When somebody shows you who they really are

Sweet friends make for sweet farewells

2012-02-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had the privilege of being invited to a dear friends' farewell and baby shower. The center of this photo-Stacy, is leaving soon for London as her husband is being transferred. I hope they are ready for all the Southern charm heading their way!!
To the left, Sheri. I have known her since Robyn started out yearly scrapbook retreats. She makes me want to be a better person. I love to be around Christian people who just live their beliefs every day. Both of these lovely ladies are adopting babies from China. Tonight we had a baby shower for Stacy as she may be "over the pond" when her little bundle of joy joins their families. Cheerio Stacy! Can't wait to come and visit!!

Project Life

2012-02-05T19:28:00.000-08:00

Project Life week 4
Project Life week 5

Week three-Project Life

2012-01-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

2012-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

This is my Uncle Gerald.

As a child.... I remembered him to be a quiet man who was devoted to baseball, his family and church.

As an adult... I knew him to be funny with a sharp dry humor. He loved to garden and we found something in common to discuss when the hubband built us two boxes. Gerald was a good listener and he raised two amazing kids. He didn't do it alone-he was smart early on and married a beautiful, gracious and hard working woman-my aunt Barbara. My heart breaks for her as I know that none of us wants to lose our partner.

We traveled to Granbury late Friday and returned Saturday. I had lots of time to think about Gerald, family and make some commitments. When you listen to a eulogy, you learn a lot about a person. Gerald served as a missionary and was active in church life his entire life. I was so impressed by the ways he had touched peoples lives. I walked away wanting to really appreciate our loved ones each day and to be the kind of neighbor, employee and citizen that would represent the faith I hold so dear.

If they garden in heaven, Gerald, please have some pickled beets ready for me when the time comes. I love you-I should have said it more often.

PS Sheri-I installed the new printer and this was scanned using it! I want to get some photo paper and try that out as well. I hooked up the wireless component all by myself!!

2012-01-15T00:19:00.000-08:00

Loved this snippet from Simple Mom:
On setting goals for 2012-
"I believe God wants us to enjoy Him fully in the life He’s given us, which means that by addressing the practical, we’re freer to delight in His gifts. We can better hike wooded trails when we’re in reasonably good health—our bodies allow us to experience His creation, in other words.
But practical goals should never be the measuring stick that determines our worth. Not exercising three times per week does not make me a horrible person—it makes me a human being. It’s a good goal because it addresses the stewardship of my body, but God adores me regardless of my earthly accomplishments.
Keep this in mind as you make New Year’s resolutions. Keep them focused on making yourself more available to God’s presence, not on becoming perfect. It won’t happen."

Project Life-Week 1 and 2

2012-01-15T00:14:00.000-08:00

I have really enjoyed working on my Project Life pages. I am in the midst of shuffling supplies around to make them easier to access and put away so working on these pages are also a great opportunity to test my new system. You can click on the pages if you want to see more details. I will be in a two page spread this coming week so if enough happens/I take enough photos, I may try doing two pages instead of just one.

In relate news, I was able to order a printer that my pal June mentioned. SO SO excited to have a home printer that not only works but also prints 12x12 pages-golly so thrilled!!

Sorry for the sideways but sometimes you just have to give up!! Grrr blogger or user error.

Project Life

2012-01-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

This is my cover for the beginning of Project Life this year. I am hoping to take photos throughout the year and have an easy way to record our daily on goings. I am really enjoying the process!!

Christmas in Conroe!!

2011-12-30T09:52:00.000-08:00

Here is my neice Katy lou-love her so. So gorgeous!!

And of course Zoey.
Me in my PJs-have spent the majority of my time in them!!

Katy and the boy playing Life. We are going to incorportate more board games into our traditions!

Me and my sistah-she is so fun!

Katy and Trey playing pool on the world's smallest table!!

2011-12-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

This has been a grand holiday. The boy asked to have a friend over and we have done that a few times. I learned it is not so bad-given the right friend. Here is one of his pals and he making a fort in the living room.

Here are my boys with Papa. We spent Christmas eve with them and exchanged gifts. The boy loved the micorscope and electric car they gave him.

Here is the traditional making of pimiento cheese for Santa. I decided to show the crazy photo instead of the sweet one-its really the one they love the most!

Every Christmas morning Mimi and Paw paw come over for breakfast. I love this time but must admit I was a bit distracted as we opened gifts as I was arranging the arrival of this suprise....

Meet miss Zoey. She is a 10 week old pomeranian and is quite cute if I do say so myself!! She was the big gift from Santa and has kept us busy ever since.

One little word

2011-12-30T09:14:00.000-08:00

Each year ala Ali Edwards, I pick a word to represent what I will seek and strive to be or accomplish. Last year I had three: Fun, Fit and Faith. I think I did ok on the Fun-the fit and faith while not decreasing, did not rise as I would have liked. Oh well, 2012 is a new year.

So, I had to think about that to have as my one little word for this year. I didn't want to just pick something that meant "get skinny" cause lets face it, that would be the word for everyone (girl). I had to explain the phrase "you can never be too rich or too thin" to the boy yesterday-boys-sheesh-must be nice to live life just worried about how much fun can be had and how much cheese to add to each dish!!

So, here is my one little word:

What does it mean? Well to me it will mean.....

Honor my Heavenly Father by acting and speaking in a manner that represents all that he meant for me to be.
Honor myself by eating those things that best support my body's job and not things that give me temporary pleasure. This will mean honoring myself to carve out time to prepare food-this is huge as it sometimes means that I spend my life in the kitchen in order for this to happen.
Honor myself by moving my body as much as possible. I will have to carve out time to go to the gym or just play outside with the boy. This is hard because it is so much easier to lay around but it is the junk food of time spending.
Honor my family by having a positive attitude and open mind. Both of my boys are so precious to me and so fun, smart and brave. I want to be a good mom and wife.

June

2011-12-02T09:16:00.001-08:00

June has a new blog! I have updated the link to the right. Go for super cute projects and stamping fun!!

Thankful

2011-11-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hi blogger readers. It has been far, far too long. We spent Thanksgiving at mom and dad's new place in Conroe. I think it was by far the best Thanksgiving I can remember.

Lots of silliness and getting spoiled by Mimi.

A full dinner table with smoked turkey, honey baked ham, sweet potato casserole... the list goes on and on. My mom and I argue every year about the amount of mashed potatoes we need (I always want more as I don't allow myself potatoes throughout the year). My cousin joined us and brought her famous broccoli rice cheese casserole-I could not get enough of that stuff-it was like green and yellow crack!!

The young cousins all had fun. The boy gets a very special giggle when his cousins are around.

We had panini making night and then make your own pizza and movie night.

Some enjoyed it more than others!

My sweet Dad-he hates taking pictures but I had to get one with him!

I work with teenagers each day. They all think their parents are a pain and fools. I remember thinking this also. I now know how incredible mine are. I love you guys!!

My sis and her hubband. They are always up for fun and an occasional prank.

Show and Tell Saturday

2011-09-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

A friend recently suggested we have a "show and tell" when we next got together. I used to love show and tell. I have been really loving Pinterest-I had had an account for a while but something about the Fall gets my creative juices flowing. So here is my show and tell for this week.
Wonder which one is mine??
God is good-after a few weeks and one this week when I was a single parent (Hubband is recovering from minor knee surgery) sitting at a football or baseball field EVERY NIGHT in the heat for 2 hours, I was truly grateful select baseball has moved to Sunday night so we can have only two practices during the week.
The boy is LOVING tackle football. His first game is this afternoon. GO Buckeyes!
This is his "tough" look in his new jersey. We had a little pregame team get together last night at Ragin Cajun-fun!
I saw several wreaths that I pinned on Pinterest. This is my attempt to replicate what I saw. I am pretty pleased. Jenn and Robyn make prettier wreaths than I so I was happy this one turned out. Most materials from the dollar store.

2011-08-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Night before school starts....
I haven't been blogging much. It wasn't a conscious choice-it just seems that someone pushed the fast forward button once summer began. It all started with our once in a lifetime trip to the Mediterranean for just the two adults in our house. These are the photos that are still to be scrapbooked. Once back we quickly took two trips-one to Wimberly with our baseball crew (Wolfpack) and then onto Horseshoe Bay with the hubbands work crew. When all the bags were unpacked we got back to work but then the boy took another trip with his grands to Kemah.

So what is up now? They boy is beginning football. It is tackle this time and he is loving it. Try outs were Saturday and we will get his team assignment Tuesday. He is beginning third grade and I am starting year two at my new campus. The preparing seems to be so stressful and overwhelming, I am going to enjoy getting into the groove of schools everyday rhythm.

2011-07-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

This is Athens Greece. What a handsome husband!!

Venice

2011-07-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

This is Venice and a small island off of Venice called Burano. Beautiful and delicious. Photos and words cannot describe.

Bucket List

2011-05-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

This summer I will be getting to do something I have always dreamed of but never thought I would:

I am going to see Spain, Monaco, Italy, Greece and Turkey! I am just so excited and surprised-I keep feeling like I need to pinch myself-it feels like a dream. For our fifteenth wedding anniversary, we wanted to take a trip. Italy, France or Greece were on my list of places I have always wanted to visit. One night the hubband came into the living room and showed me this great cruise. He is just the best!

I am just as excited to have some time with him that is longer than a day. This is the first real summer I have had time off in almost six years.
Now for photos for Mimi-

The boy was able to pitch a few times this season. During the last game, he pitched most of the time and did a great job. Here are some shots:

Long post beware!

2011-04-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is Horton. He did an amazing job in his Seussical the musical as the lead character. It was a limited budget, during the day event, but we loved him standing out from the crowd and taking a risk.
On Easter weekend, we were able to go out to Mimi and Paw paws house and celebrate with my sister and her kiddos. My hubband suggested taking out the boat and he was soooo right. We went down to Conroe for a little dip. This is my Sis and her son. So cute!!

Here is the Young family gliding across the lake on the tube. If you look close the girls are smiling and the boy is clinging on for dear life.

Handsome. He is growing up so fast!

The Young'uns jumping on the tube.

Aww, There's my man. Isn't he just the CUTEST??

Those Young girls are so fun!!

Me, chillin-I am an expert. Don't hate.

Those Rogers girls.. a bit crazy but so so beautimus...

The boys and the boat.

These are the first pickings of the garden. I am so proud!! My sweetee made me two boxes and we have tomatoes ready to go red. I am determined to get more than the squirrels do so I am on tomato patrol!! I even went out with a flashlight tonight!!

Catch up

2011-03-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Almost a month to date. I have been meaning to write but... Currently I am procrastinating doing some work for work so instead I am downloading my photos and updating phone. Work, smerk-I will get to it in a bit.

So... new news well, I am giving up sugar until school ends. Yes I know it is hard, even impossible to believe but it is true. I have been sugar free for two days and although not loving it, I am loving that I am in charge of what I put in my mouth. Why you ask? Well the boys are giving something up for lent (cheese) and I thought I would join in. A little sacrifice never hurt anyone.

Second in big news is the retreat this weekend. A day to reunite with some of best creative friends and catch up. I am sad that June won't be with us as she is recovering from a surgery but I know I will feel her with me as she wishes she was there also!! Just knowing I will soon be unloading way too much stuff on Thursday makes this week back from Spring Break all the more pleasurable.

For more even big news... my parents are moving! YES, that's right. You say you didn't even know they were looking-us either!! I have two adventurous padres for sure. They are moving to a little house off of the golf course in Conroe. It is a cute house and I am excited for them.

The men I love...

First weekend on the boat this season.

Love a man who plants me a garden...

Photos

2011-02-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

I am going to make this easy on myself and load a few pics at a time....
This is the boy on his way to superbowl party at Ro's house. He LOVES football.
This is the boy at my school. He had such a good time.
Mimi was his date for Valentines Day. We went to see Madagascar at the Hobby center and then onto dinner at Branch Water Tavern. It was yummers.
Right before I was told I could not take photos in the Hobby center.

Catching up

2011-02-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

I am going to make this easy on myself and load a few pics at a time....
This is a shot of me and the boy on our way to a High School Dance I had to chaperon. He didn't love it very much but he was excited about the idea before we left.
This is a shot of me, Dameco Ryans and the boy. Dameco visited my campus for a promotion that our PE teacher set up. He was charming and kind. The boy was on cloud nine!!
This is me and my sweetie this weekend. We had a surprise birthday for a friend at Lucky Strike. So much fun!! Love my sweetie pie.

Love, doodle style

2011-02-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

I signed up for Stephanie Ackermans doodling class and I have been doodling ever since!! My first project was a Valentines card for my sweetie! This doodle is my first I have completed and it was the inside of my card. The outside was made with my new stamp from Hero Arts.
I have done twe more doodles since-I am still working on them both and will post them when ready.

2011-01-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

Last Friday one of my best friends got married. Jenn deserves every happiness and I know that Mike loves her and her kiddos-you can see it in his eyes when he looks at any one of them. Doesn't my sweetie look handsome?! He is one QT!

Weekend fun

2011-01-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made a recipe I recently saw on the TV. It looked like a fairly easy way to make mole. The original recipe was to make the sauce to serve over beef fajitas but I just de-boned a roasted chicken and mixed it in. The sauce is Deee lish and something new to add to our dinner choices.

Cooking new dishes that turn out yummy is FUN!
I finally finished the calendar project that I started this week at Archivers. Jenn and I took the class on Tues? and tonight I painted the covers, added the photos and finished up the details. It is a tradition to give it to my mom at the beginning of each year. It turned out cute!!

Scrapbooking is FUN!!

FUN

2011-01-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

Love, love, love me some Ali Edwards. Each year she reminds us to reflect on the year prior and to choose a word for the coming year. After a delish dinner/happy hour with the kind of friend you can see every week or once a year and love her the same-hi Carol!, I chose my word.....

FUN it is my friends. I know, I know it is so basic, so short, so primary. Raise your hand if more fun and less stress sounds like something you might be into. Alrighty then! So, the first step for me is to work on my vision board. I try to put on things that I want to bring or bring more of into my life. It hangs on the wall next to my bed and I look at it before I go to sleep each night. In thinking about my one little word I realized that more of a good thing is always better so I threw rule following to the wind and in reality have three words.

FIT-hellooo, who does NOT want to be more fit?? Fit for me encompasses all kinds of healthy. Mental, emotional....the list goes on. As I went through the process of going through magazines to get images to reflect my vision, this word gathered more images and words than others. What does that say I ask you??
Faith was also for sure there as I want to strengthen my DAILY relationship with the divine. The scripture that can to mind as I placed this one image down was "be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 I think as time passes, I will add scriptures and spiritual thoughts and this will be a great place to collect them.

So what is FUN??
This is my favorite picture from the holidays. The boy drinking from his straw glasses. Huge hit and so cute. Spending time with my son is FUN!
I had the opportunity to do some perfume and cosmetics foraging at SAKS over the break. Here we are at the height of major makeupdom at the Bobbie Brown area. We look dooood. Makeup is FUN!

What else is fun???

Going to church each week
Making myself a lunch each night in preparation for the next day
Planning what I am going to wear the next day when I get home in the evening
Un rushed and tender kisses just before bed each night
Staying up late on Friday knowing you can sleep in on Saturday morning

2010-12-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

If I don't see you before then,
Merry Christmas and
have a Blessed New Year!!

2010-12-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is lately but I am feeling the desire to write/create more than I have in a while. I had been blogging about once a month-if that for a while and now *pow* I want to share again-am unsure if that is a good thing or not-reader please decide for yourself!
Here is a photo of me, my mom, and my dear friend June. I swiped it off of her blog-thanks June! She looks AMAZING! So proud of her journey. Her sweet husband David grilled us up some dinner-it was yummy! We are here in San Antonio for work and I took a few hours one evening to drop in at her house and say hey! It has been fun hanging with my mom who came along to babysit me ala broken arm. She has been a doll helping me schlep my bags and keeping me where I need to be with combed hair and all.
Today, we got away for lunch. I wanted to try our Luke's-John Besh's place here in San Antonio. It was DEEEElish. I HIGHLY recommend it. We will be leaving late this afternoon and back in H town around 10.
Smart. I am with some very smart young people. I don't mean your everyday run of the mill smart. I mean uber smart. There are all kinds of smart. I have decided for today that I am going to be satisfied, for today, with my kind of smart. And what kind would that be you ask? Well here you go:

I am brilliant at picking out and ordering at very nice restaurants
I can talk about literacy until you beg me to stop
I can cook till your waistline begs me to stop
I can eat way more chocolate that you can-I practice all the time
I can astound people with my espanolie-not every day you see a blondie break out into some espanolie
I can meet, listen to and talk with anyone and help them feel heard and important

Not too shaby for a girl from a small town-eh? What is your kind of smart?

2010-12-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

We got our tree tonight. Special moment watching the boy help carry the tree in-that used to be my job. He is getting to be such a great young man! Great weekend. Lots of down time, drug out all the Christmas gear and had an unexpected lunch with friends. It was yummers x20 and made Sunday a pleasure. Have a great week everyone! I will get to see June this week-I can't wait!! I hope I can find her-she is getting so thin!

2010-12-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

Warning Religious Post!!

Well, this has been a challenging and blessed week. Monday I went to the doctor and had it confirmed that I had broken my arm. He took off the temporary cast and told me that to cast it would impair my range of motion. He prescribed lots of physical therapy so I put my big girlie pants on and got on with the week. They good news is that without a cast I was able to do my own hair-blessing-because the hubband has no hair dressing experience and looking decent each day is important to me.
It would be nice if there existed a job where one could take a week off and recover and rest but I don't think those jobs exist anymore and if they do, the person in that job is keeping it quiet. Truly I work with amazing supporting people and so going back was fine but I left the holiday less rested than I had hoped.
The reason for the hands? While doing my stunt "getting out of golf cart" trick, I managed to scrape both palms of my hands pretty badly. Imagine one broken arm, the other hand tore up in the middle. As I have gone through the healing process I have often thought of Christs hands, the way he was crucified after carrying his cross, being spat on and hated so vehemently. While my experience definitely pales in comparison, the almost constant pain as I tried to pick up, hold or manage things with either hand was a continuous reminder of the pain Jesus suffered for each of us. How appropriate as we begin this season-the celebration of Christ's birth.
I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father, that he was willing to send his son, Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us. I know his atonement is for all of us. I know that God listens and answers prayers. I know I am blessed beyond measure. I am thankful for my family, friends and faith. Happy Holidays everyone!

Did I tell you about the time...

2010-11-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

Did I ever mention how much the boy L O V E S horses? My parents have close friends that live down the road-they have horses (expensive, nice roping horses). Tom (close friends who live down the road) once told the boy at the age of three he could "have" a horse that was living on its last leg (literally) called "Lucky" (insert joke why he was named lucky here). Anywhoo, each time we would go out there the boy would make sure to go and talk to Lucky. Never mind that he did not pay for, feed or care for this horse, in his mind-it was his. So when the inevitable day came when Lucky went to the big field in the sky.. you would NOT believe how upset the boy was. I had no idea how attached he was to the horse.
Ok, fast forward to this Thanksgiving. My sister was was visiting for the holiday and her kiddos were wanting to see the horses. So we all head down there. Tom.. so kind a patient got all of the horses ready for riding and helped the city slickers onto the horses. The kids were having a great time.

Then came time for the adults (that us!) to ride. I had ridden when I was little and felt no trepidation. However as I was the last one to get on (and this is where the funny comes in) I started to hear little nagging voices. Thoughts about how truly TALL these horses are and how SHORT I am. About how TIGHT my jeans were and how HIGH the stirrup was that I had to insert my foot in before hoisting myself up and onto the saddle. I was so determined that I was not going to be able to get on that Tom led me over to a make shift ladder. Rickety is the word that would best describe here.

This would be the part where the voices in my head are SCREAMING at me about how I have blood clots, take blood thinner and have been told to not take risks, not to put myself in situations where I could bump my head, etc.. I am whimpering to TOM in this photo that I am really ok not to ride and really I could get hurt and he is telling me to get my A%$ on the horse. So I did. I rode. I did fine. I got on ok, I rode and I got off ok.

I would love to post a photo of me smiling as I ride around like a rodeo queen but those don't exist for anyone as you are continuously basted in dust and dirt as you ride. We all had a great time. I had to leave soon and join my hubband at his parents house so we helped (use that word loosely) Tom get all the gear off of the horses and peeled the kids off the pens and headed home. My sis had loaded all her peeps into her car to go to Toms. I had grabbed my moms golf cart (its a country thing-or is it a retired thing?) and ran down a few beats behind because I wanted to finish curling my hair (yeah I know ridiculous but it made perfect sense at the time). So as we were returning the boy (that would be mine-he's 9) asks to drive me back. For those not knowledgeable about the kuntry and golf carts-here is the skinny. Kids LOVE them and if you are going next door that could be a ways in the country due to acreage so once he turned 9 I let his Mimi teach him how to "drive" it. He is only allowed to do it alone on their property and only on the road when accompanied by an adult. Knowing how much he wants to and how much I don't care I say sure. We are rolling along and I tell him to drop me at the front door and then go and plug the golf cart in so we can go. He pulls up, I step out and the next thing I know I am face down on the concrete. I have no explanation except to say I fell. When I felt the grit in my mouth that can only be broken teeth I immediately took inventory and thanked God that all but one were still in. I got up with the help of the boy, cleaned off and headed to Magnolia to meet my hubband. By the time I got there, I knew something was not quite right. I quietly mentioned that my arm might be broken along with my tooth. He wanted to take me to the emergency room immediately. I made him finish the gumbo (priorities people!) and then we headed out. A few hours later I made it to my own bed with LOTS of pain meds (thanks Sugarland Methodist!), a broken elbow and a half broken tooth.

So, that was my Thanksgiving. My sweetie and I could only just smile and laugh the entire time-it was such an odd way to spend Thanksgiving. We were both thankful for our health, our humor and fun time with family.

John Cena

2010-11-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

This is for Mi mi. I finally gave up the fight against wrestling and let the boy be what he wanted for Halloween. We had fun buying (at Goodwill) and creating his outfit. We stamped the shirt and he drew on the hat. It says you can't see me. He wanted to give out candy instead of trick or treating so we all sat in the living room and watched Ghostbusters and he gave out candy. We ate our share of Reece's peanut butter cups as well. It was a good evening and a sweet memory.

This and that

2010-10-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent photos from tailgating. I have attended the last two games with my boys and the Moye family. They are tons of fun and we laugh the entire time.
Erin is a magnet for people you never want to sit next to. From wiggly teens to drunk serial killers-she somehow draws them all next to her.
This is the hubband and Erin dancing to Motown. They had a blast.

August Fun

2010-08-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Seems like I am becoming a once a month blogger. Here is a shot of my handsome man on his first day of second grade. He is doing well and I am so proud of him!

This next shot is pure my Dad. Made me think of him so much. When the boy recently went fishing with his Dad and caught a load of trout, his only comment was that he hoped he was getting good enough to go with his Paw Paw. Gotta get those two together on a boat!

Things are busy and great. We are in the tornado of beginning school and trying to keep things organized. Hope all is well with you as well!

2010-07-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone???
July is just a red, white and blue streak. I cannot believe that we are nearing the end of it!!
What has been going on?
Well it my ever diminishing memory I recall a baseball crawfish boil and pool party, a 4th of July pool party and bar b que (complete with meeting Jenns new beau), lots of time sitting on our comfy bed and watching bad Bravo TV, movies and just talking with my hubband while he works in his chair next to the bed.
I cooked lots of delish and healthy food, recovered from surgery, recovered from a blood clot and worked on getting our budget under control.
It has been a great summer.
I am in the process of changing jobs. I feel tremendously blessed to be leaving something I loved so dearly and jumping into a new adventure that I am confident I will adore as well. I can certainly feel the engines revving and the beginning of the year gearing up.

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-03T21:10:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July all! I must say I AM proud to be an American. This week we sponsored a training at work and welcomed people from all over the world. They were lovely people and I was happy to celebrate our great country, state and city.
We will be having some friends over for ribs and all the fixins. I am going to spend some time in the pool and some time in the sun. I am going to get to check out a new boyfriend of a friend and give my stamp of approval-fun!!
Love to you all!

One thing is certain...

2010-06-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is from Fathers Day 2010. We took the hubband and his Dad to the newly reopened Brennans. It was deelish!
They say the one thing you can count on is change.
I have lots of change in my life of late.
I have a new job. So sad to say goodbye and so excited for the new adventure ahead.
I have recently had some elective surgery which is going to help me create and maintain a healthy body.
I have recently acquired 2 blood clots in my leg which is frightening but will get through it and am learning new things about my body and continuing my journey in patience.
I am looking forward to July which is going to be dedicated to spending time with a boy is growing WAY too fast.
Have ga reat week!

Fathers Day

2010-06-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day to all you Dads and future Dads out there. Unfortunately, neither I or my hubband have grandparents alive. I do have memories-my moms Dad was always happy. He made wonderful bird calls and once was a moon shiner. My fathers' father dipped Red Man tobacco, was a rancher and always had a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
My hubband has a wonderful father. He has sacrificed for his family and is always thinking of them; how he can make them happy.

My Dad? I don't have words to tell you how wonderful he is. Girls always love their daddies-right?!
He used to wrestle on the floor with my sister and I. I know he had to be very patient to be a Dad in a house full of girls. He worked very hard along with my mom to give us a great life. There is so much dysfunction in the world-I can truly say I had a safe and loving childhood-how rare is that?!
Thanks Dad, I love you.

Ring a Ling

2010-06-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

To the person who stole my Iphone this week.. thanks!
The hubband has already researched and will be placing the order for my G4. There is good in the most negative experiences.
For my friends.. You wil have to e-mail me or call the hubband to reach me.

Gratitude

2010-06-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hello, how are you? I was going to post some current photos but then realized I haven't loaded them onto Picasso. So... a spring photo instead. I noticed it has been a month since I posted. What's been going on? Travel, work, travel, work, big decisions, work, and work. I love my life-my boys, my job and our growing circle of friends. Lots of *new* on the horizon and I will share that soon.
Sunday is such a fine day to think about your gratitude-right?!
I am grateful for my parents-they are so awesome and have such a good time with the boy!
I am grateful for work-I love what I do and so does the hubband. So nice to have a career you love.
I am grateful for my health-grateful this little body Heavenly Father gave me is still strong after years of Dr. Pepper and ice cream!
I am grateful for my hubband-so handsome, supportive and my best friend.
I am grateful for baseball and the friends we have all gained as the boy has experienced organized sports these last few years.
I am grateful for friends-so many I think about multiple times a day and the smile you bring to my face. Some I talk to daily (thank goodness for cell phones!) and some I only keep up with through blogs a cards but I am grateful for each.
I am grateful for all our many blessings. Thank you God for the good, the hard and lessons in between.
Everyone have a great week-and throw a little prayer in for me if you have the time. I will be thinking of you.

Stephanie Ackerman

2010-05-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

One of the first classes that we took was from the delightful Stephanie Ackerman. She was so so fun and I am excited to finish my book It will be my memory book of my Inspired trip.

Stephanie brought some amazing cookies that she shared with everyone. She and Deena Ziegler were the lovliest, fun ladies and I count them as two of the best things about inspired this year!

So so precious

2010-05-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of my friend June's work. I am really encouraging her to open an Etsy shop and sell these wonderful aprons. They are all based on antique patterns with retro prints.

I mean cute doesn't even cover it!

Blurry and Inspired

2010-05-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Where am I?
What time is it?
It is the middle of the night/beginning of Sunday.
I am to catch a 4 am shuttle which meant I needed to be up at 3:30 which means that I could not fall asleep at 11:30 when I finished shoving all of the important things and new goodies into my carry-on.
I am in North Carolina attending the Inspired event that Donna Downey hosts each year. Each time my friend June and I are glad that we come. We met some amazing teachers and re-connected with some Inspired friends. I will link up photos soon.
I have LOTS of projects to complete and I am excited to get going on them when this merry-go-round called life slows down a bit. I am looking forward to a somewhat "normal" week with some exciting possibilities thrown in and a slow coming weekend. After that, it is off to New York and then the end of the school year! Woosh-----

Mom

2010-05-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is my mom. She is just as adorable as she looks. Like all mothers and daughters, we have definitely had our hard times but as with all mothers and daughters, the older I get, the more I appreciate all that she did for me and my sister. She is an awesome cook, a great listener, has a tremendous heart, determination, and just fun! My dear hubband always talks about how easy she is to get along with and travel with. This is a huge compliment because as my Dad says, fish and people stink after about 4 days. That means if you travel with anyone or spend an extended time with just about anyone, the can get on your nerves. We always enjoy time with her.
Saturday my mom came over and I took her to lunch and the did a bit of shopping. I was trying to find her oohing and aahing over something and I could get it for her. Unfortunately for her... the shopping mojo was not with either of us and I was able to get her a cute top only! We came back home and I was able to make her some dinner-a new dish-thanks for trying it mom! We watched TV, relaxed and baked some treats for my Aunt Berva that I desperately need to visit soon!
Anywhoo Happy Mothers Day to all of you mothers, grandmothers and mothers to be. I keep thinking of dear friends who have lost mothers or are desperate to be mothers. This day can be so bittersweet. Love to you all. Special squeeze to my mom-the BEST.

Great article

2010-05-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

I just read a great article on Simple mom. You should check it out!

Chi town

2010-05-04T20:15:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Chicago. This is my friend Veronica. We are at Mercat, the restaurant owned by the new American Iron Chef, Jose Garces. It was yum yum yummers.
We went to table 52 for dinner. This is the second time we have eaten there but the first time that Chef Art Smith was there. He has worked for Oprah as her personal chef and his food is DEE Vine.
We always try out as many new restaurants as possible while away. This is wild boar gnocchi at Spiaggia. Chef Tony Mantuano is a James Beard winner and was also on Bravo's Top Chef Master. This was a great Italian restaurant.

We went to many places, including Ralph Lauren's restaurant for lunch. We had a great trip and ate way too much as you can see!
Oh- we also got in a trip to the Oprah shop by her studio. This is her chair that she sat in for most of her shows-it was kinda surreal-I kept expecting her or Gayle to walk in at any moment.
Back to reality this week has meant lots of laundry, baseball games and being a single parent while the hubband is at a conference in Orlando.

Good news

2010-04-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Texans came out with their games today. I found out last night that we have season tickets again. Looking forward to tailgating, bringing friends to the game and hopefully some cheering for the winning team!

The best news of all... my sweet aunt Berva who has been in the hospital is much improved today-Thank you Heavenly Father for listening and answering prayers. I can hear my aunts voice belting out "Oh what a beautiful morning" as loudly as possible when we were teens and didn't want to get out of bed. Can't wait to see you Berva!

Communing

2010-04-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend the boy had his first communion ceremony at church. A friend from our baseball team came by and got this shot of us at church. I am so proud of him. We had a great day with the ceremony, the cake and punch and then Double Daves pizza and gifts.

Friday I spent some needed time with my dear friend Jenn. She can make me laugh like no one else. Saturday after our celebration the boy went with a friend to the Astros game and my sweetie and I went out to cafe Annie. It is a high dollar restaurant. Usually we thoroughly enjoy these kind of nights but the food was pretty mediocre. We came home and watched Food Inc. It was a fun and full weekend.

This and that

2010-03-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

I made a cute wreath this weekend. I had seen a wreath on a blog made out of burlap. I learned that burlap is very messy and not easy to cut. I love the roses best of all.
The boys went to the rodeo last night with some friends. Of course the boy being silly is the photo that came out the clearest.
Everyone have a great week.

Spring Break

2010-03-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

Usually the boy spends Spring Break with his grandparents. As he grows older, I am more and more aware that the time is very short before he no longer wants to "hang" with his momma. I spent the entire week on vacation with him-just hanging out.
Before I begin talking about the weekend, here is the famous Coit jacket-I took this for Robyn and Sheri.
First, we went on a date to see Alice. The boy insisted on buying the tickets and I got the popcorn and Icees.

The boy has a new love-pei wei lettuce wraps. You heard it right-lettuce wraps. I have the recipe so he and I cooked together.

The Greenes and us two had a wonderful picnic at Discovery Green. I was soaking in the sun like an Eskimo who just got to Hawaii.

The boy, being cool is a full time job. No, his chin is not dirty-it is a baseball related bruise.

We headed over to Sugarbabbies to enjoy a cupcake. This is a long shot with all of the kiddos in the photo. The boy had a strawberry/chocolate cupcake.

Me? Well some might say I had a German chocolate one. Some might say I had a vanilla chocolate one. Some might say I had both. Only me and my scale know the truth!
Spring break is not quite over-I will be mourning on Sunday. The boys are going to rodeo this afternoon and I am going to try and wrap up last minute projects. It was a great week and makes me look forward to summer.

I know what you did last weekend

2010-03-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of getting together with some of my best girls to scrapbook in Montgomery. We had a great time and laughed more than I have in a while. Sometimes the stresses of work, life etc.. can get you down and it isn't until you find yourslef wiping away the tears from hysterical laughter that you realize what you have been missing. I appreciate each one of the ladies we were with-you are all so talented and fun! Each year Robyn and I take a photo together-isn't she looking good?!! Love the hair girl-you are really one cool chick.

And March Marches in...

2010-03-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

Where did the time go??
I am going to think of February as just a bad dream-the cold, the rain, BLECH.
I am sure March will be much, much bettah. I was looking through last year's photos to finish some calendars and we had photos from tubing on the lake in March so I am SURE warmth is on its way. Collective hope here people... we can do it!
This weekend was a great one!
Friday I finally bit the bullet and bought some clothes. The husband was sick of me complaining and told me to get some and I did. An evening at the mall produced three pair of great pants that now need to be hemmed.
Saturday my parents and in-laws came to the boys last basketball game. The boy received an award for good sportsmanship and he was thrilled. Way to go!! We had an hour before baseball practice so my mom and I hit Talbot's outlet-surprisingly we found nothing. However a skip across the parking lot to Chicos (I have never shopped there) left me with great joy. I bought like 6 button down work shirts all in pretty vibrant spring colors. Woo hoo-score! They were on sale and then 30% off. It was a celebratory moment inside of me because as a fat girl I would only look at jewelry in there. I really liked the shirts and felt so happy to now be able to shop there. That was always my weight loss goal-to be able to buy clothes in any store.
We headed to practice and watched the boy show what he could do with a bat. Italian lunch and then grocery shopping. That evening my friend Nat came over to crop. We always have a great time. I finished my calendars-need to mail them! We stayed up till 4 and I was able to sleep till about 8. I had a decorating buzz on Sunday and Easter-ed up my kitchen area. It looks so fun. I made pei wei inspired lettuce wraps 9lunch) and Mexican beef stew (dinner) on Sunday. I am looking forward to a scrap retreat this weekend and I was thrilled to register for the mini-sessions for Inspired late last night. I got a feelin.........

February 7th

2010-02-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

One of those weekends when nothing much happened, nothing much to report. Friday I was in bed, asleep before 10. Saturday I was up just after the crack of dawn and headed over to the local farmers market and then to whole foods. My sister will be so proud and my mom will faint-I made my first batch of mustard greens. I will tell you how they turn out tomorrow when we have them for dinner. The weekend felt like a long cook-clean and cook rotation.
Everyone have a great week.

The real us

2010-01-31T18:34:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone.
Well as predicted, it was a busy weekend. I ended up doing a lot of errands but also vegging today. I crashed out late last night and slept great-even missed church. Groceries, Target with the boy and a great seafood dinner. The boy asked me to the movies-he even offered to pay for it! We were going to go but the evening got away from us.
I don't know if I have ever mentioned it but I have three blogs. This one, a work related on and one about our families quest for good health. If you are interested, here is the link: the real us
Tomorrow-I am so excited-we are having our tile steamed and then sealed-Yea hoo. I HATE my kitchen tile. The cost to have it cleaned is small compared to replacing so I am celebrating the small things in life.

Update

2010-01-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

My hubbands scan went fine. They didn't find anything. I am grateful but we are both frustrated because in some ways we are back at the beginning. I will focus on being grateful that he has healthy insides. Ha
This weekend is stacking up to be busy. Tonight the boy has activities and I will be working out. Saturday, the boy has first confession, we are attending a Dave Ramsey seminar and then a wedding to attend.
Sunday-rest please. Hopefully we will veg on Sunday.
Have a great weekend!

Catch up

2010-01-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

Well my sweet, sweet hubband was released on Sunday. The doctor in the hospital contacted their head gastro interologist and made an appointment for him. How's THAT for service?? So, he went on Thursday and he is, as I type drinking a ton of that nasty stuff that cleans you out so he can go for a scope tomorrow. I am honestly thrilled. Boys are so bad about going to doctors and I feel confident that they are going to find something (hopefully tiny) that we can fix. We know that it is not cancer and that was my biggest fear-so I am good. I am glad that was able to arrange to have the morning off to be with him. Thanks for the calls and comments-Carol, I miss you and we live so close by-hope to see you soon!

Here is the boy at basketball:

I always want to get great photos-he really is good. I never remember my camera so my phone is the camera and it doesn't capture what I see. They now train the other team to constantly cover him-if he gets the ball a basket is usually made. Do I sound like a proud mom???

And for the last piece of news... it is final. Tomorrow I will mail my doctoral application to SHSU. I don't know if I will get in-I feel excited just by the anticipation. I was in a group for my Masters and although it was tough, I really grew quite a bit.
Everyone have a great week.

Whirlwind isn't it?

2010-01-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

Times just keeps slippin slippin into the future....
Those lyrics seem so appropriate as we are about to say good bye to January. Don't get me wrong-I am GLAD to say goodbye to that wicked cold weather but the month seemed to evaporate before my eyes.
This weekend was full to the brim. Friday we all went to the gym. I went to Fat Club (aka Team Weight Loss at Lifetime where I sweat profusely for one hour with other chubsters on the tread mill whilst a trainer encourages/pushes us) while the boys did some basketball skill work. WE then went over to Sugarlands Whole Foods where we bought what was to be our dinner. The hubband bought rainbow trout and I grabbed a handful of shrimp. Once home the men grilled the main while I did some yummy brussel sprouts. Yech, you may say but we love them. I cut off the ends and split them in the middle. I put them in a hot cast iron pan with a Tbsp of olive oil and a dab of butter. Salt, pepper and a lid over medium heat. I stir them ever so often and within 5-7 they are ready. I throw a dash of pistachios on top and YUM.
Saturday the boy had his second basketball game and we can see how he has grown mentally and physically. His endurance for running has increased and he understands basketball strategies better than most. My in-laws have come to both games so they enjoyed the day with us. The boy had baseball tryouts (real ones where they really watched each kiddo do all the baseball related stuff) and then on to Escalantes. Our family was trying to do it healthy so I had a taco, the hubband a salad (he was better than I) and the boy fajitas with whole wheat tortillas.
The in-laws left and I headed to the store. I really try to do it on Saturdays so I can enjoy Sundays. When I returned from the store, the hubband announce we needed to go to the emergency room. In October, (did I blog about this?) he had to go because his blood pressure plummeted while in the midst of an IBS attack. Since we have been eating healthy, he has had no IBS and has even been off his medicine. The difference this time is that they boy was with us. To say it was upsetting for him is underplaying it a bit. It is hard to see a parent struggle. They admitted my sweetie for the night and this afternoon he was able to come home. We are so thankful to live very near a good hospital. He has an appointment tomorrow with a gastro interologist to see what is going on inside his body. The attacks and dropping blood pressure come out of no where so I am anxious to find out what is up. The good news is that they did an MRI and all kinds of tests and found nothing.
Today was full of hospital visits and pick ups, cooking and laundry.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Sunday-again

2010-01-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

I am on an old laptop and watching an old movie (Sweet November 1968). The boys are at Mass. I am feeling just so grateful and when one finds themselves feeling gratitude I think the best thing to do it wallow in it as much as possible. Here is my short list:

I am grateful for faith. Believe what you will. God is amazing and I am grateful for my testimony and the beliefs of those I call dear.
I am grateful for family. Mine, his and ours. I have had two dinner dates with my boys, conversations about future trips and kisses and hugs.. glorious
I am grateful for creativity. I have been a cooking fiend... chicken lasagna rosa, homemade tomato soup, white bean chili... I made sugar cookies today for a shower.
I am grateful that today, with the boys help, I am FINALLY finished with putting away Christmas decor. I love to see it come and go-the decor.
I am grateful for blessings...so many have been given to me, to us
I am grateful for my body-one of my biggest blessings. For those who know and see me, you know there is less of me. Thankful for Dr. Kalia-more on that to come.

This is me...

2010-01-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

I'm the kind of person who can be practically bleeding to death before I realize I don't feel good. Well tonight I hit a wall. I have some kind of major sinus deal and I feel like poop. I hope I feel better in the morning.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the last time I blogged, it was the beginning of December! That month really flew. We spent Christmas on the water, cruising to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, on Carnival. We went with our in-laws and one of my besties, Jenn and her kiddos. We had a great time and were able to relax and take it easy. After returning, we headed over to Mimi's and Paw paws for the rest of the holiday with my sister and her family. So much fun! I am going to put up a slide show to the side so you can see my December pics-should you want to!
My word for the year... MMmm I have been thinking a lot about that one. Last year was HAPPY and the year before DETERMINED. I think this year will be SWEET. Why you ask? Many reasons.. here are some thoughts:

I am giving up white sugar for one year. Believe it people, it is a done deal.
I have been thinking about how "sweet" life is for me (our family) right now and I want to maintain an attitude of gratitude.
I want to continue my quest to feel more joy, happiness in my life and I think that would be reflected in my "sweet" actions and words.
Did you know that once my hubband wrote me a card and called me his "sweatie"? He meant sweetie-you know Cajuns and spelling-anyway... I am finding that working out consistently is "sweet" and I am looking forward to the sweat at least three times a week.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and may all of your wishes and desires come true in 2010.

PW in H-town and bad blogger2

2009-12-05T22:34:00.000-08:00

My mom mentioned she would like to go and meet the Pioneer Woman at her signing here in Houston. With a few touches on my iPhone, the plans were set. We met in Georgia's market w-a-y early and secured our cookbooks, seats and places in line. There was a huge crowd, cold air and wonderful Willow Books staff members. I had a great time with my mom and dad and loved seeing Ree in person. Her cookbook makes you want to cook. She is as warm and accessible as her blog portrays.
I reflected as we had time to wait... what a wonder blogging is, how my sons son or daughter will probably have some type of history lesson that will discuss the creation of blogs and the effect they will have on us. I thought about how this must be difficult for Ree on many levels, away from home (she is a homebody), I don't think she is the kind of person who seeks lots of crowds and people in her normal life-if blogging is her comfort zone that tells you she is a bit of an introvert.
After leaving, went home and cooked- in honor of PW, mom and a hankering for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies-they were good!

Bad Blogger

2009-12-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while.. hasn't it?! I have been concentrating on our families diet and that has consumed any extra time that I had. So, to recap. Here is a photo of our Thanksgiving lunch at my mom's. It was as close to perfect as any I can remember. Family members I love were there.. parents, sister and family, cousin, aunts and uncle. Blessed beyond words.
Here is the boy at his first violin concert, setting up. He looked so handsome and my heart was full with pride. So grown up... time flies.
The boy with his music teacher (you can see why he picked violin!) and his principal. They are both amazing.

Good friends

2009-11-21T20:44:00.000-08:00

Such a great weekend. Had the opportunity to play a pre-teen and check out New Moon on Friday with my bestie Jenn. I was excited to see the story continued on the screen-I so loved the books-pure escapist reading. I was not prepared for the pre-teen squeals of delight every time there was a kiss or someone took their shirt off. However-when this hit the screen... I found myself wanting to squeal myself. I suddenly was a 14 year old. Embarrassing since I could so be his MOTHER but dang... he was a QT. Surprising.. but oh so cute. The movie was great and I adore being with Jenn-she makes me laugh like no one else and I almost had her wetting her pants so it must be mutual. Today, I was quite productive with grocery shopping and dragging out Christmas decor and leaving it half done. I made delicious lunch and dinner so I feel no guilt about the half done holiday decor. It will get done in its time! Tomorrow, to church and then Archivers with some great friends. Mmm good weekends are the best! And knowing you only have 2 days of work-even better. I am looking forward to spending time with family this Thanksgiving. My sis and I are going to do the Turkey trot and I am so thrilled about that. She has been doing so great at getting healthy-can't wait to see her skinny butt!

Fun Saturday

2009-11-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight we got together with our favorite family and took turns taking photos. Here is one with my girl Jenn. I wore my new necklace from Jenna's shop-Whimsy.. so cute. We had fun snapping pics on the Rice campus and eating dinner at Walnut Cafe. So fun.. like Chuck E Cheese for grown ups!

What a week and weekend!

2009-11-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

This has been quite a week. We started a new way of eating here at our house. It was a bit stressful as we all came off our food addictions and I spent way too much time chopping, cooking and cleaning this week. The result? We all sit to eat together (MAJOR accomplishment!) and we have all lost some weight.

The week ended with a surprise birthday party for the boy out in Conroe at Main Event. It was in the midst of the torrential rains we had but they did nothing to keep us from enjoying the evening. The Austins joined us and both grandparents as well. Mr. 8 received an IPod, a Wii, money for game purchases, a DS game and a racquetball racket. Our guests enjoyed pizza and home made cupcakes.
On Saturday we were able to witness in June's and David's wedding. It was a spiritual and joyful event. I kept thinking about her mother and how she must surely be with us on this day. We indulged in some wedding cake and YUM it was scrumptious!
This is a shot of the hubband at the wedding. He looked so handsome. I rarely get to pick out an entire outfit and insist it is worn but, this time I did and I did. He liked it and loved having new clothes-he almost never gets any for himself.
This is me. Not the best shot ever but that was me on Saturday. I wore a dress that barely fit almost 5 years ago when we had the groundbreaking at my school. It is almost loose now. Nice.

Has it really been that long???

2009-10-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

When I don't write it is because I am SUPER busy. I think of many things to say but just don't sit down to write. To catch up:
We celebrated our 14th anniversary on the 12th. We celebrated the hubband turning 44 on the 27th and today, we celebrate the boy turning 8. I was able to make and take cupcakes to his school. Tonight we are having a surprise birthday party for him! I am so excited to have him experience the fun, the surprise and the great gifts!
Mimi and Paw paw will take the birthday boy home and the next day the hubband and I are headed to San Antonio for David and June's wedding. Hooray! So nice to get away and celebrate the union of such wonderful people and friends.
Off to another adventure-LATER

Great weather, good times

2009-10-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend!
Friday I went to Archivers and spent the evening with Natalie. I love working inside such a well stocked place!
Saturday, I came home and had the luxury of a few minutes to deep clean things I never get to and in the afternoon, Jenn and Nat came over. We had yummy Pei Wei, told lots of stories and giggled like we should. I savored every moment-never enough time for girlfriends lately!
Sunday, I went to the quilt show with my mom and her friend. I fell and my knee is hurting but the quilts were AMAZING.
Loving the good times had this weekend.

Happy Happy

2009-10-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

Funny that title-not the two words I would use to describe me over the last few days. Work, cramps, weekend commitments.... moving on to the positive.

This coming week I will be turning 42. I had to calculate because I already thought I was 42. Sign of old age?? The boys already took me out to celebrate. I had a date with them both.

We went to see Grease at the Hobby center and also had a lovely dinner at Artista. Yum-O

I have had the hardest time finding a navy purse to go with my work clothes that are navy. I have looked high and low. I had found a Michael Khors that was great but I really didn't want to give 400 for it. This summer I was in LA on a work trip and stumbled into a store called Harveys. I loved their purses and most especially the blue ones. Flash forward to a few weeks ago when conversations turned to our birthdays and I mentioned that I really wanted a navy purse and the only one I had found was this kooky place in LA. The hubband says, "you should get online and order it." He only had to say it once and my fingers flew..to the website. I ADORE my purse and get asked about it everywhere I go. Mom, these shots are for you. I know where the love of purses comes from!

So proud

2009-09-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Eleanor Roosevelt said "Do one thing every day that scares you." I am so proud of his fear-less-ness. Although he is now my height and quite heavy, it never occured to him that he would be unable to climb. I was so proud.

2009-09-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

I just love this image from Mary Engelbreit and it seems to sum up my weekend.
I totally scrap-lifted this layout-see below. I love how it turned out and I should-it took me all day Saturday in between other projects such as cooking, dishes etc..
This is the original layout.
This is the husband. We did some cooking this weekend. He is laughing and saying he needs to take me on vacation so I can have something interesting to take pictures of. My response- "I do have something interesting to take pictures of... my everyday life." Ali, Stacy and Cathy would be so proud!
What a doll. Glad to see we enjoy laughing together after almost 14 years.

This is my last craft project for the night. I made a Halloween card for the boys teacher. They are the owls and I again lifted this idea from 2 peas and I just happen to have some new stamps thanks to Robin. I love Halloween and I am super excited because I have a C U T E idea for his teacher. So fun!

I have been thinking about my friend Jenn and her project to get her casa ready for a major family influx and my parents who called twice tonight but I just never got to call in time.

There is always tomorrow!!

I'll have a hump day please!

2009-08-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

Whew! I just finished a major deadline today. Dontcha jut love it when a weight is lifted?! I can breathe again! Below, you can see a slide show of the process I used to make a treat for the boys teacher. I am not a bid recycler but I am proud to say that I used a sheet set bag for the gift container and an Ali box for cookies (see the irony?!) Enjoy all.

BOY

2009-08-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

This is our boy and this is BOY (the beginning of the year). We have spent the weekend doing all those things everyone does to get ready. We have had a haircut, made lunches, made a teacher treat bag, and broken in new shoes. The boy will be repeating first but in English as opposed to Spanish. It was a hard decision but one I am sure we will not regret. The best news of all is that he is happy, worked with his new teacher this summer and loves his new campus.

Love it!

2009-08-21T22:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a wonderful and terrible rain storm. The terrible-I had to haul in my scrap stuff in the rain. The wonderful, I was able to enjoy our new gutters and scrap to the sounds of relaxing rain falling. I have made a big mess in my creative space and that always means something good! I will share more later-so excited for school to begin! The boy came home tonight and he just looked so grown up to me. Didn't realize how much I had missed him!

What a week

2009-08-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

Oh my oh my what a week! Some weeks you feel the train a'comin and sometimes you feel like the train has run you over-that would be me! Looking on the positive.. it has been a week of prayer, great answers, good friends, work and deadlines.
I am hoping for a week full of sleep, giggles with the boy (freshly back from the in-laws) and some hot food (as opposed to the chip and cold sand lunches and dinners I have been having!).
Hope everyone is doing well. Come on Fall!!

This n That

2009-08-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

A big THANK YOU to the Mimi and Paw paw who have been entertaining the boy this week. We wanted him to have an opportunity to spend time with each grandparent and also this is my busiest time and it allows me to work a little later, not worry about dinner and picking up and dropping off.

Guess what I did tonight?
Yes, that's right-I made tamales!! After seeing Julia Julie with my sweetie, I was inspired to take one of my many many cookbooks and make something new-take a challenge on.
I picked Art Smith's book and made chicken tamales. I was worried they wouldn't be good but they are yummy. Made with homemade cornbread instead of masa-they are unique, less fattening and flavorful.
Everyone have a great week!

Weekend

2009-08-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

On Friday I was over at Nat's, helping her clean out and set up her scrapping space.

As the hubband says.. "the great white hope"! The boy had a great game of football on Saturday.

Later that day, I drove out to Conroe to see my sis, niece, nephew, my auntie and uncle. Good food and great company!
The hubband and I had a date night in and then slept in on Sunday! We ate a great brunch at Shade downtown and then did the typical things to get ready for the week.

A whole bunch of nuttin

2009-07-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

Wednesday already?? Where did the week go? I generally detest weeks when you are returning from a trip or have been off-your stuff is still half in/out of the suitcase, you are wishing you were still off and work seems to have stacked up.
Somehow this has been a great and productive week so far. I have gotten quite a few to-do's done both at work and home.
Among my list was a trip to the doctor. My sister has been doing amazing at getting healthier and I decided to join her. I am now on Ali, a appetite suppressant and a sugar blocker. If you know me, you know how much I don't like taking pills. I have been at it for 2 days and so far so good.
I am looking forward to water aerobics tomorrow with a friend, scrapping on Friday with Nat, Saturday football game and then out to C town to see my auntie, uncle, KK and KT.
Things I am loving: old worn quilts, good sleep, crossing things off my list, seeing returning teachers, IPhone movies and shopping at Ross.
Things I am hating on: sleepless nights, boys who create stink near me, food that won't go down, negativity, and old knees!

2009-07-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the conference. It was very inspiring. We picked up the girls in the afternoon and ate at the famous Pinks Hotdogs. I went against the grain and had a tamale (hot dogs are not my friend) We did a bit of shopping on Rodeo and Melrose. We hit stores like Kitson, Marc Jacobs, etc...For dinner we went to Ketchup-a restaurant owned by Ashton Kutcher. The decor idea was cute but the food and run-down condition was disappointing. I was so tired, I had not slept well the night before-I crashed.

We woke up early and went for a de-lish breakfast at BLD (breakfast, lunch, dinner). We were thoroughly enjoying the dishes when I spotted Ross from Friends (David Schwimmer). We tried multiple times to take his photo but he had a group of friends who would move to block us.

I ended up having a major appointment with my pillow and the other girls went to take a tour of the city. After the class sessions, I met back up with the girls and they were teasing me and telling me they saw Brad Pitt-I knew it was SO not true but they had photos. As they were showing me I could tell they knew they had met someone special be they truly had NO idea who he was. He was...

Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) from Greys Anatomy. When I explained who he was I heard teenage screams like I have never heard before. The texting and calling were incredible as they shared the news of the celeb-they-met-but-had-no-idea-who-he-was!

We got ready and then went to a delicious Italian dinner at Vincenti in Brentwood-delicious gnocchi and I had osso buco and risotto. Yummers. We tried to see the Playboy mansion but it was all locked up tight-and it was too dark so we had to give up.

Tomorrow is our last day. We are going to the sessions and then driving to Huntington to see my friend Darcy. Can't wait!!

Tuesday in LA

2009-07-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

We were up and going around 5am this morning. We arrived in LA and it was still morning thanks to gift of time zones. We had no problem getting our rental car and resisted temptation to get a red infinity car for 5$ more a day-we stuck with a generic Chevrolet sedan.
We went to In-and-out burger and the girls got to experience them for the first time. We checked into our beautiful hotel and then went sight seeing. We window shopped on Rodeo drive and had Sprinkles cupcakes. For dinner, we ate at Mario Batali's restaurant, Mozza which is a unique pizza place. I had fried squash blossoms with ricotta, then lentils with goat cheese medallions (could have that dish every day!) and dessert was a caramel sundae (caramel gelatto over a waffle disk, covered with home made marshmallow cream and topped with salty Spanish peanuts) DIVINE.
We then took a tour of the Hollywood hills and the beautiful and unique homes there. The girls took pictures in front of the Hollywood sign. We went by LA Ink, a tattoo parlour the girls wanted to see as it is the host of a TV show.
All in all it was a busy, fun and full day. The conference begins tomorrow!

Great Kindnesses

2009-07-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think I must be one of the most blessed people on this Earth. I have been fortunate to have some of the best friends around. Not only do I have great girlfriends but I have also inherited some outstanding husbands of great friends! Two examples: I have had a running to-do list this summer, running in my mind. I am proud to say that many of the things have been accomplished-some that I thought were near impossible. I was telling my friend Nat that I wanted some glass knobs for these black boxes at the end of my crop table-the next thing I know she has found them, purchased them and they are the perfect color!! Testing my luck, I gather up all of the boxes AND a canvas project I have not completed and dropped over to her house. Her sweet and oh so handy hubbie Robert drills all of the holes-at 11 pm no less! I leave the canvases with him and ask him to come up with a way to put them all together tightly. I tell him not to hurry-I have been lolly gagging for almost 5 years to complete this project-I am obviously not in a hurry! The NEXT DAY he calls to tell me it is ready! I cannot tell you how great of a job he did-amazing. I painted the back wood last night and today I tried to hang it up. I tried so hard I broke the hanger Robert gave me! When I get back into town, I will fix it-but till then-here is a sneak peak!

My final example is Jon. He is no longer with us and honestly when he was here with us I said hello and bye and sometimes on the phone, "Can I talk to Jen?" but he and I did not have lengthy conversations-he was simply the husband of one of my besties-Jenn. I get hungry to see her like I get hungry to eat Mexican food at least once a week. I can only go so long before I trek out to Lake Jackson (stop off for my fried zucchini at Smithhearts-priorities!) It is always shocking and surprising to me how I immediately miss Jon when I see Jen. Pretty much Jon was who made inappropriate jokes with the hubband and watched teen TV with the hubband (Jacka##, etc..) and many many times we left those two with 2-3 kiddos while we went off for some adventure-I am just always struck by how much I miss him. I am grateful for all the joy he brought to Jenn and I am grateful for the gorgeous, funny, delightful children they made. We miss you crazy boy!
On a final and funny note, the boy asked me this weekend on one of our many trips in the car this weekend. "Mom, when is Peter Pan and the Half Blood Prince coming out?" The boy is not a Harry Potter fan-that is to come but he is hanging this summer at sports camp with a multi-age crowd and I know Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has been a topic of conversation!

July 4th

2009-07-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

I didn't take my camera- I can't find the battery charger and it has just been that hectic so I took all the photos on my phone. This is the boy eating frog's legs for the first time.
Beautiful Broken Bow Lake.
Lots and lots of car repairs (battery, flat tire)
Awesome cabin-the hubband sure knows how to pick 'em!

Back at work

2009-07-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hey there!
Hope you had a delicious July 4th. We were at a gorgeous park in northern Oklahoma with my hubbands side of the family. We stayed in a fabulous log cabin that was just incredible-rustic, lodgey but still with flat screens, wireless etc.
I will post pics later but I ran across this today:
http://joesimonproductions.blogspot.com/ The boy was in a wedding in June and I had not seen the video although I kept hearing about it. There is a shot of him at the end-so precious!

Fuzzy cuteness

2009-06-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

These are two shots from a recent wedding. The boys was a ring "burrier". I took the photos with my Iphone-not as good as my camera.
The boy took this one.
I will be heading off to Dallas on Friday to take a wonderful class from Tim Holtz and Cheryl Darrow at 10 second studios. My dear mommy is going with me and we will be visiting my favorite aunties and I hear even my cuzin will be there!!! so excited!

Stay cation

2009-06-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

I had been complaining to the husband that he and I had not had any time to ourselves lately and that I missed our time together. While I was gone to Dallas, the sweetie planned a stay-cation. We stayed at the Hyatt that looks over discovery green. It was gorgeous! He took me out to eat several times over the weekend but our collective fav was 17 at the Alden hotel-delicious does not even do it justice. We even met the new executive chef! We saw a show called memories of Spain that was wonderful. On Sunday we went to the Gospel brunch at the House of Blues. We went to the one in Vegas and it was great. This one was the same. Such a great place to take friends visiting Houston. Hard to come back to the week of work work and more work!

Lovely lovely

2009-06-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

Back from the most wonderful trip to the big "D" and I do mean Dallas! My mom went along with me as I attended a training. The training was great, the restaurants we tried were yummy and the shopping we squeezed in was very successful! I got three suits/business dresses for 100. That is good ladies!!
Today, I took the day off and met the handy man. LOVE the handy man. I have two new lights in the hallway where Sydney lays, my freezer was lowered to hopefully fix my ice problem, my cabinets actually close and hang correctly, my ceiling fan remote now works, my shower door opens and closes and we went over a future list of items. He is AMAZING and affordable. So nice to find one.
Tomorrow, back to work. A full day and the the staycation with my hubby. So sweet! Photos to come!!

Busy Bee

2009-06-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend and last have been so busy and so fun-hard to take a breath!
This weekend we had a rehearsal dinner and wedding rehearsal that had us home at 10. Friday we found that my workplace had been broken into and that made for a filled day of repairs and calming fears. Friday night there was a wedding. The boy was a ring "burrier" (bearer) and he did a great job! At 11:00 pm we piled into the car and found we had a flat tire. We arrived home around 12:30. This morning, a birthday party. Miss Madeleine turned three and she had a pool party. I thought I was tired but when I asked the time and discovered it was 7:30 pm, I just knew it was time to go home!
Last weekend, we had just as busy as a time. I was able to scrap with my dear friend Nat, Friday the air went out and I spent most of the day waiting for the repairman and the cold air. Sunday we set bombs for the ticks that have returned and then went grocery shopping. The fumes were so strong we had to go out to eat and give it time to dissipate.
Whew! These are our weekends and the weeks are just as busy. I have been getting shots in my knees each week to give them cushion. We are also repairing small things in our home. Getting these two projects fit in between work has made things hectic.
I know everyone feels busy-I am trying to learn to savor the weekends in which we don't have any plans and also enjoy the warm weather!

Funny

2009-06-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

The boy had his first day of summer school at his new school this week. He made this solar system hat. I was admiring it and reading the planets he had drawn on the brim, (.. Pluto.. and what is this planet? ) I see it has a RF written on it.
"Mom, he says, Earth (mispronounced- eR-F). We relabeled it so he could see how it was meant to be pronounced!

He is enjoying himself and that is all we can ask for. Today, I almost forgot to pick him up-bad mom! I just haven't gotten used to getting him so early!!

The boys are off to play baseball and my friend Nat is going to come over and crop later. See ya!

What to say, what to say

2009-06-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

I read everyone's blog and I enjoy them so much-I should return the favor and write more often.
I went to Talbots outlet today. I had talked myself into buying this big blue leather bag I drooled over-of course when I got there it was gone! I had gone to window shop a few days ago and got a 40$ shirt for 6.75-that's a bargain ya'll! This is a cute oxford shirt (pink) with white collar and cuffs. Since doing the grovery game I have become more of a discount shopper and so I thought maybe I should look around and see if there are any other bargains. I ended up getting a pair of dress grey slacks, a knit navy jacket and a suit skirt for a little over 40. They were all 75% off. I love a good bargain!!

My knees are much better and tomorrow the doctor is going to stick a needle in both of them and give me back some cushion. I have somehow hurt my ankle so I am going to have him look at that as well. I weighed today and am SOOO grateful that despite eating whatever my heart desires, I am about at my normal, but not my heaviest weight of 217. I would like to say I am under 200 by August so lets see if I can mak that happen.

I am going to make myself a priority and treat myself as good as I do my child or husband.

Everyone have a great hump day!!

This weekend

2009-05-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

This was one of those weekends that was so full it could have fit into two! This is a shot of the boy and I in the dugout at Bayland Park. To say it was hot was a huge understatement. The boy had closing ceremonies and received a statue for their team being #1 in their division.

At this age-boys-it is all out 1st place and trophies. So different than my interests as a girl. Many times after a softball game I would have to ask my parents who won!
Saturday we had a crawfish boil celebration for the team . Many many mud bugs were eaten and the boy was in the pool from 12:00 pm until 10:00 pm. We had 12 kids and as many adults. The most people at our house ever and it was a blast.
Sunday, we took the boy out for a special dinner at Melting Pot. He had been asking to go for weeks so we surprised him. We also told him about the joys of summer school and changes ahead for him. He will be at a different school next year and we drove by there on the way home.

I was sad to miss a special Pampered Chef party (gonna get a catalog!) but this was a full full weekend and such a sweet way to celebrate a great year and gratitude for our blessings!

You just never know

2009-05-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I had to start my work day a bit late as the new handy man came to my house. If you don't hear a choir of angels singing, believe me sister they are. Did I mention the WHOLE baseball team has been invited to my home Saturday plus their parents?!! I had wires hanging in my kitchen and that was not going to work.
Anywhoo- as the handy man was being, well handy, I was trying to be busy-I really doesn't seem right to sit on the couch and eat fritos while someone else is putting my house back together. So there I was in the guest room which should really be called the "Mama got a new scrap space and I got to be the crap space". It is like all the products not used frequently have just died there. I went about sorting, throwing away and moving things around. I ran across this photo. This is gold. I don't have many shots of Jen and Jon and I don't think she does either. Heavenly Father blessed me for staying away from those Fritos!
Jen if you want it, I will be happy to mail it over to you.

2009-05-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

I recently read this on Jim Wests website and it really resonated with me:
"I don’t know how the rest of you were raised, but one of the things I was taught by my parents and my grand parents is that being a nice person matters in life. I am writing this because I have recently run into a couple of really “sad” people ....... and I am amazed they don’t realize how they appear and how disrespectful they act toward others. It is true, some people “get it” and some people don’t, so maybe they just don’t “get it,” and never will, I don’t know.
My Grandma West taught me you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. And as hokey as all that might sound, it’s true. Be nice, it matters! Just thought I’d mention this today since it is on my mind."
I try not to be too preachy in life or here-pretty much who you are speaks volumes about who we are and words are unnecessary. I always tell the boy no one can hurt his feelings/make him mad/frustrated without his permission. I recently let someone hurt my feelings and it is so silly I can let it go-easily. This is a rough time of the year and this long weekend was just delicious. I am so happy to have a fun, fabulous family, a job I love and an opportunity each day to do better and be better.
Everyone have a great week!!

Memorial weekend 09

2009-05-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

You don't know how exciting this photo is to me. My sweetie planted a small barrel just outside our home with tomatoes and squash. They flourished but we lack gutters on our home and with each rain the little plants just got hammered. I had two big tomatoes that died on the vine. You never think about gutters until you don't have any. We are saving for them. I digress... anywhoo-this little babe showed up and was green for the longest. I just noticed she has begun to blush-go little tomato-you can do it!!
Memorial weekend was spent on crawfish boil and baseball. The hubband held his first boil; practicing for the one he is throwing next weekend for the boy's baseball team. They sure were good bugs!
Here is the boy and his aunt Gigi. He sure does love her. They had lost of fun here and at the grandparents.

Yes

2009-05-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Yes-it's what is written on my knee so the doc will know which one he should cut into.
Yes-it's what I say when someone asks "Didn't you just have that done?". I had to have both done and this is #2.
Yes- I am ok and I learned from surgery #1 to take it easy.
Yes- the boys are taking care of me.
Yes-I still wish my mom were here to take care of me-we never grow out of that do we??

Inspired 2009

2009-05-12T11:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a ride it was. I think each of us wondered at the end of the incredible Inspired 2008 whether we should return, would there be something new, would it be as exciting the following year. For myself, the answer was YES to all three. Donna has such a clear vision and rhythm-the event completely mirrors her. It was relaxed, rich and so diverse.
Cathy was there to support and it was great to see her again.
One of my favorite artists, Jennifer Stewart (gotta love a Texas girl!!) was there and I loved the project we made.

2009-05-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Susan Edmonson-For whatever reason, I didn't get a photo of this teacher or her project. I was so busy trying to crank out some work!! I loved the class and her work is amazing.

I also didn't get a shot of Tajae Floyd but here is one from the website:

As with all of the projects, I have lots to finish!! I will try and post them as I go.

2009-05-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Paulette Insall-so patient, sweet and creative!! Just check out her work!

2009-05-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Carol Wingert-so amazing. Loved the project-I didn't take any pictures yet. Don't you just love the sign she made for her class?!

Cheryl Darrow (another Texas girl!) loved loved loved her. She owns 10 second studios near Dallas and I know I will be there very soon!!
Therea Collins did a mini session where we made one of those clear dome rings and a necklace. So fun!

Breathing and FUN

2009-05-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well, first the fun..
Fun is going away for the weekend and sleeping, playing board games, eating yummy food, getting sun on your shoulders and RELAXING.
Fun is also getting a phone call telling you that you have won a new purse! So fun!! http://bagsthatscreamme.blogspot.com/ Thanks for choosing me.

Breathing means....
Inspired is in 2.5 days and ask me if I have ONE thing ready for it!!!!! Go ahead ask me. Gotta love the hubband who lets you have a complete freak out on Sunday and just calmly tells you he will help in any way.
Printed my supply list
Highlighted what I don't have already
Purchased my shuttle to and from
Made a binder to hold all my important papers
Have dinners made for the boys
Will pack clothes tonight
Breathe Breathe

Friends

2009-05-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday!!!!
Some weeks really need a FRIDAY and this one was one.
Between the flooding, the lack of air in half our building, the swine flu and some craziness (won't go into details) this was a week that couldn't end quick enough!!

The title of this post if friends.
Interestingly enough, both are named Robin!

The first Robin lives just out of Houston. She recently brought me some treats via my friend Kim. Thanks Robin!! I REALLY appreciate the thoughtfulness!!

My other Robyn, lives in Lake Charles. I basically twisted her arm and made her start a blog. Here it is http://robyn-duncan.blogspot.com/ If you go there and read-leave a comment. She will be surprised when she opens it and we all know how motivating those comments are!!

This weekend I will be with my friend Caroline at her lake house with three very rambunctious boys-pray for us!

Scenes from the ghetto

2009-04-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

It seems silly but this morning was so very stressful. I started the morning in a drug haze of la-la since my knee had been hurting the night before and I took a pain pill. So as the rain fell and fell and fell I just keep thinking about how much the hubband loves the rain while sleeping. I was woken for sure at 5:30 when the many many phone calls came. No info and lots of questions later I loaded the boy and tried to get to work. Here are some snapshots from our car. If you ever see the bayou, you know how astounding this is.
The boy and I had to turn around and go back home after and hour (I live 10 minutes from work) of traveling in and out of water-trying to get to work. At one time I was in the deepest water I have ever been in and I asked the boy to say a prayer. We both prayed and made it out after the car sputtered twice. The boy started to cry from the stress of it all and I decided to give up.
We went home, made breakfast and breathed. At 10, we headed back out and made it. We had 4 kids and 10 adults so all was well.
It is amazing to me that the roads now appear as if nothing happened. I am grateful to Heavenly Father for our safety and the safety of our kiddos. Have a great evening.

Proof he is not all mine and layouts

2009-04-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

The boys Easter candy from his eggs- labeled so someone won't eat it (so me) but he has not touched it (so NOT me).
Here are some layouts I did this weekend.
One of my favs. It was one of shots of my new creative space.
I also love this layout from my first trip on the boat with some friends. The paper is Little Yellow bicycle.
Gotta love the baseball laouts. I need to add a text box to this.
I am feeling lazy so I am going to have the rest in coming posts.