Weekend Recap

It has been a busy weekend.  I haven't had one of those in a while!  Let's do a little weekend recap.

I will start with  a terrifying story of what happened this afternoon because it is at the forefront of my mind.  I almost hit a kid on a bike.  WITH MY CAR!  I really and truly almost hit her.  I am still sick thinking about it.  I was driving on a road with a 30 mph speed limit.  I saw the two girls on the bikes.  They were about 10-12 years old.  They were riding on the sidewalk on the right hand side of the road.  I was cruising along and all the sudden the girl in front comes to the end of the sidewalk and just turns left right in front of me.  She didn't pause.  Did not look for traffic.  I did not have a stop sign or street light coming up and was not slowing down or planning to slow down.  Until I saw her make a left right in front of me.  I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES to try not to hit her.  I am certain I left skid marks on the street.  She was probably four feet in front of my bumper when I came to a stop and we were both terrified.  Her dad was sitting on his bike at the corner she was heading for and he was also terrified.  He yelled a warning at her but it would not have done any good if I had not been watching so closely and been able to stop.  He knew it and waved thankfully at me and I could only imagine the lecture she was going to get.  I will probably wake up in a cold sweat tonight thinking about how horrible it would have been if I hadn't been able to stop.  UGH!  I did not hit her.  I am so unbelievably grateful that my big car was able to stop so suddenly.  Thank you, Jesus.  Truly.  Thank you.

When not have a near miss hitting children on their bikes, I have been a Swedish Death Cleaning and purging fool. I have been a hammering, drilling, taking apart beds, carrying mattresses, moving furniture, making multiple trips to Goodwill maniac. Feels so good!  I'm a big fan of the death cleaning.

Saturday night I had some of my girls over for a Build a Bowl night. We all brought ingredients to build a burrito bowl and it was great!  Delicious!  Also, I made these super tiny desserts (because they eat nothing!) with phyllo dough shell cups, Lemon Curd and whipped cream.  They were tiny little lemon meringue pies.  I am now in love with lemon curd. First three ingredients in lemon curd are sugar, butter, lemon juice.  So you can imagine how fantastic it tastes!  Buy some lemon curd and eat it.  Do it now.  You will not be sorry!

Sheri brought her Grandma Helen's brownies, which were a lot like a chocolate sheet cake (but WAY BETTER) and we were all salad eating health nuts that were bonkers for dessert.  Tiny bites. Everything in moderation. 

Today, I volunteered with HopeAustin and we packed 2,500 bags of food for hungry kids in our community.  It was hard work with lots of heavy items this time, but very satisfying to work hard for kids that need a little help with extra meals during the week. 

I also took the TWDITW to the dog park for some running and romping.  It was a gorgeous afternoon and the place was mobbed.  Cooper did great and got to burn off lots of energy!  Thank goodness. 

As a final note, a young 18 year old darling girl in our neighborhood was diagnosed with cancer last week.  I am heartsick for her and her precious family.  Cancer is the worst.  Please play for sweet Rylie. She has a fight on her hands, but I am confident she is going to kick cancer's butt! 

Have a beautiful week ahead!  

Musical Mattresses

Have you ever started a project and it snowballs until your whole house looks like a tornado hit it?

No?  Me neither.

That is a lie.

I am in that situation at this very moment.  I am so far into that situation it is not even funny.  I am blaming it on the Swedish Death Cleaning, but I don't really think that is what is happening here.

Now to follow along with this story of musical mattresses you may need to get a white board and some Expo markers or at a minimum a piece of paper and a pen.  In advance, go ahead and draw four rooms on the paper or whiteboard - one with a G for Guest Room - one with a H for Harry's Room - one with a C for Chip's Room and one with an M for Master Bedroom.  You can draw arrows between rooms and try to keep up!

Here we go.

A couple months ago I ordered a new mattress for the guest room (G).  It was one of those mattresses that shows up on your front door step all shrunk wrapped in a giant bag.  You take the plastic off and it starts unrolling and swelling up into a regular old mattress.  Kinda magic and also very reasonably priced and I did not have to walk into a mattress store.  Bonus.  Turns out, a new mattress also feels pretty lovely.  Like REALLY lovely.  After a quick test run, Chip decided the new mattress felt way better than his old mattress.  Only problem is that Chip has a full size bed frame and the new mattress was a queen.  We made the switch anyway and moved the new mattress into Chip's room (C), and his full mattress to the Guest room (G) while Chip tested it out.  The queen mattress was a dream to sleep on, but was not fitting on his frame worth a darn.  We coped.

Fast forward a couple months and I decided that Harry's room (H) which only had a twin bed, could use the full mattress that was in the Guest Room (G).  He is a grown 21 year old man, so a bigger bed just seems necessary.  So, I ordered Chip (C) the same kind of new mattress he was enjoying in a queen size, in a full size so it would fit the frame in his room.  Then I moved the queen mattress he had been testing into the Master (M) because momma needed a new mattress too!  The queen mattress in the Master (M) went to the Guest (G) room and the Guest room mattress that was originally Chip's old full size mattress is going to Harry's (H) room.

Are you dizzy yet?

If not, please imagine a 51 year old woman and a 15 year old boy dragging mattresses from one room to the other.  It was chaos.  I was practically worthless.  No, actually I was all the way worthless. I wasn't pulling or pushing much and I was laughing so hard that Chip had to move the mattresses while dealing with me as a laughing blockade.  It was so awesome!  If you happen to see Chip, do not ask him how awesome it was.  His opinion may be different than mine.

The mattresses are all almost in their final resting place.  My final move it to get the twin mattress and bed out of Harry's room (H) so I can move in the full bed frame and mattress.

While I was doing the bit of rearranging to fit a full bed in Harry's room, I decided to clean off his bookcase and box up his things...Rearrange some pictures...Clean out every single thing that was left in his his closet.  I have stacks of stuff everywhere!

In conclusion, my house is a wreck, but it is eventually going to be awesome and everyone is going to sleep well!  I personally have been sleeping like a rock in my new (slightly used) mattress from Chip's room.  It was worth all the aggravation.

I plan on cleaning and purging all day tomorrow!  Hopefully, I can bring some order back to the chaos.  Wish me luck!

More Dog Tales

Hello people!  I can't believe it is already hump day!  This week is moving right along!  Not much happening here on the ranch.  Actually, we don't live on a ranch but I do read several blogs by people who live on a ranch and it just seems like something familiar I should say.  Way easier than, not much happening here in the cul-de-sac near the biggest hot bed of construction in our little city.  The main road outside of our neighborhood is being widened and it is a war zone of construction equipment and big orange barrels and dust and debris.  It is definitely NOT a ranch.

Inside the house, I am still a purging fool.  I am working.  I am cooking.  I am laundering.  I am pulling together some cute Valentine treats.

I am also still arguing regularly with TWDITW.  I have recently changed his transportation situation when we ride in the car and he is not happy about it.  For the first year of his life, he rode in the seat directly behind the driver's seat, but he got into the bad habit of barking incessantly right in my ear every time we went somewhere.  We go somewhere ALOT and I thought my eardrums might actually rupture.  I don't know if that is a thing or not, but his head was so close to my head that the force of his bark was physically moving my hair.  Not sure if that was his powerful breath or the sonic boom of his sharp bark, but hair was moving.  Anyway, more important than my hair moving was that it was super painful on my ears.  I decided to change things up.  I bought a gate to go across the back of the suburban to keep him in the trunk area.  It's not a trunk at all, it is what we call the "way back".  The way back is behind the third row and in a suburban it is probably 4 X 5 foot area.  Plenty of room for a dog to travel comfortably.  Well, Super Duper Cooper does not like being restrained in any manner and he gives zero cares about the lovely area available for him to travel in comfort.

The first time I put him in there, he wiggled around the smallest corner gap between the gate and the side window and was in the driver's seat in 1.6 seconds.  Like, I shut the trunk and before I could walk the ten feet around the side of the car to open the driver's door, he was sitting in my seat smiling and barking.  That was a fail.

Apparently, the gate I bought wasn't quite wide enough to cover the expanse of the suburban.  For most dogs it would have been adequate, but for TWDITW a two inch gap was plenty to flatten his 82 pound body, bend the metal a tiny bit and squeeze through.  To solve the gap problem, I created some wings on both ends of the gate out of super thick cardboard and duct tape.  I am definitely my mother's daughter.  Resourceful.  It worked great and I was able to take him on a spin around the block without him ending up in my lap.  Unfortunately, now that he knows he is going in the way back, it takes him a long time to stop complaining and jump in the way back and stay there so I can close the trunk.  Saturday afternoon, I patiently waited for him to jump in and out  and in and out and bark and carry on in the driveway, all with the promise that we were headed to the dog park.  Finally, I was able to wait it out and he settled down and we were off to the dog park about 3 miles from our house.

I got about a mile into the drive, right in the thick of the aforementioned construction zone of death, when I heard him digging and clawing at the gate.  I had to concentrate on not plowing into a construction cone or another car, so just prayed the gate would hold.  I was about a mile from the dog park when he successfully destroyed the cardboard wings and was in the front passenger seat next to me barking happily and trying to get in my lap.  NOT GOOD.  The gate would be returned since even with cardboard and duct tape modifications, it couldn't contain the beast.

Thankfully, my friend Lori (Tibi's Mom) was no longer in need of her gate because Tibi just hops on in the car and lays in the back like a normal dog.  Lori let me borrow their gate and with some re-configuring and a ton of zip ties it fits great in my suburban.  We have taken it on a trial run to the dog park and it held TWDITW for the whole three mile drive.  There was barking and complaining and digging and scratching, but he was unable to dislodge the gate and was not sitting in my lap at any point.  Hooray!

Hopefully, he will eventually get used to being back there and won't have to act like a complete terror every time we go somewhere.  Fingers crossed.

Finally, here are two funny dog pictures I have received from friends this week that I just have to share.

The first one is from Tibi's mom, Lori who shared her gate.  Tibi is a lab and she is obsessed with two things...tennis balls and water.  LOVES them both.  Tibi is in training to be a therapy dog and went to a nursing facility this week with Lori to visit a friend.  I got this picture with the message "I was afraid of this."  Cracked me up.

It is a walker with tennis balls on the front to make walking a little easier.  Tibi was locked on and would not leave it for love or money.  I got such a laugh out of this. 

The second picture I got was from my friend Jenny.  She texted me earlier this week about how I cooked the ribs I blogged about recently.  She tried them last night and they turned out great.  She sent me this picture along with a text that said "Ribs were a hit.  And the best dog in the world has been standing here the entire time."

So funny.   Why can't my dog be this awesome?   TWDITW ripped off four pieces of bacon this very morning when I turned my back for just a split second.  He just keeps on earning his title.

Have a wonderful Wednesday and please send me pictures of your dogs doing awesome things.  It makes my day.  I may compile them in an instruction book for Cooper on how to be an awesome dog. I will read it to him every night before he goes to bed! 

EEG, Death Cleaning and Big Heart Living

Worst blog post title ever!  I know.  It is awful.  I have no excuse.  Read this post and see if you could have come up with anything better.  May the force be with you. 

Chip got all wired up for his EEG on Friday afternoon and was a champ through the whole annoying process.  As always, the scrubbing of the skin and the smell of the glue are not a great way to spend an hour of your life, but he makes the best of it.  He laid low on Saturday and woke up this morning ready to get them off.  His head was starting to itch with the dried glue and toting around his little purse is a pain in the neck.  Luckily, his doctor's office does removals on Sunday mornings so he was wire free by 10:00 a.m. today.  A long hot shower ensued and he was ready to roll.  Hopefully, we will hear from the doctor with the result some time this week.  Fingers crossed this EEG shows Chip's brainwaves are headed toward something close to normal.  

While Chip was laying low, I was reading this book my friend Karen brought me.  Isn't that a lovely title?   The author described herself as somewhere between 80 and a 100 years old.  She was a bit cantankerous, and said things like "I don't know if my grandchildren can even write because I never get a thank you note from them."  Old people.  It was pretty basic purging information, with an emphasis on making it easier on your family to go through your things when you pass away.  Everything well labeled and organized.  Your final wishes well documented.  Just some nice light Saturday morning reading. 

Then I started sorting through drawers and papers and file folders and have been shredding paper ever since!  I filled up my compost bin to the brim!  There are strips of shredded paper all over the house.  My poor shredder kept turning itself off to cool off.  Maybe I should just rent a dumpster add gasoline and light the whole dang thing on fire. 

This girl loves a good purge so a cranky old lady writing a book about sorting through your stuff is just enough to get me inspired.  Stay tuned for more on the great Swedish Death Cleaning of 2018.

I did take a break from death cleaning to take TWDITW to the dog park and soak up some Vitamin D myself.  The sun was out and it was glorious.

Cooper went hard at the dog park and for the first time in his life, he laid down.  And not with a dog on top of him or wrestling him to the ground.  I was stunned.  Happy, but stunned. 

Tonight, I wrapped up the weekend with the kick off of our 2018 Ten for Him meeting.  Heard two great stories of where our money was shared at the end of 2017.  So touching.  Then my name was drawn as the first giver of 2018.  I left that little gathering with a full, tender heart.  So amazed by these beautiful, authentic, brave women that have such big giving hearts.  I am so lucky that I get to walk through life with them.  What a gift.  They teach me so much about living.

Hope your week ahead is fantastic.  

Wired Up

Chip is getting hooked up for another EEG tomorrow to see how his medication is working on controlling his seizures.  I would sure appreciate your prayers for good results that show his medication is doing what it is supposed to do!  I am optimistic so be on the lookout for a good report when we get the results.  

This kid ROCKS the wires like a BOSS! 

Hope your Friday is great! 

Crisis Averted

Yesterday, for the the first time in 27 years I honestly gave some serious consideration that I might be ready for a job change.  It has been weighing on me for some time that I probably don't want to work in this same field for the rest of my career.  I think there is something else I should be doing.  Something that has to do with helping people.  Touching them.  Impacting them directly.   I just don't what that is or how I can do it.  So, I went out to one of those job search sites and just looked around.  I didn't see anything that even remotely piqued my interest, but I looked.  It was profound enough of a decision that I mentioned it out loud to some of my closest people.  They had never heard me say those words and thought maybe I was supposed to be looking.  Wouldn't you know that today I had an epic, awesome day at work.  I really felt like God was pointing me back to the great job I already have.  Reminding me that it isn't really the work I am doing that has to impact people, but that I can help people, touch people make their day better every day regardless of what job I have.  I dug in today and had some great conversations, got some new projects rolling and the hours flew by.  It was a pretty great day and I am excited for tomorrow.  Maybe, I will table that job search for a while and just do as much good as I can exactly where I am. Crisis averted!

Do you know where I was around 3:00 this afternoon?  I was in my driveway trying to crank my dead Suburban. YIKES!  It was as dead as a doornail.  What does that even mean?  How dead is a doornail?  What is a doornail?  Anyway, I digress.  The Suburban was going NOWHERE!  My sweet friend Lori and her husband Jay came to the rescue and had my car jumped off and charged back up in no time.  I went directly to the car repair shop and got a brand new battery!  In and out in about 30 minutes!  Crisis averted!

I am also grateful for these delicious ribs that just got more magical the longer they stayed in the oven waiting for me to deal with the car crisis.  I love ribs.  They aren't that photogenic unless you give them bonus points for being easy, forgiving and YUMMY.  They get a high five in all three of those areas!

Grateful, grateful, grateful.  So many choices for the Gratitude Journal!

EDUCATIONAL FOOTNOTE:  I looked up Dead as a Doornail and here is what I found: Doornails are the large-headed studs that were used in earlier times for strength and more recently as decoration. The practice was to hammer the nail through and then bend the protruding end over to secure it. This process, similar to riveting, was called clenching. This may be the source of the 'deadness', as such a nail would be unusable afterwards.

Look at me learning something new! 

I hope your day was crisis free or that if a crisis landed in your lap, it was dealt with in short order and you could see God blessing you all over the place! 

Snow Day

Chip was THRILLED when we got the text Monday afternoon that our school district was cancelling school for Tuesday because of winter weather that was headed our way!  Ice and snow!  Grocery stores were mobbed.  Never mind that it was 65 degrees outside when the text came. Temps were dropping and moisture was in the air.  Woo Hoo!

It ended up being anticlimactic as all get out.  No snow.  No ice to speak of in our area.  Well, the dog's outside water bowl froze over, but a gentle kick with my shoe and that thin ice broke pretty easily.

Regardless, of the absence of precipitation there was no school and that was enjoyable enough!  I did have to work because when you work from home there are no snow days!  But it was a nice productive day and I was so grateful that I work from home and didn't have to worry about driving or getting out of my slippers!  That made it into the Gratitude Journal yesterday!

I also took some time yesterday to try my hand at pork empanadas.  I pulled some of the pizza crust I made a while ago out of the freezer and whipped up a meat concoction with lots of garlic and spices.  Rolled the dough out and made little meat purses.  We loved them.  They were delicious!  And even kind of pretty, but I failed to take a picture!  Boo!

In other news:

• It is still cold. 15 degrees this morning.  Brrrrrrr!!!!
• Cooper was cooped up yesterday and wasn't a complete jerk.  Thank you to TWDITW for not making us completely miserable with your pent up enthusiasm.
• A coffee pot and dryer running in the morning just automatically makes your house sound and feel warmer.  Can something sound warmer?  I think so.
• I was still cutting my hair just a little bit yesterday. 
• I took a hot shower and a hot bath yesterday. 
• I hope this cold weather does a number on mosquitos! 

That is all I have for now.  Stay warm where you are.  

The WDITW Gets a Bath

Cooper played hard at the dog park on Monday morning and he desperately needed a bath.  It has been a hot minute since he last had a bath and he smelled pretty ripe.  So, you already know he is the worst dog in the world and his poor behavior certainly extends to bath time.  In fact, his first bad behavior report was given because he bit two humans at the groomers.  In the same day.  He drew blood.  He was still a little puppy, but he jumped out of the tub during his bath and when they tried to put him back in he bit them.  Also, same day he bit them again when they tried to put him in the drying room with the loud blowing fans.  All I can figure is that sometime before he was found on the side of the road at five weeks old, he must have been trapped in a car wash that terrified him.  I mean, puppies can't even walk or see before they are a couple weeks old, right?  What could have possibly happened to him in those first few short weeks of life that made him this neurotic?  

Anyway, after an hour at the dog park, I thought for sure he would have some good endorphins racing through his brain and might even be too physically tired to fight bath time.  I crossed my fingers, grabbed my lucky rabbit foot, threw some salt over my shoulder, found a four leaf clover in the yard, bit the bullet, said a prayer and gathered up all the supplies. 

I would need dog shampoo, an old towel, his leash, his muzzle, peanut butter....and my 15 year old.  It was going to be a family affair.    

Here is mommy's little angel with his muzzle on.  He puts it on like a champ.  Anything for a treat.  And he was thrilled about heading upstairs!  He absolutely loves getting past the barricade that keeps him from going upstairs.  Happy, happy, joy, joy!  He was a little confused about why he had on the muzzle and was still on a leash, but really too excited about smelling all the upstairs things to really care. 

I asked Chip to get in the bathtub to hold Coop's leash during his bath and he was game.  Thank goodness!  While Chip got situated, I smeared peanut butter all over the back of the tub.  A little diversion for TWDITW to enjoy while the washing and rinsing was going on.  

Then we had a standoff.  Chip and the peanut butter in the tub...Cooper NOT in the tub.  He was not having it.  I tried to lift him up and put him in the tub and if Cooper had not been muzzled I would have been without arms or a face.  He REALLY wanted the peanut butter and he was so curious about Chip standing in the tub, but he was not getting in.  

After much failed coaxing and pleading, Chip and I hatched a new plan and start trying to figure out how to lure Coop into the shower stall and bathe him there.  As we are talking over the options, TWDITW jumped right in the tub and started licking the peanut butter.  Apparently, he just didn't want an audience.  

We sprung into action and soon water and suds and washing and scrubbing were underway.  It wasn't easy and there was definitely some growling and snapping going on.  He was a no go on any washing of his belly region or any part of the bottom half of legs, or of any part of his feet and his head and ears were completely off limits.  Basically, I washed his back and chest.  So if you are in the neighborhood and want to pet TWDITW, stick to those areas.  We are going to call him clean and move on with our lives!  

Must now clean the bathroom, scrub the dog grime and peanut butter off the tub and give myself the longest, hottest shower ever!  I have earned it.

Bangs

Sometimes the Worst Dog in the World likes to get a drink of water out of the bathroom sink.  It must be supremely delicious to drink fresh running water instead of water from a bowl. He will drink for a solid five minutes. 

I think he is adorable with his legs spread out like that.  Like a baby deer.  Cracks me up every time.  Then I clean the sink, so it is like a some comedy with a little work thrown in.

You know what is going to crack up my hairdresser?  Last night, I cut myself some bangs.  Rut Roh!  Not adorable at all!  And, I just keep making it worse.  Had the scissors back out today trying to even things up.  Making it so, so, so much worse! 

Send help!  

I need an intervention! 

Call the scissor police! 

My forehead is getting larger! 

I look like I put a bowl on my head and cut my bangs! 

I know they will grow, but gonna be awkward until they do! 

And how about those eye wrinkles in that picture?  Holy cow!  

Do bangs make wrinkles look worse? 

Have a great day!  I'm going to the store to buy some wrinkle cream and a hat! 

Lakeside Church

I went to church this morning at Lakeside, a government subsidized apartment building in downtown Austin. I walked in with two gallons of orange juice and some mini muffins and walked out with my heart on fire.  I swear, there is something about being in that community room with twenty other souls that makes me feel like Jesus is just leaning against the wall smiling so hard at us.  I helped serve breakfast, handing out plates, pouring coffee and juice for folks and passing out hugs like it was my job.  We sang three great songs.  Really loud.  We watched a great sermon by Tony Evans about repentance!  It was awesome!  I smiled the whole way home.

Chip came home from his Dad's shortly after I got in from Lakeside and we immediately got into a PIG basketball tournament on the little backboard in the den.  I smoked him three games in a row, so of course he called for a best of seven tournament!  I was devastating him with my hook shot, which I honestly have no idea how or why it works so well for me, but it does!  I was spinning, swooping, flinging that ball and it was just dropping in the basket like I was Michael Jordan.  Also, I came up with a new head butt foul shot that Chip couldn't make to save his life.  He was getting fired up because I was making nonsense shots and he was struggling!  I did a little bit of sassy talking because I knew he couldn't beat me four games in a row to win.  You know what happened, right?  Chip beat me.  Four games in a row! His final shot was a head butt shot and I missed it!  My go to shot!  That is what I get for running my mouth!

It is a beautiful day in central Texas today, but look what is coming!!!!!  Supposed to hit Monday night!  Accumulation of 1/10 of an inch.  Yeah, you read that right.  1/10 of an inch.  If it is ice that could be problematic, but if it is snow we won't even be able to make a snowball!

Finally, I have been listening to Oprah's Super Soul Sunday podcasts for several months now and get to listen in on conversations she has with some of the most soulful, peaceful, beautiful people on earth.  Something I have heard over and over again is that a lot of these soulful, peaceful, beautiful people practice gratitude religiously.  I am going to try to learn from these folks and start a gratitude journal myself.  I am going to write down three things a day that I am grateful for.  I am going to keep the journal next to my bed and write in it every night before I go to sleep.  Wanna join me?  Let's see what happens when we start practicing gratitude on an intentional, regular basis!  I think it is going to be good! 

I could definitely write in my gratitude journal that I am so grateful to be writing again.  I don't know why it makes me so happy to document these little moments in life, but it does.  It really, really does.  I usually don't even know what I am going to write about until I open up the page and start typing.  I know it makes for some pretty choppy content for my poor readers because there is absolutely no plan, no rhyme or reason for who, what or why I write.  Might also be why I can't ever think of a decent title.  So, I leave you with my apologies for the chaos and my thanks for reading in spite of it!

Have a delightful day and even if you don't start an official gratitude journal....at least take a minute at some point in your day to think about what you are grateful for.  I think that would work just as well!

This is Me

Today dawned a chilly Saturday morning, but the sun came out and it was crisp and glorious.  Chip was at his Dad's so I got my day started early with a trip to the dog park with the Worst Dog in the World.   He needed it.

My friend, Lori makes a point of talking to someone new at the dog park every time she goes and when she isn't there to hang out with me, I try to follow her lead. Today, I chatted with Kona's mom.  Kona is the cutest 5 month old puppy in the world with ears for DAYS!  Then I chatted with Max's mom.  Max was a Lab/Great Dane mix and gave Coop a run for his money.  Finally, I met a sweet couple with two little Alaskan Klee Kais.  I had never heard of this breed but they were adorable and made so many different barking/howling noises it almost sounded like they were singing.  And bonus....their mom had some dried fish skin snacks that she shared with Coop.  The Worst Dog in the World was sitting, laying, speaking, rolling over, doing all his tricks for Luna's mom and those dried fish skins.  It was hilarious!  You meet the nicest people at the dog park!  Coop finally had all the fun and dried fish skins he could stand and was ready to head home for a nap!

While Cooper napped I did some yard work and raked up a big giant pile of leaves.  Perfect weather for raking! Then it was time for a Starbucks run and an oil change and car inspection. My regular car spot had a three hour wait for an oil change so I searched the interwebs for a different spot.  I found a place across town that had great reviews and they had me in and out in no time.  

While I waited on my car, I enjoyed my coffee and read my book. This book is so damn good!  I was crying in the waiting area.  Not sobbing, but tears were definitely running down my face.  I wasn't even embarrassed. Brene Brown "Braving the Wilderness"....so, so, so, so good.  

Speaking of so, so, so good.  Yesterday I met my friend Karen for lunch and had an epic power bowl at a place called Honest Mary's.  My bowl had quinoa, roasted beets, TOFU, apples, pecans, cheese, roasted chick peas tossed in an apple vinegarette.  It was outstanding!  TOFU!  Who knew?? And it was lovely catching up with Karen who I love hard. Good food, great company...can't beat that. 

Last night I went to see The Greatest Showman with my friend Sheri.  Our theatre now has recliners with heated lumbar seats.  The movie was so good we didn't even think about falling asleep!

Watch this YouTube clip "This is Me" when you have four minutes to be inspired. (I think you can click on "This is Me" and it will take you right to it!  Isn't technology grand?)  Keala Settle played the part of the bearded lady in the movie and this clip was the first time the cast sang this song together.  She was scared and insecure to sing and then she cut loose with this magnificent talent and voice. Incredible.  Makes me want to sing, dance, stomp and wave my arms in the air!   I have watched this video twenty times. 

This is me.   

Feeling pretty blessed these days.  A lot to smile about.  So much good in the world and the nicest people sharing my space.  I have heard some sad news over the last couple of days with people losing their loved ones and it makes me want to just keep leaning into all the joy I can find.  Our days are numbered and all that will matter when our time is up is the relationships we had and how well we loved and were loved.  It is pretty simple, isn't it? 

Hope you are happy where you are. 

Back to School

Yesterday, school was back in session for all the people.  I love a schedule and a routine (all except the packing a lunch thing...that is not my favorite!)

Harry very kindly sent me this picture from Phoenix!  He was headed to work at the Bureau for his last semester of college!  He will be doing social media and photography for his first assignment.  He said he might be taking photos at the Phoenix Suns basketball practice today, so that could be fun.  

Chip also had a good first day back.  Class was good.  Athletics was hard.  He described doing some kind of roly poly mess they did that was a front roll and a back roll with a tuck and a sprint....Huh?  Is this football or gymnastics?  Whatever it was, it hurt.  Came home and hit his homework right away and read his assigned reading.  Boom!  Great start! 

I made Mongolian Beef last night.  It wasn't that pretty, but Chip said it was the best thing I have ever made. That is high praise.  High.  Now to just make a switch-a-roo to use broccoli slaw instead of rice noodles.  Wonder if he would notice? 

I took Coop to the dog park at lunch and we had a little Tibi time.  It was a beautiful day and dogs and people both had a good visit and soaked up some much needed Vitamin D.  Cooper slept most of the afternoon and evening.  I sat down on the couch about 9:00 p.m. and he ambled over to put his head in my lap.  I was petting his head and ears (in the acceptable Cooper zone) and then he started growling at me.  What a jerk face!  You came over to me!  I guess he would like for me to put my hands above my head when he puts his head in my lap.  Not going to happen, kid.  This canine needs work. 

Today, I am going to make some appointments.  Some health appointments.  Gynecologist; Gastroenterologist; Dermatologist.  Why is that hard?  Also, need to get an oil change and a car inspection.  Not fun, but necessary.  If it wasn't so dang satisfying to mark something off my "To Do" list I would just skip it all!  But dang it, I do love marking things off a list!  

Hope your hump day is glorious! 

OMG...WHAT A GAME!

I know some of you are sick of Alabama football.  I actually find myself longing for a team that goes 8 and 3 and has to come from behind to beat a team they aren't supposed to beat.  Toward the end of this season I decided to adopt Penn State as my "New Favorite Team" (NFT), but in retrospect they are probably too good to be my NFT.  I would and do root for Arizona State, and they are certainly mediocre enough but they play too late in that Pacific Time Zone to be my NFT.  Who can watch a game starting at 9:00 p.m?  Not this girl.

You see, I love an underdog. I love rooting for a team that is not supposed to win.  That is rarely Alabama in the Nick Saban era and it has been a difficult adjustment for me.  But, last night!  Last night, they were down big at halftime and it was looking like they might go down without much of a fight.  They felt like the underdogs!  Also, what I found is that my old favorite team, the Crimson Tide is in my blood.  I can't shake them without some kind of spiritual exorcism.  I can't help myself from getting 1,000% invested in every game they are playing.  It is ridiculous and I don't understand it.  Really, I don't.

Last night, it was low key...just me and Chip on the couch watching the game.  Within minutes of the kickoff I was hiding under blankets, watching the game through a tiny crease between my fingers.  By halftime, we were jogging circles in the kitchen, playing the fight song on our stomachs, rotating seats, rotating rooms...and eventually I just ended up exhausted standing in the front yard watching Chip through the window to follow the game.  So stupid.  But it was calm and cold out there and I couldn't hear the announcers.  It felt safe.

I made some videos of my time in the front yard and watching them this morning makes me think I need an intervention.  Please be a witness to this chaos.

Here are the thoughts running through my mind during the game.  Apparently, I have a ton of empathy for the mothers of these boys!

• Ugh, I feel terrible for Jalen.  He brought our team to the Championship game and to be pulled at halftime must hurt.  Or maybe not.  Maybe he is relieved. We love you Jalen!  You are a ROCKSTAR!  His poor momma's heart must be breaking for her baby!  
• Ugh, poor Tua!  A true freshman getting thrown into a championship game down by two touchdowns.  What?  His poor mother is probably having a heart attack.  Can he turn things around?  We love you Tua!  Just do your best! 
• What happened to that poor baby who passed out on the sidelines and was carted out on a stretcher?  Where is his mother?  Can she get to him?  Is she at the game?  Watching on TV?
• Ugh, our field goal kicker.  He is struggling something fierce.  All eyes in the stadium on him.  Oh, Lord. His mother?  Don't even get me started.  I would be shushing all those people in that stadium, yelling "He is just a kid!  It takes a whole team to win.  Leave him alone!"  I could not parent a field goal kicker.  Ever. 
• That Fromm kid for Georgia is a force to be reckoned with!  A true freshman and he is cool as a cucumber. He will be something to watch next year.  His momma must be so proud! 
• That pair of Georgia running backs!  Wow!  They are going to the NFL.  Surely they will be playing on Sundays next year.  Talent out the wazoo!  I know their mommas are smiling through tears. 
• I love Kirby Smart.  Nice guy.  Great coach.  These Bama kids that a few years ago he coached and taught how to play defense.  I know he is super proud of them even though he is wearing that Georgia hat on the other sideline.  That hug between Minka and Smart after the game just blessed me. 

So, my anxiety comes not only from the competition, but for all the mommas who had babies on that field last night.  Those pumpkins that started playing football in pee wee leagues around the country.  They blossomed in middle school and hit their stride in high school. Playing for one of the premier college football programs in the country in the National Championship game with expectations so high. Millions of people watching.  

I just can't.  

Does anyone else do this?  Have this running dialogue going on in their head?  Do I need medication?  

When the game finally ended, I was two driveways down the street and Chip came running out to tell me they won.  I screamed all the way back into the house and the neighbors probably thought someone was being murdered.  Actually, they probably expected it and were not surprised at all.  I mean, we have lived here for almost fifteen years and there is a lot of screaming coming out of our house during Bama games.  

Then I stayed up and watched all the replays because I didn't see any of the end of the game live.  Watched the boys hug their parents and each other.  How about those Ridley brothers.  One played for Georgia - one played for Bama. How about their momma?  Thrilled and devastated?  How do you deal?

By far, my favorite tweet of the night.

What a coach. What a game.  What a comeback win.  What a thrill for those kids.  So happy for The Tide.  Much respect to the Bulldogs and what Kirby is doing with that team after just a couple of years.  Many future matches to come between these two teams.

Today, we will just sit with a grin on our face and be so proud of or team.  They didn't get to the top of the podium without a ton of work and sacrifice and effort and heart.  Hats off to another great Alabama championship team.  But next year, let's just lose three games right out of the gate.  Please.

Marinated Onions

These marinated onions from No Crumbs Left are making their way onto all my food!  If you like onions....hell, even if you don't....make these.  Simple recipe...big flavor...try them. 

You slice a small red onion, cover it in olive oil, add one TBS dried oregano and one TBS red wine vinegar.  Do not refrigerate, just let them sit on your counter for up to three days marinating and getting happy.  Put them on EVERYTHING! So good.  Really, really good.  

RECIPE UPDATE (1/9/18) - Quick clarification.  You can start eating the onions about an hour or so after making them and keep eating on them for about three days while they are sitting out on the counter.  Also, during the three days, use some of that yummy marinade as a salad dressing.  So good! 

I am keeping mine in this mason jar on the counter and using them any chance I get.  Last night it was on the leftover pork loin I had for dinner.  Such a yummy, nice little extra something that is delicious!  

No Crumbs Left has an awesome website....everything I have made of hers has been excellent.  Follow her on Instagram too!  She does lots of demos and has great ideas for Whole30 and Gluten Free and pretty, pretty food.  

This is what happens when you leave your phone unattended.  Hello Chip!  Why not just a nice, real smile for your mother?  Maybe he is just excited about the football game tonight. 

This is what happens when you don't close the bathroom door all the way.  Just like having a toddler. 

Hey Mom. Are you almost done?  Are we going to the dog park today?  What time?  Can we go now?  Is Tibi going to be there?  Can I get in the pool?  Are you ready?  Are you ready now? 

Hope Monday is kind to you!

Crepes and Cricks

What a nice Saturday.  Me and Chip made crepes to kick off our morning!  Nutella and strawberries, anyone?  Shut the front door!  So good.

Chip would not shut the front door.  He did not love the strawberries on his crepes and actually gagged.  He gagged. He is my son, so his aversion to this delicious berry is not surprising.  These boys!

We did a little housecleaning and some laundry.   Played a little Trouble. 

I ran a couple of errands.  Most significantly had to mail Harry's keys to him.  He left them here and needed them in Arizona.   Whoops! 

We watched Chip's Titans in the first game of the playoffs.  They were down by a ton at halftime and things were not looking good. They got rolling in the second half and kicked a little butt!  Ended up winning 22-21!  Derrick Henry ran the ball well and the Titans are moving on!  The Titans are slated to play the Patriots next, which is basically like running straight into a buzz saw! Fingers crossed they can put up a fight against those mighty Patriots!  We will be watching! 

I made a delicious pork loin and even though it was yummy, it was not very pretty!  I purposefully did not take a picture of it.  You are welcome. 

Finally, my neck and right shoulder are killing me.  I thought it was from a crick in my neck and was blaming my mattress and pillow this morning.  In hindsight, I think it was really my archaic method of removing lights from our big tree out front.  I didn't want to have to use a ladder because the ground is really uneven out around the tree and it feels treacherous getting up on a ladder.  So, I spent Friday evening looking up, craning my neck and chucking light strands up and over branches hundreds of times to unwind them from the tree.  I worked at it for an hour or so, real methodical, throwing and pulling and twisting each of the 12 strands off that tree.  Bagged them all up individually and put them in a box labeled "Exterior Illumination" because I thought that was kind of funny.  What is not funny is how much my neck and shoulder hurt.  It is hard to get old. Thank God for Aleve! 

Hope your weekend has been awesome!

Wild Goose Chase

I dropped Harry off at the airport yesterday and was in a melancholy mood headed back to my house. I was sad to see him go, because goodbyes are the pits.  I was confident that we had used our time well and spent lots of it together, had good talks, good laughs...but no doubt I was going to miss him.

Then my phone rang.  It was Chip calling from home.  Emergency, Emergency!  Harry left a message on the home answering machine that his phone was in my car!

I did a u-turn on the toll road and headed back to the airport with no way to reach Harry, but assumed he would be looking for me.  Then my cell phone rang and it was Harry calling from his laptop.  He said "I am breaking out the 2000 technology....need help!  My phone is in your car."   I laughed and told him Chip had heard his message and I was already on my way back to the airport and would meet him where I dropped him off.

I pulled up and he thanked me profusely.  I said "What did you do with yourself while you were waiting?  You didn't have a phone to look at?"  He said "It was scary."

Then I got this text from him:

"I am through security.  Only my mom can drop ya off, send ya on a wild goose chase to get in touch with her, drive back, give you your phone, and STILL have you at the gate an hour early for your flight."

Made me laugh.  You can never be too early!

In other news....

• Chip went to see a scary movie last night with his buddies.  He sat right next to me on the couch for half an hour after he got home telling me how NOT scared he was.  HaHa!  
• Marking things off my New Year to do list feels so good! 
• Cooper loves his momma.  But she can't pet him too much cause that makes him mad.  

• I have some yummy meals planned for the next few days.  Hope I can make them pretty! 
• On my list for the weekend.  Remove all the outdoor lights and store them in a way that I don't hate myself next November.  Wish me luck! 

Happy Friday to you and I hope the weekend ahead goes by slowly and gives you lots of time to recharge! 

A Cooper First

This morning, I took the worst dog in the world on a walk with our friend Sheri.  I say "our" friend because Sheri is one of those people who loves dogs and when Cooper jumps up and tries to lick her back molars she says things like "Sorry buddy."  She thinks he is so special.  I think he is a menace.

Anyway, on our way back home Cooper found a 14 inch completely smashed frozen squirrel carcass that he immediately picked up in his mouth and started walking with.  Sheri and I were both gagging and I just knew he was going to start chomping and chewing on that freeze dried bit of decaying animal.  But guess what?

I told him to "leave it".....AND HE LEFT IT!!!

He dropped that dead squirrel and kept on walking!

I was stunned.

It has never worked before and may never work again, but this morning....Cooper dropped a dead squirrel when I told him to and there was a party on Falcon Drive.  Sheri and I both loved on him so hard and he was very confused.  It was epic!

Hooray for Cooper!

Then he came home and jumped up and bit my hand when I took off his leash.  I think he was mad our walk was over and was jumping up to grab his leash but also chomped my hand. No permanent damage, but it hurt.  Jerk Face.

Putting Christmas Away is THE WORST!

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CHRISTMAS CRAP TO PUT AWAY?  There is just no rationale explanation for it.  It multiplies and does not go back into the same number of boxes that it was just unpacked from short four weeks ago.  HOW?

Last night, I wrangled the boys into helping me pull the ornaments off the tree and absolute chaos ensued. There may or may not have been some yelling, cursing, shoving, dog chasing and a whole lot of laughing. Here is small sample snippet of conversation:


Mom:  Harry if you don't put that cell phone down and start putting ornaments away I am going to throw your phone out in the yard.

Harry:  Mom, I have just read a tweet about a nuclear war situation and I am going to need a minute to process the end of the world as we know it.

Mom:  Harry, you are going to meet the end of the world in two seconds if you do not get back on the ornament boxing!

Chip:  Mom, two things.  Is there a box for this weird pregnant bear?  Also, when you get done yelling at Harry, you might want to get that box away from Cooper before he destroys it.


There is no telling what I am going to find when I open those boxes next year!  I know for sure it will make me laugh just remembering how hysterical we were putting them away!

And putting that tree back in the box.  There was no way four giant tree segments were going back in that tiny rectangle box!  We were cramming, pulling, cinching tie downs.  I was giving good and sound tips to the boys on how to make it work.  My glasses were falling off my face and Harry said "I cannot even take you seriously with those glasses hanging off your nose.  I am going to need them on your eyes or off your head completely.  One or the other."  Cracked me up.

We were laughing and yelling so much in the garage that we actually stopped and said "This would be one of those times that if someone was walking by outside, they would wonder what in the world was happening in this garage."

I don't know if everyone would think that sounds like a good time, but for me it was priceless.  Nothing I like better than carrying on with my boys.

So, God willing I am closing in on getting the last snowman boxed up and hopefully it will all be packed up and put away by the weekend.  And this house needs a deep cleaning.  DEEP, DEEP, DEEP cleaning.

Harry is leaving tomorrow and I am going to miss his face so hard.  And his hugs in the kitchen.  I will miss those so much.

It has been awesome to have him home for a solid month.  I know Chip is going to miss him too!

Harry will not miss Cooper.  Cooper has been an albatross around Harry's neck!  Cooper loves Harry. It is not a good thing for the worst dog in the world to love you.  It is a nightmare.

My wish for you is that you have finished putting away your Christmas decor and your house is nice and tidy and looking a little bit naked without the twinkling lights.  I do miss the twinkling lights.  I would appreciate your prayers for safe travels back to Arizona for my boy!

Have a beautiful evening!

Happy New Year

A new year.  A blank page.  A fresh start.

Is there anything better?

I don't think so!

The boys and I wrapped up 2017 with a trip to Houston to see the Rockets play the Lakers.  It was an AWESOME game.  Double overtime.  Down to the wire.  By the end of the game I was so invested, that I have claimed the Rockets as my new favorite basketball team.  I do that a lot.

Why is basketball so much fun to watch in person, but torture to watch on TV?  I can't explain it, but it is true.  I would much rather watch an NBA game live than any other sport I can think of.  Football is much better watched on TV, especially when watching Alabama football.

How about the Tide?  Beating Clemson with some purpose.  I was prepared for Clemson to beat us soundly.  I was wrong.  And, that touchdown by the big lineman just made my night.  Alabama pulled out a couple of new plays and I was happy to see them.  Next Monday will be a nail-biter for sure, but I am a big fan of Kirby Smart and his Georgia Bulldogs, so may the best team win!

I have been concentrating on making healthy, beautiful food around here and it has been fun!  I love to cook, but too often I just make a piece of toast or grab a handful of crackers instead of being mindful about what I am eating.  Not only is it terrible for you, I often times can't even remember what or if I have eaten.  Taking time to make it look pretty, makes me feel like I am making myself a priority and it also means I am reaching for colorful vegetables to jazz it up and that is always a bonus.

Probably too many calories with all the toppings, but baby steps!  More vegetables and pretty plates and glasses are a good start!

Also, if you have the best friends in the world they always share some of their New Year's bounty!  Karen cooked black eyed peas, cabbage casserole and cornbread and Beth delivered it to me for good luck and prosperity in the new year!  It was delicious!  No picture of my pretty plate, because I scarfed it down!

I also tried my hand at homemade pizza crust yesterday for the boys!  It was easy and yummy!  I will be adding this recipe to my regular rotation and try to get more creative with the toppings to maybe slide in a vegetable or two! 

I am so optimistic about 2018 and feel like joy is mine for the taking.  I am going to look for it everywhere!  I want to be purposeful in my relationships with God, my people and myself.  I want to read good books and play outside and laugh and sing and dance and live.  May we all find a little joy in every day and some massive, huge, ginormous joy every once in a while that makes us anxious to search for it around every corner.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

P.S.  Mom and Dad...do not be alarmed by the background change on the blog!  Just felt like a winter theme was appropriate with these cold temps!  I will hopefully be changing it to something fresh and green and lovely when Spring gets here!