Fun Friday: Shop and Shop...Then Go Shop Some More - It's Christmas!

So. I chose the above picture today to remember how lovely my house looked when all my lights were working. Which, OF COURSE, is no longer the case. Can you guess which lights aren't working? Uh-huh. Apparently there is a demon living in my bushes that is struggling to come up with ANY Christmas spirit WHATSOEVER. Don't you hate it when that happens?

Today is a BIG shopping day for me. My mom and I will be out most of the day. Me - trying to finish up odds and ends, plus some extras just added to my list at around 7:00am by my dear husband. Thanks, Babe, love ya. Mom - trying to get a real idea of what everyone has on their list for her to buy.

For instance, Robert has asked for a camp stove. Well, my mother doesn't own a camp stove, has probably never used a camp stove, and honestly, more than likely, doesn't even really know what a camp stove is. I mean, I know that all of that is definitely true for me. I figured a camp stove at least resembled a real stove top, maybe just portable, right? Nope. It's much smaller. Actually, I would've named it "Stove-in-a-Can." There it is.

In other news, one of my bonus sons is graduating tonight from EMT School. Yay! We are so proud of him. I think he really loves his work and I'll bet is great at it. Go, John!

Also, tomorrow night is the big Christmas dance at Riley's school - the Jingle Bell Ball. Omigosh!!! They've been talking about this weekend for months and planning the wardrobe. Less than 3 years ago, I was very concerned that Riley would never remember to wear deodorant and lacked the ability to match clothing colors. My, how things have changed! We put together his outfit weeks ago - this dance is kind of semi-formal - and even yesterday he was concerned that maybe another color shirt would match Morgan's dress better. Anyway, they are all very excited and I will hopefully have some good pictures to share with you on Monday.

Then, this Sunday evening is our church's Christmas party. We've invited 3 missionaries to come as our guests. There's going to be lots of yummy food and great fellowship. Actually, I just remembered I'm supposed to be writing a poem for that evening. Hmmm...add that to my list here....OK.

Finally, late Sunday evening my brother and sister-in-law, Paul and Alexandrea, will be getting here from Wisconsin!!! Yay! I absolutely can't wait. Their arrival is actually one of my favorite days of the holiday season every year. Paul is a professor at a university, so they usually get to stay for almost an entire month. It's so awesome!!! Also, they'll be introducing a new dog to the family this year, Sutton. Half St. Bernard. Yeah, big. Did I mention that I can't wait?

Yes, big weekend for me and while ALL of this is going on, I've been contracted to write a 6-book graphing series, 1st grade reading level. Uh-huh. Not the best timing you say? Well, when you're a struggling writer you take the work when it comes, am I right?

My take: Whew...I'm already tired. Check in on Monday and see if I'm still alive, will ya? I wouldn't want to be unconscious under the Christmas tree and no one realize it. And, yes, that could really happen at my house!

Happy weekend, be merry!

So today's recipe is my mother's "go to" dessert, meaning when she makes it, everyone "goes to it," and it is gone. So yummy! Try it this Christmas!

Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients:
1-1/2 C sugar
3 T flour
1 stick butter
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C buttermilk

Directions:
1. Mix sugar and flour. Melt butter and add to sugar and flour.
2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.
3. Add vanilla and buttermilk, mixing well.
4. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then continue baking at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Time to Appreciate

October is Pastor Appreciation month, did you know that?

Well, it is and that's just what we did yesterday at our church.

I have mentioned that we have just recently changed churches. The process was very difficult because I'd been at the same church for over 40 years. But, now that the change has been made.....ahhhhh, it's so good!

Our new pastors are one of my best friends and her husband. They are the kind of people others flock to for two simples reasons:
1. They love people
2. They are real

In the 3 short months the church has been in existence - they always say they started with a building with carpet, nothing else - already over 100 people call it their church home! We are having so much fun! Our pastor is awesome. His sermons are funny, powerful, and relevant. The worship is amazing and the service seems to fly by each week. They go to all kinds of events with us, including youth events, like football games, UIL competitions. Most of our church family also eats lunch together EVERY WEEK after service - how cool is that?

The thing is, our pastors want to be a part of our lives, not just on Sunday. They want the whole package - to journey through life with us. In short, life is just better.

My take: I'm so thankful to be a part of a church FAMILY, a place where we all can just live this life together, through thick and thin, good and bad, holy and not-so-holy. Here'a a shout out to my pastors, Brent and Terri, I love and APPRECIATE you! So, so thankful for you! Greater things are to be done in this city...

I'm Baaaacccckkkkk!

Good morning, world, I haven't fallen off!

Yes, I'm back in my happy, little home after a very successful trip to Dunwoody, GA. In case you missed my last post, I drove my mom and great aunt to Dunwoody to visit my cousin for the weekend.

It was so good to see my cousin, Kate. I don't think I'd seen her since Riley was about 3, which is almost 13 years, so, you know, it was time.

Anyway, we had a great time just hanging out at their house, shopped a little, AND ate really well, which is always a plus in my book. I even learned to make pesto sauce and I'll be sharing that recipe with you on Friday, so don't forget to check back for that.

Kate is married to John.

And, they have two daughters, Meredith on the left, Victoria on the right.

Victoria is a senior this year and Meredith is a sophomore. They both play softball and are actually going to the championship tournament this weekend!!! Go, Wolves!!! They also play LaCrosse, which kind of frightens me, but hey, "Go, Wolves!"

The girls were great because they actually hung out with us old people and didn't really act like it was too painful. I wonder what Kate's secret is? I sure would like to cast that spell on Riley!!!

My mom and Aunt Jeannnie seemed to have a great time, too, and we're hoping Kate's family might come to our house between Christmas and New Year's.

So, with all of that said, I'm going to close for today. I have a writing project that I'm in the middle of and don't have much time to finish it. Yikes!!

One more thing: if you're wondering why I keep posting the "Welcome Fall" pumpkin picture at the beginning of my posts it's because I thought maybe if I keep welcoming fall, maybe fall will GET HERE ALREADY! I mean, please, I think my car said the temperature yesterday outside got up to 90 degrees. Are you kidding me? It's almost November, for crying out loud!

The Off Day

Yesterday was an off day.

On the one hand, I got some really great news! There's this company that I've been wanting to write for for, like...forever. And, yesterday, I got an email from them saying they are offering me a contract! YAY!!! I can't tell you how excited I was...kinda.

Here's the kinda part: I had a migraine yesterday. Yep, a migraine. Now, something you may not know about me yet is that I, unfortunately, am a headache girl. It's ridiculous how often I get a headache. Like, every day I have at least a hint of a headache. I have allergies and I attribute most of my headaches to them. Then there's been the at least two other periods of my life where my hormone level was off, no comments from the peanut gallery, and I had horrible migraines then. The funny thing is that it only took me, oh, 8 months to notice a pattern with these horomonal migraine headaches, where I actually vomited so much that blood vessels in my EYES broke. And, it's really not that funny, actually...But, once my hormone level was adjusted, the migraines eased.

That brings us up to about a year ago, when one of my husband's partners thought it would be fun to push between Hubby and I as we were ICE SKATING in Utah at the Olympic Oval. I took the most violent fall EVER, hit my head on the ice, and ended up with a concussion. Someday when I don't have anything else to write about, I'll tell you about my EMT people. I think they were people...Of course after the concussion, more headaches and my memories of skating in the Olympic Oval were forever tainted.

But, yesterday was the first migraine I've had in a long time. At first I thought, "This isn't a migraine. I'm just going to keep going like it's a regular headache." Then I get in the car to drive to Beaumont and wonder if I'm going to have to pull over to vomit or if I can make it home. So, I spent most of the afternoon and all evening on the couch, catching up on DVR'd shows.

So, when I got the email about the writing work, I wanted to jump up and down and run through my house cheering, but that would've sent me straight to the bathroom. So, instead, I just laid on the couch and tried real hard to smile and think happy thoughts. With the light off it was hard to tell how successful I was.

Yeah, it was an off day. Such an off day, that when I went to pick my granddaughter up to take her to her mom for "Tumble Tots," which is why I had to drive to Beaumont, the day got even more off.

When I went out to the car, I noticed the booster car seat was gone. Let me stop here and tell you that Hubby and I switched cars yesterday so that I could get his car inspected - yes, it was late - and so he could get new tires on my car. I couldn't find the booster seat, so I had to settle for a toddler seat. This seat is really too small, but, hey, I had a migraine, so everyone should be thankful that I thought to even put a seat in the car. And, in my book, some protection is better than no protection.

So, off I go to pick up C, horrible headache, tummy churning. I get her, put her in the seat, ("Why you bwing dis seat? Dis seat for babies."), and head to Beaumont. As I make the first turn onto the highway, I hear this little concerned cry from C. I look back and she is laying completely over on her side in the seat! I panicked, pulled into a parking lot and sat her upright again. Then, I start driving again. Remember, I have a migraine, so it doesn't dawn on me yet that the reason the seat fell over is because the seat belt strap was too loose. So, we repeat this scene, seat falls over, I pull over to fix it, 3 more times, until I finally realize the strap is too loose and tighten it. By this time we are five minutes from our destination and C has her legs braced against the back of my chair and is holding onto her seat for dear life.

My take:...yeah, it was an off day...

What's your take?

3 Pressing Questions and an Essay

Good morning!

Today's post is going to be a little different. I thought I would share my son's essay with you. He is a great writer, just fabulous...of course, he gets it from me...

He had to write an essay for his pre-AP English class about a time when he faced a conflict in his life and how he dealt with it. Being the kind of involved mother that I am, I gave him all sorts of ideas on what he could write about. And he chose to write about how difficult it is to choose which hamburger to order at his favorite hamburger restaurant in Austin. It's hilarious. His teacher, the tough one everyone talks about, said it was her favorite essay of all, that she laughed out loud when she read it, and read it to his class. Nice job, Son!

But, before we get to the essay, I do have 3 questions for you to ponder. Ponder is a word I seem to like these days...

Question #1: Why is it that the one time you go to the grocery store AFTER working out, just because you only need 3 things and don't want to get out again because you're having a party at your house this same night, you run into someone you know? AND, it's usually a MAN you know, who, upon seeing you, says, "Hey," and stops himself just before "Wow," comes out of his mouth?? Why, oh, why, I want to know...

Question #2: Who the heck is Theresa? She apparently is "Under pressure," "Lashing out at her family," then yesterday "Was having a breakdown." I see her face everytime I go to check out at Wal-Mart, Target, or the grocery store and I have no idea who she is. Will someone please help me here? I feel like I'm missing out...

Questions #3: Why is it that my husband, who is 13 years older than me, can eat 5 pieces of cornbread and not gain an ounce? Why? Why? Why? I need to know...

My take: Life is full of questions to ponder, is it not? Here's the essay. Have a great day!!

A Burger to Build a Dream On
The door opens, and an aroma of grease and other assorted fried food fills my nostrils. Men have seated themselves all around, eyes glued to the football game that the television monitors display. Slowly, I enter the establishment. Walking to the waiting area, I glance up to one of the monitors. The Oklahoma-Texas game graces my eyes with joy, bringing pleasure to myself and my father, who love the Longhorns. I casually look around for a waitress to bring us to our table.
The setting? Huts, one of the best burger joints in Austin. Usually when I eat with my father on a Saturday in Austin, we go to Huts to watch the Texas football game. A perfect combination of football, burgers, sweaty (and very loud) men yelling at the game, and the typical weirdness of Austin makes this place great. After about five minutes of waiting, a waitress asks if we need a table for two. Once we get to our table, I realize our ever-so-kind waitress has positioned us directly in front of a television screen. When I point this out to my father, he smiles and nods at my glorious revelation.
As I take my place at the table, the menu fills my eyes. I ignore most of what it has to offer, instead choosing to look at the burger section. Memories flood my mind as I look at the twenty different options. My dad had started taking me Huts about five or six years ago. I had instantly fallen in love with their big, tasty burgers. Also, over the course of time I knew I would consume every single one the joint had to offer. The problem with this would present itself to me after the eleventh or twelfth burger: some of the options just, well, didn’t sound that appetizing. Take the Beachboy’s Favorite, for example; it comes with pineapple. I do not consider myself a huge pineapple fan. Now, why not just take it off? Because Hut’s rule number one (in my book): you must eat the part of the burger that gives it the name. Another example: The Mr. Blue. Mr. Blue gets its name from the blue cheese that you can find melted onto the meat. If I did not eat the blue cheese, then why say I ate Mr. Blue?
And so, the problem unfolded in my brain. It was simple, really: What burger to get? My mouth began to water as I pondered the menu. Too many choices! Everything sounded appetizing. The Sink Burger comes drowned in two different sauces, but the Wolfman Jack is served with diced green chilies and bacon! A glance back at our table and…wait, when did we get our drinks? The internal clock inside my head counts out the minutes until the return of our waiter. The tribunal inside my head heckles each other with reasons and rebuttals as to what hamburger must fall into my stomach. The palms of my hands begin to sweat; the waiter is coming back! The very fabric of life seems like it will unravel if I do not make my choice, and within the next five seconds. Our waiter’s heavy footfalls reach my ears, and time itself seems to slow. Looking around the restaurant, all eyes seem to fix themselves on me, begging me to make a decision. Time is up as the waiter arrives at our table. Franticly, I motion for him to take my father’s order. After all, respect your elders.
“Yes, I’ll have the Dagburger please. Eh, everything except onions. I’d like a side order of fries as well. What’re you having, pal?” he says to me. The waiter turns, ready to write down my order.
The moment of truth; the ticking time bomb in my head is about to go off, and I still have no clue as to what I will be dining on this evening. Texas has the ball, marching down Oklahoma’s field to score, making an even bigger reason for me to hurry it up.
“Yeah, well,” I shakily begin, “…the Fats-Domino Burger sounds great. Dry, please, but leave the New Orleans seasoning on. Thanks!” the waiter nods and walks away, taking our menus. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At that moment, Texas scored, sending the crowd at the game, as well as in the restaurant cheering at the top of their lungs. Though this applause may support the Texas players, I accept some of it. I had just faced a colossal task, and I had passed with flying colors. While I cannot say it was the biggest decision of my life, it certainly was a tasty one. +

Scenes from "Camp Rah-Rah" and Beyond

I had a really great weekend.

Seriously, it was one of the best I've had in a long time. Don't get me wrong, I'm exhausted and completely understand why God wanted women to have children while they're young, but everything was great.

"Camp Rah-Rah" was a huge success. We made art projects, rode bikes, drew pictures on the sidewalk, played Play-Doh, dressed up as princesses and a prince, then finished the whole day off by meeting PaPa at Chick-Fil-A. What more can a pre-schooler hope for? My pre-schoolers weren't awake long enough to hope for anything else.

Then, through some supernatural intervention, our football team played very well in their first district game! Really, I'm telling the truth. After scoring only 8 points spanning over the first 3 games, they actually scored 25 points and gave their opponent a run for their money. Not a win, but we're all very encouraged. And hopeful for a Homecoming win this weekend. Plus, here's a picture of "Snake Pit," that extra band group Son is in. I'm trying to find a video I can upload for you all to see. They've added a new part, so tune in later this week to see it. It's pretty cool!

Then, yesterday, we celebrated our daughter's 30th birthday with most of our family before they left for home. Like I said, it was a fantastic weekend.

The only downer was that my dish washer died Saturday night. Now, if you'll remember my posts about our OLD refrigerators, emphasis on "old," you will understand what I mean when I say that this dishwasher was ancient - even older than both of the refrigerators combined, I think...OK, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it's old. Anyway, I went to turn it on Saturday night, as usual, right before going to bed, (mainly because it sounds like a freight train), and it just wouldn't turn on. Hubby got out of bed and fiddled with it, then, after accusing me of praying that it would die, announced we'd be buying a new one next weekend! NEXT WEEKEND???

Well, if I had prayed that my dish washer would die, and I'm not committing either way, the prayer would have been that it would die AFTER my daughter's birthday dinner, which included about 15 people, NOT before. So, we had to wash all the dishes that were in the dishwasher before church yesterday morning, then had to wash them all again after the lunch.

My mom and mother-in-law thought it was hilarious when I said we had to be "pioneer women" and wash the dishes by hand. They both took us all on a trip down memory lane, before there were dishwashers, clothes washers, indoor plumbing, and even flatware, from the sound of things. Yeah, I was born for such a time as THIS, let me tell you.

After washing all the dishes twice, and putting hand cream on to get rid of my dish-pan hands, I tried to figure out the easiest way for me to cook then clean with no dish washer all week. In other words, how irritated will Hubby be if we eat on paper plates all week? That's when I realized, after looking at the week's schedule, we're only going to be eating at home one night this week!

My take is this: I told you that I'm highly favored!!!

Fun Friday: Camp Rah-Rah Edition

They're all here!! We are so excited, especially the kids. They ran through the house screaming for the first hour after they got here. Uh-huh. Long road trips make for lots of pent-up energy. It's so great for the cousins to all be together, I think they've all three been counting down the days. Which is no easy task for two pre-schoolers and a Kindergartener.

So, Camp Rah-Rah is in full swing. Right now they're watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" under a fort in the living room. Allergy meds have been administered.

Tomorrow's agenda includes washing Rah-Rah's car, water balloons, running, bubbles, making cookies, more running, then meeting PaPa at Chick-File-A. Whew, I'm already tired.

Seriously, it's so great to have them all here, including our wonderful daughter. Such a treat, she's such an azmaing young woman, I always look forward to her coming. AND, she celebrates her 30th birthday tomorrow, so we're having a party for her on Sunday. Yeah, big weekend.

My take: I'm so thankful for my family! We all have our ups and downs, hang-ups and melt-downs, but we still come together, are there for each other, and live life together. I hope you guys are all as lucky as I am.

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to check out this week's recipe - a kid favorite!


Crazy Dogs

Ingredients:
crescent rolls
sliced cheese
hot dogs
chili, optional

Directions:

1. Unroll crescent rolls. Leave 2 triangles together, forming a rectangle.
2. Lay a slice of cheese on top of the crescent roll pieces
3. Lay the hot dog on top of the cheese
4. Roll up the crescent roll and close ends
5. Bake according to crescent roll instructions
6. Serve with chili and/or grated cheese, if desired