Long Hollow

Mary Poppins and other Sweet!s of the week

I would lie on the wooden floor for hours... or at least it seemed like hours... listening to my Mary Poppins soundtrack album, over and over. Asthma held my lungs hostage - each breath was a major accomplishment - so lying there listening to "Step in Time" and "Feed the Birds" was about all I could do and the songs are ingrained in my memory.

It was, and still is, my favorite Disney movie. I don't remember the first time I saw it, but I remember going back as a teen with my sister, imagining strange looks from everyone else in line because we were the only ones who didn't have someone under the age of 5 with us.

Thanks to the miracle of recorded movies a la Beta, VHS, and DVD, I've watched it hundreds of times, with and without my children at various ages.

And that's why my heart skipped a beat when my dear friends let me know they were taking me to the stage performance for my birthday. 

We went Thursday night, first stopping for dinner at Hyde Park Grill. The stage production is a teensy bit different than the movie, but I could still sing along with most of the songs and the sets and actors' performances were amazing. 

A very sweet! night, thanks to some very sweet friends. Thank you Mary Kay, Karen, and Conni! 

Conni's not pictured... she's going Sunday with her twenty-something daughter, but we made sure to get her one of these bracelets! We've formed a new club!

Now I'm already halfway through a sweet! weekend. Two-thirds of the kids are home for the second weekend in a row, just because they wanted to. I like that.

And as if those aren't enough, here are a few other sweet! moments from the past week...

 

Sunday: Easter Mass; all the kids home; dinner with friends; watching kids on an Easter egg hunt; a call from your mama

Monday: new flowers popping up; watching your puppies hunt for lizards and swim in the creek 

Tuesday: shampoos by Clint (bittersweet... he's retiring from shampoos); a new cut and color by Michael; Panda Express fortune cookie fortunes

Wednesday: kids of all ages blowing bubbles; taking photos of a sweet friend and her family

Thursday: shoes on your feet and insect spray close by when you spot a 6-inch centipede swishing across your kitchen floor; the imaginations of 4th graders; watching kids swinging and playing a rowdy game of kickball on a school playground; dinner and Mary Poppins with dear friends

Friday: Friday the 13ths; spending the day with your sweetie; watching another episode of "The Game of Thrones" with 2/3 of your kids; discovering you won a "Post of the Week" from Hilary at The Smitten Image (Thanks again, Hilary!)

Saturday: spring mornings; your son and his dad working together on his "new" car

I hope you've all had a week full of sweets and the next one plain overflows with them!

 

Traipsing through Cemeteries and other Sweet!s

It might seem unusual to wander through a cemetery on your birthday, but that's what I did yesterday.

There's a small one dating from the 1850's down the highway toward Marble Falls. When I heard it was blanketed with bluebonnets, I couldn't wait to visit it. There's just something about wildflowers growing beside a headstone that I find quite beautiful.  A reminder of fragility of life, the cycle of life, of life after death.

How appropriate for a birthday, especially one that falls on Good Friday, right?

After exploring the cemetery, offering prayers for the souls of those resting there and their families, we drove on to Marble Falls, where we visited a few eclectic antique and art shops in the old part of town (Tom and Daniel are such good sports!), and enjoyed dinner at a restaurant overlooking the lake.

Best of all, later that evening I got to share the traditional birthday cheesecake with all three of my kids. 

Just icing on a week full of sweet! moments...

Sunday: fields of bluebonnets and prairie verbena; pizza from a brick oven; sitting on the back deck on a beautiful spring night with your son and talking for hours

Monday: daily chats with your mom; finding a pair of shoes in your closet you'd forgotten about; butterflies; talking about your day over dinner with your sweetie

Tuesday: four-year-olds... especially their smiles and hugs and imaginations; working with a friend; reading a new book

Wednesday: a surprise birthday lunch with friends; creme brulee; a vineyard, caliche road and tin roof glowing in moonlight

Thursday: birthday cards in the mail; a birthday call from a dear friend and your uncle; practicing the drums; a full moon welcoming your birthday

Friday: greeting another birthday morning; breakfast, courtesy of your husband and son; birthday surprises in the mailbox; birthday wishes via phone, email and Facebook; bluebonnets blanketing a cemetery; sharing cheesecake and a movie with all three kids

Saturday: a lazy Saturday at home 

I hope you had a week full of sweet! moments, too!

 

Adding to my collection...

I started substitute teaching again.

Three years ago I started a (mostly) full-time job and, except for Voting Day and a couple of quick visits to talk about writing to students, I didn't step a foot into the schools during that time.

I missed it, and I'm so grateful the district accepted me as a sub again. Over the past few weeks I've reviewed color patterns... read Peter Rabbit aloud for the first time in more than a decade, as well as voiced a part in the last act of Othello...  watched a stage performance of "The Emperor's New Clothes"... enjoyed a documentary hosted by Peter Jennings about the 50's and early 60's (three times!)... learned about the dangers of drinking and drugs from Hollywood Henderson via VHS... and overheard some heartbreaking home life stories.

I'm not going to be the popular sub... at least not at the high school... because I don't care if the kids like me or not. I'm there to follow the teacher's directions, period. And, if possible, get the kids to learn something while they're under my watch.

After raising three kids and subbing for 15 years (plus one year on the payroll as the elementary school librarian) I'm on to all, or at least most, of the tricks. But I still have a soft heart and those kids can be really tricky. I'm sure they're going to pull one over one me every once in a while because they can also be interesting, considerate and funny.

I'm hoping to sub as much as I can until summer vacation starts. Unlike other jobs I've had in my life, this one gives me a good feeling, like I've actually done something positive with my time. It's also a great source of material for my children's book!

And, of course, the main reason I'm taking time away from my book for anything else is we need the money. I'm just grateful that I've been able to gather a flexible collection of jobs I enjoy:

1. Writer
2. Photographer (Art and Portrait)
3. Blogger
4. Book Reviewer
5. Substitute teacher
6. Winery Bistro waiter
7. Independent Silpada Representative
8. Substitute church secretary
9. Personal historian (although I haven't made much progress on this one!)

I feel like I've forgotten one or two...

Oh, well. It's hard to focus when this is what's going on around me...

So gorgeous! The world is exploding in color!

I pulled over to take this on my commute to #5 yesterday. And to sigh.

There was an art show going on around the estate, so during some down time, I grabbed my camera and walked around...

This was my favorite, by Shakti Sarkin. I didn't go home with it, though. The price? $1350. 

Made me wish I could add 'artist' to my list.

Here are a few other pieces that caught my eye...

I believe the art will hang around for a month. But we also have a new permanent addition to the Bistro. A pizza oven!

You can see Chef Sean is happy about it...

...but this is going to be sooooo detrimental to my waistline...

I love pizza.

I love my jobs.

If you miss me on Facebook or FlickR or in the comments section of your blog, now you know why! (Thanks for missing me, Patti!)

Catching My Breath (and other Sweet!s)

I haven't blogged in a whole week. I think that's a record. 

Snippets and ideas for posts have popped in my head - random words are scribbled on scraps of paper all over the house and in the car - but I haven't been able to stop long enough to work them into full posts.

This morning Life is moving slower and I'm hoping today I can focus my attention on those poor, neglected Good Intentions and Need-To-Do's I see moping in a dusty corner.

It's been a fun week, though. No exotic vacations or anything, but just Life and all of the challenges and adventures and love it provides. There have been beautiful spring days that turned into powerful thunderstorms with blustery winds and cold temperatures... which meant stinky country dogs cowering in the laundry room... but we're back to Spring and warmth and outside dogs now.

While I'm grateful for the rain, I'm not so grateful for the mosquitoes it awakened. They buzzed and bit me every step of my walk this morning. You can be sure I'll thoroughly douse myself with repellent every morning from now on.

Yesterday, TG fixed me breakfast... a delicious sauteed veggies/scrambled eggs concoction she prepared every morning over Christmas break that set my stomach growling with its divine smell. But it was always several hours after I'd already eaten.

I'm too lazy to go to that much trouble myself first thing in the morning, but yesterday I slept late after a sleep-deprived weekend and she woke up early to prepare for a Spring Break trip to the coast... which means we woke up at the same exact time! So when I saw the eggs and veggies coming out of the fridge, I worked out a deal with her involving laundry.

One of the best deals I've ever made! It turned out to be just as delicious as it smelled, and sustaining enough for a day on the run that included seeing her disappear into one of five chartered buses for an overnight drive (and praying the whole way home for their safety!)

Sunday morning I met a blog friend for the first time in person. Non-bloggers (or non-FlickRers, etc.) probably don't understand how exciting that is.  They might have trouble understanding how you can become friends with total strangers you connect to online but have never seen face-to-face, but I can assure you those friendships are just as real as any other. 

Wolf, of Just Add Father, was in town for a dad blogger conference. He delayed his flight home to meet me, Tom, and 2/3 of my kids for brunch downtown at the Driskill Hotel's 1886 Cafe and Bakery. It was just like meeting a long-time friend I hadn't seen in a while. 

Wolf is a pseudonym (he explains why he uses one on his blog) so we had some fun taking this photo below. I wanted one I could post here. (I'm sure the people sitting at nearby tables were wondering what the heck we were doing!) 

We chatted awhile on the sidewalk after eating, but knew it was time to part ways when my kids (ages 20 and 23!) got restless and started roughhousing on the sidewalk. 

Some things never change!

Actually, we needed to leave anyway because Wolf wanted to walk around and see the Austin sights before heading for the airport, and we wanted to get back to the house to visit with my oldest and his fiance before they had to leave.

They were in town for a wedding. After the reception on Saturday night, they brought friends back to the house with them and all of us were up really, really late visiting and laughing. I always enjoy seeing those grown-up kids, even though it makes me feel old, wondering how these kids who I swear were in middle school yesterday are now out of college, working, married...

Totally worth getting only 4 hours of sleep.

No, really it was.

<yawn>

Anyway, Sunday afternoon I grilled chicken and enjoyed a quick dinner with them, before dashing off (late!) to my writer's group meeting.

Even after all this time, my book is still a misshapen piece of clay. Writing is so dang hard. But with these women's input and guidance, it's beginning to take shape, although it still needs lots and lots of pinching, molding, scoring...

It's tough - even painful - but I'm grateful to them and willing to do whatever work is necessary to have a finished piece by the end of the year.  

Saturday I took a short road trip along Highway 281 to San Antonio. A friend of mine hosted a Silpada jewelry party for me.

Highway 281 runs through the Texas hill country and several small towns... a beautiful drive, even on a rainy day like Saturday. I spotted my first bluebonnets, splashes of blue drizzled along the roadside. I promised myself I'd drive out this week on a sunny day and take some photos.

Jewelry parties are always fun, what with the food and drinks, the sparkly silver bling, and meeting lots of interesting women, but this one was especially fun because Jackie and I went to high school together, but didn't really know each other until just recently. We reconnected thanks to Facebook and discovered we didn't live that far from each other.

Here we are with another high school friend, Marilyn, who came to the party. She lives even closer to Jackie but they didn't even realize it until recently.

And here I am with one of my dearest friends, Nancy, the first person I met when we moved to Lago. She now lives near San Antonio, so she and her daughter took advantage of the situation and came to the party, too. 

You just can't beat reconnecting with friends, playing with pretty jewelry, and making money at the same time, can you?

The rest of the week was a blur of writing, reading, subbing at the high school, trying to catch up on emails, and watching the Hollow explode in greens, blue, yellows, pinks, and purples. I'm hoping not to get lost in the busy-ness of this week.

I do want to mention Tuesday, though. I spent the day swim suit shopping with TG in preparation for this trip to the coast. There's always more under the surface than shopping, though... there's talking, laughing, sharing, and just soaking up the sight of her.

In one store, going through a clearance rack, I came across the perfect shirt to describe the way I feel...

We took turns trying it on and snapping pics with my iPhone, but in the end, I just went ahead and bought it. How could I not? It was cheap and fit perfectly, in so many ways!

And now for the official Sweet! report:

Monday: time to be still and breathe, sitting on a rock beside a pond, listening to running water and chattering birds, watching silly dogs and flirting dragonflies

Tuesday: hours spent with your daughter... shopping, talking, laughing; finding a really good fortune in your Panda Express cookie

Wednesday: porch swings; flowers and tree buds popping out everywhere

Thursday: finishing a great book; high school one-act plays

Friday: rainy days when a drought is fresh in your memory; some of your kids home for the weekend

Saturday: clouds sitting on hilltops; roadsides sprinkled with bluebonnets; a job that lets you catch up with 'old' friends and meet new ones; sangria; staying up late visiting with your kids and their friends, who used to be kids but somehow turned into adults; the birth of a great-nephew and photos on Facebook

Sunday: meeting a blog friend in person for the first time; brunch and people-watching at the Driskill Cafe; an afternoon with your son and future daughter-in-law; a writing group that keeps your ego in check

Monday: sleeping in after a sleep-deprived, busy, busy weekend; spending time with your baby girl 

Wishing each of you a week full of sweet moments!

Beauty in the Midst

Last week I helped celebrate my cousin Ronnie's life. 

Looking through the photos afterward, Claire Bidwell Smith's words kept coming back to me...

"Even in the midst of all this pain and sadness I see something beautiful."

 

I snapped this one of Ronnie's sister Cindy surrounded by her daughters, grandkids, and great-granddaughter because of the palpable feeling of support they gave her, as well as the sweet hug and kiss of comfort from a grandson to his grandma. I had never even met some of these generations before, my own cousins once or twice or three times removed.

 

I had to capture this smile on my mother's face as she met her great-great niece, Khloie, and the proud smile on Khloie's grandma's face.

 

Representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars paid tribute to Ronnie's military service with a few words at the graveside ceremony. 

The man in overalls on the far left was Ronnie's neighbor, a good friend who drove Ronnie to and from his many doctor visits. 

 

 

 

Charles and Howard are brothers, my cousins. 

I had good visits with both of them on this day. 

I can't remember the last time I saw either one of them. Perhaps it was at a funeral.  It makes me sad to think the next time I see them will probably be at another funeral.

 

 

Martha and my mom's friendship goes all the way back to junior high. Martha's sweet face always appears in those times when Mama needs support, reminding me of my own longtime friends. (I wonder what they talk about when I'm not around?) 

 

Tex-Mex for lunch afterwards with my parents and sister, Brenda. 

Mama and Daddy aren't often this dressed up. I used this opportunity for a photo shoot. Daddy made me work for it, though.

"Well, that's okay, but Daddy, this time remember to look down just a little so the flash doesn't bounce off of your glasses. And smile!"

 

"Hmmm... better, but Daddy this time don't take a bite of food before I take the picture and really smile! You know I'll keep taking them until you do what I tell you."

 

 "That's it! Perfect!" (He knew I meant it!)

Team Valentine (Who needs a dozen roses...?)

Valentine's Day Eve...

Tom made the cookie dough.

I peeled the wrappers off the milk chocolate hearts.

He formed the balls, rolled them in sugar and placed them on the cookie sheets I lined with foil.

He kept an eye on their baking, but together we topped each cookie with a heart and popped them in our mouths...

...over and over and over again. 

When there's someone, one someone who makes your days brighter,

makes your joys greater,

makes your heart lighter,

 

Valentine's Day...

Tom was in the Suzuki, pulling out of the driveway just as I drove up. 
"I'm going to get one more load of rock. Want to go with me?" he asked. Of course I did!

He cleared the dirty gloves and tools off the passenger seat, brushed as much loose dirt aside as he could, and I climbed in.  He drove to a spot near the lake where construction crews are laying new water pipe. The foreman gave Tom permission to gather up all the flat rock he wants - he's collecting them to use as paving stones for our future driveway, or as I like to call it, Hernia #5. Or maybe it's #6. I've lost count.

I helped him load the rock, then he showed me the mother lode of fossils he discovered. We spent the next half hour scouring the exposed lake bed for fossils, finding one stone heart after another, until the setting sun reminded us to head home.

That's when he discovered the flat in the right front tire. He drove the Suzuki as far as the top of our dirt road, then hopped out to lessen the weight on the tire. I drove it the last mile home with him following on foot.

Someone, one someone you want so to share with,

do everything with,

go everywhere with,

 

Valentine's Day Night...

Cards filled with love and sweetness. Candlelight. Grilled T-Bone steaks, Texas toast, fresh salad. A glass of pinot noir for me, a beer for him. A couple of cookies and "When Harry Met Sally".

Could there possibly be a better way to celebrate Valentine's Day? I can't imagine it.

Someone, one someone you want to live for--

you have that something called Love.

~ Karen Ravn 

 

Snowflakes and other Sweet things

Winter remembered us here in Austin this weekend.

Right after lunch today, I headed up the pathway to my car, loaded down with jewelry, catalogs and order forms for a Silpada party at my friend Darla's house. Raindrops speckled the stones, but only one or two drops hit my head before the rain turned to sleet, sounding like glass shattering when it hit the dry oak leaves surrounding me.

Sleet and rain took turns keeping my windshield wipers busy as I made my way down the highway, and then, halfway to Darla's, there they were... huge snowflakes swaying around me in a slow dance through the air. Winter's kiss of apology for forgetting us until now... for teasing us into believing Spring had arrived.

Just those teensy bits of magic made the cold and wet worthwhile for me, even if they were only momentary blips of white though my windshield.

And now, here are a few other sweet moments I noticed this past week...

 

Sunday: Mass with your son and sweetie; your husband filling up your car on a cold day when you're sick so you don't have to on your way to work

Monday: being able to take a day off when you're sick; Campbell's chicken noodle soup; a phone call from a friend; Mucinex

Tuesday: robins filling the trees all around, singing up a storm; surprising yourself by being able to run thirty minutes on the treadmill despite being sick; homemade chicken soup sizzling with cayenne

Wednesday: a flexible schedule that allows you to run into town and see your daughter during the middle of the week; progress on your book, even if it's not much

Thursday: a mostly full morning moon shrouded in mist; a cardinal perched at the top of a juniper tree, facing the rising sun and singing joyful praises; a mailbox stuffed with new books

Friday: driving through the Texas hill country under a cloudless blue sky with your sweetie; an evening spent with dear friends, enjoying great food, wine, laughter and conversation

Saturday: time for a walk with your puppies and sweetie before work; helping to make half a dozen Valentine's Day celebrations special; giving in to your tired body and watching a movie at home rather than heading out for another late night

Sunday: snowflakes on your windshield!; getting together with friends and making money at the same time; hard-hitting critiques from your writing group that will make your book better; your son and future daughter-in-law's wedding website

I hope you had at least a teensy bit of sweet magic yourselves this week!

"Girl...We SO Crazy" (a Diva weekend in Long Hollow)

 

This tiny naked baby, arms opened wide for a hug, sits on my kitchen window sill, a sweet reminder that just two weeks ago my kitchen was overflowing in love and friendship and hugs from women who have known me almost forever.

 

 

 

The baby came hidden in an authentic King Cake, carted all the way from Louisiana (along with some genuine boudin sausages) by my friend Sandy.

I'm not sure who found the baby in their piece of cake, but I love that they plopped him down where I would spot him and be reminded of them every day.

The Diva weekend started on a Friday night, two weeks ago tomorrow, when half of the women braved my dirt road in the dark of night just to get together with friends they've known since high school. 

The rest rolled in on Saturday.

The beauty of these get-togethers, though, is that we weren't all friends in high school. It took a few decades, but we're grabbing this chance to connect in ways that are impossible when you're a teenager. 

I didn't start snapping photos until Saturday morning, though, when some of us ventured out on a walk to wake up my husband who had escaped to his tent across the creek soon after grilling us a delicious fajita dinner the night before.

 

 

What a sweetheart! 

We thought about jumping in on him, then realized he might be as naked as that King Cake baby, so we just talked to him through the canvas, instead. 

 

Look! I wasn't the only one swinging a big camera that weekend! 

Love this one of Rae and Max, just chillin' by the creek...

Max and Belle love Rae - she always brings them treats. 

This time she brought puppy Valentines, of course...

After a morning spent hanging out on the porch talking and eating more fajitas, we piled into SUVs and headed to Flat Creek Estate for a wine tasting and tour. 

It was fun being a customer for a change!

We even talked Chef Sean into posing for a photo...

Back at the house, we continued the celebration of our friendship with tons of food, including the King Cake below...

...and a toast (I knew that one day all of those souvenir shot glasses I collected would come in handy!)

And that's why I feel this photo says it all...

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it: Friends make life a lot more fun.

~ Charles R. Swindoll

The Privilege of a Lifetime

"The privilege of a lifetime is to be yourself."

 ~ Joseph Campbell

 

A big pot of chicken soup is simmering on the stove. From where I sit across the room I can hear the little bubbles playing on the surface and the aroma is making my stomach growl.

I made it for myself, because I'm sick. I don't cook often these days, and when I do, it's usually to whip up some favorite of one of my kids or my husband, although he's gotten quite good at cooking whatever he wants himself.

You see, there are tons of other things I'd rather do with my time besides cook. That's just me, the way I am, and I'm okay with it. Thank goodness my husband is, too.

I thought about this as I chopped up vegetables for the soup earlier, because BlogHer's latest question for their Life Well Lived Getting Happy series is: How do you practice self-acceptance and find unconditional love for yourself? (Part 2 of the question is: How does practicing love first help you attract more love and happiness in your life?)

Well, not cooking if I don't feel like it is one way I practice self-acceptance.

I spent years trying on cooking and crafting and gardening and sewing, and while I enjoyed each one to a certain extent, none of them fit me exactly right. 

Today I'm cooking because I care about myself. I want to get well.

It took years to shed the 'Mommy-Martyr' mentality that made me think everyone else's needs were more important than my own. It's still a trick mirror though... one big incentive to take care of myself is so I can take care of those I love who depend on me. To be healthy if they need me or to just set a good example.

When I eat right, when I run, when I make sure I get enough sleep or play my drums or take time to read or write or take photos or laugh with friends or go dancing with my husband... it's for them as much as it is for myself.

 

Turning 50 was a huge turning point in my self-attitude, like standing before a mirror, evaluating where I'd been, where I still wanted to go and whether or not I was heading in the right direction to get there. Trying to figure out what fit and what should be tossed. I was able to recognize and appreciate the strengths that got me this far, as well as the quirks that make me unique.

Love your neighbor as yourself. ~ Mark 12:31

I forgave myself mistakes made along the way, accepted myself as human, flaws and all, and by doing so, discovered how easy it is to do the same for other people. The key to loving your imperfect neighbor "as yourself" is first loving your imperfect self.

How do you start? Ponder this...

 Where there is no love, put love and there will be love.

~ St. John of the Cross

 

 

So how do you practice self-acceptance and find unconditional love for yourself?

And how does practicing love first help you attract more love and happiness in your life?

Leave your answer here, but also at the main post on BlogHer where you can see other answers. And be sure to enter the sweepstakes for a chance at a Kindle Fire and $50 Amazon Gift Card HERE.

It's already Saturday? (Sweet!)

I'm in a calm spot between a busy week and a busier weekend. We've been blessed with spring-like weather, lately, and I admit I'm ready for it to just stick around. Wildflowers haven't yet ventured our way, but we're being serenaded by birds and frogs and a running creek. Storm clouds and sunshine are taking turns painting the canvas above us.

Middle son is home this weekend which called for a celebration: pizza, wine, and a Netflix double-feature last night (I finally got up the nerve to watch "Interview with a Vampire"! Plus another movie that was pretty good but I can't recall the name. Guess it wasn't that good.)

Even though it was a busy week, I remembered to keep track of my sweet moments. Hope you did, too!

Saturday: a morning walk with girlfriends and dogs to wake your husband in his tent across the creek; fresh kolaches; a sunshine-filled afternoon with friends in a vineyard; kitchen counters overflowing with BBQ, King Cake and tons of other food; a house full of your longtime friends...dancing, laughing, talking; toasting your friendship with shots of Patron followed by cinnamon-sprinkled orange slices

 

 

Sunday: a road trip with a friend with hours to catch up on your lives; being part of a circle of support for a friend mourning her husband; snapping photos of an alligator (from a safe distance); dinner with view of the water; sharing a beautiful sunset with friends; hugs from your parents

 

 

Monday: breakfast by your Daddy, hours of unrushed time with your parents; a quick visit with your sister; missing traffic on your way home

Tuesday: sunshine breaking through morning fog; the wisdom of Winnie-the-Pooh 

Wednesday: Grand Prize on a SheWrites giveaway; a quick visit with your daughter; a phone call from a sweet friend you haven't talked to in a while; sitting on the porch swing on a summer-in-winter evening with your sweetie

Thursday: a puppy's face at the door, first thing in the morning; getting your run out of the way before the sun comes up; a walk along a running creek at dusk with your sweetie, and capturing a photo of the first star of the evening

 

 

Friday: dramatic storm clouds; wind whispering in your ears; pizza, wine and movies with your sweetie and middle son

Saturday: sleeping in before the rush of a busy weekend begins

Hope you've had a week full of sweet moments, too!

Ripped Apart and other Sweet!s of the Week

A collection of colorful bags and pieces of luggage grows beside me. Today's the day I take TG back to campus to start the spring semester. Wasn't it just a few days ago that we carried all of those bags down from the car?

Christmas break went by so fast. At the beginning of it I had two kids at home; soon it will be just me and Tom again. Sweet, yet bittersweet.

Sweet because, luckily, Tom and I enjoy being together - we easily fall back into our pre-kids selves. Bittersweet because I enjoy having the kids around, too, and not only for all the help they give us with dishes, dog care, laundry... although I do miss that, too.

This might have been the last long break TG spends with us. By this time next year, she'll be living in an apartment, probably working near campus through the break, coming home for a weekend every now and then. Sigh.

I'll take it a semester at a time, though, and right now I just pray this one will be the best ever for her.

Well, while I wait for her to finish packing, I'll tell you a little about my day yesterday, spent in the World of Writers.

I finally made it to a meeting of the Austin Chapter of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators) held at BookPeople, a wonderful independent book store in downtown Austin. I don't think I've every met a friendlier group of strangers in my life - the support and encouragement was palpable!

I sat in the only open chair I spotted,  After introductions, I discovered the woman beside me, as well as the two directly behind me, all live just a few miles from me and are eager to form a writer's critique group.Talk about serendipity!

The first session of the meeting was a presentation by author Brian Yansky on plot, character and structure of your story. Some of it was knew to me... some I already know but don't necessarily put into practice... and that's why I need reminders like this, especially from successful authors who are willing to share what has worked for them. Judging by the others who were scribbling notes, I'm not the only one!

Next, a few of us went to the third floor for the open critique group... the part I had been most eager for! I passed out copies of my first two pages, cleared my throat, took a deep breath and read out loud while they followed along.

When I finished, I could see they were hesitant, not sure if I wanted brutal honesty or encouraging pats-on-the-back.

"Rip it apart!" I told them. I've read too many books lately that began with seeds of great stories, but because of neglected pruning, had grown into huge distracting messes. I don't want mine to end up that way!

So with my blessing they ripped it apart, so to speak. Some of what they mentioned I had already wondered about myself, but needed another opinion... which is why I was eager for the critique group. Other things were surprises, and so even more helpful.

A critique can be painful if you take it personally, but I look at it as a really good workout... tough to get through but so invigorating and energizing when it's all over... and the only way to get stronger.

We took turns reading and critiquing, everyone offering concrete constructive comments. Writer heaven!

After a quick break (I walked to Whole Foods and enjoyed a cup of tomato basil soup at a small table outside, great for people-watching!) we gathered on the third floor again. Two of the members had attended a recent Story Masters Workshop where they took pages and pages of notes, all of which they shared with us. 

Spending a day with such a great group of talented writers (many published authors in the group) who encourage and support each other... very sweet!

And now for some other sweet! moments of the past week... 

 

Monday: a fire in the woodburning stove on a cold, rainy day; cedar pollen that's been attacking your nose and making you want to scratch our your eyes washed from the air by the rain; finally meeting a previously only 'online' friend in person; loose ends neatly tied up; joining a writer's group, at long last, to help you with your book 

Tuesday: the moment when dark clouds break apart to reveal blue sky; frogs singing in the distance, grateful for the recent rain; watching "The 10th Kingdom" with your daughter; cell phones that allow you to talk to your mom and your dear friend, despite the miles between you

 

 

Wednesday: $300 worth of free jewelry, thanks to your party!; a Post of the Week award from Hilary for one of your photography posts; that sparkling-clean-teeth feeling you get after a trip to the dentist; a jingle-jangle in your pocket for stuff you didn't want anymore anyway  

Thursday: getting word that a sweet kid you know was found before you even knew he was missing; scratching things off of your list; finally fulfilling a months-old promise to a friend

Friday: a "Happy Anniversary" first thing in the morning from you sweetie before you even realize it's Friday the 13th; puppies stretched out comfy and warm on the laundry room floor on a below-freezing morning; shopping with your baby girl; getting $17 for from a local resale shop for things you were going to toss out; any Ryan Reynolds movie

Saturday: a day spent with writers; getting honest feedback and suggestions on your children's book-in-progress; tomato and basil soup outdoors on a gorgeous day; a walk at dusk beside a running brook; home-brewed beer; watching Harry Potter movies with your daughter

Sunday: a friend thinking of you when a job comes open; watching more Harry Potter movies with your daughter; a call from your mom

What were some of your sweet! moments in the past week? (I know you can come up with at least one!) Please share them here!

Kids, Jewelry, Birthdays, Weddings and other (belated) Sweet!s

A rumble of thunder and whisper of rain woke me in the night. It continues today, another steady, soaking rain falling from a colorless sky. We've had enough rain in the past few weeks that I almost take it for granted, despite the months of drought.

Almost, but not quite. Waking to the sound of rain is still a sweet sound, especially when I can roll over, snuggle deeper into my covers, and go back to sleep.

I would also almost start complaining about the soggy weather... the mud that gets tracked in, the slippery roads... despite those months of drought, but in between our frequent rainy days, we've had warm days with crisp blue skies (Saturday) and cool days with skies of rainless clouds (yesterday.)

I love it when things balance out that way! Very sweet!

Yes, I realize I'm running late with this post. I've been keeping up with my sweet!s this week... but my photos, not so much.

Well, I've been taking plenty, but all of them from the past week were still stashed on my camera until last night. I didn't have a chance until now to tidy my sweet! list and glance through my photos - it was one of those on-the-run weekends that I love, but that leave me breathless!

First, Daniel came home for a visit this weekend. His face is always a sweet sight, but I hadn't seen him since last year, when he moved out to his own place just after Christmas!

So you can imagine how happy I was to see him!

We spent Friday evening talking and watching a movie, just hanging out and relaxing. I was hosting my own Silpada jewelry party (one of my other "hats") the next afternoon, but thought I would have plenty of time Saturday morning to get everything done.

But after letting myself sleep in and then mentally comparing what I had left to do with how much time I had in which to do it, I realized I was wrong!

My kids were lifesavers, though, bless them... they pitched in and helped me pack up the last of our Christmas decorations away, tidy up the house in preparation and followed whatever other orders I barked at them. Such sweet kids!

Consequently, it was a relaxed open house. And what a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon... sitting around a table, sipping wine, munching on yummy snacks, talking to friends and looking at beautiful jewelry!

Tom and I headed out right after the party to help my dear friend Darla celebrate her birthday at Z'Tejas. (It was my first time there, and oh my gosh, it was soooo good! Great twists on traditional Tex Mex... I got the Wild Mushroom Enchiladas.)

(Again, my kids were lifesavers... they helped clean up from the party for me! I just hope Daniel will come home again some day... I don't think he was counting on all the extra chores!) 

Just getting together with these longtime friends from high school is a sweet way to spend a Saturday night, but we were joined by a face none of us had seen since graduation day. We reconnected with Wayne via Facebook and discovered he'd been living in the Austin area for the past fifteen years or so, too. We've probably passed him on the highway a zillion times...

After church Sunday morning, I met my future daughter-in-law in town for another day of wedding venue sightseeing. There are so many possibilities, it's mind-boggling! I'm glad I'm just a tag along and not the one having to make the decision!

I can have fun snapping photos...

And now for my belated list of Sweet! moments from the past week...

Monday: walking at sunrise; checking out wedding venues with your son, his future bride and her family (photos HERE and HERE); one of your blog posts listed on Pioneer Woman's sidebar links

Tuesday: frost sparkling in the caliche road like tiny diamonds; working on your book for hours, even if it doesn't feel like you made much progress

Wednesday: almost getting caught up on your email; a friend pinning a link to your blog on Pinterest; not burning the chicken legs on the grill even though you were distracted with writing; catching a movie with friends; extra-sweet... the movie starred George Clooney and was set in Hawaii ("The Descendants")

Thursday: the excitement and joy of puppies on a morning walk; words flowing onto the page without effort, for a change; a phone call from your sister; your kids helping you take down the Christmas decorations

Friday: fresh morning sunlight; bumping into a friend at the grocery store; the Epiphany; photos of your husband's aunt ziplining in Costa Rica in honor of her 74th birthday!; the sight of your middle son for the first time in two weeks

Saturday: your kids pitching in to get your house ready for your jewelry party; finding out one of your photos was chosen for FlickR's Explore; friends gathered around your table, chatting; a friend putting in an order for jewelry even though she sells it herself, just in hopes you have a good party; celebrating a dear friend's birthday and reconnecting with a friend from long ago

Sunday: kneeling and praying next to your sweetie in church; checking out more wedding venues with your future daughter-in-law; hearing from your oldest, letting you know he made it safely to Arizona for a business trip

(Monday: I didn't plan to add Monday on here, but first thing this morning, I received a message from a friend I've been praying for that he's met 'someone'. It made me smile, inside and out, so I had to add it here.)

I hope you had tons of sweet moments this past week, too. I confess, there are days when I have to think really hard to find one, but I always manage to... and often it triggers recollection of a few more. If you haven't tried it yet, I encourage you to!

 

Sweets On Christmas Eve Eve

Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion.

~The Talmud

Dishes overflow the kitchen sink.

Fudge waits in a lined pan to be cut into squares and shared.

Three twenty-something kids and I huddle around a laptop within the glow of Christmas tree lights, laughing at You-Tube videos.

Favorite cookies fill gold and silver tins, tumble off of plates and cool on a metal rack on the kitchen counter... Chocolate Chip, courtesy of TG, while I made a last minute dash to the grocery store, and peanut butter Cyclops Cookies by me, assisted by Daniel.

I haven't taken one single photograph. The one above was taken earlier this week.

There are no gifts piled under the tree... the cookies are our gift. Our laughter is our gift. We are our gift.

I'm headed out in the morning with my kids, leaving Tom behind to care for the puppies... his gift to me. For the first time in decades, I'll wake Christmas morning in my childhood home and enjoy Christmas dinner with my parents. What better gift could I receive? 

 

And now for a few my sweet! moments of the past week. I hope you've gathered a nice, shiny collection yourself!

 

Sunday: placing your gifts under the church Giving Tree, imagining the faces of two 9-year-old boys when they open the gifts you bought for them; recovering treasured ornaments you thought were lost forever; fresh tamales and guacamole; your son's rants about the commercialization of Christmas

Monday: rainy days (good for writing); getting back to work on a dusty project; forgiving scales after a week of peanut butter and chocolate bars

Tuesday: tangerine sunrises framed in a window; brisk mornings and frisky dogs; listening to your daddy's stories; your pop-in-law finally released from the hospital; Pinterest, at last!; chili so spicy it makes your brow sweat on a cold night

Wednesday: your husband and daughter home with you, but quiet enough that you can still write; your college student child getting the official report of good grades for her past (really tough!) semester

Thursday: walking along a fog-shrouded country road; driving on a two-lane highway that zigs, zags, rises and falls over and through the hills; a surprise Christmas bonus; Lammes dark chocolate pecan and caramel Longhorns; a glass of wine and a movie with your son after seven nonstop hours on your feet

Friday: warm chocolate chip cookies baked by your daughter; your son helping you bake his favorite cookies; the mailroom scene in Elf; all three of your kids home, laughing over You-Tube videos and watching movies

Saturday: traveling with all three of your kids; Christmas Eve spent with your parents for the first time in decades

Another very special sweet... Kamana of Journalling Through Photos recently posted a series of "Six Question" interviews with women bloggers. I was honored and humbled that she asked me to participate.

Go HERE to read the interview, but be sure to stay there awhile... meet the other bloggers she interviewed and also take a stroll through Kamana's beautiful poetry and photographs. Thank you again, Kamana!

I wish all of you a blessed Christmas, filled with peace and joy, love and laughter...

I'm also joining Otto at Münchow's Creative Photo Blog in challenging each of you to use Christmas to make a difference in someone's life who, instead of love and joy during these holidays, feels despair or sadness. Perhaps they've lost a job or a loved one or have just forgotten the meaning of the season. Even if all you do is smile at a stranger, try to do something. ("...it might be the only sunshine they see.")

I'm challenging myself as well.

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.

~Janice Maeditere

Peanut Butter/Chocolate Bars, a Snow-Squeaky Beach and other Sweet!s of the Week

Wednesday evening I spent an hour sitting at my in-law's dining room table working on a post to update you on our Florida week. I just had one more image to add before I hit 'publish' when Tom's laptop froze on me. As a last ditch effort, I refreshed the page.

Poof! My post vanished! 

Sigh. 

Of course, it was a brilliant post - one of my best ever! Ahem. But I decided playing cards, exploring thrift stores and walking on the beach were more important than trying to remember what I'd written, and I procrastinated re-writing it until now, after a twelve-hour drive home and lugging in all of our suitcases and before starting the laundry.

I'm sure you understand. 

I do recall that Nobel-worthy post had something to do with eating lots of peanut butter and chocolate. In my mother-in-law's kitchen there were these cute little Christmas plates that magically filled with all kinds of cookies overnight. Tom and I did our best to eat them up every day but then, the next morning, it would be overflowing in sweet yummy goodies all over again!

It was so weird!

Christmas magic, I'm sure.

We did more than eat peanut butter and chocolate, though; we played lots of cards... mostly 3-13, a kind of rummy. Tom and his family also play cribbage, but they're so fast at it I'd rather just sit and watch in awe.

One of Tom's eight brothers, Joe, lives near his parents; he and his wife Erin used to live in Texas and we've always had a great time with them. On this trip we trekked through antique/junk shops and along the beach, searching for all different kinds of treasure. We also spent one evening catching up over margaritas and 3-13 (they stomped us!)

Martha Stewart has nothing on Mom and Erin when it comes to Christmas decor. I came home totally inspired to finish my tree and create a beautiful table setting. Both of their houses twinkle in Christmas spirit.

Friday, our last day there, Mom had planned to take us to the infamous McGuires Irish Pub right after Pop had a small test run. Unfortunately, we ended up eating in a hospital cafeteria instead of McGuires. (Barbecued ribs, since you asked. And they were pretty dang good!)

Pop didn't even get any lunch... unless you call the stuff that drips through an IV "lunch".

You see, over the last few years - more frequently in the past few months - Pop has been getting anemic. So anemic that he requires transfusions. On Friday the doctor felt his blood count was low enough that he needed another recharge.

I'm glad Tom and I were able to be there to help them out, at least for a day. And we still had fun with them, playing cards and listening to Pop flirt with the nurses (that old rascal!)

As I write this, he's still in the hospital. We're praying the doctors can figure out why he keeps getting anemic and what to do about it. Please join me! (Thank you!)

And now for my sweet! moments of the week... 

Sunday: your parents-in-law's faces on a long overdue visit; playing 3-13 even if you lose every game; a tree covered in angel ornaments; chocolate and peanut butter bars

Monday: chocolate and peanut butter bars; chocolate and peanut butter bars; chocolate and peanut butter bars; laughing with your brother- and sister-in-law over margaritas and games of 3-13 (even if they always win)

Tuesday: chocolate and peanut butter bars; Tums; running with your sweetie so you can eat more chocolate and peanut butter bars; swingsets sturdy enough for adults; an evening penitential service in a beautiful church

Wednesday: exploring thrift/antique/junk shops with your sweetie, brother- and sister-in-law; Victorian houses draped in Christmas

Thursday: walking on a deserted Pensacola beach with loved ones, searching for shells; your heels sinking deep into squeaky snow white sand; wearing a swimsuit in December; purple beach flowers; finally winning a game of 3-13!

Friday: spending a day laughing and playing cards with your in-laws, even if most of it is spent in the hospital; old globes; watching old episodes of MASH, Taxi, Gomer Pyle, Petticoat Junction...

Saturday: starting off on time for your return trip home; a pre-dawn deserted interstate; sharing a footlong turkey sandwich with your sweetie; your tail-wagging, grinning puppies greeting you when you arrive back home after a week away; the sight of 2/3 of your kids after a long absence; your son helping you out when you're feeling frustrated and exhausted; three paychecks in the mail

A Birthday, a Graduation and Texas Heaven...

We let Max sleep inside the past two nights. Belle, too, of course, although it was more for Max's sake than hers. They have a large dog house, nestled up against the house and the hill, protected from the elements, but even though temperatures were just in the low forties Sunday night, it was bone-chilling damp and he's an old dog with sore joints.

So I found an old comforter and Daniel spread it in on the floor of the laundry room. Comfy cozy and warm.

Then yesterday morning I discovered Max isn't the only one with old achy, slow-moving bones and joints. The winter chill seems to be affecting my computer, too! (You thought I was going to say it was me, didn't you?)

Tom asked me to scan and email him some documents for our health insurance... would you believe it took me over 40 minutes to scan three photos!

Forty minutes to scan 3 photos!!

My old computer was moving so slow I knew I had to do something, so instead of finishing up the editing of my last photo shoot, as I'd planned, plus catching up on my blog reading, blog writing, book writing, personal history transcribing, etc. etc, I went down the list of installed programs, files and folders with a virtual pair of scissors, Googling the ones I wasn't sure about and getting rid of everything I didn't absolutely need.

Six hours and a couple of defrags later, I gained 3% of my free space back. It was still as slow as ever, but I still felt like I had accomplished something, like that feeling you get when you finally clean out your kitchen junk drawer.

You know, if you keep a computer long enough, and your entire family uses it, it essentially does resemble a junk drawer or storage closet... a repository of all kinds of odds and ends no one needs or uses anymore.

Anyway, I also finished up the editing of my last photo shoot and emailed them to my friend/client so she could get her Christmas cards ordered, although I had to stay up really late to finish it. It was worth it just to help her out... and also for that awesome feeling of finishing something!

It's a rare thing for me; I hope to get more acquainted with it!

The only thing I accomplished this past weekend was spending lots of time with friends and family... even though it means I'm behind on everything else, it was another awesome feeling! 

First came the celebration of my first baby Tommy's 26th birthday. It was just like his birthday parties in the old days: lots of pizza... ice cream cake... singing Happy Birthday off-key... kids sleeping over, staying up all night playing video games and watching movies...

...except this time the "kids" were drinking wine and beer, not just soda. My how time flies!

Me and my sweet boy.

After working at the Bistro Saturday, I rushed home, changed clothes and met Daniel and Tom downtown for Daniel's friend Austin's graduation from UT...

Here, let me zoom in a little more.

See how happy he is?

Afterwards, we joined Austin's parents and some of the boys' friends at Asti (above) for a scrumptious Italian dinner. We arrived a little early, so I filled the time strolling down the street, snapping photos.

Look, someone knitted scarfs for the street posts! (To see more of these scarves, plus other night street scenes, go HERE.)

 

 

Sunday night Tom and I went to our church Christmas party. I look forward to it every year... we get yummy Rudy's Bar-B-Q and a wide open dance floor.

My idea of Texas heaven!

With the busy weekend, I neglected to check and charge my camera battery before we left. Of course it died before I could get any photos of the great dancers, but I did manage to get this one.

I want one of these shirts!

I smudged their name tags to protect the innocent. (You're welcome, Joan and Sherry!)

It was a wonderful weekend, and I think I appreciated it even more because through it all I was praying for a friend who underwent surgery for cancer on Friday, a friend who lost his mother on Saturday, a high school classmate who died on Friday, and fellow parishioners who rushed from the Christmas party Sunday evening when they got word their house was on fire. It burned to the ground; they didn't just lose all of their belongings, but also their dog. Just breaks my heart. Please say a prayer for each of them.

So I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too... but mostly I hope you didn't take a single second of it for granted. 

"The Best Laid Schemes..." (What happened to Monday and Tuesday?)

According to my calendar, I'm in Galveston right now, visiting my friend Ann, finally getting to see the cute little Victorian house she's fixing up and browsing through some wonderful eclectic shops.

Things don't always go according to plan, though, do they?

Instead of strolling the tourist-free beaches and staying up late talking and laughing with my dear friend, I've spent the past two days glued to this old computer, spending hours and hours on projects that should have only taken half the time.

(I'm beginning to wonder if shoveling coal into it might make it go any faster. I don't think it could hurt!)

Ann's free days evaporated, too, anyway, complicated by family schedules. We're going to try again in the next month or two. Why are our lives still so complicated?

I'm grateful for the work that's keeping me glued to the computer, though. One is a photo shoot from a couple of weeks ago that forced me to learn Lightoom. I'm by no means an expert, but I've learned so much, thanks to tutorials and photography friends (thank you, Beth!) and learning something new is so much fun! (And frustrating. And agonizing.)

Unfortunately, one thing I've learned is that my E: drive on my computer has gone kaputz. Nothing like a few hurdles in your path to keep you on your toes, right?

The second project was a review for BlogHer with a quick turnaround, as in, I learned about it yesterday and the deadline was this morning. And I (pretty much) turned it in on time. Ahem.

It wasn't a typical product review... more of a personal essay on health and aging and menopause, so I was happy I was chosen for the project.

I can't believe it's already Wednesday, though. Here are a few highlights from the past few days...

 

My mother turned 80! Middle-son Daniel went with me for the celebration at my parents' house. I enjoy road trips with Daniel - he helps me find good radio stations and doesn't mind me singing along loudly, even when I don't really know the words. 

It was a quick visit with family, highlighted by fried Gulf shrimp, birthday cake, breakfast by Daddy, plenty of coffee, Mexican food, and my mother in a birthday sombrero... 

...which matches this one of my dad from last month...

****************************

Oldest-son Tommy ran his first full marathon! If you knew all the nights I stayed up with him while he struggled to breathe with his asthma, you'd really understand how very proud I am! And how relieved I was that he crossed that line, safe and sound and breathing!

This photo was snapped by his sweetheart, Kirby. She completed her second half-marathon that day. 

Yay, Tommy and Kirby!

**********************************

I won a blog drawing!! This cute cup featuring a 'doodle' by Cyndee at Eloise's Collage arrived in my mailbox Friday. I love it! Thank you, Cyndee! 

**************************************

Remember the Thanksgiving Comes First campaign? Thanks to Suldog, I found out about a petition to "Tell Target to Save Thanksgiving". If you want to add your name, click HERE.

****************************************

It rained yesterday! I mean, really and truly rained!

Well, not enough to capture a photo of the actual rain, but I did get one this morning of a dew-covered wildflower...

****************************************

Last but not least, Hilary at the Smitten Image awarded me a Post of the Week for As if I were beside you... Thank you, Hilary!

(Click the icon below to go read the other POTW and see her wonderful photography.)

***************************

I hope you're having a wonderful week, even if your plans went agley like mine!

(At least I wasn't left with "nought but grief an' pain"...)

 

...The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

~from To a Mouse by Robert Burnes

Twenty-Three? How is that possible?

"Daniel, you're going to be 23 in two days!"

"Yeah, I know, mom."

Whoa. That thought hit me while we were driving back from town two days ago. There I was, comfortably cruising along with him being 22, and next thing I knew, a whole year had zoomed by, just a blur out my window, it moved so fast.

And now here we are on October 13, the day 23 years ago that I first laid eyes on this amazing kid... um, man... oh, gosh, what do you call your kids when they get to be so old?

...love at first sight...

...I swear this was yesterday and not two decades ago...

This will be the first birthday in several years I'll get to see him on his actual birthday, since he's back living at home.

I know it's not where he hoped to be on his 23rd birthday, but he's got such a great attitude about it, teaching me by example about hope, optimism and 'chill'. 

He's been spoiling me and Tom while he's here... loading the dishwasher, taking out the trash without being asked, feeding and walking the dogs, cooking dinner, helping Tom with jobs around the property, watching movies with us... whatever we ask him to do, he jumps on it, eager to help.  He even seems to enjoy being with us! Most of the time, anyway.

Tom and I got used to that really quick. I feel blessed having this extra time with him, not because he's so helpful (although that's a definite plus!) but because he's just a great kid man guy (there, that sounds right)... so funny and smart, as well as thoughtful. (I've already written tons about how great he is HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE if you don't believe me.) 

So today I'll make sure I don't ask him to do anything. I'll try to go back to my old ways and spoil him by cooking him breakfast (he's sleeping in for a change... one advantage of not having a job yet!), fixing the King Ranch Casserole he requested (after dozens of "What do you want for your birthday?" pleas from me) and the Cyclops cookies he didn't request but I know he loves.

(Why is it mothering always revolves around food, especially when our babies get older?)

So Happy 23rd birthday, Daniel.

May you have clear paths and bright skies.

And no matter what this year brings,

I hope you continue to "Be silly. Be honest. Be kind."  

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Also... Happy birthday wishes to Kim, my sweet previously-Montana-now-Arizona sister-in-law... young cousins Ashley, Kayce and Kayce's daughter, Tayvie (celebrating her first birthday!)... and Pete, my inspirational blogging friend, who wrote a wonderful, reflective piece today in honor of his birthday (go here to read it - it's great!) 

 

A Top Notch Day

It started like this...

Belle's face peered in from the pre-dawn darkness, much earlier than usual. I had just stumbled from the bedroom, still groggy with sleep.

She seemed nervous about something. Stepping outside, I knew right away what had her up so early, wanting our company...

...The frogs had a croaking chorus coming from the pond, so loud I knew the full moon could hear it through the misty clouds. Belle had probably forgotten what that sound was, it had been so long since there was enough water in the pond to make the the frogs sing.

I reassured her and stepped back inside. Thirty minutes later, when she was still peering in at me, I gave in and stepped back outside to rub her ears, and this is what I saw...

 

I knew it would be a good day.

**********************************************

Daniel had an interview downtown. I tagged along to visit the State Library.

It had been ten years since I'd done any research there... it was completely changed! Bigger, more modern... and even a snack room for patrons now. (In the 'old' days, my co-genealogy-nut friends Susan and Donna and I would stand on the steps and eat our lunches.) I caught on to the new microfilm readers, thanks to a lesson from the sweet girl working the Library, and even found a few tidbits on 1880's taxrolls. (Are you yawning yet?)

Something that hasn't changed is our beautiful Capitol building, just across the street from the State Library and Archives building. 

 

 

A scent captured my nose, sending me whirling back into my childhood and memories of catching honeybees in glass jars (released soon afterward, don't worry.)

 

 

Japanese Ligustrum... complete with bees. Too bad I didn't have a glass jar with me! (I took more photos around the capitol - you can see them HERE.)

After Daniel's interview, he introduced me to this Austin icon, used in the movie, Dazed and Confused...

 

 

We both ordered fried chicken and it was, indeed, Top Notch!

But the best part came after we got home and took the puppies for a walk. After just one day of rain, the pond has water again! It might not look like much to you, but it's beautiful to me!

 

The air hummed with dragonflies. Where have they been hiding? They flew too fast to capture their photos, but across the pond, I came across this splash of color, such a welcome sight after months of gray and brown...

 

 

As if all that wasn't enough, this is how the day is ending...

 

 

Hope your day was Top Notch, too!

"And now for something completely different..." Kitchen Tales, a Recipe and Post #1000!

When I was growing up, if I stepped one foot in the kitchen, my grandmother would suddenly appear beside me to see what I was doing. It didn't matter if I waited until she was in her bedroom with the door closed playing the piano and belting out "Oh, What a Friend We Have in Jesus", she would somehow sense a presence in her territory and promptly investigate.

Mam-ma wasn't ugly about it. She didn't forbid me to cook. She would even sometimes sense my uneasiness under her watchful eye and try to give me some space, ducking around the corner to the livingroom and only peering at me around the door frame, but before long she would be back inside, hovering at my shoulder. She just couldn't help it!

Needless to say, I didn't learn much about cooking back then, beyond what was taught in my one semester of 7th grade Cooking Class with Mrs. McDonald. By the time I was out on my own, with my very own kitchen, I was on a perpetual diet. I learned to bake chicken, steam broccoli and even made Magic Cookie Bars and a broccoli-cheese casserole for a company Christmas party, but otherwise I lived on dry roasted peanuts, picante sauce and chips, and microwaved baked potatoes. Quick and easy.

After Tom and I married, I began experimenting with recipes on my days off. I loved cooking - if I had a whole day to devote to it, that is. I scoured magazines for new recipes to try...

Then the children arrived; it was back to quick and easy and trying to cook something everyone liked. Pre-boxed, pre-jarred... even pre-cooked. The more "pre's" there were, the better! 

In recent years, I've cut out all of those "pre's" - I'm trying to eat healthy. But I still like "quick and easy". Cooking, and the inevitable cleaning up, are way down below writing and photography and playing the drums for me, so when preparing a meal lands on my shoulders, it's usually grilled chicken and fresh salad. (Tom will say it's always grilled chicken and fresh salad. And he might be right!)

So why in the heck did I sign up to develop a recipe with Knorr Chicken Stock for BlogHer? Not just cook something, mind you, but develop a new recipe?

Because the top recipes win an all-expense paid trip to the upcoming BlogHer Convention, which I could never afford otherwise, that's why.

But, seriously, what was I thinking? I couldn't win. It's not that I think I'm incapable - it's just not something I'm 'into' right now. You name it and cooking is way down below it. And then there's the time thing. I'm already stretched so thin there are days I think I'm going to POP!

I thought about backing out of it. But thinking about it is as far as I got on that because... well, I gave my word, for one thing. And also, it became a new challenge, a way to grow in an area I've sorely neglected. 

I believe learning and growing and challenging yourself is what this 50 decade is all about, so for two weeks, I tossed ideas around in my head, trying to come up with something new.

That's really, really hard, you know it?

I noticed the chef at the winery creating dishes using roasted cauliflower and that gave me an idea. I had tons of cauliflower in the fridge. I would just roast a bunch and then... hmmm. Then what?

I eventually did come up with a mostly-original recipe. Only 'mostly-original' because I adapted one of my old standbys from when all the kids lived at home, a recipe I got from a co-worker years ago: "Terry Boer's Chicken and Rice Casserole." (I kept it in a recipe box next to "Hoi Tranh's Butterfly Shrimp" and "Larry Corona's Manicotti" and "Jim Josey's Cheeseburger Pie." I loved working with guys who could cook!)

And I really love casseroles because you just toss everything together in one pan, slip it into the oven and let it cook.

But Terry's recipe wasn't very healthy. That was my challenge...

His called for buttering the pan. I used olive oil. His used white rice. I replaced it with organic, gluten-free short grain brown rice. Instead of a whole cut-up chicken that his recipe called for, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Instead of two cans of 'cream of..." soup, I used Knorr's low-fat chicken stock. Instead of dried onion soup, I used fresh onion and other spices.

Then I added my own twist, adding lots of cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms.

Guess what - it was good! Even TG and Tom agreed, although I think Tom still prefers Terry's (unhealthy) version.

So maybe it doesn't totally qualify for the contest, since it's more of an adaptation than a totally original recipe, but even if I'm disqualified, I feel good about the whole experience. My cooking confidence has been restored - although I think I'll still let Tom retain the Kitchen Crown. 

So without further ado, here's the completed recipe for, um, what should I name it? How about... "Barbara's Chicken, Veggie and Brown Rice Casserole"? Well, not very original, but my brain is tired. It'll have to do. 

Hope you enjoy it!

 

Barbara's Chicken, Veggie and Brown Rice Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb. Monterrey mushrooms, sliced

1/2 broccoli crown, cut into chunks

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into chunks

1 whole onion, chopped

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 breasts)

2 1/2 cups of chicken stock made from Knorr homestyle concentrated stock

1 1/2 cups of brown rice

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare chicken stock. Coat bottom of 9 x 13 pan with olive oil. Pour 1 1/2 cups of stock into pan. Add 1 1/2 cups of rice, covering bottom of pan. Place chicken on top of rice. Mix seasonings together and sprinkle on chicken, then top with  onions, mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli. Pour remaining chicken stock on top.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8 to 10.

(If you make it, let me know what you think!)

 

And now, for something ELSE completely different...

 

 This was my 1000th post on Long Hollow! Whoo-hoo!!

It's hard for me to believe, but I'm sure my stats don't lie. Thank you to anyone out there who has actually read even half of them!

 

 

 

 

He Knows Me So Well (and Saturday's Week of Sweet!s)

Tom's email read "I saw this and thought of you," with a hyperlink under the message.

My heart fluttered - he thought of me while he was at work? How sweet! Tom never emails me unless it's a two-word response to something I've sent him.

I clicked the link and laughed when the page popped up describing (and showing images of) a 557-square-foot House of Shelves in Japan that can hold 10 tons of books.

Be still my heart!

Yes, Tom knows me well. I'd have shelves on every wall in our house if he'd let me.

Click HERE to see the House of Shelves and read more about it.

************************************************

My brother Donnie also knows me well - he sent me a link to something he knew I'd love to read about... a 7-year-old drummer named Jonah. Check him out! So cute! (He's 5 in this video - amazing!)

 

 

Now I'm fired up to squeeze 'playing my drums' back into my schedule somehow. They've gotten a little dusty lately. (Go to Jonah Rocks to find out more about Jonah.)

 

*********************************************

 

And now for my Sweet! Moments of the Week...

Sunday: witnessing more than a dozen teenagers receiving the sacrament of Confirmation

Monday: the contrast of cool lake water and hot sunshine on your body

Tuesday: a dusty rose dawn; finding a beautiful shirt on a clearance rack for $7!

Wednesday: a sky full of storm clouds and a few drops of rain on your dusty dry land

Thursday: a text message from your big brother telling you he's in love again

Friday: unwinding on a shady porch after work with a glass of Super Texan; watching "Where the Heart Is" with your honey (what a sweet movie!)

Saturday: Having friends drop in to support you at your new job; Sean's duck and Tom's slow-smoked beef ribs - double yum! Getting word that Shake Russell was finally recognized as "Entertainer of the Year" at the Texas Music Awards! (Congratulations, Shake!)

Hope you find plenty of Sweet! moments in this coming week. Remember...

‎"All things pass; God never changes."

~ St. Teresa of Avila

Saturday's "Sweet!"s on Sunday

Years and years ago, I worked weekends, the natural consequence of rotating twelve hour shifts. First one weekend of nights, then one weekend of days and finally! two weekends free.

I hated it. Once I quit, I never, ever wanted to tie up my weekends like that again, but here I am, twenty years later, trying out another weekend job.

And so far, surprise! I'm really enjoying it!

Isn't it funny how time can make such a difference?

Of course, now I'm working just six to seven hours, not twelve. 

With twelve hour shifts, there's no time for anything but work, eat, sleep. Now I still have time in the morning to walk, workout or go to Sunday Mass, and in the evening there's time to write, watch a movie, or meet friends for dinner and dancing, which is exactly what I did last night.

Plus, once my other job completely dries up, I'll have big chunks of time during the week to write and work on developing my business in a quiet, empty house.

But my enjoyment despite exhaustion, throbbing feet and aching back is such a mystery to me that I've tried to analyze it. This is what I figured out..

...I like being around people. I like helping them and making sure they're happy. I also enjoy staying busy, being part of a team, moving as opposed to sitting still, and working with upbeat, interesting, diverse characters. It helps to be in a beautiful place where I can sample wonderful food and wine (only so I can share my opinion with our customers, of course.)

Have you guessed? I'm working in a winery restaurant. It's like traveling to Tuscany every day (and the closest I'll get to the real thing for a long time, that's for sure!)

I don't think of it as a career, not the end of my road. But I think I'll enjoy the scenery along this section of it.

Speaking of roads, I treated myself to some Panda Express Orange Chicken this week and listen to this fortune in my cookie...

"Your road to glory will be rocky, but fulfilling."

Fulfilling. Can we ask for more? I hope this one comes true.

I love Panda Express fortunes!

Here's another one I got that day (a two-cookie visit!)...

"Chances of glamour and excitement are coming to you."

Well, I won't hold my breath on that one, but I'll keep you posted!

 *************************************************

And now, here are my sweet! moments of the week. I hope I'm never too busy to take notice of these!

Saturday: sun, water, friends, mimosas, photography, margaritas, barbecue, sunsets, wine (don't judge me - I was with my girlfriends!)

Sunday: listening to your parents' stories in their own words and capturing those words in their own voices

Monday: switching radio stations just in time to hear one of your favorite songs (in my case, Ted Nugent's Stranglehold. Oh, those drums in the beginning!)

Tuesday: watching a great blue heron fly in a circle around you just so you can snap some photos (I'm sure that's what it was doing!); finding out the little green bird you saw last week was a female painted bunting!; helping your son plan his trip to Germany (next best thing to planning a trip for yourself!)

Wednesday: spotting a roadrunner in a tree (alas, no time for a photo); a tiny fawn skittering across the road to safety in front of you (alas... no camera); finally installing the Photoshop Elements your friends gave you for your birthday 2 months ago, despite missing all these great shots

Thursday: a call from a sweet friend; helping your son shop for a new suit; Panda Express fortunes

Friday:  new yellow and white flowers popping up in the woods and along the road, despite the drought; a sweet puppy staring in through the French doors in the hopes of catching a glimpse of you; making it through the first day of a new job without totally blowing it

Saturday: sharing a wonderful meal, a dance floor and a subtle, yet striking, Texas Hill Country sunset with friends

Hope you've had a wonderful weekend! And if you go out to eat, don't forget to tell your waiter thank you and cut 'em some slack! They might just be in training!

 

A Sweet Saturday on a Diva Weekend

While you sit where ever you sit on Saturday mornings, reading this, I'm soaking my drought-dusty body in the cool water of a friend's backyard pool, frozen margarita in hand.

This is a Diva weekend, when girls I grew up with congregrate to catch up on each other's lives in a way that Facebook and emails just can't compare to... face-to-face with music, food and margaritas (or wine or soda or whatever...) and a whole weekend of talking, talking, talking.

It's purely therapeutic, of course. 

Here are a few of us last year, deep into one of our therapy sessions.

I hope you're have a sweet Diva weekend of your own!

Now for my Sweet!s of the Week:

Saturday: meeting a writing deadline (whew!)

Sunday: being able to pick up a phone and hear your Daddy's voice

Monday: a hug from your oldest child after a month of only calls or emails

Tuesday: being Chairperson of a committee full of go-getting, "tell me what I can do to help" people.

Wednesday: waking to the sweet sound of rain on the roof that went on and on and on...

Thursday: shopping with your daughter

Friday: finally meeting someone face-to-face who you've only known, up until that moment, through typed words and shared photographs

Saturday: floating in a sun-kissed swimming pool surrounded by friends who have known you forever (and still like you most of the time!)

 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend filled with love and friendship!

 

 

Osteo-what?

A few years ago, aware of menopause creeping ever closer, eager to rob me of bone mass and play all its other little tricks on me, I moved nutrition and exercise higher on my priority list.

The Real Age test revealed what I was missing nutrition-wise. I signed up for every health/hair/exercise/nutrition- related e-newsletter I could find, added vitamins to my morning arsenol, increased colorful, raw fruits and vegetables, watched portion sizes and cut back on fat, salt, sugar and anything processed or unpronounceable.

I was already working out, but I extended my cardio workouts because I have damaged lungs from asthma and one of those heart disease genes (and also the tiniest hope that increased circulation to my scalp would whip my lazy hair follicles back in shape.)

(No luck on that point so far.)

To build up bone mass, I increased the amount of free weight I lifted - gradually so I didn't pull anything and set myself back - popped Tums like candy and increased my Vitamin D. 

I did everything on that checklist, but still, following my latest bone density scan, the phone rang...

"Mrs. Shallue, you have slight osteopenia in the top bone of your left hip."

Huh? What? My bones? No way - I've never even broken anything!

"Nothing to worry about - it's very slight."

The nurse went down the "prevent and improve" checklist, but I was already doing everything and have been doing everything for years... even before my last bone density scan which was normal. How the heck did this happen?

The only suggestion she had for me: Increase my Vitamin D. My blood test revealed it was on the low end of normal; I had plenty of wiggle room to double what I was already taking.

So Women out there, listen up... Make sure you're taking your calcium and your Vitamin D. Grab those free weights and build those bones so they'll be strong enough to carry you for a long, long time. If you're over 50 and you haven't already done so, go get a bone density scan and have someone check your Vitamin D levels. And (gulp) say NO to that second third <sigh> okay, that second glass of wine. Or second margarita. Or second scotch and water.

For my part, I've increased my D and decreased my W so that I can still be dancing twenty years from now. I really, really want you to join me on the dance floor.

So get moving!

 

 

 

 

The moon, my honey and Los Lonely Boys...

Saturday night, a Texas moon smiling down on me and Tom by my side, I had one of those Aha! moments.

I realized I was finally experiencing Austin with all five senses in a way I hadn't yet in the nearly sixteen years we've lived here.

I could feel it in the just-cool-enough breeze blowing through the courtyard of Stubb's Bar-B-Q, taste it in my jalapeno brisket taco, hear it in the music of Willie Nelson's son, Lukas, and his band, Promise of the Real and then even more in Los Lonely Boys, those sons of San Angelo, see it in trees and old stone buildings bordering the courtyard and in the diversity of the other fans ... young, old, straight, gay, preppy, hippie, Austin Weird, every race and color imaginable ... and even smell it in the air, an intermittent wafting of barbecue with a hint of... is that marijuana?

Yeah, that's Austin.

Stubb's doesn't allow detachable lenses (discrimination!) and I don't own a point-and-shoot or an iPhone, so I don't have any photos from Saturday night, just these images impressed on my mind.

But here are some photos from the rest of the birthday boy's weekend...

A happy breakfast a la me and Daniel for the birthday boy

Walking with the boys, Kirby and...

...the goofy dogs.

The boys spotted this beetle (just like old times!) Anyone know what it is? 

Ping-pong!!

Cheesecake!

A birthday wish...

...and a nap.

Not bad for #54.

Book'em Danno!

 

What do you get when you mix a Hootenanny with a 50th birthday party?

A Hawaii-Hootenanny 5-0!

And Saturday night Tom and I were lucky enough to attend one for Liane,

Ms. Hootenanny, herself.

What's a Hootenanny? Here's the official description from its Meet-Up site:

"These open jam sessions are open to all musicians at our outdoor woodsy stage. We keep it mainly acoustic, but we can hookup to some amps occasionally. We do our thing every Friday night and have a great time playing and enjoying newcomer talent. Not much of an audience yet, but we like it just fine! The core band is Linton Mancilla. Our style is a mixture of many, so we can play along with your songs, whatever they may be. We usually have guitar players, a keyboard setup, a mandolin player, a flautist, and some type of percussion (no trap sets yet please!) We start at about 7:00, and people just gradually show up. If this would interest you, please call for directions and such. We are on myspace, search for Linton Mancilla, and at www.sonicbids.com/LintonMancilla"

Ever wonder what a Texas-style Luau would be like?

Come along with me and I'll show you...

You have Big John frying catfish.

Eric grilling salmon.

Cute couples dressing Island-style.

Party decorations. Ahem.

Arrival of the Birthday Girl.

Cupcakes by Karen, Queen of Desserts

Friends, Family and Food

Surfing...

Boots and fancy jeans...

Instruments and musicians waiting patiently for...

Music.

And the full moon watching over it all.

The end.

Life and Death - a Cycle of Celebration

Tiny almond-shaped eyes - chocolate drops full of innocence, ignorant of the violence that brought us all together - peered at me over her mother's shoulder.

She wore a yellow romper and sky blue bonnet, such a contrast to the black and white donned by the rest of us who formed a circle of love and support to a grieving mother, father, sister, brothers...

Black and white. Bad and good. Death and life. Sadness, happiness. 

Yellow and blue, colors of springtime, of rebirth, echoed in the sprays of flowers edging the site, and the flowers plucked from the stands and tossed onto the casket.

We had seen a short blurb on the Sunday evening news about the stabbing that left two dead over the weekend in Austin. A gathering of friends to remember the third-year anniversary of the death of one man's mother, an argument, a drawn knife, two dead, several wounded. So tragic, so sad, but soon forgotten in the rush of our lives.

It was several days before Tom learned via email that one of the victims was the little brother of a friend, a former co-worker at a small engineering company, where the employees became like family and stayed in touch over the years.

She was the big sister of six little brothers, a surrogate mom as the family followed her to the Austin area. Tue was the youngest, still her baby brother at 28.

His funeral Saturday morning was one of the most beautiful I've ever witnessed - a full Catholic Mass, all in Vietnamese. Thanks to the unity and consistency of the Catholic Mass tradition, we could still follow along, understanding with our hearts if not our ears.

We filed to Communion along either side of his casket, and it struck me how appropriate it was, a reminder of the life after death we all profess to believe, a reminder of the communion of saints.

After the service, we joined in the procession to the cemetery, where I spotted Miss Innocence dressed in Springtime. I also noticed a young boy, probably about 4 or 5, and I knew Tue's sister, mother, father and other friends and family who watched him grow must be remembering him at that age, when the thought that he could be taken from them by such senseless violence years later was unfathomable.

Nothing is lost by peace; everything may be lost by war. ~ Pius Xll

They probably already knew the truth of this statement better than most, those who escaped war-torn Vietnam in hopes of a peaceful life for their family.

I couldn't understand the words spoken at the grave site, but I understood the gestures, the faces contorted in sorrow, the wails of his mother that touched my mother's heart and brought tears to my eyes for her pain and loss. Tue was just a few years older than my oldest son.

One brother hobbled on crutches, injured while trying to break up the fight to protect his little brother. Tue was also about the same age my brother Buster was when he became a victim of a violent act, only his was a gunshot. Buster didn't die right away; he spent several years as a quadriplegic before we lost him.

I still feel that loss, and my sister's heart wept for Tue's sister and brothers. 

After the service, we joined Tue's friends and family at a luncheon. The need to join with others, remember, laugh, celebrate transcends religions and cultures. We spoke to Tue's family and friends, including one who was there that night ... the night two of his friends were killed. 

Please keep them all in your prayers.

Tom dropped me off later at a restaurant just a few miles down the highway for a birthday lunch with dear friends. Despite being stuffed from delicious eggrolls, crab soup and shrimp salad, I savored the meal I shared with them and our Mexican Martini toast.

After a morning of such forceful reminders of life's fragility and uncertainty, their faces and the sound of their laughter felt more precious to me than ever.

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal.

~ a headstone in Ireland

 

 

Wining and Dining, Texas Style (my birthday part 2 - and my Friday/Saturday Favorite Photos)

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.  ~Voltaire

 

Texas has a lot of vineyards and wineries. I bet some of you didn't know that! We noticed one outside of Wimberley named Driftwood and decided to drop in on our way to the Salt Lick.

When I say "we" I mean  "me". Tom doesn't care for wine, but hey, it was my birthday!

And it was also Rachel's birthday! Her 21st! She was there with her parents. So of course we had to have a picture together. 

 

(My hair doesn't look too bad, does it, considering it was just released from a zipline helmet and it was at least 120 degrees in that room? Thank you, Michael!)

(This is what Tom wants for his birthday.)

Driftwood is actually a little town... the location of The Salt Lick Bar-b-que (the original). I had never been to the Salt Lick, although it seemed everyone else had been, so I used my birthday as an excuse to get Tom to take me. I was so tired of hearing everyone else rave about it!

(Tom wasn't waiting on me to finish snapping pics - he was hungry!)

Let me tell you... it lived up to it's reputation.

And let me tell you something else... Wednesday afternoons at 4pm is the time to go. No one else is there. From what I've heard, if you go on a weekend, expect to wait in a long line!

But I understand why now - it's divine!

Tom's brisket is this good or better, which is saying a lot because this was damn-good, but Salt Lick's ribs, turkey, sausage were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the potato salad and cole slaw were the best I've ever eaten. 

(Sorry, Mama.)

 

 (This lasted me two days - Wednesday's dinner and Thursday's lunch - yum!)

The oak trees and picnic tables called to me, so we tarried a little outside, and guess what? We discovered a winery next door...

Since I was hitting legendery Austin places, how could I not stop at Poodie's Hilltop Bar & Grill when I spotted it on our way home? Poodie Locke was Willie Nelson's stage manager for three decades - he ran the bar on the side ... it's one of those unpresuming spots where big names drop in unannounced.

Very unpresuming.

We didn't recognize anyone famous, so we took our drinks outside to a deck overlooking the western horizon, imagining how beautiful the sunset must be from that vantage, and wondering about Peggy... 

A long drive home, through Marble Falls, along twisty, turning hill country roads faced us, so we didn't wait around for sunset on the deck. 

We made it home just at twilight, in time for a quick walk with the dogs.

And then, another surprise from Tom... a beautiful card and cheesecake! 

Now that's the way to welcome 52.

 Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. – Mark Twain

 

P.S. Update on my sister - she's much better and was released from the hospital this afternoon. She's weak and still on antibiotics, but able to eat again. Yay! Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming! There's still that hip surgery she needs to recover from... !

Going Greek and Meeting Bacon

As a college drop-out, I had no personal experience with sororities - just my fraternity of chemical plant technicians ... a fraternity of hardhats and steel-toed boots, you could say.

So I confess to a case of the jitters this past Friday night as I headed downtown for a Wine and Cheese Social. I would be meeting other moms with daughters in TG's sorority. I had worried over what to wear... jeans or dress slacks? What does "modern casual" mean, anyway? I opted for nice jeans and heels, with a dressy blouse and more jewelry than I normally wear. But I just knew I'd stick out, that my social deficiencies would be obvious.

With relief, I noticed I hit the halfway mark between the most dressy and the most casual. And I believe I blended in with the rest of them quite well. I met some of TG's friends and their moms, then she and I drifted out by the pool and had a good chat, all by ourselves. That was the best part.

She's a doll. A smart one.

I'm a lucky mom.

That was Friday night, just the beginning of a Mom/Daughter Weekend...

The next morning, after coffee and danishes in the sorority house, and a fun non-buying shopping excursion at the Domain, we nabbed Daniel from his apartment and headed to downtown Austin. In a Living Social-newbie frenzy back at Christmas, I had bought three half-price meals at Mongolian Grille ("$20 worth of food for $10"!), and they were about to expire.  We couldn't let that happen...

We ate our money's worth for sure, but I think we walked it off afterwards. First we headed in the direction of an Art Festival we'd heard about, but made a U-turn at the $8 per person entry price. Instead, we meandered through downtown, finding plenty of free art and interesting things to see everywhere we looked.

Santa, for instance...

Wall art...

 

Our feet (reflected)...

(Note to self: even out your britches before snapping next time.)

 

A herd of segway tourists...

 

And Bacon...

I'm so glad TG spotted her! I walked right on past, oblivious. But at the mention of a baby pig, I hurried back, introduced myself to Matthew (Bacon's daddy), snapped a zillion photos, asked a half-zillion questions (she's one month old; she'll only get a few inches bigger; when she needs to go potty, she lets him know by pulling on a rope attached to a bell with her mouth ... and she's only a month old!)

...and then begged to hold that sweet baby pig. Matthew's friend offered to take some photos...

Isn't she precious?

Tempting. Very tempting.

I reluctantly handed Bacon back to Matthew and we finished up our walk and dropped Daniel back home. The Mom/Daughter weekend finished up at a boutique, where we munched on quesadillas and taquitos from a nearby restaurant while ogling clothes we couldn't afford, which was actually fun because few of the others bought anything, either. And we got goody bags. Goody bags make everything fun, but then, it was fun just hanging out with TG a little longer.

I made it home in time to watch a movie with Tom - Stone of Destiny, which apparently got a Rotten Tomato award, but I liked it. It's based on a true story, I think more than most "based on a true story" movies are.

Sunday was a 'try to catch up' day, but we managed to squeeze in a game of ping-pong. I let Tom beat me this time - just so he won't get tired of playing, of course.

(Not really. Now I feel guilty. He beat me fair and square. I'll get him next time...)

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!

P.S. Please continue to keep my sister Brenda in your prayers as she recovers from her hip surgery, as well as my parents who are caring for her. She's already had to battle a stomach virus and now she's back in the hospital with a bladder infection. Thank you in advance!

 

Fame is the Scentless Sunflower...

While I sit here typing away on my computer, throngs of people are converging on city streets (including Austin's) eating, drinking, and getting all of that rowdy, overindulgent behavior out of their systems, because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and for the next 6 weeks they'll be pure as hermit monks...  

(Do I detect some cynicism out there? Shame on you!)

I'm not out there in Fat Tuesday revelry because I pretty much celebrated Fat Tuesday all weekend long! It started Thursday night with the arrival of my sweet, longtime friend, Rae. Longtime, as in "since 5th grade"!

She surprised me with this plate, because that's the way she is...

 "...fame is the scentless sunflower...but friendship is the breathing rose..." I just love that!

(By the way... happy birthday, Oliver Wendell Holmes!)

Tom fixed us his famous hot wings, and then we sat on the back porch listening to music, petting puppies, sipping red wine and playing catch-up until the chill chased us in.

The next day I took her on a long tour of the Hollow, up and down the hills, along the creek bed, everywhere! Then we headed up the highway for lunch and a few hours of shopping in Salado before coming back to the house, spiffying ourselves up, grabbing Tom and meeting other friends for more wonderful food (and more wonderful wine) at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse, one of our favorite hangouts (especially on these gorgeous spring nights!)

One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Drew Womack, serenaded us, and then Tom and I lingered longer than the rest to listen and dance. (Rae house-hopped to our friend Darla's. We share, as good friends do.)

Eight representatives of DPHS Class of '77, and one beautiful daughter.

Drew Womack, singer/songwriter

The next morning my eyes popped open too early, mind racing, filled with all I needed to do before hitting the highway for a quick trip to my parents' house near Houston. Tom had to stay home to tend to our gypsy-dogs, but Daniel tagged along, and I enjoyed having that time with him on the road.

We barely had twenty-four hours with my parents, but it was fun, feeding the squirrels peanuts, snapping photos of the birds on the feeder, watching the kids in an adjoining backyard tumble about on their trampoline. My sister came by for a good visit, and my brother and niece dropped in after work to help us move my grandmother's piano from the livingroom back into her room - a pretty major ordeal, but we did it! Mama's happy. And she promised not to worry about imposing on us when there's something they need help with. (Did I ever explain that she just wanted the piano out of the livingroom, not necessarily gone, but she didn't want to "impose" on us? sigh...)

The next morning, Daddy, aka "The Breakfast King", fixed us bacon and eggs!

Between that and the pizza we had for dinner the night before, Daniel and I decided we better take at least a short walk through the neighborhood before sitting for hours in the car ... again.

Well, Daniel mostly rode his long board... and I mostly snapped photos...

After our walk, we enjoyed yet another huge meal - Mexican food with Mama and Daddy -  and then boom! it was time to hit the road back to Austin.

But not until I grabbed some more photos, of course. You can never have too many photos of your kids or your mom and dad, you know.

And that was my Fat Tuesday weekend. Perhaps you can understand why part of my focus during this Lent is to get back on track taking care of myself - I tend to go overboard way too often. 

I'll touch on Lent a little more tomorrow - but tonight I need to hit the Publish button on this and go to bed. (Getting enough sleep is going to be another Lenten focus ... starting tomorrow.)

Are you doing anything special for Lent? Giving anything up? Adding anything to your routine? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye, weekend! I'll miss you!

The sun came out for the first time in days today. I made sure I slipped outside to feel its warmth on my skin. I've heard it's only visiting for a couple of days, then it's off again ... a gypsy sun, just popping in and out... so I didn't want to miss it!

I wish it had paid a visit this weekend. Instead, a cold misty rain hung around, which wouldn't have been bad if it had been a slow weekend close to home, one spent watching movies, reading, writing, keeping the fire going in the wood-burning stove...

But it wasn't. We had plans. Places to go. Things to do. And we didn't let that rain stop us, either, by golly!

Friday night Tom learned why I'm in love with Eddie V - and I think he might have fallen in love himself! We met my friend Tamara and her husband Rod there, just like my first rendezvous with Eddie V (it's a "where", not a "who", in case you're wondering), and again, for several hours I was in Taste Bud Heaven. The best part was getting to spend time with Tamara and Rod, though, and having Tom finally be able to enjoy their company as well.

Saturday evening we ignored the rain again and headed downtown to meet up with some of my former high school classmates and even some alumni I didn't know! Many of them traveled from the Houston area in the yucky weather for the gathering at Fado's, where lots of talking, laughing, reminiscing, eating, drinking, and listening of music ensued... specifically music by the band Mysterious Ways, a U2 tribute band, befitting an Irish Pub. 

The part for my versatile lens didn't arrive in time, so I did the best I could with my zoom... mostly photos of the band...

(I was playing around with the settings and got this one somehow - I think it's kind of creepy and cool at the same time!)

 

 

...and this one of me and my 9th grade boyfriend, Larry...

But before you get any ideas, look at this... you'll see Larry got around that night...

Sunday was my day-before-empty-nest day (see my last post), totally focused on TG... church, shopping, eating, delivering, hugging, and saying goodbye... for now. I refused to worry or stress about anything else except enjoying the time with her and helping her get a good start on the semester.

So far, I'm sticking with my resolution... what about you?

...I said hey, hey, hey, don't let another moment pass away...

 

 

Today I also thought about the impact Martin Luther King, Jr. made on our country. He was a man, just like any other... he had his faults, his sins... but that only shows that each of us is capable of more than we thought possible, too. These are some of his quotes that I call my favorites... they apply today as much as they did then.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. 

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. 

Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal. 

Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. 

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. 

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. 

How to Greet a New Year - A Pictorial Lesson (my Friday Favorite Photos)

First, gather together friends you never get to see anymore, despite the fact that your kids are now mostly grown, if not out of the nest altogether, and we should have tons more time on our hands. Go figure.

 

 

Add enough food for ten times the number of people in your house, as well as a few alcoholic beverages (don't forget the champagne! And sodas, for designated drivers, of course!)

Oh, toss in some cute tiaras.

 

Provide comfortable seating for hours of catching up...

 

Lots of hugs and laughter...

 

Husbands (or close friends or whatever) for that midnight kiss later...

 

 

Don't forget some noisemakers and manly hats ... and silliness.

 

 

(You can never have enough hugs and laughter. Be generous with those.)

 If your kids decide to hang out with you, even if it's by default, that's the cherry bomb and bottle rocket on top.

 

 

Allow dogs, of course.

 

Forget about about cleaning up until the morning...

 

... because you're going to mess up the kitchen again, anyway, by frying bacon (the real stuff, none of that turkey crap) and cooking omelettes (full of veggies, to balance out that shame-on-you bacon.)

 

 

Take a long walk through the woods (to work off that bacon, omelette, and guilt, of course.)

 

 

Be sure to watch for New Year's Day surprise blessings, like, say, a great blue heron flying overhead...

 

 

... or lingering, stubborn, signs of autumn.

 

 

Later that afternoon, take another walk down the dirt road...

 

 

...to the neighbor's house, where your arrival is announced in proper country fashion.

 

 

Try to capture the beauty of the afternoon, inside and out, in your camera.

 

 Meet interesting new people...

 

...and then forget all about your camera because of the delicious meal and stimulating conversation.

And last, realize how late it is and walk back home in the dark, under a sky full of stars.

That's the right way to greet a new year.

Worked for me, anyhow.

Happy 2011 (again!)

 

 

 

Still Celebrating

I've been unplugged for a couple of days now, soaking in the presence of my family and friends, trying to live in the moment, stashing each away to pull out later in emergencies, like when the kids aren't able to be here for Christmas. I know that day will come, because it came to my parents when we moved several hours away.

So that's where I am now, at my parents, continuing the celebration. Not by way of presents, but of 'presence' (that's not original, I know, but it's so true, anyway.)

I did bring my parents something, although I don't consider it a Christmas gift ... over 100 photos from the past year (along with an album and a frame) and a promise for more. Up until three years ago, I was so diligent about printing out photos, placing them in albums, and making copies for my parents. I'm not sure why, but somehow Life got so busy in other areas that I got behind, and just the thought of catching up overwhelmed me.

Pitiful excuse, and yes, I am ashamed of myself, but I think they were pleased with the photos.

I'm sure I was forgiven.

I'm off to spend more time around the kitchen table with my parents, but here are a few images of the past few days.

My oldest, Tommy (on the right) with long-time friends of his, Matt and Amanda. I love that he has stayed close to these kids (always kids to me) - I know from experience how valuable these friendships can be.

On a side-note, Matt taught me how to use my camera in Manual! Whoo-hoo! Thanks, Matt!

Friday night menu: Spinach Enchiladas and Chicken Quesadillas while watching "It's a Wonderful Life"

Christmas Eve glow and images of Christmas past

 
Merry Christmas, Max!

 
This was Belle's first Christmas - she caught on quick!

 
A lovely mess ...

 
Texas wine from Tommy (is it wrong that my son knew I'd love it?)

 
Waiting for a Christmas feast at the Monahan's house - Tommy, Kirby with friends Graham and Amy - all grown up somehow ...

 
When you start with a salad this beautiful, you know you're going to gain 10 pounds, but it will be worth every one!

 
A tree full of mouse magic (Mary Kay collects mice.) This one begged me to take its picture. How could I resist that face?

 

Out of the Silence, Music

Out of the silence, Music.

Out of the darkness, Light.

Out of uncertainty, Promise.

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone. This verse came to me via email, a Christmas card from a friend. I love the simplicity of it and wanted to share it with you.

I'm bleary-eyed and worn out, still working my way down a neglected Christmas to-do list after spending a late night hanging out with my kids and their friends, hearing their stories of work and travel and life after college, wondering how these kids who I swear were in high school yesterday got so dang grown up. (Our gift exchange started early - the gift of time with each other.)

But it's a good "worn-out". I've been relatively stress-free all day because I'm only focusing on the things that truly matter. Quality over quantity, and by quality, I don't mean expensive, I mean thoughtful, sincere, given with love.

Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door

the dark night wakes — the glory breaks, Christmas comes once more.

~Phillips Brooks

So I'm off to (attempt to) make Spinach Enchiladas because I know TG loves them. I doubt if mine come close to the ones at Case Ole, but I'll try. That's my gift to her. And I'll make chicken quesadillas for everyone else, because I know they do NOT love Spinach Enchiladas. Even the ones at Casa Ole.

For my Friday Favorite Photo(s), I'm including a few from a get-together at my friend Darla's house last weekend. Her home was full of Christmas spirit ... there were the beautiful decorations, flickering candles and food ... a gathering of wonderful long-time friends, for which I'm very grateful ... and the approach of a first Christmas together for Darla and Roy. This time last year they had just begun a friendship which blossomed quickly into a romance, then soul-tingling love, and culminated in a June Wedding.

Seeing them together helps you believe in magic and miracles and Christmas wishes come true.

Out of the silence, Music...

 

 

 

Rocking in the Hangar - a Christmas tradition

I didn't see my camera hit the concrete; it all happened way too fast...the oh-crap look on Tom's face, the metallic clunk that made me wince. By the time my eyes caught up to it, it already lay still and naked on the hangar floor, staring up at me, the lens skidding several feet away.

Tom had been holding it for me, the strap hooked over one shoulder. Somehow, in the process of goodbye hugs and handshakes with friends who were leaving the party early, the strap slipped off and he couldn't catch it in time.

I think that's what happened anyway. Tom was so upset about it, I didn't ask many questions. I was just relieved that the only damage is a small nick in the lens body, possibly a super glue fix. The camera itself is fine and I was just grateful I was using my basic lens, not my more expensive zoom lens.

If the lens can't be fixed...oh, well. 

No, I'm serious! I just wasn't that upset about it. It surprised me - if you read my blog much, you know I love that camera and I'm obsessed with taking photos - but it's just a thing. It took me a few minutes to convince Tom to quit worrying about it and just enjoy the evening.

Because we were at the annual Vernon Hangar Christmas party, listening to an awesome band and much too busy talking, eating, drinking, dancing, and laughing. No room for worrying about a thing, even if the thing was my camera.

Tommy's sweet girlfriend Kirby offered to let me borrow her Canon Rebel; I took her up on it for a few shots (one of her with her grandmother and one with her aunt), but then I was happy to just let her be in charge of snapping the memories. I know she'll share.

Tall propane heaters chased the chill from the hangar where the band, Soulution, mesmerized us with their musical talent and got us dancing...also good for chasing the chill away.

Besides the music from the band, we were also entertained by the Vernon's daughter Sierra singing everything from Lady Gaga to Christmas carols, and eventually even Kirby gave in to her uncles' and aunts' pleading (she's the Vernon's niece) and performed for us. Oh, my gosh, she has an amazing voice! Too much talent for one family - not fair! 

Perhaps it was because those two had the gumption to sing in front of the crowd, I'm not sure, but guess what? I made my public debut on the drums!

I was terrible, I know, but the point is, I actually played in front of People! They all told me how good I was, but I think it's only because I wasn't as terrible as they expected me to be. Even Tom said he was impressed (I've never even played in front of him!)

The drummer had let two others take turns on his drums, and I just couldn't resist taking a turn myself. I sat down, picked up the sticks and banged away. Such a sense of freedom and fun! I just kept drumming and drumming and drumming and they had to come and pry the sticks out of my hands and pull me away!

No, not really, but I did take a much longer turn than the others, I think; I finally came out of the spell and released the sticks of my own volition. The drummer questioned me about my drumming experience and offered me some tips. Yeah, that's right...I was talking "drums" with a real live professional drummer.

The night flew by. Before we knew it, it was 3 a.m. Clocks always seem to spin faster when you're having fun, don't they?

Thanks again to the Vernons for hosting another wonderful, rocking Christmas Celebration in the Hangar!

And now here are some of the highlights I captured before the camera catastrophe...

Hostess Rachel - this woman knows how to throw a party!

Me and my friend Kim - I haven't seen her in well over a year. Maybe two! She slipped off to the other side of the lake and got married. It was so good getting to see her again and finally meet her husband!

Tommy and Kirby in the best seats in the house...an OV-1 Mohawk.

Soulution! 

(Heads up to those of you in the Austin area - this band really, truly rocks! You can find them at Cedar Street, Maggie Mae's and other spots, playing both covers and original work. We listened to their CD today, all original music - I love it! I have a feeling Tom and I will be going to see them again soon.) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Lady...

The story goes that in the winter of 1531, Juan Diego, a humble Mexican peasant, was on his way to morning Mass in Mexico City when the Virgin Mary appeared to him on a hill along his path; she asked him to speak to the bishop for her about building a church in that spot.

The bishop didn't believe Juan Diego at first. So Mary provided a miracle as proof: she directed Juan Diego to the top of the hill where he found flowers miraculously blooming in the frost. He gathered some in his cloak and took them to the bishop. When they fell from his cloak, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe remained where the flowers had been.

The church was built, the story spread, and within a short time, six million native Mexicans had themselves baptized as Christians...

If you're wondering why Mary didn't just ask the bishop herself, click here and here for more info and to read the whole story.

Our church has held a Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe for several years now, but this was the first year Tom and I have been able to go. We jumped at the chance...and not just because of the legendary homemade tamale dinner that always comes afterward.

But, I confess, that made it a lot easier to decide what to do with our free Friday night.

The Castillo family makes these tamales and the rest of the meal from scratch every year for the traditional parish dinner. That's a reason to say hallelujah for sure!

Traditional Mexican sweets... almost too pretty to eat!

Almost.

A plate full of YUM! Homemade tamales, rice, beans, and picadillo. (I passed on the menudo. Actually, it wasn't even offered to me. I think they just knew I wasn't tough enough.)

 

A little of this, a little of that...

...makes a great pot of chili!

A cold front dropped in for a visit this weekend and has decided to stick around for a few days, so Tom and I took advantage of it tonight and made our first pot of Winter 2010 Chili.

We made a great team - he browned the meat and chopped onions...I added the tomatoes and seasonings and came back periodically for tastings (and adjustments) while he kept an eye on it. He knows I'm not good at the "keeping an eye on it" stage - I get distracted by too many other things, like laundry, loading the dishwasher, cleaning off my desk, decorating the tree (as you can see, the only common theme on my tree is sappy sentimentality...)

We made way too much chili for just the two of us, and we'll be sick of it by the time we finish it all, but, man oh man, it hit the spot tonight!

A little of this and a little of that makes great chili...and also a great weekend!

We started off right, with friends, music under the stars, and a bonfire. Hootenanny!

We have fun even if it's just a handful of us out there, but Friday night there was a real crowd - so many talented musicians playing all kinds of music, and enough others in the audience that Tom and I didn't feel alone. Thanks again to Jim and Liane for hosting this every week.

Saturday Tom and I took advantage of a day at home to scratch things off of our dusty to-do lists...but we threw in a walk with the dogs and a game of ping-pong (I won!), and a movie, because, after all, it was Saturday!

Sunday after Mass I needed to run into town to the bank...to the grocery store...to Goodwill to drop off boxes I've been moving from room to room for months... Normally I would procrastinate, but I knew if I didn't just go, I'd end up having to go late one night this week (NO!) or I'd be late to the infamous St. Mary's Adult Christmas Party, where we get to visit with friends, and enjoy Rudy's Barbecue (sigh), complementary "adult" beverages, and a dance floor almost all to ourselves... 

When was the last time you did the Hokey-Pokey?

I've known Mary, on the left, for years, but I just discovered that in a previous life she interviewed Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, and other celebrities while working at a radio station years ago in California. People are full of surprises (and I love that about people!)

 

My friend Karen didn't realize when I encouraged her to come to the dance even though her husband was out of town that I had ulterior motives...getting her to fill in on dancing with me when Tom pooped out. I think this was taken right after her first "chicken dance".

We never get to spend time with these two anymore...Tom D. helped us build our house (we couldn't have done it without him!) and I loved subbing for Berniece's English and theater classes in my other life...she is an amazing teacher!

And this couple is proof that you should never give up on love popping up where you least expect it (and they're also the best dancers, although I couldn't catch a good one of him flipping her.) 

A little of this, a little of that...works with chili and weekends!

 

 

 

Back home, and thinking of a few "firsts"

Home again late last night, after a family-filled Thanksgiving - one of the best ever - and a wide loop to see dear friends on the way home and drop Daniel off at his apartment downtown.

Happy to be home, of course...happy to see Belle and Max and just be home. But Tom did something to his back. Again. When TG and I made our way into the house, I found him stretched out on our bed. Any slight movement made him gasp with pain. He said this was the worst it's been in a long time. Maybe ever.

I gladly fed the dogs for him, in between unpacking, starting laundry, loading 300 photos on the computer (between his trip to Florida and Thanksgiving)...

While I worked, the last few days at my parents' house crossed my mind...lounging on the couch watching one football game after another, switching to another room, another couch and another television to watch "Pretty Girl" with TG and "Pay it Forward" with Daniel, or just sitting at the kitchen table taking pictures of the newest family member, chatting with the older ones and drinking one cup of coffee after another, while just a few feet away my Daddy loaded the dishwasher...made yet another pot of coffee...carried towels through to start washing.

I really missed my Daddy last night.

Now, I didn't just lounge around being lazy the past few days at my parents' house. It so happens I cooked half of our Thanksgiving dinner...the ham, the green bean casserole, the rolls...I even took Pioneer Woman's advice and added cream cheese to my mashed potatoes. (Some of the best advice I've ever taken. You should try it!) I told you I can cook when I want/need to!

Granted, none of it was difficult - the rolls I just had to heat up, but still...it was a first for me. Not a "first" cooking Thanksgiving dinner - last year I did it all at my house for a fraction of Tom's family...only 13 or so...

...but a "first" banging around unsupervised in Mama's kitchen for an extended period of time. When I was growing up, my grandmother would come scurrying anytime she heard some pots clanking, and more recently, I only followed my mother's directions, helping her prepare the meal in her kitchen. This was the first time I was in charge and all alone in the kitchen of my childhood. My sister and I insisted it was time Mama just relax and enjoy the day and let us do the work for a change. Funny...I figured everything out, found just what I needed. I'd spent enough time in that kitchen, I guess.

We made a good team, me and my sister, Brenda. She contributed the turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, fresh apple cake and pie, pie, pie. Besides all of that, my niece-in-law made more scrumptious pies and my niece made a pumpkin cheesecake that was simply Aaaaaah!! I ate half of it - I should know!

A few pounds heavier, thanks to that dang cheesecake, I was reminded of another "first" today - the first day of Advent, a time when we (as in Christians) reflect on what we need to do to prepare for the second coming of Christ while commemorating his first coming - Christmas. A season for reflection of the past and the future. 

I Googled "Advent" and found a description on SpiritHome.com that I thought was perfect. I've chopped out bits to save space, but here it is...

Advent is a season of preparation. So's Lent, but it is a different kind of preparation. Lent is very adult and serious, because it leads to a death; originally, Lent readied new Christian adults for baptism. In Advent, we thank God for Christ's first coming, prepare for his final coming at the end of time, and celebrate Christ's presence among us today through the Spirit. God loved us and wanted to share that love. But this existence isn't well-suited for a god; it's too broken, evil, painful, unjust. So, to rescue the created world from this evil, God chose to come here and walk the earth, to grow up, to live the truth, and to die. The only way to start such a thing is as a baby, and the only way to be a baby is to be born. Hence Christmas. Because Christmas is centered in the new hope brought by a baby, it's a very child-oriented holiday. Because Advent leads us up to that baby, Advent is also child-oriented.

There's a time to get ready by focusing on your own sinfulness and wrongdoing, a time for personal transformation and following Christ to the cross. That's Lent. There's a time to get ready by rejoicing that our God is not far away and unfamiliar with the struggles of human life, that Christ is here right now among His followers, that God has already begun to bring in the Kingdom, and that Christ will come again to make it clear who really runs the place. That's Advent. "Lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the age", says Jesus.

As the first Advent candle was lit today, I thought about what kind of preparation I would do for this season. Prayer, of course, and then I decided I would strive for a more generous spirit, despite being broke. That will call for some creativity. Also, I'll try to be more joyful and less whiny. But my next thought was, Christmas is right around the corner, but Tom's back is out so I can't put up my decorations yet! 

Obviously, I have some preparation work ahead of me this Advent.

It wasn't a "first", but this Thanksgiving my mother's kitchen table had a baby in the middle of it for the first time in a very long time - it was a lot of responsibility for her small shoulders, but little Haila handled it well, keeping us all thoroughly charmed and entertained, and reminding us we have so much to be grateful for, and a reason to keep trying to get better, to make this world a better place...

I hope you had a Thanksgiving full of smiles and firsts. And whether you think about Advent or not, I hope your next few weeks are full of reflection, hope and joy.

 

Separation Anxiety

Who's going to cook me dinner?

Tom just looked at me and smiled.

Are you going to cook up some casseroles, label them with the days of the week and freeze them for me?

He laughed.
I think he thought I was joking.

Well, sure...I was...a little bit... 

He's off, away on his own for a few days, as of yesterday morning, visiting his parents, his brother, and his brother's family. If I could afford to take a few days off from work, I'd be with him. We haven't seen his parents since last Thanksgiving! How did this year slip by us so fast?

I stayed so busy yesterday, though, it didn't fully hit me he was gone until I came home from dinner out with friends to this empty house. And it wasn't just because I had to feed the dogs! (Normally, he has night duty.)  

After rushing through my morning chores, I spent a few hours in a movie theater with 2/3 of my kids - a noon showing of the latest Harry Potter movie - munching popcorn and trying to remember the storyline of the book it's based upon. It's been years since I read it. I got totally hooked with the first book; Daniel won a drawing at his school's book fair and he picked it as his prize, based on the cover. 

I read a chapter of it to these 2/3's every evening...and couldn't wait for the next one. By the second or third book in the series, my kids were too impatient...couldn't wait until evening for me to read...couldn't take just a chapter at a time. They took turns devouring the book in one, maybe two days. 

I'm pretty sure that was the end of our nightly readings. Sigh. Dang you, Harry and J.K. Rowling.

But thank you, too, for that magical world, wonderful characters, and makes-me-so-jealous writing.

I'm not sure why we even go to see the movies. It doesn't matter how well made they are - they just can't and don't come close to the experience of reading the books, and we usually end up annoying all of the patrons around us with our whispered commentary. 

Yes, I'll warn you next time we go so you don't have to listen to us. 

After delivering the 2/3's back to campus (discussing the movie the whole way, and ultimately deciding we need to produce our own) I headed to the bank, the grocery store, home again...unloaded groceries, patted dogs, changed clothes, and jumped back in the car to meet friends for dinner at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse. 

I let Tom take my camera with him to Florida...a tough decision, let me tell you. (I think it even surprised him! But I reasoned that he would be seeing his parents - I would be seeing autumn leaves, colorful weeds and wrestling dogs. It was really a no-brainer and I'm ashamed I even had to think about it.)

So, I couldn't take any photos last night of our group! But I can describe it to you...

Six of us sat outside at a rectangular table, enjoying steak, shrimp, elk, yummy rolls, sauteed mushrooms and more. I sat between Rod and Tamara, and across from us were Robert, Roy and Darla. (That's when I first really felt Tom's absence!)  A nice breeze blew in from the lake...it bordered on being too cool without a jacket, but overhead heaters cycled on and off, keeping the chill away. 

Above us the shy full moon hid behind gauzy clouds.

And if that wasn't enough for a beautiful evening, just a few feet away, Drew Womack sang to us - he's another one of those musician, singer-songwriters oozing with talent that has stepped over the edge of stardom once or twice, but not as far as I think he should go, and I don't understand why.

He has an amazing voice... click HERE to hear for yourself, and check out the video down below that I found of him singing at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse back in January. He's much better in person, of course, but it gives you idea of his talent.

Thank you, friends, for a wonderful Saturday night. It would have been a long, lonely evening here at the house without Tom...eating a sandwich, listening to CD's, typing away at the computer.

Um, by the way, what are y'all doing tonight?

 

 

A Lazy Saturday, like a kiss on top

Our adventures on 6th Street with friends made this a special weekend, but squeezed into the center of my Friday and Saturday night jaunts downtown, like a melted chocolate kiss pressed into the top of a Cyclops Cookie, was a lazy afternoon spent hanging out with 2/3 of my kids, Tom, and the dogs... relaxing on the porch, watching funny videos, making cookie dough...  

Yum! Just the right combination of new, old, adventure, comfort, hurry, and relax...

The dogs love it when Daniel comes home... they get lots of attention. His kids will be so spoiled!

I did my part for the birthday Cyclops Cookies...

...then Tom and Daniel baked them while I was eating Home Slice pizza and roaming the downtown streets; a good thing, because I would have eaten dozens more if I'd been there when they came out of the oven, and I know they pack a bigger caloric wallop than the pizza! (One day I'll share the recipe, but I'm afraid you'll hate me. They are that good!)

Click here to see the finished product (you have to scroll down a bit... be patient... CYCLOPS!)

 

 

 

In the heart of Austin with Tully/Brad and company

I love a good tradition, especially one that involves getting together with friends. One of my favorite new ones is the bi-annual Tully/Brad weekend... two sports-addicted longtime friends from high school who take time in the fall (football) and the spring (March Madness) to catch up on each other's lives while devoting several days to watching the previously-mentioned games.

They're gracious enough to invite a bunch of us to tag along for bits of it... mostly the ones involving food... and so finally, finally, this weekend I got to experience Austin's 6th Street...

I'll vouch that it's still fun at 51! At least for me it was... lots of music, people dancing, glimpses of drummers in windows, neon signs, historical brick buildings, and of course, colorful characters everywhere.

Thank you, Tully and Brad!

First, a gathering in the loft overlooking 6th street... Class of '77 reps me, Tully, Gina, Ann, Brad... 

...on to dinner outside on a gorgeous night at the Chupacabra Cantina, joined by Darla, Roy, Leslie and Clive...

...and then a move inside to watch the Texas Rangers game...

...or to just yak and take more photos...

Oops, how did this one get in here??

The whole gang... oh, yeah, Darla's gorgeous daughter Kassi joined us...

Later, a stroll down 6th Street to the Driskill Hotel. (Did you know the restroom near the bar is haunted? I took the women in there to tell them the story... we got a little carried away with taking photos, even recruiting a stranger to help us out... or was she really a ghost?? These are just a few!)

...and one with our guest photographer - if she was a ghost, she was a very friendly one...

We finally rejoined the guys...

...and eventually said good-night... but within 24 hours most of us were back together again for pizza... my first taste of Home Slice (yum!)

...and then Tully and Brad offered to escort me and my camera up and down 6th Street a little while longer. Most of the photos will be posted on Confessions, but I'll end this post with two of my favorites, taken in The Jackalope. 

Those two wild and crazy guys with a new friend...

...and look at me! I'm riding a jackalope! I bet you thought they weren't real...

Thanks again for such a wonderful weekend, Tully, Brad and company!

Count your age by friends. Count your life by smiles.

~author unknown

 

 

"Cook me some fish, Man!"

That's what I told Tom the other day, when we opened the package from my friend containing a ziplock bag of Lime Pepper. She had seen my post and picture of him cooking Tilapia and wanted to share her favorite spice and recipe with him.

I thought my joke was funny: "Cook me some fish, Man!" I loved that my friend thought of sharing the spice with him, not me.

I'm not sure if he thought I was so funny... but I was too busy laughing to notice.

Tonight I came home to sauteed chicken breasts sprinkled with... you guessed it... Lime Pepper. Not fish (that would be like taking orders from me or something!) but delicious, just the same.

Thank you, Debra!

And thank you, Tom! I know I'm a lucky woman... (my salad was good, wasn't it?)

 

Mr. Amazing

When I walked in the door yesterday evening, Tom was pulling a bottle of Tabasco Sauce from the refrigerator. It was Hot Wings night.

I mentioned in another post how I'm fighting those nasty debt demons; I didn't mention how Tom is fighting them, because he deserves a whole post of his own.

What does fighting the debt demons have to do with Hot Wings? Just an example of how, when he discovers something he likes or if there's something we need, he figures out how to do it or how to make it himself cheaper... like the Hooter's Hot Wings sauce he learned to make by trial and error. Only they're so much better than Hooter's Hot Wings - I'm calling them Shallue's Hot Wings from now on. 

Tom came from a frugal military family background - with nine boys, you have no choice but to be frugal. He started working when he was 14 (I'm pretty sure... he'll correct me if I'm wrong!); he had a paycheck, therefore he paid rent to his parents, bought his own clothes and whatever else he wanted/needed. He learned to spot a bargain and fix things early on. He got around mostly by bicycle, but also shared joint custody of a car with his mom for awhile, I believe. Oh, yeah, and he went to high school.

I came late to the game... my parents had a tight budget and plenty of bills, even with two incomes, so I didn't get everything I wanted, but pretty dang close. I had two or three very short-lived jobs in high school, but my parents saw school as my job and I didn't have to work.

It wasn't until I dropped out of school, got a real job supporting myself and spending my own money on everything that I really learned the difference between "need" and "want"... Consequently, Tom and I have never really argued about money - or the lack thereof. We're on the same team as far as that goes, most of the time.

We bought a foreclosed home in an auction and he did all of the reconstruction himself (it had been stripped), including acid-washing the swampy swimming pool in the backyard (with help from a friend... thank you, Bob!) Before eBay, before Craig's List, Tom knew how to work those newspaper ads, and before you know it, for just $75, we had a slide for the pool.

Tom rarely buys things just for himself - what he tends to buy are things that he either uses to help us (big tools for working on the house or cars) or that we get to enjoy along with him, like television sets and the 4-wheel drive Suzuki Samurai; it was fun to drive around the dirt roads in, was useful for transporting rocks and firewood, and was the kids' main mode of transportation for a couple of years (it's currently out of commission from an accident, waiting in line with several other vehicles for Tom to fix.)

Usually he just buys for someone else, usually me. He splurges on me... my drums, my camera, my car. He's content driving a 10+ year old red convertible that has a leaky top, but he traded in his truck to get me the first new vehicle I've driven since 1990. Of course, I share it with him.

Have I mentioned he cuts his own hair? He taught himself when he was going to college, I was working and we had two toddler sons. At one time he was cutting all of our hair - we'd take turns standing in the kitchen - and now our oldest cuts his own.

We don't argue about money, but we do pull each other back down to reality if one of us starts talking crazy - usually me, talking about "needing" a fancy smart phone or a laptop. He never complains about splurges on my hair or college classes or my girls' weekends. Much.

I know he dreams of building a barn across the pond where he can toodle on cars, build furniture, whatever he wants with all the space he needs to do it in. There's no telling what he can do with enough space and tools.

I also catch him drooling over motorcycles for sale on Craig's List and he loves to travel virtually with me and Rick Steves on Saturday mornings. (One day I'll be telling you about our trip to Ireland, by golly!)

Over and above, he smiles and laughs and takes life day by day. I know he gets stressed. I know he worries he'll never get to retire, never get that barn, never have time to toodle or take off on a Harley road trip or spend a weekend in an Irish castle with me. But still he laughs and gives thanks for what we have, which is a lot. In fact, when I managed to sell our old television on Craig's List, he gave the man his money back to cover his gas for driving out here. 

And that's why I'm focused on making money now - the brunt of it has been on him for way too long, and if it comes in a paycheck to me, he can't give it back to anyone. It's time for me to step up to the battle line and fight with him shoulder-to-shoulder. 

P.S. He also cooks! Oh, yeah, I already mentioned that, didn't I?  Well, besides his Shallue's Hot Wings and French Toast I've featured on here before, he's a master at brisket...anything grilled, actually... he's experimenting with different fish dishes... and now he's talking about homemade tortillas! Am I right, or what? Mr. Amazing - that's my husband.

Last week, this is what I came home to...

Spicy Tilapia and mushrooms... yum! Thank you, Tom!

Friday Favorite Photo (Friday Already?)

I'm packing my days so tight these days that if this week was a suitcase, I'd be sitting on it right now trying to zip it up!

So Tom shouldn't have been surprised that I neglected my half of dinner-duty today. Yes, it's true. I forgot to take something out to thaw.

That's okay, though, because my husband is a resourceful, creative cook. French Toast for dinner is delicious! Thank you, Tom!

Without further ado... here are my picks for the Friday Photos of the Week. You can guess why... oh, and please excuse the messy house you see in the background. My half of dinner-duty isn't the only thing I'm neglecting these days!

What a weekend! Where do I start?

I think I'll start with today, a Monday which has redeemed all prior Mondays in my eyes (even though it's not technically part of the weekend) and move backwards for a change. 

No, I didn't win the lottery or anything. We're still as broke as ever.. monetarily, anyway. And no, I didn't get another Monday off from work. But this has been a really, really good day.

I think part of it is I've taken John Lubbock's advice on priorities to heart and it's working! I haven't become super-productive or anything, but I've noticed a subtle change in my attitude, more purpose to my actions now. And attitude and actions are what count, right?

I couldn't help but have a good attitude after this: yesterday I posted on Facebook that I still had raffle tickets available for my church's Oktoberfest with a link to a post from last year about our St. Vincent de Paul Society, one of the beneficiaries of the raffle ticket proceeds (click here to read that post.) Right away I had responses from friends wanting to buy tickets... including one who wants to buy 100 - yes, you read it right - 100 tickets!

I can't do much myself monetarily to help St. Vincent de Paul, so that request made me sprout wings; I've been soaring like one of my jewel-colored dragonflies all day, knowing that my request initiated a response like that.

See? It never hurts to ask!

Now to Sunday... that's when I really took John's advice. I slept late because of a late Saturday night. I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. I went to Mass, not just because I knew I'd regret it if I didn't, but it's true I would. I tackled the laundry pile, the desk pile, the promises-I-made-to-other-people pile. I posted that request on Facebook. 

I took time to think about my Grandmother Annie B. - yesterday would have been her 104th birthday.

We took time to call Tom's brother Steve, the Montana brother, who I believe turned 52.

I worked and worked and worked on my book, even opting out of a walk with Tom and the puppies, knowing when it was all said and done, I would regret not working on the book more than not going on a walk.

Even when Tom came running in telling me about a huge spider down near the pond, I let him run back out alone with the camera. I admit I was a little sorry I didn't take this:

(I finally asked Mr. Google what it was - it's just a female Yellow Garden Spider. Such a plain-Jane name for something this splashy, don't you think?)

After working on my book, I played with my photos from Saturday... lots and lots of photos because it was our annual University of Texas Longhorn Football Game, courtesy of our generous friends, Saint Mary Kay and Saint Joe. We can't afford tickets ourselves, but thanks to MK and Joe, we get the full Longhorn experience once a year. (They share the love with other friends on the other game days.)

We started out the game tailgating in their son's apartment, part of a wonderful old duplex on a dead-end road near a creek, just blocks from campus! I love those old houses.

Hanging out, wishing we were college students instead of paying for our kids to go there... MK, Peggy, Jeff and Tom...

After stuffing ourselves on BBQ and fresh fruit, we walked those few blocks to the music hall, where we snagged some photos with MK and Joe's son, a member of the Big Bertha team... 

...and then on to the stadium...

MK and our bunch in our corner.. Jeff and Peggy, both UT grads but this was their first game! MK and Don, one of her first bosses. He's recovering from cancer; this game marked his 50th consecutive UT Longhorn opening home game - his doctors didn't think he'd make it to this one so soon after surgery, but he was determined. Where there's a will, there's a way, right?

We proceeded to watch the UT band and Big Bertha team (once a band mom, always a band mom)...

...and, oh yeah, the Longhorns kicked Wyoming's rear end. I actually did watch the game and took lots and lots of photos, of course, including some of actual football players. You can see the rest here, at Confessions of a Photography Addict.

Now on to Saturday morning... 

Another turtle! Belle discovered this one, but she didn't hurt it, thank goodness, just dug it up and brought it up to the porch. I traded it for a dog treat and put it in the bathtub until we could carry it down to the creek. It didn't seem very appreciative at all, even after Tom stepped ankle deep in mud to release him!

Turtles are awful grumps, aren't they?

I can't remember what else I did that morning, but I do know I took care of a lot of stuff I'd regret if I didn't!

I do remember that I slept late, because, once again, we were up late Friday night. We introduced some friends to the Hootenanny! There weren't as many musicians this time, but the music under the trees was still magical.

Keeping John Lubbock's advice in mind, I said 'yes' when Jim asked me to play the cajon box drum. I'd never played it before, had no idea how to play it, but I did it anyway, because I knew I'd regret it if I passed up the chance. 

Here's Eric on it later. I paid attention so I'd know what to do next time.

Oh, you see the photographer there next to Eric? That's Bruce Coville, one amazing photographer. Take a look at some of his Hootenanny shots here.

 

When you're around someone who is so much better than you are, you can either slink away, or you can take advantage of their presence to improve. I felt a bit intimidated, photography-wise, with Bruce and his muscle-camera's presence, but keeping John's advice in my head, I decided to take impromptu photography lessons that night, instead of slinking away. 

While I was at it, I took belly-dancing lessons from Liane, too. (no pictures!) Drums, photography and belly-dancing under the stars! Now that's a Friday night!

I didn't take many photos that night, but here are a couple I like of Triana and Robert Castaneda, married musicians extraordinaire... one 'normal' photo and one 'artsy' (in other words, no flash)... I think you get a sense of Robert's energy in both of them. That man can play the flute!

Now that's a weekend! How was yours?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something's wrong here...

Our oldest, Tommy, and his girlfriend, Kirby, came in last night. We had a fun evening - spent some time talking on the front porch... Tom fixed fajitas... Tommy mixed up some "Red-Headed Bitch" margaritas (the mix was one of Kirby's graduation gifts) that tasted a lot like cherry sno-cones... and then we watched a movie (The Men Who Stare at Goats... it was entertaining, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price at the theater to see it.)

But then today...I'm not sure how this happened, but it's a beautiful Saturday and the kids are all off tubing the San Marcos River while Tom and I are left at home puppy-sitting  and doing chores!

We made sure the pups had a fun day, anyway.

Breakfast (our grandpuppy Josie, Belle, Max)

Taking a break in the shade (Max and neighbor Haley, Belle and Josie)

Playing at the "water-park"

A tired walk home

If the time ever comes, I think we'll make good grandparents.

 

 

Meet the Walburg Boys (and a Saturday To-Do List)

Tom and I hit the highway last night to experience a Central Texas gem we had no idea even existed until now - the Walburg Restaurant and Biergarten. I was kicking myself (in between dances) that we'd never been before.

Tom danced with me, but while those fast polkas start my toes tapping, he became immune to their allure a long time ago.

WANTED: POLKA DANCER  No specific requirements except
the ability to twirl me around a dance floor when a polka
beat is too fast for my husband.

Pulling into Walburg is like a going back in time 100 years - you round a curve onto a main street lined by a few old storefronts and Victorian homes with glimpses of farmland in all directions.We've only just discovered it now thanks to TG's former high school band director, Les, and our friends, Joe and Mary Kay.

Les is now a Walburg Boy, playing gigs on the weekend after working all week as a high school band director in Austin. It's a return to his roots, in a way: in a previous life, he was a member of two other Austin bands, The Debonaires and Lonesome Dove. Two of the current Walburg Boys were also in Lonesome Dove, and that's how Les came to join them. Ron, the leader of the Boys and owner of the biergarten and restaurant, was a national yodeling champion years ago in Germany.

The music, a wonderful, eclectic mix of German polkas and Texas rock/country favorites, wafts out of a large Oktoberfest-type tent (featuring a slide-smooth concrete dance floor) into the old oaks and rolling countryside. We didn't eat at the restaurant; you can order food and drinks at a take-out window in the biergarten itself, everything from hamburgers to wiener schnitzel and so many different types of beer that I wished I still liked the stuff! Tom and I shared some wiener schnitzel, potato salad (that was to-die-for!) and purple cabbage that even Tom (a non-vegetable-eater) agreed was good.

I had big to-do plans for this weekend, but number 1 on my list was sleeping eight hours. I scratched that off, but since we were out late last night dancing to the Walburg Boys' music, it meant I didn't get an early start on the rest of my to-do's. Here's the status of my list:

My Weekend To-Do List

1. get caught up on laundry
2. work out (I'm trying to fit 5 in a week; Thursday we had a visit from an environmental inspector - I didn't mind skipping that day even though it meant I had to make up for it today.)
3. write 1000 words on my book (I'm determined to get back on track with this!)
4. compose blogs and figure out a way to make money from them (I've always told my kids to do what they love and they'll find a way to make a living at it. It's time to match my actions with my words. You know how kids are - they do what you do, not what you tell them, right?)
5. go to the grocery store (except for quick stops at our tiny local store, I haven't been in about 3 weeks!)
6. change the refrigerator water filter (it's only a few weeks overdue)
7. organize my property issue notes and collect my photos into one file
8. put flea and tick treatment on the dogs (just a little overdue)
9. send out an email about my new business venture
10. upload all of my photos from my Diva weekend to Facebook so my friends can see them
11. send a query to Texas Monthly magazine about an idea I have for an article
12. clean off my desk and pay bills (I swear the paperwork is breeding over there!)
13. clean house. Or at least something in the house, like a mirror or toilet.

You can see I haven't accomplished even half of my list yet!

So what have I been doing today, instead of taking care of the uncrossed-out items above?

1. made blueberry muffins
2. took a walk with Tom and the dogs
3. called each one of my kids AND my mom
4. checked my email and answered a few
5. played with some photos
6. danced (Tom has music streaming from his computer through the house speakers)
7. checked out some photography blogs, including this one that is just amazing: Rayel Photography (check out the vacation video)
8. stayed glued to the television while the Pearland, Texas Little League team played Hawaii 
9. checked up on my Facebook friends (while I watched the game - multitasking!)

If you haven't heard, the Texas boys lost. I know their broken hearts and disappointment blind them to how awesome it is that they made it as far as they did! But it's something they'll remember with pride in a few years, I'm sure.

So somehow Saturday is almost gone! I'm thinking it's time to hang up the list for the day and head to the back deck to enjoy the sunset, then watch a movie with my sweetie. There's still tomorrow... (thank the Lord for Sundays and early Mass!)

Scenes from Walburg...

 

No Time-Squandering here, Ben

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.

~Benjamin Franklin

I don't think I'm guilty of time-squandering. Even with my tennis shoes on, Time is outrunning me these days. Another weekend has snuck up on me and I haven't really mentioned the last one. Maybe I just haven't recovered from it yet!

But I captured a few moments of it in my camera. I think I'll multi-task and post them here as my Friday Favorites of the Week.

Friday night, before heading out to dinner, we posed for pictures. I was determined to get Tom to smile...

After dinner (too late for Eddie V's happy hour, so we went to Olive Garden. Still yummy!) we were in the mood for music, so we headed to our friends Jim and Liane's Hootenanny ... it was hot but the music was awesome, and we celebrated Jim's birthday...

(for more Hootenanny photos, click here.)

Saturday we had a surprise call from Jennett, a good friend we haven't talked to in ages and haven't seen in even more. We're determined to change that before the end of the year. Jennett and Keith were Tom's neighbors when we first met, practically family for years. How do we let Time get away from us like this?

That evening we met several longtime, newly reconnected friends for dinner at Gwen's house... delicious spaghetti, salad, cheesecake, and a new game she taught us - "Chubby Bunny". For some reason, I've lost my taste for marshmallows...

Sunday afternoon, the Girl and I packed my little car full of her belongings and headed to campus. It was move-in time again. Man, this summer went by fast!

On the way, we stopped at a CVS Pharmacy so she could print out some pictures. Little did we know, while we were toodling around with the photo machine, a car-jacker went into action in the parking lot! When we stepped outside, we faced something straight out of a cop show - the suspect getting frisked, police running around, their cars and a fire truck filling the lot, reporters asking me questions. Very exciting! I had her take pictures as we pulled away so we'd remember...

Yeah, I know... you don't really see anything, but that's the wonderful thing about photographs - they trigger floods of memories. You might not see what was going on here, but one look at these, and I see it clearly.

(No moving-in photos. A promise is a promise.)

It was after midnight before we got to bed that night. We had a visit from another longtime friend, Lisa, who had attended a wedding with her friend Cheryl at a place just down the road. We insisted she stay with us afterward and so we stayed up yakking. It was well worth it, though. I wish we'd had more time - I always enjoy spending time with Lisa, but I enjoyed meeting Cheryl, too. She's older than me (I won't say how much) but just spent a week camping in the Grand Canyon - something I would love to do and now I think I still could! She also had a photograph published by National Geographic several years ago, so I got to talk photography for a little while.

No pictures of them, though. I didn't even think about it - that tells you how wiped out I was by then!

This weekend will start a little later than the last one did - tonight we're just hanging out at home, about to watch a movie, pay some bills, catch up on laundry... but it promises to be just as full of friendship and memories, starting tomorrow. You might have to wait until next Friday to hear about it, though. I'll try to sprint a little faster and catch up with Time.

At any rate, I hope you have a fabulous weekend, whether you squander time or not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the kitchen table

Last night I did something I haven't done often over the past few decades: I sang Happy Birthday to my big sister, Brenda. In person, mind you, not through the cell phone.

There were presents, pizza, cake and ice cream, and most of the immediate family gathered around the kitchen table, which is about all you can hope for these days.

Years ago we had all of our birthday celebrations around that kitchen table, with cake and ice cream and a favorite food. But as we all got older, with kids and jobs (and Tom and I moving four hours away), the celebrations got fewer and fewer between. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate with her again yesterday. This was the second time in three years and I hope the trend continues.

Afterward, Brenda and I sat at the table with Mama reminiscing, looking at old photographs, and pumping her for information about her life. I know I've heard these stories before, but I'm over 50 now... the memory is going! (Note to self: write them down this time!)

By necessity it was another quick trip, but at least we made it! I'm trying to stick to my New Year's resolution of a visit a month to see Mama and Daddy. I think July got skipped, but if I just miss one month of this year, it's the best-kept resolution I've had in a long time!

Some favorites shots of the weekend...

This image of Sam Houston on a Highway 225 tank is the epitome of Pasadena, on the route of the "Runaway Scrape" ... the past and the present coming together. Strange, but I don't remember them ever telling us about that in school. I just found out about a potential project to paint more historic murals on these tanks - click here for more info and to vote.

Me and my "big" sister...

Party time!

Niece Christin...

Daniel feeding the (spoiled) squirrels...

Party at the Pole as usual! (Mama and Daddy spoil the birds, too.)

Daddy had to refill the birdfeeder...

...because the Parakeet was coming (he shows up about the same time every day!) Supah-Stah!

Tom sat out back with the camera for awhile to get some more of the Super Star Parakeet and was lucky - he got this one of the elusive Woodpecker! Daddy hadn't seem him in a while... what a surprise and a lucky shot for Tom!

Before heading back home, we visited a restaurant we've eaten at since before I liked Mexican Food (now that's a long time!) I would eat a Whataburger while everyone else chowed down on enchiladas and refried beans.(Mama and Daddy spoiled me, too.)

I love Whataburger... but when I think about all that Mexican Food I was missing... !

Back then it was called Monterrey House; now it's Little Mexico. Whatever the name, it's still delicious!

Now we're back home with a zillion highway photos in my camera. I've discovered that the way to stay awake on these drives when Tom is at the wheel is to take pictures out my window! I hate sleeping in the car, so you can imagine all the shots I snapped. Some actually turned out, um, not bad! I'll eventually post them on the photography blog if you're interested...

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Monday is nice to you!

 

 

I'm in love with Eddie V

I gained three pounds Saturday night but it was worth it.

My friend Tamara and her husband Rod were in town and invited us to meet them for dinner. Tom, as I mentioned yesterday, was out of commission because of his back, but he urged me to go anyway, without him. I think it was just to get me to leave him alone (Do you need anything? Did you take some ibuprofen? Want the heating pad? Don't you think you should get in the jacuzzi tub?)

It didn't take much arm-twisting. I hadn't seem Tamara in ages! Or at least it seems that way. So I touched up my makeup and headed into Austin to Eddie V's.

I'd never been there, but Tamara and Rod had just eaten there the night before for Tamara's birthday, and raved about it. They enjoyed it so much they picked it again so I could experience it.

Oh. My. Gosh. For the next few hours I was in Taste Bud Heaven... 

We shared a smorgasbord of appetizers (it was Happy Hour, discounted prices, so we splurged!) The Maryland Style Crab Cake, the Salt & Pepper Gulf Shrimp, Pacific Ahi (pretty much sliced raw tuna... I was very hesitant at first, but, oh-my-gosh-again, it just melted in my mouth!), calimari (another first for me, although my kids love it), scallops, and Sliced Wagyu Beef "Hot Rock" Ishiyaki, paper thin slices of beef you literally cook yourself right there at your table on a hot rock, flipping it with your chopsticks. And somehow we found room in our stomachs to share a flaming Bananas Foster for dessert. Magic in my mouth!

Maybe some of you are yawning, but this was a night of gastronomic firsts for me, and I loved it! Of course, getting to spend a few hours catching up with Tamara and getting to know Rod a little better was the best part. (I just wish Tom could have been there! Next time... !)

 Cheers to one of those memory-laced but strong-as-steel friendships (and happy birthday, Tamara!)

 

 

 

Drew Womack, friends, a hill above the lake = a perfect Texas night

By the time slow-poke Friday knocks on our door, Tom and I are usually worn out from entertaining the other demanding, high-maintenance days of the week; we can muster enough energy to snuggle downstairs watching a movie, but that's about it. We don't have enough brain left to make plans (besides, we're procrastinators, remember?)

Thank goodness for our friends who do make plans and invite us to join them. That's how we came to be at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse last night, sitting on a hill overlooking Lake Travis at sunset, relishing the breeze that took the bite out of the Texas sunshine, sipping Pinot Grigio and a Shiner Bock, respectively, catching up with great friends, listening (and dancing) to Drew Womack singing cover songs and originals in his not-quite-country beautiful voice.

Isn't there a saying about not recognizing the treasure or beauty that's closest to you? If there's not, there should be. I've been hearing people in our little town talk about Drew for years (he lives here)... about what a great singer-songwriter he is, how talented, how he'd won awards in Nashville. 

I'd never heard of him, and Tom and I never bothered to go see him, although I did end up on a committee with him, briefly. He seemed like a sweet guy. It was only by accident that I found out everything we'd heard about his musical talents was true - he played at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse after my friend Darla's wedding. It had already been a long day, so Tom and I only lingered for a couple of songs, but I left reluctantly. Drew's music goes hand-in-hand with sitting up on that hill above the lake, watching the sunset.

I admit we didn't go to Steiner Ranch last night to see him, though - we didn't even realize he would be playing there when we planned it. It had just been too long since we'd gotten together with these friends, including the newlyweds, Darla and Roy (see the link to their wedding above.) 

Discovering Drew was playing just tipped the night's rating from "great" to "perfect". Tom and I were the last ones in our group to leave - we don't get out much, but when we do, we don't want it to end.

Scenes from the perfect Texas night... the girls, our table, Drew and the lake, sunset, night scene by Tom, Drew's teen groupies...