Red Hatters Enjoy a Halloween Costume Party 

October 29, 2022

Members of the New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter gathered at Queen Ladybird's home in Alamogordo for a fun Halloween Costume Party. We had a great attendance with every manner of costume one could imagine. Queen Ladybird aka Carla Kerr greeting attendees at the door a Queen of Hearts.

Refreshments were delightful, even had frozen hands in the punch. There were also delicious cupcakes decorated in a Halloween theme and provided by Kim Gugliotta.

The Halloween groaning board!

Queen of Hearts aka Queen Ladybird, our hostess

                                                                                

Ghoulish frozen hands for punch

                                                                                

The Queen does not cook! HA!

Fabulous costume, Kimberly G. You had us fooled for a little while!

Kimberly Gugliotta adjusting Jan Praught's crown

 Jan, also Queen of Hearts with Nancy Brooks, little devil

L to R: Jan, Nancy the little devil, Shelly the Bride, Florence and Rosanna

  

 

 

    

Chloe with Trudy Reeves (The Charming Witch)

Kimberly the yellow M&M and Natalie as a Fun Fifties Gal

Another  shot of Chloe and Trudy

Jan, Gail Swineford (another fine Witch) and Nancy as a cute little devil

 

Shelly "The Bride" and Florence Dean with Chloe

Trudy and Mysterious Guest (Kim Gugliotta)

What a beautiful witch (Gail Swineford)

The "Cold Hands" Punch

Carla, Queen of Hearts, ready to serve

Front Door Beware!

Don't these cupcakes look scrumptious!

The "Queen" finally relaxes with Kim Resel and Natalie

Evidently, the "Queen" is holding court!

Nancy, "little devil" won the door prize! Love Gail's hat.

Hey, Jan says, It even has drinking glasses to go with it!

More decor 

A tired Queen, but a good tired!

A good time was had by all and several of us went on a scavenger hunt and prizes were awarded to the winners whom I could not name at this time because I'm so far behind with this blog. I am feeling much better and playing catch up on many things. 

This is all I have to say for now.

Hugs, Carla Kerr

Red Hatters See Jurassic Movie and Lunch at Applebees

 September 19, 2022

Seven Red Hatters of the New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter in Alamogordo enjoyed watching the Jurassic Movie. We then drove to Applebees for a lovely luncheon and good conversation.

 

The flags on the hill where the Space Museum is 

housed were blowing in the wind

 

Not sure who the character on the left is

but Natalie McCarlin is on the right

 

The ever lovely Karen Townsend

 

Our very own, Trudy Reese and, no, she 

is not related to Peewee Reese

 

L to R: Gail Swineford, Natalie, Kimberly Gugliotta,

Karen, Queen Ladybird aka Carla Kerr, Trudy and

last but not least, Rosanna Heath; A kind gentleman

offered to photograph all of us together.

We had such a lovely time together and it was so good to see each other again and try to get back on a regular schedule. Coming right up is the Halloween Party and it was a great success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
                                        

 

                         

                                             

 

New Painting of New Mexico Claret Cup Cactus By: C. C. Crittenden

 Below is my latest acrylic painting (a hobby I've taken up since moving to New Mexico) and I paint under my maiden name C. C. Crittenden to honor my Cherokee Native American Heritage.

I do hope you enjoy seeing it. I have many more articles to catch everyone up on and I promise to do this as my New Year Resolution.

Hugs,

Carla Kerr

Red Hatters Enjoy Lunch at Nuckleweed Restaurant in Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico

 July 16, 2022

Ten Red Hatters and two guests had a FUN luncheon at the Nuckleweed Restaurant in the Sacramento Mountains up above Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Rosanna Heath and Queen Ladybird (aka Carla Kerr) shared hostessing which included drawings for bagged gifts that Rosanna and Carla had put together.

We were going to play a game after lunch, but we were too many to fit in their backroom and had to move to the main dining area which is made up of stationary four-seat tables and our game just didn't fit the occasion. We had many laughs and much enjoyment just talking with each and relishing our meals.

This is a shot of Jean Courtier's fabulous Beef Wellington

Guest Evans with his wife Vice Queen Alice Evans

Margie Purcella with Jean Courtier

Flo's guest, Ann Barron with Hostess Rosanna Heath

Jan Praught with Florence Dean

Natalie McCartin with Kimberly Resel, our newest members

Our excellent waitress, yet to be named

Queen Ladybird aka Carla Kerr with Kim Gugliotta

This was the largest group we've had in quite some time and it was so good to see everyone. Our waitress is going to call me because she wants to join our chapter as a Pink Hatter for two years and then we will have another Reduation. FUN! FUN! FUN!

Thanks to my spouse, Doug Kerr, for processing the photos for me. He does a great job of making all of us look wonderful. Our next event is early August for the Queen's 84th Birthday. 

This is all I have to say for now

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Red Hatters Are Off To The Races at Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico

Six Red Hatters and one brave gentleman (Kimberly Gugliotta's husband) Tim, carpooled to Ruidoso, New Mexico for a day of horse racing at Ruidoso Downs. It is a little over an hour's drive from Alamogordo, through the Mescalaro Apache Indian Reservation with beautiful mountain scenery along the way.       

L to R: Gail Swineford, our newly Reduated Red Hatter
Shelly Carns, Trudy Reese and Jan Praught

Queen Ladybird aka Carla Kerr 

L to R: Shelly, Gail and Carla

L to R: Trudy Reese, Carla, Gail, "Talk to the Hat" Jan and Kim Gugliotta

R to L: Kim, Jan, Gail, Trudy and Shelly 

A nice lady took this shot so all of us could be seen.
R to L: Carla, Kim, Jan, Gail, Trudy and Shelly

Hubby Doug took this shot just before I left  

We had a lot of FUN which is what we are all about and most of us "donated". However, Shelly went home a winner or as I call it, "beginner's luck". We had lunch in Billy the Kid Restaurant on the premises. The food was quite good, but slow in arriving. Paying our tabs would make a great scene in a play. We received apologies and the usual nowadays excuse due to COVID, "Short of help". One could tell there was a lot of "On the Job Training" going on, but we made the best of it as Red Hatters do.

I never knew where Tim (our chauffeur) disappeared to, but he magically appeared with the car and drove us safely home. Gail drove for the other group and we thank her as well. 

This is all I have to say for now.

2021 Christmas Family Reunion

December 16-28, 2021 Doug and Carla flew to Dallas, Texas where they rented a car and drove to Boyd, Texas for a lengthy visit with Carla's daughter, Lynne Lutton. It felt so wonderful after not seeing any of the family through the lengthy COVID pandemic and Carla's fourth bout with cancer which included chemotherapy this time. Doug says, "Carla survived cancer four times and chemotherapy once."

 

The visit was wonderful after so long not seeing anyone and no one had the misfortune of contracting COVID, thank God. Relatives came from Dallas, Springtown, Azle, Burleson, Weatherford and McKinney, Texas and we still didn't get to see everyone.

 

Carla's son Russ

 

 

 

 

Carla Kerr 

 

Lynne with Mom (Carla) in Lynne's spacious kitchen

Carla's great granddaughter, Tawni

Carla's grandsons, Landon and Dakoda making turkey sounds

 

Tawni, their mother, Marcia and Taylor Ann

Great Grandchildren, Dakoda, Brooke and Sydney with Granddaughter Tiffany

Carla and Doug lunching with Doug's daughter, Nancy

Lynne with her mom, Carla 

 

 

 

Grandson Drew with his son, Cooper

Alison getting acquainted with Great Grandmother, Carla

 

Drew carving the Christmas turkey 

 

Alison listening to Priscilla talking 

 

Priscilla helping Cooper eat

 

    Brooke and Alison sharing some cousin time      

Standing from L: Lynne, Wesley, Taylor, Jennifer, Carla, Tiffany, Priscilla and Drew

                Seated from L: Brooke, Alison, Sydney, Camden, Dakoda, Cooper, Landon and Ashton

Lynne's beautiful home 

 

Miss Maggie May

 

Carla, Samantha, Joshua and Joni

We had such a marvelous time visiting with each family and the grandchildren and the great grandchildren. What a wonderful way to celebrate the end of chemotherapy and the beginning of my weight gaining regimen. As I am very late in putting this communique together, I can tell you that I am up to 119 pounds and I have a full head of hair. It feels good to look like myself again. My sweet husband, Doug, was with me and apparently he was behind the camera so much that we only got one photo of him when we met his daughter, Nancy, for lunch and the waitress took that one.

I am so grateful for being blessed with such a big family. Since we visited there, Samantha is newly married (last October) and Taylor Ann is now engaged, so the grandchildren and great grandchildren are carrying on as nature intended.

This is all I have to say for now.