TGIF

Sometimes stuff just happens.  Such was the case with a certain person I gave birth to who had a wreck in his brand new car a few weeks ago.  Well, damn.  It happens.  What I did not know since we were out of town was the extent of the damage.  Once again well, damn.  When I got the news yesterday that his car was little more than a hunk of crushed steel, my first thought was oh, **** and then thank you, God, that no one was hurt, or worse.

Not knowing how this was going to play out, I said my prayers and just went on about my day.  As it turns out, my son made a brilliant decision when he purchased the car, and bought Gap insurance.  Can I tell you I didn't even know there was such a thing??  Color me clueless.  What Gap insurance does is cover the gap your car insurance doesn't cover if your car gets creamed or just banged up.  I knew he was brilliant--and handsome, and funny as all get out.  I also knew he could and would work it all out himself with out his momma's help---like I'd really be any in the first place. (I did try to cheerlead a little for him but was immediately told to button it.)  First, last, and always a mother.  Sorry...it's my default setting.

Wow.  Tough stuff to deal with but I will say he's dealing with it all like a man and I am so proud of him.  (If he reads this I am soooo gonna get killed but tough bananas.)  It's my blog and I get to say what I want.

Now, that said, the secret I referred to last week is burning a hole in my throat not to blab, but I only have to keep my trap shut for a few more days, and then I can let it rip.  You are gonna pee your Depends when you find out what it is--Lord knows I sure did! 

So with that, and that mean awful dangling of bait I have left you with, I will close telling you to have a safe and happy weekend and to cyber shop if you can.  Going to the Mall or fighting the traffic is just not worth it--on any level.  If you can't buy it online or they won't ship it to you for free, it ain't worth havin'.  Tell 'um I said so.

And that's just how I see it.

Hello, God.....it's me again

This occurred to me this morning as I did my quiet time.  (My quiet time is when I do my readings for the day and just tune into God, before I get my day going.)  In this season of giving, have I stopped to count my gifts?  No, not the ones you've bought or the ones left to get.  I'm referring to the ones I've been given.  And, no, not the material ones--the God given gifts of people, experiences and lessons learned, the opportunities, the angels that watch over me-- the people who have dropped into my life at just the right time, to assist me and accompany me on my life journey.

Today, take a minute and and make a list of all your gifts, and during this holiday season, make one daily, adding new and different gifts you've become aware of each day.  Thank Him.  Do this anytime of day but first thing in the morning, with your coffee, is my most favorite time.  Somehow my direct connection to God seems to be less staticky at that time.

Watch and see how this simple task impacts your thoughts and your attitude.  You will be amazed.  S-l-o-w down.  Be present.  Connect.  This is the real gift.

Cloudy days...love 'um

Gosh, I love cloudy days when you are up early and can enjoy the snuggliness of them.  Even if you have to get dressed, there's just something cozy about them. My personal preference is always pj's but sometimes those don't work in public, unless you are a slouchy guy with bedhead.

 I had to get out early this morning to have labs drawn for a doctors appointment next week and I'd forgotten how much fun it can be to fly opposite the traffic.  If I had to sit in traffic for hours everyday I'd have to change jobs.  Creeping along is just not in my repertoire of activities I could do daily, and remain sane. 

 Today I plan to do errands and cook a little, since I'm taking dinner to Claire's family tonight.  Yesterday I saw Claire with her mom and baby brother, John, out front, on her return from Mother's Day Out.  She continues to just get cuter and funnier and I am more grateful everyday for their family moving in next door.  Little people add so much to a neighborhood.  I think a lot of having small fries around makes me stroll down memory lane with my own boys, and remember the stuff they did.  Big wheel bike washes, climbing and swinging on the rope swing, and jumping in the leaves were big activities, not to mention fighting.  The good news about boys is, they fight, punches get thrown, and it's over.  Girls??  Not so much.  They punish you for days.  That's just part of our brilliance.  We drag out the drama.

And now for the block scoop:  no animal sightings lately and that has me worried.  I think Mary's bunny has moved on to roomier digs since it's been a good while since we've seen him.  I can't stand the thought of him being the little red fox's lunch.  The dove continue to be plentiful in the alley, but since Fred was threatened with a call to the Po-Po's, he's had to curtail his alley hunting.  Naturally, I laughed my you know what off when he got himself in the dog house-- being the supportive wife that you know I am. Sorry...no sympathy here, even though that does cut into my dove dinners.

As Sis snoozes in the white chair, covered by her red fleece blanket, I think what a gas it would be to be her.  If she could just read, she'd have it made. 

Ahhh..Monday

I'm so mad I could spit nickels in the street.  My computer picked Cyber Monday to take a nose dive and no matter what I do, she's not coming back up.  Personally, we've had a rather love hate relationship since she does this from time to time, and it irks the hell out of me when this happens.  Luckily I did all my cyber shopping yesterday, so I am good on that front.

Bruce and I had a soup making duel over the weekend to re-stock the freezer, and since I'm taking dinner tomorrow over to my next door neighbors, I figured that would be easy and tasty after TG.  He wanted to learn how to make vegetable soup--only he  wanted MEAT in his-- so he got a first hand view of how fun it is to chop til you drop.  He's actually a really good sous chef.  What weirds me out is when he wants to add really random stuff to something that's already fine as it is.  He figures if it's on the shelf, it must be OK, so throw it in.  This is also the same man who shot a squirrel in the  front yard and wanted to cook it in my kitchen.  See??  That's just wrong.

With that I'll close and let everyone get back to what's really important today.

 Checking FB.  :)))

When in doubt, freeze

Left overs...oy, vey.  There's just not a lot of ways to dress them up if you don't like them, so my theory is to freeze them if you can.  Brian and Benji....quit laughing.  They always say I freeze EVERYTHING and I sort of do.  I figure if I can't think of something to do with them, awww, hell....just freeze 'um.  On some cold night, pulling those out of the freezer earlier in the day is bound to 1) make life easier 2) taste pretty good after the initial "I never want to see turkey again" has worn off.  I don't think you can freeze gravy--maybe you can--but I'm thinking the gelatinous looking mess after it thaws would render it totally trash worthy, if not gag worthy.  Just make some or get that gravy starter stuff from William-Sonoma.  Or, heaven forbid, go gravy less but I think that might be against the law.  I'm pretty sure it is in the South.

There was a  a little drama over TG--Benji and Andrea's best gal pal, Erin, arranged to have Erin and her BF drive to Nash to surprise Andrea for TG, and surprise her they did!!  Benji videoed it and sent it to me, and it was hilarious.  I just love girls screaming and hugging, while a guy (Erin's BF) just stands there wondering what in the hell to do with himself.  Then Benji's wedding ring flew off during a game of football that afternoon, and necessitated the rental of a metal detector on Friday, and luckily was quickly found by Erin and her BF.  Unfortunately, Benji had to hit the road out of town to play with Scarletta and Andrea had to work, so Erin and her BF got the job. What a save by good friends.  Thank you, Erin and BF!

Believe it or not, there's more.  Erin's grandfather was hospitalized in ICU in North Carolina, so she and BF hit the road Saturday to go be with her grandmother, until the rest of the family could get there by air.  He was not doing well at all last night so I'm praying things are better today.  I'm sure this will be a Thanksgiving none of them will forget for awhile. Yikes.

That aside, our TG was lovely, I feel blessed beyond belief and all is well.  Hope it was a superb day for all of you and in the event it wasn't, just remember, it was just lunch. And, you don't have to do it again for another year.  :)

Bucket List update

Best thing I've seen so far this morning:  A Weimaraner sticking it's head out of a car's sun roof, coming down Boedeker beside North Park.  Sis and I were on our way back from the bank to get Senora Maria's cash and there he or she came, sniffing that air and having a ball.  Since it's a mite chilly, Sis only had her head out the window, but I did get a great laugh over that dog. You'll get the feeling from this even though it's not the same dog. 

I've been aware for awhile that the list of things I wanted to do that I'd made prior to my Medical City retirement has all almost been achieved, in one form or another.  Yes, there are still a few things left, but I'm thinking it's time for me to sharpen my pencil and start another list.  A new Bucket List.  Some of the things scare me a little.  Or a lot.  Truth be told, I want to write a book-- but I don't know what to write about.  Now, if I'm a total cheese ball, I could just pick old posts from my blog, slap those in some sort of order, have some grammarian clean it all up, and send it out to Pub's.  But seriously, who's gonna option my drivel....but that's exactly who I am, and I'm not willing to change a whole lot of that......unless the check they hand me had loads of zero's.  Then I might be negotiable....maybe....not even sure that would do it.  And let's get real here..... I'm not exactly J. K. Rowling.  If I'm 100 % honest, I think I'm afraid to put myself out there.  Rejection sucks.

Another thing I want to do is to build something, some where. A house or an addition to my current house...or not.  Not sure there either.  I have an idea in my head and pictures of what I think I'd want, but the problem there is you have to make decisions and decide exactly what you want and how you want it--and I'm not quite there yet.  The good news is, I don't have to do it at all unless I want to, and that's when and if, I get ready.  When and if I do get ready it will be fun to see what I decide.  Again, I think I'm afraid I might make a mistake.  Like anyone has ever built a perfect anything.  My perfectionism's got me by the ying yang.

I think the key here is to feel the fear and do it anyway.  So what if I don't get a book deal, or I end up building a dawg of a house.  I can always sell the damn house...or give it away.  Ouch...that hurt.

Another Bride!!

Equal time for my OTHER niece, Kelly, whose wedding was here in Dallas, the same night as Suzanne's.  Since Bruce and I have not perfected the art of cloning ourselves, we couldn't do both.  But get a load of this beautiful gal!! 

With two older sisters who are brunette, Kelly represents more of the Harris side of the clan.  She fits right in with the coloring on our team, though she's tall like the McCartin side.  Her husband, Tanner, is brunette and here's a shot of them, sealing the deal.

 They have so many beautiful pictures on FB that it was almost impossible to choose what to post here.  Egads....ain't nothing I like better than a wedding, except maybe pie.  Here's a shot of the cocktail area as the guests came into Brook Hollow, before going inside.

   I hope I am getting all of this correct.  I'll see my SIL, Margie, Kelly's mom, tomorrow at the Farm, so I'll have far more scoopage to report after that.  Since we weren't there, I am essentially winging it.  I know this much because of my coffee clatches with Margie, prior to the big event.

This one needs no explanation.  It's Kelly and her two sister, Megan and Daley.  See...I told you they were brunettes.

And lastly, bar none, my most favorite picture of ALL.  As many pictures as possible were made prior to the wedding, and this one is the moment Tanner sees Kelly, for the first time.  So sweet it gives me the chills.  Get a load of his FACE.  Love it.

                                       

Happy Turkey Day to ALL tomorrow.  Stay safe.
                                                                                                       

Happy Big 60, GoGo!!

Let's talk turkey.  But first I need to give a shout out to my sister, Gretchen, on her big 60th today.  Woo hoo!!  Happy Birthday!!!  Hope it's a great one.  You deserve it after that whale of a wedding you just had.  That's her Avery with her.  Have you ever....I mean really...so sweet....I could just melt.

Now back to cooking.  (OMG...I can barely concentrate looking at those faces)  Anywho, while my turkey is chillaxing in the refrige next to the brine I made last night, little does my turkey know that as soon as the brine is good and cold, my turkey is going for a swim, for 24 hours.  I'm talking deep six here and it will be left undisturbed to swim, other than to make sure things are icy cold.  My cornbread is made, sausage is about to get cooked, and veggies are chopped, so I'll finish the rest of my dressing this afternoon  I think it tastes better when it's made ahead and all the flavors get to make friends.

Pies I'm not doing.  I have a friend with a start up catering business, so after tasting his pies, I decided to throw some business his way.  The real truth is, his pies were simply out of this world, and I couldn't BEGIN to make something as good as his, so why not??  And, no, I won't be passing his off as mine.  Nobody would believe that for a second anyway.  If you need someone to cater an event, let me know and I'll pass on his specifics. 

Now, just for a second we have to talk about secrets.  I simply HATE them.  Somebody told me one last night and said I can't blab or blog about it until after the first of Dec.  Do they know me??  Do they not realize how bad I want to blab??  But I can't.  So I won't.  But, no, nobody is pregnant, so forget about that. Or if they are, I don't know about it, so that's not the secret.  It's somethin' else so stay tuned.

Left you holding the bag, didn't I?   See...now you can't stand it either!!

Wedding wrap up

If you want to see the best pic's, go to my FB page and look at Nicole's shots.  They are super and totally give you the gist and feel of the wedding.  While you are on FB, take a look at the pic of my other niece, Kelly's picture, with her two sisters.  Beautiful.

Now for the last of the funnies.  Hudson and Hadley dancing and Hudson doing The Sprinkler, the Shoot Out (pistol hands), and Lord knows what else some of his moves were called, but they brought down the entire place.  He and Had danced with GoGo, my sister, and just about anybody else who was willing to share the dance floor with them.  During breaks from dancing, they would eat a little, Hadley would come over to our table for a drink of water, and to lick the crystal water glasses on our table.  Not sure what that was about but she was having fun, so who cares.

I realized I waited too late to take a picture of the old restored shiny black truck that belonged to Jason's grandfather, that his dad, Ed, had restored and was used at Jason's sister, Shelly's, wedding.  It was towed all the way to F-burg from Mississippi, so Jason and Suzanne could drive away in it.  OMG....coolest truck ever and such a perfect photo op and get-away vehicle.  Never mind they were just going to leave, drive around the block and come right back.  When your friends and family have come from all over, and you are staying right there with everyone, why leave?  Just come on back and partay.

I must report on one of my favorite parts of the evening and if you didn't see it, you missed a fun entrance.  Jason's dad brought in their family's dog, who was some kind of spaniel--not a cocker--maybe a springer(?), on her leash, with her pale pink collar.  Unfortunately for her delicate ears, the band was wailing, so she didn't hang around long, but she did dance a little on her way out.  That's just the kind of wedding this was...fun, family, close friends, and animals...what else to you need?  And the band was the best ever.  Even old fifty something's and older, danced our feet off to the Motown tunes, and black lady singer.  When you can get me up and on the dance floor, you must be good.  I am a Motown soul sister at heart.

Lastly, on our way home, Nicole, the smalls momma, and I were texting each other back and forth about how fun the wedding had been, etc.  Since all of the wedding party stayed at the Hoffman House, Nicole told me that the older house they stayed in had....wait for it....a ghost.  Both she and Lidia had similar stories about banging noises in the night and wildnesses only a a ghost could could have pulled off.  My sister was then texted to ask the HH people if similar stories had ever been reported.  Oddly, Bruce had watched some show Saturday afternoon before the wedding, on ghosts, so the texts were flying back and forth from the highway as I passed on to Nic what he'd seen.  Which just goes to support my theory that there's always just somethin'.....ghost or otherwise.  :)))

SuSu ties the knot

What a whirlwind weekend and what a gorgeous, fun wedding.  My sister should go into business although I think she'd slit her wrists first.  One of these was probably enough for her but boy, can she do it in spades.  Admittedly, she got loads of help from her Freddysburg gal pals and her best friends on the planet, Ann and Alice.  They were her extra hands, and idea gals for F-burg vendors, helped do the gift bags, bridesmaids luncheon food, and I'm quite sure were part time therapists during all the planning, and the wedding week itself. Word on the street is that the new bride and groom were intimately involved in all aspects of their wedding, and it showed. 

There were so many fun parts I almost don't know where to start.  At the rehearsal, a dog came by to assist at the outdoor wedding venue and be sure everyone knew their part, and hit their mark.  Then at the wedding, the resident cat came over as wedding guests were seated, and though Bruce and I loved him, a few others gave him the not so subtle hook.  From the candle lit lanterns, the ribbon hanging tea lights in Mason jars hanging from the trees, the beautiful clear containers holding flowers also hanging from ribbon in the trees, to the spectacular tree hanging chandy's, all was outdoor Hill Country chic and divine.  While there was no actual altar, instead there was a gold, gilt, free standing cross, that was as tall or taller than me.  Spectacular to say the least.  Chairs on either side of the aisle were flanked by candle lit lanterns, to form an aisle for the bridesmaids and bride.   

The bridesmaids were all beautiful and carried the most purrrfect flowers ever, but truthfully, nothing quite held my attention, like the bride and her groom, and her smalls.  (Above is Suzanne and her dad)  The two Fairy Princess flower girls both had a pre-wedding moment, and decided nothing short of a tractor was going to drag them down the aisle, so big brother Hudson, the ring bearer, was asked if he would walk with them.  Thank the good Lord for first graders, as they are game for just about anything, and as long as Hudson was all in, the girls were, too.  Seeing the three of them walk down the aisle together just almost made me hoot out laughing.  Never have they looked more adorable, or more ready to rumble.  SuSu's dress was absolutely her to a T and watching her and Jason look at each other, was over the top tear inducing.  Never mind they've been together for seven years, they are the real deal.                 

 Now for the ceremony.  While the minister told us all about Suzzane and Jason's long courtship, I was having a hard time concentrating on the real stars of the evening, due to two others.  Avery decided she wanted to sit right next to Hudson and that's when the I could see the handwriting on the wall.  Avery leaned over and picked a berry off of his boutonniere and kept trying to feed it to him.  Nicole, Bruce, and I were trying not to laugh as she kept at it, giggling.  Hudon was PERFECT--which made us laugh harder.  Avery amped it up a notch, and their dad turned around and told HUDSON to stop.  Now Avery's really got him...she's still at it and she's getting him in trouble, all at the same time.  Every little sister's dream.  Luckily, the Big Kiss was upon us, the new Mr. and Mrs. were announced, and off we all went for drinks and hor de ouvers, dinner, and dancing.  More on this later.  My sides hurt from laughing.

Nite, nite, to all.

Brrrr....

Greetings from Fredericksburg.  It's a brisk thirty something outside and sun shiny enough to blind you without your shades.  We've seen hunters all over town in their camo gear ready to head out for the big one.  Word at the Rehearsal Dinner last night was, someone went fishing yesterday.  Not sure who that was but I bet it was fun.

Last night's RD was gorgeous and the food was wonderful. It was held at August E's and because the groom is a big foodie, he picked the entire menu, according to his momma, Nancy.  He learned to cook helping her in the kitchen--she is apparently one whale of a cook--so that explains that.  Suzanne looked darling in a black strapless dress with a peplum skirt and her cowboy boots.  I might be biased but I thought she rocked both.

The smalls arrived yesterday with their mom and dad and "Eeeya"--their housekeeper--who keeps all of the smalls in line, sort of.  Lydia is her real name but Hudson couldn't say Lydia as a baby, so she's been permanently Eeeya.  Hadley and Avery had on matching navy blue dresses, that is until Avery decided she didn't like her dress--"too scratchy"-- so she took her's off mid party.  Considering she was down to her pull-ups at that point, there was nothing to be done but have her dad make a quick trip back to the hotel for a replacement.  Avery doesn't much like to wear clothes anyway so taking her clothes off is nothing new.  There's never a dull moment with the smalls.

Favorite mental pic of the night, bar none, was Hadley over at Aunt SuSu's table talking to her, and giving her kisses.  I couldn't get my phone out in time to capture the look on Had's face, but it was true love and so was SuSu's.  I can't wait to see the girls faces when Aunt SuSu has on her wedding dress and they see her for the first time.  That's gonna be one Fairy Princess moment for the books. 

When my sister and I were laughing  about Avery's strip tease last night, her comment was "I don't care what she does tonight but she better keep her dress on tomorrow, at least through the wedding" and we both howled.  The good news is, I don't think she can get out of her flower girl dress alone, unless she  morphs into Houdini.  But it could happen....stay tuned.

I have pic's but am having trouble getting them to load.  More later.

2 days and counting...

Well, we are finally here after somewhat of a tour of the countryside.  We missed a turn and went ninety miles out of the way but we rolled in before dark, and that's a good thing considering all the road kill deer along the way.  We hiked down E. Main to dinner and figured we'd just pick someplace along the  way.  
After lots of choices, we hit Bejas, and turned in.  No sooner did we enter and get seated, than a darling girl ambled over and as I looked up from my menu, I realized it was my niece, the bride to be!  She was there with her fiance' and his entire family and we visited with everyone on their way out.  We had dinner and on our way out, ran into my sister and her husband, eating on the front patio of Bejas.  Good Lord....of all the gin joints in town....but it was a restaurant....and I didn't see any gin...but you get the drift.

Now on to the other bride to be, Kelly.  While playing on my phone in the car, I texted my SIL, Margie, to check on both she and Kelly, only to find out Kelly is sick--fever, sore throat, and a whopper of a penicillin shot Tuesday to try to get her back on her feet by Friday night.  Typical wedding stuff, no?  Some stuff you just can't prevent.  Kelly works with germy little kids every day so no wonder she went under.  Germs and stress will take just about anybody down. 

Tomorrow is a shop-a-thon for me, and who knows what for my chauffeur.  Stay tuned--bound to be lots of fun stuff tomorrow, and Scandal is on TV.  If you aren't watching turn it on quick!

Let's Get It On...the wedding that is

Tires.  What a whippin'.  Sunday afternoon I glanced at my front left tire and realized it was bald, as in almost zero tread from the outside edge in, for about 2 inches.  Here I have driven back and forth to the Farm and all over Dallas, with skidders.  Three new tires later my ride is now 3x safer.  Word to other ladies out there?  Take a look-see at yours, and while I could have bought a nice pair of Choo's for what those tires cost, I'd rather have the tires anyway.  The Choo's would have killed my feet and I'd have fallen off them for sure.

 Tomorrow is blast off for "Freddysburg" and all things wedding.   The things I am to bring down for my sister were delivered today and dang....I just hope there is room in the car for moi'.  According to my sister, some of our family members will be heading out tomorrow also, so we'll be tag teaming on the highway.  A certain someone will be left here at home with one of her very favorite people staying here with her.  She simply doesn't do the Vet.  Oh, no.  Not her.  Her parents won't let her stay there because: 1) it's just too stressful and 2) ALL THOSE OTHER DOGS BARK TOO MUCH.  Seriously.....they do and then you get kennel cough and it's just not worth it.  So, bad old Sis will be here, living large like Oprah, with her own critter sitter.  Some girls have all the luck.

I may try to blog from Wedding Central.  Let's get this party started!!  (The Hoffman Haus).

Your dog swallowed a what?

Sis and I are just back from our late afternoon stroll.  We ran into one gal with her dog who told us when her dog was 4 months old, she (the dog) swallowed a ping pong ball and had to have it surgically removed but that's not even the best part.  She saved the ping pong ball and said it still good as new.  Whoa.  Plus, she told us her dog's stomach is now permanently weird and the dog barfs on every walk.  Gee, lady...thanks for sharing.

Despite the barfing part, I did like her dog.  She looked pretty much like a mixey matchy  pound/hound dog with a pinch of yellow lab in there--you could tell by her head.  She was pulling to come meet Sis but her mom wouldn't let her and if she'd already made quick work of a ping pong ball, I hated to think what she might do to Sis.  Or vice versa.  Sis might act like a lady (quit laughing), but I have a hunch she could mix it up pretty good if she had to.  That, or she'd totally wiener out and get mauled. 

All of the other late afternoon dog walkers and joggers are out squeezing in that last bit of sunlight since it gets dark so early now.  I like it to get dark early.  It sure beats getting up in the dark.  I did that for way too many years, though I do actually miss seeing the sun come up.  I used to get to the hospital about 6:20 AM, grab my coffee, flip on my computer, and look out my window as the world changed colors.  It was quiet and so peaceful....until change of shift.... and then my phone and everyone else's would start ringing.

Today I treasure my peace and quiet at home, and my own coffee.  That hospital grade stuff was pig swill until we started ordering Starbucks and charging it to my department.  My department became the local slush fund and as long as the coffee was good, I didn't care what was charged to my cost center.  I wasn't supposed to know that when other departments of her's didn't make budget, our Director dipped into mine, but I knew.   She finally figured out I knew when I couldn't smother a smile at a meeting, as two grown women fought over the remains of my cost center, to cover their butts.  Ahhh...the good old days.

Woo hoo, Jason!!

Big excitement going on in Austin, Texas today.  My niece, Suzanne's, fiance' gets sworn in as an attorney today and they get married on Saturday!  What a way to start your wedding week and CONGRATULATIONS to Jason! 

On a less important front, Sis and her Dad found the honey hole of pecans on their walk yesterday and while they are both being rather mum about it's location, they returned with a grocery sack full of pecans--and they are NOT from Pecan Lady's house.  Can I get an amen on that?  What I was able to weasel out was that it's an old lady's house somewhere over on Caruth and these paper shells are the way to go.Those others with the cement shell are murderous on the nails and the meat inside the shells.  By the time you finally get them cracked, the whole pecan is pulverized.  Bah.  Fagedaboudit.  These are the l-o-n-g kind --don't know the specie's name--but after my chores this afternoon, I plan to set up shop cracking, preferably outside on the drive way in the sun, when it warms up.  That way I can just dump the shells as I crack and my assistant can lounge and toast herself.  No fuss, no muss. Those others with the cement shell are murderous on the nails and on the meat inside the shells.  By the time you finally get them cracked, the whole pecan is pulverized.  Bah.  Fagedaboudit.

 Mom update:  Ehhh....about the same though she continues to lose weight as fast as I gain it.  Dang.  I'm going to run by this morning after her hair appointment and check on her since I know this week is going to hit hyper-speed as the days progress.  My sister said for me to show her the pictures of the flower girl dresses so that's on my agenda as well.  I hope she understands when I show them to her.  We'll just see.  Even if she doesn't, she always plays along like she does so that's always fun.  You never quite know what she'll say these days.

Weekend wrap up

What a weekend.  We attended a great party, had a dismal tour of the farm caretaker's house, swept (I use the term loosely) all of the porches in a gale force wind, and put away supplies for the big house in prep for Thanksgiving.  I also had a wild hair and decided to "sweep" all of the doors, screens, and around the front of the house to remove all of the cobwebs and insects.  Not one of my better ideas since most of it ended up in my hair or face, thanks to the gusts of wind.  Yes, I could have stopped but once I get locked onto a course of action, and can see a difference, I'm all in.  I gotta finish it or go down swinging.  With a broom.  And I did.  Go down swinging. 

A certain someone just ran in here, post bath, looking as sleek and shiny as a new car.  Considering she rode on the 4 wheeler yesterday all over with her dad, and ate crickets and grasshoppers du jour in the pasture, a bath was a really great idea.  And speaking of baths, Bruce's brother John's dogs will probably need one before heading home today.  Two out of three of his made a run for the tank and lept in, and came out with grass and crud all over them.  His one girl dog was a lady, and did not indulge.  It made me so grateful Sis is not a water girl.  She hates the stuff. 

We are heading in to wedding week so I doubt I'll be blogging after Wednesday, until we return.  My sister texted me a pic of the flower girl's dresses, with lace from mom's dress, and they are swoon worthy.  I won't post pic's until after the wedding because I might get in trouble if I do.  Plus, then I'll have actual bodies in them which undoubtedly will make them even cuter. 

My chores are done, I'm pooped, time for a nap.  Z-Z-Z to all.

Happy Birthday Andrea!!!

What a great way to start a day....today is Andrea's (our DIL's) Birthday!!!!  Yay, Birthday Girl.  Hope this is a great one!  This pic is from the morning of the wedding on their way into the Blue Grotto, with Erin and Cameron McBride's arm, in the background.  Wow...fun memories!

Plus, I just saw Claire dressed in a multi colored striped sweater and white leggings, on her way to Mother's Day out.  Her hair was in one of those little rubber band things on top of her head and it took everything I had not to run out the front door and kiss her!  She was walking with her wonderful housekeeper, who was carrying Claire's lunch in a little girly lunchbox, and it just made me laugh.  Two girls...Andrea and Claire...my cup runneth over with girls!!   Ahhhh.....drowning in pink and loving it.

Now, on to the weekend.  We plan to make another run up to the Farm to drop off a few things like a new oven rack that arrived yesterday, some more foil for Thanksgiving, and to check out the caretaker's house for needed repairs.  I know you are wondering about that oven rack comment and all I can say is, one of the rack's mysteriously disappeared several months back.  Bruce and I concurred that if we were to have to bet on this, somehow Benji's Harris's name might come up as part of that mystery, but so far, he has remained mum on the subject.  Hmmm....

Next week I'll be blogging about the upcoming Fairy Princess Party that will occur next weekend in Fredericksburg, Texas, otherwise known as my niece, Suzanne's wedding.  You may or may not remember that all three of the smalls--Hudson, Hadley, and Avery are all three in the wedding, and since Avery could not grasp what a wedding was, Aunt SuSu just told her "it's a Fairy Princess party and you get to wear a FP dress".  Bingo.  Avery was all over it.  According to my sister, their flower girl dresses with the lace from mom's wedding dress, are enough to bring tears to your eyes.  Not to mention their little ecru ballet slippers.  I'm getting heart palpitations just thinking about it.  More on that later.

 My other niece, Kelly, will be tying the knot the very same night, here in Dallas.  Since we won't be there, I'll have to wait to see pic's of it afterwards.  Stay tuned.

Happy weekend to all.  Since mine always seems to go way too fast, enjoy yours.

Life...it just is

Here's what I know today.

1) Life is meant to be lived as is--not waiting for it to change.
2) Some people are a lot easier to like than others.  Be kind anyway.
3) Appreciate today.  It's all you've got.
4) If you can't take it with you, either use it and enjoy it, or give it to someone else who will.
5) Fresh hot coffee is meant to be savored.
6) Animals are little pieces of God on four legs.
7) The more you give of yourself, the more you receive, but don't give expecting ANYTHING back.  That's  NOT how the spiritual axiom works.
8) Being happy is a choice.
9) If it's not perfect, it's still plenty good enough.  Perfect isn't real anyway.
10) It's hard to be hateful when you're grateful.
11) It's OK to be crazy as a sh** house rat.  Some days are just like that.

The annual pumpkin cake delivery is on it's way downtown.  There's just not too many things a fresh pumpkin cake won't cure or at least improve.  And if it doesn't, the yakking that goes on around it as people slice away is likely to make you laugh at some point.

I used my new cake pan I ordered off the internet when I saw a cake made with the same pan in Southern Living.  Love, love, love that thing.  It takes so little to rock my world. 

Oh, YUM!

My lip is zipped.  I'm not going to say a word.  Nobody likes a poor winner.  That said, I will say I had a spectacular birthday dinner with two gorgeous men last night, so I've got nuthin' to complain about except how tight my pants are going to be.  La Duni is so excellent, if you order the right entree'.  If you happen to order one that's not quite so bueno, it's just so so.  Let's hear it for chimichurri sauce.  It would taste good on a salad (inside joke) and actually did, according to one diner.

It's not even 10 AM and I'm already thinking about food.  Sad. But so fun!

Gratitude....got any?

This morning I am grateful,so grateful.  I am grateful we live in a free country and can vote for the leader of our choice.  I am grateful that no matter who wins, all this election nastiness will be over (maybe).  I could go on and on about what I'm grateful for but the main one I'm thinking about today is, I'm grateful for Brian Felix Harris, who was born 31 years ago today, at 6:55 PM.  Yep...he's that old, and I'm that old.  Happy Birthday, Brian.

I'm just as grateful for Benjamin Francis Harris, too. (He's a September birthday and I miss having him here in Dallas more than I can say.)  Without those two, I would not be the person I am today.  Both of these men have taught me lessons and given me gifts of knowledge and awareness I could not have received any other way.  Thank you, Guys!!

I am also grateful for all the Scorpio's or November people in my life, and there are tons:  my sister, Andrea, Brian, Dallas, Harrison, Austin, Erin, and the list goes on and on.  If I forgot to mention you here, blame it on the coffee.  I haven't had enough yet. 

This morning I plan to go visit my mom and see what she's up to...that's sort of a joke since she's never up to much unless she's down the hall with the rest of the group, and she's "pot stirring".  I'll fill her in that it's Election Day, not that she'll remember it five seconds later but current events are important, even if you fade in and out.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to Hudson,who has the stomach bug.  Feel better soon, Sweet Boy!!

Hawk fly by and screech

This morning I was thinking about the discomfort of growth.  Sometimes I can't tell the difference between a growth experience and the fear that goes with it, and a situation based on past experience that was scary and painful, that I choose not to repeat.  The fact is, I can make the choice to do, or not do, either of these, but there's definitely growth in one of them.  The hard part is telling them apart when they both feel the same way.

Growth v. pain.  Good thing for me to be thinking about today. My wise old owl friend would tell me to play the 98-2% game.  How much (percentage-wise) of what I'm feeling is based on past history, and how much is actually based on the present?  If the majority of it is based in the past, it's just that--old stuff.  But what do you know about old stuff?  I know, if I always do what I've always done, I'll always get what I've always gotten.  I can still do it--I just need go in with my eyes OPEN.  If it's a minimal amount percentage wise-- of simply not knowing how something might actually play out and the anxiety or fear that evokes-- that's important to know, too.  It might be worth it to make the choice to go for it.  The "feel the fear and do it anyway" idea.   I think I just answered my own question for myself.  Funny how that works when you commit your thoughts to paper or the computer.  The fog actually clears.

Now on to other stuff.  While at the Farm yesterday, I took a walk from the big house to the front gate and back.  As I neared the front gate, a red tailed hawk flew back and forth above me, and finally screeched at me, and then flew down towards the trees, back the other direction.  When I got back to the house, I immediately googled the meaning of that sort of an event.  Buckle up because here's what it said.  It said if a hawk flies above you, you are awakening to your soul purpose, and it can teach you how to fly high, while staying connected to the ground.  The message for you is to be open to hope and new ideas, and to extend the vision of your life.  The hawk teaches you to be observant and take a closer look at your surroundings.  It's cry signifies awareness and should you hear it, to use your intuitive ability to discern the message and to seek the truth.  To take a look at your situation from above. 

Cool no??  

Death by Grilled Cheese

Today it nearly happened.  I tried this new hot sandwich offering at one of my favorite spots.  Did I mention I was starving and never eat a whole sandwich but today I did.    Their blackboard said that it included three different kinds of cheese and ...bacon.  What's not to love?  They never said it might kill me but I guess that was implied.  Lord love me, I ate the whole dang thing.... and I swanny I'd do it all over again just to wrap my mouth around all that melted warm cheese.  The bacon was a mere footnote so I deducted points on that part but over all, it was truly swoon worthy, and thank goodness I don't have to have any blood work drawn anytime soon because my cholesterol level might just blow the digital meter to smithereens.  Yeah, baby...it was that good.

Anytime I see the words grilled cheese, I'm in.  I don't much care what it is...I'm going to give it a shot.  Death by Grilled Cheese.  Not a bad way to go at all.

Siblings

A week or so ago, I was talking to Nicole on the phone.  For those not in the know, she is the mother of my favorite small people in the world.  We were talking about her three kids and she told me "All they do is f-i-g-h-t!" and I had to laugh.  As the third girl in her family, her sisters were lots older so she was almost in effect, an only child.  She had no idea that that's what siblings are supposed to do and that if they can engage their mom at the same time, then they've hit pay dirt deluxe.

She told me the other afternoon in the car, Hudson had told his next in line sister that "Hadley, you're gonna die tonight" to which Hadley immediately burst into tears and said "Mommie...I don't wanna die tonight".  Here all 4 of them are, trapped in the car in the late afternoon traffic, and the first sibling grenade is launched.  For all the older siblings out there (especially brothers), I know you're screaming "Score!!!" at the top of your lungs--don't think I can't see you 'cause I can.  With a direct hit like that one, you'd have to be crazy not to celebrate a little. 

There's something about siblings and being trapped in the car with your mom that brings out the very best in family warfare.  I remember my mom driving us home from the Country Club late one afternoon pulling off on Mockingbird and stopping the car, threatening to beat the tarnation out of us, if we didn't STOP fighting.  I remember being slightly scared she might actually do it, but also thinking it was the funniest thing ever, and wanting to do it again.

Grocery stores were another WWF venue.  There you could actually run away from your tormenter and have him chase you.  All I can say is, it's a good thing the HP Village Safeway didn't sell booze back then or I swear my mom would have been drinking in the smack middle of that store, straight out of whatever bottle she could find, with the rest of the mom's with fighting kids.  Ahhh....brings back so many fun memories...

We'll miss you, Nosey...

Today I'm sad.  One of Benji's friends, Cooper Boone, lost his faithful dog Nosey today.  Nosey was a giant of a dog--a Great Dane--and according to what Benji told me, a real character.  Standing on his hind legs, back when he was able to, he was taller than most men, and could reach anything you thought you might have stashed out of his reach on top of the fridge.  Nosey was known for snarfing an entire loaf of bread if you forgot to put it inside the fridge. 

So it's with a sad and heavy heart, I bid Nosey a final goodbye.  RIP, Nosey.  You were a grand old gentleman.