Long Hollow

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Mom... a few prayer requests... a Frankie update... and a reminder that it's not too late...

...to get your name in for the $100 Visa gift card drawing sponsored by BlogHer and Gain. It's so easy to enter... just click here to go to my Contests/Reviews blog, Long Hollow Conversations, and leave a brief comment telling me about a relationship you have that brings out the best in you. I'll choose the winner in a random drawing. Wouldn't you love a little extra cash for your summer vacation?

For more chances to win, go here and leave a comment; you'll earn three more chances. To increase your odds even more, leave comments on the other six bloggers' posts. You'll find the links here.

Really, it's that simple! The contest ends June 3, though, so hurry!

 

For my original relationship post, I wrote about me and Tom, but another relationship that has helped me become a better "me" is with my mother-in-law, Janie (or Mom, as I call her, seen above last year in Florida with me, a handful of my wonderful sister-in-laws, Kim, Yadira and Erin, and the Girl.) First of all, she and Pop raised nine boys to be good men! That in itself is inspiring!! She's also generous, gracious, loving and a bundle of energy. Her birthday was yesterday. I didn't forget, but I feel bad I didn't mention it on my blog, so today I'm including this link to the post I wrote last year... The Sugar on Top.

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Frankie was up by the road near "his" truck this morning, but he ignored me when I called him for our walk. At breakfast time, he ignored my call again... just kept pecking at bugs in the woods. So I trekked in there, batting aside spider webs, and dumped his seed on the ground near him. He dove right in, chirping excitedly. However, this evening when I returned from errands, he was no where to be found, Tom says Frankie met his car and followed him down the front walk, but when Belle came up about the same time and Frankie dashed at her, Tom fussed at him. I'm sure Tom hurt Frankie's feelings, poor little guy. Perhaps he's off pouting somewhere. Frankie is just a sensitive soul, it seems. (I hope he comes back again.)

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Before I had a chance to publish this post, I got a frantic call from a friend whose son was in an accident. She asked me to send out a prayer request on Facebook, but I thought I'd also tack on a prayer request here. Please join me in praying for Cameron (and also for his mom!) Thank you! 

While I'm asking for prayers... this afternoon I bumped into my friend whose ex-husband was killed in the motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. Her kids are understandably still having a tough time dealing with his absence. Please keep them in your prayers as well.

Loose Ends, Apologies and Clarifications

I owe my kids an apology. I implied in XOXO Nina Barbara that they were slackers in the Mother's Day department. I didn't intend to, but nonetheless, reading back over it now, I understand why my sweet Tommy slipped a pressed flower into the card he sent me with a note explaining "I couldn't let Nicole out-do me, so here's a flower."

It's a pretty little flower, but the gesture was totally unnecessary; he, Daniel and the Girl chipped in for something I've been yearning for ... another pair of Chaco sandals. I splurged on a pair in Gruene two years ago (our anniversary served as the excuse that time) and have practically worn them out. Chaco Flips don't look like anything special, but they fit and support these old aching feet of mine perfectly ... and match my wardrobe! If you have plantar fasciitis, you need to try a pair. Trust me.

Thank you, sweet kids!

I also felt, after writing yesterday's post  about the hospital time warp, that I should mention all of the wonderful caretakers we met there ... the nurse who scrounged up a pair of scrubs pants to make my dear one more comfortable ... the emergency room doctor who thought outside the box when test results weren't fitting together ... the admitting surgeon who did all he could to avoid surgery, covered all the bases and seemed reluctant to let us go without knowing for sure what it was ... the "mother nurse" who came by to visit, to answer questions and put my dear one at ease about the potential surgery and ended up inspiring both of us with her story: she suffered a stroke several years ago - wasn't supposed to even be able to walk again - and decided life was too short to not go after a passion. She took a class in making jewelry and started a business.  Scrambling for a name for her new business, the perfect one hit her: MySCAL (My Second Chance at Life). She wore an example - a beautiful fused glass pin. 

Some other loose ends ...

*At the Texas Music Awards in Marshall last weekend the Shake Russell Trio won Vocal Group of the Year. I still believe Shake should have also won Entertainer of the Year, but I'm happy the group was at least recognized. Click here to see all of the recipients.

*My sister sent me this link about Guinea Fowl after my last post about Frankie and his strange behavior. If you're a Frankie fan, you should read it. It turns out, they mate for life and can die of broken hearts. Poor Frankie.

*Don't forget BlogHer has these fantastic give-aways where, just by commenting on a post, you're entered into a random drawing for hundreds of dollars in gift cards. I have one on my reviews/contest blog right now! Click here and tell me who in your life is the yin to your yang for a chance at a $100 Visa gift card. The contest ends June 3.

*As if taking care of my family, working, blogging, writing a book and practicing my drums weren't enough to fill my spare time, I've joined a Flickr group - "The Blog Camp 365 in 2010 Project."

What that means is I'm taking photographs, playing around with the editing, and uploading one to the group page every day. Oh, and I'm looking at everyone else's photos, commenting on them and learning tons and tons about photography while I'm at it. I'm trying to figure out how to add a link to my "One-A-Days" on this blog, but for some reason, I just haven't had time to do it yet. Keep an eye out for it, but in the meantime, I'll just post a few of mine here ... 

  

 

*The latest edition of my missionary friend Jeannie's newsletter arrived this week. In it she writes "...without electricity I eat cold food, take cold showers, have no internet or TV - in short, nothing in my house works but my cell phone, which I keep charged up, just in case. I also shower at night if I have electricity, to avoid a possible cold shower in the morning if there's no power. I've learned to do things at a slower pace and to adjust to a life with uncertainty." She goes on to say "... we're in what's called a false winter here. That means the weather is acting like the rainy season, even though it's a month early. Farmers have to decide whether to plant now or at the traditional time. They're both risky, but they have to make a decision. Many are out of food provisions for the year and an early start means they will have food sooner, if the rain keeps on. If it doesn't, the newly sprouted corn will dry up and die and they will lose this year's crop..."

I've tried getting her to convert her newsletter into a blog format, but she has too many she needs to mail it to. Plus, she's kinda busy ... So I'm trying to figure out a way to post her newsletter on my blog, just to help get the word out about her work. Keep an eye out for it, too!

*And last but not least, I spotted this on the news this week - a 94-year-old woman earned her college degree. That means there's still hope for me!

     

Hey Sonny, Who's Your Cher?

In other words, is there someone in your life who brings out the best in you? Someone who makes you better in some way?

Now, once you've thought of someone in particular, try to explain how this person makes you better ...

That was easier said than done for me, when BlogHer asked me to answer the same question for a new contest sponsored by Gain to promote how well their detergent and fabric softener work together.

Right away I knew that my "someone" was Tom. There is no doubt in my mind that he brings out the best in me and vice-versa. But when I tried to explain how, I found myself floundering for examples. It was a pretty upsetting experience to say the least, after so many years of marriage.

But I refused to give up ... finally, finally, the ways we make each other better came to me. What a relief! 

If you want to know my answer to the question, click here to read all about it on Long Hollow Conversations, my reviews and contests blog.

While you're there, tell me in the comments section who your someone is and why (a quick answer is fine) and you'll be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card as well as a set of Gain detergent and fabric softener. There's also information about how to get six more chances to win, including a chance to win a Grand Prize $300 Visa gift card.

Even if (for some strange reason) you don't care about winning any money or detergent, I urge you to take a few minutes to answer these questions anyway, just for your own benefit. It's great therapy for a marriage or friendship or any other kind of partnership you have, forcing you to think about things - or someone - you've perhaps begun to take for granted.

 
 
  

I bet my "funny holiday road trip" story is better than yours!

...and I'll even sweeten the bet with $200! Well, technically Blogher and Sprint will. I've partnered with Blogher to write for their product reviews program and the first assignment was to write about a funny holiday road trip.

That was easy...I wrote about the trip we took to my husband Tom's youngest brother John's wedding in Huatabampo, Mexico, at Christmas time in 1998...about how Tom and his dad changed our route at the last minute and we ended up crossing through Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains on twisty, curvy, pot-hole ridden roads in the middle of the night...the pitch-black night. You can read the complete story on Long Hollow Conversations by clicking here.

Blogher and Sprint are sponsoring a contest and the winner gets a $200 Visa Gift Card. (Confession...my story isn't eligible for the contest.) All you have to do to enter is share your own funny holiday road story in the comments section of my story, "A Feliz Navidad to Remember". You can read the complete contest rules there as well.

Well, what are you waiting for? (Good luck!)