Here Comes Another Bride.......

Saturday night brought another family celebration...the wedding of Chase and Debbie! We have been adding new family members on a regular basis lately, either in the way of babies or new brides.....and it is great!
It was a beautiful fall evening and a beautiful ceremony joining two very special people. Debbie has fit into the family since she joined us for our wild and crazy Family Olympics...and if you can survive that then you are a shoe in!
Like all other family gatherings, there was food, fun, laughter and the MANDATORY dancing!!! We don't all have rhythm but we do all have fun!
Happy parents of the groom!
And the garter went to....DREW! Now that could have been because there were only two eligible bachelors competing for the coveted prize so not much of a challenge on that one!

Beautiful nieces.....

And Antlers up for a RANGER win! While we were partying the home team was taking care of business. Way to go home team...

and congrats to Chase and Debbie!!!

Because It Was Time.....

This is for my daughter-in-law..who stayed with us one night and was kind enough to make us a delicious meal. You see, I HATE to cook. I would much rather spend time in the yard, writing something on my blog, sewing, reading, shopping...anything but cooking. Strange that my career has been teaching students how to prepare meals...and I loved it. I am just am not a fan of being stuck over my own kitchen stove.

To condense this rambling post, this all came about because Mandy kindly noted that maybe I did not need anymore casserole dishes. I have about two dozen in every size imaginable, all piled randomly in a cabinet. Ummm, after taking inventory I think she was right. I have been married forty years and have never really purged anything. I am a kitchen equipment hoarder. So, this week I cleaned and ridded myself of everything broken, chipped and useless. Wow that feels good. I actually found wedding gifts in there that were still in their original box. There was a wonderful harvest green chip and dip bowl. Hello 1970. I think it is back in style!!!

I found 19 pie plates...yes, you read that right....19. Why would anyone have that many pie plates? Once I baked four pies for Thanksgiving. That means I still had 15 I could loan someone if necessary.

Other useless stuff...4 springform pans, 3 aluminum jello mold pans that belonged to my mom. They held her famous "shrimp mold". I don't make that but I have the pans in case I ever decide to! Yes, it was time. My cabinets are clean. What was it that I heard the other day from a friend....something like "something new comes in, something old goes out"?? Well with all that just went out, I think I will go shopping. Time for something new!

What A Season!.......

WOW!!!!!

What else can you say?

I am still reeling from the excitement of the 2010 Ranger season and I only got involved two weeks ago. I am not much of a baseball fan. My kids played and I attended all of the games..for the social aspect of the sport. I loved the friends I sat with, the weather, and the peanuts, that is about it.

I am a football lover but this season has not pulled me in. The Cowboys stink and both the Texas Tech and North Garland Raiders are struggling just to finish a game. Just lost my enthusiasm. It is sad but watching unmotivated athletes like the Cowboys who are paid HUGE salaries sit on the bench with their heads hung in embarrassment just makes me really angry. Where is the determination and drive? Where is the want to? Where is the leadership?

It is...in the Ballpark in Arlington!!! It is alive and well and being demonstrated by the ALC Champion and World Series bound TEXAS RANGERS!

"Wow" is about all I can say. Facebook was abuzz with excitement during game six...Ranger fans were experiencing an ultimate sports high. I did not miss a play. I am not a sitter but I did not move for three plus hours. We beat the Yankees..a decided victory by a team with a heart that knew they could do it and credited each other and God for their success. It was not a steroid driven group. It was not the highest paid franchise...it was the Rangers. The celebration at the end was with bottles of ginger ale..not champagne, in honor of Josh Hamilton, who has fought alcohol addiction to be where he is today. His teammates supported that..with ginger ale! They are a TEAM and not a bunch of egotistical, self-indulgent athletes.

Like most teachers, I know that every event has the potential of becoming a teachable moment and this surely is one. A manager with cocaine issues, Josh Hamilton with alcohol addiction, Colby Lewis who uprooted his family and went to Japan for two years in hopes of bettering his pitching skills, many had demons in their lives and hurdles to overcome. They did it. They knew the rewards for choosing a better road. I am certain no one regrets doing the right thing...leaving the ugly parts of their past behind. So I hope it is for my kids. I hope they can see the connection. I hope this can be inspiration.

Yes, this is lengthy but I am proud of the Red, White, and Blue Rangers who maybe have just become America's Team. Sorry Cowboys...you have a long way to go.

My Other Kids.....

These are my new children. I admittedly have been struggling this year with my new assignment and the new curriculum. I was so comfortable teaching Food and Nutrition. I have moved into an area that is not totally comfortable yet. I am learning...along with my kids.

We traveled together to the University of North Texas. It was an attempt to expose these AVID freshmen to a college campus..to motivate and encourage. These are children of parents who may not have a high school education and surely not a college degree.

They loved it. It was a chance to picture what the future might hold. For a moment they were transported to something that could be possible..we can only hope.

Shortly after we returned we completed a writing assignment. I wanted to get to know these kids better. I wanted to know them on a more personal level. I wanted to know what went on in their head. I did not know what I was going to discover. It was a simple assignment. Complete this format with your own thoughts. I am, I wonder and so on. Fifty verses and fifty sad stories. These smiling, seemingly confident kids have hurt in their hearts I can not even grasp. It was hard to pick one to share.

I am a sad little girl in this depressing place called the world

I wonder if I am ever going to see my father

I hear the screams and cries of a hopeless girl

I see tears fall from my big brown eyes

I want to be able to close my eyes without worry

I am a sad little girl in this depressing place called the world.

I feel sorrow and depression

I touch the hearts of others but cannot touch my own

I worry that I may not wake up to see tomorrow

I cry out for someone to help me

I am a sad little girl in this depressing place called the world.

I understand that no one can be perfect

I say I know and understand when I really don't

I dream one day that my dad will walk through the door and call me his little girl

I try not to cry when people ask about him

I hope one day to meet him face to face

I am a sad little girl in this depressing place called the world.

Tonight my heart is the one that hurts. How do you help these children?

Thanks....

Once again, I thought I would skip an entry today but today is a day that I feel like it is time for thanks. As odd as it is, that is how I am feeling and I want to remember this on days that maybe my mind is not exactly in this peaceful place.

Thanks....to my family for hanging in there. I have been the one that has been the most verbal about my thoughts and feelings and you have listened. I have had days that I was not very nice because of the grief that was in my heart and you for the most part over looked it. I love you all. You are what I live for. Thank you for hanging in there with me while I processed it all.

Thanks...to my friends for remembering to remember. Sadness is not something you want to share. After a while it becomes my pain and a melancholy person is not any fun. But, you all do remember when it matters and your love and concern has lifted me over my rough spots, like today. Though I do not always respond, I do know that you are there. I love you all very much and a life without close friends would be a very empty place.

Thanks...to God. Where do you go when you do not believe? In eight years I have been through mad, sad, feelings of despair, and even hate. I have questioned and yelled at God for putting this in my life. When all was so beautiful and I was in such a good place, He threw this at me. But, God has hung in there with me and given me time to find understanding. I believe I have healed. That does not mean I have forgotten or ever will, but I accept. That is a good place to be. I am at peace finally and see that where there is faith, there is hope.

So with a heart full of thanks I close this and know this is how it is supposed to be.

Don't grieve for me for now I'm free

I'm following the path God laid for me.

I took His hand when I heard Him call,

I turned my back and left it all.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief.

Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and share with me,

God wanted me now, He set me free.

Houseguest.......

Uninvited and surely UNWANTED!!!!! Yes, this not so small raccoon has been living with us,

in our attic, at the lake for at least the last 9 months, if not longer. Drew first heard sounds in the attic back in February when he was staying out there. Thinking it was a rat he avoided telling me, knowing I would no longer go out to the house. I am no dummy!! Jimmy was sure whatever it was was simply running around on our roof, not actually coming and going from the attic. WRONG! Last weekend while looking around upstairs they met face to face. That was enough to make him quickly close the door in the crawl space and come home to locate a trap. Armed with cat food and a cage he headed off this weekend..alone...to catch our guest. Success, early this morning he was in the trap looking slightly guilty!
After a 10 mile drive down the road he was released into the wilderness, hopefully to find a new home to invade. Next time friendly critter, please call for reservations.

My Favorite Season....

I LOVE this time of the year. It has been especially wonderful since I am working every other day and I can actually get outside and enjoy it...not just just stand in front of a window at work imagining how nice it must be outside.
Cool crisp temperatures, open windows and fall foods and flowers...

lead to ....

SEVERE allergies!!!

I cough, I sneeze, My ears are plugged, my eyes are red, itchy and watery and I am miserable. And so it seems to be every year at this time.

I make the expected trip to the pharmacy, pick up the medication...and pray. I pray that I can wander through the nursery looking for the prettiest pansies and fall colored mums without clawing my eyes out. I pray that I can sit through a high school football game without someone saying "God Bless You" so many times that I leave to give everyone some peace. I pray I can sit out side at night and enjoy the sunset without feeling like I have been run over by a truck full of wild flowers. It is a curse. It is the best time of the year and the highest pollen counts. Who is in charge of this? Could we please send the ragweed to the month of August when the heat is so intense you cannot got outdoors anyway. I think it should be on every politicians political agenda next month. If you can move it Mr. President, you get my vote.

Happy Birthday to "B".....

Yes, Brooklynn has celebrated her first birthday....in BEE style, all artfully crafted by her creative mommy! Her dad was noticeably absent for this big event, being over in Qatar on assignment.
Though Mandy had been singing the "birthday song" in preparation for this big event, Brooklynn was a bit intimidated by all of the attention.

Time to dig into the first cake...not just all that excited by the sugar! She sure did not get her taste buds from her Gramma...unfortunately there is no such thing as too much sugar as far as I am concerned!

Maybe a few strawberries on top will make this more appealing!

Presents and cards and an incredible year has come to an end.To Tim and Mandy..thanks for being fantastic parents. You have raised the most precious child. The love and care you put into everything you do for her amazes me...though I expected no less. The love that her Gramps and I have for her is something that could never be imagined or measured until she came into our lives. I cannot believe a year has passed. Each milestone is such a joy to watch, even from a distance. Thank you both for sharing and caring. Maybe the "Golden Years" are the best years after all.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere......

Such a fun part of fall....the trip to the pumpkin patch...made more enjoyable because this was Brooklynn's first trip to enjoy the fruits of the season.
It was really the first time I got to watch "B" run loose. Every time I have been around she has been fairly confined to the house so it was great to see her explore on her own.

And explore she did...stopping only to enjoy a snack and then off to see more of the pumpkins and gourds in every shape and size!

So many holidays ahead to watch her enjoy. Kids just make it all so much more fun!

The Many Faces of Mealtime.....

Amazing.....
to watch this young lady enjoy her meals. She is a passionate eater. And eat well, she does!
Nothing on her tray that is not organic or natural...thanks to the fact that mom is committed to healthy eating.
Be it cottage cheese, bananas, spinach, or wheat bread, every bite is enjoyed to the fullest.

It is so much fun to watch her eat. She carefully selects each bite of food on her tray and savors all of the flavors! When she finishes it is clean up and run through the house with abandon...burning up each and every calorie she has just ingested. No down time for this young lady!

"B" Weekend!.....

Had a wonderful weekend visiting with Mandy and Brooklynn.

Stories and pictures coming soon!

Happy Fall Ya'll....

It has taken me a little longer than normal to think fall. The summer was hot and lasted so long. Football got off to a terrible start for all of the teams I follow....and my part time job has been more full time than my full time job used to be.

But...I think we have turned the corner. Fall is definitely here. It is October 1 and in the 70's. It feels like fall and is starting to look that way too. Leaves are changing and the grass does not need mowing every five days anymore. Jimmy is a big fan of that since he is tending to multiple yards this year!

Yes, it is October, which also means the State Fair is in full swing. In case you are wondering, the new Fair fare is ......fried beer. It is joined by the fried margarita (one please), fried lemonade, and fried Texas Caviar (that is black eyed peas for all you northerners..not fish eggs). Makes me wonder if these people lay awake at night for months trying to develop these culinary masterpieces. I also wonder if they taste test it all and what their arteries are saying...."please STOP!" I still opt for a good old funnel cake with plenty of powdered sugar. True bliss!

So..October is upon us, can Thanksgiving and Christmas be far behind? The stores don't think so. When back to school moves out Santa moves in. I prefer to take the seasons one at a time, and right now I am just glad to be thinking fall.