Long Hollow

Being a Mom...and sweet!s of the week

For most of this day, I sat at my kitchen table, close to all of my kids plus my mom, constantly giving thanks that I could do so.

I can't think of a better way to spend Mother's Day. I am blessed and I know it.

 

 "I got to grow up with a mother who taught me to believe in me." ~ Antonio Villaraigosa

 

There were so many things I wanted to write posts about this week. But because there were so many things, I didn't have a minute to spare, and those posts didn't get written. 

I've consolidated them a little bit here in my sweet!s. It's a great way to remember the good things that happen...and good practice for squeezing sweet! out of something that seemed totally sour at the time.

 

Tuesday: purple thistle; discovering catered food in the company break room when you're starving; touring the new high school and seeing old friends at the same time; strawberries and blackberries straight out of a friend's garden; a bag of onions to take home

 

 

Wednesday: a good morning text from a friend; cactus blossoms; a room filled with love and laughter, celebrating the 20th anniversary of your priest's ordination with friends

 

 

 

Thursday: being part of a company that completely shuts down one day a year to give back to its community by helping a nonprofit business in the area; helping to build a memorial garden in a local no-kill animal shelter (Texas Humane Heroes - so many precious animals waiting to adopted!)

Friday: getting to the other side of the mock listing presentation you've been dreading; puppy kisses; the soreness that comes from physical labor

 

 

Saturday: sleeping in, then taking a leisurely walk with your puppies; spotting a fox; clearing away the piles of paperwork that were growing in your office; joining your mom in a Mother's Day reception

 

 

Sunday: Mass with your kids and husband; a huge bacon and egg brunch, courtesy of your son; kids who are always willing to help out; spending Mother's Day with your mom and all of your kids; seeing your brother and his wife; a bouquet of yellow and purple flowers from your son and daughter-in-law

 

 

To all mothers, in all shapes and forms, I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.

To those who couldn't be with their mothers this weekend, or with their sons or daughters, remember their love is always with you, inside and out.

 

“Being a mom has made me so tired. And so happy.” — Tina Fey 

Canyon Wrens, Laptops, Irish Beer, and other Sweet!s

 

I sat on the front porch for a few hours this afternoon. The sunshine and blue sky were so crisp I couldn't stand to be inside any longer.

I grabbed my laptop and planted myself in a rocking chair to listen to training webinars while watching a cardinal and tufted titmouse take turns at the birdfeeder, always keeping one eye on me.

Eventually I also had my camera and a glass of wine with me. Unfortunately, as soon as the cardinal spotted the zoom lens, he disappeared into the oak trees. They are such chickens.

But the little bird above appeared, hopping around on the rocks of the retaining wall. One often appears on the window of my office, intent on cleaning bugs off my screen. I love watching it, but didn't know what it was. So tonight I searched and searched until I found its name. 

It's a Canyon Wren. Of course.

The titmouse was a bit of a chicken, too, but I managed to capture this photo when he flew into the tree to groom himself. He thought I couldn't see him.

 

For me, it was a gloriously sweet! way to spend an afternoon. 

But, except for the concert of Irish ballads I caught at my mom's nursing home today, it didn't feel much like St. Patrick's Day to me until my son came home, bearing Irish beer and pulling up Irish music on his computer.

Having adult kids living at home isn't so bad. Erin Go Bragh!

Here are some other sweet!s from the past week... (remember to share yours in the comments!)

 

Tuesday: enjoying "margaritas" and a musical performance with your mom at her nursing home 

Wednesday: finding out your daughter-in-law sang onstage for the audience at Jimmy Kimmel's SXSW show; a stranger in the eye doctor's waiting room offering to let you show it to your mom on his iPhone because your phone is dead; your mom's successful eye surgery

Thursday: beautiful cards and letters from your friends to your mom; news that your cataract hasn't grown or moved; your daughter entertaining a client's children; grilled shrimp tacos

Friday: glowing recommendations from clients on your website; showing homes to clients; popcorn and movies with your daughter

 

Saturday: a baby shower to welcome a friend's first grandchild; winning a game at the baby shower!

Sunday: taking time to catch up with a friend after church; visiting a recently widowed neighbor; helping a precious young family get into a home; your husband and sons making it back from Florida, safe and sound; surprising your mom and her roommate with brownies; courtesy of your daughter

 

Monday: getting back on your exercise schedule; paychecks; hugs from friends in your office; listening to Irish ballads and eating tiny cupcakes with your mom; an afternoon of birdwatching/working on your front porch; Irish music, thanks to Pandora, and Irish beer, thanks to your son

Here's an extra sweet! ... 

Spring is finally getting the best of Winter, here in Austin. Hallelujah! 

 

 

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic. 

~Adrienne Cook

Life in the Underground (and other sweet!s)

Austin is a wild place right now, caught up in South by Southwest fever. I wish I had the time to just hang out downtown all day and night, catching interesting seminars and random stars performing.

Maybe next year...

But I moved a little closer this year by attending a kickoff party downtown for Austin Realtors who are members of an exclusive Facebook group called "Brokers Underground". Mainly we just share information about listings and learn from each other's experiences, but it's a wonderful, supportive group, and it was so cool to meet some of the other members face to face on Thursday night at The Market, a downtown, multi-level bar.

Free food. Open bar. Music by Johnny Gray who performed on "The Voice". A gorgeous Austin night in a rooftop bar, surrounded by familiar faces and meeting new friends. 

Sweet!

Here are a few other sweet! moments from the past week...

 

 

Monday: watching your mom and her friends play dominoes

Tuesday: your Hollow sparkling in ice

 

 

Wednesday: an email requesting a listing appointment; your son meeting you at your office 

Thursday: catered lunches and new home tours; a rooftop Realtor party in downtown Austin kicking off SXSW, and featuring Johnny Gray from The Voice; free food and drinks and music; familiar faces and new friends; caviar for the first time

 

 

Friday: a Keller Williams Annual Awards lunch; photobooths; inspiration from colleagues; friends sending your mom cards and letters, even if they don't know her

 

 

Saturday: helping a client get the home she had her heart set on; your husband and sons arriving safe and sound in Florida; the rain ending just when you need to bring groceries into the house; dinner at a friend's house

Sunday: a morning walk with your puppies; homemade kolaches; Sunday sign inspiration; news that your client's lease application was accepted; your daughter getting a fire started when you're about to give up on it; eating Caramel Turtle Cheesecake ice cream and watching "Girl With a Pearl Earring" with your daughter; a call from your mom to tell you she loves and appreciates you

Monday: sleeping in until 7:30 am on a Monday; being able to work from home; a smile on your mom's face; ice cream and popcorn for dinner, while watching "Shawshank Redemption" with your daughter

 

I hope you had a fun week, although I hope it didn't zoom by as fast as mine. And I hope you're getting more sleep. 

No matter what's going on, don't forget to open your eyes to the blessings around you!

 

 

I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.

~ Agatha Christie

 

 

 

A Saturday Morning at Austin's Franklin Barbecue

On the surface, getting up extra early on a Saturday morning to wait in line four hours for lunch doesn't sound very appealing, especially when the weather is kind of chilly and drippy.

But I did it this past Saturday anyway, just to experience Franklin Barbecue for myself. I'm on a continual quest to discover all the gems Austin has to offer, and from all reports, this sounded like one.

So I met my sons, daughter-in-law, her sister, and two of their friends in Franklin's parking lot down on 11th Street in east Austin at 8 am. I forgot a chair, but fortunately they came prepared with chairs, mimosa ingredients, and the game Uno.

Drinking mimosas and playing Uno with my grown kids would be enough fun for me anytime and anywhere, but doing it in a downtown Austin parking lot where you can watch people and make new friends and eventually eat your fill of delicious barbecue...well, that's my kind of Saturday morning.

Four hours is also plenty of time to take lots of iPhone photos, too...

 

Our little group is just this side of the building...in front of all the UT orange.

 

 

The females in our group.

 

The line.

 

 My boys playing Uno. My oldest gave me his chair and his jacket. What a sweetheart!

 

 Meet Kenzie. She was so good the whole time.

 

 

If you saw the movie "The Help" then you know what this means.

 

 

Another group played horseshoes instead of Uno.

 

 My oldest and his love. Getting close to the door!

 

We made it inside!

 

 So close. We were drooling by this time.

 

Now that's a pile of meat! Sausage, brisket, pork ribs, a beef rib, smoked turkey, and pulled pork. 

Add bread and sauce and that's a meal, right?

 

Franklin Barbecue is good about communicating with the people in line about when they can expect to be served. And they give samples.

They also go down the line getting a guesstimate of what each group is going to order so they can figure out who the last person is who will be served...that's the Last Man Standing. That way the latecomers don't stand in line for hours only to be told at the last minute "Sorry! We ran out!"

Good business!

That was a sweet Saturday morning, for sure. Here are some other sweet!s from the past week...

 

Monday: turning on the television just in time to catch an amazing lip sync battle between Jimmy Fallon and Paul Rudd

Tuesday: baby goats; touring new homes with a friend/colleague; hearing from old friends

Wednesday: rainy days; the return of blue skies, in time for a glorious sunset

 

 

Thursday: hearing a hawk and watching it fly in a cloudless blue sky; your mom receiving cards and letters from your friends to boost her spirits

Friday: somehow reining in your temper when people haven't done what they said they were going to do; showing your mom her birth certificate; getting an iPad on sale; watching "Ghostbusters" with your daughter 

Saturday: spending the morning with 3/4 of your kids, drinking mimosas and playing Uno; Franklin Barbecue, especially when you are really, really hungry; picking up good clients while on phone duty; watching "Ghostbusters 2"** with your daughter

Sunday: Texas Independence Day; Mass with your husband; helping a friend with an open house 

 

 

Monday: watching your mom play dominoes with Margarite, Jewel, and Lila Sue; your son vacuuming the dog hair from the laundry room without being asked; the sound of thunder, lightning, and rain outside your window, when there's a warm fire nearby

 

**Have you ever watched "Ghostbusters 2"?

All I had really remembered about it was the baby being kidnapped by the evil guy, which freaked me out because Daniel was a baby when it first came out.

Apparently baby-kidnapping was a going theme in the late 80's because that's also what happened in "Willow". What the heck??

Anyway, this time what struck me was its overall message that love and good-will toward one another can conquer evil. 

I wish they could have conveyed it without kidnapping a baby, but oh, well.

 

 

“I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.”

 

― Charles Dickens

 

 

Signs of Spring...and other sweet!s

Cedar Waxwings have returned to the Hollow! A huge flock of them graced the tall leafless willows near the pond most of the morning, just kind of hanging out. I ventured as near as I dared and snapped about a thousand photos with my zoom. 

I'm not sure if any of the pics will do them justice - it was a gray morning and I was still pretty far away, because I didn't want to spook them. But it doesn't matter. It was enough to just stand there and exist with them for a little while.

If any are worth sharing, I'll post them later over at Confessions. In the meantime, here are a few definite signs that Spring is moving back in..

I spotted this odd couple Saturday morning...a Cedar Waxwing and a Robin.

 

Rosemary is blooming in front of one of my listings. Bees were going crazy!

 

And here are a few other sweet!s from the past week...

Monday: getting to watch a portion of your company conference in Phoenix from the comfort of your Austin office with friends, while sipping on a cocktail and snacking; coupons for free Chik-Fil-A sandwiches; dining outside on a balmy Austin evening with your daughter

 

Tuesday: property tours; gorgeous Lake Travis scenery; a call from a neighbor you didn't know before, thanks to the neighborhood group you formed; a new haircut and re-blonding

 

 

Wednesday: your son's help in getting a copy of your mom's birth certificate easier and faster than it was going to be; your errant puppies heading home with just a single "Go home now!" command given through your car window

 

 

Thursday: the Flight Path coffee shop; a Turkey Reuben eaten outside at Avenue B Grocery; your adventuresome puppies (apparently) staying home without their shock collars; learning how to add emoticons to your text messages

Friday: classes with free lunches; a referral by a friend; picking up a lead at the grocery store; warm brownies, thanks to your daughter 

Saturday:  Robins and Cedar Waxwings returning to your hollow; meeting with potential buyer clients; watching and critiquing movies with your kids

 

 

Sunday: inspiration on an A-frame sign; Quiche Lorraine; encouragement for your writing; a visit with your mom, son, and daughter-in-law, all at the same time; writing critique group meetings; quesadillas for dinner, courtesy of your daughter

Monday: taking time to just watch a flock of Cedar Waxwings; a glimpse of bright yellow bird in the bushes; your mom just suffering a couple of bruises from a fall; taking 10 minutes from an over-busy day to play your neglected drums

I wish I could send our warm weather, bees, and blossoms up to those of you in the north still stuck in signs of winter! I hope you still find plenty of sweet!s in each day.

 

"Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience."  

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."  

~John Quincy Adams

Simple Sweets

 

Steve and Lisa, a couple in my church, took it upon themselves to form what they call a "hospitality" ministry several months ago. Almost every Sunday they prepare and offer some special brunch item after each Mass. Just the two of them.

 

Today it was French toast. Yum!

They also offer fruit in waffle cones, muffins, chocolate-covered strawberries...with culinary presentation the best restaurants would envy. And they do it all through donations or personal funds. The church only paid for upgrades to the kitchen area.

Lisa has turned our once-drab Parish Activity Center into a delightful bistro, with cute wine bottle centerpieces on the table and whimsical artwork on the walls. Thanks to her and Steve, parishioners now linger over coffee, getting to know one another better, instead of rushing home after Mass.

But one of the things I love best about their ministry is the sign above, where Lisa writes a different inspirational, encouraging, motivational message each week. You don't see it until you're leaving the PAC.

A sweet! to send us back off into the world, well-fed and inspired.

A funny thing about this particular message... Before seeing it this morning, I had just thanked another parishioner who I don't know very well for sending a card years ago when Tom was in his serious head-on accident. That little gesture meant so much at the time, and still occupies a large part of my heart, reminding me how important those little things can be to others.

Here are some other sweet!s from the past week...

  

Monday: friendly, helpful people in the Social Security Administration office; having an iPhone so you can catch up on email when you have a two-hour wait

Tuesday: being able to work from home on icy mornings; finishing a project you've been working on for weeks; restoring email to your iPhone without having to visit the Apple store; earning $300 worth of free jewelry just by hosting a catalog party

Wednesday: a cardinal's morning serenade; your son visiting you at work so you can show him off to your colleagues; a glorious sunset after days of gray skies

 

 

Thursday: resolving your mom's banking issues; touring vintage homes; a happy hour at your office; Deep Eddy's Cranberry Vodka

Friday: Yellow Cab vans with wheelchair seating; news that your mom's knee doesn't need surgery, only time to heal; dancing for hours with friends to Disco Inferno (and other great dance songs) 

Saturday: sleeping in; enough free time for a leisurely walk with your puppies; peanut butter-chocolate chip muffins, courtesy of your son; your new jewelry waiting in your mailbox; getting to visit with your mom and oldest son at the same time

Sunday: the Garden of Eatin'...food, friends, and inspiration; warm brownies; helping a friend by posting a link to her Etsy shop, where her beautiful driftwood crosses are for sale

 

 (this is the one she gave me for Christmas)

 

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. 

~Mark Twain

 

P.S. Philip Seymour Hoffman,  thank you for sharing your talent with us.
I'm sorry we couldn't help you with your problems.
May you find peace now.

 

 

Galas, Volunteering, Photography and other Sweet!s

Last night I spent hours with a camera around my neck, stalking guests at the local Women's Club fundraising gala.

Now, mind you, it's pretty standard for me to have my camera hanging around my neck at any function I attend...well, anywhere I go... but last night was different: instead of complaining about me taking too many photos, people were asking me to take more, because I was the official photographer!

It was truly photographer heaven!

Because it was a fundraiser for the Women's Club, my only payment was a delicious dinner and a glass of wine. The Women's Club supports our community in so many ways, including awarding scholarships to several graduating seniors. My daughter was a recipient a few years ago, and I volunteered to show my appreciation.

Not only did I get to snap photos to my heart's content, but I bumped into several friends, met new ones, listened to an awesome band...the Vintage 15...and enjoyed scenes from the Wizard of Oz, created almost entirely from toilet paper rolls.

 

 

Monday: new dog beds made from an old mattress; French toast, courtesy of your husband; a call about one of your Craig's List posts

Tuesday: an extended property tour through your small town; a son who stops by after work to see your mom even though it gets him home really late

Wednesday: friends downloading and sharing your real estate mobile app to improve your chances of winning $20K

Thursday: a stranger helping you scrape ice from your windshield; making it home before the roadways are covered in ice

 

 

Friday: a snow day...long walks, warm fires, and chili simmering on the stove; an email from an old friend, asking you to photograph his daughter's April wedding at a gorgeous outdoor chapel

 

Saturday: exploring new homes; getting to see your oldest son and your mom in one visit; being the official photographer at a Gala; works of creative wonder made from toilet paper rolls; big bands; staying up late watching episodes of American Horror Story with your kids

 

 

Sunday: a flash of blue in the woods, signaling the return of the Mexican Jays; Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies; watching a trio of Brady Bunch episodes with your mom

 

 

I hope you've all collected a bunch of sweet!s this week, too.

Share them here!

If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time,
because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure.
It transcends all barriers.

~ Ed Sullivan

 

A Cousin, a Mom, and Mexican Food. Sweet Sunday!

 

 

Tomorrow is my cousin Patricia's birthday.

She's always held a special place in my heart, beginning when she was a teenager. Unlike some of my other teenage cousins, she was consistently nice to me when we went to visit, even though I was a brat.

I haven't forgotten.

Her dad was one of my favorite uncles, too...a self-taught artist and musician who made me laugh and triggered my interest in antiques and family history.

However, even though Pat doesn't live far from me, we've only gotten together a few times over the past twenty years, for an occasional lunch or hike through a cemetery. (We're both into genealogy.)

But soon after Daddy died, she made a one-day trip to Houston, just to see Mama. Then she sent Mama a care package around Thanksgiving, full of cookies, snacks, and I don't know what else. And as soon as I brought Mama up to Austin, Pat was there...bearing gifts, of course. 

Love is, above all else, the gift of oneself.
~Jean Anouilh

So this afternoon, Mama and I took Pat out to dinner. It's just a drop in the bucket of repayment, and pales in comparison to her thoughtfulness (especially since she brought another basket full of goodies for Mama) but I hope it helps her understand how much we love and appreciate her.

She's a sweet! all by herself, for sure!

 

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich."  

~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford

 

 

Here are a few others from the past week...

Monday: finally having your camera when you spot ducks on a pond; learning the tricks of real estate photography

 

 

Tuesday: time to walk with your puppies and pray before getting caught up in the busy-ness of your day; a friend saving you a seat at a meeting when you're running late; sponsored lunches; interest in a beautiful house you just posted on MLS

Wednesday: your first closing; a hug from your sister who travelled up to see your mom; finally getting all of your Christmas decorations boxed up; taking time to watch a gorgeous full moon rise from behind the hills

 

 

Thursday: safely spotting - and photographing - a gorgeous coyote; saving ducks from getting eaten by a coyote; obedient puppies

 

 

Friday: getting a lead while on phone duty; making progress on some to-do's; a movie with your son

Saturday: catching the end of a Shirley Temple movie and traveling to Wales with Rick Steves while eating breakfast, checking email, and sipping your morning coffee;  your tall son helping you hang portraits in your mom's room

Sunday: helping your cousin celebrate her birthday with your mom; Green Chili Tortilla Soup and spicy salsa that opens your sinuses when you're suffering from cedar fever; a quick phone visit with your eldest; selling one of your many "For Sale"s

 

What were some sweet! moments from your past week? I hope you've been paying attention!

Oops! I almost forgot one of the sweetest moments of the week. (My days blend together so much lately. That's one reason it's important for me to sit down here and count my sweet's! at the end of the week.)

Anyway, on Wednesday my sister and her husband took an overnight road trip to Austin so she could spend time with Mama. I didn't get much time with her, but enough for a sister-hug and a quick visit. 

Very, very sweet!

 

 

 

 

Epiphanies (and other sweet!s from the past week)

 

epiph·a·ny

 noun \i-ˈpi-fə-nē\

Epiphany : a Christian festival held on January 6 in honor of the coming of the three kings to the infant Jesus Christ

: a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way

 

Yesterday was Epiphany in the Catholic world. It's the 12th day after Christmas, celebrating the visit of the three kings or wise men to the Christ Child, signifying the extension of salvation to the Gentiles.

It's a light shining into darkness, revealing and guiding and reassuring. I love that it's celebrated in January, giving us hope and calming our trepidation as we face the unknowns of the coming year...especially when we look back and see what we survived in the last one.

Sweet!s are like little epiphanies...points of light that shine in the shadows of our day, helping us move forward and not get lost in the darkness. They are there; we just have to see them. Which is pretty sweet! all by itself.

And here are a few more from the past week...

 

 

 

Monday: fiery sunsets; the peace that comes from having your mom close by and the sense that she's in good hands

 

 

Tuesday: listing a beautiful home with views of Lake Travis; welcoming the new year watching movies with your kids; adults kids who can share a bottle of champagne with you...and realizing champagne does go with popcorn!

 

 

Wednesday: celebrating a new year with your family...including your mom; smoked ribs, a la your husband; time to sit on your deck with family, soaking up the sunshine; a husband who loves your mother enough to build ramps for her wheelchair

 

 

Thursday: morning walks with your puppies; sunlight glistening on your pond, now full of water again

Friday: finding time to revise your children's story; watching movies with your kids

Saturday: a day spent helping clients; visits with your mom and cousin at the same time

 

 

Sunday: helping to celebrate a dear friend's birthday; restaurant staff who sing "Happy Birthday" with gusto; strawberry cake topped with chocolate covered strawberries; writing critique group meetings with amazing women

Monday: a glimmer of hope that a deal you thought had died might come back alive; your son and husband stopping to visit your mom

Tuesday: the anticipation of a reunion with co-workers from your past who stayed in your life as friends

I hope you notice the points of light along your path. Have a great week! 

 

Keep your flame lit, and you will never feel darkness. ~J. Parker

(Bitter)sweet

Tomorrow is going to be a day of transition, of goodbyes and new beginnings. I'm traveling to Houston and bringing my mother back here to live in a nursing home minutes from my house.

Except for occasional weekends in her house - my childhood home - she has been living in a nursing home near Houston since she and Daddy were released from the hospital in July. She has been whirling through one transition after another for months, including my Daddy's death, hoping the day would come when she could just go back to the house she'd called home for almost sixty years and live in peace. The house she vowed she would live in forever. 

It took time, but she finally agreed moving closer to me might be the best thing. It will certainly bring me peace of mind having her close enough that I can just jump in the car when I can't reach her on the phone, or when I have questions about her care.

I'll be able to stop for a hug on my way to and from work. On rare days when I can't go see her, Tom and the kids will be there. I plan to take her on outings, to my house or my son's, or the mall or out to eat or wherever she wants to go.

But first we have to get through tomorrow, and Tuesday, and Christmas. I have to watch her say goodbye to her house and familiar streets, and then help her look forward, reminding her she'll carry those places and memories in her heart wherever she goes. 

It will be a bittersweet day at best.

But I'll still be on the lookout for purely sweet! moments, those little gifts of light God sends to brighten the dark days. I know they'll be there. 

Here are a few more from this past week...

 

Tuesday: flexibility in your job; delivering Texas-shaped gingerbread to clients; finding a beautiful ornament from a friend in your mailbox

 

 

Wednesday: gorgeous sunrises through your window; a productive day at home; Mucinex; watching The Grinch and decorating your tree with your daughter

Thursday: a photo of your mom with Santa, thanks to your sister; time to take care of things that have been nagging at you; going to the movies with your kids, even if it's not a good movie; a large bucket of theater popcorn

Friday: spotting a Mallard duck couple swimming on a pond; watching a movie with your kids and laughing so hard your stomach hurts; an executed contract

Saturday: bumping into a friend you haven't seen in years in the post office and being asked to find property for her in Wyoming; an afternoon of baking; warm cookies fresh from the oven; Christmas parties with friends and family; dancing in an airplane hangar; fresh homemade empanadas

 

 

Sunday: seeing the magic of Santa in children's eyes; friends who are willing to dress up like elves; assurance that your mother hasn't developed sepsis; a walk with your puppies after church; a blue heron flying overhead; seeing a dear friend in the grocery store; watching the best parts of the old "Sound of Music" with your son and daughter 

 

May you spot the sweet! moments in your life, even on the bittersweet days. I promise they are there.

 

May we see after the rain, fair weather, after the darkness, light, after these storms and tempests, a gentle calm. Amen.

 

 - St. Cyprian of Carthage

 

While bread is baking...

 

 

Pumpkin bread is baking in my oven as I type. Several small loaves and one larger Texas-sized ceramic dish I bought years ago near Round Top. My friend Ann bought one just like it.

Would you believe I've never used it for baking until this year? I made a Texas-shaped gingerbread earlier this week, and now pumpkin bread.

Who knew, so many years ago when I bought it, that I was preparing for this Christmas season, when Texas-shaped bread would be such a cute gift for my real estate clients? 

The spicy scent drifts to me from the kitchen, making me eager for a taste. Most of the loaves will be gifts, but I know we'll cut into one of them right out of the oven.

I've been in a flurry of preparation, lately, trying to prepare for Christmas and the new year. Kind of like spring fever jitters or pregnancy nesting.

I've been getting systems, a budget, and a 2014 plan in place for my business...sorting my stuff into "sell", "give", or "keep" stacks...taking steps to move my mom closer to us...planning another reunion with my old DuPont gang...and preparing for Christmas in all of the outward ways - the cards, the tree, the decorations, the gingerbread and pumpkin bread.

Advent is a time of spiritual preparation, though, so I've been working on that, too, with prayer and daily readings, but I keep stumbling over patience... with myself, with others, with results. 

At a party Saturday night, a friend told me how she illustrated Advent for the children in her Sunday school class by baking gingerbread. She showed them how you take different specific ingredients, how you measure them and blend together just right, how you prepare pans and an oven for the baking, then you wait, while the house fills with that heavenly scent of ginger and warmth and spices, making your mouth water and your tummy growl in anticipation. 

The smell isn't the end, just a sign that it is coming, one that makes you eager to see and taste the finished results. But you have to be patient.

And so I'm reminded to open up my spiritual senses, to be aware of the miracles and blessings and signs of God's presence that I encounter every day...signs of something greater to come...although too often I don't notice them in my busy-ness.

I'm reminded to prepare, to be awake and to be patient...because patience is rewarded.

 

 

"Patience with others is Love, Patience with self is Hope, Patience with God is Faith."

  ~Adel Bestavros

 

 

Firewood and other sweet!s

My socks may not match, but my feet are always warm.

~Maureen McCullough

 

The drought took its toll on many of the oak trees in the Hollow. But Tom found the good in that this past weekend by cutting up the dead ones into woodburning stove sized pieces.

Our woodpile had dwindled so much that we'd actually resorted to turning on the heat for these cold, cold nights, but thanks to Tom, his new chainsaw blades, and Daniel for helping to carry and stack, we have a beautiful, replinished stack just outside the back door. 

 

 

Now that's a sweet! sight!

 

Here are a few other sweet!s from the past week...

Tuesday: a holiday office open house; making it to all four of the houses on your property tour; getting a quick haircut even though you were way late for your appointment because you couldn't find the new salon location; finally getting a new doctor for your mom; a potential client from phone duty; James Taylor and Carole King 

Wednesday: indoor plumbing and hot water heaters, especially on cold mornings; a reuben sandwich and cup of corn chowder from the Avenue B Grocery; holiday open houses full of familiar faces; doctors who reply to emails; a surprise gift from your husband to make planting For Sale signs easier

 

 

Thursday: working from home; an Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass, followed by a dinner of homemade tamales and pan dulce

 

Friday: Friday the 13ths, period; your Christmas cards finally ready to mail; finding Christmas cards from others in your mailbox

Saturday: trading old books for hard cash...and resisting the temptation to spend it on more old books; dancing to live music, catching up with good friends, and watching a sky light drift into the stars 

 

 

Sunday: Giving Trees; a partially clean house dotted and dripping with shiny Christmas memories; smoked turkey for dinner, thanks to your husband

Monday: a frost-covered morning; eating Chick-fil-A in a parking lot with your daughter, watching people pass on the street; a dear friend stopping to check on your mom for you; warm gingerbread, fresh from the oven

 

 

 

Wishing you plenty of warmth and sweetness in the week ahead!

 

 

"And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread."

 

– William Shakespeare, Love’s Labours Lost

 

Dancing, Sunshine, and other sweets

 

 

 

 

 

After several days of gray skies and temperatures below freezing, the sun finally made an appearance yesterday afternoon. And the clouds even stayed away long enough for me to say hello to a half moon and a sky full of stars that dripped all the way to the tree tops.

Hallelujah! My spirit soars under a clear sky, and even though this morning I woke to another gray sky and cold drizzle, I feel recharged. 

Here are some other sweet!s from my past week...

 

Monday: finding a lucky penny, reminding you "In God We Trust" just when you're feeling overwhelmed; getting a lease client while on phone duty; your first real estate paycheck; finally finishing the weeding of your library

 

 

Tuesday: remembering the day you became a mother, and wishing your oldest a happy birthday; touring a million dollar home set in the hills near Austin; juniper trees lining the roadsides decorated for Christmas; a long-overdue re-blonding

Wednesday: guidance for your 2014 business plan; God's art in the sky, made of wind and clouds

Thursday: a bus ride with colleagues to Fredericksburg, Texas; the Christmas light displays in Johnson City

 

 

Friday: dry roads so you can attend your company party and enjoy dancing, photo booth sessions, making new friends, and chocolate fountains

 

 

Saturday: your sister home safe after a cruise; not having to leave your house except to walk your puppies

Sunday: your husband walking in with an armload of firewood on a cold morning, and assurance that his car is loaded down with more; a telephone visit with your sister-in-law, even if it isn't all great news; your son learning how to make Terry Boer's Chicken and Rice casserole; an evening of visiting with friends; couples in their 80's who are still tearing up the dance floor

 

Monday: attending a class that supports your belief that a Realtor is more public servant than salesperson; getting a new customer while your watch gets a new battery in the mall; nurses who put their patients above job security

 

How's the weather where you are?

If it's cold and gray, I hope you find a way to recharge, too! (Try dancing!)

 

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.

~ Edwin Denby

Friday Night Lights (A Winter Day in the Texas Hill Country)

 

 

Well, these were actually taken last night, Thursday. I traveled with a bunch of Keller Williams colleagues via bus to Fredericksburg for a day of shopping, a wine-tasting, and then a stop in Johnson City on the way home to ooh-and-aah over the lights.

 

 

With temperatures below freezing and a wind chill pushing it into the teens, it really felt like Christmas all day. The shops and restaurants were warm, the company was awesome, and it was a fantastic day. And hallelujah, there was no ice on the road.

 

 

Sure, there were tons of other things I probably should have been doing yesterday, instead of roaming through shops taking photos, but it's good, especially during Advent and the Christmas season, to just slow down and do something purely for fun, don't you think?

 

 

 

I'll post more of the photos tomorrow on Confessions. Meanwhile, tonight most of us met again for a company Christmas party.

I know it's hard to believe, but I didn't take one single photo at the party! I did jump in a photo booth with friends twice. Photos to be posted later. Maybe.

I danced, though. That was at the top of my priority list...and way overdue.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I'm grateful it's supposed to be cold and icy/rainy here in Austin. Time to get Christmas cards ready to mail and a tree, glistening with memories, standing in my livingroom.

How will you spend your weekend?

Chicken and Rice Casserole, a la Terry Boer and Campbell!

 

The index card is yellow and splotched, the ink faded, but considering all of the action it's seen over the past twenty years, it's amazing it's still around at all, much less legible.

When not in use, I keep it tucked in a small recipe box with other favorites, mostly one-pan wonders where you toss all of the ingredients into a casserole dish or a pot and walk away for a few hours. When my kids were little, that was top priority...right under taste, of course.

Terry Boer is the dad of five kids. When I worked shifts with him at the chemical plant years ago, those kids were all really young. He knew a thing or two about pleasing a pack of picky palates on a budget and generously shared his expertise with me, a new mom stretched on time and money.

His Chicken Casserole has been a favorite in our house ever since. I especially love it because, well, it's delicious! But also because it has so few ingredients - chicken, rice, dried onion soup, and Cambell's Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soup. I've always kept cans of both on hand. I added them to almost everything when my kids were growing up, so that they'd eat.

My kids are now young adults, adventurous eaters who even like vegetables, but they still request Terry Boer's Chicken Casserole. 

Something good is always better when it's shared, so I'm sharing Terry's recipe with all of you, just as he did with me so many years ago...

 

Terry's Chicken Casserole

Ingedients:

2 teaspoons of butter
2 cups of water
1 cup of uncooked rice
1 whole chicken, cut up
1 can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom soup
1 packet of dried onion soup

Pour melted butter into a 9 x 13 pan. Add the water, then the cup of rice evenly. Place chicken skin up. Pour soup over the chicken. Sprinkle the onion soup over it all. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Take off the foil and bake another 15 minutes.

 

I hope your family loves it as much as ours has!

For more recipes your kids will love, be sure to check out Campbell's "The Wisest Kid in the Whole World™" page.  

 

Mom hugs, singing frogs, and other sweet!s of the week

We couldn't have asked for better weather in Austin, Texas on Thanksgiving Day. Clear blue skies, a touch of autumn in the breeze...perfect for throwing open the doors to cool off a small kitchen full of cooks trying to get dinner on the table. 

I'm so grateful we were able to stay here and celebrate in my son and his wife's home, along with her family, christening it with love and gratitude and wishes for many happy Thanksgivings in the years to come.

I'm also grateful my sister, niece, and nephew made sure my mom had a wonderful Thanksgiving in her home, and that I was able to hop in the car the next morning with my kids and drive to Houston to spend time with her myself. 

We didn't repeat Thanksgiving dinner. Instead we ate Mexican food and kolaches on our old kitchen table, drank lots of coffee, and spent hours reminiscing, laughing, watching the squirrels in the back yard, and looking at photos.

I missed Daddy's smile and hug, of course, but I felt him with us, and all things considered, our visit was a sweet memory to tuck into my heart.

 

 

I hope your Thanksgiving weekend was full of sweet memories for you to tuck away and savor. 

Here are a few other sweet!s from my past week. Share yours in the comments!

 

Tuesday: exploring houses with friends; sunshine after days of rain; your first transaction approved for payment; finding your first holiday card in the mailbox

Wednesday: making your mom's cornbread dressing; your son volunteering to chop all of the onions and celery for the dressing; leftover pumpkin pie filling baked by itself in a small casserole and enjoyed warm from the oven

 

Thursday: helping your son and daughter-in-law celebrate their first married Thanksgiving in their home; teaming up with your son in a game of beanbag toss (otherwise known as 'corn hole'?); your grown kids still loving to color with markers and pencils

 

 

Friday: a road trip with your kids; your mom's hugs and kisses; staying up late with your daughter watching ConAir and Tombstone; Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday

Saturday: kolaches for breakfast; fixing your mom's hair; a surprise visit from your mom's old neighbors; home again, safe and sound

Sunday: frogs singing to you on your morning walk; leftover ham and cornbread dressing and pumpkin pie; an afternoon free to finish sorting, cleaning, and (fingers-crossed) decorate for Christmas

Thou hast given so much to me, give one thing more - a grateful heart; not thankful when it pleaseth me, as if Thy blessings had spare days, but such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.

~ George Herbert

 

P.S. The mother of some of my dear friends was in a bad car accident yesterday. She's in serious condition. Please say a prayer for her!

 

A Thanksgiving Shift

 

 

I'm up late, waiting for pumpkin pies to cool enough to go into the fridge until tomorrow. Fresh, clean, asparagus spears and cornbread dressing (my mother's recipe) are already in the fridge, waiting to be popped in the oven first thing in the morning. 

It's not the first time I won't spend Thanksgiving in my childhood home, but I can count them on one hand.

But as much as I hated not being with my mother on this first Thanksgiving without my dad, it's also my son and daughter-in-law's first Thanksgiving as a married couple, and they're hosting in their new home. How could I miss that?

Among a zillion other things, I'm grateful for my sister, niece, and nephew who live near Mama, and will do whatever it takes to let her have one more Thanksgiving around that old kitchen table. 

Wishing all of you a happy Thanksgiving, no matter where you live, because each and every day we can find at least one thing to be thankful for, can't we?

...a breath, a raindrop, the sound of a friend's voice or even a smile from a stranger when we're feeling lost and alone in this big world. 

Remember, you're never alone.

 

God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart. 

~Izaak Walton

 

Raindrops are falling on my head...

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and I'm glad of it! We've needed the rain! Ponds are filling up and I'm already envisioning the fields of wildflowers we'll have in the spring.

The rain brought other gifts, too. I've been trying to capture a tiny reflection in a raindrop for a long, long, long time. This week I finally did it! Can you see it up there? 

Here are a few more sweet!s from the past week...

 

Monday: a friend who will change her plans to go check on your mom for you; a growing collection of clients and potential clients; the full moon rising over the horizon; friends' prayers for your mom

Tuesday: your mom NOT having pneumonia; attending an event downtown with your son...and bumping into a friend there 

Wednesday: publishing your first listing on MLS...and friends helping to get the word out about it; the Knights of Columbus Silver Rose visiting your church

 

 

Thursday: working in your church for a week so the secretary can take a vacation; good news on a parishioner's surgery; Giving Trees; church volunteers

Friday: the first fire in your wood-burning stove; spicy chili; having a double-oven when one decides to break; sharing popcorn and silly movies with your kids

Saturday: a morning walk with no mosquitoes buzzing in your face; not having to leave the Hollow on a cold, wet day; referrals from friends

Sunday: raindrops falling on the surface of a pond that was recently a dry field covered in snow-on-the-prairies flowers; meeting long-distance clients in person for the first time and welcoming them to Austin; making it to your writing group meeting for the first time in weeks

Monday: ordering your Christmas cards in time to mail them before Christmas for the first time in a few years; colleagues who are willing to share what they've learned; homemade chicken soup on a cold night; submitting paperwork so you can get paid; your husband figuring out what's wrong with your oven and fixing it, without having to buy a single part, so you're ready for Thanksgiving...

 

What were some of your sweet! moments from the past week? Please share! And have a blessed Thanksgiving week!!

 

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. 

~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

 

 

Daughters-in-Law and other sweet!s

Yesterday I drove to the other side of Austin to wish my daughter-in-law a happy birthday in person for the first time, grateful that they finally live close enough that I can do that. It comes in handy for someone like me who always forgets to put birthday cards in the mail in time to arrive by the actual birthday.

I first met her when she was in high school, and have watched mostly from a distance as she grew into the beautiful, smart, fun 26-year-old woman she is today...

(photo by Bloom Photography)

They're settling into their new home and I love being able to see the progress. Tommy even installed one of those pull-down stairs to the attic in the garage, all by himself! And every time I go, Kirby has added new decorative touches.

It was pretty early in the morning - I was on my way to a new listing on that side of town - and they wouldn't let me take any new photos of them. But my grandpuppy Josie was willing to pose for my camera!

 

 

Pretty girl!

Here are a few other sweet!s from the past week...

 

Monday: open roads when you're running late; support and guidance in your new job; figuring out problems on your own; your son cooking dinner for you

Tuesday: signed contracts; exploring cute little flipped houses; riding in a car full of women realtors

Wednesday: clear skies on your drive to and from Houston; giving your mom a birthday hug and kiss, and joining your brother, sister, niece, and nephew in helping her celebrate

 

Thursday: lunch at Mandolo's with your daughter; traveling to Munich and Prague via your son's photos

Friday: finally buying a new printer/scanner/copier, thanks to your thoughtful writing group; taking a break from everything to read a few chapters of "Game of Thrones" for the first time in weeks

 

 

Saturday: your name and number on a For Sale sign in front of a listing; water in the Pedernales River, despite the major drought; soaking in views of the Texas Hill Country; helping raise money for the sons of a friend who died way too young; seeing the full moon slip above the horizon as the sun sets in fiery glory behind you; celebrating a friend's 60th birthday

 

 

Sunday: a walk with your puppies before Mass; selling something on Craig's List; driving around Austin on a beautiful day; setting up your new printer; catching up with a friend/neighbor/client over a glass of wine; moonlight on a caliche road

 

Whew! That was quite a week. I hope yours was full of sweet! moments! Share them here!

"There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate." 

~Robert Brault

Butterflies and other sweet!s

 

I'm still behind on emails and blog reading and writing my children's story, which means I still haven't figured out how to squeeze more time out of a day, but...

...from the back porch I can see the hollow changing colors; and hear the music of our little waterfall joined by a chorus of frogs.

...my little real estate train is moving a little faster and farther down the track.

...and tonight I get to go hear Harry Connick Jr. perform live, thanks to a generous friend.

Sweet! Sweet! Sweet!

Here are a few others from the past week...

 

Monday: joining other bloggers in calling for peace around the world; soft sound of rain falling on the leaves above you; systems finally falling into place; your car passing inspection; friends who keep your business in mind and give you real estate referrals; seasoned agents who generously share advice and tips for success; new listings

Tuesday: photography shoots; property tours with friends; sweet potato french fries; a call from your mom

Wednesday: your name drawn to win a $50 Visa card; appointments with client-friends; helping a young couple find just the right house to lease for them and their two big dogs

Thursday: cotton candy clouds at sunrise; bundling up for a morning walk; mist rising from your pond; colleagues who share their tips for success; the way Photoshop can erase wrinkles; moving closer to closing deals; taking part in a discernment; Terry Boer's Chicken and Rice Casserole (recipe to come soon!)

Friday: colorful sunrises; enthusiastic, supportive colleagues; lunch with your daughter; spicy soup on a cool day; a funny-movie-double-feature-evening with your kids

Saturday: mornings with no alarm clocks; moving forward on a transaction; dropping in on a friend; Mary Kay's homemade corn chowder; a UT Longhorn win, shared with friends

Sunday: Mass with your family; talking with your mom, even if it's just over the phone; butterflies; researching a haunted house for a customer; anticipation of hearing Harry Connick Jr. in person!

What sweet!s did you collect over the past week? Share them!

(And if you've figured out how to squeeze more seconds from a day, please share that, too!)

‎"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament.

Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanksgiving Comes First

This is a repost. I hope one day I can stop reposting it...

 

Halloween is behind us. According to the calendar, the next holiday here in the states is Veteran's Day, followed by Thanksgiving, but have you noticed there are already Christmas commercials on the TV and jingle bells are taking over the stores?

For the fourth year in a row, I'm joining blogger "Suldog" Jim Sullivan in his outspoken stance on giving Thanksgiving its due time before we're all wrapped up in red and green and tied with a fancy bow. 

 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven...

~Eccleciastes 3:1

I wrote this last year, and the year before, but it's still just as true:  This whole campaign isn't just about Thanksgiving. It's about time and seasons and silence and space and simplifying.

It's about focusing on one thing at a time and giving it all you've got, everything it deserves. It's about truly experiencing a season, thinking about what it means and being in the moment, not rushing ahead. 

If you feel you don't have enough time to prepare for Christmas if you wait until after Thanksgiving, perhaps you're making it too complicated. Trying to do too much. Focusing on the wrapping on the box instead of what's inside.

Time goes by too fast as it is and life has gotten more and more complicated. 

 

I’ve learned that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything… at least not at the same time. Timing is everything.

~Dan Millman 

 

Timing is everything. Let's take time to relish and focus. Let's slow down and simplify. Let's take things one at a time. 

But, as one friend said, "The only way you will EVER change this is to hit them in the pocketbook." So please join your voice and your pocketbook with me to remind the retailers that...

 

Please hop over and read Suldog's post HERE and another beautiful essay about Thanksgiving written last year HERE. And if you're on Facebook, like the page HERE and then share it with your friends!

Okay, what the heck. While you're at it, click on the little "Share This" button at the bottom of my post to share it on Google+ or Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest or wherever you like to share.

Help spread the word so our voices get LOUD. 

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God. 

~Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

Saturday Nights and other sweet!s

 

 

There was roast pig and birthday cake.

Wine and dancing. 

 A gorgeous sunset over the hills. 

 

A warm fire.

Familiar faces.

Laughter and hugs.

 

50th birthdays are the best!

I love helping friends celebrate them, especially when it means I get to spend time with my son and daughter-in-law...

 

 

Happy birthday, Terri! Thanks for letting me help you celebrate!

Here are a few other sweet!s from the past week...

 

Monday: a surprise visit from one of your dearest friends and her husband

Tuesday: new home tours and free lunches

Wednesday: exploring old neighborhoods; the forecasted rain waiting until you're home to begin; the sound of rain outside your window

Thursday: your instructor dressing as a flapper in a pink boa straight out of the 1920's for Halloween; splitting a yummy sandwich with your daughter at a vintage grocery store; your mom's laughter; celebrating Halloween by watching "Hot Fuzz" with your son

Friday: winning two door prizes in a row; your very own For Sale sign; a late afternoon walk with your puppies; your son not physically hurt when a girl who was texting runs her car into the back of his car

Saturday: sleeping in for the first time in a long, long time; frisky old puppies; working while rocking on your front porch; your husband finding just the right piece of counter granite you've been looking for for 10 years to go on your kitchen island...and getting rid of the door and red tablecloth you've had there while you waited; helping to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday; spending time with your son and daughter-in-law

Sunday: sleeping in a second day; late Mass, so you can sleep in; meeting people; siblings, so you can support each other when times are tough; getting the last brownie; your precious preemie niece finally getting to go home from the hospital

 

I hope you all of a long list of sweet!s from the past week. Share them here!

Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture. 

~Kak Sri

 

Not-So-Hidden Treasure

I've been driving in, around, and through Austin for almost 20 years now, but for the most part, I have traveled the same routes over and over and over.

Lately, I've been venturing out into unknown territory so that I'm better acquainted this wonderful city and its neighborhoods, and that's how I discovered this vintage grocery store, now operating as a sandwich shop.

It's situated only a few blocks from familiar roads in all directions, but I never knew it was there until yesterday. I snapped this photo with my iPhone and drove on...but then turned around, parked, and stepped through those awesome screen doors.

Right away, I had a flashback to a small grocery store my grandparents ran so long ago I could barely see over the counter. The register, the counter, the shelves behind it were all in the exact same place. It was weird, in a very cool way, and I had a sudden urge for a candy cigarette.

Instead I wandered to the back and grabbed a Texas Tea from a cooler and started conversations with other patrons who were waiting on sandwiches. Alas, I had already eaten lunch, but vowed to return.

So I did today. TG and I shared a chicken salad sandwich (with cheddar cheese, avocado, and bacon!) and a small serving of quinoa salad, because the owner (I guess he is, anyway) gave us a taste of it when we first arrived.

Oh. My. Gosh. It was all so good! I can't believe it's been there all this time and I never knew it. 

The neighborhood surrounding the shop is perfect for Halloween night. Tall oak trees, picket fences and porches. It reminded me a lot of an upscale version of Scout and Jim's neighborhood in "To Kill a Mockingbird". 

Most of the houses were dripping in decorations. I had to snap some photos with my iPhone...but not enough to have the cops called on me.

 

 

The owners of this house mixed Halloween and politics, Austin-style...

 

Do you decorate? I used to, but in these empty-nest, pre-grandchildren years, this is the extent of my decorating...

Sigh. Where did the time go?

We won't have any trick-or-treaters - we live too far down a dirt road - so I think I'll just settle down with some popcorn and watch "Young Frankenstein" to celebrate. 

What are your Halloween plans? Whatever they are, have fun!

 

Halloween wraps fear in innocence,
As though it were a slightly sour sweet.
Let terror, then, be turned into a treat...
~Nicholas Gordon

 

New Careers, Full Moons, Church Bazaars, and other sweet!s

Long ago I dreamed of having the job I have now...only I didn't know what it was at the time. Does that make sense?

As with any entrepreneurial endeavor, it's agonizingly slow getting started, but I'm confident in my abilities and that I'm on the right track. That's sweet! all by itself. (But if you, or anyone you know, needs/wants to buy, sell, or invest in real estate, please send them my way! I can use all the referrals I can get!)

Anyway, this past week I attended the Realty Roundup in Austin, a conference sponsored by the Austin Board of Realtors that brought together people in all different areas of the industry.

And people in the real estate industry are some of the friendliest, most giving and supportive people I've ever met. In fact, just a chance encounter on the stairs turned into a friendship with an agent from another Keller Williams market center in Austin. We hung out together the rest of the day, going from booth to booth picking up freebies, talking to vendors, and tossing business cards into fish bowls in hopes of winning a drawing.

She won a big basket,  but my name was never called. However, I don't hold a grudge. We look forward to getting together again soon. 

Dr. Jim Gaines from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University was one of the main speakers at the Roundup. Using lots of charts and graphs, he assured us the Austin market was just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger.

For an Austin Realtor, the news that everyone wants to live in Austin is pretty sweet! As good as a gift basket any day!

And here are some other sweet!s from my past week...

Tuesday: spotting old trucks when you're out on a property tour with friends; photo shoots; meeting clients

Wednesday: rush hour traffic in the rain when you share it with your daughter; rain; a random encounter with a stranger turning into a friendship; great news about the Austin real estate market 

Thursday: walking at sunrise; meetings with vendors over morning coffee and lunch; an afternoon walk with your puppies; baby geckos; playing around on MLS; a longtime friend getting married; homemade pumpkin bread, courtesy of your daughter-in-law

Friday: friends becoming prayer warriors for other friends; dancing under a full moon with friends and strangers in your church parking lot; making it home in time to watch the end of "The Lost Boys" with your daughter

Saturday: sleeping in; walks with your puppies on crisp autumn days; butterflies and fall wildflowers; sipping on a Bloody Mary while you work at your church bazaar; cake walks, washer tournaments, and ziplines; watching Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail for the zillionth time with 1/2 of your kids

 

Sunday: waking early without an alarm clock, in time to walk your puppies before Mass; chipping away at your to-do list; working on your laptop on the back porch, watching the sunset, listening to the little creek below you singing its gratitude for the recent rain; a good report from a friend with cancer

 

Last, but not least, getting comments on your blog even though you haven't had time to make your rounds lately.

Blogging is a give-and-take thing, and I'm so grateful to those blog friends who continue to have patience with me as I try to find my balance in this new time-sucking career of mine. I miss making my regular blog rounds, but I'm finding my footing and will be back soon.

The essence of true friendship is to make allowance for another's little lapses. 

~David Storey

Please share one of your sweet!s from the past week in the comments! And don't forget to keep your eyes open for them in the coming week. They're there, I promise!

The Sweet Sound of Rain

When it rains, you grow.

~ On a local church sign

 

I woke to the sound of rain Sunday morning.

Such a sweet sound when you live near a lake that now resembles a creek after months...well, years...of too much sunshine and too little precipitation.

Tonight the frogs living near our pond are singing in celebration. Another sweet sound.

The rain has slowed for now, allowing the half moon to come out and smile on us tonight, but more rain is expected to continue off and on for the next several days. 

I admit if we're going to have too much of something, I would rather have too much sunshine, but I realize that to be healthy, whether you're human or the Earth, you need some of each. 

Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger. 

~Saint Basil

 

Here are some other sweet!s from my past week... 

Monday: working out before letting your day get away from you; pink and blue variegated sunrise skies; brisk mornings and frisky puppies; discovering Asian Fusion; warm Turtle brownies, courtesy of your daughter

Tuesday: your husband making an old, dirty rug you love look brand new with a pressure washer; a sale from your etsy shop; free lunches; property tours; a friend calling to check on you  

Wednesday: discussing marketing strategies with your son; photo shoots; getting to see a dear friend while she's in town, meeting her colleagues, and finally (sort of) riding a mechanical bull

Thursday: making new connections; chipping away in all to-do areas; a check in your mailbox; being able to talk to your mom at least once every day

Friday: new buds on your crape myrtles; learning something new and making new friends every day; making time to work on your children's story for the first time in a couple of months

Saturday: free training; your son's friend arriving just in time to help carry groceries into the house; joining your writing group at an ice cream parlor to celebrate meeting our writing goals; watching "Cactus Flower" while making cyclops cookies with your son 

Sunday: waking to the sound of rain; being able to wish your son a happy 25th birthday in person; your son wanting to help a stray dog; being able to make someone happy with simple gifts like fried chicken tenders you only make once or twice a year on special occasions; making it to a writer's group meeting for the first time in ages; watching Galaxy Quest with your son 

Monday: yellow and purple wildflowers decorating the roadsides; a second day of rain; the healthy birth of a brand-new niece; getting to know members of your church better through a Bible study; capturing the sight of a frog hopping in your car headlights

What sweet!s did you collect this week? I hope all of you have a balance of whatever you need to help you grow!

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
 

~ Laura Mixon Story

 

 

Sunshine in My House

"A good laugh is sunshine in a house."

~William Makepeace Thackeray

 

We were already running late to church this morning when we spotted him, a little dirty-white fluff of a dog at the top of our dirt road near the highway.

I knew before he asked that Daniel would want to get out and check on him, so I bit my tongue about being late and gave thanks that my middle child, who turned 25 today, is such a caring, thoughtful, compassionate human being.

I've been lucky to spend a lot of time with him this past year, hanging out watching movies here at home, and hitting the road to visit my parents, where I watched him and his brother shave my daddy's grizzled face and clean his dentures and hold my mama's hand. 

This has been a tough year in many ways, and having Daniel here at the house these past few months has lightened my heart. Besides always being eager to help with dog-care, laundry, cooking, or whatever we need, he makes me laugh, listens to my rants, offers encouragement and support, gives wise advice and a shoulder to cry on.

He hasn't just become an adult...he's now a friend. His birthday is one of the best gifts I've ever received.

I could go on and on and on about his awesomeness, but I've written about it before more eloquently than I can today (here and here and here and here and here and here) and right now I need to go finish cleaning up the kitchen.

In honor of his birthday, I made some of his favorite foods: Cyclops Cookies and Jim's Chicken Tenders (from a recipe given to us by our friend Jim, of course.)

Consequently, every surface in my kitchen is covered in grease and flour. Daniel's totally worth it, though. 

Oh, by the way, the puppy was excited to see Daniel at first, but then got scared and ran to the house closest to the road. We're hoping that's where he lives. We went on to church (really, really late!) and then kept our eyes open as we drove back home afterward.

No sign of the little guy. I hope he's okay and we scared him from straying close to the highway again.

My prayer today is that today is the beginning of a wonderful year for you, Daniel...that all of your thoughtfulness is returned to you times ten.  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

 

P.S. Happy birthday wishes to my sweet sister-in-law Kim, my young cousins Ashley, Kayce and Kayce's daughter, Tayvie, and my inspirational South African friend Pete! 

 

 

Six Things on Saturday

 

1.

Wednesday night, as I drove home from a meeting, the huge Harvest Moon broke through the clouds, beaming bright on the road ahead of me.

I relished the beauty of it, but would you believe I didn't even think about grabbing my camera when I got home?

Something must be wrong with me.

 

2.

I've now experienced my first huge convention -  the Keller Williams Mega Camp, held here in the Austin Convention Center.

It started Thursday. Vendors, freebies, inspirational speakers, live music, and thousands of people from all over the world...so it was pretty amazing that a friend from high school, another new agent based in San Antonio , was sitting just a row behind me that first day.  

3.

I haven't met with my writing group in...well, I think it's been a few months. But this week I got a sympathy card from them in the mail because of my daddy's passing. Inside, there was another card containing a Best Buy gift card. They had chipped in to help me buy a new printer. 

That just blew me away. 

I'm glad they haven't given up on me!

 

4.

Tom's brother Steve and his wife, Kim, are visiting from Arizona. She's an agent with Keller Williams (my sponsor) and came in for the convention, and they just planned their trip to stay over for the weekend.

The last time they were here, six years ago for Tom's big 50th birthday party/Shallue family reunion, it rained and rained and rained. 

Then it stopped and we've been in a drought ever since.

Well, Thursday night it started raining and it didn't stop until early this morning.

Obviously, Steve and Kim need to visit more often.

Today...the first day of autumn...the sky cleared to a vivid blue, there was a golden tint in the sunlight, and temperatures dropped enough to enjoy lunch on a patio overlooking Lake Marble Falls. 

Hallelujah!

 

5.

Friday was Mama and Daddy's 64th wedding anniversary.  Sigh.

 

6.

 

Amen. 

 

 

 

Bittersweet

 

 

 

I spotted it when I stepped out onto the front porch one morning this past week, in between trips to Houston. I noticed the fossil first, thinking it had fallen from its spot on the windowsill above the bench where it now rested.

Then I realized it had been placed there to hold down a handwritten note.

"...I wanted to drop you a note and let you know you and your family are in my prayers..." 

It was from my longtime friend George. He has been making multiple trips from Houston to San Angelo to see his mother-in-law, who they discovered had lung cancer earlier this summer, and tries to vary it by taking different routes.

He left the note on Sunday. On Monday, a few hours after I found the note, his mother-in-law passed away. On Tuesday, while I said my last goodbye to my Daddy, he was on his way to San Angelo again, to help his wife say goodbye to her mother.

Considering my house is a mile down a dirt road, off of a small highway that twists and turns and isn't a shortcut between San Angelo and Houston by any means, it's a huge honor that he took the time to go that way to ease my pain over losing my dad, especially when he knew I wasn't home.

A few years ago in a post about friendship, I spoke of it as a garden that needs to be watered. Ever since then, we've referred to our infrequent emails as 'watering the garden'. 

So on the back of the note he sketched a flower and added these words: "You are a daisy in my garden...May God continue to shine through you and give you Peace...Can you feel the water?"

All those years ago, when we worked on the high school yearbook together and planned to go sky-diving, we never imagined that one day our friendship would include these days of mourning each other's losses. And I'm glad we didn't.

However, I am so very grateful we're still friends, flowers in each other's gardens.

(Please keep George, his wife, and their family in your prayers!)

A good friend is a connection to life -

a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. 

~Lois Wyse

 

Here are a few other bittersweets from my past week...

 

Sunday: joining with your siblings to support your mom after your father's passing; a safe journey home after a heartbreaking weekend  

Monday: a day to immerse yourself in images from your father's life that will become a slideshow memorial; a safe journey back to your childhood home with two of your kids, and the safe arrival of two more

Tuesday: helping your mom prepare for your dad's funeral; an ice chest full of eggs, bacon, and biscuits waiting on your parents' doorstep, courtesy of a friend; a limo driver named Paul, who provides just the right amount of conversation on a tough day; friends who help you mourn your father; "Day is Done" by a solitary trumpet, in honor of your father's service to his country 

 

Wednesday: breakfast, courtesy of and the friend who left the ice chest full of food on the porch the day before, and your son, who took his Granddaddy's place at the stove; fitting the huge schefflera plant from your Divas and other plants from friends into your car trunk; a safe journey home; Whataburger in LaGrange at sunset with your kids

Thursday: winning a book you wanted in a contest in your lead generation class; love, in the form of cards, waiting for you in your mailbox

 

Friday: lunch with new friends/colleagues; your new business cards waiting for you on the front porch; a walk with your puppies at sunset

 

Saturday: a day at home to catch your breath; your cousin traveling to see your mom and take her to lunch; tiny purple flowers shaped like Easter lilies

 

Sunday: Mass with your kids and hugs from your friends; cleaning and organizing sprees, even if they only make a dent; your husband making it home, safe and sound, after his own long journey to support his brother during a sad time

I hope your week has been full of more sweet!s than bittersweets. Share them here! If nothing else, look around at those you call friends, and give thanks. 

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” 

 ~ Shauna Niequist

 

 

Healthy, but Hearty!

For years, my family ate a lot of pasta and noodles. Especially lasagna, after my brother-in-law pointed out to me the no-boil recipe on the side of the box.

So easy!

And then my family got sick of lasagna.

So for the past few years, especially once it was just me and Tom, we've mainly had grilled chicken or pork and a big, colorful salad.

But that can get old, too, and sometimes you just crave something a little more substantial. So that's why I'm  grateful I was able to participate in this Healthy Choice review and try out some of their frozen entrees.

 

 

Yes, this is another review, and here's the disclosure: I was lucky enough to be chosen as a participant in Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign, which means I was sent coupons for free products and will be paid to express my honest opinions about them. 

Rest assured I am giving you my own opinion.

I signed up for this review because, especially as I've gotten older, I focus on nutrition when making food choices and am always on the lookout for new, healthy products.

Now, on to my experience with the Healthy Choice Baked Entrees...

 

 

I was still a little concerned about the amount of sodium...

 

 

...but honestly, take a look at the ingredients. For the most part, and especially at the beginning of the list where it's most important, they are all recognizable and real food! And less than 300 calories!

That doesn't happen very often.

 

 

 

They were easy to prepare. Just cut a little slit in the film covering the tray, pop in the microwave for 5 or 6 minutes, let stand a couple more, stir, and enjoy!

 

 

You can see there's a lot of broccoli, in good sized chunks, not just little sprinklings.

 

This may not look like a lot of lasagna, but it was just the right size! And less than 300 calories! (Did I already mention that?)

 

 

 

Plus it tasted good!

The Chicken Alfredo was creamy and cheesy, and I was impressed by the amount of broccoli in it. The lasagna was a little spicy, which I liked...very meaty and flavorful.

YUM!

 

 

These are perfect for empty nesters who are craving something with noodles and yummy sauce, but aren't in the mood to go out or have the noodles and yummy sauce as leftovers for days and days.

I'll be stocking our freezer with a few, that's for sure. There are plenty to choose from:

·         Four Cheese Ziti Marinara:Freshly-made ziti pasta tossed with classic marinara and topped with a blend of fine Italian cheeses; Parmesan, Romano, Asiago and mozzarella.

·         Roasted Chicken and Potatoes:Savory slices of chicken breast with red skin potatoes, crisp carrots, and tender pearl onions in a light chicken and herb sauce.

·         Fettuccini Alfredo Bake:A classic combination of freshly-made fettuccini pasta and rich Parmesan Alfredo sauce with crisp broccoli and topped with seasoned bread crumbs.

·         Italian Sausage Pasta Bake:Freshly-made whole grain rotini pasta paired with juicy Italian sausage, tossed in a rich garlic marinara together with bubbling mozzarella cheese.

·         Lasagna with Meat Sauce:Three rich layers of freshly-made pasta, hearty meat sauce, and ricotta cheese topped with mozzarella for perfection.

·         Chicken & Rice Cheddar Bake:Whole grain brown & wild rice pilaf with crisp broccoli and sliced chicken breast in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce.

·         Chicken & Spinach Alfredo:Freshly-made whole grain penne pasta tossed with sliced chicken breast, spinach and tomatoes in a creamy Alfredo sauce.

·         Chicken Enchilada Bake:A full-flavored chicken enchilada over cilantro rice and topped with corn, black beans and a decadent queso sauce.

·         Ravioli Marinara Bake:Rich ricotta and spinach filled al dente ravioli tossed in a tomato basil sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella cheese.

·         Slow Roasted Turkey Bake:Slow roasted turkey breast accompanied by potatoes, butternut squash and crisp green beans topped with classical gravy and crispy onions.

Ah, it makes me hungry just reading the list! If you try any of these, let me know what your favorites are!

 

 

Saving Roadrunners and other sweet!s of the week

I was walking up our front path to my car one morning this week when I heard a banging noise coming from a camper shell sitting to one side of the driveway/parking area at the top of the walkway.

The shell mostly rests on the ground, but one side of it projects over a small rock retaining wall. Somehow a roadrunner had found a way in, probably chasing after some delicious wild tidbit that ran in trying to escape it.

Unfortunately, the roadrunner couldn't find a way out! It was trying, though...flying up and hitting the roof then the sides, over and over and over.

I set my bags on the ground and leaned all my weight on the edge of the shell hanging over the wall. It took a couple of tries, but it finally raised up enough on the other side for the roadrunner to dash out and disappear into the woods. 

Now that was sweet!

Here are a few more sweet!s from the past week. Be sure to add yours in the comments! 

 

Monday: participating in the jury system...even though you're relieved you weren't picked for this particular jury; old courthouses; walking in downtown Austin near the Capital; remembering a friend's birthday without a Facebook reminder; spotting a hummingbird flying nearby

Tuesday: finding an agency that fits just right with your real estate career goals; dinner and a movie with friends

Wednesday: prayers for you as you take your real estate state exam; passing!; learning how to use mapquest on your phone; finding the Vitamin K1 serum you won on a friend's blog in your mailbox

Thursday: your puppies safe and sound after a night of howling coyotes too close for comfort; signing with the agency you visited on Tuesday 

Friday: a road trip with your daughter; hugs from your Mama, Daddy, and sister; reading in bed with your daughter before going to sleep; a friend placing a Silpada order from you

Saturday: breakfast with friends at a hometown restaurant (photo by TG); visiting with your brother and sister-in-law; being able to help your parents; a letter from a friend

Sunday: sleeping in and going to late Mass for the first time in ages; a report that the dead deer by the creek is picked clean, thanks to nature's teamwork of coyotes and vultures, so you and your husband don't have to figure out what to do with it

 

I hope the coming week is full of opportunities for you to help those in need, time with family and friends, and quick and easy solutions to your problems!

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

~Epictetus

 

 

 

Another Healthy Choice

When I was growing up, one of my favorite meals was the Swanson sliced roast beef frozen dinner. We called them TV dinners back then. I believe it came with corn, mashed potatoes, and some kind of yummy crumbly berry dessert, all tucked into separate compartments of the aluminum foil tray. 

My mother kept those and a supply of Banquet Chicken Pot Pies in the freezer for us to heat up for lunch during the summer while she was at work. 

But years later, I stocked up on Lean Cuisine frozen dinners to eat at work at the chemical plant. I ate so many that eventually just the smell of them cooking made me sick. Despite my previous love affair with them, I've avoided frozen dinners ever since.

So I admit it was with a little trepidation that I agreed to try Healthy Choice's Cafe Steamers.

(Yes, this is another review, and here's the disclosure: I was lucky enough to be chosen as a participant in the Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign, which means I was sent coupons for free products and will be paid to express my honest opinions about them. 

Rest assured I am giving you my own opinion.

I signed up for this review because, especially as I've gotten older, I focus on nutrition when making food choices and am always on the lookout for new, healthy products.

Now, on to my experience with the Cafe Steamers...)

 

I chose the Kung Pao Chicken and Roasted Chicken Marsala because they each had less than 300 calories, whole grain, and lots of veggies.

The "wine sauce" on the Chicken Marsala sounded pretty tempting, too!

 

 

Scoping out the nutrition panel, I was a little concerned about the amount of sodium - both of them over 500 mg. But at least the top ingredients were real food. They use chicken tenderloin and real veggies.

 

 

TG agreed to be my assistant and share them with me, so I could try both in one sitting.

They were very easy to prepare - pop in the microwave for about 4 minutes, carefully peel back the film on top, pull the steamer basket insert up out of the bigger bowl, dump the contents into the bowl (which contains the sauce), stir, and enjoy! 

 

 

She and I both decided the Kung Pao Chicken was our favorite...sweet and spicy and the chicken was very tender.

I'm addicted to a certain restaurant's Orange Chicken and I have to say, this would satisfy my craving in a pinch. 

 

The Chicken Marsala also featured tender chunks of chicken tenderloin and real veggies, as well as whole wheat ziti pasta. It was good, but I think the powerful flavors of the Kung Pao Chicken put it at an unfair advantage with my taste buds; it seemed a little bland. 

The serving sizes of these were just right. While I wouldn't eat them every day (never again!) I'm going to stock a few to be on hand for a quick lunch. 

Here are some of the vegetarian varieties they offer:

         Portabella Marsala Pasta: Freshly made whole wheat pasta and rich crimini mushrooms, tossed with a savory Marsala wine sauce and topped with rich fontina cheese. 

         Pumpkin Squash Ravioli: Tender pumpkin-stuffed ravioli with crisp green beans, sweet butternut squash, and juicy Granny Smith apples, topped with a tasty butter-sage sauce.

         Tortellini Primavera Pasta: Four-cheese-stuffed tortellini featuring whole-grain pasta, julienne carrots, and red pepper strips and now includes more tortellini and sauce. 

         Asian Potstickers: Vegetarian dish served on a bed of rice and covered with a sweet Asian-style sauce. We’ve also added more potstickers and sauce, while making it less spicy, per consumer feedback. 

         Portabella Spinach Parmesan: Freshly-made whole wheat pasta, and now featuring even more baby portabella mushrooms, red peppers, tomatoes and spinach.

Yum, right?

If you try (or have already tried) any of these, let me know what you think!

 

 

At long last, we meet again...

They were waiting for me in the mailbox yesterday evening.

Ah, Mark and Debbie...you haven't aged a bit since I last saw you forty-one years ago!

 

 

I don't remember when the book first appeared in our home, but I know I had discovered it by the time I was in 4th grade and spent a week at home with chicken pox, reading and sipping on bottles of cold Coca-Cola.

(Chicken pox that first time was actually quite pleasant. Twenty years later I had it again - not pleasant at all!)

By the time I was in 7th grade and Cousins was snatched from my school locker, I had read the book at least a dozen times. I mourned its loss, but years passed before I began searching for it... scanning the titles of books in every antique store I entered, recruiting friends and even my kids to keep an eye out for it. 

Often, in the middle of some writing project, I would think of it and do a quick Google search, only a fraction of a glimmer of hope driving me on.

It didn't help that I couldn't remember the author, and that there were quite a few famous books with the same title. 

But then...a couple of weeks ago I was ordering a book about real estate a friend had recommended, on an online site she had also recommended because of the cheap prices.

Out of habit, and still hanging on to that tattered bit of hope, I typed in Cousins. The usuals popped up, but I was able to narrow the search to 'old children's books' and then...there it was. I couldn't believe it! 

However, the books offered weren't cheap. Over the years Cousins had become a collector's item, it seemed. Who knew? I thought I was the only one who remembered it.

My kids told me I should just splurge and get it, but I remembered we were broke and resigned myself to having to wait a little longer to actually hold it in my hands.

Besides, I was happy just knowing the author's name and that several copies were still out there.

But my sweet, book-loving, employed son told me he would pay for it. An early Christmas present.

It was in my shopping cart before he finished talking, and within minutes, it was mine.

Of course, I had to wait for it to be shipped, but what's a couple of weeks after forty-one years?

 

 

Their search for Felicity begins (again), but hallelujah! my search for them has ended.

Sweet!

And here are a few other sweet!s from the past week...

 

Monday: your Hollow dotted with yellow flowers; spending the day at your church...and getting paid for it

Tuesday: rising while it's still dark to lay on your car with your daughter, staring up at the sky, watching meteors and fire balls shoot across the sky; thinking back to your wedding day, 31 years ago; visiting a real estate agency and deciding it's a good fit 

 

Wednesday: roasted veggies a la Jessie; facing your new adventure, head-on; a movie with your daughter

Thursday: your puppy running for joy; friendly people who put you at ease when taking your fingerprints; phone calls from your mom; finally making it to the grocery store

 

Friday: pink prickly pear fruit; a day at home for to-do lists; laughing over an episode of Dark Shadows with your son  

Saturday: a free lunch; learning more about real estate; seeing your son and daughter-in-law's new home; surprises in your mail box; studying real estate on the back porch until the sun drops too low to read

Sunday: empty toll roads when you're running late; another free lunch; doing better on your practice real estate exam than you thought you were; hearing that your dad didn't hurt himself in his latest fall; unpacking forgotten books from boxes; identifying weird scat with your son via an online site (coyote, not mountain lion, we think - I'll spare you the photo)

What were some of your sweet! surprises this week? Share!

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."

~ Oprah Winfrey

Jumping the Chasm

I hung up my waiter apron on Wednesday. 

Well, technically, I just added it to the to-be-washed pile of laundry at the winery, instead of bringing it home with me like I have for the past two years.

It was a bittersweet moment. Even though being a waiter wasn't what I wanted to be when I grew up...or even use as a tagline under my name...I've spent most of my weekends there for the past two years, and even some weekdays for the last few months.

 

 

It's such a beautiful place, like being in Italy. I had never been a waiter before and enjoyed the adventure of learning something new, meeting people, tasting amazing food, and enjoying a glass of wine at the end of many shifts.

When I started there, it was a breath of fresh air, such a contrast from my weekday job stuck at a computer in front of three monitors for seven hours, with only two other people to talk to and very little conversation.

But lately, by the end of the day (and sometimes for days afterward) my knees and back have ached, because it's a job where I was on my feet for six to seven hours, where the only chance to sit down was a quick bathroom break, and where I wasn't making nearly enough money to make a dent in our debt. 

Still...it was tough to let go of a paycheck, however small, when I may be facing several dry months as a newbie realtor trying to find my footing in the real estate world.

But that meant I would have to commit to a work schedule a month or two ahead of time, and even though I don't know much about the world of real estate yet, I do know that, to be successful, I'll need to remain flexible with my time, able to meet a client at a moment's notice.

That for-sure paycheck would probably cost me more money in the long run because of missed opportunities.

So Wednesday was it.  

I asked Jessie, the sous chef, for one last (free) roasted veggie platter...

...said my goodbyes and thank-yous when the work day was done, indulged in one last (free) glass of wine, dropped my apron in the basket...

...and faced my new adventure with an added incentive to be successful in a hurry.

I can't afford to be anything less.

"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small steps."

~David Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of England

Have you crossed any chasms lately?

Or is one looming ahead of you, but you're afraid to take that big leap?

A Healthy Choice on a Hot Day

Stumbling into the house, weighed down by five overloaded grocery bags to avoid a second trip uphill to my car, and sweating from the heat of this Texas summer, all I could think about was breaking into one of the Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurts buried in one of the bags. 

You've probably guessed this is going to be a review, so here's the disclosure: I was lucky enough to be chosen as a participant in the Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign, which means I was sent coupons for free products and will be paid to express my honest opinions about them. 

Rest assured I am giving you my own opinion.

I signed up for this review because, especially as I've gotten older, I focus on nutrition when making food choices and am always on the lookout for new, healthy products, especially snacks.

So as soon as the groceries were put away, I pulled out one of the blueberry-flavored frozen yogurts. They come packaged in three 100-calorie servings.

Now, I'm a sucker for fortune-cookie fortunes and quippy quotes, so the top of the container caught my eye and I had to take a picture before diving in.

 

 

Cute, huh? Later, I snapped one of the strawberry-flavored container tops.

But the review was for the yogurt and I wanted to eat it while it was still frozen, so I peeled back the cute top and dove in.

 

It really was very smooth and creamy...and very refreshing after being out in the heat. There weren't any whole blueberries in it, just chips blended in, but the flavor was rich and sweet.

Actually, almost too sweet for me, since I have cut way back on my sugar intake. So the serving size was perfect.

The only frozen yogurt I've eaten before this was at one of the soft-serve yogurt shops, where it tastes more like ice cream than yogurt. This definitely retains the tart yogurt flavor, so if you're expecting an ice-cream-taste experience, you may be disappointed.

But, if like me you enjoy traditional yogurt, I think you would enjoy it as an occasional treat...especially after a trip to the grocery store on a hot August afternoon.

(Next time, I'm going to try the Dark Fudge Swirl, winner of the "Best Night Bite" in Shape Magazine's 2013 Snack Award.) 

If you decide to give it a try, click HERE to save a dollar off your purchase. 

 

A Daddy's Hugs and other sweet things

 

I made another quick trip to see my parents this weekend, accompanied by a son and daughter this time who pitched in to help with dishes and cleaning.

I'm so blessed that I still have my parents...that I only live four hours away so I can make quick overnight trips to see them...and that I have kids who don't hesitate to give up a weekend to go see their grandparents and help them out.

When we arrived and I leaned in to give Daddy a hug, he embraced me so tight and fierce, held on so long, and I relished every second of it, reluctant to break apart from the warmth of him and the strength in his arms. I'll carry that hug in my heart the rest of my life. 

A hug like that, especially from your daddy, is one of the sweetest things ever, ever, ever.

Here are a few other gems I tucked into my heart this week...

 

Monday: Rudy's breakfast tacos, especially when they're free; managing to stay awake in your night class, after spending all day in another class; your caliche road glowing in the light of a full moon; your son home for a visit

Tuesday: your son volunteering to feed your puppies so you're not late to class, since he has a day off; finally reaching your mom after playing phone tag; passing the test for your third real estate course; the full moon playing peek-a-boo with you through the trees

Wednesday: spotting a painted bunting on the birdfeeder; only getting a warning instead of a speeding ticket on your way home after night class 

 

Thursday: breakfast frittatas and homemade hash browns; passing your fourth real estate course exam; remembering to slow down on your way home

Friday: beginning to check out different real estate agencies so you can decide which one to work with; finally connecting with an AT&T representative who takes the time to do the math and, therefore, correct your phone bill, after at least four unsuccessful attempts with other reps; another road trip with 2/3 of your kids; staying up late, laughing at old episodes of "Friends" with your daughter

 

Saturday: being a help to your parents; your Daddy's hugs and your Mama's laughter; sons and daughters who enjoy spending time with their grandparents; watching your son shave your daddy; Whataburgers and salty french fries

Sunday: discovering that some of your customers are fellow parishioners of your church; hunting for a blue-tailed skink with your husband and camera, even if you don't find him, because you see another cool lizard and notice that your crape myrtle is finally blossoming!

 

 

I hope you all have a pockets full of sweet! moments you've collected along your path!

 

"Kiss your life.
Accept it, just as it is. Today. Now.
So that those moments of happiness you're waiting for don't pass you by."

~ UNKNOWN 

Group Therapy, Diva Style

 

Most of us don't need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with. 

~Robert Brault

I just staggered in from the annual Diva gathering at my friend Rae's house. Two nights and days of margaritas and non-stop talking, too much food, and too little sleep. The sun barely made an appearance, but just being together lightened our spirits.

What's a "Diva", you ask? Here's a snippet of a definition written by Diva Patti...

What Is A Diva?

She’s the girl you’ve known since kindergarten, or 1st grade, or 4th grade, or 6th grade, or high school.....

She’s the girl you giggled and danced with at girlhood slumber parties....

She’s the girl you talked to every night for hours on the telephone about anything and everything..mostly boys.....

She’s the girl who was shy when young, and is now confident and sassy and fun...

She’s the girl you sang Christmas carols with out in the cold December night.....

She’s the girl you cheered with, danced with, played sports with....

She’s the girl who marched in the band or sang in the choir or performed on the stage...

She’s the girl who blushes at the mere mention of the name Coach Bondy....

She’s the girl who was homecoming queen and Miss Deer Park....

She’s the girl who thought she’d married the love of her life....and then found the true love of that life 30 years later....

She’s the girl who was always the clown, the tomboy, the rebel, and now, a strong and faithful voice for the people of the town we love....

She’s the girl who overcame the heartbreak of betrayal, the grief of loss, the shattering of dreams and still laughs and loves.....

She’s the girl who fought, and continues to fight, a deadly opponent who would take her too young, but she won’t allow it....

She’s the girl whose child was born with a troubled soul, and yet she is there to listen and comfort others when they are down.....

She is each one of us....all of us....separately or together....now grown into women who live and love and laugh and cry with each other....and amaze many others with the strength of their bond....

~Patti Stringer McPeek July 2013 

Say what you want about aging, it's still the only way to have old friends. 

~Robert Brault

 

I also spent a lot of time with my parents. An MRI revealed Mama broke her tailbone and fractured her spine in that fall last week. It will be a bumpy road for awhile with her and Daddy. Please keep them in your prayers.

My sons came with me, and while I was off in group therapy with my girlfriends each night, they cleaned my parents' house and washed their clothes.

I mean it when I say I have The. Best. Sons. In. The. World. Amen!

Oh, and look what Tom did while I was away...

 

 

Nothing like a Cyclops Cookie (or two or three) to perk you up when you arrive back home after a long weekend of highs and lows.

Here are a few other sweet!s from the past week:

Monday: traveling back in time via photos and journals

Tuesday: dinner and shopping with your daughter on her birthday, even if it's just the grocery store and Subway sandwiches

Wednesday: weekday Mass; rainy days in a drought

Thursday: time at work to study for your next real estate class

Friday: a road trip with your sons; helping your parents; girlfriends; margarita machines

Saturday: how laughter lightens a heavy heart; a few rays of sunshine on your skin; your sons cleaning your parents' home while you have fun with your friends

Sunday: a few more hours with your mom and dad and sister; your twenty-something sons reading for hours in the car, just like they did when they were little

The next few weeks are going to be really challenging, but I'm going to do my best to keep track of the sweet! moments. They are the best medicine (along with a weekend with my Divas!)

I hope your week is full of them!

Music, and Sweet Summer Nights

 

 Strong lager and some early Zep tunes.  
I ask thee, is there a better way to spend an evening? 

~Author Unknown

Well, I wasn't drinking strong lager, and they weren't early Zep tunes, but I did spend a great Wednesday evening listening to rock and blues, watching the sun go down in Austin's Zilker Park with a few of my kids, plus about a zillion other people.  

Blues on the Green is in its 23rd year, but this was my first taste of it. I've thought about going before, but it took Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears to get me to head downtown on a Wednesday night, battling Austin's rush hour traffic.

Spending time with my kids and my grandpuppy...watching the sun go down...listening to music outside on a summer evening...people-watching...it was a sweet! Wednesday night for sure.

And here are a few more sweet!s from the past week...

 

Tuesday: riding in a Suzuki Samurai on a summer night, windows down, breeze playing in your hair; helping your husband with a project

Wednesday: country roads decorated with wildflowers; mockingbirds singing to you; finally going to a Blues on the Green performance in Austin; seeing/hearing Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears perform "Sugarfoot" in person; an evening with 3/4 of your kids and your grandpuppy, and a hug from the other 1/4

Thursday: passes to a free screening of a movie; Mexican food, Mexican martinis, and a movie with a friend 

Friday: drops of sunlight in a little creek; registering for real estate school; coupons for your prescriptions; hanging onto your patience when you have to call AT&T for the second time in a week to correct your statement

Saturday: eight hours of sleep; a not-too-busy, not-too-slow day at work; listening to 60's music while you work;  your son home for a visit; even more bouquets of mountain pinks popping up everywhere; getting back on your sweet!-posting schedule; visiting your neighbor who brought you the textbook for your first real estate class, so you can get a headstart. (She teaches at the school!)

I hope your days are dotted with wild bouquets of sweet!s...share them here!

Wild Turkey and other sweet!s

Belle and Max dashed off in the direction of a dry pond this morning on our walk, triggering a loud commotion as a mama wild turkey flew for the safety of a tree on the other end, squawking the whole way. Half a dozen small turkey-ettes followed her...squeaking, more than squawking.

Of course, it could have been a daddy Great Blue Heron, for all I know. Suffice it to say there was a lot of racket, then a big bird shot skyward followed by a bunch of little ones, and just seeing it was pretty cool, especially since everyone survived the encounter.

I didn't get a photo. The action was behind a screen of trees with just a tiny clear view before Mama/Daddy was out of my line of vision. Besides, I was busy calling to my puppies not to hurt the babies (in case there were stragglers) and also...I was just pretty much in awe, as I am any time I encounter one of God's not-so-ordinary-for-me creatures sharing the Hollow with us, usually sight unseen.

(So out of curiosity, how many of you thought I was going to talk about Wild Turkey bourbon?)

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

Tuesday:  your puppy waiting patiently for a glimpse of you through the French doors; margherita pizza

 

Wednesday: morning sunlight kissing weeds, turning them into art; finding a Shabby Apple dress in your mailbox that you won on a blog giveaway at Over 50, Feeling 40; a pot-luck fajita dinner and margaritas with members of your committee

Thursday: long morning walks on soft summer mornings; puffy white clouds in a blue sky; watching your puppies cool off in a tiny spring-fed pond

Friday: the AT&T tech coming closer to the 8am projected time than the 8pm; a potentially cheaper telephone and internet bill; joining friends to celebrate the life of someone we were all blessed to know

Saturday: weddings; tiny flower girls and ringbearers; Mandolo's Italian food and carrot cake; capturing photos of the full (super?) moon

Sunday: lingering after church to visit with friends; dancing to the music of a Rolling Stones cover band (the Stone Rollers) on the shore of a lake; Rudy's BBQ and frozen sangria margaritas; helping friends celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary; support and tips from experienced friends for your latest idea to get a real estate license; Siamese cats; celebrating a dear friend's birthday

Monday: finally setting up your Etsy shop; more encouragement about real estate school from another friend; inspiration from your grandmother 

Tuesday: feeling rested despite not getting a lot of sleep; surprising a flock of wild turkeys...or herons...or somethings; a good preliminary report on your annual check-up; coming across a good blog post you wrote five years ago but forgot about; winning free passes to a new Steve Carell and Toni Collette movie screening

 

Okay, I have one more sweet! to share...

Last night I was feeling pretty discouraged about being broke and not being able to find a (substantial long-term career-type) job. So I finally set up an Etsy shop, where (fingers-crossed) I can sell pieces of my eclectic collection of books and junk odds and ends I've gathered over the years, as well as some of my photographs.

It felt good scratching that off of my list, but here's the sweet! part: on my way to bed after setting it up, I spotted a framed poem I inherited from my grandmother. It's a little cheesy, but I love it, so I guess that means I'm a little cheesy, too.

This is the part that resonated with me last night...

 

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

 

It goes on like that for two more stanzas, but you get the gist of it. Sweet encouragement straight from my grandmother when I really needed it.

I hope all of you are finding plenty of sweet!s to lighten your load, too! 

The Simple Things are the Sweetest

Dawn is waking to rain and thunder this morning. She must have pulled the covers back over her head because the Hollow is still dark outside my window, except for occasional flashes of lightning.

On a normal morning, the puppies and I would already be out on the dirt road, saying hello to the new day. Instead, they're snoozing in the laundry room, warm and dry and happy, and I'm playing catch-up on posting my sweet!s.

Rain is sweet during a drought, but especially when you were able to spend hours the day before feeling the sunshine on your skin.

Weeks...well, maybe months ago, Tom trimmed branches from the trees lining the creek. I told him I'd drag them to a burn pile, and I finally kept my word yesterday morning after my walk. I had a few free hours and was already coated in mosquito spray.

Even though the morning was warming up fast, the shade softened the heat. Wildflowers dotted the woods and a field of Mexican hats grew beside the burn pile. Birds chatted in the trees and the running creek sang to me as I cleared the creek and paths of fallen branches.

Sweat soaked my head and torso, tickling my nose, and bits of leaves and bark freckled my arms, but it felt good using my muscles to gather the branches, drag them uphill, and throw them on the growing pile. I've always loved repetitive work like that, when my thoughts are free to fly where they will.

The higher the pile grew, the younger I felt. I gave thanks for the morning, the sunshine, the flowers, the creek, the sweat...but mostly for the ability to do the job. When you're 54, you don't take that for granted.

 

And now for more sweet! moments from the past week...

 

Monday: friends sending you links to potential jobs; the anticipation of a weekend at the beach with girlfriends, even if it's still months away; a photoshoot with a fun family; wading in a lake on a hot day; fawns

Tuesday: relishing a soft summer morning with your puppies before a busy day at work; daily talks with your mom 

Wednesday: phone conversations with your mother-in-law; your mother-in-law winning $1000 on a $1 scratch-off lottery ticket; word that one of your photos will be featured in HuffPost 50 

Thursday: hearing a friend's voice for the first time in a year; dinner, lots of popcorn, and a Matthew McConaughy movie with girlfriends 

Friday: finally using a certificate for a massage your son gave you for Christmas; catching up with a dear friend; getting your client's photos to her on time and hearing that she liked them; old red trucks; your dad NOT having to go to the hospital 

Saturday: a road trip with your kids to spend Father's Day with your dad; your mom appearing stronger than the last time you saw her; hearing that your three Beach Yoga photos will soon grace the wall of a summer rental home belonging to a friend in Greece

Sunday: having the coffee ready and the newspaper on the table for your dad when he wakes up; hamburgers and cheesecake in honor of the father of your children; hearing that a friend was baptized this morning; green metallic beetles with orange legs

Monday: bouquets of mountain pinks dotting a hillside; a green heron posing for photos; sweating from physical labor; your little creek and nearby paths finally cleared of fallen trimmed branches; a few hours with, and a hug from, your baby girl; email and Facebook that can connect you to friends on the other side of the world

Tuesday: rain during a drought; unexpected time to post your Sweet!s of the Week; the moment storm clouds break to reveal blue sky 

I didn't quite finish this before the storm drifted past, with little patches of blue sky peeking down, reminding me to get the dogs out of the laundry room. I cut the walk short, though, and we stuck to the muddy road because I forgot to douse myself with mosquito spray. 

Mosquito spray is definitely a sweet! around here this summer. It's the simple things, right?

I hope you're remembering to notice the sweet, simple blessings in your life. Share them with me here and make them doubly sweet!

"I'm just a simple guy, I live from day to day. 
A ray of sunshine melts my frown and blows my blues away." 

~Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Bonham, "Out On The Tiles" (Led Zeppelin)

 

A Rich Inheritance (Happy Father's Day!)

Friday my mother thought Daddy was having a stroke. She's seen enough of them to recognize the symptoms in him.

He wouldn't let her call an ambulance, so she called my sister, who in turn called me en route to their house. 

The kids and I already had plans to leave early yesterday morning to celebrate Father's Day with Daddy. I hoped we wouldn't be visiting him in the hospital, instead.

With my sister's next call, the relief in her voice soothed my worries. Daddy's blood pressure had already dropped and he seemed okay. She would stick around a little while, but didn't see a need to call an ambulance. Thank you, Lord!

So yesterday we were able to celebrate Daddy with lunch at Applebee's, just as he requested, and then hang out with him and Mama in my childhood home, talking around the kitchen table, dozing in front of the television...

...and giving thanks every single second.

We'll head home early today so the kids can spend time with their dad, too.

I'm wishing Tom's Pop a happy Father's Day in my heart. I can still hear his voice echoing in my mind. I hope it never fades away.

My heart goes out to his sons who are missing him so much today, this first Father's Day without him, wishing they could give him a call and tell him "I love you".

So I'll give mine an extra hug and "I love you" for them, and for all of you who are missing your fathers today.

In honor of Father's Day, I gave Daddy a print-out of "Why I'm My Father's Daughter". I'm re-posting it here. I'm so honored that it was chosen for "Best Lessons from Dad" - a slideshow on Huffpost 50 of posts about fathers. Hop over there and see what other daughters had to say about their fathers.

 

If Daddy answers the phone when I call my parents, our conversation is a quick one.

"I can't talk," he'll complain. 

"You sound fine to me," I'll tell him. 

"What? I can't hear you. Here's your mother."

And that's that.

Strokes have taken their toll on his vocal chords. The effort to speak is too much for him and his voice gives out after just a few words. Perhaps his hearing loss can be blamed on strokes, too. (Although hearing aids could help with that. Sigh.)

But he was never one to talk much, anyway, and especially not on the phone. If I wanted or needed to talk, I went to my mother. I could talk to her about anything, and I'm very grateful for that.

 

Daddy and I communicated in other ways, though. We teased each other and toured old houses. We fought over who was going to mow the yard.

He chauffeured me and my friends to the movies and high school basketball games before I got my license. He taught me how to drive, and tried to teach me how to play golf and be a better bowler...without much luck.

Instead, I tagged along with him on the golf course, satisfied to watch him and admire the beauty of the courses. We took road trips to visit his mother, traveling along the back highways with the windows down, stopping often to visit historical sites or other interesting places that caught my eye or his.

We square-danced.

 

 

But words still formed our greatest connection. I was seven, maybe eight, when I uttered that inevitable childhood chant: "I'm bored." 

 "Bored? Here, read this," he said, handing me an old, mildewed copy ofBlack Beauty, "You'll never be bored again."

Well, I'm not sure if those were his exact words, but they should have been. I was hooked, and as long as I've had something handy to read (and I try to make sure I do), I've never been bored again. 

Besides Anna Sewell's Black Beauty - and hence, every horse book I could get my hands on - Daddy got me hooked on historical fiction via James Michener and Leon Uris. It's still my first love.

He also introduced me to Leon Hale and his Texas-flavored, rambling, memoirish columns in the Houston Post (and then the Chronicle)...the inspiration for my own personal essays and blog posts, I'm sure. I still read his columns online.

Because of Daddy, I surround myself with books, and I'm partial to old ones.

I read our ancient copies of Black Beauty, Call of the Wild, Daddy-Long-Legs, and A Girl of the Limberlost over and over and over, and to this day the smell of a musty book takes me miles away in my mind to those stories.

When I enter an antique store, I head straight for the book section. Not to buy, necessarily, but just to breathe, feel, and say Hello, you're not forgotten.

Our house overflowed in paperbacks, too, though. Daddy always had one in his metal lunchbox, usually a Louis L'Amour, and when I followed in his steel-toed-shoe footsteps years later, I always carried a paperback with me to work.

Today neither of us consumes books like we used to. Daddy reads the morning newspaper, but then turns his attention to the television when he's not doing laundry or other household chores.

I'm always somewhere in a just-for-fun book, but it takes me forever to finish them, only cracking them open to read while I eat lunch. When I'm at home. And don't have something else I have to read.

But all of those books and words and voices still bind us, and despite the miles between us, and the words we cannot say, I feel him with me every time I open a book. 

Thank you, Daddy.

 

 

Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance. 

~Ruth E. Renkel

Tom and I don't have a lot of money, yet we are blessed with riches, thanks to our fathers.

Happy Father's Day to all of you who fills the role of father to someone!

 

My Tiny Taste of BlogHer Food 2013

 

I am not a food blogger.

Oh, I may write about my Cyclops Cookies, Tom's better-than-Hooter's hot wings, and yummy sushi from Eddie V's, but they're mingled with my stories about dogs and mice and dancing and friendship.

I'll never be a niche blogger of any kind, because I could never make up my mind. Well, I do have my photography blog, but it's still all over the place, subject-wise. 

So when BlogHer announced it was holding the BlogHer Food 2013 conference in Austin, I was more disappointed than excited. I've been wanting to go to a regular BlogHer conference ever since I heard about them, but they're always held in exotic far-off lands, like New York City, Los Angeles, and, later this summer, Chicago. 

Even if I could afford the cost of the conference, the travel expenses make it impossible.

(Dang it, why didn't they send the food bloggers to Chicago and have the Big Deal in Austin?)

But BlogHer must have sensed my discontent. They actually opened up the closing party to outsiders like me for next to nothing.  And because the closing party included live music, dancing, barbecue and one free drink at Stubbs BBQ downtown on a Saturday night...well, I couldn't pass up a bargain like that and the chance to get at least a taste of BlogHer Food 2013.

It wasn't until I was trying to figure out what to wear that it hit me: I was going to a party where I didn't know a soul and everyone else had been hanging out together all weekend.

Blah! But I decided to go anyway. I mean, I'd already bought the ticket. There was a plate of barbecue waiting at Stubbs with my name on it. I couldn't just abandon it.

So I went. It helped that there were several nametags waiting for other outsiders on the table where I checked in.

Until that night, I'd only seen four bloggers in person, period. I wasn't sure what I expected the food bloggers to look like, but I'll just say they didn't fit into any niche as far as appearance goes. No standard gender, age, size, or even taste in clothing. That helped me feel more comfortable right away.

I traded my drink ticket for a frozen strawberry sangria concoction, filled a plate with barbecue, and found an empty spot on a picnic table near a blonde lady who looked about my age.

I don't remember her name or where she was from, but we had a good conversation over the loud music. This had been her first BlogHer conference and she said all the freebies really balanced the cost of it all.

She left and young girl named Kayla who worked for one of the vendors sat down to eat. We had a good conversation, too, about trying to find jobs (she recently graduated) then she went back to work filling cookies with ice cream, and I wandered over to the photo booth where I met Sarah, who worked for the photo booth company sponsored by Ninja Kitchen.

When she found out I was from Austin and didn't know anyone (I tell my story to everyone I meet, of course) she wrote on a chalkboard and joined me in my photos.

I thought she was just feeling sorry for me, but when all of the photos were posted online, I saw quite a few people in photos by themselves.

I guess it was that Austin connection, after all, and not (just) pity!

The awesome music of The Grooves, an Austin cover band, lured me closer to the area near the stage. Small groups of ladies had finally started dancing so I just joined in.

(Would you believe I used to be shy? I know. It's hard for me to believe it, too.)

As much as I love dancing, I confess the highlight of my night was seeing Pioneer Woman. Yes, Ree Drummond, herself, stood just inches from me at one point. And my camera joined all the others snapping away while she was telling jokes onstage.

For you non-bloggers, PW is the Queen of the Bloggers, and not just food blogging! She has it all down: Home-schooling, Home and Beauty, Entertainment, Photography, Life on a Ranch in the Middle of Oklahoma Nowhere.

She's written a couple of cookbooks, a children's book, and a memoir. Probably a lot of other stuff, too. How the heck does she do it??? Yes, I'm terribly jealous, and that's what makes her a blogging Rock Star!

Finally, the last song was sung and danced to, I grabbed another bottle of water (They were free, thank goodness. Dancing on a hot, humid Texas night under the stars = sweat!) and headed to my car. 

While I waited at an intersection, I chatted with a couple of Pedi-Cab drivers. And they agreed to have their picture taken even though I wasn't a potential customer.

 

(This one got distracted by an actual customer, but I took his photo anyway.)

I love Austin. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Sons, Sunday mornings, and other sweet!s

I'm not proud to admit this, but I missed church this morning because of the rain. 

Right about the time Daniel and I were going to head out the door (Tom was still snoozing!) - already running late because we had to let the terrified dogs into the laundry room - the break in the unexpected morning storm disappeared and sheets of rain pelted the Hollow sideways like a firehose aimed right at us. 

I pictured myself trying to scramble up our rock pathway in my heels and knew an umbrella would be no match for that storm.  I'd be soaked in seconds even if I remained standing.

If I didn't have to go to work right after church...if we weren't already running ten or fifteen minutes late...

Anyway...instead of getting soaked, we went out on the deck with cups of coffee, gave thanks for the much-needed rain, and watched a little bird zip and flip and twirl through the air to catch tiny moths that drifted up from the ground.

I tried to capture his acrobatics with my camera, but no luck. Thank goodness he had mercy on me and posed on Tom's truck for a few seconds.

 

Anyone know what he is? We decided to just call him a Variegated Brown Moth-Eater. It sounded official enough.

Here are some other sweet! moments from my past week...

Sunday: fireflies; late-night chocolate chip pancakes, courtesy of your daughter; catching new things in Galaxy Quest that make you and your daughter laugh even though you've seen it a million times already

Monday: your son and husband making it back from Florida, safe and sound; being in the right place at the right time to be asked to (volunteer to) be in a commercial; Chuy's tortilla soup; not having a problem with eating in a restaurant alone; a stack of books from your mother-in-law, because she knows you love books

Tuesday: a friend who tries to get you a job, even if she's unsuccessful; virtual hugs when you're having a tough day; the right verse in your email to soothe your disappointment 

 

 

Wednesday: waking up with a sense of peace after a dark day; watching your old puppy swim; a field of yellow

Thursday: one last cut and color with your stylist until you find a real job; a hug from your baby girl; getting up the nerve to apply for a job even when you know it's a long shot

 

Friday: a request to photograph a fun family; progress on your children's book; delicate wildflowers on your morning walk

 

Saturday: a morning at Laguna Gloria; great critiques; a swan, swimming and posing for you; a sweet card from a dear friend; your son fast-forwarding through parts of the Matrix so you can watch the awesome fight at the end before you have to leave; going somewhere even though you don't know a soul there; meeting new friends; dancing at Stubbs BBQ; seeing Pioneer Woman in person!

 

 

Sunday: spotting a blog friend's daughter on the Today show, singing at Princess Madeleine of Sweden's wedding; sitting on a covered porch during a thunderstorm with your son; a blue sky after a thunderstorm; a beef quesadilla for lunch before work, thanks to your son; a dog that imitates a meerkat; perfect guacamole...and you made it!

 

I hope your past week was full of sweet! moments, but you find more in the week ahead! Share them with me here!

Raindrops and Photo Shoots

Saturday morning I woke to the sound of rain. Lots and lots of rain. I staggered to my computer and pulled up radar of our area.

A huge green and yellow blob was blinking its way straight for us. A blessing for sure in this time of drought, two days in a row of serious rainfall, but dang it, I had a photo shoot scheduled that morning.

It wasn't supposed to rain, according to the weather forecast.

But it was raining. All I could do was call off the shoot, hope to reschedule, give thanks for the rain, and crawl back into bed. I was disappointed, but sleeping in on a rainy morning is pretty sweet, don't you agree?

Making it even sweeter was being able to reschedule the shoot for yesterday evening and having the weather cooperate. We didn't even let the fact that dozens of other people decided to celebrate Memorial Day in the little park where we'd planned the shoot, swimming all around the little dam and waterfall that was supposed to be a pristine backdrop. We just carried on as planned.

So far I'm very pleased with the shots and I think my clients will be, too!

Here are a few other sweet!s from the past week...

 

 

Monday: spotting a great blue heron soaring over the Hollow through the french doors; the first tiny bud on your miniature rosebush; a day with no makeup; hummingbirds

Tuesday: helping your co-worker explain the relationship of Catholics and saints to his non-Catholic sister-in-law and having her say "That makes sense."; seeing a friend and her family at work; hearing of miracles on a sad day; being able to talk to your mom and sister about anything; hearing that your neighbor's lost dog wandered back home, safe and sound; new tires on your car, thanks to your husband; the call of a Chuck-Will's-Widow

Wednesday: cotton-tailed rabbits and white-tailed deer on your morning walk; Greek pizza; seventy-year-old newlyweds; a dog's tail wagging at the sight of you; punk-rocking teenager cardinals; the silence of the woods; progress on one of your books

Thursday: a high-five from your allergy/asthma doctor; typing 74 wpm and making a 96 on an employment spelling test; a hug from your baby girl; Chuy's creamy jalapeno dip and tortilla soup; a call from your mom; a thoughtful card in the mailbox from a dear friend; your son's wedding video; painted buntings; playing your drums 

Friday: remembering your puppies' heart and flea protection; much-needed rain in your Hollow; the relief and gratitude in your puppies' eyes when you let them be house dogs during a thunderstorm; your mom calling to warn you about severe thunderstorms headed your way

Saturday: roadrunners; a second day of much-needed rain; a full moon over a vineyard; wedding cake; a midnight serenade, courtesy of happy frogs

Sunday: the sound of a waterfall; brunch, wine, and a long visit with a dear friend while being the customer instead of the server for a change; a visit from your oldest baby; your youngest calling to check on you; making it to your writing critique group

Monday: your photo chosen for a Mortal Muses Mosaic; watching the new Star Trek movie with 1/2 of your kids; popcorn for lunch; a photo shoot with a beautiful, fun family

Tuesday: summer mornings; watching your old puppy swim across a pond; shopping with your baby girl; a long phone call with a dear friend

I hope sweet! moments rained down on you all last week and overflow into the next!

(I'd love to hear about some of yours! Please share them in the comments.)

Longhorns and other sweet!s

 

 

Yesterday I helped a friend celebrate her son Ryan's graduation from the University of Texas. 

We enjoyed beer, barbecue, and a cake decorated like Big Bertha, the large drum wheeled around at halftime performances, because Ryan was on the Big Bertha team for the Longhorn Band.

I got to see all of my kids and spend time with friends in a beautifully landscaped backyard close enough to campus to see the fireworks through the trees at the end of the ceremony. 

It was a very sweet! day!

(We watched the ceremony itself on television in the air-conditioned comfort of the house, and I'm glad because summer has officially arrived in Austin, Texas. Whew! That was sweet!, too!)

Here are some others from the last half of the week. (I'm trying to stay on track now!)

Wednesday: being able to wish your husband a happy birthday; chocolate torte

Thursday: getting a parking spot downtown when you need it; hanging out in a genealogy library; dinner with your son; the floppy ears on German Shepherd puppies; attending a panel on writing with your son

 

Friday: a call from a dear friend; Panda Express fortunes that come true; bumping into a friend in Walmart; the smell of warm brownies; the taste of warm brownies 

Saturday: celebrating a friend's son's graduation from the University of Texas; Rudy's Barbecue; getting to see all of your kids  

 

Sunday: your friend sneaking into Mass even later than you; a bee buzzing up to a Texas Thistle just as you snap the photo, even if it makes you jump; spotting a Green Heron in a tree down the creek

 

I hope you've had a week full of sweet! moments. If you find yourself getting down, start looking for them. They're there, just waiting to be noticed, and it's one of the best ways to climb out of the dumps! (The absolute best is helping someone else, of course.)

What was one of the sweetest moments of your past week?

Five Things on a Friday Night. And a Puppy.

 

1.

You know you're getting old when, instead of taking friends up on an invitation to listen to live music on a Friday night after work, you walk your friend's dogs, eat dinner alone at Panda Express, pick up a few things at Walmart, and make brownies for your friend's son's college graduation party on Saturday.

And then write a blog post about it.

 

2. 

 

Nothing smells better than brownies baking in the oven. Amen.

 

3.

 

The fortune in my cookie at Panda Express read: "A pleasant surprise is in store for you." Sure enough, within the hour, I was standing in the check-out line at Walmart when a familiar voice said, "Barbara?"

It was the former high school librarian who I loved working with as a substitute assistant and who loved having my son as her aide. I haven't seen her in ages.

It truly was a very, very, very pleasant surprise. (But how did Panda Express know? It's almost creepy!)

 

4.

 

One of the feral cats that adopted my parents has disappeared. They believe it died.

When I was there for Mother's Day, it had tucked itself into a tight spot between the house and the deck. It was too wild for them to catch. Daddy just made sure it had food and water nearby, but it had no appetite.

They had enjoyed watching that cat sleep on the deck (and try to catch birds at the feeder and bath - sometimes successfully) for over a year.

She was a pretty little thing, and they forgave her for trying to kill (and succeeding in killing) the birds, and scaring the squirrels away.

It makes me so sad for them. 

 

5.

 

I attended a Writer's League of Texas panel on magazine writing last night. Four writers shared their experiences: Sarah Bird, Chuck Eddy, Alicia Dennis, and Michael Hall.

In a nutshell I learned that magazine writing used to be a great gig, but that it's getting harder and harder to make a living at it because so many magazines have folded, so much is online now, and there are tons of writers doing it for next-to-nothing...or nothing, period. 

The writers were all really interesting and funny, and still all actively writing for publications, including People and Texas Monthly, but overall it was kind of sad and bittersweet.

So don't you think it's ironic that I want to do it even more after listening to them talk about it?

P.S.

 

Before the magazine panel, Daniel and I ate at Opal Divine's. This little Mini-Max and his mom sat near us, and, oh! he stole my heart!

I'm going to post more street photos on Confessions, but had to share Augie with you here, too.

I think I want a puppy.

Mother's Day and A Sweet Confession

Here it is, my confession: I've fallen out of the habit of looking for those sweet! moments in every day. It hasn't been too much of a problem until now, what with The Wedding and Mother's Day and all, because they overflowed in sweetness.

But today. Ah, today. A Monday by any other name would still be a Monday, if you know what I mean. So even though the calendar said it was Tuesday, once I stepped into the winery this morning, I knew it was really a Monday, with all of its Murphy's Law madness. 

Nothing big. Just one little thing after another that kept me a little grumpy all day, and now here I sit with brain freeze, needing to pay bills and finish laundry, wanting to work on my book, but overwhelmed with...everything.

I just want to climb in bed and forget about today.

That's what happens when I stop really paying attention to the sweet!s. 

So for my peace of mind I need to walk backward through the day with open eyes and find those sweet!s I was too blind to notice earlier.

...First of all, after writing that first part I took a break out on the porch swing, letting the evening breeze ruffle my hair, imagining it filtering into my brain and cleaning out the cobwebs.

A cedar tree creaked in the wind, the leaves rustled, my wind chimes played in harmony with the evening songbirds. Belle and Max lay nearby, eyes open, just listening with me. 

No matter what else happened today, that was all pretty sweet!

But my day began with a sunrise walk with my life-loving puppies. Besides all of the yellow flowers, prairie verbena, and Indian Blankets that are blooming right now, the cactus are dotted with delicate yellow flowers that should have reminded me that sweet! moments can transform the thorniest of days.

 

And then there was Mother's Day.

Over the weekend, I saw all three of my kids, plus my mom. Not all at the same time, but I'm grateful for what I can get!

Friday night my oldest came to see us, bearing gifts from their honeymoon adventures in Italy. He brought me a bottle of wine from one of the vineyards they visited in Tuscany and this gorgeous bracelet from Venice made of Murano glass beads.

 

I always regretted not buying some of that beautiful glass on my own trip in 1976. 

 

Thank you, Tommy and Kirby! (How did they know?)

I stayed up later than I intended, listening to Tommy's stories from Italy, making him look at my old Italy photos from '76, laughing over funny videos, and watching (dozing through) an episode of Game of Thrones, but it was worth losing a few hours of sleep.

Saturday morning I dropped groceries off for TG who was in the middle of finals (and got a quick hug) then picked up my middle one for a road trip to Houston to spend Mother's Day with my mom.

We celebrated with lots of family over lunch on Sunday at an Italian restaurant. 

(I forgot to get one of Mama with the grandkids until she was already in the car. But I love it!)

Daniel gave me an updated version of my absolute favorite cookbook - Cooking Texas Style. I ordered mine out of Country Living magazine back in 1983. Its pages are smudged and worn from use.

This latest version is not only cleaner, but it has all of my old favorites, plus a bunch of new recipes I can't wait to try!

 

Thank you, Daniel!

And now, the Squirrel.

Every time I drive to Houston I pass this huge squirrel at the Berdoll Pecan & Gift Company outside of Bastrop...and I always wish I had stopped and gotten a photo of it. 

Okay, with it.

So this time I did.

 

And bless his heart, Daniel agreed to be in the photo with me since there was a couple who could take the photo for us.

I am one lucky mom!

Here are a few other sweet!s from the past few weeks that I actually did jot down, but I don't think I officially posted...

Seeing an owl swoop past at dusk; the Hoary Bat; fireflies; finally watching the Hunger Games movie with your son; getting a score of 26 in a game of 3-13 with your mother-in-law; a mani-pedi; your own cowgirl boots courtesy of your sweet friends; hummingbirds; a friend's help on the centerpieces for your son's rehearsal dinner; dancing at your son's wedding; YOUR SON'S WEDDING!; photo-booth pictures; keeping up with the honeymoon via Instagram and Facebook; chocolate-covered strawberries; spending a week with your grandpuppy; a free prime rib dinner with friends; wildflowers lining the road

I hope you pay attention to the sweet!s in your week! I'm going to make sure I do!

 

 

Five Things on Friday

1.

 

Remember this old farmhouse? I pass it on my way to work at the winery.

It's weathered, but has wonderful stonework on and around it, a working windmill (at least it spins!) and outbuildings oozing in character. As far as I could tell it was abandoned, which made me sad, so I wrote about it HERE.

But guess what? I've been training a young woman whose family actually lives next door to it.

They own and operate a youth camp across the road, and as it turns out, they also own the old house and the surrounding property. She says their dream is to renovate it and convert it to a tea house/bed and breakfast.

Yay! I'm so glad. 

 

2. 

My house smells like dog. Old dirty, country dog, to be specific.

Thunderstorms rolled through last night, continuing into the morning, so we let Belle and Max be house dogs for awhile. They're restricted to the downstairs (concrete floor.) The laundry room has a rug, though, and I spread a light blanket out just at the bottom of the stairs. 

Tom didn't think that was enough. This morning I discovered he put some cushions from our old pop-up trailer down, then re-spread the blanket over them. 

And he says I'm the soft one.

Of course, Josie, the princess grandpuppy, slept upstairs on the couch. In my defense, she's relatively clean. She learned early on that if she got wet or rolled in the mud on her visits, that she wouldn't be allowed in the house.

My dogs would choose rolling in the mud over sleeping in the house. They're happiest outside...except during thunderstorms.

(Another round is on top of us now! We need the rain, but I sure hope we don't get the damaging hail folks farther west got last night!)

3. 

My daughter-in-law sent me the link to the wedding photographs last night. All 600+ of them. I spent two hours clicking on each and every one. And smiling. I wish I could afford to buy them all and share them with you!

 

 

4. 

Our loquat tree is dotted with fruit. It's the grandbaby of one that stood in the front yard of the house we lived in when each of our children were born, and where they spent the first few years of their lives...and the child of one that grew from a cutting in my parents' front yard, tempting neighborhood kids who passed on the nearby sidewalk.

 

 

It's the last of its line. A hard freeze killed the grandmother and I'm not sure what happened to the mother. But thanks to Daddy, they live on with us.

 

 5.

A squirrel mom took a liking to Tom's GMC truck and built a nest there for her babies.

We're just leaving them alone for now and praying they don't chew up any wires...or that the dogs don't chew up the truck trying to get to the squirrels, like they did on Tom's other truck.

Sigh.

That's life in the country.

Linking with

Random 5 Friday at A Rural Journal

 

 

Rambling about Dogs, Children, and Butterflies

 

The sun still yawned under a light gray blanket this morning when the puppies and I headed out for our walk.

Josie, my grandpuppy, took the lead as usual; she's still excited about her visit to the country. Belle, my sweet companion, fell into step near me. She never strays too far from my side for long. Max lagged behind, probably worn out from trying to keep up with the youngsters all week.

Tomorrow evening my son, the newlywed, will be coming to take Josie home. I'll miss that little girl. We've had some great conversations and cuddle-time, but I look forward to seeing Tommy and hearing about their adventures in Italy.

This will be my Mother's Day visit from him, since I'll be in Houston visiting my mother on Sunday. I'll probably see the other two on Saturday. One might even travel with me to Houston, but it's still kind of iffy.

When the kids all lived at home, Mother's Day morning found me lying in bed, pretending to be asleep, listening to pans banging and Tom coaching them through fixing me a big bacon, eggs, and toast breakfast.

But once they started leaving the nest, it was rare to see them - especially all three at once - much less have a kid-cooked breakfast, because college finals usually fell around Mother's Day. 

But I'm grateful I can spend that special day with my mom, trying to make up for way too many Mother's Days that I spent with my friends on a Galveston beach instead of with her. (Kids! Sigh.)

I also go see her because it would be wrong not to, when so many of you would give anything to be able to tell your moms Happy Mother's Day in person, just one more time.

Anyway, back to this morning's walk...

I spotted a butterfly clinging to a low juniper branch. It fluttered a bit but stayed put as I snapped one photo after another, drawing ever closer.

The fact that it didn't fly away worried and concerned me. For some reason, I got the impression it was stuck to the branch, trying to get loose. Wanting to help, I put my finger out to help free it. It climbed onto my finger, but then fluttered to the ground, wings out, lying still.

Oh great, I thought. Now what I have I done?

I shooed the dogs away from it and started to continue on my walk, but worry and guilt got the best of me. I returned to the butterfly, found a small twig, and put it near its little feet. It clung to the twig, so I lifted it back up to where I first found it. It returned to the juniper branch, so I dropped the twig, and, again, started walking away.

But...what if it really wanted to be on the ground? Maybe I helped it the first time and just messed things up the second time. What if...what if...what if...?

I said a prayer for the little thing, and kept walking, trusting God to fix whatever I might have screwed up.

 

Then I thought about my kids (because that's the way my brain works and it is almost Mother's Day, after all) and about all the times I tried to help them. So often I just seemed to mess things up instead of making them better.

What if...what if...what if...?

And that's when I told myself to just shut the heck up, because what's done is done. I can honestly say my kids are awesome people, and whether it was despite me or because of me, it doesn't matter.

I know I did the best I could along the way for those beautiful creatures God put in my life's path,  just as I did the butterfly, always with lots of prayer. So I'll just keep trusting God to fix whatever I might have screwed up with my kids, too.

What more can we do, as mothers and fathers, and hikers in the woods?

So.... at the grocery store a little later, I indulged and bought some chocolate-covered strawberries.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

And Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there! 

May you indulge yourself with forgiveness for any past (or future) parenting mistakes. You know in your hearts, as I do in mine, that you did the best you could, and most likely, you did a whole lot more right than wrong. Amen.

Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had, and dealing with fears you didn't know existed.  ~Linda Wooten

 

Five Things on Friday

1.

I've spent the last two hours in shorts, relishing the sun on my skin and the brilliant, cloudless blue sky. Tom has the chainsaw out and is busy trimming branches in the woods in front of our house.

I'm dragging them down along the side porch and tossing them over the back railing. We'll later drag them from there over the hill into a new pile that we'll eventually burn once the burn ban is lifted. 

My arms and legs are all scratched up, and there are bits of bark and leaves stuck in my hair, but I don't care. I love working outside.

And to think yesterday I was wearing a winter coat...

 

2. 

Last night I enjoyed a delicious prime rib dinner for free, courtesy of a friend who invited me to be her date at one of those promotional things put on by financial advisors.

It was at one of our favorite restaurants, and besides the great food and getting to spend time with dear friends (two others joined us) I actually learned something about investments and retirement. Nothing I can use at the moment, of course, since I'm still trying to start a career and can't even think about retirement, but a girl can be optimistic, can't she?

Especially when enjoying a free prime rib dinner.

3.

My mother-in-law bought me flowers when she first arrived. My brain finally slowed down enough to take a photo of them yesterday. Some of them are starting to droop, but overall they're still beautiful. Thank you again, Mom! 

4.

I have terrible nails. I never wear polish, because I don't want to draw attention to them!

But the day before the Big Wedding, the mother-of-the-bride and I got together to go over the slideshow we presented at the rehearsal dinner, and she shared her Walmart stick-on French Tip fake nails with me. My manicure from earlier in the week was long gone, thanks to three days of washing dishes at the winery (Hello? What was I thinking?) so I was very grateful.

Oh, I felt so elegant, even though I had to relearn how to type and put on earrings and text and button my pants. They were a tad longer than my normal nails..."normal" meaning "on a good day are longer than my fingertips." 

Only three of the nails are left, so you can imagine how goofy my hands look now. 

 

5.

The last report I had from the honeymooners was this photo from Cinque Terre, one of my dream destinations. I'm so grateful for Instagram and Facebook.

Meanwhile, we're having fun with our grandpuppy, and she's having fun being a country dog. (I promise we're only spoiling her a little bit, Kirby!)

 

Linking with Friday Fragments and Random 5 Friday

Back to Reality

The fairy tale is over, at least for me and Tom. While my son and his beautiful bride continue their romantic story over in Italy, we've said goodbye to the rehearsal dinner leftovers and the last out-of-town guest.

My mother-in-law left this morning. No more eating out or playing cutthroat games of 3-13, where I actually got on a winning streak for the first time in 30 years.

We're puppysitting our grandpuppy (which I love!) but otherwise we're back to our old routines. I went back to work yesterday and, while Tom is taking a few days off, he's back to piecing rock together for our driveway. I hear his hammer tapping as I type this.

But thank goodness (and bless my husband who built it) reality includes a break in the evening beside a little terrace bordering a small pond shaded by new green leaves, with splashes of crimson flowers and baby dewberries along the rim, where I can sit with a glass of wine, a pen and some paper, until the mosquitoes tell me it's time to go inside.

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. 

~e.e. cummings