Christmas Fun

Hello everyone. It's been a while. When I first started this blog I said I would up date it every week. Well, I had good intentions. I really did. But time always manages to slip away before I know it. I promise I will try to do better in the new year.

To make it up to all of you, I decided to tell you what's been going on in the Banks household by writing a little song. Not just any song, but keeping with the spirit of the season, I wrote a little diddy to the tune of the popular song Jingle Bells (I hope this isn't copyright infringement). Sing your hearts out and enjoy! See you in 2008!


Banks Bells
It's been a long while
Since last time that I wrote
So sit right back and relax
Because here we go

My mom came down to see us
We really had a blast
She introduced us to a new game
We played until we passed (out)

(Chorus)
Oh, Rummicub, Rummicub
It's a really fun game
It's like the cards but with tiles
And it can drive you insane

Rummicub, Rummicub
It's a really fun game
It's like the cards but with tiles
And it can drive you insane

We all went to the beach
Chip's parents had rented a place
We went for a relaxing weekend
To rest and slow the pace

I learned how to surf fish
I caught three of them
It was pretty fun
As long as they were bitin'

(Chorus)
Oh, baiting hooks, baiting hooks
Chip did that for me
He also cast out my line
But I caught the fishes

Baiting hooks, baiting hooks
Chip did that for me
He also cast out my line
But I caught the fishes

The next week was Thanksgiving
Melissa came down to stay
We all went over to eat with friends
We ate until we swayed

We had a fried turkey
It was my very first
mashed potatoes, deviled eggs
And really good deserts

(Chorus)
Oh, Pigging out, pigging out
It was all so great
Thanksgiving was really fun
Please don't ask me about my weight

Pigging out, pigging out
It was all so great
Thanksgiving was really fun
Please don't ask me about my weight

Now it's Christmas time
There is so much to do
I'll don't know how I'll get it done
But I'm sure that I'll pull through

That's all I have for now
The end is drawing near
So I wish you all a Merry Christmas
And a very Happy New Year!

Run Free Little Doggies, Run Free

We love our dogs Ceasar and Cleo. You could say that they pretty much run the whole house. We even cut a hole in the side of our house for a doggie door so they could have free reign to come and go as they pleased. However, for the past several months we have been closing the doggie door and leaving them cooped up inside whenever we left the house. Why would we leave these precious creatures in the house all day, unable to roam free and enjoy the great outdoors? Simple. Cleo is Houdini dog. Somehow she was getting out of the fenced yard and we could not figure out how. And why would she want to leave to confines of her spoiled, cushy existence? One word. Thunderstorms.

You see, it all stems back to when Ceasar had the unfortunate luck of being struck by lightening. Bless his heart it was scary, but the big bucket of love pulled through. It is a true miracle he is still with us and we don't think he remembers a thing. Cleo on the other hand, was out in the backyard with him, witnessed everything and remembers it well. I think it is safe to say she was tramatized by the whole thing. Her fear of thunderstorms has gotten worse over the years. When we have a thunderstorm she starts to pant heavily and tries her best to get as close to you as she possibly can. And this summer, whenever a thunderstorm would pop up and we were not home, Cleo managed to escape out of the yard. Luckily we always found her safe and sound. We figured she was trying to find us so she would feel safe. Sweet huh?


After trying to figure out how she managed to climb the fence and get out, the little Houdini dog shared her secret with us. We were outside one day and we kept hearing a rattling sound. We walked around the side of the garage and there was Cleo, wiggling her way between the two gate doors. We watched her as she managed to free herself. She ran towards us, happily wagging her tail and jumping with excitement over her acomplishment. From that day forward, the doggie door was closed until we could do something about that gate. We had been wanting to get a new fence for awhile, so we took on the task of fixing the fence ourselves. And finally, after several months of confinement and only one accident (brought on by leaving the pantry door open one day and the youngins consuming a loaf of whole wheat bread and two bags of doggie treats), the fence is complete. Yea! So once again, all is right in the world of Ceaser and Cleo. They are able to run free, to bask in the sunshine and to breathe the fresh air whenever they want. Yes, life is good.

Meet the Banks Family

Hi. I've been hearing about this thing called "blogging" for quite sometime but like everything else computer related I am far behind the times. I know a lot of people who are blogging and have read several posts. The way I see it, blogging is a great way to keep family and friends up to date on what's happening in my world. So I'm finally jumping on the blogging bandwagon. I hope everyone that reads these posts finds them informative and entertaining. I will do my best to keep them from being a complete snooze fest. :-)


I figured the best way to start off my blogging adventure is to create a post introducing the Banks clan. Of course, most of you who are reading this already know all about us. But you never know who might stumble upon your post. And as a former girl scout, I find it necessary to be prepared for the stray guest who may happen across my blog and says "who are these people and have they seeked professional help yet?"

My name is Kim Banks. I'm 38 and I'm am happily married to my husband Chip. I've known Chip for 4 1/2 years and we've been married for a little over 2 years. I like to refer to him as Triple-H. What does Triple-H stand for you might ask? Why "Handsome Hunk of Happiness" of course. I love him with all my heart and feel very lucky to have him in my life. I have other affectionate nick names for him but I'll stop here. If he knew I was writing this right now he would be mortified. But he is currently munching on some pumpernickel sticks, watching tv and oblivious to the the peck, peck, pecking sound on the laptop as I spill our family secrets to the world.

We live in a quaint little town called New Bern, NC. New Bern is about 2 hours east of Raleigh and 45 minutes from the beach. Living close to the beach has been great! We love going to the beach or taking the boat out to Cape Lookout National Seashore. New Bern is also an interesting town to live in. It's full of history. For example, New Bern was the first capital of North Carolina and it's the birthplace of Pepsi. Pretty cool huh?

Chip and I have two adorable dogs. Ceasar is a full blooded yellow lab. He is my big bucket of love. Cleo is a lab mix. She is my precious little girl. Ceasar and Cleo have full reign of the house and they allow Chip and I to live here. Nice of them isn't it? Honestly, they are wonderful dogs and right now they are our babies. We are currently working on a human version of a baby. Working on it is half the fun! We are both very excited about the idea of becoming parents and are anxiously looking forward to the day it finally happens.

And that is about it as far as introductions. I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing. Check back often to see what crazy things are going on in the Banks Household. Take care!