Tuesday, August 30, 2011

I Am A Wannabe.......

I want to preface this by saying, I do not ever lust after anyone else's life. I am pretty content being who I am. I do not need anyone's possessions, their body (hmmm-that might be a little bit of a lie), their automobile, or their talents. God has blessed me in a lot of ways and I am happy with who I am. Being a good Catholic, I do not believe in reincarnation BUT, if I did, I would come back as the "PIONEER WOMAN".

She amazes me. I have followed her for quite awhile. I am not sure how I got hooked but I did. She epitomizes the perfect female to me. I think she must get up every morning and put on a superman cape. I know there are no phone booths in her neck of the woods, but if there were, she would probably enter each morning and emerge as mega woman.

She does everything I love and does it well. She writes an amazing blog, she is a self taught photographer, and she cooks meals that are what I would love to put on my table. Then in her spare time she home schools her kids. The trade off here is that I have never had a desire to attempt home school so I will just spend that part of her day at the sewing machine.

I love the busyness of her life. I am not good at sitting. I love her commitment to family and her drive to accomplish. She is my idol...but I keep reminding myself

"Though shalt not covet thy neighbors life"

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Oh What A Busy Day!!!.....

If I have not mentioned it enough lately, let me say that we are BURIED in killer heat here in Texas. I think (though I have quit trying to keep up) that we are at about 60 days of 100 plus degrees. And...that is not just 101 degrees...it is 105 to 108 daily! Oh my!
The phrases
"Hot Fun In The Summertime"
"The Dog Days of Summer"
and others keep coming to mind as we all wait this horrid weather out. But...there is a sure fix for the summertime blues!
Brooklynn!
It was nice to have a respite from the cabin fever that we are all suffering from. That respite came in the form of a busy day with Little "B"!
We started with a little Elmo in our PJ's. No need to hurry to get out to play. It is 95 degrees by 10am. (Yes, that is Sara's head we are using as a pillow)!
Next, off to see Miss Molly at the library for some song and story time. We were a week early for the fall session :( so we just picked out some books and did some reading while we were there. Hundreds to choose from but the only ones that mattered were the ones that included the Sesame Street Gang. Good characters have a long life span. Elmo and Big Bird have been family friends for about 34 years now....and they make me laugh even today!

Back at home it was time to whip up some brownies for Sara when she got home from work. Brooklynn is quite a little homemaker. Her domestic skills we surely NOT inherited from her Gramma.
But maybe they will rub off on her Gramma!

A little play time with our village. I have discovered that saving some of those old playthings does pay off!!

Nap time over it is time to wait at the window for Aunt Sara to get home from work..
And finally out to play awhile in the pool, which is about the same temperature as the bathtub.
What a great way to spend a very hot Friday!

Monday, August 22, 2011

YIKES!!!!.....

I feel like I am repeatedly reporting on the beginning of school, but today is the first day back for students. I was thinking in terms of celebrating this first day by staying in my pajamas and having a cup of tea while I watched "Good Morning America". Well things do not always go as planned.
Instead of lounging on the sofa, I am buried under packing boxes and misplaced furniture. I am getting new carpet...compliments of GISD. Well in an indirect way, of course.
I saved my sick days...lots of them. Having four kids I was always afraid of an epidemic spreading through the family causing me to miss weeks of work while they all recovered at home. I was blessed...healthy kids!!! I mean kids that got perfect attendance awards for not missing a day of school during their elementary years.

So all of those saved sick days payed off...in $$$$. Repayment for a good portion of what I did not use. So I am cleaning up and freshening the house. I am going to be germ and dust free...(oh goodness do you realize how much dust is under the bed when they move it???). There will be plenty of days to sit...on brand new carpet! NICE!


Friday, August 19, 2011

Special Friends, Special Day.....

So fortunate to have our monthly get together fall on a special friend's birthday. I am not quite sure how many years we have been together at ball parks and booster club meetings. Actually we go as far back as elementary school PTA's! Now we meet each month to play Bunko or maybe just to dine out. We did not always have time for ourselves when we were raising kids and working too, but now we do....or maybe we don't but we MAKE time!!!

I love celebrating with my friends...I love celebrating even when it is not a special occasion. We have earned it!

Monday, August 15, 2011

AWL .....

ABSENT WITH LEAVE.....permanent leave.
It is the official first day of school. It is a week of inservice for teachers. Time to prepare for the onslaught of students next week. There are meetings, workshops, planning periods, collaboration times, classroom prep, and roll sheets to check. It is all happening as I sit at home typing this. When the teachers were starting their first meeting, I was still asleep. In fact, I was still in bed when the teachers were starting their second meeting. No need to set an alarm. I am not going anywhere...at least anywhere that involves a time clock. I have officially begun retirement. The summer was just an extension of what I normally experience so I could not relate to the feelings I would have when the 2011-21012 school year really started without me. Well, here is the verdict..
IT IS GREAT!!!!!!
No need to worry. I am not sad, I do not feel like I have lost my identity, I am not a loss as to how I am going to spend my day. I am embracing the experience. I am at total peace. I am finding that not having a schedule works great. I can decide every morning how I want to spend the day...and it has not been a problem filling the hours.
Yes, North Garland friends, I will enjoy the summer...and the fall, and the winter, and the spring. Have a good school year. The time has come for me to wave as I pass, not park my car.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Summer Ceremonies 2011....

It was the Achievement Center's summer celebration. Sara has been part of the staff there for about 7 years. She LOVES her job and each summer as we watch these special children perform, I surely know why. All the students at this day care center are disabled. Some much more severely than others. But on this night they all perform and the degree of pride they show in their talents is unbelievable. They are special...but not just because they fit in that "special needs' category but because their spirit is incredible.
It is very hard not to be totally emotional as you watch these kids. In fact, I quit trying to hold back the tears while they each stood on stage and sang and beamed with pride.
I am not sure these kids even know they are different. They are happy...completely happy. They find joy in being together and delight in the applause they receive for displaying their talents.
Sara is blessed. She has found a place to work where she sees and realizes the struggles some people face. That is what gives her so much pleasure. She shares a part of herself with these kids each day and LOVES it. And she comes home grateful for all the gifts she has....and I know each day that Sara is our gift.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Today is the Day.....


Today is/was the day we were supposed to tie the record. If we had reached 100 plus degrees we would have tied the record for the most consecutive days of severe heat. The last heat wave was 42 days long...the year was 1980. I lived it!! I remember it distinctly...though I would love to forget it. So here we are again. I have tracked the news nightly and watched the weatherman broadcast the temperatures and the dreaded news that there seemed to be NO end.
We have been encouraged to give up washing clothes and dishes until after dark. Keep your thermostat on 79 degrees or higher. Do not turn on lights or unnecessary appliances. Save your power! I complied and I sweated. I am patriotic in that way! I want to do my part.
So...the doom and gloom continued nightly UNTIL last night. We blew it! One day before the record setting day we feel short. We only reached 98. It was a cool front. Clouds were overhead and the temperatures remained below 100. DANG! Seriously. It did not make me want to go out and sit in a lounge chair and read a book. It did not bring my lifeless grass back to a beautiful green color. It did not decrease the electric bill that was about as big as my house payment this month. The only thing the day was good for was destroying the record. Today we are back up to 104. That will be the trend for the next two weeks.
I think we are all a bit disgusted. This has been brutal and now we have lived it with no claim to fame. We will not be able to tell anyone twenty years from now that we made it through the summer of 2012. It will be a distant memory recorded in no record books but miserable just the same. I feel cheated.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Big Day....

It was a BIG day for the family!! Brooklynn had an announcement. Mom and dad had been to the doctor and we were going to find out what we were expecting in January. I must admit I was a bit nervous. I have never known ahead of time. All of my children were an unknown until delivery...and so was Brooklynn.
But we were treated to an unveiling of sorts...a surprise announcement...what a fun event!!!
The puzzle did not hold a clue. It was just a big question mark!! But it was a pink question mark...was that the answer???

On to the sonogram (great technology) but only a trained technician knows what to look for here. I did recognize the spinal cord but not much beyond that. Surely no hints about the sex on that screen!!!

Thank heavens for the text...IT'S A GIRL!!!

No, I would not have known had there not been a message but we are excited! After raising a houseful of boys a closet full of pink is a treat!

Brooklynn is ready to teach her all about how to rule the roost and butter up the grandparents...a smile is about all it takes!!!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Happy Birthday Dad....

Today is my dad's birthday. If he was still with us he would be celebrating his 90th today. Unfortunately his life was not nearly long enough. Some people get to keep their parents for a very long time. I did not have that privilege. Dad lived a short 72 years and how I wish there would have been many more than that. If I wrote what I wanted to say this would be three pages long. My dad was very special. I was blessed.

Dad was one of those unique people that really had no enemies. He had a way of drawing everyone to him, making them feel special. He was hard working and made sure we were comfortable and provided for. Dad found pleasure in just about everything but a good game of golf and his grandkids brought him the greatest joy. The memories we have of the vacations we spent in Padre Island are irreplaceable. Trips were always planned around his birthday not so much to celebrate his day but so he could watch the pleasure we all got out of being at the beach. He knew that was our favorite place and so it was really his gift to us. And he always gave to us....he never took. I never paid for a meal or a movie ticket. It was his treat. He was kind and generous to a fault. His only request..that we give back to our kids when we had them. I guess that is why I get so much pleasure in the small things I am able to do for our family now. It is my repayment to my dad who had a heart of gold.

Dad never missed a sporting event, a dance recital, or a school function. He was at his last football game in September of 1992. The heat was intense but he wore a light jacket. He did not want anyone to notice the hospital bracelet he was wearing. It was the day before the third bypass surgery..the one that he did not survive. It was hot, he was sick, but he was there. He was always there.

Dad was creative and artistic. I have so many wonderful things he created that he never felt were good enough...but they were better that good enough. Matt was blessed with so many of his positive traits..his artistic ability being one of them. I wish my dad had know the gifts he passed on to my children...but he was not here long enough to see.

I feel robbed today. I miss him so much. I want another day. I got too busy. I had four young children when he died. I was distracted...too busy...to let him know that he was a gift. Maybe he knew anyway. I just wish I could tell him again.

Happy Birthday Dad.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

A Different Route.....

This time will be different. Brooklynn's new brother or sister will be here in early January...but, this time we will know who is arriving. We do not have to wait nine months for the surprise. We will know next week (providing the baby is feeling cooperative) whether we will be welcoming a boy or a girl. I am nervous. I do not know why. I really have no preference. I know that is weird. I did with grandbaby #1. I was thinking blue. What I did not know is how little it would matter. I am madly in love with our granddaughter. I can not imagine her being anyone else but Brooklynn. She has stolen my heart. I find so much pleasure in every minute I get to spend with her and I feel so blessed to have Mandy and Tim here so I can watch her grow and develop. She is a beautiful personality. She is perpetually happy. Nothing makes her mad but not letting her climb the stairs. She is a true joy. I wonder if I will be able to love another child this much. I am sure I will ...after all I found enough love for four children. So...do I care whether we are expecting a bundle of pink or blue??? Not at all. I guess it will be nice to be able to plan ahead...more time to shop!!!!