Goodbye, Summer

School starts Monday. I have mixed emotions about that. And mixed involvement. The girl is going to be homeschooled again. The boy is starting high school. For a number of different reasons, we have decided to send him to school this year. I have a number of different emotions about that, but most of them are positive. I hope this will be a good year for all of us.

We didn't do any vacationing this summer, so we headed out to the beach Tuesday.

I'm not much of a beach person, but we have to make our annual pilgrimage. We went to Surfside again this year.

Our beaches are not pristine. Too much run off from the mighty, muddy Mississippi. But they are our beaches and we love them.

We have plenty of wildlife to enjoy. We have a healthy population of brown pelicans.

We also saw Ridley sea turtles, dolphins, sea gulls, sandpipers, hermit crabs, and a lot of little fish. Don't know what they were.


Sandcastles were made. Holes were dug. And there was sand on everything. Like I said, I'm not much of a beach person.

But it gave my baby girl a chance to fish with her daddy. Something I always loved.

And it gave my boy and me a chance to walk along the beach together. We looked for shells. He showed off for me. We talked. Just a little. He's not much into serious conversations right now. I will brave all the sun and sand for the chance to let us just hang out a little before he takes on this great adventure called high school. Life will be next. I know I will blink and he will be grown.

We came home with a sunburn, a slight case of heat exhaustion, and a lot of sand to clean up. Oh, and the memory of my enormous baby boy showing off in the waves trying to make his mommy laugh. Why does that make me cry?

Facebook Before There Was Facebook

I was talking with my son today as we drove down the freeway. We passed a truck that had two enormous antennae. As with everything, he had a strong opinion if not intimate knowledge of the purpose of each. I said they reminded me of the old CB antenna we had on our family car when I was growing up. He had no idea what I was talking about.

I told him how in the 70's it was all the rage for the common man to have a CB radio in their car just like all the truckers did. His grandfather, my father, had one. His handle was the Texas Kingmaker and he thought he was the coolest thing in a Pontiac. It was a way to communicate with others on the road of life, so to speak. A way to connect.

I got to thinking about it and was reminded of how my grandfather used to hold up in his bedroom every evening. He had a little telegraph device by his bedside and he would sit there and tap and listen and tap and listen. It was a way to communicate with others. A way to connect.

I guess we haven't changed all that much in these few generations. I suppose in days gone by people sat around on the porch or campfire and did their connecting. We are too spread out for that now. Too many people are too many different places. I, for one, am grateful for the advances in communication devices that have allowed us to still hang out in the evening and chat. We tap and listen and tap and listen. It's a way to connect. I like it. And I type much better than I use Morse code.

My Privilege

Hot on the heels of the Art Car Parade, I made a day trip to Nacogdoches. Nacogdoches is the oldest town in Texas. It is also home to one of Aunt Sarah's oldest friends. They were neighbors in Monroe, Louisiana for nearly 50 years. Jerry lived in the house behind Aunt Sarah. They raised their kids together, buried husbands together, and beat a path between their houses. Monday last it was my privilege to reunite them.

Aunt Sarah moved to Houston almost 5 years ago. They hadn't seen each other since then. Jerry had to move to an assisted living facility awhile back. Her daughter lives in Nacogdoches, so she chose to do so there. Knowing her dear friend was in Texas was almost more than Aunt Sarah could stand. She was dying to see her. I put it off and put it off. The trip to Nacogdoches from Houston would take about 2 1/2 - 3 hours - each way. I knew it would be hard enough on me, but how much harder for an 86 year old woman?

Well, at Easter I just really felt like we needed to get it done. It took some scheduling on the part of all of us, but Monday was the designated day. Hubs gave the car a once over and some mighty fervent prayers went up. We were off.

And all was well.

It really went amazingly well. The weather was nice. Aunt Sarah had no trouble with her back. Time on the road went very quickly. And how can you beat this as a reward?

Aunt Sarah was so emotional when she lay eyes on her friend. It was very touching.

They got to visit for about 4 hours before we had to head back. It was an emotional parting, but we vowed that we would do it again. How could we not.

The Hat

As promised, here is a picture of the hat I decorated for Aunt Sarah for Easter. She bought a hat from the dollar store. It was white with a fuchsia edge. I couldn't abide by that to go with her pretty pastel outfit. The result:


And here is the pretty lady in her hat:


Y'all have a good Sunday.

7 Quick Takes Friday

---1---

Guess who came to visit this week. The Sun!!! I can't tell you what a difference it made it my attitude and energy level. We have still had very cold nights and not quite warm enough to suit me days, but sunny cold days are a whole different animal than cloudy cold days.

---2---

I'm feeling all kinds of validated. I took the girl in for a dental check-up this week. I have talked about the problems we have had with her teeth. He molars came in without enamel. The poor thing has already had extensive dental work. Somewhere along the way we discovered xylitol. We do not use any fluoride at all. Her toothpaste has xylitol in it and I mix it into her chocolate milk as well. Her dentist gave her a high five and told her everything looked good. The work previously done is still holding and there are no new issues. Yeah!!

---3---

We made sugar cookies for Valentine's this year. They were so yummy and so cute. I always dread making these cookies as I remember it being such a pain. Funny, but every time we actually make them, I'm surprised at how easy it is. I need to try to remember that part because my baby girl loves to decorate cookies.

---4---

I miss Lent. The church we are going to now doesn't have much in the way of observances or celebrations. No Ash Wednesday service. We would never have known it was Palm Sunday except that our wall calendar said it was. I miss that.

We went to a different church this past Sunday because it was Scout Sunday. The church we visited was much more liturgical and traditional. I liked it. Oddly, the congregation is much more liberal than I am comfortable with, so there will be no talk of heading over there, but it made me think again at how much I am missing some aspects of worship.

---5---

Speaking of Scouts, did you know that the Boy Scouts of America are celebrating their 100th anniversary? Pretty cool.

---6---

Are you watching the Olympics? I have to confess that I haven't watched a blessed thing. I know how pitiful that sounds, but I just haven't. I have friends who are glued to the TV at this time.

A friend lent us the entire collection of Stargate the series on dvd. The kids and I have been hooked on that. (My husband has already seen all of them.) That's pretty much it for us these days. What are we missing?

---7---

I have been watching the pecan trees. Still nothing. They don't typically start to bud until after the danger of frost has passed. Just the same, I just may venture into the yard this weekend. There is so much that needs to be cleaned out and trimmed back. My cauliflower is still happy and I saw a little something on one of the broccoli plants. And I want to get some tomatoes in the ground. I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a great weekend. For 7 Quick Takes, head over to Conversion Diary.

It Gives Me Hope

My son has always been rather impulsive when it comes to money. If he has any, he must either spend it or give it away. If he has an amount of any consequence, he must be taken to the store as soon as possible to spend said money on whatever he fancies at the the time. When taken to the store, he will then go to that which he intends to buy. If he sees anything else on the way there or on the way to pay for it, his mind will change. Perhaps 4 or 5 times. While it may not be what he went in for, he will always come out with something. Anything. He has had a few instances of buyers remorse, but really not too many. He has spent his money and is satisfied. I don't understand it or its source, but there it is just the same. I worry about his financial future.

But then there is the game of Monopoly.

We don't play often, but whenever we do, he beats the pants off of us. Seriously. He goes after the game with the same gusto he throws into real life and real money. He throws money around like nobody's business. He nearly bankrupts himself in the process. But then. I'm never quite sure how it happens, but suddenly it seems that he is on an upturn. Before we know it he has started collecting exorbitant rents that are cleaning us out. It doesn't take long before there is no turning back. He has the upper hand in the worst way and there is nothing we can do about it. How did it happen? He was this close to being out of the game and here he is accepting our properties in return for his rent. It gives me hope for his future. I don't know if he'll be a real estate mogul or what, but he may just come out on top after all.

Have you ever wondered about the face you would make if you were trying to take pictures in front of a tree with a 14 year old boy? It looks something like this:

Even though it's 70+ degrees outside...

...I have been snowed under. The last couple of weeks have been beyond crazy. I'll try to get back to it in a day or so. And though I can never be completely Wordless, I will leave you with this Wednesday pic. Because a Barbie Musketeer should brighten everyone's day.

What Were You Doing Nine Years Ago Today?

I was lying in a hospital bed recovering from the surgical delivery of my sweetness baby girl.


Happy Birthday, my Sweetness. You have added such joy to all our lives.

If you want to know Where Babies Come From, you can read about it here.

This Year's Plan

We are a house divided.

No, not like that, silly. : )

We are doing things a little differently education-wise this year. After homeschooling both our children for the last 4 years, we have one in school and one at home this year. And it is going well.

My son is now attending a very small. (very. small.) private school. He is one of 7 students in his whole grade. They had an open house last week and by all accounts, he is settling in nicely.

He is one who does well with structure. I, um, well, not so much.

Don't get me wrong. I can do structure...if someone else is doing the structuring. I love deadlines and lists. But in my daily life, I like to do what I like to do when I like to do it. I have enough of the artist in me that I like to work with the muse. The girl is more like me in that respect. We manage to accomplish our lists as we float along the day.

My boy does better with a set and predictable schedule. He has gone to school before and seems glad to be back. I'm getting used to being available to pick him up at 3:00 every day.

Perhaps the best part of our new arrangement is that the girl and I are really getting into things in a way that we haven't before. My kids are 5 years apart. We had a difficult time finding things to do together. There is a solar system taking shape in my kitchen that would have been a battle of the wills before.

So this is our current arrangement. We have always said that we would take this schooling thing on year at a time. This is what we are doing this year. And so far, I like it.

Wordless Wednesday

Getting Our Vitamin D

We escaped this weekend. We realized that it was probably our last free weekend until the Rapture or the end of October, whatever comes first. ; ) So we loaded up the RV and headed south.

It was a quick trip, but just what we needed. We hadn't been to the beach all summer. And we hadn't been since the hurricane. This weekend was also the first anniversary of Hurricane Ike.

We actually went to Surfside which is a little south of Galveston. It didn't get the brunt of the storm. Still, the beach was littered with bits of brick and more glass than I have ever seen at the beach. Tons of shells, too.

But we had lots of lazy fun.

We collected shells,



made sand castles, surfed,


(did you notice the oil rig?)
fished, and caught weird little creatures. Don't worry. We let him go. If anyone can identify him, we'd sure like to know what he was.



The coolest thing I didn't get a picture of: we saw dolphins! They were out in the water when the kids were playing in the waves and in the little inlet where we fished off the jetty. I had never seen a dolphin in the wild before. Very fun.

But we are back with our noses to the grindstone. It's already shaping up to be a busy fall.

He was riding a bicycle with training wheels at age 2.

He was riding a 2-wheeler at age 4.

Now this.



He's down to one wheel.

I guess he'll be walking soon.

You may remember that a little over a year ago we spent some time in California getting Beloved Nephew married off.

Well, time passes and things change. Last Friday that happy couple turned into a happy family.

She has a beautiful name that I won't share with you here. ; ) I'll come up with a blog name for her soon. I'm sure you'll be hearing lots about her in the months to come. (Provided I start posting again.) *sigh*

Grateful

We spent our morning at the pediatric dentist. Not a big emergency, but something that needed attention. Never a dull moment, folks.

My dear son has a habit of making a pest of himself. One way he does this is to hug his little sister whether she wants to or not. Last night, she did not. He came up behind her and locked her arms down in a bear hug. She told him to let her go. Of course, he didn't. She threw her head back in an effort to extricate him from her person. Wailing ensued.

One of his lower canines was knocked loose. He was in some pain and scared out of his wits. Poor Sweetness was in as much pain as he was. She certainly never meant to hurt him. She never wants to hurt anyone. She just wanted him off of her. Now.

Calls to the dentist assured us that he would be OK until morning. Give him some Advil and come by for an x-ray when the office opened. Having done that, we are now assured that all will be fine. He will probably be sore for a couple of weeks, but time and a healthy body will heal his wounds.

And while I am really grateful that we don't have a lost tooth or anything worst than we have, what I am most grateful for is that my sweet daughter can not only say, "no", she can also say, "NO!" Life with my boy is never dull. It has been difficult for such a tender-hearted little girl to have such a testosterone-filled big brother. He is every inch boy and she has suffered for it on more that one occasion. Bloody noses, bumps on the head, lots of hurt feelings. LOTS of hurt feelings.

But if she survives her childhood, and all indications are that she will, she will have one up on most young ladies. Certainly one up on her mother. I was a weenie from the word go. I put myself in situations and let some things happen to me that I could easily have prevented, but I just couldn't find the words or actions to stop them. My prayer is that she will not suffer the same fate.

She's the pinkest little girl you will ever meet. But make no mistake, she's a tough one. Don't mess with the Baby Girl.

Thousand Words Thursday

Hi. Yes, I am still alive. Barely. The crud is back and I can't breathe very well. But we are returning to normal slowly.

So here is my attempt to slowly rejoin the bloggy world.




My daughter has very long hair. Very. Long. Hair. Although it is the perfect palette for all kinds of twists and braids and things to make a momma swoon, she prefers to wear it down. Always down. Except when Mommy insists that she do something extra for the wedding she is getting ready to be in. She pouted, but got the job done. Unfortunately, it was all for naught. Besides being long, her hair is as straight as it comes and the curlers did nothing at all. Well, not for more than about 10 minutes.

Let me introduce myself...

Sorry. The holidays really got the best of me. It has been a fun and full couple of weeks. Before we look forward to the New Year, allow me to catch you up on where I have been.

My husband and I celebrated 22 years of marriage this month. I was 3 when we wed. It was an arranged marriage. : ) As you may have noticed, he is prone to fits of spontaneity. Life with Lar is an adventure. The good kind.

We have had Beloved Nephew and his lovely wife here since the weekend before Christmas. While it is always nice to have them here, this time we are sharing in the anticipation of their new arrival. She should be here in April.

We got another letter from Veronica. We are so enjoying getting to know this little girl. She drew us a picture. I was so taken with it because my own little girl almost always includes hearts and rainbows and smiling suns in her pictures. I'm so glad that her life is such that they fit into her artwork as well.

There lots of cookies to bake and decorate.


And of course, there was the joy of Christmas day. We have all of our family over throughout the day. Over 20 people float through here for breakfast and lunch. It is my favorite day of the year. I love having everyone near. And, the food! Oh, the food! Many sticks of butter gave their lives so that we could have the feast that we did.


And while I think I can say that it was a good Christmas for everyone, Teddy seemed the most excited. He not only got a sleigh, but a new Santa suit and hat. Go ahead, tell me that is not the cutest thing you have ever seen. He was a happy bear.


As soon as the dishes were washed, I went into hibernation. I have been reading and resting and enjoying my family for the last few days. It's about to end, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. I hope are getting to some of the same.

(And if you can tell me how to turn the pictures that Blogger turned sideways, I would surely appreciate it.)

Blog Hijacking 22yrs in the making. Tribute to my lovely bride.

So, on December 20,1986, I married the love of my life. The crazy woman that writes this blog. I would be the aforementioned "carpenter friend" she mentions from time to time.

God will mess with you sometimes. Twenty two and a half years ago he messed with me. He sent me to meet a beautiful young lady that would turn my world upside down. I was just trying to help out a friend who was too busy to fix her car, and I needed some extra money. God had other plans for us. He made it so the parts house had the wrong parts for her car, which I installed anyway. We spent most of the next week trying to resolve the problem with the parts house and getting to know each other. When the car was finally fixed we were caught up in a whirlwind romance that led to our engagement six weeks later. After an eight month engagement we were married in one of the most beautiful and simple weddings I have yet to see. This gal made her own dress with billions of beads sewn in place by hand. Absolutely beautiful! Took my breath away. As she tells me, when she was coming into the church to walk down the aisle, she was very nervous and afraid, until she saw me waiting for her with a comforting smile on my face and all was ok. I always wondered how someone could gain comfort from seeing such a goofy dude but that is another story. So we were married, I graduated college, I started a new job, and we bought a house all within about ninety days. We were giddy kids. So in love and so optimistic about the future.

So, now twenty two years have passed and we have been through a lot together. Through it all we have remained steadfast in our devotion and commitment to one another, our pursuit of our Savior, and our own individual and marital walks. All I can say it, what a ride. We have run the gambit of sickness/health, richer/poorer during this time. I can honestly say that I would not have liked to do this with anyone else, nor would I have done this with anyone else....really.

Now for all of you who read this the rest is not for you.

Julie,

I love you with all my heart. You are the rest of me, and I want everybody to know it. My little sister said you were the best thing that ever happened to me and I agree. You are my beautiful/gorgeous/hot ( is that ok to say here) wife, wonderful mother to my children and several other peoples children, absolutely one of the most beautiful souls on Gods earth, and tolerent of me, which is probably what I am most greatful for. Which is why you will forgive me for hijacking your blog and gushing all over you in public. Thank you for being my wife and all that you are. I am more appreciative of you than I can reasonable express (she will agree). I will shout it for eternity I LOVE THIS WOMAN!! I am a very lucky man. (feel free to chime in here)

Remember this:

Tonight it's very clear
Cause we're both lying here
There's so many things I wanna say
I will always love you
I will never leave you alone
Sometimes I just forget, say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying
I don't want to lose you
I could never make it alone

I am a man who would fight for your honor
I'll be the hero you're dreaming of
We'll live forever knowing together
That we did it all for the glory of love

You keep me standing tall
You help me through it all
I'm always strong when you're beside me
I have always needed you
I could never make it alone

I am a man who would fight for your honor
I'll be the hero you've been dreaming of
We'll live forever knowing together
That we did it all for the glory of love

It's like a knight in shining armor
From a long time ago
Just in time I will save the day
Take you to my castle far away

I am the man who will fight for your honor
I'll be the hero that you're dreaming of
We're gonna live forever knowing together
That we did it all for the glory of love

We live forever knowing together
That we did it all for the glory of love

We did it all for love
We did it all for love
We did it all for love
We did it all for love...

My prayer is that God will continue to bless us and keep us, to make his face to shin upon us and give us his peace.

I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!!!!!!

Man, am I in big trouble.

If you have to delete this, I am ok, I have a copy.

Like I said...

...you just never know what you are going to get in Houston.


Last night, we got snow. No, not Buffalo snow, but snow just the same. The kids were over the moon.

Here is snow on my citrus! Yes, it is in the living room.


A handheld snowman.


Make that 2.


When we are in the 70's this weekend, we'll have this to remind us of our snowy adventure.

You Can't Take Me Anywhere

Really, It's true. I want to be all chic and gracious and lovely and all that, but on a regular day, it's just not happening.

Take today, for example. My lovely sister has a birthday in October. Her very generous husband always gives her tickets to the Nutcracker Market. But not just any tickets. No, he gets the ones that allow her to get priority admission and enjoy the fashion show and luncheon. But wait! There's more!! He also buys tickets for me, my other sister, and my mother! We have a major girls' day at one of the shopping events of the year. How fun is that? I should have no trouble being chic in such circumstances. Well, let me tell you.

My sister came to get me bright and early. I was all ready to go. We were to meet my other sister and my mother at the Market. I hop in and we hit the road. Just a few blocks from the house she says, "Did I step in poop?" No, of course, she didn't. I did!

I live on a very narrow street. She had parked in the vacant lot across the street when she came to get me. Everyone in the neighborhood who walks their dog walks it over there because they don't have to clean up after them. I know it is a minefield, but I was excited and in a hurry and not paying attention. She turns around and heads back to my house.

I shoot the hose at my foot and purse because OF COURSE I put my foot by my purse and the enormous gooshy mess got on it, too.

OK, my foot is clean, but my pants are wet. I guess I'll just go change.

I am now wearing jeans instead of my nice, brown pants. We're running a little late, but we are rolling again and everything is cool.

We arrive and breeze past the huddled masses waiting for the official opening. We peruse the aisles of glittery gorgeousness. At one booth, while I am waiting for my sister who is buying an engraved ornament, I switch my purse from one hand to the other. I look down in horror and realize that the handle to my purse has dried poop on it. Poop. Dried. On the handle. Yes, the handle that my hand has been holding. Time to go to the bathroom.

I scrub my purse in the sink as best I can with paper towels and soap and water. Then I scrub my hands feverishly.

Can we be done with the poop now!?

The rest of the day was comparatively uneventful and really quite lovely, but I think I am scarred for life.

*sigh*

I bet it was the bulldog.