Fingerprints.....

I used to care. In fact, I spent WAY too much time caring about fingerprints on the windows and the coffee table. I worried about dust and clutter and surface mess. I must have gotten it from my mom. She was very "task oriented"....so much so that sitting on my bedspread at home was not allowed. I did not go that far but I guess I did inherit the need for order all of the time.

I don't care anymore. Well, I still vacuum everyday but it is dog hair. It is ridiculous dog hair that our two dogs leave everywhere they go. I love these dogs but I cannot stand to sit on the floor and get up with white fur all over me. So, yes, the vacuum has a spot right in the middle of our sun room. I do not even bother to put it in a closet. I use it too often.

But finger prints, dust, and clutter....don't care! Who do I know that is going to come over and say..."oh goodness, there is slobber all over your windows."?? So, Brooklynn you can come over anytime and kiss Ozzie all you want through the glass. Your little fingerprints will probably be there the next time you are here because it is really not that important...I only wish I had enjoyed more and cleaned less when my kids were growing up. Brooklynn and I will play and bake and color and walk and do anything we want to do...but we won't clean...because the moments are fleeting and I want to enjoy every one of them.

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow,

Because babies grow up we learn to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep,

I am rocking the baby and babies don't keep.

Almost Wordless.....

Not a lengthy post....just had to throw in a picture of little "B" that I pirated from Mandy's blog. Sometimes I just need to open up my website and look and this cute little smile and big blue eyes. Even on the dreariest day it makes me happy!

Yes, I Really Posted These.....

Yes, I actually have pictures of racks of the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS apparel..... at my local Kohl's. Because I am a person of my word, I am posting these today.

I had my camera out in the store the other day and was taking pictures (because where I go, also goes my camera) and I commented to the clerk how sad it was the whole department was nothing but Longhorn wear. Her comment "That is what sells". Well being a true Red Raider I said something to the effect that if Tech wins this weekend I am going to come back and picket for Raider wear. The conversation was on.....and she said "If Texas wins are you going to post all of the pictures you are taking of these orange clothes on your blog?" Yes mam'! Will do.

So here they are folks...we lost...significantly. Not a proud moment but we lost. So enjoy the pics of the jerseys.

It has not been a happy start to football season. My North Garland Raiders are about as bad as I have ever seen them, the Texas Tech Red Raiders lost a big one, and the Cowboys let us all down last week. I am, however, an optimistic person so I am off to the store for the ingredients for guacamole and a big of chips. Almost game time!

Because I Want to Remember.....

That today is Matt's birthday. It is his 35th birthday.

I thought about keeping all of my thoughts in my heart today because I know that this day probably affects me the most. I am the one that carried Matt and birthed him. I held him first and thanked God first for the miracle in my arms.
But this is my journal and what I write here is what I want to remember...and I do want to remember. I want to remember that Matt was an individual. He was unique and blessed. He was happy and made everyone around him happy. Matt reached out to everyone and made them feel special. He actually believed they were special and if you hung around Matt you believed you were special too. To him the world was a beautiful place and each day was to be enjoyed to it's fullest. He smiled always and made me smile when he walked in the room because no matter what was on his plate...he still found a reason to be happy. We were blessed. The time was not long but the memories are forever. No one can take those away so I am grateful. The memories I have are what is on my mind today. All the great days and the big hugs and the phone calls but mostly the joy in his heart because that is the Matt I remember. Some people can have their child for a lifetime and not know the happiness that we had with him in those short 27 years. I thank God for that.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

According to Dr. Oz.....

I think Dr. Oz is the guru of all health information. Now that he has moved time slots I actually get to watch his show. He practices what he preaches..he is healthy and he wants us all to live longer. I want to live longer too, but the ice cream keeps calling my name and exercise...I worked all day. That surely counts as exercise.

Dr. Oz did a segment the other day..."Do This, Not That". It addressed eating and beauty tips. So after the show I went straight to the store. Had to buy pumpkin seeds and milk of magnesia. Weird combination, huh? I am sure the grocery clerk thought so too. I headed home toting the sack. Pumpkin seed are much healthier than any other seed or nut (according to Dr. Oz). Better eat them!

And the milk of magnesia...an instant face lift. Forget the expensive facial masks, they don't work (according to Dr. Oz). Whatever is in the product does more to firm and tighten skin and restore healthy balance than the best products on the market. Well, if Dr. Oz says it, it must be so.

I am on a mission. Pumpkin seeds are my new snack food and I spend the evening with a chalky mask plastered to my face. It is pretty ugly! But, this I know...even if it does not work my face will never be constipated.

Are You Ready for Some Football?....

It's Game Day!!!!!

It is finally here. The first official Sunday of football season! I have been waiting for this since the last ticks of the clock on Super Bowl Sunday 2010.

I look forward to this for months. Time to get back in the groove. Team jersey on....check! Football snacks ready...check! The local Kroger is set up to remind fans not to forget those essential items....chips, dips and beverages. Thanks Kroger but I have had them for weeks.

I know most women live for football season so they can sneak to the mall while their hubby's count first downs and touchdowns. Not so here. I am home with the guys!

I am not sure where my passion came from. I grew up in a house where golf was the Sunday sport. Love golf but time to change the channel. The Cowboys are on...along with the Colts, the Chargers, the Saints. Does not matter.....just show me the turf! It looks like we have another fan in the making. Little "B" has donned her jersey (Go Witten!!) and is practicing her moves for gameday. Pompoms ready.

Yes, dad...that is a touchdown and I hope I can throw this signal up often!
We are ready!
Time to go heat up the queso!
It's Kickoff!

Happy Birthday Sara....

On a lighter note (since I seem to have been so pensive lately), Sara and I had a great trip over Labor Day weekend! She decided that all she wanted to do to celebrate her birthday was to take a trip to Florida. Who am I to deny her that? We boarded a plane and went to play. And play we did...with toys that I have not seen around the house in ages! Oh my, baby toys have come a far way from what my kids had in their basket!

We played and we read...lots of books. My dad sat with my kids for hours and read to them. I am afraid I did not do enough of that as a parent so I am glad he was so intent on teaching my kids the joy of a good book!

Mandy and Tim took Sara to St. Petersburg for the afternoon so she could spend some time in the sun and the sand. Could not leave without writing a message to her favorite niece on the beach!

It would not be a complete trip without a daily stroll through the "neighborhood"...which is a far nicer neighborhood that we have around here.

Our tour guide was pretty cute too! Thanks for letting us spend a great birthday weekend with you little "B". Sara had a perfect time!

Thoughtful.....

This is not my usual type of post. That may be why I have not had anything to say for awhile. I had an opportunity this weekend to go to Florida. It was Sara's birthday and all she wanted was to visit Tampa Bay. Cannot argue with that request so off we went. I think air time is a great time to process. Somehow being up over the clouds puts a new perspective on things...or maybe makes us be a little more thoughtful than we are down here on the ground in the middle of freeway traffic and stop lights. So I had several hours just to let my mind wander...and it did.

I had news last week that has been weighing on my mind. My cousin is ill...very ill. He is battling cancer and the treatment will be tough. Without going into a lot of detail just know that although we have not been in contact for awhile it was difficult news to hear. It seems like not too long ago we were all together as children at my Grandmothers enjoying Christmas and the snow. It was fun. It was family. I loved it.

My cousin is not much older than me. I cannot imagine what it must be like knowing the fight you have ahead of you. Should he have seen the doctor sooner, is this just God's plan, will the treatment be successful, how much do I really want to endure? How do you answer all of that?

What he has decided to do is take the time he is in treatment and write. He is telling a story of family, of his plans, of his life. These are words that will be permanent. His kids and grandkids can hang on to his thoughts forever. It is the world as he sees it.

My flight time lead me to think about my blog. I do not know why I started it. It is and was thoughts. It is not my life in detail. I am not telling a story of things past and family so much as what my days are about. Maybe someday my grandkids will come upon my journal and take time to read a few passages (or posts). They may laugh and ask their dad how random I really was! It is okay if he answers. My words are who I am...wierd or not!

With the loss of a son, I know more than most that you never know what each day will bring. What starts off as a beautiful morning can become a nightmare in an instant. A second in time can change your life forever. The picture is never the same. We all know that you are not promised tomorrow. Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Do not let things go unsaid that you might wish you had told someone right now....and so on. It is all the cliches. We hear them but do we really practice them? Today I am sad. I pray for my cousin but I also wonder. What is in store for me tomorrow? Or...do I really just want to enjoy today because that is what I have. That is just what is on my mind....and those are the thoughts I am leaving on paper this evening.