Holmes Happenings

Valentine's Day

2012-02-16T09:02:00.002-06:00

Our Valentine's Day started out like most every other February day, with the girls sunbathing outside...Yes, you heard me correctly. They put on shorts and went outside to enjoy the 74 degree day! They both agreed it was time to start working on their tans. I guess if we're not going to have winter, why not?

Neither of our girls like the holiday much. Rebecca wanted Jeff and I to go out to dinner and "talk about love" and leave her and Abigail home to eat Ramen Noodles. Oh brother...

We decided on a family dinner of steak, baked potatoes and surprise, cupcakes for dessert. Jeff makes the best ribeyes ever!

These next two photos are for comparison. The first plate is Abigail's and the second is mine. Feel like a carnivore much, Abigail? She didn't end up eating that entire steak, but she cracks me up eating one item at a time.

We were too full for the cupcakes, so we had them later. I love the little shiny hearts (made from white chocolate and sanding sugar). They're so easy to make and very festive!

Hope your "Heart Day" was happy!

What Were They Thinking? 2.0

2012-02-07T09:25:00.000-06:00

In this second edition of "What Were They Thinking?" I continue to discuss the crazy-ness that is high heel shoes these days. Here are two more examples, found at a local Marshall's store. Again, imagine the arch that your foot would have to remain in to wear this fancy footwear.

This edition also brings about a new concept on my blog...insanely high heels being modeled. Here we have Abigail on an after school trip to Ross. Abigail currently stands about 5 ft. 6 inches. Here she is 6 ft. 1 inches, just by adding these lovely wedge shoes. Please click on the picture to get a closer view of them. And to give you some perspective look below at a comparison photo of Abigail standing by Becca who is 5 ft. 5 inches. (I'm sorry it's blurry. I was laughing while I took it.)

I hope you've enjoyed this edition of "What Were They Thinking? 2.0" Come back soon for more excitement!

I'm Just Following the Directions

2012-01-25T22:19:00.001-06:00

This is a picture of the window in my laundry room. The pig is a bank that holds the loose change I find. The sign, of course, is a reminder. Naturally my first thought upon entering with yet ANOTHER load of laundry is, "We could simplify things around here if people would stop wearing so many clothes! There is one thing, however, that you might not notice in this picture. Look closer...

CLOSER...

Still don't see it yet?

LOOK CLOSER...You may have to click on this picture to enlarge and see...yes, the thick layer of dust on the window sill. The offwhite window sill is practically gray. So is the pig! After all, the sign did say SIMPLIFY. I simplify by not dusting!

Somewhere, my mother is on her computer reading this, hyperventilating and is about to hop into her car, dust cloth in hand, headed to Fort Worth, thinking "Where did I go wrong?" I don't think she believes in SIMPLIFY.

My State of the Union 2012

2012-01-24T20:04:00.004-06:00

I read this quote on a blog today and just loved it...

“Seriously, our nation is never going to be on the same page on issues like gun control, welfare, the economy, the environment, etc. I doubt we’ll ever come to terms on tastes great or less filling and hybrids versus Hummers, and there will always be Yankees fans and Red Sox fans, and never the ‘twain shall meet. Fortunately, all it takes for us to be of one mind is some buttercream frosting.”- Jen Lancaster

In Love with Lime

2012-01-18T20:44:00.003-06:00

Believe it or not, I actually had all three of these items today -- every one of them containing lime. I think the only person who might not call me crazy would be Barb!

Popcorn with Lime and Salt

Diet Coke with Lime - from Sonic

Key Lime Cupcakes

(which I made myself)

Guess What I Did Last Night?

2012-01-18T15:54:00.000-06:00

It was only for an hour but it made me feel great! I'm hoping to get back to working on my albums a little more than I have been. Somehow I always have something else that needs my attention...imagine that. These pages are from January 2008. I hate that I'm now working 4 years out. Previously I worked about 3 years. I'm just afraid I'm going to forget everything that needs to be said!!! Maybe my blog will keep me from having problems in the future.

LEFT SIDE

RIGHT SIDE

Picture of the Day

2012-01-17T12:44:00.000-06:00

This is a picture that tells a story. I guess most photos do, but this one is very sweet. The girls came home from a basketball game and wanted to relax a bit. They sat down on the couch together. What you might not notice from a first glance are the earbuds connected to the iPod between them. They each had one side of the earbud in their ears, listening to music together. Rebecca was playing Star Wars on the Wii and Abigail was just watching, while they listened. I'm not sure of the music choice, but it must have been soothing and relaxing because Abigail just drifted away to sleep with the earbud still in her ear. When I walked by Rebecca just smiled and said, "I put the sweetie baby to sleep." I love it when everyone plays nice.

Some Favorite Things

2012-01-12T23:27:00.000-06:00

Since it appears that I may never find time to scrapbook again (say it isn't so!) I'm going to use my blog as a place to store photos of things that I especially enjoy. Whether it's an item I use every day or something that is a special one-time-only use, I want to remember the things that made some type of impact. Here's a few of my current favorite things:

Kindle Fire - my Christmas present

I enjoy reading books in LARGE PRINT!

(Thanks to allergies and dryness my eyes often are blurry and

I have trouble seeing the small print in books.)

Isn't this the cutest little stack of chocolate bars?

(a gift from my friend, Cody)

Chocolate that is wrapped to look like little books...what's not to love?

A gift from Melissa, this beautiful amethyst and green bowl -

perfect for throwing in shiny baubles and jewelry,

so that when I walk by it I say, "Oooo....shiny!"

Keurig - the gift that keeps on giving.

I got this last Christmas and I use it every day.

From coffee to hot tea, to hot water for oatmeal

this is one of my favorite gifts ever!

A shout-out to Barb who told me about the most delicious candle I've ever smelled in my life!

Roasted Marshmallow from Bath & Body

Yummy!

What are some of your favorite things?

Picture of the Day

2012-01-11T13:28:00.001-06:00

I love this picture of Abigail. I don't know why it makes me happy; it just does. I love the boots worn with the shorts. It reminds me of when she was a little girl, dressing herself ("I do it myself"). Love that girl and her sense of style.

File This Under "What Were They Thinking?"

2012-01-04T09:16:00.000-06:00

"The perfect shoes can change your life." - Cinderella

While I am a big fan of really pretty shoes, I'm not sure about these. My first thought was that some MAN designed these. I honestly cannot imagine anyone actually walking in these and not doing some type of damage to themselves or their body. I've thought about showing these photos to my chiropractor and getting his thoughts on what they could do to your spinal alignment.

To be honest, I really like the color of this one.

These look like something you might see on a street corner.

Just sayin'...

I'm thinking Diana Ross and the Supremes circa 1972?

I took these photos at Kohl's circa 2012.

(Just wanted you to have a point of reference)

Umm...cover up the heel so the woman wearing it doesn't realize the malformation of her foot?

Oh, wait...the wedge makes it more comfy. Riiiiiiight....

While these are beautiful (shiny inside!), these could probably best be used as a defensive weapon.

Say someone tries to grab your purse...I seriously think you could whip off one of these babies and do some damage. (and keep your purse if you didn't break your neck running after the guy)

And that's all for now with my edition of "What Were They Thinking?" If I get a big response to this post from all four people who read my blog, I might begin a weekly column entitled, "What Were They Thinking?" Catchy, huh? I think this statement in my head -- a lot. Why shouldn't you benefit from my thoughts as well?

I Resolve...Actually, No I Don't

2012-01-03T22:55:00.000-06:00

New Year...new goals...new resolutions? I don't think so. The obvious resolutions have been made (and broken) over and over. Let's see...

exercise more...
lose weight...
eat better...
read my Bible every day, without fail...
etc...etc...etc...

I think it was best said by Katherine on her Facebook status on January 1:

i resolve to not resolve, so that i don't set limits on the potential of the new year

Maybe I'll "resolve" to give that attitude a try...couldn't hurt, right?

And in the process, maybe I'll exercise more...eat better...lose weight...

Christmas Snapshots

2011-12-29T14:12:00.007-06:00

HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS WAS MERRY AND BRIGHT!

How to Survive the Christmas Crud x Six

2011-12-29T09:39:00.007-06:00

Oh the joy of the post-holiday illness...times six people! It all started with Abigail a few days before Christmas, then Rebecca on Christmas Eve, then Michael and Katherine and Jeff and Genny...you get the picture. I don't know if it's a cold or flu or what. It doesn't knock you down completely where you get nothing done, it just zaps you of energy, ruins your sleep and keeps you achy and slightly feverish off and on for about 7 days. For example, I'm sitting at the computer feeling so-so with my throat a little sore and in a while I'll be achy all over and freezing. Blah, blah, blah....

It's been interesting to have a house full of sick people, but somehow we are managing to get the basics done, like meals and dishes. I'm especially glad to have had Michael (Katherine's boyfriend) here because he has a special gene that causes him to put dishes in the dishwasher and to collect glasses and cups from all over the house. Too bad we had to get him sick while he was here!

Here are a few things that we could not have done without as we've battled the Christmas Crud of 2011:

1. Nyquil Cold & Flu - is it cold or is it flu? Doesn't matter. Just take this every night. It will help you to have a night of partial sleep versus no sleep at all.

2. Kleenex Cool Touch Tissues - the only tissue that's ever given Puffs Plus a run for their money. They are actually cold when you touch them to your nose!

3. Keurig - We've used the Keurig day and night, almost non-stop for the last week. Hot tea, coffee, cider, chocolate, you name it, hot drinks have abounded.

4. Carmex - for those horribly dry lips from mouth-breathing all night

5. Sleep - oh, how I long for a night of uninterrupted sleep for surely that would be the best thing to help me recover. I'm thinking it might just have to come in the form of a nap today.

Christmas Lights

2011-12-28T11:26:00.004-06:00

Driving around looking at Christmas lights never gets old, especially when they are as gorgeous as these are. This is near downtown Ft. Worth. We took Mother and Buddy on a tour when they came to spend a day with us last week. It was pretty chilly outside, but we agreed that it was much better and more "Christmasy" than if it had been hot!

Here's Christmas and I Never Blogged Thanksgiving

2011-12-27T13:45:00.005-06:00

I'm thankful for Thanksgiving, yet it's come and gone along with Christmas now and I have nothing to show for the month in between. Well, I did say a few posts back that I wasn't going to feel guilty for not posting, so moving right along...

It was difficult getting in the Christmas decorating spirit this year. We were busy with basketball, Rebecca was on crutches for a sprained ankle, we had appointments for someone every time we turned around...you get the picture. My decorator, Katherine, was still at school. Abigail finally complained, "Why can't we just have a SIMPLE Christmas?" My first thought was, "Is there any such a thing?" Anyway, we plowed ahead and finally managed to put up the tree and a few things on the mantle.

I always think, "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..." which is funny because if it's cold enough and we have a fire, Jeff has to take them all down before he starts a fire and then I put them back up again, and then down and up and down...and we're both griping about them by the time Christmas rolls around.

I couldn't resist buying this Peanuts nativity this year.

I just hear in my head Linus saying, "And there were in the same country,

shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night..."

Christmas holidays wouldn't be complete without a new game --

Quelf, which is a very bizarre game -- note Abigail under the table doing...something

Our beautiful, shiny tree and presents

And a gingerbread house...

More Christmas soon...

Thought for the Day

2011-12-13T08:48:00.002-06:00

My Second Football Post This Year

2011-12-13T08:07:00.003-06:00

Who would have thought I would be writing about football in just a matter of months from my first post about the game? I guess technically this post isn't about a game as much as it is about a player -- Tim Tebow. The Denver Broncos' quarterback has been in the news the last few weeks due to the fact that he is an outspoken Christian and the media can't get enough of the reaction to his bowing and praying on the football field. I would say he has endured much persecution these last days and I expect it will only get worse. What I love about Tebow is that he is standing strong. I'm praying that he will continue to be a faithful witness in a very worldly, ungodly atmosphere.

So, to get to my point...I've been doing a Bible Study on the books of 1 & 2 Timothy the last several weeks. This morning I was reviewing lists of characteristics of believers and unbelievers. The challenge was to apply them to our own lives and see where we stand. As I read the lists, Tebow came to mind. It also struck me how closely the "Tebow haters" and those who make fun of him resemble the "Unbelievers" lists. Check it out:

worldly, empty chatter

gone astray from truth

foolish/ignorant speculations

lovers of self

revilers

unholy

unloving

brutal

haters of good

treacherous

oppose the truth

go from bad to worse

not enduring sound docrine

lovers of the world

vigorously oppose Christian teachings

This week a player on the opposing team actually bowed and pretended to pray, making fun of Tebow directly on the field! A sportswriter commented that if Tebow had done the same thing, but making fun of a Muslim that he would have been fined and hauled off to jail!

Quoting the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:17-18 here's what I would challenge Tim Tebow to remember: "But the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me, in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the lion's mouth. The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

And Amen again!

Merry Christmas with Love

2011-12-10T20:46:00.003-06:00

If you have not read this little book by Chris Shea, I encourage you to find a copy for yourself. It has such a sweetness about the pictures and the words. I pull it out of my Christmas closet and read it every year. In case you can't find it or don't have time, thought I would share it right here. In all the busy-ness of December it gets easy to be overwhelmed with our "to do" list and forget about this simple message.

God has blessed us forever. That is what Christmas is all about.

The nature of Christmas is giving...because it all began with a Gift. A gift that can only be received, a gift that brought Joy to the world, a Gift that came special delivery. As promised, God sent His best, and the sky and the stars gave the world's first baby shower. (God knew they couldn't afford announcements so he lent them a star, the only nightlight with a lifetime guarantee.)

Christmas has a radiance all its own and even unplugged could illuminate the world. (Two thousand years later God leaves the Light on still.)

Then through a tiny door every creature saw it, the enormous gift of eternal Love, and all who entered knew they stood upon the very floor of Heaven. This was the touch of Christmas: the simple became the sacred. Even the world's first masterpiece was only framed in straw. Who but God would think of sending a Message and wrapping it in swaddling clothes? Who but God knew it would take the heart of a child to reach the soul of the world?

God is Love. Christmas is proof: for only from the heart of God could such a one as Jesus come...such a tiny little son who would grow to comfort all the world, a Savior to look up to who would never look down on us.

Jesus...our best, our ever friend.

Peace on earth began in a manger, the Christmas Presence asleep in the hay.

May the simple beauty of Christmas take your breath away. May you taste the love in every Christmas cookie, hear joy in every Christmas song, feel warmth in every Christmas present; and in the midst of all the celebration, may you make room for Peace.

Merry Christmas, With Love

Abigail Joins the Club

2011-12-09T10:28:00.006-06:00

I must post about this event, which is one of those life-changing things that most teens go through -- getting braces. We talked about not getting them for Abigail because her top teeth were fairly straight. After her pleading cries for months on end (kinda) we found an orthodontist and she got her top braces on November 10. I've always told Abigail that she needs to go through the "awkward teenage" stage like most kids do, but she really hasn't done so. Even with braces I think she looks pretty cute.

BEFORE

AFTER

Yes, she's in a little bit of pain here. Her comment after getting braces was, "The people who invented braces must hate children." "But you wanted them," I replied. "I just wanted straight teeth -- not braces!" she cried. And there's the logic of a 14 yr. old, hard at work.

The Post in Which I Have Nothing to Say...

2011-12-09T10:20:00.004-06:00

I keep coming to my blog, signing in, and looking...waiting for words to miraculously appear. I know this may surprise some (okay, most) of you, but I just don't have anything to talk about. I do have a few pictures to share, maybe...

Thinking that now might be time to rename this the "Holmes Happenings BLAHg" if I don't get inspired soon. I'll be boring all of you to death; not to mention how tired I am of going to the blog and seeing that picture of Jeff on Halloween. So, if for nothing more than that, I'm going to post some recent pictures just to move him on down the way. You can thank me later.

Signing off as "Boring in Blahg-land"...

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-02T07:01:00.001-05:00

Yes, this is the only one in our family who dressed up this year.

Who do you think he is?

Word Choices, or as I like to call them, Semantics

2011-10-29T07:51:00.004-05:00

Really?!?

Seriously?!?

Whatever...

This sounds like something one of my teenagers might say, along with rolled eyes and a heavy sigh, but actually that's me you're listening to. I have found there is a strong correlation between how I feel physically and how my words sound coming out of my mouth.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my "neck issues" have returned in full force this week. I have been in a great deal of pain for a good portion of the last 8 days. I find that when I am in pain the regulatory device that controls my words tends to be on the fritz, as well. When you are in pain, you don't really care about being polite or politically correct. (Although I usually do not subscribe to being politically correct when I feel great either.) It really boils down to the fact that you are hurting, you want people to stop talking and go away, unless they are standing in front of you with a glass of water and a fistful of muscle relaxers, followed quickly by "Hey, let me massage your neck and back for you. I'm free for an hour!"

Here are some examples:

1. Abigail has to be reminded to feed the bunnies.

Healthy Genny: "Absie, don't forget to feed the bunnies before you go to school...sweetie."

Genny in Pain: "If I have to remind you one more stinkin' time to feed those rabbits, we are taking them to the nearest park and throwing them out for the coyotes to eat!"

2. Genny prepares dinner

Healthy Genny: "Time to eat, everyone. I made your favorites!" (spoken in sing-song voice)

Genny in Pain: Child: "Mom, what's for dinner?" Me: "Like I care? You should be cooking for me."

3. Girls ask for help with homework

Healthy Genny: "Why I would love to edit your 8-page paper! It's my greatest joy to help you."

Genny in Pain: "It'll be fine like it is. Who cares if you get a bad grade? Doesn't your teacher always drop the lowest score?"

Now I hope you realize I'm kidding...um, yeah, well kinda...I'm pretty sure I'm joking. Yes, that's it. I was just playing with ya. After all, it's only semantics...right?

Hop to It!

2011-10-29T07:39:00.003-05:00

I love these photos Abigail took of the bunnies a couple weeks ago. She has such a unique perspective and the bunnies are always so sweet. We let them out so I could try and clip their nails. Ohmyword....why do I even try? They are so jittery when I try to start snipping. I managed to get some of them done on both bunnies so I called that success. And, we will live to try another day.

SABLE

BUBBLES

Yes, we can see you, silly rabbit!

I'm Not A Fan

2011-10-19T09:59:00.005-05:00

I don't know why I sit around and think about these things. I guess it comes from an extremely stressful, long October. My neck has decided to start hurting again and I've been putting heat on it this morning. This has nothing to do with this post, except when I am sitting still with heat on my neck, my mind wanders and here is where it wandered today...I'm sorry.

There are some things that many, many people like...dare I say LOVE...that I simply do not care for. (Sorry about the sentence ended with a preposition. I hate that, too!) And, remember, I apologized earlier.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I will eat one, but I can actually avoid one even straight out of the oven.

Crazy, right?

Oreos

I just don't care for the whole black teeth thing or, the whole scraping your teeth over the icing if you're into eating them that way. Ugh. Nails on a chalkboard...

Hot Chocolate

It's just too sweet or something.

(And I don't know why this is underlining and won't go away, but I don't like that either.)

White Cake with White Icing

Boring

Squirrels

I believe I've spoken enough on this topic for you to know my true feelings.

Dogs

Yes, I know. It's practically unAmerican.

Sorry.

There's really no point to this post. In fact, I think I need to go back and put heat on my neck again. Thinking about things that irritate me have really irritated my neck. Heavy sigh...

So Let's Talk About Football

2011-10-03T10:53:00.003-05:00

I know! Me? Talk about football? What in the world is this blog coming to? More importantly I would like to discuss the Aggies and their complete inability to play a full four quarters of a game. I can't tell you how many texts I've gotten from Jeff (at the game) which look like this:

14 - 0 Ags up

17-3 Ags

24-3 Ags at half

time passes....

31-6 middle of 3rd

time passes...

31-34 ballgame

What?!? Did they just walk out of the stadium? Stand there? Forget all their plays? Now I know these guys are smart because they got into A&M. (I refuse to acknowledge any rule bending to allow "less than qualified" players in. Sure, they probably live with their tutor, but they came in legally, right?)

Not sure what's going on with those guys but, to borrow a High School Musical phrase, they "gotta get their head in the game!" (And yes, I know that was about basketball.)

Anyway, to get to my point...and I do have one. Aggies, I need you to win. The moods in our house are not happy when you blow a game in the 4th quarter. Romo is killing us with the Cowboys and even the TCU Frogs lost this last weekend. Thank goodness the Rangers are in the playoffs!

Of course, everyone loves to hate on the Aggies, so we get all that grief, too. You know...how dare we move to the SEC because we couldn't possibly play all those great teams. Hello...news flash. It's not about winning, people; it's about money. (and you can quote me on that)

My favorite comment over the Aggies' loss to Arkansas this last weekend was posted by my husband on Facebook: As an Aggie and a Cowboys fan, I am glad my joy comes from the Lord.

Gig 'em!

It's A Good Thing

2011-10-01T18:43:00.003-05:00

As all four of you who read this blog know, I am no Martha Stewart. I have a good idea every now and then, am a passable scrapbooker and a fairly decent cook. I can be crafty when called upon in a school project emergency. (Like the time I made Rebecca a Jacqueline Kennedy pillbox hat out of a sailor cap, black fabric and hot glue.)

But, THE SNACK BOX. Definitely one of our better ideas. It was mostly a "necessity is the mother of invention" type situation, but a good idea nonetheless.

After I pick the girls up from school they are always thirsty and starving. Maybe it's the fact that we have a 20 minute drive home, but they are "dying, I tell you, dying" and don't want to wait for food. So, being the gracious and generous mother that I am, I would stop at 7-11 and buy them (and me) a drink and a snack. Well, at an average of $7.00 per stop x 3 days per week, we were racking up an impressive amount per month.

Enter the Snack Box. I now keep a full box of snacks in the car at all times. The girls' friends absolutely love riding anywhere with us. We always have food. Then, I added a little cooler of drinks, too, making me the most generous mother anywhere in the world. (also making my girls the most spoiled children in the world: negative side affect)

I recommend one for your car or minivan. It's a good thing!

Just a Little Trip Cross Country

2011-10-01T17:57:00.012-05:00

Rebecca took up a new sport this year -- cross country. It's been a great experience for her. Her team is like a big family and Coach Raines has really developed this group of kids into good runners. We've enjoyed this sport because we have our evenings free. Sure, we've been waking up at 5:30 a.m. every Saturday since August 13, but we're home by 10:30 a.m. That's not so bad, right?

It's also been good for me because while the team is running and lifting weights I've been walking. Nothing like a good hour of forced exercise.

Group Shot from the Grace Prep Meet

I've commented that the starting line looks like a scene from Braveheart. This is one of the smaller meets we attended. At some starting lines, there were anywhere from 75-100 runners. Becca is almost in the middle here. (Click on any photo to enlarge and actually see!)

Mid-Race (Becca in yellow, Jeff on left, me in shadow)

Audrey, Becca, Lizzie

Jeff and I working the finish line at the Grace Prep meet

This is usually how you see the runners, from a distance.

Becca's shirt is the color of the grass!

The middle schoolers love Becca. Her coach says she is the "team mother."

Crazy group shot!

Three more weeks...I'm actually going to miss it, especially when I'm sitting on hard bleachers in a smelly gym. Oh, basketball, why'd ya have to go and ruin a good time?

And Now Back To "Why Was This Photo Taken?"

2011-10-01T10:49:00.005-05:00

Some time last year I posted photos that I had found on my computer that were odd in some way. Mostly I asked the question, "Why is this on the computer?" I've discovered this year's collection of photos to mostly have one photographer, which explains quite a bit about Abigail and her sense of humor. So, I give you Why Was This Photo Taken - Version 2.0. Enjoy!

Tee Hee...

2011-09-29T22:38:00.001-05:00

Oh My Delicious Goodness

2011-09-29T22:12:00.005-05:00

Stop what you are doing right now. You must go out right this minute and buy the ingredients to make this cake. Well, you can finish reading this first...

PUMPKIN SPICE BUNDT CAKE WITH CREAMY PUMPKIN GLAZE

I was just in a baking mood this afternoon. No matter that I can only allow myself a small slice of it. I just felt like baking something. It's very relaxing. And, the Creamy Pumpkin Glaze...well, let's just say I probably embarrassed myself by licking it out of the bowl. Seriously.

Click here if you want to have this amazing goodness in your life. You can skip most of the post and scroll down to find the recipe. You will not be sorry.

Happy 14th Birthday, Abigail!

2011-09-26T10:23:00.008-05:00

My baby has grown up. I mean really grown up. She is the tallest girl in our family. Her older sisters aren't too fond of this, but what are you gonna do, right? My sweet little cheeky baby has turned into a beautiful young lady. She keeps us all on our toes that's for sure. Her wit and smile are just like her dad's. She plays the piano beautifully. She has "great hair" according to her sister, Rebecca. I've always called her my "unexpected blessing" because she was...well, unexpected. She's the best present I never knew I wanted. Love you, Absie, and the happiest of days to you today.

We held a small party with three of her close friends from school. She received some fun gifts. We ate Chicken Express and I took them to see a movie with Taylor Lautner, because he's adorable. (according to teenage girls -- me? not so much) Here are a few pics from the party:

Thank you Sydney, Olivia and Emma for making Abigail's day so special.

Would You Please Call Me Cordelia?

2011-09-20T19:15:00.003-05:00

"I know I chatter on far too much... but if you only knew how many things I want to say and don't. Give me some credit." ~ Anne

I was thinking this very thing today. I guess it's a good thing that with experience (aka "age") comes the wisdom of keeping your thoughts to yourself and not blurt out what you really think in a given situation.

So many times I just want to say what I am thinking but know that it will not be well received. Does that mean I should always be quiet? I don't know. I certainly don't believe in being politically correct. There's far too much of that skipping around hand in hand with tolerance these days. (but that's for another post someday...something political or when I decide to quote Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity) For now I will be Anne of Green Gables and suffer my thoughts in silence...

"My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes. That's a sentence I read once and I say it over to comfort myself in these times that try the soul." ~ Anne

Feeling a Little Fallish

2011-09-16T09:54:00.003-05:00

This beautiful door wreath was given to me a few weeks ago by my mother and the minute...the minute, I tell you...that the weather felt a tiny bit cooler (in this case, below 100 degrees) I put it on my front door. I love fall, which is a little strange because the main colors are orange and brown, which I really don't care for much. I guess when they come in the form of pumpkins, leaves, berries, warm drinks and such I like them very much.

I can't wait to buy a fresh pumpkin and some yellow mums to put on my front porch. I'm pretty sure there are no pumpkins out in the stores yet. Hmm...wonder if the heat this summer affected the pumpkin crops. It seems like they are usually coming out about now. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, coming soon...hot tea, hot chocolate, roasting marshmallows, scarves, jackets...can't wait!

Just wondering...

2011-09-01T22:04:00.002-05:00

From time to time I have these random questions that just pop into my mind. I'm weird enough that I thought I should put them out there on the blog for three or four people to read. : )

1. Posted this as my Facebook status this morning: I wonder how many pounds of bananas I've thrown away over the course of my lifetime?

2. I wonder why I have an entire shelf in my freezer dedicated to ice packs of all shapes and sizes? An entire shelf!

3. Why do teenagers not realize that their parents are wiser than they are? I'm not saying smarter, mind you, but wiser. If they just recognized the wisdom of experience, I would be okay with my IQ not being as high as theirs.

4. Why do I hate exercise so much? This is something I've pondered for years and I am starting to think it's a personality flaw or a defective gene. What else am I going to blame it on?

5. I wonder how many licks it takes to get to the bottom of a Tootsie Pop. Sorry...couldn't resist. Ah one, ah two, ah three.....(Barb, google it.)

6. Here's a deep one: Why do Christians attack other Christians for insanely stupid reasons and not see anything wrong with it?

Just wondering...

College - Year Two

2011-09-01T11:15:00.005-05:00

What a difference a year makes! This was certainly true when moving Katherine back to Stephen F. Austin for her sophomore year. There were way less tears on my part, not any actually. Katherine moved to a new dorm and finally, FINALLY was able to have the roommate she's wanted for a year -- her friend, Erinn. It only took a year for all that matching bedding to come together. (Back Story: We just knew Katherine and Erinn would be able to room together since they requested each other as roomies. We had just spent 3 hours in Target, July 2010, buying matching bedding when we found out they weren't roommates!)

It was fun to see them put their room together and to watch the squealing and hugging that went on when they would see one of their friends from last year. It's going to be a great semester. Katherine has been asked to join the Honors College, of which we are extremely proud. She had 3.6 and 4.0 semesters her first year. She is taking Political Science, Psychology, Drawing 3, Oil Painting 1 and Art History.

SFA Besties, Michael and Erinn

Moseleys and Holmes leaving their girls

First Day of School - August 15, 2011

2011-08-21T23:12:00.012-05:00

Summer, as always, ended too soon and school is already a week past. Little bit of shock for some who have been on the couch most of the summer. Names will be withheld to protect the lazy.

Class Schedules are:

Bex (Junior) - American Lit, College Prep Math, Physics, U.S. History, Journalism, Cross Country, Basketball and Track

Absie (Freshman) - English, Geometry, World History, Biology, Art, Spanish, Basketball and Softball

We took the usual "forced" first day of school pictures. How much more fake can Abigail's smile get? We quickly jumped in the car after these were taken. I had already preempted any fighting over who rode in front of the car by giving Rebecca upperclassman privileges for the first week. Abigail will get this coming week in the front.

I believe Abigail's backpack gets the award for heaviest. It's no wonder we are all at the chiropractor when having to lug around these monstrosities. I should send the school a bill!

I leave you with this final thought as we jump into our second week of school...

If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers. ~Edgar W. Howe

A Short, Open Letter to My Children

2011-08-19T07:36:00.002-05:00

Dear Holmes Children Still Living at Home (Not to Be Confused With the One in College),

YOUR LACK OF PREPARATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART -- NOW OR EVER.

Thank You,

The One Who Gave Birth to You and Still Hasn't Forgotten the Pain

Oh, Canada - Part Three

2011-08-15T09:18:00.011-05:00

This is the part where you can truly say, "OH, CANADA!!!!" There's a long story about how we traveled from a dump motel on the American side to the 33rd floor of the Embassy Suites on the Canadian side but I will save that for when I see you in person. I don't want you to miss my facial expressions and hand gestures.

This was the view from our room. I'm tearing up now just thinking about it in all its glory. I don't believe I've ever seen a view that was its equal and, might not again.

This is a little picture I'm titling "Jeff's Happy Place."

Wow. Just wow.

The flowers were incredible! Every color and kind you can imagine.

I was freaking out (ask Jeff) over the size of the hydrangeas and the hostas.

The hanging plants were huge!

This is a little picture I'm calling "My Happy Place."

The Falls at Night with Illumination

The colors would change every 30 seconds. Gorgeous!

And then, fireworks! Magical.

Absolutely one of the best trips of my entire life. Thank you, Michael and Christie, for getting married in Buffalo, New York, so I could go to Niagara Falls!

Oh, Canada - Part Two

2011-08-11T10:13:00.009-05:00

On Sunday morning we drove to Niagara Falls on the American side. On this side you park your car, walk several yards down and then all of a sudden you see this mist rising up. The color is incredibly blue and the mist is so fine it looks like smoke. The water is just rushing by, a beautiful sound and the mist does get you wet a little. The rainbow just sits there, a permanent part of the creation. It's really breathtaking.

This is a view of the American Falls with the Observation Tower in the background. Yes, we walked out on that platform. It looks scarier from a distance. At the base of this tower is where you board the "Maid of the Mist" boat to travel "through" the Falls.

This is a side view of the Bridal Veil Falls, the smallest of the Falls. I put my camera strap on my wrist and leaned over the rail just a bit to get this picture. Jeff didn't want me doing that. It was perfectly safe to do.

This is a picture of what I called the "Crazy People." They donned heavy yellow ponchos and special shoes to go underneath the Falls and walk around. I just didn't feel like I needed to get that close to the action. And of course there's the whole wet, frizzy hair issue...

Closer view of the Observation Tower

Looking back at the American Falls from the Tower

On the boat! A little scary because we didn't get a side spot to hold on to any railings. We had to balance ourselves on the floor of the boat and each other. There were several times I felt like I was going to slip and fall down. If it hadn't been for Jeff's great balancing act...

View from the "Maid of the Mist," we are IN The Falls!

This post feels like one of those scenes from a movie where the friends of the vacationing couple are sitting around watching slides of their recent travels. I kept taking pictures of every available angle of the water. And here's the view from the tower, and here's the view from the boat, and here's the view from the....well, come back tomorrow for the VIEW from the Canadian side.

Oh, Canada - Part One

2011-08-10T08:37:00.010-05:00

When I heard that my friend Melissa's son was getting married in New York I immediately set about finding a way to go. With lots of finagling by Jeff and airline miles, we discovered it was cheaper for us to fly into Toronto, Canada than directly into Buffalo, New York. We flew into Toronto around midnight on Friday, July 15, got in bed around 1:00 a.m., rose early, got dressed and headed south to the States.

After some driving and rerouting on Queen Elizabeth Way, around Lake Ontario, we arrived at the wedding with 20 minutes to spare!

This was our first view of Niagara Falls from the bridge coming back into the States. I was so blown away by this first glimpse and had no idea how much better it would get the next day.

My sweet friend, Melissa and I at the reception.

Isn't she lovely?

Bride and Groom

We sat at the Davis Family table.

Bubbly sendoff for Michael and Christie

After the wedding we drove back to Niagara Falls.

Stay tuned for Part Two. THE FALLS.

To Justify My New Blog Background

2011-08-05T15:22:00.005-05:00

And in case you thought I was stretching

the truth about the

HEAT!!!!!

Photo taken by Abigail in the car on August 4, 2011

Pictures of Our Summer

2011-08-05T14:37:00.007-05:00

You might think this would be a collection of photos of swimming in the pool or other outdoor activity. Due to recent temperatures somewhere in the heat of the planet Mars, most of our fun has been inside. In the cool. (Maybe too cool? See blankets on both girls.) On the couch. Reading. Can't beat that!

Side Note: I'm not sure about the random stool standing in the middle of the room, but an educated guess would have it as a leftover table from Abigail's lunch of Ramen Noodles, which she ate while watching TV on a "reading break."

No, We're Not in Hades, It Just Feels Like It

2011-07-26T22:30:00.002-05:00

Here's my picture of the day. This is the thermostat in my car. Every time I comment to Jeff what the car thermostat is registering he says, "That's not the real temperature." My question is: "Then why is it on the car, telling me that we are currently residing in a subdivision of Hades?"

According to the weatherman we have several more days of temps above 100 degrees. Is there any relief in sight? Who knows? This I do know...I'm glad heaven is my eternity because the other just doesn't bear thinking about.

Everyone Remain Calm

2011-07-26T21:54:00.010-05:00

My sweet friend, Cody, gave me this bookmark a few weeks ago. I have decided to adopt it as my new life philosophy. I cannot think of a better solution to any and all problems or stress: KEEP CALM AND HAVE A CUPCAKE.

I had a little time on my hands a week or so ago and decided to just play around with some different designs on cupcakes. I am fascinated by the show "Cupcake Wars" the way you might be fascinated by watching a spider wrap up a fly he has just netted in his web. I love the way the bakers perform, (how God created creatures to survive) but I am nervous and a little sickish at the stress they go through with a time limit to make so many cupcake designs from scratch. (spiders drinking blood from flies....just in case you were having problems connecting the dots in my analogy.) And now I'm even wondering if it makes sense...oh well, moving right along.

My Creations!

All of my cupcakes are yellow cake with buttercream icing. I just used nuts, sanding sugars and nonpareils to fancy them up a bit. I cannot imagine what the snooty judges on "Cupcake Wars" would say about...heaven forbid...a BOX mix. That, along with my "not impressive at all" presentation would surely send me home in the first round. Thankfully I'm in competition with no one, and I love blessing people with little boxes of cupcakes. After all, shouldn't all of life's little problems come with the tag, "KEEP CALM AND HAVE A CUPCAKE?" It's no solution to world peace, but things would certainly taste a little sweeter!

The Streets of Fort Worth

2011-07-26T21:46:00.003-05:00

There's a new driver in town and she's headed your way! I can hardly believe that Rebecca is on the road with her driver's permit. I stress out just thinking about it, but will surely be glad of the day that she can drive herself to school. (although my prayer life will definitely increase) And here you thought it was just the insurance that went up.

Summer Reading List: Edited Version

2011-07-11T22:21:00.002-05:00

You know, sometimes book choices just don't work out. I live by the philosophy that life is too short to read boring/bad/fill-in-your-own-word-here books. So, I have deleted Await Your Reply from my list. If it doesn't improve soon, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will go as well. I'm going to give it another 20 or 30 pages to draw me in.

I've also added two series from our church library that are more light-reading, but hey, shouldn't summer reading be fun and light-hearted and whatnot?

A Lowcountry Romance Series by Rachel Hauck

*Sweet Caroline

*Love Starts With Elle (which I've already read and didn't know was part of a series -- boo!)

*Dining With Joy

Defenders of Hope Series by Amy Wallace (new author for me)

*Ransomed Dreams

*Healing Promises

*Enduring Justice

I will say the best book I've read so far this summer is Same Kind of Different As Me. This book is a must read for anyone and in fact, is on Abigail's school reading list. So, so, so good and a true story, and did I say how good it was? Go get this book today!

Adventures in Pickle Making

2011-07-11T21:55:00.006-05:00

I don't know where I get the wild ideas that I do. One day I just decided to see if I could make pickles! Must be those memories of childhood, making tomato relish and creamed corn, along with shelling peas. Mmm....can almost taste those things now.

I only dabbled my toe in the shallow pool of refrigerated pickles, not wishing to jump off in to the deep end of canning supplies, sterilizing jars, etc. I had a great time collecting supplies and photographing the entire process. The pickles would take ten days to, well, "Pickle" and then they would be ready to eat. July 4 was my taste my pickles day. Unfortunately I was sick and didn't think they sounded good. More unfortunate was the fact that I really didn't care for the finished product when I did taste them. They were good, but a little too spicy-garlicky for me. So...had a great time, but no thanks?

Supplies

Pickles are surprisingly cheap to make.

Everything was mixed up and sat at room temp for two hours.

Here they are in their jars, looking beautiful.

Aren't the jars pretty? Found them at Dollar General for $2.00 each!

My Summer Reading List

2011-06-09T19:59:00.005-05:00

Here are the books I've selected for my summer reading list. They are quite an eclectic collection, ranging from an old classic, Anne of Avonlea, to more current suspense thrillers. Most of these were suggested to me by friends on Facebook, so I'm hoping they will all be good reads. I'm also starting a Kay Arthur Bible study on I Timothy next week and really looking forward to that. If you've read something really good lately, leave a comment. I only have nine on my list here and there's a lot of summer left.

Photo of the Day - Thursday

2011-06-09T19:37:00.004-05:00

Well, maybe I will do this for several days in a row -- share a picture that is really meaningful to me. Here is a photo that completely captivates me every time I look at it. It's a picture of Rebecca and Abigail doing the dishes. Together. Not fighting. I mean...doing. the. dishes. Together for Pete's sake! If you look closely you will see they are sharing earbuds while listening to music. Almost brings a tear to my eye...dishes. together. Ain't life grand?

Photo of the Day

2011-06-07T13:26:00.002-05:00

Let's call this my photo of the day. Not that I'm going to start doing this on a daily basis. Let's just say these things as to why I'm going to go right now (after I finish this, of course) and lay/lie? by the pool:

1. I'm home alone.

2. I'm tired of laundry.

3. I'm a little miffed at someone who took a shot a Katherine on Facebook this morning and it's been consuming my thoughts all day.

4. I'm really angry.

5. I want chocolate.

6. I don't like pasty white skin.

Pick any option above as to why I'm ignoring life for the next hour and heading outside for as long as the 100-plus temp (in June, really?) will allow me.

Summer Reading List

2011-06-06T22:52:00.003-05:00

I'm in the process of compiling my summer reading list. This is funny because two posts ago I wrote about my spring break reading list. I've only posted twice since spring break. Blogger removed one of them and it has never been heard from again. I'm a little cautious about "Big Brother" removing my posts. And it was such a nice little commentary on cupcakes and spiritual gifts. Unfortunately it will remain in the land of cyberspace because I didn't save it anywhere else.

Any suggestions for FICTION books for my list? I've already selected the three non-fiction books I'm going to read. They are:

Why We Love the Church: In Support of Institutions & Organized Religion by Deyoung & Kluck

Same Kind of Different As Me by Hall & Moore

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Send your suggestions my way!

As soon as I can trust Blogger to leave this post up, I'll be back with more.

Dear Blogger,

2011-06-06T22:49:00.003-05:00

I am about to blog a few posts. I am still waiting for you to return the last post that I wrote, along with the new design I spent at least 30 minutes on. That was May 15. You SAID it would be "right back." So????????? I'm still waiting..... Where is it? If I post something new are you going to take it off to Neverland?

Frustrated in Fort Worth

Spring Break Reading List

2011-03-12T18:01:00.005-06:00

If I can't be on the beach for spring break, at least I can rub some Coppertone on my face (the coconut smelling kind) and sit in the sun with a good book while the girls run track next week. This will only be after I've walked my mile, of course.

Here are the books I've selected for my reading pleasure this next week, and maybe you'll like them too:

1. The Mountain Between Us - Technically, I finished this one last week and all I can say is, "Wow! You. must. read. this. book. Today. Now." It's about an airplane crash, survival and deep, abiding love. And that's all I'm going to say, except...go get it!

2. Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - written by one of my favorite bloggers, Pioneer Woman. It's the story of how she met her rancher husband and left the big city for life in Oklahoma. Guaranteed light-hearted, funny and touching all at the same time.

3. The Malacca Conspiracy - Navy lawyers, terrorism on the high seas, a mix of love, war and high-stakes geopolitical roulette -- sounds like my kind of book. Plus it has two characters from Don Brown's Navy Justice Series and I want to see what happens to them!

4. The Duchess and the Dragon - Jamie Carie is a new author for me, but I couldn't resist the $3.98 price tag and the Duke of Northumberland coming to America and running into a Quaker nurse in Philadelphia.

5. Deceived - Two bodies in an isolated canyon. One with saddlebags filled with diamonds. A suspense thriller from another of my favorite lawyer/authors, James Scott Bell.

Let's see -- 5 days of spring break and 5 books. I like that math! See you later. I've got to locate the Coppertone.

Favorites at 45

2011-03-12T08:04:00.008-06:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had a birthday recently. Oh, how I try to stop them, but they keep coming. The things that bother me most about aging are gray hair and looking older, which of course is exactly what aging is, so....oh, forget it. Not like I can stop it anyway (except for the gray hair part!)

I had a lovely day filled with flowers and gifts and even made a little chocolate cake for myself. The next evening we were in Houston and decided on seafood for my birthday dinner. Since Pappadeaux's was a 1 1/2 hour wait we found a little place called Snapper Jack's and had a wonderful meal.

Jeff accused me the other day of "the older you get the less things/people you seem to like." Of course I disagreed, to which he replied, "Some days I bet you only like me and Jesus, hopefully not in that order." (Side note: Some days I don't like him.) It's okay. He hardly ever reads this blog. I vehemently deny that I don't like anything. Not true! It's just most people I don't have a tolerance for. I'm getting older so I can do that. All old people do it. You know. Get grumpy.

So, in my attempt to show myself a "likeable" person, I'm listing 45 Favorites (if I can think of that many) and the obvious Jesus, God, the Bible, my family, are not listed, so don't be callin' me out. This isn't that deep thinking of a list.

In no particular order...

1. the beach (in no particular order except this one)

2. coffee and peanut butter toast (yes, they have to be together - this isn't two)

3. hydrangeas

4. comfy jeans

5. bracelets of any kind

6. flip flops

7. tulips

8. books

9. Mozart

10. purple

11. my grandmother's buttercream icing

12. playing the piano

13. a quiet house

14. JAG on DVD

15. hooded sweatshirts

16. Michael Buble'

17. a crackling fire

18. Abigail's sense of humor

19. my mother's peach cobbler

20. violets

21. Drakkar Noir cologne

22. worship on Sunday morning

23. watermelon with salt

24. the library

25. watching Rebecca run

26. frozen yogurt

27. scrapbooking

28. pink

29. office supplies

30. Katherine's art

31. tulle

32. quilts

33. spring green

34. downtime

35. digital cameras

36. candles

37. Snickers candy bars

38. pedicures

39. roasting marshmallows

40. crossword puzzles

41. mushroom cheeseburgers

42. Johnson's baby lotion

43. Pride and Prejudice

44. the clearance section of any store

45. Honeybee Gardens lip balm

And I could go on, and on! But I won't, because you probably stopped reading up about number eight or so.

My list, of course, is just for fun. I have been so very blessed in my life and am thankful to the Creator and Giver of all good things.

Since We've Last Talked...

2011-03-04T16:40:00.012-06:00

So, quite a few things have happened since I've last blogged. And, just so you know, I refuse to be one of those bloggers who apologize for not posting something recently because...well, because blogging is a voluntary, fun activity and who wants to be required or forced to write anything. You can ask my husband...I don't like to be forced to do anything. It's just who I am.

Here's what's been going on with the Holmes Family since I wrote about the Arctic Blast of 2011 that paralyzed North Texas for weeks on end...or maybe it was days. It's all a blur now.

Katherine won 2nd Place in the Stock Show Art Contest,

bringing with it a $1500 scholarship.

We went to the rodeo.

We had a second arctic blast that was just as

much fun as the first. Trapped at home!

We made snow ice cream.

I went ice fishing in the pool and caught

two tennis balls and a stick.

We decided that it was time for Abigail to

have some dental work done.

Barb, Melissa and I "Scrapped the Super Bowl,"

an annual tradition dating back 7 years now.

Abigail cleaned her room. Trust me. This was HUGE!

It was also forced.

I made pistachio cupcakes.

Rebecca's basketball team went to the playoffs in Tyler

and we also got to see Katherine.

I enjoyed a scrapbook retreat in Waco with

two of my favorite people, Mother and Sylvia.

At the Regional Basketball Playoffs Jeff and I had a mini reunion

with David B., with whom we went to high school .

And in all those days, somewhere in there I had a birthday. But I'll write about that in my next post, which I promise won't be a month from now.

Arctic Blast of 2011

2011-02-03T11:30:00.009-06:00

And, here's the reason we've been trapped at home for going on three days now -- the ice storm of February 2011. It's been colder than I can ever remember it being since I've lived in Ft. Worth. The temperatures have hovered in the teens, with the highs the last three days being in the high 20's. The roads are covered with ice, especially in the neighborhoods, so getting out would be pretty dangerous. I don't think anyone, even the weathermen, expected that we would be shut down so completely for so many days. The girls have only missed one day of school so far, but I'm wondering if we will be able to go tomorrow. I think there might be snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

As of this morning our pool is completely frozen over. The ice goes down about 2 inches, according to Abigail who had to get out and bust a hole in it to see. We've kept busy with watching TV, cleaning house, some homework and I plan to scrapbook today. Facebook has kept everyone entertained. It's also been a chore to keep the rabbits from turning into bunny popsicles. They spent most of the day inside yesterday and just keeping their water switched out from freezing has been a full-time job.

We have plenty of food to last us several more days, but are hoping to venture out tomorrow afternoon or on Saturday. I dread the electric bill next month, but am very thankful for a warm house to keep us sheltered. I even managed to build a fire yesterday, all by myself. Very proud of that, since Scouting was not one of my childhood activities.

Here's a few photos of the last couple days.

Define "busy"

2011-02-03T10:51:00.002-06:00

--adjective

1. actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime: busy with her work

2. not at leisure; otherwise engaged: He couldn't see any visitors because he was busy.

3. full of or characterized by activity: a busy life

And I'll take number three for $200, Alex...

I hate being "busy." Detested "busy work" in school. I REALLY hate the "busy-ness" of driving here and there, which leads me to the point of this post: if I hate the forced driving hither and yon that I have to do, why do I despise being forced into the very opposite of that? Let me explain.

Let's take one day last week as an example: (realizing this is probably way more than you ever wanted to know about my schedule)

6:00 a.m. Breakfast/coffee, Bible, made girls' lunches

7:25 a.m. Drove girls to school

8:15 a.m. Return home, various tasks, shower, etc.

10:30 a.m. Drove back to school to get Bec for Dr. appt.

11:30 a.m. Dr. appointment in Ft. Worth

12:15 p.m. Drive thru lunch while heading to school

12:40 p.m. Bec is dropped off at GPA

1:00 p.m. Arrive back in Ft. Worth with one hour at home

2:00 p.m. Back to Arlington to pick up Abigail

2:20 p.m. Arrive home, Abigail dress for basketball

4:00 p.m. Drop off Abigail at school to catch bus

4:30 p.m. Drive to pick up Bec at her practice (ends at 5:30)

5:30 p.m. Drive to Abigail's 6 p.m. game

For some reason, this schedule "drives" (ha, ha) me crazy. I guess it's because I feel like I am not being productive, meaning I didn't get much accomplished at home. I know there was productivity going on because I got the girls, safely in one piece, to their required destinations and appointments. That was progress for that day.

So, here's the question: when forces beyond my control (acts of God/snow/ICE) keep me homebound for going on 3 days now, why do I just want to get out of the house and drive?!? Anywhere! Just let me out. I feel a little bit like the Israelites who whined about wanting to go back to Egypt where they had it so good. And, deep inside, I hear God saying to me, "I am giving you what you asked for. Less busy-ness. Time at home. Quiet. Stillness. NO DRIVING. Now get in that house and enjoy it!"

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

Okay...I get it.

January "Blah"g

2011-01-19T22:36:00.004-06:00

Well, it's been awhile. I have many things to post. There's just one tiny problem. I'm blah and all I had the strength to do tonight was change the background. Maybe tomorrow... After all, tomorrow is another day. I heard that somewhere....once...a long, long time ago.

Scrapbook Sentiments

2010-12-26T23:44:00.007-06:00

I enjoyed making this little scrapbook for a friend for a Christmas gift this year. It only took me about half a day to complete and was so much fun! I wanted to remind her of who she was "in Christ." The most time-consuming task was searching the Bible for relevant Scriptures to what I wanted her to remember. It's definitely something I want to do again and will be looking for just the right person who needs one.

Here it is, starting with the front cover and ending with the back cover.

"Twas the Night Before Christmas"...or my take on it anyway

2010-12-23T23:31:00.006-06:00

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,

not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...

Apparently the author didn't have teenagers.

They are up until the wee hours of the morning.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, yes they are

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

and hopefully mom bought enough stuff to fill them.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, NOT...remember...teenagers...

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. or iTunes

And mamma in her kerchief (on her chiropractic pillow)

and I in my cap, wishing everyone would shut up and go to bed

Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap. Yea, right. Try 5 hours.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

Yes, I hear the neighbors celebrating

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Go to sleep, Genny. Pretend you don't hear them.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

No, I am not calling the police. Need sleep.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of midday to objects below.

Snow? In Texas in December? Right.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

Must be dreaming now.

Oh, the anticipation of waiting for Santa. And how could you sleep when you were so excited? And parents staying up late to put together various assortments of toys and paraphanalia only to be woken at 5:00 a.m. with a whispered, "Dad, it's time to get up! Santa came!" Huh...what? And then there was the year that Jeff convinced the girls that he was a Regional Distributor for Santa because Santa couldn't possibly be all over the world in one night.

I'm wondering if this year will be slightly different - three teenagers in the house who love sleeping in on vacation. I'm betting we get to sleep in until at least 8:00 a.m. Actually, I'm counting on it. And in case you were wondering? Yes, Santa still brings gifts to teenagers.

But I heard him exclaim 'ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

Couldn't Survive Winter Without Them

2010-12-06T22:52:00.005-06:00

Brrr....it's really getting chilly at night now. There are many things I couldn't imagine going through winter without; for example, thick socks, flannel pajamas, goose down comforter, etc. One thing I don't want to go through winter with is dry skin. I hate it. Despise it. Can't stand it. So, here's a few things on my winter survival list:

Oh my goodness....best.lip.balm.ever.

Hands down!

You must trust me on this.

Honeybee Gardens

My mother gave me a bottle of this lotion a few

years ago and it has been a favorite ever since.

We've laughed about the name: Elixir of Love #1.

I don't actually know what that means, but Jeff likes it. : )

And, if she's reading this post, I'm almost out.....

Just found this product this week...Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue.

It's like splashing fresh cucumber gel on your face every morning.

And, it's light and refreshing, and all that good stuff.

My one true love of lotions...Johnson's Baby Lotion.

Oh, the smell, the smell...

I use it every day because thankfully,

you don't have to have a baby to use it.

This last product, of course, is no dry skin remedy. But,

I couldn't imagine winter without it. (For that matter,

I couldn't imagine spring, summer or fall without it either.)

Add a little sweetener, a dollop of whipped cream and bliss.

Please Note: This is not a paid endorsement for any of the products listed above. If, however, someone stumbles on this blog and wants to pay me, they can.

Keep warm!

A Little Joy Can Be a Dangerous Thing

2010-12-06T21:39:00.005-06:00

Yes, it is true, my friend, Melissa and I will go to great lengths to tell a good story or set a good stage. I've been helping her decorate the sanctuary at church and it is finally finished. Melissa has gone through many hours of painting, glittering, crafting, glittering, glittering, glittering....sorry. Ask the janitors to tell you how much glitter has been used this year!

This is Melissa perched about 14 or so feet above the baptistry,

which is who knows how many feet above the choir loft,

which is who knows how many feet above the floor.

I actually helped to make this wreath. I have never had

wreath-making skills until this year. Never. Ever.

In fact, there is an unfinished wreath on my hearth right now.

One of my favorite parts of the scenery, and it's on the piano!

The feather tree is so pretty, and Melissa hand-crafted the other

two to make a set. Hoping to get her help on some for

my unfinished mantel, which is above the

unfinished wreath on the hearth.

Sensing a pattern here???

So glad I took this picture of snow on the drum cage.

Melissa spent 30 minutes, once again perched precariously

on a stool getting the gossamer and batting just right.

Sunday morning our drummer's stool collapsed,

sending him and the drum cage and the snow flying.

We didn't have time to repair it. Bummer.

The finished results were quite beautiful. We sprinkled snow on all the trees, and lit the lanterns and it was lovely.

Regrets...I've Had a Few

2010-11-29T23:28:00.002-06:00

And they are...in no particular order...pecan pie, ribs, Butterfinger blizzard (even though it was a mini-size), cranberry sauce, Wendy's burger and fries, Jumbo Jack...heavy sigh...back to better eating tomorrow. Do not get on the scale. Do. not. get. on. the. scale.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T21:46:00.005-06:00

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? ~Erma Bombeck, "No One Diets on Thanksgiving," 26 November 1981

Some things I enjoyed on Thanksgiving:

1. As far as food goes...sweet potato casserole, pecan pie, ribs, broccoli salad

2. A wonderful visit with my brother, John, and his kids

3. Being entertained by Katherine's college stories

4. Sending two of my girls off to watch the 10:30 p.m. showing of Harry Potter -- FINALLY! and then letting them stay out with Aunt Amy to go shopping at Wal-Mart at 5:00 a.m. for Black Friday

5. The cold front coming in this evening

6. My mother-in-law's Mac for me to blog on (and check Facebook)

7. Having the Aggies beat the Longhorns -- Whoop!

8. Downtime, with absolutely nothing I have to do

Hope your day was filled with lots of great things, too!

Cake Times Three

2010-11-22T23:00:00.006-06:00

Since I've had so much time on my hands (hah!) I managed to make three cakes in one week. Before you are too impressed, they are small, six inches across and don't even use a full cake mix. This is a good thing for my family because I use the remaining batter to make cupcakes.

The first cake was for Rebecca. She has been driving me crazy to eat wedding cake, white cake with white icing. I finally broke down and made her one -- just because.

This cake was for my friend, Lisa's birthday. She loves chocolate so the optimal choice was chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

This cake was for Rebecca's discipleship leader, Michele. Rebecca really loves her, so the heart made a perfect little gift for her birthday. An icing debacle due to poor color choice and bad consistency led me to a little disaster when doing this cake. I had to scrape off the flowers on top of the cake leaving me with smears and a mess about 10:30 one night. I begged Abigail to help me think of some way to salvage it. "Do you have chocolate chips?" she asked. And, thus this little cake received a different treatment than I've done before. Not bad, huh?

And in Other Sports News

2010-11-22T22:52:00.005-06:00

After several months' wait, Rebecca finally received her letter jacket that she was awarded in the spring at the track banquet. She was so excited to pick it up and thankfully it was very cold the next day so she could wear it to school. I do believe she would have worn it if it had been 80 degrees though! She has one patch on it so far: District 4x400 Meter Relay. She informs me there will be many more patches to come this year. Stay tuned.

It's That Time Again!

2010-11-22T22:45:00.002-06:00

We survived another volleyball season and have jumped in with gusto to basketball. Both the girls are sporting #12 this year, which is exciting because their Dad's number was 12 in high school; however, they weren't thrilled to be wearing each other's number. Go figure.

Abigail gets lots of playing time on the 8th grade team. Rebecca is a starter on the JV Team and a sub on the Varsity Team. We've enjoyed watching the girls and seeing how much they've improved since last year.

Not to wish away the time, but won't it be nice next year when they are on the same schedule and we have two nights of games instead of four? Yea...liking the sound of that.

Oh Yes!

2010-11-16T23:39:00.000-06:00

Five pounds! And, no, I won't make a habit of this.

Just Some Things I Want to Say...

2010-11-14T22:13:00.003-06:00

First of all...

Dear Kroger, When I bought your "All Natural" Frozen Cut Okra I didn't realize that "All Natural" meant that 1/3 of the package would be the tops of the okra. Please fix that. Thank you.

On a positive cooking note, I am loving Mrs. Dash Tomato/Basil/Herb seasoning. It is simply delish.

On another positive note, I've lost 4 1/2 pounds. Hoping I have the willpower to stay the course this time. After much analysis I realized that I cannot stick with any (healthy eating) plan because I am too easily bored. For instance, Weight Watchers? Tired of counting points. Flat Belly Diet? Tired of trying to schedule eating every four hours, which never coincides with times my family is eating. South Beach? Tired of eggs and salads.

Of course here is where most people would say, "You just need to exercise more." You know what? I'm not listening to you. (fingers in ears) I know it, ok? And, I have been walking around my neighborhood for a brief walk the last couple weeks. Guess what? I'm starting to get bored with that, too. Why can't there be a Scrapbooker's Diet? Let me lay it out for you...

Meal One: Eat a delicious breakfast of big, fat buttery cinnamon rolls with a huge cup of coffee. Pour a second cup of coffee to take to your scrapbook table. Make sure both cups of coffee have plenty of cream and real sugar. Scrapbook for four hours.

Meal Two: Have delivered to your scrapbook room a delicious mushroom/swiss cheese burger with seasoned fries, lots of ketchup and a Diet Coke. (The thought here being that the Diet Coke will offset the fries.) Continue scrapbooking after washing hands. Gotta watch those greasy hands on your paper.

Snack: A delivery of a fresh Diet Coke along with a bowl of popcorn, and possibly a piece of dark chocolate and some almonds will be just the things to tide you over until your evening meal. Continue working on your albums after this small snack break.

Meal Three: Ribeye Steak, Baked Potato (loaded, but no chives please) and a Caesar salad will be your final "big" meal of the day. How about some Crystal Light to drink with that? After all, you should try to cut calories where you can. Not really ready for dessert after that steak, so will reserve it for a late evening "pick me up" snack. Wow! Getting lots of work done on my albums today.

Dessert: How about a nice cup of hot tea and some peach cobbler with Bluebell Vanilla Ice Cream? A couple more hours on the scrapbook and then time for bed...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another letter to write. I'll be asking NBC for a chance to star in next year's "The Biggest Loser." And it's all thanks to my Scrapbooker's Diet -- the only eating plan I managed to stick with for an entire year!

From My Nightstand I Recommend...

2010-11-05T22:47:00.002-05:00

I've read three books lately that I have absolutely loved and thought, "Who doesn't want a good book recommendation?" Two are fiction and one non-fiction. I know! I actually read a non-fiction book.

"Never the Bride" was humorous and touching, the story of a girl who

desperately wants to be married, but God wants her love for Him to be first.

One of the best books I've read recently due to the dialogue.

(reminded me of Dee Henderson's dialogue --

Dee, where are you? why aren't you writing?)

The story of a reporter who spends time with the Amish and

how it changes her perspective on her own life.

This one was hard. I literally cried through most of it.

The tragedy of the death of your child caused by another

of your children is just too much to think about.

But, Mary Beth Chapman is living through it and the book is amazing.

Let me know if you enjoy one of these great books. I'm off to read the sequel to "Plain Jayne," which is entitled "Simply Sara."

Not Much Halloween Here

2010-11-05T22:27:00.006-05:00

On any given year I really would just pass up Halloween as a celebration. I do enjoy the fun of putting costumes together, but no one in my house usually wants to dress up. Abigail went to a friend's house and Rebecca decided to hang out in Grand Prairie with a few of her friends from school.

She dressed as a scientist. I tried to hard to get

her to have ratty hair and be a mad scientist. No go.

Gorgeous sunset at the site of the trunk or treat

with FBC Grand Prairie

Some of the sophomore class from Grace Prep

Best friends, Amanda and Rebecca

Of course overshadowing us was the fact that the Rangers were in the World Series and we not getting to watch the game. We did watch for a bit while the kids went trick or treating, and then on the way home....

This is taken out the car window. The blur in the upper left

is the Goodyear Blimp. The bright white lights are the stadium lights.

So, we were close to the game if not able to watch.

Rebecca didn't get much candy for all our efforts, so even that was kinda blah. I just comforted myself with the fact of how many calories I saved!

Found on My Computer........Why?

2010-10-30T21:56:00.004-05:00

Every now and then some pictures will find their way onto my computer and they leave me asking, "Why, Abigail, why?" She has such a strange sense of humor. I'm hoping that she will read this post and give us some whys and wherefores of these pictures. Maybe you would like to comment and give each one a caption.

These Ain't Your Mama's Brussels Sprouts

2010-10-30T21:41:00.007-05:00

Normally I would not even attempt to serve brussels sprouts in my home, the main reason being the cries of, "Those stink!" and "I'm not eating baby monkey brains!" (Thanks, Jeff.) But...I was all alone at home on Friday and determined to try a new recipe: Brussels Sprouts Gratin. And, all I can say is oh. my. delicious. goodness. They were absolutely the best brussels sprouts I've ever eaten. Really. I'm not kidding.

Washed and ready to be chopped

Aren't they pretty?
Like baby cabbages - NOT monkey brains.

Cooking up quite nicely with bacon and shallots

Here we are -- delicious goodness.

I would post the recipe for you, but I can probably guarantee my mother would be the only person in the world who would want it, and she can call me for it if she does.

My Little List of Happy Things

2010-10-30T21:28:00.002-05:00

Just some things that made me feel happy today:

1. Texas Rangers in the World Series

2. Spending the day with friends doing crafty things, lunch and great conversation

3. Magic Eraser Sponges

4. Rebecca cleaning the kitchen without being asked

5. Playing a duet with Abigail at the piano recital

6. Wearing a sweatshirt

7. Cherry Pomegranate Crystal Light

8. Crunchy leaves and acorns beneath my feet

9. Payday

10. Did I mention the Rangers were in the WORLD SERIES?!?

Abigail and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2010-10-25T15:13:00.010-05:00

A Short Story by Genny Holmes
Illustrated by Ray Cruz

I woke up late for school this morning and Rebecca was in the bathroom so I had to go downstairs and on the way down I stubbed my toe and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

When I asked Mom if my khaki skirt was in the dryer she told me Rebecca had forgotten to put it in the dryer last night and it was still wet and I would have to wear my navy skirt. Rebecca's khaki skirt was dry and ready to wear.

While putting my books in my backpack I scratched myself on the zipper and when I went to get a Band-Aid out of the cabinet I knocked over a pitcher of tea on my white shirt and navy skirt.

I think I'll move to Australia.

I went upstairs and put on a navy shirt while waiting for my khaki skirt to finish drying and finally it was dry and when I put it on the zipper busted and stuck and I couldn't get it to go up or down. I called for Mom to please help me and she was mad because she had just bought it a month ago and now she had to cut the zipper to get it off.

I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I stomped upstairs to get the navy skirt that had a tea stain on it and I knew I wouldn't look good at all because everyone knows you don't wear a navy shirt with a navy skirt. I grabbed a white sweatshirt to wear over the navy shirt but it was going to be 90 degrees all day. Who needs 90 degrees? I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I could tell because I threw my stuff in the back of the van and got in the middle seat because it was Rebecca's day to ride shotgun. Who needs shotgun anyway? And who needs Rebecca? I hope you sit on a tack, I said to Rebecca in my mind. I hope the next time you get a double-decker ice cream cone the ice cream part falls off the cone part and lands in Australia.

Next week, I said out loud, I'm going to Australia. It's been a terrible, horrible,no good, very bad day.

Mom opened my door, kissed me on the cheek and handed me a tissue. It will be okay, she said. Some days are like that.

Even in Australia.

Grandmother's Baby

2010-10-21T20:24:00.003-05:00

If cats could talk, they wouldn't. ~Nan Porter

After scolding one's cat one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word. And has filed it for reference. ~Charlotte Gray

The reason cats climb is so that they can look down on almost every other animal - it's also the reason they hate birds. ~K.C. Buffington

If there were ever a person who I would have believed would never have a pet, it would be my mother. We had dogs growing up, but never cats. So, the very fact that my mother has one now still gives me a little pause; however, one only needs to visit her to know that her heart has been stolen by Jack. Or, as I like to call him -- "He Who Runs the House." If you question this, how about the fact that he jumps up in her lap every morning so she can rock him? He also decides what time everyone in the house gets up (5:00 a.m. anyone?).

I have no idea what kind of cat he is, but he is incredibly soft!

I don't know what he's thinking here, and
I probably don't want to know.
Mad eyes and ears!

He tried to stand up and get water out of this birdbath,
but it was empty. I made an effort to put water in it right then,
but of course I was too late and he had no desire for any water.

And, he's finished with the likes of us peasants.

The importance of Jack is evidenced by the fact that we spent an entire day at my mother's house and I don't have a single picture of a person. Not one.

Catalyst Worship Conference

2010-10-21T19:43:00.007-05:00

Atlanta, Georgia ~ October 6-9, 2010

A Catalyst Leader is: uncompromising in integrity, intentional about community, passionate about God, courageous in calling, engaged in culture and authentic in influence. (taken from Catalyst 2010 Program)

I traveled with a group from my church to Georgia to attend a church music leadership conference. We spent two days listening to speakers, worshipping and being entertained. The theme for the event was "The Tension is Good." Sounds weird, I know. Each speaker took a different aspect of tension and showed how it can play out in our lives to be productive. Tension is not only necessary, but it makes us stronger.

This is waiting to get in the first morning.
When you are one of 13,000 people,

you can feel a little overwhelmed.
(Especially when you are all going into the same doors!)

Catalyst Worship Team

the amazing Kari Jobe

Beth Moore

Hard to tell from this picture, but there is a
guy near the center on a huge trampoline.

Yes, this guy crawled in the cannon and was
shot out of it moments later. Crazy!

Here he is in the net after he landed.

T.D. Jakes, who told us to "get off the caw-nuh" (corner)
and into the middle of the action

More great speakers were: Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Gabe Lyons, Seth Godin, Perry Noble, Craig Groeschel and Christine Caine. Too much information to even write about here. Sooooo good!

Some of the guys - Jeremy, Jeff, Aaron

Some of the girls - Me, Stephanie, Shauna

A few thoughts from the emcee, Reggie Joiner, about tension...

There is not one aspect of life where tension doesn't have critical value.

If you want a good example of the potential tension has to affect your team, think about the relationship Jesus had with his disciples. A close study of the New Testament recognizes that it was packed with tension. Too many Christians have an image of the twelve best friends sitting in a circle on a peaceful hillside listening to their teacher tell inspirational stories. It's just too easy to miss the point that Jesus almost always made His point in the middle of some extremely tense moments. He actually leveraged tension to mold His disciples into the kind of men who would change the world. Think about it.

He partied with tax-collectors and prostitutes -- to challenge the disciples' deep-rooted prejudices.

He broke sacred traditions -- so they would value people.

He led them into a stormy sea -- to take away their fear.

He let one of his best friends die -- to show them the power of resurrection.

He died a violent death -- to show them how to forgive and be forgiven.

The tension is good. Do I believe that? Well, I'm working on it...

SFA - Parents Weekend

2010-10-02T20:34:00.007-05:00

Rumors have abounded lately that I am old enough to have a kid in college. Well, I am here to finally say, "I'm sorry, but it is true." We went to Nacogdoches last weekend to enjoy the campus Parents Weekend. In a nutshell that means, taking Katherine out to eat, putting a license plate on her car and taking her to WalMart for supplies that can only be bought with "our" money. She doesn't want to spend "hers."

We drove down Saturday afternoon and took the girls to lunch at The Jalapeno Tree. We also celebrated Abigail's birthday with cupcakes. Then, Saturday night we went to the SFA vs. Lamar football game at Homer Brice Stadium.

Loved the SFA band. They sing! In harmony! So cool.

The students wear shirts that say "Purple Haze" and I love it!

Here we are with The Moseley's after we've all been
sweating to death in the 1,000% humidity.
I had forgotten the insane heat in East Texas. Blech!

It was "Purple Out" night so we joined in the fun,
except Abigail who refused and wore black.
We did force her into an SFA shirt though.
(Bet she never wears it again. She is strictly an Aggie girl.)

On Sunday morning, Katherine joined us at the hotel for breakfast
and then we went to church with her. It was a great service and we gave
the church our stamp of approval. (although Katherine said
she would go there even if we didn't like it!)

The three lovely girls who went to church with us --
Katherine, Kaitlin and Erinn

A great weekend...so glad to see Katherine doing well in her new environment.

It's A Teenager!

2010-09-30T10:17:00.013-05:00

On Sunday, September 26 when Abigail Grace Holmes had a birthday, I started thinking....

How long exactly does it take to go from this....

TO THIS???

Through the years it seemed a long time...

but it really happened overnight.

Happy 13th Birthday, Absie!
I know that you know that I love you and
I don't have to "hug and kiss you all the days"
but I'm going to whether you like it or not,
because you're still my little baby girl.

And In A Strange Mozzarella Cheese Follow Up Post...

2010-09-26T18:47:00.004-05:00

If you're checking this blog and reading this post, STOP! You must read the post below this first. And, it would probably make more sense for me to wait and post this one tomorrow or the next day, but I'm on a roll and the greatness may only continue for the next few minutes, so I'm going with it.

I should have titled this, "String Cheese: So Many Recipes, So Little Time!" Large amounts of string cheese are devoured in this house, especially since I've been (kinda, somewhat, sorta) eating on the Flat Belly Diet Program. I'm on the 3 days on, 7 days off plan. And, let me tell you, that's not actually working. So, gonna need to get more serious about losing weight. And exercising, which I'm sure I've mentioned on more than one occasion that I. do. not. like. But, I digress...

I took this picture because it represents a big portion of what I've been focusing on this month. Yes, string cheese and almonds. Don't you wish you lived my life? The problem comes not in the foods I'm told to eat, but in the willpower, people. Or, in my case, willpower, see also lack of. I will follow the plan strongly for days, eating my 1600 calories a day. Most days you could wave a chocolate chip cookie under my nose, and I wouldn't flinch. Now, a snickerdoodle or oatmeal cookie, that's a different story. Does it smell like cinnamon in here? Anyone? Anyone?

And, while these two posts really have no impact on the world at large, or me apparently, for some reason I felt the need to spend a good 30 minutes of time talking about string cheese. I guess I could have written one post entitled, "String Cheese: Friend or Foe?" I can answer that. Foe, when breaded, fried in oil and eaten with marinara sauce. Friend, when eaten straight from the package as part of a healthy, 1600-calorie-a-day diet. And, since honesty is the best policy, I think I have to say I prefer "Foe," dipped in marinara, of course.

Did I Mention They Were Homemade?

2010-09-26T18:31:00.002-05:00

For some people, "homemade" means they take it out of the box or bag, stick it in the oven, allow it to cook and then serve it. Of course, I've even done this and joked about it being homemade because I. made. it. at. home. Yea..so...

These mozzarella sticks are what my mother and grandma would call "made from scratch." And, before you ask, no I did not make the cheese. (Although I could if I wanted to because Martha Stewart has nothing on me.) I did, however, make the batter, coat them and fry them up. Let me tell you, I'm actually not sure if it was worth the effort, but they were very tasty. I could, in five minutes time, drive down to Sonic, plunk down $2.99 or so and bring 5 of them home with much less effort. But, this was just something I wanted to try -- for fun. And it was! The girls and I ate every last one of them. Let me know if you want to try them for yourself. I'll be glad to share the recipe.

When It Rains, It Flash Floods

2010-09-09T09:09:00.005-05:00

The effects of Tropical Storm Hermine were seen yesterday in Arlington at Grace Prep Academy. Jeff drove the girls to school as he always does when it's raining hard. I-20 is usually a nightmare trek, so I was glad to stay home and watch the rain as I drank my coffee. He dropped them off at 8:00, only a few minutes late. Two hours later, the girls texted us telling us they were going to be evacuated by Arlington Fire & Rescue. Rebecca's text (almost) made me smile:

"We are fine! No danger! Do not come to the parking lot. It is flooded. Cars are almost covered! D:"

Students were evacuated to Arlington ISD school buses and driven to the church around the corner where we picked them up a couple hours later.

Here are some pictures I received that people took on their iPhones...

It's shocking what can happen in just two hours. The principal later said she wishes she could have sent the students with cars to move them to higher ground, but there was just no time. I am so sad for the amount of loss that will be experienced with cars and property; however, it is just stuff. (Notice I can say this freely because my car was not in the parking lot.)

This is definitely not the way to make the local news. I am grateful for the safety of everyone, however, and thankful for God's protection over the girls.

Dear Maybelline,

2010-09-04T13:01:00.001-05:00

Here are three of your top-selling mascaras. One of them is not like the others. Can you tell which one? I can.

Mascara #1: You promised that my lashes would be VOLUMINOUS, and oh, they were. I think. But every time I turned around there were little flakes of black all over my face.

Mascara #2: You promised that my lashes would be COLOSSAL, and oh, they were. I think. But every time I turned around there were little flakes of black all over my face.

So, Maybelline, you leave me with no choice: I must return to the old tried and true, GREAT LASH, in the "pink and lime green since the dawn of time" tube. I will be returning to the mascara of my youth. And, it's cheaper than those other "promise the world, but don't deliver" mascaras you're putting out there. Stick with what you do best, people.

Sincerely,
Blackest Black with No Flaking

I'm Not But A Little Proud

2010-08-29T23:13:00.004-05:00

Two of Katherine's recent pictures...

The saddle is an incredibly detailed charcoal drawing. Honestly, I don't know how she does it. (Click on the image below to see the fine details.)

The snowcone is an oil painting based on a photograph that Katherine took. She's won two blue ribbons on this one and it now hangs in her dorm room.
Can't wait to see what the professors at SFA think.

August Busy

2010-08-29T22:50:00.007-05:00

Summer is officially over around the first Monday in August because that's when volleyball practice resumes. Rebecca attended three days of practice this year and decided that she had more important ways of spending her time than getting yelled at for dropping balls. Hallelujah! This has changed our weekly schedule to be sure, and we are all loving the extra time. That's not to say we haven't been busy.

Here are the girls on the first day of school

August 16, 2010

Rebecca is a sophomore and the class president. Her classes are Algebra 2, Chemistry, Spanish I, English and World History. She will play basketball and run track. Abigail is in the 8th grade and her schedule includes Algebra 1, American History, English and Earth Science. She is playing volleyball and plans to play basketball and run track.

Rebecca had another milestone on August 25 -

She got her braces off!

Katherine moved into her dorm at Stephen F. Austin State University
on August 27. She begins classes on August 30. Her schedule
includes: Art - Drawing I, Art - 2D Design, English, U.S. History,
Math, and SFA 101 for a total of 16 hours.

Abigail and Emma after a long day of volleyball.

We are in the process of remodeling the upstairs of our house now that Katherine is gone. Rebecca has moved into Katherine's old room and Abigail has moved into Bec's old room. This left me with an entire room to devote to my scrapbook stuff (yay!!!) and to create a nice little alcove for Katherine to sleep in when she comes home. As rooms become less chaotic and more beautiful, I will post pictures.

Genetic Predisposition or Learned Behavior?

2010-08-06T09:55:00.004-05:00

Can it get any scarier when you look at your child and realize, "Oh my! She's a mini-me!" This opens up the mind for all types of worry because, believe me, she not only received my best qualities but the worst ones, too!

Look at the eyes. The eyebrows. The smiles. And it really goes so much deeper than that, which got me to wondering...is she genetically predisposed to my personality type as well as physical attributes? And I think the answer to that may be a resounding "YES!" when she gets angry, storms out of a room, stomps up the stairs and slams her door, and Jeff looks at me and says, "Uh huh...little Genny!" By the way, I HATE it when he does that. It makes me want to storm out of the room, stomp up the stairs and slam a door or two.

The worst part of the "knowing her" (if she is indeed just like me) is knowing all the things she will have to go through before she realizes that she won't always be right and you can't control the behavior of others. Trust me. It's a lifelong lesson. I've always believed that if people would just do things my way the world would be a happier place. For all of us. Especially me.

The other thing to note here is that we do have many redeeming qualities that balance out our obsessive-compulsive tendencies and door-slamming skills:
~We are very loyal.
~We make good friends.
~We love to encourage others.
~It makes us happy when you are happy. (and giving gifts to you makes us happy)
~We are rule followers.
~We will always be on time. (which is 10 minutes early)
~Our closets are arranged according to color.

Sorry about that last one. It's just who we are.

I'm Just Peachy

2010-07-10T17:23:00.004-05:00

I'm so excited I was able to harvest peaches off my tree this year! (I think the blowup snake did the trick to keep the squirrels away. He is definitely staying for next year!) Have I mentioned how much I despise squirrels? But, just in case you haven't read this blog that far back, I. HATE. SQUIRRELS. THEY. ARE. EVIL. Anyhoo...some lovely photos of my delicious peaches, which made the most delicious cobbler ever this week. (See last photo.)

Apologies for the weird coloring on the last photo. A food stylist I am not. But, barring all the fat and calories which will land completely and firmly on my stomach, it was delish!

Mission Trip Outtakes

2010-07-10T17:05:00.009-05:00

Sometimes you get these pictures because no one was ready the first take. Sometimes you just miss the shot. And sometimes you ask, "Who gave Abigail my camera?" I'll let you guess which categories these interesting photos fall into.

Mission Trip - Farmington, New Mexico

2010-07-09T10:55:00.018-05:00

On Friday, June 25, Rebecca, Abigail and I jumped onto vans and buses with approximately 120 other teenagers and adults and headed to New Mexico. Our destination was Farmington, which we landed in on Saturday evening after a stop and first concert in Amarillo, three malls to eat, and the Motel 6 in Tucumcari, which is very interesting, by the way.

We spent the week housed at the TraveLodge in Farmington and Crestview Church was our central station for meetings and eating. It's a long drive to New Mexico and the views are pretty much rocks, and rock formations, and a few tumbleweeds. I didn't really care for the dust storms and cottonweed blowing around, but LOVED the low/no humidity and great hair days. (if I had felt like fixing my hair on four hours sleep per night)

This was the view from the Shiprock Pentecostal Church parking lot,
located on a Navajo reservation.

I hope there's a better band picture than this,
but this is me and the guys. Love them all
and they are so talented.

The view from the Crestview Church -- amazing!

Our concert was about an hour or so long, with many different varieties of performances:

We STOMPED...

(Abigail is in the center, 2nd row with camo shirt)

...and BANGED on trashcans...

...and performed awesome DRAMAS...

...and led basketball CAMPS...

...and SANG lots of great music...

This is a Youth Camp in Hesperus, Colorado.

Me caught digging in my purse, probably
looking for eye drops or Altoids!

We POSED for pics...

...and threw CHAIRS...

And Melissa was there, so that was really great!
Don't we look "peachy" in the light of the fading sun?

And the following Friday, we loaded up at 6 a.m. and drove and drove and drove....stopping for bathroom breaks A LOT, and finally landed in Fort Worth on Friday night around 10:30. It was soooo good to be home, except for the 1,000% humidity which immediately sent us all into groans of "Let's go back to New Mexico! Wait....not really. Home to bed!"

My favorite picture that I took...the glory of God revealed in nature.

Our Home Concert will be this Sunday, July 11 at 6:00 p.m. Ya'll come!

: )

2010-05-31T15:00:00.003-05:00

Now THIS makes me smile...

It's The Little Things

2010-05-28T21:24:00.006-05:00

I was reading a blog post the other day where someone mentioned how small things tend to bring us little moments of joy here and there as we go about our daily lives. And that's really true, I think. Here are a few things that made me smile today. As you can see, it's mainly flowers, but also a jar of shiny candy, a sweet bunny's face, little green tomatoes, a new flowerbed and the trio of plants on my porch that I have personally kept alive for almost a year now. Yea me!

Birthday Boy

2010-05-28T21:15:00.004-05:00

With all the celebrations going on around here, I can't leave out the birthday boy who was 45 years young on May 26. He chose Mexican food for his birthday lunch, so we went to Mi Charrito just around the corner from our house. It was extra special to have Jeff's mom with us. He opened presents, which of course included Godiva chocolate. Gotta have his chocolate!

Senior Recognition at Wedgwood

2010-05-28T20:56:00.006-05:00

Sunday night during the evening service twenty-six seniors were recognized with Bibles and given a copy of the book, Crazy Love. We celebrated with a potluck meal after the service.

The youth praise team and band led the service.
Excellent music!

Senior Girls

Adding the guys and Jay

A great group of kids, some of whom I've known all their lives. Sniff...sniff...

The Graduate

2010-05-28T18:36:00.009-05:00

The long awaited day finally arrived -- Katherine's graduation aka the day of "How Can This Be?" It was a wonderful weekend of celebration and we were so grateful for all the family who came to support Katherine. Thank yous go out to Grandmother, Nanny, Stella, Uncle Mike and Aunt Dorothy, Uncle Gary, Uncle Bob, Hannah, Aiden, Uncle Heath and Aunt Lesa, Tori and Zach. And, a huge thank you to the many others who couldn't come but sent fabulous gifts!

Many gifts were received.

A few photos were hurriedly taken...

The graduates lined up...

and posed...

and celebrated!

Afterwards there was a reception at the church and we enjoyed looking at the accomplishments of all the graduates. These boards were the stress of many of the moms, but I enjoyed doing it -- like one big scrapbook page!

Family looking through Katherine's scrapbook

We are so proud of the beautiful young lady Katherine has become and look forward to her many accomplishments at Stephen F. Austin University in the fall. Axe 'em Jacks!

Just Something I've Been Wondering...

2010-05-22T17:04:00.005-05:00

How did this...

...end up as this?

Today Is Your Day!

2010-05-21T12:11:00.007-05:00

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the girl who'll decide where to go.
~Dr. Seuss

Graduation day is finally here! Lots of excitement and stress going on at our house. I told Jeff this morning, "I can't imagine what preparing for a wedding must be like if graduation takes this much out of you!" And, Katherine, having overheard that said, "Let's just not worry about stuff like that right now." Whew...

Of course I will post later about the event in detail, but for now some lovely photos of the soon-to-be-graduate taken by the lovely Michele, of Hannah Michele Photography.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~Attributed to Mark Twain

A Little Poolish

2010-05-18T23:26:00.004-05:00

"Pool-ish" is my made up word for how the girls smell when they come in from swimming. It's a perfect blend of chlorine, sunscreen and sun on warm skin.

And it's about that time. Time to officially open the pool for summer! Of course, it's WAY too cold for me to hop in yet, and it will probably be awhile before it hits the 80-82 degree mark of perfection for my body. Katherine and Abigail took a little pool preview today and actually swam for awhile. Brr...is what I say. But, summer's comin'.

Summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James

I can't wait!

Is It Too Early?

2010-05-18T08:18:00.004-05:00

For some reason, I'm starting to hum "Pomp and Circumstance." I don't know why except that Katherine graduates in...oh my...three days! And, I don't even know if Grace Prep uses "Pomp and Circumstance." They could play "Free at Last!" or "Victory in Jesus" for as much as I can tell you about a GPA graduation. I do know it will be a wonderful, meaningful ceremony and I'm going today to pick up some waterproof mascara. And some Kleenex. (Puffs Plus, actually because should there be any other kind? I think not.)

But Wait...There's More -- Piano Awards Recital

2010-05-15T20:16:00.010-05:00

Because we didn't have enough to do today, we decided to add in one more thing -- another "last thing" for Katherine, her final piano recital. Abigail received many awards that she had won during this last year: a Gold Medal for her ensemble performance, a medal for Theory Test (I couldn't do that!) and several certificates for other competitions. Abigail played a sonatina, while Katherine played "Knight Rupert."

Group photo of Mrs. McKay's students

Mrs. McKay awarded Katherine a small scholarship
from the McKay Studio.

Trying out a few pianos at Steinway Hall

Katherine playing "Dawn" from "Pride & Prejudice"
Wish you could have heard it on that beautiful piano.

And here's the disinterested piano recital attendee

And here's my new ($716,000) piano...right, Jeff?
Jeff? Are you there, Jeff? Hello? Anyone?
Maybe next year...

Track Banquet - Let the Awards Continue

2010-05-15T19:42:00.009-05:00

As I've already been blogging about this week, we've had a busy end of year attending banquets, awards dinners and the like. And, other than graduation, we've finally wrapped up all school events. Today was the track banquet, which saw even more awards brought home. As I've mentioned before, Rebecca absolutely loved track and was able to excel in it more than any other sport she has participated in. I give credit to the fact that she's a pretty fast runner and she had an amazing coach, Ron Abrams. I have secretly given him the "Best Coach at Grace Prep" Award.

Emma and Abigail with their awards

Bec with Alyx, who really mentored her this year

And now, in no particular order, the awards:

Outstanding Runner of 2010 Award
Girls Varsity 4 x 400 meter relay team

Most Dedicated Award
Coach A told the story about putting a freshman
(for the first time) into the 4x400 relay at the Texas Relays,
in front of 15,000 people and when she finished
the race, came off the track and said, "I loved that!"

All District Award

Varsity Letter in Track
(Letter Jacket to be ordered soon.)

Most Christ-Like Award

Junior High Team

Almost makes all those 5 hour track meets in blizzard conditions worth it....