2012 ~ 294

Prom is coming.....
And that gave us the perfect excuse for a day of shopping!
And although we didn't find Amy a prom dress...
We had a wonderful time shopping together!

We had a fabulous lunch at AJ's!
(Even took 5 desserts home to share with the boy!)
I loved sharing the day with Meg and Amy!

I also loved buying my new leather collection!
And Yes that is another Dooney &Bourke!!

  Not to mention the new rug that 

works perfectly in my family room!

Dinner with The Smiths'

Tonight we had dinner at my daughters. 

She and Cole invited us for grilled burgers. 

I have known Cole for about 5 years. 

I have always loved his humor and sarcasm. 

He has always credited his parents with 

his delightful warpedness! 

At dinner I finally got to meet them!

And just as I had imagined.....

They are Delightful as well! 

Nice to get to meet the rest of the family!

2012 ~ 295

There are not enough holidays to Celebrate!

So in my home we Celebrate fun things....

Like Chinese New Year and Talk Like A Pirate Day!

We also Celebrate Half Birthdays!

Today was Cookies!! 

WOOHOO!!!!

2012 ~ 296

Barbie's Birthday
When I was little I played Barbie's with my best friend Nikki. We made Barbie's apartment out of things around our house. Our imaginary Barbie world was dictated by the life around us. Nikki and I both had single moms, and so Barbie was a single working girl with a boyfriend. I suppose the story was the same for many.

However when my girls played Barbie, her life was different. They played Barbie Family! Where dad went to work and mom went to the fabric store! My daughters had a great home-made Barbie house (it even had a garage for the family cars). My oldest was a planner, and she would orchestrate grand  daily life for the Barbie family. My second daughter would rather play than plan, and I could often find her behind a closed door in full, wall to wall play mode! My youngest daughter had a new home-made Barbie house. And a new Barbie family. But ALL the old Barbie STUFF of her sisters! With this generation of Barbie girls, there truly was a barbie family, right down to pregnant Barbie and the Grandparents.

The Family

The Grandparents

How grateful I am for Barbie. For the hours of play I had as a girl, the memories I have of Barbie time with Nikki. But also for the wonderful experience my girls had with the Barbie family.
The day Cookie and Jessette packed away the Barbie treasure trove was a bonding moment for them, but heart wrenching for me. Together they packed dolls, clothes, furniture, cars and STUFF. I will save these things of childhood in anticipation of the next generation playing!
 So on Barbie's Birthday....I wish her well, I hope for another 50 years of Imagination and Stuff! I hope my granddaughters will love it all too!

This was the Family I grew up with as a little girl!
 I loved them!!!

2012 ~ 297

The Love Story
He chatted about his sweet wife. He told me how they met. As I listened, I could hear, see and feel how much he loves her.They celebrated an anniversary this weekend. His plan was to take her to a romantic destination that she has always longed to see. But as the trip grew closer, the excitement took its tole, their plans where changed. She has a health issue that is not only affecting her way of life, but his also. And so, he rerouted the event to fit her needs, their needs, more fully. Their children stepped up and filled in the gaps. The kids all came to town to give Mom and Dad, the weekend away, right at home.

The Big Picture
We, as a rule, see such a narrow view of life. We all will leave this earthly education for the next. And although nothing is for sure here, there are the exceptions, when your future is pretold due to illness. Yet life goes on and we all must change and adapt. Easing the burden of loved ones, even when that causes the burden to be more overwhelming on these who are stronger.

Life Lesson
There is such a thing as an eternal love affair! My friend has shown me that love can grow and deepen as we evolve and adapt to the changes that are hurled our way. And although I would like to see this hard life lesson lifted from this dear couple, I am grateful for the sweet example of love and selflessness; of daily small acts, that not only show patience and care but show unchanging love and devotion.

Love At Home

2012 ~ 298

"National Cereal Day"

interpreted by Cookie 

1. Ponder your cereal

2. Smirk at your cereal

3. DEVOUR YOUR CEREAL

Jessette

My college student.
She is weeks away from finished her bachelors! I can't even tell you how proud I am of her. Nor how happy she makes me. She can't see the light at the end of her tunnel yet, she is still busy wading through the muck. But from where I am sitting; being able to view her growth and accomplishments, her maturity, the example she sets for her siblings....
total proud parenting moment!!
Her world and stress level build, until melt down occurs. Her melt downs, to her, represent all that she has on her plate. To her mother, those melt downs represent her daughter becoming an adult; taking on the world, going through the pain of moving forward. As she is making life changes, amid the final weeks of school, I am again glimpsing what makes a mothers heart happy. It's not about doing everything with ease and perfection, it's not all about A's and BIG money. It's about moving forward, doing the hard things, picking and choosing what makes you You. I look at her and I see my little girl and my friend, but I also see a wonderful young woman.
She is amazing, so talented, brilliant, fun to be around, so delightfully charming, witty and wicked!!
My heart is full when I look at her...there isn't one thing I would change. She is perfect!
I love her!

2012 ~ 299

Like spying on your kids!
This program is pretty good, however only as good as the teacher that inputs the grades. I see what hasn't been turned in and what grades are when I view each child's page. (There is a high school English teacher that is going to have to update his page VERY SOON or he and are are going to have a come to Jesus meeting!)

2012 ~ 300

I had a virtual test drive of sorts today,
in a 1988 Ford Mustang.
It has a super charged engine
(that means it takes in lots of air and fuel,
so it can go super fast!) !!!
We went .87 of a mile and did somewhere
between 85 and 105 MPH.
It sounded Very Cool!!!
I would like to feel it,
the vibration of the engine,
the force that pins you to the seat!
I know nothing about cars....nothing about racing.
But gosh I think I would like to!!

Over the river and through the.....

Over the river and past the freeway......
Mark took this from his work.
If you could just see over the freeway there,
then over the dry river bed you could just about see our house.
Nice that my boy works that close to home!!!

Love notes......

In my kitchen there is a white board. We doodle on it, add things for our shopping list, I update the weekly menu there. But since our paths don't cross as often as we would like, we also leave news and info there. My favorite thing about our message center are the love notes.
Currently on the white board is my outdated menu plan from a week ago, and I want to clear the board and start over fresh.....but it is the other things on the board that keep it as is!

Cookie   ~  I love you

Amy   ~  I LOVE YOU ALL!

Mark   ~  I love the ladies in my life !

I love my kids!!!!

2012 ~ 301

I did my 2011 taxes today. 

I would like to publicly give thanks my Accountant, my Accountant in training 

and TAMMY,  for their help today. 

I have done my own taxes for years, I prefer TurboTax, no offence to my 

charming Accountants. But today's experience had me bewildered and confused. 

I redid the program three times. 

I knew there would be some new things this year.....

but I had no idea the outcome would be so lovely! 

 Yet again reconfirming my love for the
"TAX RETURN FAIRY"!

2012 ~ 302

An Evening With My Cousin

2012 ~ 303

WICKED WEATHER

These photos are from 3/2/12

Weather like this has always fascinated me.
I learned about it in school, I watch it on tv.
But today it all became real for me.
As I sat comfortably in my office chair,
and someone I love lived through it.

I have always loved watching the weather,
tracking the storms.
But where I live we get very little weather change
 and it is seldom ever severe.
But today I watched with worry and prayers. 

Seeing the aftermath is always so surreal .
But waiting to hear that everything was okay,
that loved ones and neighbors were
accounted for, that homes were still
 in one piece, was very hard.  

In Phoenix, at school and work, we have to go through
the motions of disaster drills.
 Knowing that where we live, this is just a formality,
not a necessity.
Those I care for were in saferooms and basements,
 I thought about the children who were bused home
from school then brought right back
to keep them safe, I thought about the schools that are
no longer standing in the states that where effected,
I realized that I am sheltered from this reality.
I was scared.
And as I pulled more information and photos,
I said prayers of thanks for the safety
of those I love and care for,
but also prayers for those who live through this
and are effected by it.
Weather is amazing and can be so wicked.
I lucky to live somewhere with boring weather!

2012 ~ 304

Diet Sobe With Lemonade....
Can you call that soda?

Why is it that even when you are 30 minutes early for the show,
 there are already people in the seats you wanted?
Then someone sits right behind you,
 right to the side of you and right in front of you!
There were 12 other  people in the theater with us,
and I swear they were right next to us!!

2012 ~ 305

BBQ Pulled Pork on Honey Biscuits
(I don't know how to turn this photo, sorry) 

Quote of the Day

“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life

2012 ~ 306

I may have an issue with putting my shoes away.....just saying.

Ability Motivation Attitude

‎"Ability is what you are capable of doing. 


Motivation determines what you do.


Attitude determines how well you do it." 


- Lou Holz