Mizjuney

Sweet Destruction

2012-01-27T08:30:00.000-06:00

Harry is the sweetest, largest, slobberiest dog. We are falling in love. He has the cutest face and has kicked up the "activity level" in this empty nest.

But.............and this is a huge BUT....

So far he has eaten/destroyed 2 umbrellas, his dog bed ($100.00 and only one week old), a wicker basket, the padding in Dixie's dog bed, mail left out on the counter, a jacket and my desk calendar.

And a piece of frozen chicken and frozen spinach in a ziplock bag. I had taken this out of the freezer to pack in my lunchbag. I left it on the counter, then went to take my shower. Came back and saw spinach on the floor. Frozen chicken and ziplock bag gone....except the zipper top of it. Apparently he didn't like the frozen spinach.

My bad. I shouldn't have left it out. This is all new to me. I don't think like this.

I would have taken pictures of this destruction, but I was sweeping up the messes with him still wanting to play with the torn bits. We are learning to clear the counters but it's hard to teach us old dogs new tricks.

Looking for obedience training classes or a shock collar.

Tear....Like Rhymes with Bare.

2012-01-20T16:50:00.005-06:00

Yesterday at work, it felt like there seemed to be a film across my right eye. It just suddenly became noticeable. But it wasn't in my eye, it was inside my eyeball. The faint may want to leave now. As long as I was busy, I could almost forget about it. But it didn't go away. And while I could tell it was inside my eyeball, I kept blinking thinking I could make it go away. Imagine looking in a foggy mirror. I could see but it was very filmy.

Then I sneezed really hard. This will be important later.

When I got home, I headed in to the dark living room to turn on a lamp....and saw flashing lights in my peripheral vision. Very quick flashing lights lasting only 2 or 3 seconds. Then Chuck walked in the back door and I thought ....oh, it must have been a reflection of his headlights coming up the driveway. This is called denial.

Change in your eyesight....like new floaters or showers of black things and flashing lights is an indicator of a retinal tear. How do I know this? Because it just happened to a good friend of mine not too long ago and she called and told me the details and I listened. And while I normally hear symptoms of some weird disease and then immediately experience them...having myself dead and buried within the month, this wasn't the case here. I just remembered her symptoms, and when the "flashing lights" happened, I knew.

So I got up this morning and knew I needed to call the opthamologist office. Mention the words, "flashing lights" and they see you right away. Numbing drops, eye exams and 3 hours later waiting for the Retina Specialist, I had laser surgery on the tear in my retina.

The orange matter is the retina. That little hole that the arrow is going through? Well, that's a tear (rhymes with bare). The laser is shot around the tear to seal it off to prevent fluid going through the tear and causing the whole retina from pulling away. Like in this picture.

The surgery was quick and just a tad painful like a "headache." At one point, it felt like a brain freeze sensation. I sat on my hands so I wouldn't make a quick movement and hit the doctor guiding the laser machine.

What caused this? Oh, hard coughing, SNEEZING, constipation, heavy lifting, eye trauma, or NOTHING. Yep, nothing can cause it....just part of the aging process. Happens to about 5% of us.I did sneeze really hard yesterday but it was way after the huge, cloudy floater appeared. Still, I wonder if that had anything to do with making it worse...as in "flashing lights" a little later.

And that cloudy stuff I see? Blood inside my eye. When the retina tore, it was near a blood vessel. It doesn't look like blood, it looks like a cloud. And while my retina tear has been repaired, the huge floater may take months to dissipate...because it's actually blood and has to dissolve back in to your body.

For the next 2 weeks, I have to be very careful... no heavy lifting, no sudden jerking motion, no heavy exercise. So sounds like I won't be seeing any of you at the gym.

And the doctor said eat all I want and absolutely no hanky panky.

Okay, maybe she didn't say that.

PS....I can make a little joke about it now, but I was extremely scared this morning. I worked hard at staying calm and brave today. Drops numbed my eye, but I had to calm myself with no valium...just prayer. If these symptoms happen to any of you, do not delay in getting to the doctor. If it hadn't have been for my friend having this happen to her, I wouldn't have put 2 and 2 together with my symptoms. So I'm thankful for her ....not for her having this happen....but for sharing her story with me so I was able to get help.

The Joke's On Us

2012-01-18T17:08:00.001-06:00

Do you ever get the feeling that you may be the brunt of someone's joke?

Or as soon as you walk away, you are being laughed at?

Perhaps, you just have S*cKeR written across your forehead.

Yeah, that's us right now.

I feel like we gave the workers at the vet's office

a good laugh yesterday.

Chuck picked Harry up from the vet after he was neutered yesterday.

He was given all of the instructions for giving meds...

what to look for in case of complications...

and one more thing...

Told we must keep the cone on Harry for a week.

Good one! I feel sure they laughed while watching Chuck drive away.

It's probably only needed for a couple of days at the most
but they instructed us to keep it on A WEEK.

He attempted to go out the doggie door no

less than a hundred times last night.

When Chuck got up this morning, the cone was off

and Chuck couldn't get it back on

because of Harry's strong desire to keep it off.

By the time Harry's
pain meds kicked in,

I was up and able to get the cone back on.

It hasn't even been one day yet.

And we're all worn out. It hasn't really slowed him down
but he is running into everything...including me, the doors, the walls.

Yep. This is surely a joke.

Let's Get This Over With...

2012-01-16T11:42:00.002-06:00

I've done something very impulsive and embarrassing. I'm a little ashamed. My stomach hurts. Still feels unreal. I need to get it off my chest. So here goes.......

I answered an email for a lost dog who needed a home or he was going to be put down.

And this wasn't the first one I answered. It went something like this:

12/28/11 - A friend posted on fb that a young yellow lab needed a good home. I couldn't quit thinking about it and responded. Long story short...it didn't work out. Thank you, God. For reeling me back in.

1/4/12 - A friend at work says she needs to find a home for the lab mix that showed up at her house a few weeks earlier. I start asking questions...it's looking promising until she says the dog is a digger. Thank you, God. For bringing me to my senses.

1/4/12 - I receive an email from a friend of a friend of a friend who needs to find a home for a 6 year old Golden Retriever named Hunter. Oh, my goodness! This is why the other two didn't work out! God wants us to have a Golden Retriever. Chuck and Will are beside themselves with excitement! Chuck tells me to respond to the email quickly! Bless his heart, he has wanted a big dog again ever since we lost our beloved Golden Retriever, Brandy, at the age of 14. It's been 6 years. This dog is 6. Will makes the connection and says "it's meant to be." The owner says she will bring the dog to our house on Saturday morning at 10:30 to meet us. Apparently she is interviewing others so we have to look great.

1/7/12 - Everyone gets up early. The house is spotless. We are all showered and dressed and burning candles to make the house more inviting. We are ready to meet Hunter at 10:30. It's now 10:20. 10:30. 10:45. 11:00. Noon. We've been stood up. The look on Chuck and Will's face is devastating. Total disappointment. Okay, God. What was that about?

1/7/12 to 1/10/12 - I am talking to God non-stop about my impulse control and thanking him for covering for me. We need a big dog like we need a hole in our head. Thank you. Thank you. Please help me with my impulse control. Please do not let me see another email about a lost dog who needs a home. Another BIG dog. Whew. That was close. God, you are mighty to save.

1/10/12 - An email about a lost dog is sent to all the residents of my neighborhood. One of our neighbors (that we don't know) found it wandering and picked it up. She has a friend who's a vet and will keep it in his kennel for a couple of days but then it will be sent to a shelter. The shelters are all full and it looks like the dog will be put down. Her email pleas for someone to save him from death.

1/10/12 - Dear God, is this a sign? Is this the one? Because how weird is it for me to have 3 large dogs come to my attention within the last 2 weeks....not work out......and now this 4th one? It's a sign, right? This isn't impulse....this is YOU. Right? I respond to the email..."We might be interested." Hit send. Praying someone else already took the dog.

1/11/12 - The writer of the email calls me and says we are the only ones (out of 200 homes) that responded. Another sign, right? I talk to her and ask her to have it checked for heartworms. See this isn't impulsive because I am thinking straight....and it's responsible. I don't say yes right away...can't be impulse. Her vet does the test, it comes back negative. She calls me back. I ask for directions to the vet. I call Will. He goes with me. The vet has given the dog all of its shots and I pay the bill. The first time I see the dog is when they bring him out for us to take home.

1/11/12 to now - What have I done? He's huge. He drools. He's as big as a bear. He's about a year to a year and a half old Border Collie/Black Lab mix. Very healthy. Very klutzy. Very, very large. Will and Chuck are in love. I am trying hard not to be. Dear God, Send me a sign that we did the right thing. Fast, if you will. He's drooling on everything.

Meet Harry Pawter.

Harry's new bed.

Up until Friday, we weren't sure we were keeping him. Chuck, in his laid back way, said, "let's just give it a few more days and see how he works out." Me, in my very uptight way, said, "I don't do limbo...if we're keeping him, he needs a bed, otherwise let's get rid of him now!"

I said this. Then looked at Will and Chuck and their sad, sad faces.

So we got a bed.

I guess we're keeping him.
But if the owner comes forward,
I would do the right thing.

Still waiting for God to verify.

Dear God,

What has she done?

Love, Maggie

Dear God,

What has she done?

Love, Sadie

Dear God,

Thank you for tennis balls.

Love, Dixie

Dear Mama and Daddy,

Thanks for the big bed and huge chew bones!

You rock.

Love, Dixie

Dixie is not budging out of Harry's bed.

Not.

Budging.

In fact, growling at him.

He backs away.

10 pounds can move 60 pounds.

Harry loves his new boy.

If ever a dog needed to be named Bear, it's this one.

Working on Ballet First Position.

He sees a "big, black dog" in the fireplace.

He barks for the next 10 minutes at his reflection.

It's on my last nerve.

Chuck has the giggles.

I ♥ Valentine's Day!

2012-01-09T11:42:00.001-06:00

I ♥ Valentine's Day.

Well, not so much the day but the decor.

The reds and pinks and cards and ♥'s.

By the way, I learned how to make that

♥ heart from here thanks to Pinterest.

This was a gift given to me by my friend, Julie. A 5 x 7 piece of paper covered with cute scrapbook paper with a vintage card mod-podged on to it...then put in a frame.

If you're reading this post, I ♥ you, too.

Can you tell I'm excited about learning how to make a ♥?

Dragging Christmas Out

2012-01-09T11:18:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Christmas with Cameron on the 29th...after she got off the big ship that she was on Christmas Day. There was a lot of hanging around just waiting for her to get here. Once she arrived in port, she took off for Cleveland, Mississippi, for a couple of days. So we waited and waited. Her packages were under the tree........just waiting.

Is she here yet?

Yes!

Cameron, like me, rarely has her mouth closed in pictures.

Of all of my children, she is the one who talks as much as me.

Whatever you do, don't interrupt her or she has to go all the way back to the beginning of her story.

Cameron adopted an endangered animal...a white owl...for Will.

She got the stuffed one and put it in a bird cage for him...along with the adoption papers.

There is a Harry Potter connection here somewhere

but I've never read the books so I'm not exactly sure what it is.

Oliver enjoyed the gift opening and the trash that followed.

There is a cat in this picture somewhere...can you spy him?

Chuck videoed and I sat there and tried not to take the tree down.

I work hard at relaxing...I really do. But it's so hard for me.

In my head, I'm already moving on to the next thing.

I mean, this was the 29th of December.

But the Christmas was left up until we got back from Mississippi after New Year's. And I lived through it. Even while listening to my sister-in-laws talk about

how they put all theirs' away the day after Christmas.

God knew what he was doing when he sent Chuck my way.

Laid back doesn't even begin to describe how relaxed and easy going he is.

Give him a t.v. and a chair and he has no idea there's a tree in the room.

F.F.F. 2011

2012-01-03T21:06:00.007-06:00

Forced. Family. Fun. 2011. Check.

Back from our visit with Chuck's family in Mississippi. I do love those people, but that 9 hour trip, non-stop eating (mostly cream cheese based dips) and sleeping in a bed not my own, takes a toll on this old body. I am exhausted and more than a little thankful the holidays are over.

Believe me, I'm sure the relatives feel the same way.
We made them drag Christmas out until after New Year's
because we couldn't get there any sooner.

We spent New Year's Eve at a hunting club

where our brother-in-law is a member.
I was a little hesitant because "hunting" sounds like "camping."
But I could not have been more impressed.

It's near the Mississippi River...and the lodge was so nice
and our accodomations were wonderful.

We ate and danced the night away.

Great food, great dancing, great accomodations.

Lots of stuffed animals.

Me, kitty and Beth.

Our room.
So NOT camping.

A porch stretched across the entire back of the lodge.

The view from the front door of the lodge. The cabin in the background belongs to my brother-in-law. It now sits empty and full of mold after being flooded last year in the Mississippi River flooding. The lodge we stayed in was also flooded but has been redone since. He probably can't rebuild because he would be required to raise it 9 more feet to insure it again. Such is the life of those who love living by water. I can certainly understand now why he loves this "camp" so much.

I could never be a hunter, but I could see myself hanging out here.

Out in the middle of nowhere.

Quiet. Peaceful. Muddy.

New Year's Day was spent at my sister-in-law's home. Where we ATE.

Back Row: Bro-I-L Charlie, Cousin Pam, Sis-I-L Beth, Me, Chuck,

Cousin Gale, Sis-I-L Elizabeth, Bro-I-L Michael

Front row: Aunt Betty, M-I-L Margie

This was the picture of all the elders...well, anyone that was not a kid.

The two in front are over 80.

And they got down on the floor for the group picture.

We ran out of room for the camera shot and someone told them to get down in front

...as a joke...and they did.

And yes, they got back up.

Assistance was offered and refused.

They said they could do it themselves....

just give them a few minutes.

And they're up.

80's the new 60.

Back Row: Pam, Beth, Chuck, Gale
Front Row: Tres, Anna, Taylor, Michael, Brigham

This group is all related by blood.
Hackney blood.

There are several more cousins not here this day and they were missed.

My sister-in-law has a beautiful home out in the country.

She is a little obsessed with Ole Miss.

This is her master bathroom.
#49 has a huge fan. And this fan has a huge #49.

We headed home on Monday and I was back at work today. The Christmas tree is dismantled but not all put away yet. Piles and boxes of Christmas decorations are waiting to be put away. Sadly I know that in a blink of an eye, I will be getting those boxes back out before I know it. Years seem to jump from Christmas to Christmas.

Stay in the day. Breathe.

Make 2012 a year to remember.
Listen for Him.

Santa Visits Cameron's Place

2011-12-26T21:01:00.001-06:00

Cameron is somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico on a service ship. I was told I cannot tell you the name of the ship...so let's just call it Big Ship. She is on a rotation schedule as a new hire with her job and this rotation is on Big Ship. She has limited internet and cell service so while in port the other night she called home. It was comforting to hear the excitement in her voice as she told us all that she was doing and learning and experiencing. She was even excited about spending Christmas on Big Ship...and said there were trees, lights and poinsettas around the ship.

For Christmas, she wanted drapes for her apartment. Not so much for decor purposes but for darkening purposes. Her huge windows face the Target parking lot and after 6 months of living there, she is tired of trying to get a good night's sleep in a well lit room.

So before she left to get on Big Ship, she left us her keys and told us it would be great if Santa hung the drapes.....in fact, it was okay with her if Santa cleaned, vacuumed and even rearranged. "Have at it." she said. "But take before and after pictures."

Before:

Well...almost "before"...we had moved some furniture and unloaded our stuff so it's a little messier than we found it. See Target?

After:

Your bedroom should be plenty dark now.

Merry Christmas, Cameron! We "had at it!" Vacuumed, dusted, windexed, ran the dishwasher, hung the drapes, rearranged the furniture...unloaded the dishes, loaded up the ladder, vaccum cleaner and toolbox and headed back to the parking garage.

We found this on the windshield...

Lucky for us, it hadn't been 30 minutes yet and our car was still there. We had parked right by the elevator because we had a lot of stuff to unload. We had no idea it was assigned parking. But thanks to Miss Meanie's note, now we know.

We thought Miss Meanie should have at least written down the time she wrote the note...since she had only given us 30 more minutes before she would have us towed away.

I say "Miss" because Chuck said only a girl wouldn't put the time down. (Which makes no sense.)

Will said he thought it was a girl because of the handwriting. (I agree.)

We all agreed the girl had PMS.

And we got out of there fast!!!

In a Flash

2011-12-26T12:12:00.001-06:00

Christmas has come and gone. It was a good one. We only had one child at home so Santa left clues for a scavenger hunt so the whole opening presents thing would last a little longer. After a huge breakfast and a nap, my sister and her family came over for some more food, exchanging of gifts and a game of Apples to Apples. After they left, we ended the day around the firepit. It was lazy and comfortable...just the way I like it.

Chuck finished the annual jigsaw puzzle on Saturday.

This sweet angel was given to me by my friend, Fran...she will stay out all year.

My sister gave me this bottle of wine for my birthday.

Santa Julia.

Catha is the best gift giver.

The camelia is in full bloom....must be Christmas.

Did I mention we are rat sitting? These are Cameron's two rats

and we are keeping them while she's away.

I have to admit they are pretty darn cute...but the smell is horrible.

This played all day long.

Chuck laughs like it's the first time he's seen it.

9:20 am...waiting for the baby to wake up

and open his presents.

Jordan and Chris on Skype...

watching us open our presents.

A new pillow for Will's apartment.

So true. Whatever you are, be a good one.

Since Cameron is out of town, we pulled in a look-alike. ha.

This is Mark's friend/co-actor in the play

he is currently performing in. She's from out of town

so she hung out with my sister's family on Christmas day.

It was all fun and games until someone started digging

for grub worms in the mud.

So the party was over.

A dog had to be bathed.

The Art of Gift Wrapping

2011-12-21T08:13:00.000-06:00

After all the gifts are found and purchased, there is a great relief. Quickly followed by the overwhelming chore of wrapping them. For someone as artsy and crafty as me, you would think this would be way fun. But honestly, it's not. I buy the cutest paper and ribbon and have all the supplies at hand. I put on my comfortable house shoes and stand at my kitchen island. The music is playing and there's a warm cup of coffee nearby.

In my dreams...

www.weheartit.com

My reality...

The place ends up a wreck after one package....the scissors get lost every 5 seconds....the tape runs out...I can't for the life of me get the thought out of my head that all that cute ribbon will be going straight to the trashbag on Christmas morning so why bother...the music playing is suddenly The

Chipmunks...throwing me in a bad mood...the coffee is cold and I break out in a sweat. I start wrapping things with a vengence and use rolls of tape where I tear the paper around sharp corners. Throw a sticker in the middle over the ink where I tried to do a "Martha Stewart" stamp but of course, the ink smeared.

Done.

The packages are wrapped.

Pretend they are pretty.

Know they are not.

Perspective

2011-12-15T08:14:00.001-06:00

Ten more days until Christmas Day. I am in retail for the first time since I was 19 and it's crazy being on the other side of the counter this time of year. I have been shopping for my own family on my days off. My brain is foggy...trying to remember who I've forgotten to buy what for. I've been to several parties and been eating dessert and party food topped off with adult beverages. I'm already thinking about that diet I will begin and those walks I will take beginning in January.

One daughter is married and living in Arizona and won't be home for Christmas.

One daughter is in a rotation with her company and her schedule has her on a huge ship in the Gulf of Mexico for the next 3 weeks....yep...that encompasses Christmas and New Year's.

So when Will called home last night and we started discussing Christmas he realized he would be home alone with us.

Will: Wait! I'm going to be the only one home?

Me: Yep.

Will: uhhhh....like an only child?

Me: Yep.

Will: That's not gonna be fun.

Me: Well, I know. But I have no control over this one.

Will: ugh.

Me: Look, you can get up and open your presents and then go hang out with your friends.

Will: I guess I can go to P's house. She's an only child, too.

Me: Will, you are 21....an adult now. You know Christmas isn't as fun when you aren't a kid.

And while this conversation left me a little sad, on top of being tired, I woke up and saw this on someone's fb wall. And suddenly, my perspective is all in place.

Christmas is a day to celebrate God's gift to all of us. Whether you are with one or all of your family.....and whether you get one or a jillion gifts...or have little or a lot of money....or have little or a lot to eat......this whole season is only stressful because of perspective.

Perspective.

Sorry if this picture hits you hard. It hits hard for me, too.

A Little Profanity

2011-12-10T16:49:00.001-06:00

Chuck comes home from the grocery store and is all shaken up.

Chuck: You're not going to believe what happened to me!

Me: What?

Chuck: Some lady went crazy on me.

Me: What?

Chuck: Well, I always back into the parking space at Kroger...

Me: What? You BACK IN to the parking lot? Why?

Chuck: Because it's easier to get out. So anyway.... I had pulled past this space and then backed in to it and she comes out of nowhere and starts yelling at me and calling me a M.....F.....! She said "I know you saw my blinker!" I just shrug my shoulders at her like sorry.

I'm still way back on him backing in to the space. Who is he?

Me: Chuck, are you sure you didn't see her? Cause I've driven with you and maybe you did take her space.

Chuck: No, I didn't take her space. Then later, I'm near the dairy section and she's there and she says, "Oh, so you can drive a grocery cart but you can't drive a car." So I ask her if she has rage issues. Then she starts yelling at me again........YOU M......F.....!!!

Me: Oh, my gosh! What'd you do then?

Chuck: I just walked away. But then, when I'm checking out, she is right there and gives me this creepy smile.

Me: What'd she look like? How old was she?

Chuck: She looked about 30....pretty. I think she had PMS.

Me: Well, she probably did, but Chuck you must have done something to her to set her off.

Chuck: You should be on my side.

Me: Well...she sounds like a nut but I'm just thinking something must have set her off.

Chuck: Wait........get this....then I go to my car and she pulls up in front of me...blocking me with her car and she just stares at me......then she takes her cell phone and takes a picture of me...I guess....then shakes her finger at me.

Me: Wow. Creepy.

Chuck: I've never been called that before.

Me: I think I've called you that before. And it seems your driving was involved at the time.

(And maybe I had PMS.)

Poor sweet Chuck. So so sweet. But behind the wheel? Maybe just a wee bit of a M.....F..... You know he's that guy that doesn't need to use his blinker. And the guy who changes lanes...quite often. But get him out from behind that wheel and he's a different guy.

He backs in to the space at the grocery store? Because it's easier to get out?

Vino Artino

2011-12-05T17:34:00.000-06:00

I don't know about your area, but these art/wine places are popping up all over this town. It's an art studio for birthday parties and company parties but also for a Girl's Night Out. You can bring in your own wine and appetizers and they provide the glasses, plates and napkins. Then for a fee, the canvas and paint are provided and the whole thing is set up and ready to go when you get there.

So a few of the Book Club girls decided to meet up one night for just that. It was challenging. But not because we were drinking and painting. Because I kept trying to dip my brush in the wine glass instead of the water glass.

When our friend called to reserve space for our party of 6, she had to pick a subject to paint. With little to choose from, she chose the wine bottles. Our instructor was an art teacher at a junior high by day and at this studio by night. She took us step by baby step. There were breaks now and then to refill our plates and glasses. And soon our paintings were complete.

Guess what you're getting for Christmas?

Five Things

2011-12-01T11:47:00.003-06:00

You may not know that I

1) am a terrible listener (but that doesn't mean I don't care about you...

I just have a very short attention span),

2) wish I was a teacher,

3) love to rearrange furniture (even in my mind while waiting at doctors' offices),

4) love to sing,

5) am fiercely independent and it gets in the way sometimes.

I'm really pretty knowledgeable about

1) decorating on a dime,

2) organizing a home,

3) accessorizing a room,

4) casseroles (throwing one together with whatever's in the pantry)

5) balancing a checking account.

I know nothing about

1) sports,

2) car maintenance (Thank you Chuck for taking care of mine),

3) calculus,

4) or physics,

5) or chemistry.

And I believe

1) there is no such thing as fair in this world...
we will all have our own lessons thrown at us,

2) in honesty,

3) that there are some people that are toxic for us,

4) that all choices have consequences,

5) in God.

Your turn.

inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

A True Gift

2011-11-28T12:00:00.003-06:00

For my birthday...and Thanksgiving... I wanted a get-away with the family. I didn't want to cook or clean...I just wanted to relax, eat and enjoy the days off. So we headed back to Lakeway Resort in Austin, Texas...again this year. But this time we were joined by my sister and her family and Jordan and Chris flew in from Scottsdale, Arizona. There were 10 of us and it was pure relaxation and fun.

Chuck and I arrived around sunset and the others all arrived a little later.

After everyone checked in, we grabbed a bite to eat then rearranged the furniture in the lobby for a couple of games of Chicken Feet. Which, if you don't have Chicken Feet, go out and get it.

It's the perfect game for all ages and intellectual abilities.

Chuck uses strategy and I don't.

Sometimes he wins, sometimes I do.
Let's let Chuck think his strategy works.

We woke up on Thursday morning to a solid wall of fog.

The fog burned off and the day was gorgeous. Our dinner reservations were for 12:30...so some in our group...Chuck....hurried down to the All You Can Eat Breakfast buffet...because it was complimentary with our room package. I slept in and drank coffee and worked up an appetite.

Because it was a 3 room long buffet....appetizers, cheese and bread, salads, vegetables, meats including turkey, ham and prime rib, and desserts....it took a while for all of us to get our first round of food. We decided to start eating and at some point when all of us were back at the table, we said a blessing. And in keeping with the Hackney Family tradition, we go around the table and take our turn saying what we are thankful for. This year I am thankful for adult children....the baby is now 21 so they are all adults.

I am thankful for my sister. And thankful for our husbands...

for their hard work which affords us this trip together.

Adults.

My nephew was seated directly across from me.

This is the view I had of him.

I am thankful for all you can eat dessert buffets...

where the leftovers stayed behind.

I got my piece of pumpkin pie...

but not the whole pie.

Which I would have eaten

if I had been at home.

Thankful.

Although I'm sure that guy is a delight.

I'm thankful that these two took time and money to spend Thanksgiving with us. We are still getting to know Chris and he is still getting to know us. So with every visit we are bonding more.

We had a little photo op after dinner. After 20 shots this is the only one where one of us isn't talking, blinking or looking away. And by one of us, I mean me.

After dinner but before the 7:00 kick-off for The Game (Texas A&M and UT...for those of you not from here)...we all headed in different directions. Some napped, some went to the movie, some played Chicken Feet. All met back up at 7 in the Sports Bar to watch the game.

Texas A&M, Class of '07

Texas A&M, Class of '07 joined by Class of '10

I love this photo. Will is staring at Cameron's moving mouth. He didn't sit here long. Like me, we can't really watch football. Too much movement and somebody always loses. We didn't make it until halftime before we left the area.

Apparently, the somebody that lost was our team. See? I told you. Somebody always loses. yuck.

This 3 day get-away was a true gift. Thank you, Chuck...and Jordan, Chris, Cameron, Will, Catha, Kim, Jack and Mark. Hug.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:06:00.000-06:00

Today is my 54th birthday. It has landed on Thanksgiving Day and I love it when it does that...because pumpkin pie is my favorite birthday cake and everyone is in a celebratory mood. I will not expect candles on my piece of pie...but it will be my birthday cake, nevertheless.

Wherever you are, I hope you are safe and healthy

and have room for a piece of pie.

He Gets Me

2011-11-23T11:32:00.001-06:00

I have 3 very different children. I see some of my quirks and qualities in each of them. I see some of Chuck's quirks and qualities in them. There are times that they do something or say something and I swear I just saw a glimpse of myself....or Chuck. I will see all 3 of them plus my new son-in-law by the time I go to bed tonight. Thankful.

Will came home last night for the Thanksgiving holiday and I was welcomed with the biggest, tightest hug. We all agree he gives the best hugs. It almost feels like a Heimlich maneuver, but not quite. About the time I think I can't breathe, he lets go. Love.

He pointed to a wrinkled up, taped up grocery sack on the counter top. He said it was my birthday present that he tried to wrap. (It looked pretty ugly...so I was wondering what in the world could be in it.) Funny.

I could cry right now thinking about this. A good, sweet cry. Sentimental.

This gift. Perfect.

That this boy went and bought with his own money. Generous.

To an antique store that he had been in with me...and returned back to my favorite booth in the place. Memories.

And he picked this out for me. Thoughtful.

He gets me. Connection.

And for a second, I see a bit of my soul in his. Bonded.

Thankful.

So very thankful.

I Don't Know How Santa Does It...

2011-11-21T21:32:00.005-06:00

Santa gets around the whole world in one evening and it took me 3 days just to get the Christmas stuff out and the house cleaned and decorated. He must be magic.

I'm a little nervous about heading in to the Christmas madness in retail with my new job so getting the house done before Thanksgiving was for my sanity. I skipped Halloween and Fall at home but I knew I couldn't get away with skipping Christmas. The Hackney men would freak out.

This Raggedy Ann doll belonged to my grandmother. I can't remember how I ended up with it, but I do remember being in about 5th grade and thinking she needed some rosy cheeks. Lipstick did the trick although there are some greasy stains left behind. Later this same doll was attacked by a new puppy....yet she still smiles.

I bought some bright ribbon and sprays at an after Christmas sale at Paul Michael in Arkansas last year on our way home from Mississippi. I tried something new with the top of the tree...copying a tree at Paul Michael. Next year, the star might be back. But for now I like the bright colors.

We have a busy week planned so it feels so good to have this done.

This year I'm thankful for so much. I'm thankful that I have a fun job...even if I'm on my legs all day. I thankful that I have a safe place to land at the end of the day after being on my feet all day. I'm thankful for my husband and children. I'm thankful that I have a great place to worship. I'm just thankful.

P.S. I have been experiencing a huge creative block with this blog. And if I'm honest, I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest. ha. I come in here to try to blog and get sucked in to Pinterest.
I suspect I won't be blogging much over the busy Christmas season but I am going to try. Even if no one reads this but Chuck, I need this blog to continue. If you are reading this...thank you.

First World Problems

2011-11-14T13:19:00.000-06:00

geekfill.com

This is sadly funny. Some of you may even be offended but really which of one of us hasn't complained about something that is clearly a First World Problem.

Like....

Last week I got glitter in my eye and had to walk next door from my work and pay a $40 co-pay to the eye doctor so she could dig it out.

I had to groom my own dogs today....on my day off... because we are saving for Christmas....and now I have dog hair all over my kitchen floor.

I need to get my hair highlighted but am trying to hold off until it's closer to the holidays.

I'm guilty of complaining about First World Problems.

Are you?

Since seeing this, I've caught myself doing it alot.

I'm working on trying to stop.

Mrs. Grinch

2011-11-08T08:36:00.001-06:00

While shopping yesterday, I heard a lady commenting to another customer, "I hate that there are Christmas decorations out already."

The other lady nodded her head politely in agreement....but said nothing.

Then Mrs. Grinch walked off ~~talking~~ yelling out loud....

"STUPID JC PENNEYS!"

She said this so loud that heads turned all around her to see who was yelling. And for a second she made eye contact with me. I scattered fast before she heard the Christmas music being piped in over the speakers and went postal.

I was proud of my impulse control because what I wanted to say to her was "STUPID YOU." Because lady, it's not just JCPenney. It's retail. And it happened about a month ago, so get over it. And if it makes you that angry, you need to stay home. I felt like she might see the glitter stuck to my face and realize I've been decorating, too. Because I have.

I'm not saying it doesn't feel like the rush is on. But the rush is on. Try hard to not be a Mrs. Grinch. There are far worse things in this cold, cruel world than to see Christmas decorations up in November.

The real problem is our calendar. It had to be a man that made the decision to have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas fall within 55 days of each other in a year that holds 365 days.

The Texans

2011-11-06T15:41:00.000-06:00

Chuck and I were invited to the Texans game last Sunday. The best part was we were invited to a suite....and had field passes to go down on the field prior to game time to watch the Texans warming up. Two observations: The football players look like giants from the field vantage point...and like ants from the suite vantage point.

Here's me and Chuck before the game.

Oh, wait.....this is the one of me and Chuck before the game.

Getting the guys fired up. The rap music was blaring!

Took a picture of #83 for Chrissy...Walter and his wife are Magpies' customers.

Check out the pink shoes for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Ssssttttrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeetttttcccchhhhing.

These guys have nothing on Kim K in the backside.

The view from our suite.

We ate and drank and watched the Texans win.

Happy.

Proof That Sugar Is Addictive

2011-11-04T21:04:00.000-05:00

A Much Needed Laugh...

2011-10-31T10:14:00.002-05:00

I would be lying if I told you that the transition from the last job to the current one has been nothing but smooth. There are so many things I love about my new job. But it has been a big change for all of us involved.

The ladies that worked at the store that Magpies bought out, have had to adapt to new management and new employees, new rules, same place but different store. I'm sure they feel invaded.

The new owner has a 2 hour commute...1 hour there and 1 hour home stealing from her family time. As well, she left another location where all her closest friends still remain.

The manager has had major life adjustments these past few months including getting married and getting pregnant and moving out to Cypress. She also left her good friends in the big city.

The other new employee besides me is a longtime employee of Magpies but transferred out to Cypress...so she, too, left long-time friends behind.

So while I had a peace about leaving a job that I loved and I thank God for this new job falling in my lap, it hasn't been all that easy. My changes aren't all bad...quite the contrary. I'm making new friends, but I miss my old ones. I'm working different hours but I'm adapting. I am loving my Mondays off. But I did work for the last 7 years with 5 year olds. And those kids were my chaos and my daily hugs. And they made me laugh.

I miss laughing. I know I sound like a broken record. But it's so true. I have got to have laughter...it's like oxygen to me.

I had a long talk the other night with one of my "teacher" friends. She told me some funny kid stories and I expressed to her how much I am missing all of that. She showed me some love the next day by sending me some pictures.

Ahh....a much needed laugh. Thanks my friend!

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Happy Halloween!

Retail Baby...

2011-10-25T08:23:00.001-05:00

Now that I work in retail, I am in that time warp that moves the holidays forward and one has to stop twice to think about what day it is. You know it's July, but the store is decorated with Fall leaves. It's Labor Day but the witches and ghosts are adorning the store.

Well, I have been looking at the cutest Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations for the last month or more and I have failed to even put out one thing in this house. This bothers me a little because I never wanted to be that person that stopped decorating for the holidays. I remember my mother putting Christmas lights on a ficus tree and calling the house ready for the holidays...and it horrified me.

But now? Imagine a graph where the line that represents Holiday Decorating is taking a sharp dive just as it crosses the line that represents Aging streaking to the top...that would be a graph of my life right now.

Last month, I went to Roundtop with my friend Karen T. who I hadn't seen in a very long time. When she got in the car she handed me a gift that she had had for me for almost 2 years. It was an adorable acorn. It made her think of me and my holiday decorating and she bought it and hung on to it until she saw me again.

I immediately came home and put it on my buffet with the best of attentions of getting the rest of the Fall decorations out. That never happened.

Yesterday, I added my adorable black & white pumpkin that my other friend, Karen L. painted for me a few years ago...with a Thanksgiving tag on it.

And sadly this may be as good as it gets around here. But I love it. Because when I look at it, I see my friends' gifts......and I know I am blessed.

By the way.......Christmas is in the store! We are in October...but it's Retail Baby! And the holidays come around the corner quickly. Come by and see us.

28

2011-10-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

Today is our 28th wedding anniversary.

I decided to list 28 things I love about Chuck

in honor of this day.

He is kind to everyone.
He is patient with me.
He is a handyman...and if I call it a project, he's on it!
He takes care of paying the bills...not only is he a good provider, but he actually sits down twice a month and pays the bills.
He is a loyal employee.
He takes care of the cars.
He grills steak every Sunday evening.
His side of the closet is always neater than mine.
He helps with the laundry...and has learned to hang my things to dry.
He grocery shops.
He provided a college education for our children.
He is not a picky eater...and is okay with cereal or sandwiches for dinner.
He doesn't mind that I rearrange furniture constantly.
He likes to go to the movies.
He is dependable.
His laugh.
His voice.
His brown eyes.
He doesn't cuss...and flinches when I do.
He doesn't talk badly about people. Ever.
He cries when he watches Undercover Boss. Everytime.
He loves to watch ghost shows but will change the channel when I come in because I hate them.
He never complains about his long commute.
He brings me dessert everytime he goes out to eat with clients.
He makes the coffee every night before going to bed.
He is quiet in the morning when he gets up 2 hours earlier than me.
He is the calm...to my storm.
He keeps his promises.

Happy 28th Anniversary Chuck.
I do love you.

October 22, 1983

One...

then two...

then three...

A son-in-law added and all the babies are grown up...28 years later.

This is NOT a Commercial

2011-10-20T08:22:00.002-05:00

Waiting for the Tempurpedic mattress to "break-in" and listening to Chuck huff and puff every night because he hated it, I reached my limit (which is not as high as most) and finally ~~said~~ yelled, "Call Gallery and take it back!" I was sleeping better than I had in years and waking up rested with no pain...everything the commercial says. But listening to Chuck's huffing and puffing was killing me.

We had been 3 times to look at mattresses and while we both decided on the Tempurpedic over 40 days ago...one of us was not liking it. The second choice was a pillowtop. Sunday night I decided to give in. So Monday, Chuck went to Gallery and set up a delivery for the pillowtop to be exchanged for the Tempurpedic.

The delivery guys brought in the new mattress and glanced at the Tempurpedic mattress on our bed and with a puzzled look asked, "You're trading this for a pillow top?"

"Yes. But not because I want to.....because my husband does."

One responded, "I'm so sorry, m'am."

And it was at this point that I started tearing up. I know, crying over a mattress. But I really liked it.

Monday night.

I CAN'T SLEEP!

I head to the couch.

HE CAN'T SLEEP EITHER. Because the new pillow top is as hard as rocks because it will take at least 30 days to break it in. Thirty MORE days because we are on Day 40 with the Tempurpedic.

So he comes in to the dark living room around 1:00 a.m., stands next to me on the couch, and says he will get the Tempurpedic mattress delivered back to the house the next day. I say no. He says yes...he will try harder to like it. I say NO. He says YES...HE IS. I YELL NO!!!

He quietly heads back to bed.

I lay there thinking how stupid we are. So not only am I trying to fall asleep on the couch, I am trying to come to grips with how stupid we are. And how that whole scene would play out in Gallery if we tried to get our mattress back...the one they had just picked up that day... the next day. What is wrong with us? We are old enough to receive the AARP magazine but we can't even choose a mattress.

And now I'm adding up the delivery fees for bringing it the first time, taking it back to Gallery and now bringing it back to our house. Ugh.

Tuesday.

Chuck stops by Magpies and brings me a note. The bed is on it's way back to our house. The new pillow top is kept for Will's room/guest room. The ancient mattress that was about 20 years old is hauled off. So after 20 some odd years of never purchasing a new mattress, we have bought 2 in less than 40 days.

The note Chuck hands me is from Mattress Mack...the owner of Gallery Furniture...

Dear Julia,

First of all thx for being a great Gallery Furniture customer. Gallery really appreciates you and your husband. And thx for being loyal to Tempurpedic - the worlds best mattress. William has realized the error of his reselection and has made great amends! You have a wonderful husband and a great TPX mattress.

Sincerely,
Mack

One "Get Out of Jail Free" pass written by Mattress Mack. Apparently, Chuck walked straight up to Mack and said he needed help getting out of Husband Jail. After Mack called the mattress salesman over to ridicule Chuck a little, he wrote the note to me.

I do have a wonderful husband. However, he is as stubborn as I am. And mattresses are the hardest thing in the world to shop for.

My advice to you....get twins and push them together if you must.

Happy Birthday William Ross

2011-10-09T16:14:00.001-05:00

The baby...

... that was adored by his two sisters and parents and could get away with things simply because he was #3...and by #3 we had learned to choose our battles...

the 4 year old who sat down in the middle of the field during t-ball games...

the kid who ordered catfish off the menu when he was 6 and had never eaten it before...we tried to talk him out of it because he had never had it before and he said, "Nope, I want catfish." ...and he ate every bite...

the boy who hated homework and would make the whole family miserable when he had it...and Lord help us if it was a project due in 3 weeks because there would be 3 weeks of misery and complaining...

the junior high boy who, along with a few others, poured their leftover lunch in to a girl's binder because she left it on the table...and I received a phone call from the Assistant Principal that my son had vandalized another student's property...and he and the others later had to serve detention for it and help buy her a new binder...and when asked why he would do that?...he responded "to teach her a lesson because she always left her binder"....while I knew full well, it was peer pressure to do something naughty...wicked fun at the time...

the teenager who jumped out of a moving car...because he thought he could keep running a la Roadrunner cartoons...and gave us the scare of our lives...I still shudder to think how badly he could have been injured...

the young man who has a bleeding heart for others and goes to the animal shelter just to pet the strays...

the guy who never liked team sports but is extremely athletic...

that baby, that boy, that junior high kid, that teenager, that guy is finally an adult. He turns 21 today. And I thank God for His protection over him. It took a village to raise him and a mighty God to protect him.

Happy Birthday William Ross!

Lived Wide

2011-10-06T11:55:00.002-05:00

Some of us will live long lives. Some of us won't. But how wide we live depends on us. A dear friend of my nephews, Mark and Jack, died unexpectedly last weekend and they are reeling from the pain.

Sofia was a graduate of Sam Houston State University where my nephews also attended and the 3 of them were involved in Musical Theater together. She was extremely talented. She was exotic looking and rowdy and introspective and loud and quiet and funny...full of life. She lived wide.

But unfortunately she did not live long. She lived 27 years. Still a young woman. On the edge of adulthood. Just starting her career. Way too short for those who loved her.

At the time of my daughter's wedding in March, 2010, Sofia was the girlfriend of my nephew Jack. She attended the wedding as his guest so she is captured in some of the pictures. While I didn't know her well, I could certainly see that she was full of life.

And while Jack and Sofia were not together as a couple at the time of her death, she was certainly someone he still loved. And it's for him I am hurting for this week.

To Jack,

My sympathies. Go out and make a good life. Live wide. Do it for Sofia.

Love,
Aunt Julia

Photos courtesy of Caroline Fontenot.

Women

2011-10-04T07:52:00.001-05:00

Cameron is working on an oil rig near Fort Worth for about a month. Jordan is in Fort Worth for a conference for a few days. So they met up last night for dinner...and I woke up to this picture this morning. A picture of "women."

I know they're women. But when I'm around them together they still seem like my girls. And I'm guilty of looking at them as my "little" girls. So seeing this today, I looked at them as women.

Surreal.

oxoxoxo

The Mattress

2011-10-03T10:49:00.001-05:00

Chuck and I can't even remember when we bought our mattress...it was that old. At some point, we went from a queen...the bed he had when we married...to a king. We've been married 28 years and we think it was around year 5...no, maybe year 7...or it could have been year 8 or 9. Gross? Gross. The mattress, not the marriage.
So for the last several years, my shoulder and hips have been hurting and I've been flipping and flopping all night long trying to get comfortable. I wrote it off to age or menopause or just being a "side sleeper." But about a year ago I turned up the volume on the complaining.

"My shoulders are killing me...we need a new mattress."

"This mattress is ridiculous!"

"We HAVE GOT to get a new mattress....it feels like sh*t and my body aches when I get up."

"I feel like I'm sleeping on concrete..grrrrrrrrrr."

"I'm going to buy a new bed with

or without YOU!"

And each time I complained, we would try to figure out just how old the dang thing was. Never could.

I'd back off and then push forward with the complaints. Finally, finally, finally, Chuck agreed to go get a new mattress. But you need to know this did not happen overnight. It was months and months that added up to years and years of me requesting, asking nicely, then begging in a ridiculous way. It may have been when I said I would have to start sleeping on the couch or upstairs that got his attention. Or maybe when I just finally told him I was going to buy one with or without him there.

Mr. Control Freak in the Money Department went with me and we made a purchase. Three weeks ago. I did a little research (googled it and asked a few friends) and decided I wanted to go with the Tempur-pedic Cloud. Expensive? Yes. But when you consider it is guaranteed for 20 years and how long we go between mattress purchases, we may never need another bed.

Not us...but apparently we could be this happy
on a Tempur-pedic according to their ad!

So we get to the place and he decides he actually likes the next step up. The Cloud Supreme. Works for me. It gets delivered and I'm sleeping like a baby.

Him?

Not so much.

Really? Your back hurts?

Really? 'Cause I hurt for years and now I'm not.

Marriage. Oh, nobody tells you about this stuff, do they?

Apparently, Chuck can listen to me complain for years and tune it out. I, on the other hand, am not used to Chuck complaining so after the 3rd day, I was sick of his whining.

We started trying to compromise. I know. Can you believe it?

I suggested we give it more time and if he still hated it, we would return it for another kind of mattress. He wanted to just go look at other mattresses. I made him promise me in writing that if we returned this one and bought a pillowtop, we would get a new mattress in 3 years if I hated it. He said he would put it in writing.

So yesterday, we headed back to the furniture store to "just look" at other mattresses....again. Because we looked at all of them 3 weeks ago.

The salesmEn (more than one) told us we really have to give it more time. They would take the mattress back but even a new pillowtop would take time to break in....so we would be right back where we started. They explained that the beds we are trying out on the showroom are "broken in" because hundreds of people have laid on them...ew. Even the exact mattress we purchased was way more comfortable than ours because of all the traffic it had seen.

So we're taking more time. We're waiting.

Bed shopping may just be worse than bra shopping.

And I didn't think anything was worse than bra shopping.

Flew

2011-09-29T20:18:00.001-05:00

When my children were little, I would hear the old cliches...or sayings...over and over...from my mother and mother-in-law, from strangers in the grocery store, from neighbors with older kids. Usually these were stated after I voiced a frustration or rolled my eyes from being flustered. But sometimes just stated by strangers with a smile and a shake of their head when they would see me out with all 3.

"They grow up so fast."

"Time flies."

"Hold them while you can."

"The years you're raising children will fly by."

"They're only little once."

"Enjoy them while you can....

they'll leave the nest before you know it."

And it would make me cringe. Because I was up to my eyeballs in diapers and laundry and Cream of Mushroom soup casseroles. And the days seemed long and monotonous and repetitive and full of chores and I would fall in bed exhausted.

The weekend couldn't get here fast enough. Not because our social calendar was full of exciting things to do but because Chuck would be home to help me!

I certainly didn't wish for my children to grow up fast...but in the middle of those first few years of their lives, I was sleep deprived and there was always someone to be changed or fed or rocked to sleep. Or bathed or dressed or taken to the doctor. Dishes to be loaded or unloaded, clothes to be washed or put away.

Not to be misunderstood, I did love my babies...more than anything! I just loved my sleep and there wasn't much of that for several years in a row. So when I think back, it seems the days were somewhat covered in a sleepy fog.

And time didn't feel like it was flying then.

But it was.

The baby will be 21 in a few days. The baby that feels like I just brought home from the hospital. The baby that meant I had 2 in diapers at the same time. The baby that was number 3... meaning Chuck and I were outnumbered. The baby that made me relinquish all control to God. Finally.

The baby...Will...whose childhood really flew.

I talked to the baby last night and we talked about how many days until he was 21.

He asked me if it felt weird that all my children would be over 21.

Yes. It does.

And those sayings that made me cringe turned out to be so true.

Time flew.

Mountains and High Tea

2011-09-26T15:01:00.004-05:00

Chuck and I went to Scottsdale, Arizona, for a week. Chuck had a conference to attend and I tagged along because it happens to be Jordan's hometown. Win, win...a visit with Jordan and a stay at a beautiful resort. This is Jordan's busy season as an event planner with The Fiesta Bowl Organization, so we flew in the weekend before the conference so we could spend some time with her and her husband Chris.

Friday and Saturday we stayed at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort...where we "won" a 2 night stay in The Fiesta Bowl Silent Auction last year. By "won" I mean we got the 2 night stay for about half the price.

Chuck always checks out the remote and tv within the first few minutes of arrival.

Because? I can't for the life of me tell you.

He can't for the life of him help it.

Scottsdale is a suburb in the huge metropolis area of Phoenix. You may already know that but before my daughter moved there, I would have been hard pressed to tell you where it was. Desert surrounded by mountains. Heat like you wouldn't believe. NO humidity. Just lots of heat. As Jordan describes it..."like sticking your face in an oven" hot. Around late October it will cool down to a perfect 70' in the day and a chilly 55' at night and stay that way until late March. Two seasons....hot and perfect. Unfortunately we were there last week. It was hot.

So we put on our deodorant and dealt with it.

The pools seem never ending. This is early Saturday morning and the place was still quiet.

While Chuck drank his coffee, I walked around and took pictures.

Jordan and Chris picked us up around 10:30 to spend the day together. They recently moved to a house so we went by to see it before going to brunch. They moved out of their 2 bedroom/no yard townhouse into a 3 bedroom, 50's ranch with a yard. The yard is mostly "rock" but there is an area of grass in their backyard with a dog door for Mia, my granddog....the practice kid.

Brunch at Arcadia Farms...my favorite place to eat in Scottsdale...and the site of Jordan's bridal luncheon hosted by my sister, Catha, in March of 2010.

My 26 year old child with the green eyes and chestnut colored hair.

Saturday was spent running to Lowes and Target to buy drop cloths and curtain rods...then heading back to their house to make draperies out of the dropcloths and hanging them in Jordan's living room and dining room. Of course, I forgot to take pictures of the finished project, but trust me...the drop cloth draperies turned out great. A 6 x 9 dropcloth for $9.99 x 4 = 4 thick linen looking drapery panels for Forty Bucks. We washed them in hot water and Downey softener to make them softer and drape prettier.

On Sunday, we checked out of the Fairmont then J and C picked us up and took us to their church. After that we were dropped off at The Phoenician where Chuck's conference was being held for the week. He registered for the conference, we toured the place then met up later with J and C for a light supper at a sports bar....I say "light" because we had a reception to attend in the evening. It felt like we rolled away from one table of food to another.

I kid you not.

This is Chuck within minutes of entering our next hotel stay.

He is so focused...he never knew I took this picture.

The Phoenician sits at the foot of Camelback Mountain...

and literally looks like it is coming out of the mountain.

No humidity? No problem.

Misting machines everywhere.

That fine misty spray with a poof of cold air is a welcomed relief.

More misting.....Coach House....

where Jordan and Chris met back in 2009.

We spotted a motorcyle with a dog riding in back....so Chris sped up and got beside him just as we caught the red light. I rolled down the window and
asked if I could take his picture ....while already clicking away.

When we got back to our room for the evening we had a welcome tray of cheese and fruit from one of Jordan's contacts at The Phoenician. Being an event planner has its perks. Thanks Jordan!

One of the many sculptures around the place.

hmmmmm.

What does it mean?

When I peak outside, I feel my insides turn to straw?

My backside feels like the outside?

You're so shallow, it's like your filled with straw?

Your turn.

View from our balcony.

Out on the balcony, looking back and up at the mountain.

Bidet.

TMI?

Looking down on The Phoenician from Camelback Mountain.

Guess who took this?

Chuck.

He climbed to the top of Camelback Mountain!

I slept in.

Check out the city below. Chuck, are you high?

He did it!

Honestly, I'm very proud of Chuck for climbing that mountain.

It could not have been easy.

In top-siders.

I attended High Tea at two in the lobby with another one of the wives who was there.

I sipped a little tea and then ordered the champagne.

I tried my best to eat those tiny finger sandwiches slowly and act lady-like.

It was much like Chinese food, in that I was hungry an hour later.

Or maybe it was that I was used to eating ridiculous amounts of food by then.

The rest of the week flew by with a lunch date with Jordan, shopping with the other wife/new friend Nancy, borrowing Jordan's car one afternoon to drive to some other shops....and attending great business dinners with Chuck and his business associates.

Thursday came way too quick and we packed up and left paradise.

We landed in Houston around 8:30.

Our luggage did not.

It was delivered in the wee hours of the night by FedEX.

I can't blame the luggage for trying to stay behind.

That place is beautiful and my daughter is there.

Grizel

2011-09-15T18:08:00.004-05:00

I met her in December of 1990, the year our first children were in kindergarten together. My Jordan was invited to her Nicolle's birthday party. So the adults met each other at the party but left only knowing each other's names and faces. Within weeks, I saw the same family in their yard and realized they lived just one street before ours.

A year later, Grizel and I were good friends and walking buddies. We discussed our problems and our blessings on those 3 mile walks through the neighborhood at least 4 or 5 times a week. Our friendship grew stronger and my thighs got thinner. We were so devoted to walking and never let each other down. I have never, EVER, found that kind of walking buddy again.

Fonzie, Baby Tony, Cameron, Me, Will, and Grizel.

Our families went to Corpus Christi the summer of '91 together.

These two girls are now 26 year old women.

Because Grizel lived on another street, I soon met more people...her neighbors. Within months Chuck and I had found a new group of families to hang out with on Friday nights. The parents played Pictionary and all the kids destroyed the game room of whoever's home we were in. We ate chili con queso and drank margaritas and called it supper.

I remember knowing then that what I had was good. So good. You know "knock on wood"..."don't jinx it by saying it out loud" GOOD.

Grizel, Tawnya (the only one still living on that street), me and Debbie...

'92 wants their big earrings back.

For my 35th birthday, the girls hosted a surprise party for me at Grizel's home. I was totally shocked. Clueless. I knew "the girls" were all going out that night for dinner....but I was so tired and almost called and bowed out. Chuck kept telling me to go....that I would have fun....I would get a second wind. So I waited for my friend Debbie to come pick me up. Looking back now, I should have been suspicious when Debbie wanted to go fill her car up with gas before heading one street away to pick up Grizel.

Then one by one, these precious families moved away. One to California. One to Georgia. And then Grizel to Florida. By the time Grizel moved away, I had pulled my head in like a turtle because I just couldn't take any more goodbyes. If I just stayed in my house and stayed busy, I could pretend "the girls" still lived there. I could pretend Grizel didn't move to Florida. I could keep the sadness at bay.

But she did move to Florida. And our kids grew up. And the other day she messaged me on face book to see if we could get together while she was in town visiting her sister. I worked that day so I suggested maybe they could drive out to my store. And so she and her sister Cassandra did just that.

It was not possible to just say hi after 16 years so I asked my boss if I could check out for awhile and go to lunch. (Thank you Chrissy! You're the best.) Grizel, Cassandra and I talked non-stop for the next hour. And thank goodness for cell phones cameras, I have proof.

Thanks Grizel and Cassandra for making the drive over and taking me to lunch. And for your lasting friendship.

Before I end this post about my friend Grizel....just one more story to share.

Shortly after Grizel and her family moved to Florida, they came back to Houston for a brief visit.  Grizel and Fonzie and the kids showed up at my house and knocked on my door that summer weekday unannounced around 10 a.m. It was summertime so we had no agenda and I had just gotten out of the shower....towel wrapped around my head. I sat there and visited with them for a while (so self conscious in my robe, toweled head and no make-up) and then Fonzie suggested we all go eat lunch out. (I didn't even offer them something to eat or drink...because I wasn't thinking...and I was in my robe and toweled head.) Fonzie must have been hungry and here was my chance to go get dressed fast!

I ran upstairs, dried my hair, dressed, slapped on make-up and ~~yelled~~ asked the kids to quickly get dressed themselves. Grizel and I had some catching up to do, so we decided she and I would go in my car parked in the garage out back and Fonzie would take all of the kids in his car parked in the front.

As we were leaving, Will's hair was bad.   Bed head bad....and the kid's car was already loading up and waiting. With no time to wet it and try to make it stick down, I sent him upstairs to get his baseball cap....then headed out the back to get in my car with Grizel.

We arrive at the restaurant a few minutes apart and Fonzie looks at me and says......

Fonzie: Will's with you, right?

Me: No, Will's with you.

Fonzie: No, he wasn't with me.

Me: Yeah, right...Fonzie. (thinking he's kidding) You had the kids.

Fonzie: No, really.......

My head starts whipping around....looking at all the kids and realize that my 6 year old WILL GOT LEFT AT HOME ALONE!

Grizel and I get back in the car and take the 15 minute drive back to my house in 7 minutes. I call Will on my cell....

Will: hello                 (pouty, low voice)

Me: Hey Will!                (happy, trying to fake him out voice)

Will: ulefme              (You left me.)

Me: Hey I'm coming to get you now....stay right there! (happy, happy Day Camp Counselor voice....like this was all part of the plan)

Later....I asked Will what he did when he realized he was at home alone. He said he watched Cartoon Network.

This story is etched in my brain. But it's not the only time I left Will. Nope.

Another day. But Grizel was there that time, too.

She Makes Me Laugh

2011-09-14T19:46:00.002-05:00

I read a lot of blogs...mostly decorating blogs. Other blogs I love because of their photography. Some for the recipes. But I have some that I go to because the writer makes me laugh. I don't even remember how I stumbled on this one particular blog but I've been reading it for at least 2 years.

I comment rarely on blogs that I read, but I've commented on Anna's a few times because I love her writing and her mind works like mine does. I've never heard anyone else put in to words the exact same thing that I've thought before. She is an eloquent and funny writer much like Erma Bombeck.

As I clicked on it today, the thought going through my mind was "I need a good laugh." In that split second of clicking, I was preparing to laugh.

But instead, I got kicked in the gut.

Anna See of An Inch of Gray sees the humorous side of life in the daily stuff. And now she has been handed the worst dose of sadness in the world. All humor has been sucked right out of her.

You know what that is. And all I can think about right now is Anna. And the word UNFAIR keeps coming to mind.

An accident. A split second. Changed her world. Her boy was being a boy. He was playing out in the back. I don't know details but I suspect she was letting him be the 7th grade boy that he was.

And 7th grade boys, just like the rest of us, can't fight the strength of raging waters.

His town, near Washington, D.C., was experiencing a huge storm and flooding.

Now another word comes to mind. ANGRY.

I'm angry he was taken from her. I'm angry she is going through this. I'm angry her daughter lost her brother. And the father lost his son....and really his "family" as he knew it forever.

And I'm really angry that Anna probably won't make me laugh for a very, very long time....because she will probably not find humor in her daily life for a very, very long time.

If you click on her link.....scroll way back to before. I want you to know the Anna that makes people laugh. And I want you to read the stories of Jack....and how he made his family laugh.

Wearing White After Labor Day?

2011-09-05T10:34:00.003-05:00

This was the headline that caught my eye when I opened up the internet this morning. It made me think of all the fashion rules of my youth. I realized that those rules are so deeply embedded in my brain that I can remember them but not much else about my childhood.

Undercover Fashion Police

NO white between Labor Day and Easter Sunday, girls must wear "co-ordinated pants suits" if they wear pants to school, dresses must be no more than 2 fingers above the knee cap, shirts must be tucked in, belts must be worn with pants and those tucked in shirts. Closed toe shoes with hosiery must be worn in the workplace. These are the rules that take up space in my brain.

Gahhhhhh!

One of the few times all 3 of mine had decent shoes at the same time.

We probably went to church that month.

For years, we didn't attend church regularly because I had 3 growing kids and any one of them at all times didn't have a decent (Sunday School decent) pair of shoes that fit. That fashion rule was enough to make me think we couldn't go. Ridiculous....but embedded in my brain.

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLOTHES was a category in itself in my mind.

Elephant pants almost killed me...I tripped on the huge cuffs more times than I can remember!

Leggings with big shirts, hot pants with tiny shirts, hip huggers with 2 inch zippers, elephant pants, huge eyeglasses that covered half of the face, pointy toed shoes, squared off shoes, clogs, high top tennis shoes, flip-flops, spiked heels, layered clothing, Dorothy Hamill haircuts, Meg Ryan perms........we've all been victims.

Mom jeans. Bug eyes. Bowl haircut. I was hot.

I remember LOVING these glasses because they were so cool.

I was so cool...in those glasses...ha.

What was the eye industry thinking?

That the pores on my cheeks needed corrective lenses?

Here's what I think now....as long as your underwear isn't hanging out, wear it.

Wear it big, wear it little, wear it white, wear it in color, flip-flop in it, spike your heels in it, wear it up to your chest, wear it down as low as you possible can.

Just don't let your underwear hang out.

Chuck grillin' in some white short shorts with his lavendar shirt tucked in.

Hello 1986....you rocked.

Show those legs, Chuck!

So yes...wear white after Labor Day. And wear your shorts short. And tuck that shirt in! If the cops can't keep the druggies off the street corners,

you certainly won't be arrested for breaking any fashion rules.

And go to church. Jesus wore a gown with sandals.

Get Me Outta Here!

2011-08-22T20:11:00.001-05:00

Not the real kid

Today was the first day of school and my day off at Magpies so I promised my teacher/friends that I would come help out with kindergarten lunch. By the time I got there at noon, the teachers and kids seemed to be handling the first day pretty well.

Except one little boy...who could be heard crying from 2 rooms away. Apparently he had been crying all morning...off and on...louder and softer....but never stopping completely. I promised him I would find a sticker if he would quit crying and that worked for a few minutes. But then he cranked back up.

Twenty minutes later in the cafeteria....I am helping him through the line...he's crying the whole time. Ignoring, ignoring, ignoring....just going through the motions of getting his lunch and walking to his table....showing him where to sit. Then I move on to help others. Happy others.

While still crying at the lunch table, I went up to him again and tried to console him. Everyone else who had handled him was pretty frazzled by now....including me and I had only been there 30 minutes.

Me: You need to eat or you're going to be so hungry.

Him: waaaaaa......I'm not hungry..........waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.

Me: You really need to eat....so stop crying. The day will be over soon.

Him: waaaaaa......Call my mom.....tell her I'm bad...... I don't care..... tell her anything........ waaaaa......... just get me outta here! waaaaaaaa

Okay...I'm not laughing about his crying ....but you have to admit that's pretty funny. Tell her I'm bad...I don't care....

And just so you know, back in the classroom after lunch I actually saw him not crying. Of course, I got to leave so not sure how long he stayed that way.

Yes, I miss that stuff.

But walking out to my car in the most dreadful heat permeating off the cement...sweat rolling down my face and neck...I smiled to think I didn't have to do car duty ever again.

Cooking

2011-08-22T11:52:00.000-05:00

This is Will's last week at home before returning to Stephen F. Austin University on Saturday.

Me: Will, name 3 of your favorite things I cook and I'll cook this week.

Will: I can't remember anything you cook.

Sadly, he's not being sarcastic. My cooking mojo has been off for years....since the youngest hit highschool and everyone was in and out but never in at the same time for dinner. And I was always, always trying to cut out carbs or sugars or basically anything that tasted good. It just became too easy to eat out or bring home something. My idea of supper was handing over my debit card.

In my defense, Chuck grills on Sundays and I do cook maybe once or twice a week. More like once.

But I do love to cook. And I do love looking at new recipes. Especially on Pinterest. So maybe I'll get back in to it this year.

Maybe.

A Peek at Magpies Cypress....

2011-08-20T16:44:00.003-05:00

I finally took my camera to work on Friday so that you can see this beautiful place called Magpies. It is truly a gift store....whether the gift is for a wedding, a birthday, a new baby or yourself...you are sure to find it here. I wish you could hear the music and smell that candle but at least you can enjoy a little eye candy. This is just a peek...there is so much more and no way to capture it. Please come see for yourself if you happen to be in the area.

For the home...

Candles, furniture, art, mirrors,

serving pieces, Sid Dickens, crosses,

pillows, lamps, accessories,

picture frames, custom florals

and much, much more.

For her...

Boutique clothing, purses, Vera Bradley,
leggings, jewelry lines including
Pandora and Brighton

as well as Patty Clarke....a teacher and artist who is also a Houstonian...

and way more than I can list.

And while it's not pictured below, there is a lot of Jon Hart

for him...as well as for her.

Called slim because it's only 5 calories a serving.

For the babies...

~~JORDAN...LOOK!~~

...and lucky grandmothers...

...sweet lovies to hold on to that pacifier in the night...

For the seasons...

For moms on the go...

Smell goods...

Tyler candles, Aromatique, Lollia and Poo-Pouri to mention a few.

For the cook...

Some beautiful cookbooks... because even though she can look online,

what she really loves is to read the cookbook like a novel.

Funny, sweet and sentimental cards....

For teachers...

And to ponder...

A Pointless Post

2011-08-18T20:41:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking alot about this little blog. Like everyday. I come in here to check email and facebook and read a few blogs....then think I should do a post.

I have been meaning to post something...anything... but honestly, I can't think of one thing to post.

I could tell you that I love my new job but my feet ache at the end of the day.

I could tell you that I am getting to know all of the other employees a little bit better every day. I am hearing a little bit of their "story" each day....where they grew up, how many kids they have, their likes and dislikes. And I am letting them in on mine. They figured out I like to talk...turns out I'm good with customers because of that very trait.

I could tell you that the customers are so nice....really nice. Well, maybe one was a little grouchy.

I could tell you that Will's apartment full of furniture is sitting in my dining room waiting to be loaded on a U-Haul trailer next Saturday. It was supposed to be this Saturday but the trailer couldn't be promised before 11:30 a.m. and with this heat, that's way too late to start loading a trailer.....drive 3 hours and then unload it and take stuff up to a second story apartment.

I could tell you that I went to see The Help and absolutely loved it. So well done. It took me back to my childhood....the clock on the wall, the hats and gloves on the women, the cars. It was heartbreaking and funny at the same time.

I could tell you that I know all my teacher friends are getting ready for "meet the teacher" tomorrow and I wish I was there to help them.

But this is just the ins and outs of the dog days of summer. Shift change. Summer ending. School starting. Summer over. New job started.

I am feeling so blessed right now that I have a new job...and that it overlapped my last paycheck from the school system. I know there are others out there with real problems. So I will not complain about my feet hurting, feeling like the new kid on the street, that one grouchy customer, Will's piles of stuff in my dining room, or missing my teacher friends.

Don't give up on me. I haven't gone anywhere...just having the creativity zapped out of me in other ways right now.

My friend sent me a funny video to watch this week. Loved it. So if you need a good laugh....go here.
Priceless expressions on the faces of these men. And the subject matter? Well, you'll see.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ed64755ab1/her-first-period

It's My Day Off!

2011-08-08T11:37:00.004-05:00

My new job started last week. I am loving it. A real defining moment of the week was on Thursday when I heard Dan Fogelberg singing through the speakers on Pandora. And not just once, but 3 or 4 songs played. And then.....Carol King Tapestry. There was a moment that I felt like I might be in heaven. As that will be what's playing in my heaven.

Y'all my new boss loves Dan Fogelberg as much as I do!

I have gotten used to having the summer off for the last 7 years but those are history now. However, what's replaced it may be even better!

MONDAYS!

I will have Mondays off. I can sleep in, go shopping, do lunch with friends, do laundry or housework (not), make a doctor's appointment. Should I stop? You get it.

The summer is coming to an end around here for Will, too. He heads back to Stephen F. Austin in a couple of weeks and is excited to finally be moving in to an apartment after 2 years of dorm living. We are gathering free or used furniture for him and he was lucky enough to snag a used leather sectional from Blake. It's in mint condition considering Blake grabbed it from a dumpster and then lots of college guys lived on it for the last couple of years. And I'm pretty sure a Grizzly Bear and a Lab lived on it, too.

This thing is huge. Hoping it fits in his tiny one bedroom apartment.

It's even a sleeper sofa.

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are in this sectional's future.

Last week, we tried to get the dogs groomed but their Rabies shots had expired....in May. So Chuck and Will took them to PetSmart and got them all caught up. Several $$$ later they were up to date and heart worms and flea medicine were in stock for the next 6 months. They didn't have time to groom them, so we were going to take them in this weekend. But........after spending that money last weekend, we groomed them ourself.

I have the claw marks to prove it....if the bad grooming job doesn't prove it enough. It's not that I mind grooming the dogs, it's the hair up the nose, in the eyes, in the mouth and all over the house that I mind.

Oh, and the vet told Chuck that Dixie has cataracts. Really?
We thought she had the prettiest glowing eyes.

I'm not making light of this, but when a vet tells you your 12 year old dog
has really bad cataracts, are you supposed to ask about cataract surgery?

And this one still has her wart over her eye...the wart that the last vet at PetSmart called cancer and told us it needed to come out as it would probably invade her eye socket. And Chuck and I got teary eyed and tried to come to terms with her having one eye and us having no money in the bank.

But the biopsy ($$$) came back negative.

This vet called it a wart.

Love PetSmart.

Just keep going back until you get the vet

that tells you what you want to hear.

Will's worked hard this summer at the YMCA....in the heat...with little to no complaining.

He loves his job and basically we never see him.

I know he's home if there's a new pair of shoes in the pile by the door.

He comes in from work and heads back out or goes straight to bed.

Even the mama birds have to deal with trash in their nest.

This nest was in our backyard and I saved it.

It's on a plate with a glass bell over it.

I love that it has trash intertwined with the twigs.

This mama knew how to just go with it.

I hope you have a bell jar...

a cloche, really...but who can pronounce that?

It makes string look like art.

I'm off to do whatever I want to...it's my day off!

Don't hate....I'll be doing laundry.

Open, Open, Open

2011-07-31T20:02:00.003-05:00

Do any of you remember that commercial for Mervyn's where the lady stood outside of the front door to the department store in the dark and flashed her hands open and shut and said, "OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!" because she couldn't wait to get inside?

Well, Magpies Gifts in Cypress opens tomorrow! And I feel like shouting...

OPEN! OPEN! OPEN!

It has been the longest two weeks for me....I can't imagine what it must feel like for the 5 owners, their families, and the other employees. The space has been totally transformed and a brand new store has been born. If you are in the area this week, you should definitely try to get there.

The last 48 hours have been intense.

The push was on to get it all done.

All hands were on deck.

Pricing things, dusting things, vacuuming things, arranging things, spray painting things, moving things. A very large shelving unit had been ordered for the Brighton things and it was due on Thursday....so of course, it arrived after dark on Friday. The husbands came bearing their tool belts on Saturday to put the huge thing up on the wall. About an hour into the process, water started coming out on to the floor from the baseboard.

Whoops.

Four men, many large holes cut into the sheet rock looking for the leak and an hour later, a plumber was called. Two hours later the plumber arrived. More sheet rock was cut out of the newly painted showroom wall. Clouds of sheet rock dust floated like glitter and landed on all of the previously dusted items in the entire store. Right before Mr. Maggie was taken to the ER, the plumber found the nail hole in the copper water pipe.

What? Mr. Maggie was taken to the ER?

Yes.

But only after the whole work crowd enjoyed some delicious and fresh pizza from a local Mom and Pop pizza place that I had highly recommended. In fact, they called it in and I went to pick it up....as it's very near my house.

Most of us stopped to eat the pizza as soon as it arrived and then got back to our work. Mr. Maggie didn't eat his pizza right away. But when he did, he ate the one with mushrooms. Mr. Maggie is severely allergic to mushrooms...a new affliction as of just a few months ago, when he went in to anaphylactic shock after consuming some on a piece of pizza.

Mr. Maggie started feeling a little strange and mentioned that maybe he would just head home. But within minutes, it was clear he was having another bad reaction and his daughter got him in the car and headed right down the road to the pharmacy in a grocery store in search for an epipen.

The pharmacist was very, very nonreactive....as in NO HELP AT ALL...other than to point in the direction of the Benadryl when they asked for an epipen. The daughter grabbed some Benadryl off the shelf....started shoving it down Mr. Maggie....while 911 was called.

No time for that.......Mr. Maggie was shoved back in to the car and taken to a hospital 2 exits down the freeway. The daughter saw her husband, pulled over, let him take over and she came back to the store crying. There is way more to this story but it all happened so fast and there was a lot of screaming and crying and stunned onlooking involved. I got the daughter in my car and headed to the ER to meet up with Mr. Maggie and Mr. Daughter's Husband. Cars went 120 mph and Mr. Maggie was placed in to the good hands of the ER. One big epipen later....and 2 hours of observation, he is all good.

Thank you God.

It was at this point, that it seemed a little like God may be sending a clear signal (Two Disasters in Two Hours) that Monday was not to be the opening day. Discussions were had. Opinions were given. Tired people looked at each other.

And then.....

just like professionals.......

they got back in the store today.....

and finished what they started two weeks ago.

It's opening tomorrow. And I can gladly report the Brighton wall has been installed. The holes in the sheet rock are covered up. And Mr. Maggie was fine and dandy today.

I was given permission to post about this...by Mrs. Maggie herself. I feel sure there is an epipen on Mr. Maggie now. At least I hope there is.

Adrenaline rush for all.

A Very Good Tired

2011-07-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

Still painting.

Still watching 5 women work very hard

to get an adorable store ready to open very soon.

Still not believing I will be working there.

So tired. So very good tired.

sacramentostreet

Paint, Painting, Painted

2011-07-25T10:06:00.001-05:00

The owners of Magpies are working fast and furious to transform the space into a brand new store. I was asked to choose paint colors for the walls and to paint a few pieces of furniture. So I've been looking at paint, painting with paint, and covered with paint.

Wait for me. I'll be back.

Looking Forward

2011-07-19T12:55:00.008-05:00

This past March I attended a Bible study at my church with 3 of my friends. The study was by Priscilla Shirer called One in a Million. It was about trusting God...sensing and acknowledging God's continual presence even while you are in the wilderness....those times in your life that can be dark and troubled due to illness, death, a job loss, financial uncertainty, divorce, addictions, fill in the blank here.....as when the Israelites were being led out of Egypt to the Promise Land.

We are all either in the place before the wilderness, in the wilderness or just after coming out of the wilderness. What I got out of that Bible study is to trust God before, during and after that "wilderness" and that coming through a "wilderness" is where you will grow closer to God and grow deeper in character. He uses the wilderness times in our life to bring us closer to Him. Of course, there was a lot more to the bible study but that was what I walked away with.

Deep? Deep.

It's not like I didn't already know to trust God. But what hit me was seeing clearly that the time to trust God is way before the wilderness. Because once in the middle of that dark place, God will most likely feel like the enemy if you're not already in a relationship with Him...knowing He will not forsake you.

For me, knowing God is praying to Him and then listening for Him as well as studying His word (which I admit I've come to later in life). Using my gut instincts and forging ahead all the while, checking in with Him and listening for Him. And His voice is more of a tap on the shoulder for me......or a "feeling" of this is right. In some of my own wilderness times, I turned to God fully trusting. And in some of my wilderness seasons, I turned away.

Turning to Him is what He wants. But while we wait for Him, He wants us to trust Him, be led by His Spirit, cast our anxieties and worries on Him and forge ahead.

Like Dr. Phil says, "Pray to God to save you, but pick up the oars in the boat!"

So this Spring, I felt that feeling that the time was right for change...I felt that tap on the shoulder, that nudge. And I resigned my job that I loved....however budget cuts were changing the atmosphere.... without knowing what the future held. I am a hard worker and I knew I would find something. I just didn't know what and when. But it all felt so right. I had a real peace about it.

I should say here, that I know how fortunate I am. My husband has a career with the benefits so I am able to quit while looking. This husband does not spend money on clothes or bright shiny things so the money I bring in helps with college apartment rent and let's just say a new shirt now and then. I stayed home for the most part to raise my children, but with no spending money, it's not all that. And now my children are almost all raised but the college years leave little "mad money." So I have had the jobs that provide the little extras....although there have been years when my jobs put the groceries on the table. I am happiest when busy...and Chuck is happiest when I bring in a little cash flow. Winning.

So the plan ...if I had one...was to fill out the paperwork to become a substitute for the school system I had just resigned from. Then substitute while looking for a permanent job. I got the paperwork complete and sent it in. The next substitute training was in July, so I was waiting.

And trusting. And listening. And peaceful.

About this same time, I went to a graduation party and ran in to a friend who works at a store called Magpies in Sugarland. The second she saw me she said, "Hey, Magpies is opening a store out by you......you should get a job there."

Shout out to Peggy with a huge thanks!

And the rest just seemed to fall like a stack of dominoes. She gave my number to the owners, they called me to come in and meet them/interview. I filled out the paperwork. They asked me to work for them. I said I would be honored. And now I go to work on August 1.

The best part...it's 3 to 4 days a week, 11 minutes from my home and the cutest store ever. Magpies has been in business over 27 years starting in their Bellaire location adding a second location in Sugarland and now their third one in Cypress. For those of you not from here...these are all areas of the huge Houston metropolis....central, southwest and now northwest area.

For those of you in Cypress....Magpies bought out II Friends on Barker Cypress.

And here's where it gets just like a direct hit from God:

When I was in my twenties, my sister and I worked at the same mortgage company. We went to lunch together every single day. We stumbled on Magpies in Bellaire because it was next to a place my sister had her hair cut. We fell in love with the store and would stop in at least once or twice a month on our lunch hour. I loved everything about that store so much. I even wallpapered the kitchen in my house with the same exact wallpaper that hung in Magpies. It was the mid 80's so the paper was country blue and rust...ha.

And I can't tell you how many times I said OUT LOUD this past year...."the perfect job would be 4 days a week."

And part of finding a job was finding one without a long commute which would eat up my paycheck with gas for the car.

So here I am, 27 years after falling in love with a store called Magpies....I will be working for them 3 to 4 days a week only 11 minutes away!

If I could lift up and look at my life as a timeline much like God does, I would see how He was weaving this together all along.

I am going to miss my school friends that I got to see daily. I am going to miss kindergartners and the way they made me laugh. I loved working for the schools for the last 7 years...especially because of the friends I made. But I will be tapping in to another side of me. And hopefully, I will see a lot of you in the store.

The 2 weeks leading up to the August 1rst opening (if all goes as planned), I will be helping the owners by painting some furniture for the store. I painted a sign for the door on Saturday...to hide the progress going on inside. I cannot wait. It's going to be great!

Thank you, God.

Over and Back

2011-07-15T16:15:00.002-05:00

Thursday, July 7, 2011

We checked out of the beach rental by 11:00....only 24 hours late. If you've been reading the last few posts, you will remember that all year we thought we had the house through Thursday but found out we should have been out on Wednesday. I'm laughing about that now... a week later.

We cleaned the place, packed all of our stuff, loaded the car and went to The Broken Egg for breakfast with our friends before heading west on I-10. It was hard to leave that place, those people, that feeling.

Once again, we stopped over in New Orleans for the evening to break the trip in half. But this time we had Jordan and Chris with us. We ate dinner on the Riverwalk then toured the French Quarter again. We ended up at Howl at the Moon on Bourbon Street and enjoyed the dueling piano for awhile.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Friday morning, while waiting for the car to be brought to us by the hotel valet service, I took off walking. We were only about 10 blocks from Cafe du Monde....so I headed that way. The others packed the car and drove over. While they ate the beignets and drank the strong coffee, I went in and out of some of the shops. Fortunately for me, there were some left-over beignets brought to the car for the ride home.

Thanks Chuck.

Once home, we unpacked the car then turned around and headed to Cameron's new place for Jordan and Chris to see....then dinner at Cadillac Bar...a mere 5 minutes from Cameron's...for some good Mexican food.

Vacation 2011 Over.

It was good to be home.

Sort of.

I definitely felt the blues the last few days after coming home from paradise.

But I have something really great to look forward to....I'll tell you about it soon.

Sea Side and Seaside

2011-07-14T21:33:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

This was our last day at the beach as check out was the next day and we would head home. Well, we thought Thursday was check out...but turns out we should have been out on Wednesday. whoops. We headed to the beach in the morning and to Seaside for a little shopping, dining, and watching the sunset. Ahhh. Seaside is pretty close to perfect.

Hello, gorgeous.

I did not make Chuck cry....he got salt water and sunscreen in his eye.

That combo burns like heck.

The only cure is to get out of the water

and rub your eye with a dry towel.

After lunch we headed east to Seaside.

The view of the water at Seaside, Florida.

Twins sisters of different mothers, separated at birth.

Our dining spot for the evening. Really great southern cooking.

I had macaroni and cheese with corn and bacon in it and ....grilled shrimp.

Yum.

The swinging door to the kitchen.

Close to sunset we headed to Bud & Alley's...

a rooftop bar perfect for watching the sun go down.

Jordan and Chris recognized a group of guys that walked in as

All American Rejects...a punk rock band.

So I went out on the balcony to take pictures of the beach....wink, wink.

I can't say I was ever in to punk rock so I somehow missed these guys...

do you recognize them?

Denim vest and tattoo sleeve and the one looking right at me.

Lead singer with a ring on every finger.

That tattoo had to take a long time to do.

So busted. ha.

Here comes the sunset.

Haunting.

After dark, a concert took place on the hill in the square.

I wasn't the only one who couldn't tell you what the band played.

The beach wears a girl out.

Best day ever....as Will would say.

Shopping, Movies and Fire

2011-07-13T22:17:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

After getting Blake, Cameron and Will to the airport and seeing Taylor and Faith off in the car, we were down to 6....Chip and Debbie, Chuck and I, Jordan and Chris. From 12 to 6...things got a lot quieter.

Some of us went to the outlet malls, some went to the movies and then we all met back up and headed out for dinner in Santa Rosa Beach in the early evening at a place called Fire.

By now you are all bored with this vacation stuff....but this is my scrapbook, if you will, so I must post pictures by day....and we are getting near the end. I promise.

No pictures of the shopping, no pictures of the movies, but some couple shots taken at dinner.

Cute signs in the area of the restaurant..........

I could run this place....if all you have to do is gossip.

This would be a great name for a coffee shop or a wine bar.

Cute little shacks that were closed for the evening.

Thanks for hanging in there. Really, there is nothing more boring than looking at someone else's vacation pictures. I know...I get it.

But I have to document this so my kids can show it to me in the nursing home.

" ....'member MAMA and then we went to the BEACH and

you saw your good friend DEBBIE?"

Celebrating the 4th

2011-07-12T19:48:00.015-05:00

Monday, July 4, 2011

This day was spent at the beach, back home for a wonderful dinner of grilled pork tenderloin and lots of great side dishes, then back to the beach to watch the fireworks after the sun went down.

Our double-wide tent/home for the day

The guys got up at the crack of dawn to set up our tents that marked our territory on the beach. Unbelievable commitment...hauling all that out there for us. Thanks Ch's....Chip and Chuck...and Scott, Chip's buddy. I love those guys but I cannot think of one thing I would get up at the crack of dawn for. Glad they weren't counting on me.

Lots of seaweed washed up overnight. So while the water wasn't at clear as it had been, it was still a fun day at the beach. I have a compulsion to pick up stuff and clean...so you can just imagine how hard this was for me to look at and relax. I literally sat there and tried to think of a way to get it scooped up out in the water. ha.

The marrieds.

Tricia, Jordan, Chip, Blake, Faith, Chris, Will, Chuck, Cameron, Taylor, Debbie, Me.

The other Blake left early that morning to head back to his job.

Jordan's friend Tricia drove over from Alabama to spend the day with us. She is from Phoenix but now living in Alabama and was at Jordan and Chris's wedding.

Small world story: When Chip and Debbie flew out to Phoenix for Jordan's wedding, they arrived a little early for the ceremony. They went to the resort bar to wait. They sat beside a girl at the bar and struck up a conversation that went a little like this....

Hey..where are you from?

From here.... I'm waiting to go to a wedding.

Ah, so are we.

Whose wedding?

A girl I work with.

What's her name?

Jordan.

That's whose wedding we're going to.....

And just the day before, Debbie shared that story with me....just telling me that she and Chip had sat at the bar while waiting to head over to the site of the wedding. She said we met some girl that worked with Jordan but couldn't remember her name. No way did we think it would be this same girl.

Then Jordan gave Tricia directions of how to find us on the beach and as Tricia was walking towards us she recognized Chip and Debbie .... before she saw Jordan.

So they had met one brief time but she recognized them right away when she saw them.

Tricia's husband is in the Army studying to be a pilot so I'm glad she was able to spend the day with us.

Will decided he wanted to take some seaweed home...dry it out and put it in a jar.

Why?

Free souvenir?

Who really knows how Will's brain works?

I said no....he threw it up in the air...and I caught it with the camera.

He then gathered more and we did put it in a zip-loc....but on packing up day, it was thrown out because of the smell. Imagine that. It smelled.

Debbie insisted it be thrown out.

I said I promised Will I wouldn't.

She said it smelled like dead fish, vomit and diarrhea.

I said throw it out.

I study this picture because it's so hard for me to believe

my children are all grown up.

It happened when I wasn't looking.

Debbie, Blake, Taylor and Chip.

Chip and Debbie's good friends, Scott and Jodie.

We met last year and enjoyed their company again this year.

I suspect they're giving Chuck a hard time for sitting.

Surfer Boy:

Dear God, Please do not let him get hurt. I would hate to go to the ER in my swim suit. Amen.

Dear God, Thank you for protecting him on that little surfboard.
And please continue to do so. Amen.

This guy walked up and down the beach in a red body suit.

Maybe it was a costume. Maybe he's a super hero.

For sure he had to be hot.

Blake plays for Georgia Southern. Go Eagles!
He's #77 and I would tell you his position but I would get it wrong.

I believe it's offense but then again, it could be defense.
I know it's not first base.

The centerpiece for our 4th of July dinner.

Buckets from Target Dollar Spot....sand courtesy of the beach.

I won't bore you with lots of fireworks pictures....but Jordan took her camera out to the beach and got lots of great ones...Will says this is his shot. I just want you to see how close we were to the show. The buildings on the left are part of the Hilton Sandestin Resort...and that's where the fireworks were set off. We were just about 75 yards down the beach watching from our comfortable chairs with the breeze in our hair. The fireworks would reflect on the water so it was like a double show of color. I have never enjoyed fireworks as much. The perfect place to see them.

The highlight of the day was the remake of the infamous Banana Boat Picture, taken in 1997 while visiting this family in Florida...at Dog Island.

The original Banana Boat Picture, Circa 1997:

Blake, Will, Jordan, Taylor and Cameron

And The Remake, Circa 2011:

Taylor, Cameron, Jordan, Blake and Will

We contemplated renting a banana boat to make this more authentic but it was $20 per person for 15 minutes....suddenly the yellow canoe leaning against the tent next to us looked like a banana. Debbie was voted to be the one to go ask if we could borrow it for a few minutes for a picture....because she's Debbie...cute and sweet and funny.

Score.

And another pose...with me on it. Why I got on it the first time, I'll never know.

But they insisted I get on it again for the remake.

This was pre - lasic eye surgery for me and without contacts or glasses, I was blind as a bat.

If for no other reason, you should get the eye surgery so that no one ever takes of a picture of you squinting like that again.

Funny to see the babies, Blake and Will, turned out to be the biggest.

We must have fed them lots of crackers to keep them quiet.

Honey, I Blew Up the Kids.

Pontoon Sunday

2011-07-11T23:03:00.002-05:00

Sunday, July 3, 2011

This was the day that all 12 of us would be there....all day...as some of the kids started leaving on Monday and Tuesday to get back to their jobs. Two pontoon boats were reserved to head out to Crab Island for the day. We called this Pontoon Sunday.

There's a lot of work involved in getting 12 people on 2 pontoon boats for the day. Waking up, getting that first cup of coffee, getting on the swimsuits, packing the drinks and the lunch and the snacks, putting on the sunscreen, and putting everything but the kitchen sink in to beach bags....all the while trying to watch that stupid trial for one last minute before heading out.

Finally, we headed to the marina and got on the boats. We had until 6:00 p.m. to play in the sun and return the boats to the marina. It's about a 45 minute boat ride to Crab Island...which I'm not sure is really an island but an area......of the most beautiful shallow water where hundreds of boats throw down their anchors for the day. Because the water is clear and shallow, I'm all about it.

Following Chip on his pontoon.

Getting closer to the shallow waters of Crab Island.

See the change in the color of the water?

We're heading towards that bridge on the left.

Almost there.

Shout out to Chris.

Parked it and started playing and sunning.

I'm that person in the water on the right....
we took a noodle and put some rope through it....
so I could hang out.
The current was strong the first hour or so,
so I was tied to the boat so I wouldn't end up in Mexico.

The water was only about 3 to 4 feet deep....and see-through.......just like a swimming pool.

We remembered to bring footballs and frisbies but forgot to bring floats....

for non sporty people like me.

Will could reach down and pick up hermit crabs.

I immediately said, "NO, IT'S NOT COMING HOME WITH US!"

Can I just say I love my auto zoom lens.

Check your tags people.

When they hang out, it takes away from the artistic beauty of your tat.

And while checking those tags, you might want to check the size.

(Shout out to Sherri)

Giant floats.

Baby floats.

Round floats.

Like a swimming pool.

Our best friends and gracious hosts for the week.

We love this family.

Do you feel the party atmosphere?

Boat jumping.

PaR tAy

Heading back.

Showers, dry clothes and cooking fajitas for twelve.

Chip grilled the best fajitas...with homemade salsa and guacamole.

Shout out to Chip!

It was so fun being right next door to this house.

I think I might have beaten a path in the grass.

One quick pose before dinner....all the kids in one place:

Blake D., Faith, Taylor, Chris, Jordan, Cameron, Blake C. and Will....

and Lady, Taylor's bulldog....snacking on a flip-flop.

Just the ones I birthed.

It was a good, good day.

Arriving

2011-07-11T09:25:00.001-05:00

Friday, July 1, 2011

Before leaving New Orleans, we headed to Cafe du Monde for the infamous beignets and extra strong coffee. There are some very cute shops in that area so I snuck in a few.

Then we got on the road to Florida. As did about a million others. Traffic was ....well, what you would expect on the Friday before the Fourth of July heading to the beach? So the 4 hour drive took us at least 5 1/2. I am good for about 5 hours in the car. So that last half hour may have been hard on the other passengers.

Finally in Florida.

Almost there.

Friday and Saturday were about getting everybody there....and by there, I mean picked up from the Panama City Beach airport...a two hour round trip from the beach house...and safely to the house.

Some flew in on Friday evening...others on Saturday.

By Saturday, all the birds were in the beach nest.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

A little beach time, showers, dinner and games. All of us there...twelve between the two families.

Ages 20, 21, 21, 21, 23, 23, 25, 31, 45, 47, 53 and 55.

And closing arguments on some trial on t.v.

Cameron, Will and Blake playing In a Pickle.

Halfway There

2011-07-10T10:35:00.002-05:00

Thursday, June 30, 2011

The first day we drove to New Orleans, about six hours away, a little more than halfway to Destin. We decided to break the drive up so we wouldn't be totally exhausted on our first evening at the beach.Will was with us so we made a mini-vacation out of our stay for the night. We ventured out to the French Quarter and ate at a restaurant called Irene's Cuisine, recommended to us by our neighbors who are from New Orleans.

If you've never been to New Orleans, it's like you're in a different country....well at least different from Texas. The architecture, food, climate, accents ..........and the smell. I hadn't been to the French Quarter in almost 12 years and I smelled it before I got to it. One never forgets the smell....kind of like the smell coming from Casey Anthony's trunk. Don't get me started on her...I'm having a hard time letting it go.

Parking garage mural

Embassy Suites ....lobby mural

Irene's Cuisine

Will ordered Turtle Soup and Duck for his entree...and ate every bit of it.

This sweet man was eating at Krystal's and I asked him from outside

the window if I could take his picture. He smiled sweetly and nodded his head.

Perhaps he is a mime?

We ate, we walked and then we headed back to our hotel. We would be back in a week on our way home.

An Extra Day in Paradise

2011-07-09T14:23:00.007-05:00

Chris, Will, Jordan, Cameron, Chuck and Me

We just got back from our summer vacation to Sandestin, Florida. This trip was planned a year ago and I have looked forward to it all year. It was a perfect week spent eating, talking, laughing, drinking, sunning and digging our toes in the sand. The only problem with looking forward to and then spending a week in paradise, is the plummet down when it's over.

I intend to blog about each day's events with over a thousand pictures to choose from but for now I just want to share a little story with you about our beach rental.

Our best friends of almost 20 years own an adorable home in Sandestin. They don't rent theirs out but their neighbors do. So last summer they sent us the link to the rental and we put a deposit down quickly to rent it for a week. We were gathering all the kids this time and having a reunion of our families. While all of the kids wouldn't be there a whole week, we would be.

A week.

Seven Days....Six Nights.

We would arrive on Friday, July 1, 2011 and stay a week.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Count 'em. Seven Days. Six Nights. A week....in English....on a calendar.

It's important that you understand what a week is.

So the owner sent the rental agreement, we signed it and sent it back and put it all on our calendars to look forward to all year long.

We go. We play. We stay. We have so much fun.

Thursday morning we are starting to clean up and pack and throw away to be out of there by 11:00 a.m., the checkout time......and a car pulls up.

Me: (I am out on the porch spraying down the sand) Hi!

Her: Hi.

Me: Are you the maid? (I should have said cleaning service but said maid)

Her: Yes.

Me: What's your name?

Her: Sandy.

Me: That's a great name for the beach. (why do I say that?) Well, we have this place until 11:00 but you can come on in.

Her: (as she looks at her cell phone) No, I have that you should have been out yesterday. There's another family coming in at 4:00.

Me: No, we have it through today. (said a little firmly) But it's okay if you want to come on in and get started. We just need to shower and finish packing up. It's basically already very clean. We stripped the beds... do you want me to start washing the sheets?

Her: No, I bring clean ones for the turn-a-round, then take the others home to wash.

Me: That makes sense. Well, come on in.

Her: Well, I do need to use the restroom.

And she darts past me.

I'm thinking she's a little early but totally welcoming her to get her job started knowing I am leaving this place so clean she won't have much of a job.

Later....like 10 minutes later...Chuck gets a phone call from the owner. Apparently Sandy called her while using the restroom. Tattling on us, if you will. Still thinking she is wrong and I am right.

Our rental agreement, the one we signed, said we had the place until Wednesday.

11:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 6.

Well, what do you know, it sure does.

whoops.

uh, oh.

Alrighty then.

So all this year I have put on every calendar Friday through Thursday. Never looking at the rental agreement......even when we signed it....because I had asked for a week and the start date was right so I guess I just glazed over the end date. It was a year ago. Just assumed that end date was 7 days later.

The owner was very gracious. She said she would just take a little money out of our security deposit to pay the maid for having to wait for us to get out.

Really? Sandy has to get paid to wait? Sandy, the maid, didn't have to wait. She got there at 9:30 and I told her to come on in.

Whatever. We weren't exactly in a place to argue.

Squatters run when caught.

We hurried up and got out of there right at 11:00.

I went from being sure I was right, to knowing we were wrong, to a little angry about having to pay Sandy to wait, to being embarrassed. Let my mistake be a lesson for all of you. Check those dates. 'Cause I sure didn't.

But if you are looking for a great place to rent.......for not a week.....here's the link to a very cute place in Sandestin, Florida. It's a short drive to the beach but it's a great location close to shopping and restaurants. Check it out....it's the least I could do for our gracious landlord for you know...the extra day in paradise.

A few pictures.......with lots more to come.

Debbie and I have some sort of soul twin thing going on. On the day we went to Seaside, we came out of our separate homes wearing the same exact colors. This is nothing compared to the way we say the same thing at the same time and can make up rap songs on demand. We may be borderline obnoxious when together.

And I think it goes without saying I was the twin who stole all of the nutrition in utero.

I'm a little tan...for me. Or more sun damaged if we're being real.

I hope all of you had a fun Fourth of July.

Don't get me started on that Casey Anthony verdict.