You Could Not Tell Me Then....

Back row:  Nanny holding Will and G'Daddy

Front row:  Cameron, Jack and Jordan

 

Halloween 1990

 

 

You could not tell me then to stop and relax because it was all going to go by so fast.  That's the trick of time, isn't it?  Long days, short years.  It's so cliche that it's irritating at the time.  And now when I hear myself tell my young mom friends to enjoy every moment, I want to slap myself because I sound like an old lady.

But oh, my.  It's the truth. 

I remember feeling overwhelmed on many Halloweens with so much to do between getting everyone dressed up and cooking our traditional chili and cornbread and having the whole family over which meant additional cleaning and serving.  Chuck would pull in to the driveway when it was about time to eat.  I could never relax and enjoy it.  At the time. 

And today...we bought the candy, I'm making the chili and cornbread but there are no trick-or-treaters to get dressed and fed in a rushed frenzy before trick-or-treating.  And I have all the time in the world. 

And it's not so fun.

And this picture makes me miss my daddy who dressed up in a prison suit on Halloween, 1990, because just a few weeks before he locked himself out of his house and was trapped between the security gate and front door.  He was trapped in a little area for hours.  When he saw this prison costume at a Walgreen's he knew he had to have it.  His humor was subtle.

And I miss those babies. 

Sorry for the melancholy.

I really don't allow myself to feel too much pity but something washed over me when I found this picture.  Because....(I'm slapping myself).... it does seem like it was just yesterday.

The melancholy could also be brought on by low blood sugar this morning. Chuck bought about 6 huge bags of candy and we got in to one of them last night. 

Girls' Trip to See the Baby Bump

I just got back from a Girls' Trip to Scottsdale, Arizona.  Harry wasn't invited because a) he's a boy and b) he's a dog and c) he would not fit in the suitcase.  He was not happy.

My sister Catha, Cameron and I went to see Jordan and the Baby Bump and we went bearing gifts.

I've spent my free time in the last month sewing burper cloths and baby blankets and Cameron has been accumulating Aggie baby items so we hand delivered them to Jordan.

Because Jordan and Chris have decided "firmly" that they do not want to know the gender of the baby, it was somewhat of a challenge finding fabric that is gender neutral.  When I found the "dog" fabric, I decided to make some burpers and a blanket from the dogs. 

 

And a few more gender neutral burpers and blankets.

The second after I see this baby and hold it

 and give it a huge kiss on the neck,

 I will be heading to Target to get something pink or blue. 

 This is hard not knowing.

Especially since I work in a cute store with

an adorable baby section....

full of very pink or very blue things.

 

 

We ate lunch at Arcadia Farms...

the first place Jordan ever took us to eat in Scottsdale 5 years ago. 

 And the place where Catha hosted

the Bridesmaid Luncheon for Jordan in March of 2010. 

 This place is adorable, special to us, and the food is delicious. 

 

I can never pass up carrot cake. 

Catha and I shared but I'm sure I had more than half. 

I love that I can go visit my daughter in a place that is like a vacation. 

The climate, the terrain, the architectural style,

 the food and shopping are all so different than home. 

I know once the baby is here I will only want to sit in a chair with him/her...

but for now we spent this trip on the go.

This isn't a cloudy picture, it's the "misting"

 that is outside on the patio to keep patrons cool and moisturized.

  It's a dry heat they say.

 Think sticking your head inside your oven at 350 degrees.

Hot heat.

Blue skies, nothin' but blue skies.......

Snuck in a picture of my "baby."

We ate lunch at a sports bar on Saturday morning called Blue 32...
a bar owned by an Aggie...where we watched the Aggie game.


 

 

Chuck, back at home,  dressed Harry in an Aggie shirt and cap

 and sent us pictures during the game.

 

 

This is Harry at the end of the game.  Guess who didn't get the most points?

 

After the game, we shopped and shopped then Chris met us for dinner

at a place called Bar North.  We ate outside on the patio

 in the cool desert evening air. 

 

 

 

On Sunday, we stopped at Catha's favorite place and bought some donut holes and coffee....only to get to Jordan's church and find donut holes and coffee.

 

 

 

 

 Chris played the drums in the worship band at their church
 so I finally got to see him drum.
 He's very talented...as I knew he would be. 

 

 

 

After church we ate a LGO....La Grande Orange Grocery. 
This is the cutest place...a store, a grocery, a restaurant,
 a pizza place, a cafe all rolled in to one. 

And so we ate and shopped some more. 

 

 

Chandeliers and mountains.

A burger on a sourdough bun.

 

Oh, how I wish you could.

 

 

 

 

 

 And then we headed back to Jordan's for just a bit before the airport.

 

The 3 of them...soon to be 4.  Mia is a Beagle/Boxer mix and the most timid dog ever.  Right before this picture was taken we had gone outside to get a picture of the 3 of them.  However, Cameron was in the hammock and so it was "moving."  Mia was petrified and wouldn't stay outside.  Her Mama got a little mad at her and kept trying to drag her back to the photo spot.  We finally gave up and came inside.  In this picture, Mia looks like she is pouting because she was.  She had just gotten in trouble. 

The scary hammock.

 

I'm guessing this baby will be long legged
and have reddish hair with blue or green eyes.

All I really care about is that it gets here healthy

 and safely and that I am somehow able to be there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And........

 

Today is our 29th wedding anniversary.

 

Happy Anniversary Chuck! 

 

Thanks for the laughs, the tears, the hugs,

the couch potato thing, the trips,

 the gifts, the babies, the college funds,

 the longevity, the dogs, the indulgences,

the patience, the commitment to it all.

 

We had no idea what we were getting in to

 but we had a great friendship underneath our new love. 

And that is what has made this thing work. 

We are far from perfect and normal

but somehow at the end of the day,

this is home and that feels good.

You are my equalizer, I am your upper.

  You are the flat line to my wavy one.

I know I can count on you and

 I hope you know you can count on me.

This next year, I will start calling you "Pop"

 and this new baby has no idea

how lucky it is to have you for a grandfather. 

Can you believe it's been 29 years Chuck? 

10/09/90

Twenty two years ago, we fell in love with a boy.  And after two girls, we had no idea what to do with a boy.  But the second we saw him, loving him was easy.  Turns out a boy starts out as a baby and by the third baby, we were totally ready and relaxed. 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Will! 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Trip to Roundtop

My friend Karen asked me to head back with her this past Saturday to Roundtop.  I gave it some thought...about a second...and accepted.  Chuck and Cameron headed to Cleveland, Mississippi, to visit relatives and see the Texas Aggies play the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Mississippi.  Home alone meant I could go to Roundtop and had no rush to get home. 

This time we concentrated on Marburger Farms.  Rows of big white tents with a few buildings out in the middle of a pasture, Marburger Farms is one of the first places I ever went to years ago.  After a day of shopping there, I remember why I quit going....the price tags.  If you collect antiques, this may be the place for you.  But I just like to find cute junk and it needs to be affordable so Marburger is a little too high end for me.

For instance, I was on the hunt for a cute mirror.  I want to do a grouping of antique mirrors and already have an oval one and an odd shaped one...so I was specifically looking for a rectangular shaped mirror.  And I found the perfect mirror for my bathroom.  It was small...about 10 x 16.  Price tag?  $650.00.  Yep.  It must have been European.  Ancient.  And expensive to ship over here.  I could just imagine Chuck's reaction to me picking up a little mirror for $650.00. 

Even though I didn't buy much, I had a great time looking.  The booths are so incredibly creative.  Walls are covered in fabric, burlap, wallpaper....and strung with lights and chandeliers.  It's easy to forget you're in a tent. 

A happy little leprechaun for only $275. 

This is Tinkerbell.  She drew a crowd because she was being strolled around in a wagon.  I asked her mama if I could take her picture and she took Tinkerbell out and put her on this table.  The "mama"  sounded like me when I'm trying to get Harry to pose....she kept saying, "TREAT?  treat?  TrEaT?"

I found a couple of pictures from last week that I want to share on here for my crafty friends.  This booth had gorgeous Christmas stockings and pillows.  Not that I need another pillow but these were adorable....and could be copied...or at least serve as inspiration for Doojies.  They were made of burlap and were embellished with ribbon, trinkets (like a key, a suitcase handle, ornaments), floral sprays and  pockets for vintage cards.  Just one on a chair would be so cute.  The ribbon was satin and was gathered then attached...but not even sure that would be necessary...just a bow or a row of ribbon would be cute.  It was all the doo dads that made them cute.  If you make one, let me know.  I may attempt one. 

Between working and vacuuming Harry's other half (I swear I vacuum up as much hair as is still on his body), I've been busy sewing some things...but I can't tell you what just yet. 

Here's a hint. Baby.

A Rainy Day in Roundtop, Texas

I went to Roundtop  and Warrenton  on Saturday with my friend, Karen.  She had invited me to go with her a few weeks ago but I spent a lot of time on Friday evening assuming we would cancel because of the impending thunderstorms being forcasted for all day Saturday across most of Texas.  We texted back and forth and she said, "Let's go for it."  I imagined being struck by lightening...but for a good cause.

We went.  We shopped.  We ate.  And we barely even got sprinkled on.  And here is where I thank God for no lightening and for rain boots.  It's amazing how crazy comfortable rain boots are and how one can step in huge mud puddles and wet cow patties (the booths are set up in pastures) and not even give it a thought.  In fact, I stepped in a wet cow patty on purpose.  Bucket list.  jk 

Being the age I am, and not having grown up with cell phones, I forget there's a camera on that thing.  I remembered to take a few pictures about the time we were heading to our car to leave for the day.  As you can see in this photo, dark luminous clouds hung around all day but we never got a hard rain.  While we looked like wet rats from the drizzle and humidity, so did everyone else. 

In my dream backyard, I would have this black and ivory striped umbrella.

I bought the orange and ivory silk pillow case. The girl who sells them goes to Turkey each year to get her fabrics so it is probably too worldly for this house.  I paid way to much for it, but I loved the pop of color.  The last thing this house needs is another pillow but I haven't come to terms with that yet. 

Karen spotted this tray on a table full of junk and pointed it out to me.  She is always on the hunt for a Louisiana one.  Chuck is from Mississippi...Cleveland, in the upper left area near the corn husk...and I spent 3 1/2 years of my high school days in Bay St. Louis...near the M of Mississippi.  So it was a must have and a steal for $5.

The Junk Gypsy booth is a well known booth...they are a landmark in Warrenton.  The Junk Gypsy girls now have a show on HGTV.  I grabbed this photo off of the Internet but it was taken by Heather Bullard...one of the people I met at Silver Bella.  She has a beautiful blog.  By beautiful, I mean her photography is gorgeous...she is a production and photography stylist. 

We went through the booth and the first person I saw was Rachel Aswell!

 Rachel Aswell, of Shabby Chic fame, was talking to someone and I walked by and said HEY! And she looked at me and say hey.  And I kept walking.  But she did look at me!  And then I proceeded to pick up a cup on a shelf that was stacked on a lot of other cups.  And as I picked up the cup, the other 15 cups started falling.  Like dominoes.  One, then 3, then all of them came tumbling off the shelf.  A sweet girl behind me came to my rescue and started trying to grab them before they hit the ground.  It was comical...and all I could think of was my moment with Rachel Aswell and was she witnessing this.

Rachel (like we're on a first name basis) has a Bed and Breakfast (more like a compound of many lodges) in Roundtop called The Prairie.  I see from the calendars and events about Roundtop 2012 that she is doing a lot of book signings.  But that day she was just standing around looking like a wet rat, just like the rest of us. 

This antique festival is huge.  So huge that it would take weeks to see it all...there are hundreds and hundreds of booths in the fields and lots of buildings full as well.  The nice thing about going year after year is one gets to know the layout and the areas that you want to revisit.  So to run in to Rachel Aswell was so random.

And another random sighting?  I was waiting for my friend Karen as she went back to her car to get her umbrella.  I looked up and saw a woman who looked a lot like my friend Nancy from my first home in Pecan Grove.  I babysat Nancy's daughter Molly when Molly was 2.....22 years ago.  Nancy and I became friends and like most friends in the past, we lost touch and only kept up through the years with Christmas cards and now on fb.  I watched her for a minute and thought it wasn't her but stared anyway.  Then I walked up closer to her.  She didn't recognize me at all ...but I am a little older and fluffier and had on the hood of my windbreaker.  Then I spoke up and said, "Nancy?" and she said "JUJU?" with her cutest, prettiest smile.  She is a dental hygienist and don't they have the prettiest teeth?

It was good to see her after all these years in person and give her a hug.  And get in a quick 10 minute catch up on life visit....in a rain soaked cow pasture surrounded by antiques and junk.  Nancy was shabby chic, junk gypsy before it was even a term.  She had the knack of taking anything junk and turning it in to adorable.  One of the things I loved and adored about her.

When I think of all the miles of booths and shops and all of the thousands of people there...I know seeing Nancy was a gift from God.  And seeing Rachel Aswell and having her look me in the eye and say hey....that was also a little wink from Him. 

I may just go back this weekend.  It's a little addicting.