sell health-care message.

***

Never in the history of the White House has a First Lady spent so much on so many personal assistants, all paid from taxpayer dollars. Hilary had three; Jackie Kennedy one; Laura Bush one; and prior to Mamie Eisenhower, social help came from the President's own pocket. Michelle Obama has 26 - from makeup artist Ingrid Miles and hairstylist Johnny Wright to her "chief of staff" Susan Sher, whose salary is $172,200.00.

The First Lady does not get paid to serve as First Lady, and she doesn't perform any official duties. But this hasn't deterred her from hiring an unprecedented number of staffers to cater to every whim and satisfy every request in the midst of a great Recession. Sort of makes one think the White House has been mistaken for the Versailles Court of Marie (let 'em eat cake) Antoinette, doesn't it?

$172,200 - Sher, Susan (CHIEF OF STAFF)
$140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
$102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
Winter, Melissa E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$90,000 - Medina, David S. (DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (DIRECTOR AND PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
$75,000 - Starkey, Frances M.. (DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND ADVANCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
Reinstein, Joseph B. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
$62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$60,000 - Fitts, Alan O. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADVANCE AND TRIP DIRECTOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$52,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT AND PERSONAL AIDE TO THE FIRST LADY)
$52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
$50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR SCHEDULING AND TRAVELING AIDE TO THE FIRST LADY)
$45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$45,000 - Tubman, Samantha (DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR,SOCIAL OFFICE)
$40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M (STAFF ASSISTANT TO THE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
Bookey, Natalie (STAFF ASSISTANT)
Jackson, Deilia A. (DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)

This adds up to a whopping $1,600,700.00 and the amount doesn’t include the elite benefit packages granted to the White House staff and their significant others (include same-sex partners). Nor does the figure take into account the salaries for the two additional full-time staff members mentioned by Mrs. Obama’s Press Secretary nor the full time hair-dresser and makeup artist assigned to her. A guesstimate of the total salaries for Mrs. Obama’s attendants is $1,750,00.00 plus the additional benefits.

Who actually APPROVES and allocates this funding??? GUESS WHO???? "In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much," she said. "See, that’s why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service,"— Michelle Obama.

Miz Michelle, who requires 26 personal assistants at a cost of $1,750,00.00 plus change- - - the only change American taxpayers can believe in!!!

Full article: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/12652

Enid Goes For Guinness World Record

2009-10-05T16:44:00.002-05:00

Well we didn't get the record but gave it a good try.
At final count, 2,598 kites were counted in the air at the same time. When organizers began planning, that would have broken the record of 967 kites that was set in 2008 in Germany. But this past summer, the record was broken when children flew 3,710 kites in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations.

Serious Stuff

2009-10-04T09:12:00.002-05:00

If you are tired of what Washington is doing!

Fall Y'All

2009-10-01T20:08:00.002-05:00

It's Fall Y'All Party check out all the Fall ideas

This is my neighbors curbside. Lots of color for Fall Plus Mr Scarecrow

As a Mom.....

2009-09-30T15:40:00.001-05:00

I recommend this site:

As A Mom...... A network of principled mothers, grandmothers, daughters, & guardians of our nation's children dedicated to the 9 Principles & 12 Values.

The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The Twelve Values
1-Honesty
2-Reverence
3-Hope
4-Thrift
5-Humility
6-Charity
7-Sincerity 8-Moderation
9-Hard Work
10-Courage
11-Personal Responsibility
12-Gratitude

The purpose of this group is to give a forum for moms of all types to come together to discuss and resolve issues. Through the centuries women a have bonded together to teach and mentor one another. In the spirit of those foremothers let us now come together. Many of you have questions, some of you have answers. Some of you may know what textbooks teach a good history of our nation. Others can mentor a first time school board candidate...