Coffee Beans Mid-Air

First things first.

The Texas Longhorns played football last night and won. Woohoo! Texas Fight!



Now, today, I had to run some errands, including the grocery store.
With the boys & my dad.

We only needed a few items, so we weren't there long.
But, as I'm headed down an aisle,
out of the corner of my eye,
I see a coffee bean go flying through the air.
And giggles.
Boyish giggles.



My kids are at it again.

On the coffee aisle, you can find whole beans left in the the filter of the grinding machine thingy.

And my boys rescue those abandoned beans to use as weapons against each other, pummeling them through the air, behind my back.

But, I caught them at it and lost my cool.

And, they lost their "good grocery store reward" where they get quarters to buy goodies at the front of the store machines when we're done.

Bad boys.


Another coffee bean flying through the air (aka: a surprise out of nowhere) came in the form of a new grill!

An early Christmas gift for the family.
From Home Depot.

I took out the third row of seats in my car and folded up the second seat...and was amazed by how much room I had! (also amazed by the amount of crumbs and dog hair I'd accumulated!)


And now the grill has a new home, in our backyard.
And we're going to use it for the first time today.
If you hear in the news about an explosion in Texas,
well, that'd be us, I bet.

Wish us luck.

Monogram Chick & SITS

The SITS girls are having a contest again!



They have the BEST giveaways ever. This week they are giving away monogrammed stamps from Monogram Chick.

Monogram Chick has some of THE CUTEST stuff I've ever seen! Everything from unique and trendy travel mugs (great holiday gifts for the kids' teachers) to adorable backpacks. ALL OF IT MONOGRAMMED!

This week's prize is AWESOME... especially with the holiday's approaching. How would you like to stamp your Holiday cards with this:


OR This:


Yep, it's a personalized address stamp. I would LOVE one of these. But, I'm sharing in the excitement and letting you know about the contest too. To earn an extra entry. hehe

Go check out SITS and Monogram Chick!

No monkeying around

oops, how did this one get in here?

Grab a camera, find a critter and join up!
Go to Camera Critters to read the rules.

Feelin' the love

I've received two awards today that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.



This is from Shannon @ Welcome to the Nut House. She's a daily read for me. Great blog.







And, this is from Susie @ Susie's Homemade, a new read for me,
and she makes some amazing cakes!





A big thank you to both these women for starting off my weekend in a great way! Thanks!
(If I've missed posting a thank you for an award someone's given me,
email me, because I don't mean to!)

Princess Annie-Pie

When we adopted Annie a year ago from DFW Lab Rescue, we didn't know we had taken royalty into our family. But, it didn't take us long to realize that we had a princess in our midst.

Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Princess Annie-Pie!

When Annie wants to go outside, she comes to me and lies her head on my lap. Often she just wants to go outside in the backyard to lay on the deck and sun. Here she is sunning.

In our backyard, we have stepping stones. Annie chooses not to get her paws dirty and uses these stones to reach the deck. She also doesn't go outside if it's raining or muddy. She doesn't like to get dirty. If she does get dirty, she spends hours licking and cleaning. I'm not kidding.



Everywhere Princess Annie goes, she is covered in flowers and followed by butterflies. She loves nature (as long as she doesn't get dirty), and she loves to sniff the wind, like she is here in this photo.




Oh, how we love our Princess Annie-pie. Our lives would not have been complete with her.




As she lays upon her royal bed, she dreams of chasing bunny rabbits and chewing bones.

I asked the boys a few questions about Annie, just for fun:

What is your favorite thing that Annie does?
Remy: yawn and howl
Donny: howl
It's true, her howls are awesome. She doesn't bark, but when she's really excited, she gives an awesome howl. We're always howling at her to try and get her to do it.

What's the funniest (most funny) thing Annie does?
Remy: licking her private parts and the butt scootch
Donny: the butt scootch
I actually got it on video. hehe

What do you think is ANNIE's favorite thing to do?
Remy: Wait, let me go ask her. (he runs to go talk to her and comes back) Lick her feet!
Donny: Playing rough with us on the bed and going for car rides

What would you have named Annie if she hadn't already came with her name?
Remy: Butt Scootch!
Donny: Princess.

And, there you have it!

She is truly happiest riding in the car, sleeping in bed with the boys or just being with the boys.

Do you have royalty in your family like we do? Does he/she have any funny quirks?
We can't have the only dog who won't go outside in the rain and walks on stepping stones, right?

Grand Master D

The last three days have been BUSY. The boys started back to school, which sounds like more freedom for me, right? WRONG.

The first two and half hours of my day are spent getting them ready for school, feeding them breakfast, making their lunches, and getting them both to school, which start at different times. Annie rides in the car with us for both drop-offs.

Then I come home and fill out the mountain of paperwork that the teachers send home. No homework for the kids...all for me. And, then I sneak in a little blogging in between job searching, tweaking my pathetic resume and more job searching. I also had to work on an assignment for my writing course that I take online through All Writer's. And, you should have seen the pile of dishes in my sink I tackled this morning...and the pile of laundry in my laundry room that I am currently working on as well.

In the afternoon I spend a good hour and a half sitting in carpool lines to pick up my children...with Annie in the car, of course.

We've had two football practices in the last three days (totaling over four hours of practice) in the 94 degree heat. (At least it's not 100!) And, Remy had a soccer practice. Did I mention I'm one of his team's soccer coaches?

So, last night I found myself crashing as I read to the boys at bedtime. No time to think up creative posts. In fact, as I sat and watched the two hour football practice yesterday evening, I had to work on a "Million words or less about your child" essay due today. That was for Donny's English teacher.

My post today is, guess what? The short essay I wrote about Donny to turn in.


Donny


Donny’s not allowed to be the blue pieces when we play Blokus because he wins every time. He doesn’t win quite as often at Monopoly, but he’s a masterful Poker player. Strategy games are his favorite sort, and he has a couple he plays on his computer at home, such as Age of Empires.

In his room is a collection of figures from Greek Myths, a subject he grew to love last year when every night for a month or so, before bed, we read a Greek myth. He gobbled up the Percy Jackson series.

We moved to the Dallas area a year ago from Austin, where he had lived his entire life. He was extremely disappointed to leave his friends behind, but has kept in contact with his best friend. They take turns flying to and from Austin to spend weekends together, and Donny even went camping with his friend’s family this summer through New Mexico and Colorado.

If given his way, we would have probably adopted a zoo of animals by now, but he has to make do with our one pet, a yellow Labrador named Annie, who sleeps with him every night. She’s completely devoted to her boy. He feeds her, exercises her and loves to play with her.



Donny’s room is covered in posters and sports trophies. The posters’ subjects cover everything from animals, to galaxies, to movie characters such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. He truly loves to learn and usually asks above and beyond what he has to know, because he is curious.

His mind is as active as his body. He plays sports year round, switching with the seasons from basketball to baseball to soccer. For the first time ever, he has decided to play football, so that is a new sport for us this fall. He was nervous and knew nothing about the sport, but tackled it with his determination. He recently spent his own money to buy roller skates, which he then proceeded to wear around the house for weeks. I think he must be part fish too, because he can easily spend hours in the water and is a very strong swimmer.




Donny’s little brother is in first grade and quite the wild card. Donny is the most patient older brother I’ve ever seen. He is loving and caring yet he also likes to remind me what Supernanny would do, so that his brother is disciplined properly and doesn’t grow up to be spoiled.

I’m a writer, so it is disappointing to me that his weakest subject is writing. His strengths are in math and reading. He loves science as well. He is excited about music and chose to play the trombone in band. This is his first time playing an instrument, besides the recorder.

His father and I appreciate his honestly and intelligence but also enjoy his mischievousness and sense of humor. He’s up for an adventure and ready to try just about anything. The older he gets, the more we treasure and enjoy spending time with him. Our conversations are wonderful and mature, but can easily turn into a tooting contest to include his little brother.

Donny is a special gift in our family, and we hope you’ll enjoy sharing your time with him as much as we have and always will.

Commodication

Earlier this month, Texas Homeboy and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. I haven't been into the sentimental cards much lately...so I got him this one. It's a Hallmark card.

That's a coffee stain on the bottom right-hand corner because Texas Homeboy kept it next to his coffee machine for the next week or two. I'd like to think because he loved it so much, but he probably just didn't know what to do with it. I know just what to do with it! Blog.

Here's what the inside said (I've painted out my inked ramblings of love):

Now, this might be a touchy subject for some, but do you let your spouse see you on the toilet?

Texas Homeboy and I have never been shy about this sort of thing. We don't intrude on each other's privacy, but we'll carry on conversations or be in the bathroom together...

I thought everyone was like this until a friend told me she never allowed her husband in the bathroom while she...um...took care of things. Built a log cabin. Took the kids to the lake. You know. Went #2. What do you call it?

I was shocked. I have no such privacy in my home. Even the dog walks in and expects a pat on her head if I'm in there doing my business. The kids come talk, I shoo them out. You know.

So, my question for you is, do you let your loved one see you in the bathroom? Should that kind of thing be kept more private in order to keep the magic alive? Or does this bring us closer?

A Jedi Car, Purple Grass & A Bad Mom

I bet no one has ever had a post titled with those above three things. I'm unique that way, y'all.

So, we were at a football scrimmage this last weekend, and I, of course, had my trusty camera with me. And, Remy is grouchy and refuses to get out of the car. It's only about 100 degrees, so I shouldn't worry about him frying in there, right?

Bad mother example ONE.

I keep looking back at him to check for signs of life, and I see something strange. Do you see it?

Maybe this will be easier...can you see it now?



Yep, that's right. My car has become a Jedi Master. It fights with it's own light saber and is strong with the force. We can expect great things.

Oh, here's proof that Texas Home Boy really exists...REALLY.

Bad mom example TWO.

I'm taking more pictures of random things than my son playing football. But, I haven't figured football out yet. It just looks like a bunch of boys running into each other. It looks like it hurts.

Look, y'all, I can turn the grass purple! It's magic. Ta da!!

Bad Mom example THREE:

That pad is supposed to be in the FRONT of his leg, not the back. See, I didn't know I had to buy pads to put into his pants. I found out at the last minute, so I had to run to Sports Authority and buy this pack:

These are hip pads, a tailbone pad, thigh pads and shin pads. There are special little pockets and snaps in the football pants just for these little guys. And I managed to put them in wrong.

But, my boy had fun. He loved it! He wasn't sure about this whole football thing, but got talked into it by his baseball coach...who is now his football coach. And after this scrimmage, he says he gets it now. He likes it.


I've discovered the SECRET to football now. The reason guys love it? Because it allows guys to ACT like guys. Rough, aggressive, sweaty and dirty. It makes sense now. I get it.

Look, now I can turn the grass red! Ta da!!

Not so scary.

I haven't always handled change well.

If you ask my husband, Texas Homeboy, about the early days of our marriage, he'll verify this. Whenever he decided to move furniture around in our first apartment, I'd freak out. Seriously. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.

This is the one piece of furniture I've had since I got married.


Change doesn't come easy. It seems to be harder for me to adjust than most people. Or at least I used to feel that way. Now I seem to welcome change...with sweaty palms and shaky hands though, I admit.

When I was eleven years old, we moved to Austin, and it was a tough adjustment for me. The end result was good though. I loved Austin and ended up living there for 19 years.

Getting pregnant and married at nineteen years old was quite a shock to the system and resulted in some big changes. Most good.

Moving from Austin to the Dallas area last year was another huge change, and it's been good.

TODAY, my boys started back to school. After spending almost every minute of the summer together, I'm both happy for them to go back and sad. It's big change this year, because Donny has started middle school.


I didn't get to walk him in.
That's just not cool anymore.
But, I've visited his locker and saw his classrooms at orientation.

Remy started first grade!! He wasn't sure he wanted me to walk him in...

The sun was kind of bright, and he was scrunching up his face for these pictures.

After I cried and threatened to sneak in through the window to take pictures, he relented and let me walk him in. hehe

His teacher seems really nice, and one of his best friends is in his class!

First grade isn't gonna know what hit em!

And now I'm home alone and job searching. I hate job searching. I need to find something that works during their school hours.