Why My Christmas Cards Are Running Late.

Trying to get a photo to put on a Christmas card this year was not easy for many reasons:

• I put it off too long.
• I've never tried to use my self timer before.
• I misjudged how long it would take to get them back from the drugstore.
• And.........

Finding the right spot to do it.

Checking the distance, settings, etc. with a helper.

Making sure I had time to get in the picture.

Making sure mom would show up sitting in the chair.

Not mom - another helper.

All in but ........

Someone likes to make faces.

Let's put the cats in the picture!

Bad idea.

Charlie wants to jump on mom and Jackson finds it way to funny.

Would you believe the first one I took is the one we're using! Another lesson learned.

Fall Into Christmas

I am in the midst of switching from "Fall" to "Christmas" decorations. I put very few fall items up, just enough to feel the season. I just love this ceramic pumpkin I picked up at Hobby Lobby at one of their 50 percent off sales. You Hobby Lobby shoppers know what I mean.

When the kids were little I used to decorate every room and corner in the house. It was overkill of red, green, tinsel and garland. As the years went by I cut back and went from 10+ boxes to 2 big green bins and a tree in a box that fit nicely in the garage and not up in the attic.

This year I'm just lightly skimming the surface with decorations.

I'm still trying to put things in place from our move here uh . . . 2 months ago! And NOPE, we do not have room for a car in the garage yet. (And Yes, I know that "and" does not belong at the beginning of a sentence. It's just how I talk.) I hope to get a little cooperation from the family decorating the tree today. They have been "cutting back" over the years on that job too. We'll see how it goes.

I've been very lax in posting lately. There has just been so much to do. I plan on getting back into the swing soon and have a major itch to redo my blog layout. Our computer did not make the move very well. The USB ports have pooped out, the DVD drive can't read and it doesn't recognized my camera or scanner. It makes it more of a job to post pics with pooped out ports! Ha!

Tom and I hit Fry's yesterday and picked up the "very last" computer on sale for $299. It was a fantastic deal. So this week I am transferring my pictures and documents via email to mom's computer for safe keeping. (It doesn't recognize the flash drive either.) We will then switch out computers and be back in business.

Have I said pooped out ports = pain in the popo?


Have a wonderful day!

Love, Miss Potty Mouth.

From A Tiny Little Acorn

We lived in our home for 26 years and it really was not difficult for me to walk away from it. It needed so much work and it just never has been the safe haven it was after our intruder, stalker, or creepy guy as I call him violated it. I told Tom the memories of our years there are in my heart and head and they go wherever I go. Besides the echoes of little feet pitter pattering through the old house are loud and clear in the new one! They are still with us while working on college degrees. It's a new phase in our lives and we are beginning new memories here.

The only thing it hurt to leave.

We planted a tree.

A Beautiful Red Oak.

A little over 20 years ago our son Scott, was stillborn. That memory is as clear today as the day it was made. Planting a tree in his honor and watching it grow seemed like the right thing to do. Seeing it out my kitchen window everyday was comforting. I never thought about how I would feel if we ever moved, until we did.

I couldn't bring the tree but I could bring these that I gathered from under its branches.

I thought about trying to plant them but decided I would rather see them.

20 little acorns

And - out our window - a new Red Oak to nurture and watch grow.


"From little acorns mighty oaks do grow"

Old and New brought together.

Halloween 2009

It was the perfect night for Halloween, clear, almost a full moon and a chill in the air. Being new in the neighborhood I had no idea how many kids would show up. I prepared for many. I always buy candy we like and it was a good thing I did that this year because WE ONLY HAD 5 "TRICK OR TREATERS"!

I set a table up outside and brought out my favorite Halloween buds to help. I even put my devil horns on. We are at the end of the block and right now there are many empty lots and empty houses before you get to us. They just didn't make their way down this far.

So now I have lots of candy but I don't think we will have any trouble getting rid of it. This guy has quite a sweet tooth. Maybe that's why he looks so happy!

Hope your Halloween was fun!

A Little Peek

I am still unpacking. It just seems to be never ending. I still have linen boxes and knick knack boxes to go through that are sitting in the garage. Believe me the garage is full of boxes. Here is a peek at what we did accomplish this week. Mom recovered the kitchen chairs. She did a wonderful job! The print is black with a white floral print. (They are sitting outside because I had just sprayed them with fabric guard.

We have searched endlessly for a curio to put in the breakfast nook to display moms chicken and rooster collection. Finally found one and I just love it. It's black and the back panel is white. It really makes the figurines "pop". I cross stitched the sampler over 30 years ago. It has always been in my kitchen. Before we moved I washed it and re framed it.

Here is a picture showing the kitchen nook so far.

I'm behind blogging because my computer is having issues. In order to put pictures on my blog I am having to upload them through mom's computer. Since we moved my computer doesn't recognize the camera, flash drive or scanner. I think the ports have pooped out. Oh well, I'd better get back to box city. Have a great day!

All In!

We made the move a week ago Monday. Of course we spent the next two days hauling all those items left behind and cleaning up the house. On Wednesday I started trying to unpack the kitchen. I have been working almost non stop on this and hope to finish "the kitchen" today. I cannot believe how much we have and trying to figure out where to put it is the hardest part! Here are a few pictures after the move in.

Breakfast nook

Molly hard at work on the computer?

Dining Room

Garage

One of the biggest reasons we love it. The view!

Almost Home

We did our "walk through" on the house yesterday. We tested lights, ran water, and marked paint errors. We were instructed on how to use the thermostats, security system, etc. Tom was totally overwhelmed by the sprinkler system. It even has a rain detector so it won't turn on during one of our Texas downpours like we had all this past week.

The construction manager has had a mental block on our request to put sliding glass doors on the bath upstairs and grabber bars in mom's bathroom. I can't tell you how many times we have reminded him. It's been on paper since March! He even marked the studs for the bars during our first walk through after it was framed. I guess once the sheet rock went up and he couldn't see the studs he forgot all about it.

On a second walk through I reminded him again and even got in the shower with him to show him what height to put the bar. You would think that would stick in his memory for a while. How many of his customers would do that? Oh maybe we don't need to go there.

We never could figure why he marked the studs with a big X. The bars don't go in until the tile is on. Maybe if he had put those marks in his notes he would remember better. Ya think?

So yesterday we made a little progress. He met us at the house carrying a grabber bar he just picked up. When I pointed out we asked for two bars, one in the shower and one to be put on the wall by the toilet (yes I sat on that toilet so he could mark the right place to put it) and that there were no sliding glass doors upstairs he said "You didn't tell me that!" Oh Help!

The wood floor and carpet are in. The carpet is covered with plastic so I didn't attempt a picture of it. Here you can see the wood and tile together. The tile looks pinkish in my pictures. It is more of a bone color. I'm lovin it.

One more walk through next Thursday before we close on Friday. We'll see if the missing parts are finally in place!

Traveling Man and the Green Line

The Dart Rail in Dallas is opening it's Green Line on September 14th. It will have a stop right by Baylor Hospital and another at Fair Park just in time for the State Fair of Texas.

Driving home one day I noticed a huge sculpture going up across from the rail line. I found out later what it was all about and thought I'd share it with you. The sculpture is called Traveling Man. He is seen at three different locations along the line and begins in Deep Ellum.

Deep Ellum is a warehouse district in Dallas. It is made up of restaurants, night clubs, artists and lots of graffiti. Business has been declining.

Is that David Caruso?

The Traveling Man concept was developed by some Deep Ellum artists. His design represents the community and it's hoped that now that the Dart Rail has been added it will bring people back. The tale is that an old steam train was buried near the intersection of Main Street and Good Latimer back before 1900. An elm tree grew nearby and it's roots grew close to the buried train. Somehow magically he was formed under ground. He communicates his thoughts with birds, they are his best friends. His wisdom comes from years of listening to all that happened on street level. Friday I went to each site to see him for myself.

Here he is coming up from the ground. "Awakening."

And here he is waiting on the train playing the guitar.

He stands 38 feet tall!

That's a lot of metal.

I Love My Counters

We are now in a flurry of pulling it all together before the big move. We close on the 25th of this month and I scheduled the movers for Monday the 28th. We use the Verizon bundle (internet, tv, and phone) and they can't set us up at the new house until the 29th, I surely did not want to go all weekend without any of those. One night is bad enough especially with all the new shows starting.

There is so much to remember to do. Cancelling service here and setting it up there. Changing addresses on everything. It's mind boggling. So Tom gets to do all that. I still have so much packing to do. I'm running out of space to put the boxes.

Everything is moving along at the house. Today they were putting in the sprinkler system and sod. They are supposed to put the wood floors in next week and finish up painting. I'm loving how it all is coming together. I really stressed over my kitchen counter tops. It's hard to envision the final picture looking at a 3 x 6 inch sample piece of granite. But I'm telling you I did good! I love my kitchen counters. I wish my picture did them justice.

You'll just have to come see them for yourself.

Now Who Does Harper Look Like?

I have been going through pictures that we boxed up and removing them from frames. This has always been a favorite. I think Harper looks a whole lot more like Kelly than I even thought. All she needs is a big bow!

Kelly 5 months old.

What do you think?

Closing Date

I haven't posted any new pictures of the house because they are starting to look the same. The light fixtures have been put in. The floors tiled. The counters, sinks, and shower tile are almost finished. Without light in the house it's hard to get a realistic looking picture of them. I can show you a picture of Tom standing in his favorite spot, the back porch.

Here is a view from the back in the other direction. Lots of sand traps.

We finally have a closing date, September 25th.

Molly will be moving in with us the end of September after her apartment lease runs out. She was struck by lighting so to speak and has decided she wants to teach. She has enrolled back at TWU to get a Masters in Teaching. If all goes well she'll be done by next fall. She also will be substitute teaching along the way. She is so excited about this and naturally we are too. It's a good thing we got 4 bedrooms!

A Few Pictures On The Home Progress

Front

Back

This is the view from our kitchen nook looking out the back door. You can see they are about to put the fence in. All the fences are the same, black rod iron. It's a golf course thing.

Mom headed toward the dining room. The colors are not showing up well. The main part of the house is a grayish blue (Capricorn it's called). It is exactly how I wanted it to be. It's so hard to pick out paint colors!

Kitchen.

The bedrooms and baths are a taupe color. It's called cracker barrel. Makes me hungry. The counters will be going in next. I can't wait to see how it all comes together. We haven't been given a move in date yet. We are thinking the middle of September.

Rosie - Update

I took Rosie for her follow-up vet visit yesterday. She has been on antibiotics all week, kind of. I probably got about half of it in her. When it comes to giving her medicine she turns into a ball of furry fury! It takes two of us to get it in her.

He was able to get a better look in her mouth and was able to see a growth in the back corner which he is pretty sure is a tumor and probably malignant. Because of her frail condition nothing can be done for her now except to keep her comfortable. This is what I expected and this is what we will do.

She does not seem to be in pain and doesn't act sick. She gets around fine, uses her litter box, grooms herself, wants to eat all the time and craves company. She was never a lap cat until now but has become quite a snuggler. The only downside is she is very verbal at night and believe me this little girl has a meow that gets your attention. We can deal with that too.

Right now she is quite content.

And that's all I want for her.

Red Day

Saturday instead of cleaning and packing I did what a girls gotta do, go shopping. Now that it looks like we are getting closer to moving the nesting syndrome took over. First on the list was a chair for the living room. I knew we would have to order it so mom and I headed to Haverty's. (She is getting around better and outings are always good for the soul especially if your a girl!) We picked out the most comfortable recliner ever. You just sink into it and with it's high cushy back it will be difficult to stay awake in it. I've got a feeling we will be having to draw straws or something to sit in it. The fabric we picked out was a brick RED. Here it is in another color. I love the old fashioned look and the brads on the sides.

Later I grabbed my garage sale money and headed to Kohl's. They were having a great sale and I am in need of a comforter for our bedroom to be. I've been looking around for over a month for the "perfect one". I found it on sale 55% off and as I was standing in line to pay for it wanting to kick myself for being the only person in line without a coupon the very nice lady in front of me handed me hers. Another 20% off! This was meant to be. So I got a fantastic deal, a comforter set I love and it's RED.

JC Penney was having great sales also. Rather than hit the store I went on line and ordered a few things. My favorite blanket was on closeout for $16.00. And these sheets were a great deal and buttery soft. With free shipping you couldn't go wrong.

Guess what color I picked out. You guessed it RED!