Danford Design... Design your LIFE

Where did TIME go??????

2010-08-29T20:35:00.001-07:00

Where in the world did TIME go???????

I can not believe it has been so long since I wrote

on my blog....

It feels a little like I have left my child at the babysitter.

HOWEVER .... as school gets going, and our

lives get somewhat on a more routine schedule

I hope to get back to my BLOg

(aka.... the forgotten child of mine.)

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I am heading to bed as soon as I write this...

but had to give you a little info on my NEW job.

OMG... it is totally the (without a doubt)

GREATEST job in America.

We have had 2 full weeks now.... and

My school is just to die for.

It is located right on the lake.

YES... I do mean on the water front.

We look out our windows and see the water.

WOW and TOTAL wow on that!

The people are wonderful, kind, caring, and just

a true JOY to work for.

Being at a CHRISTIAN school is nothing short

of a true blessing for me.

I promise I will have more details and

some pictures of the school this week.

Until then.... here is my first painting as

Mrs. Danford.

It is for our faculty ART show on Thursday.

It is my version of 1 part Picasso,

1 part cartoonish lines, and 2 parts Staci color.

Bliss and Blessings to you ALL.

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May I always know when to

fall down on my knees and say

"Thank YOU"

Productive Panic

2010-08-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

Ok... panic has now officially set in.

I start work in 3 days....

Why is it that you can seem to get so much done

when you're on a deadline????

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and.... when I get frazzled....

for some reason I start painting

and redecorating.

(I'm not sure... but I think there is a name for this..

maybe decoratism, or frazzlism...)

But... today I got my GIANT picture

in of Brady and I.... so that lead to more redoing.
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I think my piano area has now gone through

it's 12th transformation....

and I'm sure at one point there will be more..

but, for now I love my picture.
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Here it was back in January.
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and here is the same area of the house
back when I must have been transforming
from a serious phase to fun.
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and here it is in the completely
serious phase....
Mercy that is sooooooooooo
NOT me now. haha
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Yesterday I decided I didn't like
my living room any more.
So.... I got up early
and while everyone was sleeping
I started painting it
egg plant purple.
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I know that is a color that MOST
of the world moves totally away from...
but for some reason I was feeling
a PURPLE phase coming on.
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I painted this garage sale chest that was in the garage.
and I saw this on some one's blog
(so sorry I can't remember where)
but..... I totally LOVED that where ever I saw it
they had used random mixed knobs on their chest.
I thought it was adorable so I ran to
Hobby Lobby today and Brady and I
picked out 6 of our favorites..
I TOTALLY LOVE this chest with these knobs.
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This (as of today) is the funnest
corner of my house to be in...
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I also gave my DRAG Queen deer
a new make over.
I was feeling she was a little under dressed
for the stage I am in at the moment.
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so... as my teenagers have told me
He/she now has a Southern pimp hat
and a little bit of new BLING.
I'm not sure BRAD is thrilled with what I've
done to his deer.... but I can tell you
it gets way more attention that all of
those plain MAN deer hanging in other
random dens across the world. ha
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This was my living room when we first moved in.
MANY coats of paint and a zillion changes since then.
MERCY.... that was so YUCK !!!
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This was the first look it had.
again with the serious phase...
WHAT was that all about??????
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Many phases later it moved to this...
STILL hated the fireplace and that retirement home
cheap white mantle...
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SO..... while I was painting the purple,
and letting it dry between coats.
I decided to just paint the darn thing.
After all... what could look worse than
cheap builder wood white.
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I painted it my other color of choice lately
Turquoise.... and I'm sure one day
I'll wonder
WHAT was I thinking....
But............today I LOVE it.
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I still haven't done my painting yet...
but I did add a little mooing friend to the mantle.
of course fresh with a new coat of paint
and some polka dots.
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Here were my frames last week.
I still haven't painted the wall behind it yet.
It is going to be purple too....
but everyone was waking up so I stopped for the day.
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I've got the pictures in almost all of them...
I LOVE seeing "my people" on this wall.
Just wish it was purple already..
BUT... one step at a time...
after all..... Tomorrow is another day!
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May we NEVER be afraid of change.
Yes... sometimes we may Hate it,
and sometimes we may LOVE it.....
but you learn a little more about yourself
either way!!

Starting Fresh

2010-07-29T21:45:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe that a week from today

I will be starting my NEW job teaching

Art and Photography.

I am so thrilled... but a tad stressed

trying to get everything around here finished.

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I am almost finished with my

"Throw out 50 Things" book.

I can not say enough about how wonderful it is.

Without a doubt.. it is the most life changing book

I've read in a long long time.
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I waited until the end to do Brady's stuff..

What a mess of toys he had in his little room.

So many, and in such chaos that he hardly

even played with them.

Soooooo.. we dumped ALL of them out

and started separating into sections.
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You can see on his face just how

NOT excited he was about this project.

But... we went through every single toy..

and found a whole bunch we'd forgotten about
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HE had so many (of his older sister's) beanie babies

that he could almost bury himself in them.
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I went to Wal-Mart and bought
see through tubs.
(this I have found is a wonderful secret for kids)
Now he can see exactly what toys he has.
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We organized every thing we were keeping,
and put them all into SECTIONS.
He is quite picky about making sure
the cars do NOT get into the animal section. haha
I just LOVE how it all turned out...
and Brady has played more with his toys
in the last few days than he has
in the last 3 months put together.
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While on my "GET rid of stuff" tour
through my house. I decided that I didn't
really like anything at all in my living room.
SO... I cleared almost ALL of it out
and I am starting over.
I found some of my MILLIONS of frames
in the garage and painted them all
various shades of turquoise.
I have pictures to go in almost all of them
and will show you the finished wall
as soon as I get them all in and the wall painted.
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I also found this HUGE canvas
on the side of the road
and brought it home.
I know exactly the painting I am going to do
on it... but just haven't gotten around to that
yet either.
So for now everything is just
a random shade of uncluttered blue....
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May we all... (MOSTLY me)
remember that everything does NOT
HAVE to be done TODAY!
Sometimes it's the SLOW rides that are the most enjoyable.

Exactly What I Wanted

2010-07-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more of my Favorite shots

my precious friend and photographer pal Sherry

took of Brady and I while

we were in Waco last week.

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We found this garage wall by accident

while driving down the middle of the alley.
The colors were the most fun I could have ever wished for .

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I am just so incredibly excited about all of these pictures.

Now all I've got to do is figure out which walls

I'm gonna put them on...

and how big I'm gonna make them.
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Man how this little fellow has changed my life !

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What a fabulous day we had together.

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paceMaking memories I will NEVER forget.

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May we all have at least one incredible photo

that shows exactly how we feel about our children...

and best of all a great friend who can do it!

My Greatest Gift

2010-07-21T21:53:00.001-07:00

I just got home from Waco

where I met one of my dearest friends.

I only see her once or, at best, twice a year

because she moved half way across the world.

I try my best to wait patiently each year

for our fun filled, full of giggles... Summer Visits.

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She is also a photographer nerd....

(the term we have affectionately given ourselves)

We can sit for hours and talk about lighting, photoshop,

and our new favorite techniques....

I can say without a doubt that she

is the ONLY person in the entire world

who truly understands my philosophy

of what a photograph should be.

The #1 goal was to capture emotion...

and everything else is a far off second place

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So... this year I asked her to please take

my yearly photograph with Brady.

I knew the exact look I wanted and knew

that she was the gal who could capture it.

This was the RESULT...

No amount of money can ever buy or replace this moment.

She knew my heart so very well

and knew just what I wanted...

and man oh man did she ever catch it.

I will have more of our shoot to share later in the week.

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May we always understand that most anyone

can take a photograph....

but only a few can capture a memory.

Thank you Sherry !

Wedding Wishes

2010-07-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

My mother has been here this week

to help watch Brady

so that I could finish a Wedding Album.

As I worked on their album pages

I traveled many times to my little

FAIRYTALE world of romance and happily ever afters.

I am always touched by the uniqueness

of each couple's LOVE STORY.

And out of all the Weddings I have photographed

over the years........ NO two have ever been the same.

I enjoy so very much getting to know

each of my couples and hearing

their LOVE stories.

It is always inspiring and somewhat magical

to be in the presence of LOVE....

and what better place to find that

than in the middle of a Wedding.

So... as I worked on the pages of this book

and relived a few sparks of their magic....

I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

The best part about seeing a Wedding photograph

(and not being a part of the wedding)....

is that you get to make up your own story.

Some of my favorite pictures

are ones where I had NO clue what

was REALLY going on... soooooooooo

I made it up!!

I hope that everyone out there

in BLOG world today is sprinkled

with a little magic...

I hope next time you're at a Wedding...

you will STOP and watch for the sparkles..

and... I hope none of us EVER stop wishing for

a Fairytale in our own lives..

Sometimes all it takes is a sprinkle

for one to begin!!

Bliss and Blessings your way today..

May you find LOVE looking just around the corner.

Art and Soul

2010-07-06T18:29:00.001-07:00

First let me just say that

I promise I am going to do better blogging this month.

Time seems to be flying around here,

and I have been enjoying playing with my family,

not being especially creative, however

making BIG changes within myself.

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The timing in my life could NOT have been better

for the mixture of fabulous happening around here.

First.... let me just start off by saying that

I was hired last week to be the new

Art/Photography teacher

at a private Christian High School minutes from my house.

There are honestly No words to express

how incredibly excited that I am to begin

this amazing new journey in my life.

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So... for the last week I have been writing lesson plans

of all of my favorite artists for us to study.

Tarkay is my VERY VERY all time most fabulous artist of all.

I adore his shapes, his composition, and most of all his color.

I can hardly believe I am going to get paid to teach and paint about him.
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Let me back up a little bit and tell you how all of this came to be.

This has been a summer so far of pure personal GROWTH for me.

It is a culminating effect of the 13 week Dave Ramsey class
I am taking, the 7 week study of James we are doing at our church,

and the wonderful book THROW OUT 50 THINGS.

Mix all of those together... and if you don't do some changing

then you must be dead.
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The 2nd Sunday of our James (Life 101) sermon at church

I came home almost moved to tears.

I felt like our Pastor was speaking right to me.

He talked about people who can't make up their minds,

and float about this world double-minded.

Your mind is never settled in one direction

and in James it says You are tossed about ...

anyway... I realized that was totally me.

I toss to and fro all the time from opening a store,

or going back to teaching (which I dearly missed)

Then I began to pray and think deeper and realized

that I had LOST MY FOCUS !!!
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The very next day I looked on line,

and found the most PERFECT job in the world for me.

It was a part-time Art Teacher

(they are on block schedule and I only have to go during my block)

at a Christian school.

It was the one place I could combine 3 of the things

I LOVE most in the world....

1. making things

2. the Lord

3. motivating and making a difference
IT was just too Perfect....

now I just had to apply and pray
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anyway... to make a LONG story SHORT...

I got the job and couldn't be more thrilled.

It is the perfect ending to my

Throwing out the Old ( junk in my house & in my mind)

and IN with a brand NEW Beginning .

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So.. as my summer continues

I will be studying, painting, and keeping track

of all the changes in my life.

I have made a vow NEVER to think I'm too old

to start over, and given up thinking that

I'm not quite good enough.

AND... most of all I have throw out the idea that

I've made too many mistakes to have a happy ending.

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May you all experience the JOY from throwing out the JUNK

we pack up and carry around in our minds.

Some kind of BUSY

2010-06-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy throwing out

my 50 ++++++ things lately

that I can not seem to STOP and get

on the computer to keep you posted on the progress.

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I can however tell you that this is one of the

MOST life changing books I have ever read.

I would so highly recommend it to every person

I know.. and even those I don't.

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I have been very diligent to go through

EVERY closet, EVERY storage box, under the beds,

and yes... even my garage.

I can tell you that there is ONE word that comes to mind

when I look at all of this stuff... WASTE.

There is no telling how many thousands of dollars

I have spent getting small stuff that

I was one day going to do something with.

AND as you can see... MOST of it never got around to

becoming that "something it could be!"

This is MY old studio room...

Which in a few weeks is going to be Brook's new room.

We have all been piling everything in here to "go through"

and needless to say... there is a VERY LARGE

garage sale in the works.

I have made a new vow to myself that

IF I don't know where it is going to go,

or if it does not have a purpose "at that moment"

then IT is no longer allowed to visit at my house.
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Brent (the big son) has been one of my number one fans

throughout this process...

A process that .... may I say,

has been rather difficult at times.

It is almost like exposing your worst feature

for the world... and most importantly

for YOURSELF to see.

But... As with most things in life

THAT is how we learn.

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So... as I continue my cleaning,

I am thankful for the encouragement

and never ending words of praise from

a son whose LOVE I hold dear.

(even if he did come home with a hair do like that) ha

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Then.... there is the MIDDLE child.

My one and only daughter...

who can I just say is NOT full of pep talks

and "your doing good MOM" speeches.

However.... she has given me something I truly

needed these last couple of weeks.

She is my child who freely

pours out her honesty.

AND though it may not sound as pretty..

It was just as good to hear.

Everyone needs a wake up call on occasion.
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In the midst of our ROOM SWAPPING transformations,

my sweet Brook had her 17th birthday..

I took she and her boyfriend to the lake

to take some pictures for her to put

in her new room.

I must say... they are so darn cute...

and just the most darling looking version of

America High School USA I have ever seen.

I kept waiting for Norman Rockwell

to come around the corner.
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Here she is with her best buddies...
THE BEST FRIENDS CLUB as she calls them.
(Brandon, Brook, Kristen, and Trelle)
Trelle has also been one of the catalysts in our room transformations.
He has come to live with us for his Senior Year.
Lets just say that his situation is very unfortunate
and when Brook (my honest, full of logic child) said
"MOM I think we could make a difference in his life
if we let him live here this year," I had to listen.
As usual... her heart was in the right place.
So.. Trelle has taken Brent's old room
while he is off at college
and more room transformations are in the works.
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Anyway... we didn't let our MESS upstairs
interfere with our party downstairs.
I have always tried to make a big deal
out of my kid's birthdays.
After all... I tell them
"It is the day that God decided to give you
to me to borrow."
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How ever old the kids are...
that is how many presents they get.
It is always fun for them to open,
and a challenge for me to find.
Some of the gifts mind you are gum, lip gloss, and I have even
been known to wrap a pair of socks separately..
BUT... it is always FUN !
After the turn 21 however... the multiple party gifts are over.
And let me just tell you...
Brent KNOWS he still has one more year to go.
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Brook got a guitar for her birthday this year from my mom.
She has always wanted to learn how to play,
and thought this would be the year she'd give it a try.
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My precious mother...
brought not only the guitar...
but the perfect matching cake to go with it.
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We took a day off to party...
and quickly got back to work.
This was Brook's old room.
She had an Arabian Bed complete with about
6 loads of laundry. haha
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Her bedroom is now Brenae's ( who is home from college,
and going to live with us all year while she does her student teaching)
new bedroom.
We gutted it completely... painted it to Brenae's request
and color scheme.... and in less than 2 days
Her new room was ready to MOVE IN.
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Here is her room NOW !!

I call it " A grown up version of FUN."
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ONE more down... and 2 more to go...

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Sometimes the progress is slower than I'd like,

but it has taken a while to go through all of our (mostly my) STUFF...

YET..... when I am finished

everything in this house will have a REAL place to LIVE....

And as I empty the physical mess... it has been amazing

at how the mental mess has gone hand in hand.

Gail Blanke (the author of Throw Out Fifty Things) says

"Always remember, clutter (of any kind) blurs clarity."

And I.. my friends, had so much of it,

that I had LOST MY FOCUS.

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May we all mull the truth in the statement

that "The more STUFF we surround ourselves with,

the less room we have for the never-been-so-good

before part of our lives." Gail Blanke

My New Office

2010-06-10T21:32:00.001-07:00

Our LIFE and our entire upstairs

have gone through fruit basket turnover since school was out.

WHAT a HUGE mess parts of it still remain.

Brook decided that she would really like to have

my upstairs studio as her bedroom for her Senior year.

I have always hated working that big room

(for some odd reason I do so much better in small spaces)

so I thought

that would be a great idea.

But.... It required that everyone switch rooms

in order to make that happen.

My office went from about 850 sq. feet.

to one bedroom....

and I have to say... I can not be more excited.

Here's a little peek into my new world.

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Glenda the GOOD witch rides along side me daily.

I bought her last year at a garage sale for 2 dollars.

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Here is my sewing corner where Glenda hangs.

Found the brackets to the shelves at a flea market.

Bought the whole box for 1.50

painted them with dots... and now my shelves are fun!
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Here is the whole sewing table

and fabric corner..

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I bought this scarf thing at Goodwill for a quarter.

The picture above my shelves is a copy of the original

that Brent drew when he was 5 years old.

My table is filled with both the things I need to sew and the things I need to smile.

I LOVE the idea of the frog prince... and have lots of them in here.

This room also has to double as a guest room.

If you remember my garage sale adventure..

This is the headboard I bought last year for $1.75.

Now that was a deal...

I painted some quickey stripes on the wall.
and my favorite picture of my "big kids" a fun shade of pink.

It made that fancy gold frame so much more fun !!!

Brad and I bought this cabinet several years ago with a tv in it for $40.

A fast coat of white paint and some dots later... I have storage with energy !

I adore flying pigs..

They remind me that dreams are possible!!!

I made this lamp years ago and remembered it in the attic.

It is covered with dollar general cheap flowers... but it makes me smile.

I have now have the most functional desk in the world.

I just have 1 more drawer to paint.

The top I found on the side of the road.

I remember getting out of the car to stand by it because I thought someone else would get it before Brad got there to put it in his truck.

I filled it with everything I need, and a few things I like to look at.

I painted the entire desk with BLACK paint

so it would sorta look like it all went together.

Then I bumped my painted dresser up behind it

so it would give me extra counter space.

On top of that dresser is one of my ALL time favorite things.

A pig from the yard section of Wal-mart I painted,

and another Good Witch I bought at a garage sale for $3.

She makes me smile from the front and the back.

One of my other all time best smile getters is this elephant.
I bought it for Brady when he was a baby.
He never really liked it, but for some reason I always did.
I put Brook's old tutu on her and man I can't get the grin off of my face.
The last wall of my office is eventually going to be filled with
all of my kids old art and some of mine as well.
Things that I always loved, but didn't have a place for.
I somehow thought that my old studio was supposed to look grown up.
But... Now I've decided that in this one I am filling it with things
that I LOVE and things that give me energy to WORK and create.
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May we realize that sometimes smaller can be WAY better!

New Computer

2010-06-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

I have had the most horrible YUCK couple of weeks ever.

You know it's bad when your mother prays that the BLACK cloud

following you will be lifted.

ANYWAY

I am on my 3rd new computer in the last couple of weeks.

Something weird was wrong with them all.

Best Buy assured me that it was a freak thing.

SO... I am weeks behind now at work.

Having NO computer is a nightmare.

Promise tomorrow I will have lots of wonderful

to say and show...

For now I have to catch up on a little work..

Bliss and Blessings to you !

A Happy Goodbye

2010-05-27T21:59:00.001-07:00

School is almost out.. and as you know

Brook's cheerleading days at

Southwest High School are done.

But.. as with all things in LIFE there is a Lesson

and the choice is ours whether or not to let it

Make us Bitter or Make us Better !

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So... we got the girls together one last time

for a farewell photo.

Many of these gals will part ways now

and go in lots of different directions...

But for one year.... they were all connected.

And those memories will last forever.

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Nearly all of these girls graduate next week

and will be moving toward a new adventure in their lives..

May your new phase be filled with Bliss and Blessings.

and may you forever remember your days in high school.

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Sometimes Too much of a good thing

Can be Wonderful !!!

May we never forget to smile

and enjoy the beauty of youth..

(even if it's our children's youth we're enjoying) ha

Back to Nature

2010-05-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

We haven't spent the night at Our River Place

since Labor Day Weekend..

and Man oh Mercy...

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I can tell you that Nature waits for NO ONE.

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The water is so high because of the rains.

Which means the snakes, and other critters

have moved up closer to the trailer.

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It took Brad hours to mow the grass down far enough

so that we could even see the water.

But... when we got it cut down

I remember why it is I LOVE this place so much.

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He had to take a few breaks in the mowing

because his helper wanted to STOP and ride,

and play, and pick up sticks, and drive.

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While Brad worked on the outside...

I worked on the trailer.

It had been lived in though for the entire

9 months that we were gone.....

However our guests were small furry creatures

who tend to eat their dwellings,

and leave an overwhelming amount

of droppings behind.

All I can say about that is....YUCK !!!

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I used a whole can of bleach wipes,

and countless amounts of spray

but.. I got it finished.

So...we decided to call it a day

sit around , eat a burger,

and enjoy the incredible peace

that only the sound of water brings.

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As the sun was on its way down...

Creatures came out by the loads..

I managed to keep Brady from grabbing a few

so I could take their picture.

He could not get enough of them..

and wanted to stay longer...

but the cold weather we had this winter

busted all of our pipes...

so that will require another weekend

to get them up and running.

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SO... until the next time...

We just sat and enjoyed the sound of the River

and soaked up the peacefulness of being so far

out in nature that NO cell phones work,

NO cable is available, and there's NOT a tv channel in site.
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I told Brad the first time we came to LOOK

at this property that I was pretty sure

Jesus Lives Here...

and every time I come back

I think I'm right !
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May we all take a moment to realize that

Nature is a FREE gift we can soak up

any time we STOP and grab it.

Taking the First Step

2010-05-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's Wisdom #3

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As my backyard makeover continues..

I was outside working yesterday...

and Brent (who is home from college)

decided that BEAR (one of the monster dogs) was way too hot.

So... in his 20 year old wisdom....

he decided to dig Bear a hole and

fill it with water for him to lay in.

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This is BEAR... poor fellow has more hair than

all the men in Ft. Worth put together..

Each time I brush him it looks like snow in my backyard.

He LOVES it though... and will sit there all day.

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WELL... Bear has yet to get in HIS hole....

But one little fellow didn't even let it fill up

with water before he was headed straight in.

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From the look on his face.....

you can see that it was a tad colder than he expected.

HOWEVER.... it didn't STOP him.

and while I ran for the camera I knew exactly what I

wanted to write about today.
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While I watched my baby dot play
in his new found "greatest place on earth"....
My heart realized how quickly these last 2 years
have already flown by...
and... I can honestly say

I have enjoyed them
to the very best of my ability.
HOWEVER... I can not say that with my "big kids"
(who are now... 20 and 17 years old)....
I spent so much of their lives rushing...
to practice, to work, to school, to parties, to games and through life.
I have a lot of sadness that I didn't STOP and
cherish the goofy moments more often with them.
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BUT... as with all great things in life...
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Everything starts with that first STEP..
It all has to start somewhere.
Being the mom you want to be can not happen over night.
But it can happen day by day,
and with each day that passes
we can all say....
"I am not where I want to be yet....
BUT MAN I am so much farther than I have ever been before."
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So... today gals....
Give yourselves a break..
No one was ever born GREAT...
It all started somewhere.
So make today your first step toward
whatever it is you want to be.
Whether it's more fit, a better wife, having a cleaner garage haha,
more financial freedom, or being the greatest mom
your kids will ever know...

JUST take it one step at a time!
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May we all be proud of who we are TODAY...
because today is all we have,
and it's the first day toward forever.

CHANGE

2010-05-17T21:16:00.001-07:00

This past 2 months have been a whirlwind of BUSY..

But as my crazy time of year is winding down

I had to STOP and take a piece of my own advice....

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ACCEPT the things that you CAN NOT change,

and make the BEST of those things that YOU CAN.

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE to be outside.

So much so that my skin could sometimes be mistaken

for a 70 year old Florida native....

BUT I can't help it...

I LOVE the sunshine.

Sitting in it, reading in it, swimming in it, working in it, or eating in it.

AND MY BACKYARD was without question

the ugliest in the city of Ft. Worth.

and let me just tell you....

I have fussed about it every day for almost 2 years.

So... I decided to stop my whining and DO SOMETHING.

I couldn't get rid of the giant monsters who live back there

who ...for the most part have destroyed it...

BUT.. I could create a small SPACE just for me to enjoy.

The above photo is a tiny hint of my continued bakyard makeover.
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While in the backyard working on my

NEW "Happy" Space....

The third (thank goodness ..small) monster

took off with one of Brady's Monkeys.

It is the kind that yells when you touch it...

and we have laughed our heads off

because Niki thinks it's her baby.

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I later found it that afternoon just like this.

I don't know about you...

BUT I'm pretty sure that means she doesn't

want Brady to have it back.

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Later that same afternoon...

I got my NEW book in the mail from AMAZON..

I am already half way through with it.

WONDERFUL is just not a good enough word to describe it.

I would recommend it highly to any woman out there.

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We just don't realize how the physical clutter in our

lives makes such a HUGE impact

on the clutter in our minds, hearts, and emotions.

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Why we hold on to some of the things that we do...

Is just amazing to me.

1. like the 5 tubes of lipstick that I HATE

yet somehow keep as if one day they might look good on me

2. literally 8 bras that do not fit

and are so thin I wouldn't even work in them

3. double digits worth of socks with NO MATE

that I must be waiting for their return from vacation

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And I have JUST BEGUN...

BUT... I am embarrassed to say...

MY Garage is the reason I bought this book.

Take a look and you will see why...

ALL I can say is Mercy...

I need a B12 shot to even get started

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countless frames.. I have nearly a hundred
can any one say addict......
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all the zillions of things I bought to
"REMAKE" and put in the STORE that I do NOT have
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the constant out and in objects from my
multiple redecorating projects
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the MANY MANY chairs I bought to recover
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and of course a random Christmas tree in the mix
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May we all discover the REASONS why we keep the things we do...
and courage to let the ones that don't ADD to our lives GO.....
You just might be surprised what greatness
could fill the space that was previously
held by clutter.

Wednesday's Wisdom 2

2010-05-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately

about how much my life has changed

in the last 5 years.

In that time .....

I have been at my life's very lowest point

as well as my life's very highest..

And I can tell you that the biggest difference

between those 2 times was

MY ATTITUDE ...

I am so very thankful for the lows

because they taught me to

dig deeper to find out

what is really important.
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Many many times in my past...

and I must say even a few times in my present

I have sat around and griped about my circumstances...

Feeling if ONLY things were different then

LIFE would be different...

That is one of life's most cruel tricks.

IF we can not be thankful with a little.....

THEN why would God ever think we would be thankful with a lot.

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Stop today and forget all the things that you DON'T have

and make a list of the things that YOU DO...

because ...IF you STOP for just a moment

you'd be very surprised how wonderful LIFE is.
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SO... with a new thankfulness in mind

Here is my quote for today.....

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"If you want your LIFE to change,

then you have to be willing to make

some changes in your LIFE."
( I heard this one day on tv while I was cleaning

and I didn't see who it was that said it...

but I can tell you that I have never forgotten it.)

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I'd LOVE to hear any or your LIFE changing moments.

I am a firm believer that we can learn a great deal by others experiences.

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May we all realize that sometimes the biggest

change we need is one only we can do to ourselves!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2010-05-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE words..

I LOVE reading them, hearing them,

saying them, and writing them.

I am always on the lookout for wonderful

sayings, quotes, or phrases to put to good use.

SO... I decided that each Wednesday

I would try to spread a few of my favorites

on to you..

I hope they find their way into some hearts out there

and I sincerely hope that

a few simple words

will work the wonders for your soul

that they have done for mine.

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I have been on the search of what makes

TRUE JOY now for almost 4 straight years.

I have read countless books, listened to bazillions of cd's,

watched many wonderful speakers,

and filled my soul with the WORDS of God.

I have learned so many incredible lessons along the way...

and have grabbed ahold of some amazing things.

All of which have left me in

the most JOYFUL time of my life.
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The most important of all things that

I have realized however is that

REAL JOY comes from within.

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AS I watch my "little man"

I am ever reminded of just that fact.

He wakes up thrilled to start every day.

He NEVER dreads Monday, or worries if the house is clean.

He doesn't count calories, care if his pants are too tight,

wonder if his hair-do is making him look tired,

or most of all ... he NEVER blames any outside factor

on the reason he has NO JOY...

If it fads out for a moment...

It quickly builds right back up...........

because it comes from within HIM..

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Today we got a knock on our door from the neighbor.

He said a package had been delivered to his house

that was addressed to us.

It was to BRADY...

a precious friend from Snyder

(who I now only get to visit through the wonderful world of BLOg)

had sent him a little PRIZE....

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Oh my goodness...

He could hardly get that box opened fast enough.

And WHAT a wonderful surprise to find

A MONKEY inside...

I have decided that the world might could just

use a few more monkeys and maybe we'd all be happier.

Besides the fact that this was for sure the

nicest thing in the world to do....

IT was the most darling monkey I have ever seen...

Who could ask for more out of a Wednesday.

Thank you bunches Leslie !s

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So.. as I sit here in my chair
ready to place an end to this particular Wednesday.
I will leave you with a hint of my backyard makeover
that is about 2/3 complete.
and I will leave you with my first
Wednesday's Words of Wisdom.
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Real JOY bubbles up from the inside out
it doesn't leak in from the world outside.
Dianna Booher
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May we all be ever mindful
that JOY is a choice.
One we must make on a daily basis.

Summer Sandbox

2010-04-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

Finally Finally I had a small break today!

I've had my face stuck either in my camera

or behind my computer screen for almost 3 full weeks now.

This is always my busiest time of year.

And every year I forget how the time crunch of

Graduation looms overhead

while I try to get all

the Senior pictures taken, cropped, edited,

and invitations made, ordered and delivered.

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I finished getting almost

ALL my WORK done

by 2 o'clock today and

decided to take the rest of the

afternoon off and play with my guys

who were already on a MISSION.

The BOYS had set aside today to

get Brady's summer sandbox built and ready to play in.
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My sweet Brad.....

who can build absolutely ANYTHING in the world

took Brady to Lowes and bought LUMBER and SAND.

They got home and quickly got to work. space

In LESS than an hour...

The sandbox was made and the hole

was being dug to set it down in.

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Of course...

Brad had a little extra HELP

from a small, barefooted, toddling worker.
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YET somehow still managed to get it

ALL DONE...

Looks to me however

like there was a LITTLE Bribery going on.
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After a few kisses and 600 lbs of SAND..

The SANDBOX was ready

for a shovel and a little man.
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As you can see from the SMILE....

The sandbox was a big success...

and now as my life is about to slow down some...

I can promise that we will all have a little

sand between our toes.
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May we NEVER get so busy that
we can't take a moment to
STOP and remember how much
fun a Little Sand can be.

NEVER Trust a Magazine

2010-04-23T13:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I tried on my Bathing Suit

for the first time this season..

I only have ONE word to say about that

GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSS !!!!!

Then while I was in line at Wal-Mart

(looking at all the magazines)

I quickly realized that I am

sooooooooooooooooooooooo GLAD

that I am not famous

and people aren't snapping pictures of me in my bathing suit

and putting them on the covers on magazines.

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So... I though I'd do a little demo

to show all of us REAL women

who hate our cellulite .... but learn to live with it

THAT... all those PERFECT women on the pages

of the magazines we all read

ARE NOT REAL !!!!
I quickly did these in Photoshop CS3 to show you

NEVER TRUST A MAGAZINE !!!!

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IIn the above photo...

I made myself about 8 months prego

with a little J-Lo booty

using the Bloat Tool in Liquify Filters

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Then I went the opposite route and gave

myself a slight starved look with some

Pamela Anderson BOOBS..

Notice I even added some bigger boobies to my assistant.
I also did this in Liquify using the move tool

and the Pucker tool.

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Here is the original picture...

Scroll back up and see what can be done

in about 2 minutes...

So.... the next time you see some poor

Celebrity whose butt they have plastered

all over the cover

showing how much weight she's packed on.....

DON'T BELIEVE IT !!!!!!!!!!

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Here's another quick example using the same

Liquify Filters....

This one is the straight out of the camera shot.
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Then I removed about 20 pounds.

From my legs, arms, waist, and hips.
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Then I added about 20 pounds
to all the same places ...
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So... women of the world.....
GIVE Yourselves A BREAK...
There isn't one person out there who is perfect.
Yes their butts may be tighter or smaller...
but I can promise you that
IF they are in a magazine
they've been airbrushed and LIQUIFIED...
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May we stop comparing ourselves
to things that
DON'T even Exist.

Heavenly Hair

2010-04-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

Just in case any of you were mistaken....

NO THIS IS NOT ME. haha

BUT... I would love to have her hair...

I'm not sure if it is

1. My age

2. My hormones

3. My hereditary genes

4. My plain ole' Bad Luck.....

BUT my hair is getting thinner.

It seems to be falling out WAY WAY more than it used to.

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I've had blood work done... and all came back just fine.

So... I'm going with the theory of the age or hormone thing.

IS anyone else out there in the mid 40's range having HAIR DRAMA ?

I would LOVE to know any secrets

to getting that big ole' fluffy mound of hair I used to have back.

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TThen there is always the CUT or NOT TO CUT question.....

I bounce back and forth with that one on a daily basis..

and.........

I'm I the only one who seems to think that some times

your darn hair looks better at night

right before you go to bed than it has looked all day long.....

EVEN after you fixed it...

WHY is that?????

HELP Blog World....

my pony tail is getting so small

that my hand wears out wrapping

that little band round and round...

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May we all appreciate a head of FABULOUS hair..

and if you don't have it... then appreciate great hair spray.

Looking for CALM

2010-04-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ok... this week I have been having a series of

shall we say "moments"....

I know it is mostly because of the "TOO MUCH" going on my life.

But... never the less it is still a MOMENT.

When I get in FRAZZLE mode

my mind starts searching

for PEACE and CALM.

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(Brady and I on the beach in Galveston)

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In my search of CALM I start getting RID of everything

that I do not absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE.

SO... I made my self sit down and figure out WHY.

I decided it is because my head seems to know

way before the rest of me figures out

TO SIMPLIFY...

I thought I'd start by digging through

my stash of magazines & home decorating books.

The pictures I was drawn to most every single time

were the simple clean lines, & the tone-on-tone white ones.

HUMMMMMMMMMM....

(Not exactly the Look I've got going)

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This is the view out my window from our River Property..

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Being there is the best CALM in my WORLD.

SO....... when I get home from my busy weekend out of town

shooting Senior Pictures

I am going to get busy

working on building some CALM/SIMPLE in my house.

I will have to work on the WHITE part

since I have a house FULL of COLOR.... but

maybe I can slowly blend in the WHITE

with bits of Fabulous EYE POPPING

WOW WEE color thrown in

and of course a few polka dots...

Here are a few places that are inspiring the CALM in me.

If you have time....

Take a LOOK !

http://www.fadedplains.blogspot.com/

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http://www.prairiehome.typepad.com/

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http://www.younghouselove.com/

(go to their home tour)..... It's a total WOW!

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May your weekend be filled with

Bliss and Blessings,

and of course a few DOTS !!

Some Kind of HERO

2010-04-13T13:42:00.001-07:00

This Weekend we ALL went to watch

BRENT play in Midwestern State University's

Spring Football Game.

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I can not tell you how excited I was to get to see him PLAY again.

His transition from college Baseball to college Football

has been a long, hard, uphill battle.
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I am so proud of him for holding STRONG to his dream

even on the days when he felt the sparkle fading.

He hung in there and remembered that

most every GREAT someone starts at the BOTTOM.

It's the climb that builds the character

that no one can take away.

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He's #32.

I am 100 % certain that I have NO CLUE what

he was doing, or what anyone else was doing.

I only know that he looked perfectly wonderful doing it!.

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Monk Monk... (Brady's dearest WELL loved friend)

who was such a fabulous fan......

Also thought Brent looked incredible.

He plays Wide Receiver,
and I do know that most of the time a receiver
is a blocker while they wait patiently for
THE LONG BOMB PASS
when they get to score a touchdown.
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I just could not get over how much BIGGER
he looked in PADS than the last time I saw
him in them during his last High School Game.
WOW..... he's gain 21 pounds
since he moved from baseball to football..
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It must be a "GUY THING",

because I would have a Hard Time calling this FUN !
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BUT.... HE LOVES it.....
AND I LOVE seeing him do anything that he LOVES..
and most importantly of all
I Love seeing him Happy !!!
That's pretty much all a mother can wish for.
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After the game was over all the parents and fans

got to go down on the field to meet and greet

the players and coaches.

Somehow amongst the sea of players...

Brady spotted his bubba and took off.

I couldn't see him and almost panicked

until I spotted this !!!!!
I'm pretty sure it is one of my favorite pictures EVER !

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There was just something about getting to his brother,

and putting on that helmet that caused a little fellow

to feel just as big as the guy we all call BUBBA.

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Brent has No IDEA the impact he has upon us all.

He is the always quiet HERO we all lean on, love on, and look up to.
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There is no greater THRILL in all the world

than seeing a smile on the faces of MY CHILDREN !

Every time I look into their eyes I feel like

I've been given a GIFT I did not deserve.

I am so thankful that I am the one they call Mom !!
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May we NEVER take a single day

with our children for granted.

If you treat them as though there is not

a single person in the WORLD like them....

Then there WON'T BE !

Under The INFLUENCE

2010-04-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all My BLOg buddies..

I have been in a whirl-wind of STUFF the last couple of weeks.

But... as I have learned with ALL the other

tough moments in my life

This too shall PASS!!!

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Those of you who have been reading my BLOg for very long

know about our ongoing battles with the High School Cheerleading Sponsor.

Truly I can not even think of one nice thing to say about her.

So... for the most part I will leave it at that.

It has made me appreciate ALL THE MORE however

the competitive team she also cheers for.

The coaches there have been the most wonderful people

to be a part of their program.
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This is one of Brook's very favorite coaches at the gym..

Mr. T.... has been such a motivator, and such a fun man to work with.

Brook has always been a pleaser and has been my child who

triples her effort for a little praise.

T must have figured that out early and Brook

just thought he was simply incredible..
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WE had our last competition and ended it with a BANG.

The girls won high point and got another Jacket...

She's been cheering since she was 6 and I must say

we have gathered lots of jackets along the way. haha

But... this one was special because it was her last time

to cheer in Fort Worth.
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After lots of thought, pros and cons list making,

many many prayers, and a meeting with one strangely evil woman...

who will not allow Brook to cheer for Southwest High School next year

because (I summarize) she doesn't like ME.

Mind you... I have had ONE conversation with the woman..

She doesn't think that she can be fair to Brook!!

WHAT ?????

I wasn't aware you could do that in public school.

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BUT... I refuse to let whatever MUST be wrong with that woman

push me anywhere near the edge of NEGATIVE..

I have secretly cried several buckets of tears, and

wondered how in the world someone like that can be

in charge of teenage girls.

BUT... one night as I lay in my bed wondering WHY..

I felt a strange sense of peace knowing that

MY CHILD... My one and only GIRL

will no longer be under the influence of

a woman who (in my opinion) has NOOOOOOOOOO

business being in a position of leadership.

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Teenagers have a hard enough time

making it through this world we call LIFE...

and MAYBE it takes a GIANT push from a source you

never expected to realize that sometimes

it's just NOT WORTH IT !!!!

After a ridiculous meeting with the principal of Southwest High School

she assured me that this decision was in the best interest of MY child.

As I left her office in tears I wondered HOW.....

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BUT... now I know

we have decided that it would be best for Brook

to go back to Snyder for her Senior Year.
She, Brady and I will be moving there the first of August

for her to start school in a place that

even after being gone for 4 years......

STILL feels a lot like HOME.

I know it won't be easy only seeing Brad on weekends,

but... it's ONLY for 10 months...

people in the military do it all the time.

Men and Woman all over the world make

sacrifices for their children.

We only have one shot at raising them...

and all we can do is our BEST..

So... to all of Brook's friends

who will be trying out for cheerleader tomorrow

at Southwest High School without her...

We do wish you the very best of LUCK...

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May we all realize that God promises us

ALL things work together for his good.

Not some things, and NOT only the things we expected....

But ALL things !!!

Thursday Thoughts

2010-04-01T13:19:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been a WEEK...

Everyone in our house has been trading being sick this week,

and the last one to get it was my Little Man..

And when he feels bad... nothing works but

MOM being attached to his every move.

I have to secretly say that...

I do pretty much enjoy those moments..

He doesn't let me sit and rock with him much any more.

SO... the last couple of days sitting in our chair

with lots of snuggles while we rocked was

truly a tad bit of pleasure for me...
This morning however... he woke up and

wanted to go OUTSIDE....

So we grabbed our bucket of animals and headed out.

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Brady is not a big toy playing kid...

He really only plays with his monkeys, dinosaurs, books,

and most of all...

HIS bucket of animals..

(some of which were Brent's, and are now 20 yrs. old)
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Today while we were playing he disappeared

and went back in the house..
He came out with his Noah book,

and said "Read it Momma"
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I giggled (sometimes out loud) as he started
acting out what I was reading..
Here he is building his arc..
Pretty good work I think for only pliers. haha
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We loaded our animals on 2 by 2..
It amazed me that he matched up his little critters.
And if he had 3 of something then....
sorry to say they didn't make our arc.
He only took the "mom and baby matches"
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You have to stretch your mind a little to follow our story.
Unless maybe every one's Noah wears a Safari suit,
and their arc looks strangely like a dump truck. haha
But... I've gotta say that's what made our story
Most Fabulous !!!
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Once he had all this arc loaded up,
he drove it all around the yard
"it was a short rainy season" haha............
then he took all his matches off of our "boat"
and placed them safely on dry land.
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I don't know for sure....

but I'm pretty positive that God was looking down

today at one little fellow ... smiling

Because I was certainly looking at him today thinking.....

that he is the very best of each of us

and I am 100% sure that I smiled...

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May we never forget that right in the middle

of an ordinary day...

God can smile right straight down on you !

Little Fingers

2010-03-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to be too creative lately..

So.....I came upstairs today in hopes that

something fabulous would come into my head.

I sat looking at my fabric wall

but NEVER had that burst of fabulous.

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As I sat there waiting for my creative burst

I saw this old piece of pillow

that I had destuffed to use for a new pillow I'd made

and wondered hum........how would the fabric

on the back of that ole' pillow look as a FLOWER?
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So... I started cutting circles in varying sizes.
Then I found a red bead that I thought might look
kinda cute.... so I sewed it in first.
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Then I made really big stitches from
the bottom layer up through different layers
(I skipped around with the layers
so that it wouldn't look too exact)
I used red thread so you wouldn't see it,
and pulled tightly as I made each stitch
to make the FLOWER gather.
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Here is my finished FLOWER...
now all I've got to do is get it attached
to a headband for Brook..
She decided that she needed it more than I did.
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This is one of the areas dedicated to Brady
in my STUDIO upstairs .
Normally it keeps him busy for at least 30 minutes.....
BUT... NOT TODAY!!!
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So... I scratched the whole
BEING Creative mode..
and we decided to do a little
FINGER Painting !!!
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As Brady stuck his little fingers in the paint
he kept LOOKING at me
wondering if I was really going to let him do this...
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He even told on his self saying
"MOM I gettin' messes"...
I had to laugh as I thought....
some of my best creations were
smack in the middle of
A BIG MESS !!!
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Here is our new piece of ART...

We painted it on Canvas...

SO... I'm pretty sure it will be hanging somewhere SOON !
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May we never get too busy in our daily plans

TO SEIZE the moments when they are given.

You might even be surprised that your NEW plan

turned out so much BETTER than the one you started out with.

Creative Cropping

2010-03-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful but busy Spring Break for the MOST part.

Each time Brady saw the sun shining outside

he would ask to go play, or take him to the PARK...

Here are a couple of the pictures I snapped of him playing.

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I'm not sure how many of you have Photoshop CS3,

but really any editing program

can do basically the same type of thing.

THERE is NOTHING in the world that can

change a picture more than CROPPING.

Of all the tips I can give a mom, or anyone else

who is wanting to have better looking images...

CROPPING is by far and away

the thing that will make the biggest

difference in the WOW factor of your photos.

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Here are a few samples of the same image and what cropping can do.

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This is the original shot I took.

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Here it is cropped once.
The extra width gives the illusion
of the movement of the slide,
but it is a much tighter shot,
and you can see the expression on Brady's face.
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The final crop is just a focus of Brady's face.
Anytime you want to focus solely on a face or an expression
I recommend Black and White.
It removes all the places your eyes would naturally focus
and moves it to faces and expressions.
I also cropped this one even tighter than the first
and used a slight tilt to still create the movement to the slide.
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Here is another sample.
This is the original shot taken.
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This is the same picture cropped and tilted.
You should always use a slight tilt when
there is movement in a picture.
Like running, cars, or SLIDES.
It just seems to gives life to the pictures original intent.
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This is the final crop.
I again did it much tighter because I wanted
the focus to be on Brady and his face.
I also flipped it to BLACK and WHITE
to remove any distractions the eye might go to
other than his little face.
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May we all realize that behind a regular ole' shot
there is a WOW picture
underneath most every one we take.
It just needs a little cropping.

MY Project Runway

2010-03-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

I finally got dressed today because I had a

PHOTO SHOOT with a fabulous bride...

SO.. I thought I'd take a few pictures of myself

in the shirts I've been making this past week.

I wore this one today... I think it is my FAVORITE so far.

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I've gotta say.... it was completely FUN to wear

something today that I actually made MYSELF.

and what makes it better is it was FREE stuff

that I was going to give to Goodwill...

This one was half of a cheap tank top (bottom)

and a plain ole' white man's undershirt t-shirt top.

I used the bottom of the undershirt to make the

ruffles on the sleeves. It was the easiest one to make.

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This one started out to be one of my very favorite sweaters

but .... I didn't read the label and it wasn't supposed to go

into the dryer... SO I messed it up.

The length might have fit BRADY.

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and used more of it to make the side ruffle.
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This was another plain ole brown tank top

that again was way too short...

I'm not sure how that happens.. haha

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The blue part was a shirt I bought years ago

at Banana Republic.

After having Brady... I just don't

do TIGHT around the belly anymore..

The MUFFIN top is not attractive.

So I used the bottom of it to attach to the tank,

and the sleeves to make the ruffle and the tie.
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This is the brown sweater that I

made last week. Just thought I'd throw it in

for my "THINGS I MADE" day.
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I wore this one over the weekend,

and it fits so much better now that

I don't have to constantly pull my sweater down

to cover my crack showing..

43 year old cracks are NOT PRETTY!!!

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Here is the other one that I showed you earlier this week.

It is one of my other favorites..

I wear tons of black so it will give me lots of new options.

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I am so excited to be able to make stuff out of

my old YUCK stuff...

I figured even if I only wear it a few times,

or make a total mess of something I'm trying to create....

THEN nothing lost since it was all headed out anyway.
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And the bonus is....

I now have some NEW clothes without spending a penny....

AND they all cover my CRACK.. haha

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May we all take a few minutes to go

GOODWILL shopping in our OWN CLOSET.

Even if you don't like what you make...

then you weren't wearing it anyway...

The Greatest Grandi

2010-03-16T16:33:00.001-07:00

Sunday afternoon my SWEET MOTHER came over for her

64th Birthday Party !!

(she might not want me to say that)

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It is so fun for me to get to have

a PARTY for my mother.
My birthday is on January 1st and

I have always NOT SO MUCH enjoyed that date.

When I was young everyone was out of town

on my birthday, or their parents were hung over

from the night before, or they were just plain broke from Christmas.
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BUT.... my mom always made sure I felt special on my birthday.
In fact... when I was a really little girl I used to think they
had a tv parade for me since I didn't get to have a party.
(I'm not sure if my mother planted that idea in my head
that the NEW Year's Parade was for me....
or if I just came up with that on my own. )
But... I thought that for years and years.. haha

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So... for me to get to give a tiny bit of JOY
back to my mom ON HER BIRTHDAY...
was the best part of my DAY.
Of all the people in the world who have come and gone
throughout my life..... ONE PERSON has always been there
to support me, to hold my hand, to love my children,
to dry my tears, give me advice, to call me EVERYDAY,
to show anyone who would look... a wallet full of pictures,
to hold my hair out of my face when I was sick,
to cheer for me no matter what I was doing,
to feed me countless FAVORITE meals,
and most of all to make me feel that I was the
absolute GREATEST kid in this entire WORLD.
That person is MY MOMMA..
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This whole family is better just for having known her.
AND forever blessed because she has chosen us to LOVE.
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SO..... to the ONE and ONLY 64 year old woman
who does not have a SINGLE wrinkle
because she never goes out in the sun
(and never had an ounce of plastic surgery)
I want you to know how very much you are LOVED..
NO one in this family would be where they are
without YOU !!!!
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I only wish for my children that I can
MATTER to them as much as
my MOMMA Matters to me.
To truly LOVE is the only gift
I can think of... that you GIVE....
and by giving it, you get back more than you've been given.
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"The moment a child is born,
The mother is also born.
She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the MOTHER never.
And from that moment on
NEITHER of them will ever be the same."
author unknown
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May we never forget the unbelievable power
that one woman can have in our lives...
Make sure to make it worth remembering!!

Ruffle Ridiculous

2010-03-12T21:31:00.001-08:00

Everywhere I turn lately....

I'm seeing RUFFLES..

They are in magazines, in store windows,

on my favorite website http://www.anthropolgie.com/ ,

and ALL over my favorite show PROJECT RUNWAY..

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Since I have ZERO extra money to go shopping with

I thought..... HEY why not go through some of that ugly CRAP

I cleaned out of my closet (I'm still not finished with by the way)

and see if I can make something RUFFLED out of it.

THIS is WHAT I MADE today...

I gotta say it was the best FREE fun I've had in a while.
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I used this shirt... which must have been from the

"I don't care if my stomach shows days"

BECAUSE ... let me tell you those days have GONE BY..

and it is WAY too short.
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and I used this shirt...

ALSO WAY TOO SHORT
to put together to make a little piece of my own

RUFFLED RAGS...
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It was the easiest thing I've done in many months..

Here are a few simple directions

if any of you guys want a FREE Ruffle shirt from

your Closet Crap.. haha
Start off with a shirt or sweater of any kind.

haha.... after the green pea BOOB ordeal (a few weeks back)

you might want to make sure it still fits.

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Then you can take another shirt (like the first one),

or any piece of old clothing...

LIKE THESE GOOFY GAUCHO PANTS

I had left over from some era of my past....

( I'm sure at one point they must have been slimming) haha
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After I got the two separate pieces cut apart,

I sewed them together to make my shirt

LONG ENOUGH to cover any sign of stomach.

spacesIt looks like a dress but that GAUCHO fabric fits stung.
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Then I used some more of the GAUCHO fabric to cut strips.
These are what you need to make the RUFFLES.
This t-shirt fabric is really the easiest to use.

You truly can not mess this up.

I didn't measure a single thing and it worked fine.

Sew a long, wide seam right down the middle of the strips.

Then gently pull ONE of the threads to start your gathers.

You can get them as loose or tight as you like.
Then lay them on your shirt and start sewing

right down the middle of the gather

in whatever type of pattern you want.
I did the first one around the collar

and this one just random down the side.

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Here is my finished

Sweater RUFFLE Shirt.
I will try this weekend to (GET DRESSED)
so I can take a picture of them ON..
I really did check first .... and this time they fit...
NO GIANT GREEN PEAS to take apart. haha
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Brady watched me sew all day...
and could not at all understand
why I was taking pictures of my sewing machine table.
HOWEVER... after a few hours
he decided it must be some kind of fun
and joined in with his camera too.
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May we always remember....
Sometimes being broke leads to being your most creative.
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If you have some time this weekend
dig through your CLOSET CRAP and
see what you can make.
I'd LOVE to see your creations.

Day at the ZOO

2010-03-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the most BEAUTIFUL day

here in Fort Worth that we've had in a LONG time.

SO... instead of doing the ZILLION THINGS I needed to be doing

My Daddy and I (seized the moment) and

took Baby Dot to the ZOO..

I'm not sure who had more fun !!!

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It was the most perfect day for the ZOO.

NOT one bit cold, NOT one bit hot...

The animals were all out and happy to be on show for us.
Brady is just obsessed with animals of most any kind

and was old enough to REALLY enjoy them all.

WE had nothing more important to do than spend

a day with a little fellow who was

totally engulfed in JOY...

SO... we stayed and looked at each animal

as LOOOOOOOOOONG as he wanted. haha

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Here is a small sample of our incredible day.

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I must say... this man who Brady calls PAPPA DOOTS

is NOT the same man who raised me..

What an incredible change one man has done in his LIFE,

and in HUGE part because of BRADY...

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That little boy....

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is the glue that makes us all FAMILY,

and the JOY that makes us all BETTER PEOPLE !!

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Each day I see his face I am reminded that

WE are NEVER too old to start over,

and it's NEVER too late for each day to be

THE BEST ONE OF YOUR LIFE !!!

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May we always remember that

TODAY is all we've got...

Make it ONE to REMEMBER !

Proud of ME

2010-03-08T21:24:00.001-08:00

All I can say is YIPPY....I'm PROUD of ME !!!!
Tonight at class I finished my 4th major project..

My ottoman started off 2 weeks ago as a mere sheet of plywood

and tonight it turned into THIS !!!!!

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WOW what an adventure this was....
The plywood was cut and formed into a box with a lid.

Then we added our foam core for the lid & covered it with batting.

Next we made our lid cover & stitched the seams to make edges.

Our ottoman opens to use as storage so we even covered the inside of the lid.

Next we folded our seams over and stapled them so that all our lines are clean.

The box frame was also covered with batting.

Then we learned to sew the fabric to form the box frame and its insides.

The pieces had to match up perfectly so they would fold over the inside.

That fabric was fitted, creased into lines, & stapled along the inside of the box.

Then we even covered cardboard with fabric

so that the bottom would be totally finished out.

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Here it was after the end of class last week.
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Then Tonight came the WELTING which I have learned

MUST be cut on the diagonal in order for it to move around corners.

Here is my finished product with the welting (or trim) added

and my TOP button.
I also added legs (they are in the first photo) and my ottoman is DONE.
I've got to say....

I am pretty proud of my WORK..

I looked at it again when I got home & couldn't believe I did that.

May we take the time to do something we've always wanted to try.

You NEVER know what you might turn out!

Pizza Picnic

2010-03-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if it's possible

to go through both the toughest

and the most blessed times of your life

at the same time or not.

BUT... if it is...

then that is exactly where we are right now.

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I can't ever remember a tougher financial time in my life.

I know it's only a temporary moment to go through, but

having 2 kids in college, a 16 year old, and a precious little one

is harder than I realized.

I know I've mentioned before my internal

struggles about going back to work.

It is so hard to juggle the very real need for money

with the moments that I spend at home with my "Main Man."
Last week I heard something however

that has made a profound impact on me

and left me with the most enormous sense of peace

that I have felt in a long, long time.

It was " When you are in the middle of the TEST,

the instructor no longer speaks, because you've

already been taught everything you need to pass."

WOW !!!

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BOY... if that wasn't advice at the perfect time...

I know sometimes when families are in the midst of a struggle

the stress begins to wear on you

and they sometimes fall apart..

I feel however that is when God is showing you

the strongest of all to "LEAN ON ME" and I'll hold you up.

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Soooooooooooo.... as we travel through our hard moment

This family of dots has vowed to hold on tight to

one another while I TRUST that GOD has our back.
I am going to stop worrying about finding a job.

The good Lord knows my heart, my skills, and my gifts

and if something is out there for me then the door

will open so wide I won't be able to keep from walking through it.

UNTIL then... we rolled some extra change,

bought a PIZZA and had ourselves a picnic..

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May we never forget that sometimes

it takes a struggle to see just what you're made of.

On with the CLOSET

2010-03-03T20:23:00.001-08:00

I wish I would have been keeping track of all my Discoveries.

Since that is the word I am dedicating my year too.

I will have to go back and see what number I am on for sure

BUT.. until then I will just call these

the "Thank Goodness Discoveries"

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Yesterday... when Little Brady woke up

(at the crack of noon) haha we are night people

I noticed his fabulous hair-do and the clothes

he'd had on for 2 days now and

realized I too had my same clothes on

and lets just say my hair looked almost the same...
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Our attire jumped me back into gear about "my look"

and my closet make-over.

I did decide that MOST of the problem

is not really with my clothes...

but that fact that I hardly wear any of them

since I seldom leave this house.

Basically... My thinking is.. what is the use of putting real clothes on

(other than the ones you can wear all day AND sleep in)
if I'm not going to be going anywhere.

BUT... I made myself a vow, and plan to stick to it.

So....I started with the Brown section

determined that after I am finished

I won't be mistaken for "homeless"

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I am not really sure as to WHY I even have these pants

other than I KNOW they are comfortable.

Since they may be about 2 sizes too big

and I am not or have never been in a job

which required scrub pants..

Needless to say... they are LEAVING.
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WELL... Now these pants just speak for themselves.

I am pretty sure I have never worked the corner

of Hollywood and Main...

sooooooooo other than that I can not imagine

why I have these lovely trousers.

Brook assured me however that she's seen me wear them..

And the 1990 high waistband

is just waiting to come back in style

in case any of you desire the

HUGE LEOPARD butt look.
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YES.. this was Brady's face as he saw me

trying on the Leopard Pants..

He asked if we were going to the ZOO..

I don't know but... I'm pretty sure that's a bad sign.

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This is how many hangers I removed clothes
NEVER TO BE WORN AGAIN from...
I am so excited about all the room in my closet already
and I am only half way done.
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These are some of the other members of the
"Why on EARTH do you have this" pile.
I'm not even sure if Goodwill will take Leopard Pants
unless there is someone in the need of a costume.. haha
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I will keep you posted on the rest of the closet redo,
as well as show you a few fabulous shots of
clothes that make you say HUM........
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May we never forget to LAUGH at ourselves on occasion.
AND..... take the time to go through our
closets a little more often,
because I bet there is something in them that will
make you say...."WHAT WAS I THINKING"

Moody Monday

2010-03-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

My sweet Brent came home from college this weekend.

SO..... my closet makeover project

took a quick back seat to him.

I must say however that I did take a few pictures of myself

in some of my "daily wear" and it is scary to say the least..

I promise I will show you

some of my finer shots.. haha

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I was going to get back in the closet today....

but this cold, rainy weather has just given me the BLAHS......

I'm SORRY.. but I am beyond words

SICK OF WINTER...

Enough already.. get on with Spring..

So I dug through some of our Galveston Beach pictures

and just pretended I was there.
Maybe tomorrow I will gather back

my motivational MOJO..

Thursday's THOUGHTS

2010-02-25T21:28:00.001-08:00

This POST is for every woman out there who has ever felt

Frumpy, Lumpy, Dumpy, Bumpy, and Grumpy...

Lately every time I look at myself I'm wanting to say........Huh????

What are you wearing, and WHY?

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When I used to teach school I had to get up every day and

get dressed, fix my hair, and put on makeup.

HOWEVER.... the last 5 years I have worked from home,

and I'm kinda embarrassed to say that MOST days

I don't even do a single thing to myself other than

Brush My Teeth.
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Sometimes as I pass a mirror I stop and do a double -take

almost NOT recognizing myself anymore.

I know that we all deserve a "do nothing" day on occasion...

BUT I have mostly had one for 5 years now.

And I've got to say that it has had an effect on the way I feel about myself.

When you are 43 you can only look so good in warm-up/ pajamas,

with hair that's been in the same "up do" for days, and

the mascara bags under your eyes

from the one day you got ready this week.

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I must say that this REVELATION started with

"the Green shirt"

I continued my remodel on it by adding long sleeves.

I was so excited to try it on because I thought it looked so cute.

Then... after I could barely get it over my head

I remembered why that I had put it in the

"get out of here" pile.

My boobs looked like 2

Jolly Green Giant Peas with a ruffle.

That shirt was entirely too tight and where I'd put

the ruffles made my shoulders look like I played

linebacker for the RAIDERS on Sunday afternoon.
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Then... as I was watching Oprah

(we get her here on lots of different channels)

so it may have been an old show.. I don't know.

BUT... they were talking about Stay-at-HOME-Moms

who have stopped making the most of themselves.

The best quote I remember from the show was

"Look cute for YOU"

even if no one sees you but yourself ... YOU deserve IT!!
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So.. This weekend I am going to go through every single thing

that I own in my closet and TRY IT ON..

I literally have some clothes in there that I've had over 15 years

and sadly still wear some of them......

(therefor I am pretty sure they either aren't in style

or don't fit right anymore)
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I sincerely hope that I am not the only Stay-at-HOME-Mom

who has sorta thrown in the towel on getting ready...

But since Oprah did an entire show on it,

I'm pretty sure there are some other women out there

who also have more warm-up/p.j. pants

(that they wear 99% of the time)

than just me.
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I truly have the GREATEST closet in the entire world !

(and yes I'm am OCD and it is all COLOR Coded in Sections)

My husband and his family used to build houses

from the ground up....

So.... he can build absolutely anything.

When we moved into this house

I drew him the plans of what I wanted, and

WHAM... he built me the best closet ever!

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But... I am going to take Oprah's advice
and go through all the things in my closet
and keep only the items that I LOVE,
and the ones that I feel LOOK Good on me.
I think most women have things in their closet
that they don't even like at all,
or clothes that every single time they wear them
think "I look fat in this!"
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Sooooooooo... I am making a vow
that after this weekend I would rather
have only a hand full of items that I really like....
than a closet full of stuff I NEVER Wear...
because I can't remember if it fits right
since I haven't tried it on in 5 years.
EVEN my WARM-UPS (which I know I will not give up)
are going to be the ones that I feel good in.
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Any other mom's out there who work from HOME
and have it all figured out or have a quick plan to
get ready I'd LOVE to hear how you do it.....
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May we always realize that WE ourselves are worth getting ready for.
as Oprah says "Get CUTE for YOU"

First Haircut

2010-02-24T18:57:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we reached a MILESTONE at our house.

Brady had his First Haircut...

Bless his little heart...

We didn't think he'd ever have enough hair to cut.

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What a sweet boy he was too.

He sat there the entire time and did not move one muscle.

I know I'm partial......

But man he is a GOOD BOY!!!
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As you can see from his FIRST BIRTHDAY photos.....

he was a TOTAL q-ball baby..

No wonder everyone thought his head was so big....

The poor little guy didn't have a lick of hair...
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He was a little shy at first...
But it didn't take him long to turn on his BRADY CHARM...
and yes.... you can tell I'm in the over 40 yr. old mother category
since I was there with my camera capturing it all...
and telling everyone to LOOK at how cute he was.
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You may think I'm kidding....
but I'm serious when I say we were getting a little worried
about whether or not he'd ever have enough hair to cut..
This was him at the beach in Galveston this summer
at 1 yr. 8 months and he looked like a receding little old man. haha
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Even Brad came with me to the
"official" First and ONLY haircut he's had..
We could hardly stand there and act "NORMAL"
for wanting to clap and blow up balloons...
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I know we got a little carried away...
But that is the TRUE JOY of raising children in 2 generations...
We get to TREASURE all the "little moments"
that last time we completely took for granted.
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I can not tell you when or even where Brent (who is now 20)
had his first haircut, much less did I get a picture.
And..... I've gotta say it makes me
a little sad that I didn't make a big deal out of it too..
I'm sure I was in a RUSH to get it done,
and forgot to let that precious moment LINGER in my memories.

BUT... I can guarantee you that

I didn't make that same mistake twice...
This time IT was certainly a big deal....
one in which mom, dad, and now the whole world gets to remember...
Because this memory is one that is worth lingering !
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May we NEVER underestimate the "little Moments"
because those are the ones we may desperately want to remember.

Finished Project

2010-02-22T21:13:00.001-08:00

Where has my time gone these days ?

Seems like everyday I am missing a few hours

and I can't seem to get caught up..

ANYWAY... I finished our second major project

in my upholstery class tonight..

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I got the cushion to my chair finished..

However, we aren't going to learn how to do the chair

until next semester...( job security) haha

BUT... until then I have a great cushion..

In fact... I'm trying to find another chair in this house it will fit on.
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This poor ole' chair started off it's life

as a lovely shade of LEMON ????

Life had taken a toll on it I must say..... and

several spills to it's lemony exterior later

I bought it at a garage sale for 10$.
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It has been sitting in my garage patiently awaiting it's NEW life.

So when we were instructed to bring a cushion from home

I KNEW JUST THE ONE !!!!
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I took every single piece of it apart (NOT my favorite part)

to make the pattern for the NEW cushion.

I found some fun fabric and I was ready to start.
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It took me 2 whole class periods to get my pattern done,

and 2 more to get it made....

BUT... 2 weeks, many curse words (most in my head),

countless seams ripped out, LEARNING how to put in a zipper,

and resewing many stitches later.......

I am FINISHED....

and I gotta say I'm pretty proud of myself.
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I have learned to do something I have always wanted to do.

I have also made some lovely new friends,

meet a precious woman who teaches our class,

learned how to follow directions (still NOT loving that),

learned how to make a pattern, and FOR SURE

learned the importance of a sharp seam ripper...
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May we NEVER stop trying the things that

we've always wanted to do....

You just might end up DARN proud of yourself.

Dirty DESK

2010-02-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

My studio has been a TOTAL WRECK since Christmas.

I just kept bringing stuff up here and

NEVER stopped to put it up..

Hence... my DESKS were ALL

piled beyond any ability to work.

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I've gotten so many new book lately, and

have been about to go CRAZY wanting to try

some of the ideas in them...

BUT as you can see... NO PLACE TO WORK !
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YES... this is my sewing TABLE...

All I can say is "My Goodness"

I'm not sure how it got so TERRIBLE...
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It took me several hours and a whole lot

of figuring out where to put stuff...

BUT.... I got it done!!

My sewing table is CLEAN..

and I wasted no time getting started making "STUFF"
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I've had these 2 t-shirts in the

"cut up to do something else with"

pile for many months..
So.... if I totally screwed them up.... NO HARM done.

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I cut one of them up to use the TOP part,

and the other to use the BOTTOM part..

In hindsight I would have cut the TOP part a few inches lower,

but.... it was my first practice run...
so I just made due with what I'd already cut.
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The BOTTOM shirt was bigger,

so I sewed one big stitch along the top of it and

pulled the thread to make a few gathers so it would be evened up.
Then I sewed the 2 shirts together.
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I used pieces from the BOTTOM shirt to make

the gathering that would go along the collar.
First I cut the pieces into long strips.

Then I sewed a big stitch

right down the middle of the piece.
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I pulled the stitches fairly tight to make fluffy gathers.

I cut 2 strips so I would have 2 rows of gathers.
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Then I sewed the gathers to the collar of the T-shirt.
It's not exactly like the one in Anthropologie...
BUT.. it was pretty fun and WAY easy...
AND after all...... it was my first try.
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Here is my finished shirt
in my CLEAN STUDIO...
Tomorrow I'm making FLOWERS and
maybe even try another shirt...
Until then....
I might just wear this one tomorrow...

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May we never underestimate the CREATIVE power

of a CLEAN room...

Valentine's Victory

2010-02-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is my ALL TIME FAVORITE holiday..

I'm sure it's because at heart I am just "in love" with LOVE.

I have always, and will always believe in FAIRYTALES..

Yes.. there have been times where my fairytale involved

a wicked witch or two, a couple of dragons,

and even a stint in a tall tower...

BUT.. I will never give up the idea that

each day....We Have the Opportunity to

Build Our Own Fairytale!

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Ever since my "big" kids were little

Mr. Cupid has been coming to our house each Feb. 14th.

He brings presents just like Santa but...

more importantly... he leaves a house full of LOVE dust

and a trail of hearts to Last You A WHOLE Year.
So when I got home from Church yesterday...

I got all the presents out on the bed,

and our adventure was underway!

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I remember so well when Brent was in the 5th grade,

his teacher asked me if I could please explain to him

that I was really Mr. Cupid because he was telling his entire class

all about him, and they were all in an uproar wondering why

he never came to their houses. One little girl even cried

and asked to go to the office and call her Mother.

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To tell you the truth..

I don't even remember what I said to him..

But I do know this.. last year he called me from College

to see if Mr. Cupid still comes,

or if it's only until you get out of High school..

Mr. Cupid is such a tradition now that I couldn't wait

for Brady to have his 1st real experience..

He and Brook went upstairs to wait for Mr. Cupid to fly by.

"He is so quick that you don't even realize he's been there,

until after he leaves."
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As soon as they hear the door shut, then they know he's gone.

They came down the stairs and the adventure was on.

Mr. Cupid always leaves a TREASURE HUNT with clues

where to find the gifts he's brought for them.
Brook had to read the clues (since Brady is only 2)
and try to figure out where to find the LOVE..
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Brady wasn't quite sure what Brook was doing,

but he was quick on her heels so he didn't miss out

on anything GOOD..
He did however, get sidetracked several times picking up

the hearts (LOVE dust) on the floor

and Brook would have get him back in the game.

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At each new LOVE gift there is a new clue to follow

so they'll know where to look for the next prize..
Brady continued to forget about the NEXT piece of LOVE.

He was so excited about playing with the LOVE he had. haha

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Brook however, is a 16 year Veteran at this game,

and she kept "Baby Dot" on the Hunt for Cupid Dust.

Each year I would try to do something special with the clues.

One year when Brent was in Spanish I wrote some of the

key clue words in Spanish to make the game more interesting.

This year I made the clues really hard since I knew

my MISS Clever was the only one who could read.

Some of their LOVE was even hiding in the refrigerator..

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She even gave me "that face" a few times

as she tried to figure out where to LOOK !
She is my "logical" child... and I knew she'd get even the hard ones

when she thought about the clues for a second..

I must say she has always been the best "seeker" of them all..
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Part of their adventures even took them into

"the garage"... That my friends is scary in its self.

One may get sucked into that place and never be seen again.
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Our day's adventure ended with SMILING faces

and hearts filled with laughter and LOVE..

And in my book... Not much else matters after that.
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We all had a wonderful Valentine's Day together.

Hand colored cards, perfectly fixed coffee, a new sewing machine, a date to the movies, and a Family full of LOVE.. What more could a girl ask for in a FAIRYTALE.

May we never stop believing in Fairytales.

Because they just might come true!

Snowed IN

2010-02-12T17:01:00.001-08:00

I am NOT a fan of cold weather.

If it was up to me I'd live somewhere that never got below 80.

I'm always cold... even most days of the summer.

I've had blood work done a zillion times, and nothing ever shows up.

So... unless they later find out I am a reptile..

I'll just wrap up and wait for SUMMER..

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Since this was Brady's first real adventure with the SNOW..
I decided I'd wrap up & bare this weather

So that I could WATCH my "Baby Dot" play in the snow.

All I can say is.... IT WAS WORTH IT !!!!
He had the best time helping his daddy make

HIS FIRST SNOWMAN !!!

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The head fell off a couple of times

(and Brad had to rebuild it)

as Brady shoved in the carrot...

BUT the laughs I got out of that

made me forget about the cold
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In this part of Texas we don't get much snow.

Many years we get NONE ...

SO.. As with all things in life...

We should seize the moment

(and have your camera near by to catch it)
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I'm sure that as tomorrow gets closer

our snow will be gone..

But I know a little fellow that had

a whopping good time with a friendly SNOWMAN...

even if he only came to visit for a day.
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May we always take advantage of our "moments"..

Because when they're gone ... it is FOREVER !

Creative CRAZY

2010-02-09T22:02:00.001-08:00

I've been so busy "doing LIFE" lately

that I haven't had much time to "make" anything.

All I can say is ... I was having major anxiety.

MY brain is creating all the time, or at the very least

thinking of something to create and it needed OUT !!

So.. today I made a necklace..

I can hardly wait until tomorrow to wear it.

If it had a name it would be STACI. haha

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I'd seen one while I was BLOg hopping one day,

and have kept the idea stored in the back of my head.

Her version was so darling I wanted to

reach right through this screen and grab it.

You can visit her necklace at http://joyshope.com/

I started off with no real idea what it was going to look like.

I just started making flowers and let the rest fall into place.

Then I remembered a whole jar full of broken jewelry

I bought at various garage sales and thought I might

use a piece or two of it in the mix.

I can explain how to make all the different types of flowers

if anyone is interested just drop me a note and I will

be happy to explain.

They are all SUPER simple to make.

I used about 4 or 5 different types.ce

She attached hers to felt, and if I would have had some

I can tell you it would have been much easier.

Anyway.. after 3 burns to my poor fingers

from that darn glue gun...

I got the flowers attached,

and was ready to sew it onto the chain.

That too would have been much easier with FELT,

but I wanted it NOW... so I just used what I had.

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ITThis necklace is not for everyone... I know,

BUT man it is for me...

It's the funnest thing I've seen in a while.

Thank you Joy's Hope for the fabulous inspiration !

That's the best part about BLOg hopping...

You never run out of places full of GREAT inspiration.

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May we be constantly on the look out

for the little things that make us SMILE..

Raising Girls

2010-02-08T21:04:00.001-08:00

Brook had a cheerleading competition in San Antonio this weekend.

We left Friday about noon and didn't get home until late last night.

Any of you who have teenagers know that

being stuck in a car with them for over 8 hours

is both a curse and a blessing.

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All I know is that raising a girl is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

much harder and more stressful than raising a son.

The daily deliveries of drama, ever forming mood swings,

and constant ordeals with hair

are sometimes more than I have the energy to deal with.
But within that very same moment...

they can also be the biggest dose of JOY,

a secret catalyst for an enormous belly laugh,

and a true messenger of both love and honesty.

One that no one else has the ability to bring.

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Some days I look at her

and see so many of the wonderful things I have taught her,

then some days I look at her

and see some of the horrible things I have taught her.

What a fine line there is between them both.

Teaching a girl how to become a confident woman

full of strength and security with the skin they're in

yet filling them with a humble heart and a desire to serve

is the hardest job of my life.
At times I am a friend, and at times

well let's just say I AM NOT !!!!

All I can say is ...with every day there is a new adventure.

Some days I get it just right, and

some days I'm sure I mess it up terribly.

BUT.. every day I give it my best shot!

(and secretly hope she has 5 daughters of her own) haha

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May we never forget....

those things that are the most valuable

are those that someone took a great deal of time in creating.

Direction REALLY matter

2010-02-05T00:02:00.000-08:00

YEAH!!!! I almost have a project finished..

The instructor of our class has the patience of Job and

bless her heart she is baring with me and

my lack of "LEFT brained" ability...

AND here is my almost finished chair box..

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I got so excited I jumped up and down right in the middle of class.

My sewing skills may not be Martha Stewart quality...

BUT... I pick out darn good material to mix together !!
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For those of you (like me) who have never done this before..

This is called WELTING...

I am just thrilled to know how to do this..

It makes everything look so much BETTER..

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The secret ( I learned) is cutting the fabric on a diagonal (from corner to corner).

This is so the fabric will stretch.

If it is cut diagonally then the fabric bends easily around the corners of the chair..

NICE TO KNOW !!!

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I cut my fabric in 3 inch strips

since I had large cording.

(That is the big fat shoe lace stuff that goes inside.)

After you cut a few strips, you make the V shape (upper photo),

and sew them together.

THEN you flip it over...

WHAM.. you have one long stretchy piece to put the "fat shoe laces" in.

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Next I sewed the box part of my chair right up next to the cording.

I have to admit... YES I did have to rip out 1 set of seams..

HEY... but only once is pretty good for me.
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When I was all done.. I was so proud that I'd gone out of "my ZONE" and followed directions...

I can hardly WAIT to get all of the chairs finished & at my kitchen table.

When I got home I could barely contain my excitement..

I tried to tell my family all about it... however no one seemed to share in my JOY!

Brady was the most enthusiastic.. but I really think he was listening to ELMO.

May we always remember... directions were made for a reason.

and...Sometimes traveling out of our comfort zone is the best vacation !

Retro Ridiculous

2010-02-02T23:07:00.000-08:00

Seems as though every single time I catch myself thinking

"I can make that, or I can surely do that"

those words come back to (as they say)

BITE ME in the butt !!!

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Monday in my UPHOLSTERY class

we had our first REAL recovering project.

I had my new fabric ALL READY as was so excited to get started.

We all brought a chair from home and started

the process of making it fabulous..

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I had 4 of these chairs in my garage that I've been waiting to recover...

SO I figured why not bring them

All I can say is people in the 60's took great pride in their work !!

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spaceNormally I would have just taken the seat off,

and put my new material right over the top of it...

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BUT.. since I am learning how to do it CORRECTLY

I followed the directions (which were)...

To take the entire thing apart and use it as the pattern.

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Let me just tell you that there was WAY more to this than I dreamed...

It literally took me the entire 2 hours of class to get this @#%&&* chair

taken apart and the pieces ready to make my pattern.
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So.. in hindsight I now feel badly for all the times I called to get

an estimate about having something recovered...

and under my breath I said

"That is ridiculous... I can do that!"

Because.. IT was WORTH the MONEY!

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So.. needless to say..

I left my class with homework that I must finish

before I head out tonight to learn the skill of welting which I am sure

is also much harder than I imagined.

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May we never take someone else's skills for granted.

Yes.. we might be able to do it ourselves.. but it might be harder than we thought.

Bloomin Blog

2010-01-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I have been blogging now for over a year.

Mercy times goes by quickly !!

In the past year I have met some of the most

creative, inspiring, wonderful people.

My family teases me because I call them My Friends.

They remind me often that I do not even know 90% of them.

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Somehow to me that doesn't seem to matter.

I feel like I know many of you out there

better than several of the people I actually

"do know" in person..

I've watched your children grow, as you have watched mine.

I have been inspired and motivated by wonderful artists.

I've bubbled over with kind words from gentle souls,

and have been truly touched by the love I see

in so many incredible, precious families.

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With genuine sincerity I pray for the people

I interact with through this fabulous world of BLOg..

I have been so motivated by many of the stories I've read...

both the silly & the serious

They all have a place in my day.

And MOST OF ALL I have realized that I am not alone.

I'm not the only girl out there who has made more than

her share of mistakes, or thinks a little bit differently than the average gal,

loves her family more than life its self, and tries every day to

make the most of the second chances I've been given.

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I feel like a giddy girl when I sit down at my computer

each day to visit with "my friends" !

I hope that as I open my heart with you....

I too bring a giggle to some one's face,

or an inspiration to your creative soul.

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But my greatest wish of all is for people to see

That it is NEVER TOO LATE to start over.

Every day starts your second chance!

No matter how many mess ups you may have made

We have a GOD of New Beginnings...

One who believes in us when we often forget to believe in ourselves...

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May your day be filled with Bliss and Blessings

and remember that Today is the first day

of the rest of your life!

Right Brained Girl in a Left Brained World

2010-01-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

Ok my BLOg Friends..... MORE than once this week

I have realized that I am a RIGHT brained girl

living in a LEFT brained WORLD..

I sometimes forget how hard it is for people who think like me

to understand how the rest of the world operates.

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I really do try....

but it mostly NEVER makes any sense to me....

It all feels like BIO-Physics !!!!

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ANYway.... During class on Wednesday

(of which I hope I was not being graded)

we made pillows...

WELL HELLO.... I do that all the time, so I assumed

this would be a walk in the park for me.

WRONG !!!!
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We had to do it with patterns and marking lines,

and measuring stuff exactly and

FOLLOWING RULES !!!
I've never been very good at that...
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So.. to make a LONGGGGGGGG story short.

I messed up and had to rip my seams out 3 times.

2 of which my instructor assured me was the machines fault.

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Here she is laughing as she tried ONE MORE time to show me

why MEASURING was important.. haha
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We even had a new guy show up to class (AN HOUR LATE)
who also didn't even come to the first class,
AND... he even finished his Pillow before I did..
NOW Seriously.... what is wrong with my brain..
Something about what she was saying
was not anything I wanted to hear I guess,
therefore I think it kept traveling in....
and then right straight out...
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Then... today I had a job interview..
It was a part time job...
so I figured why not/ I could do most anything for 20 hours...
WRONG !!!
The 2 women who own the business were just darling.
I would have loved to come in 20 hours a week to VISIT...
but as they were describing to me what the job required
I know my face was curling up like a sour pickle..
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I finally said...
" I would love to be here 20 hours with you guys...
but the truth is I would HATE this job, and
you 2 would HATE me in a couple of weeks."
I can not believe those words actually came out..
but they did..
I must say they both did LAUGH...
and said thank you for being honest.
I knew it was just WAY too many details and paperwork
for me to do with any JOY at all.
When I left their office
they were hugging me goodbye
and I said I'd stop by sometime for LUNCH..
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May we never forget to be TRUE to ourselves...
Some days peace of mind is the best treasure we've got.

the GOOD the BAD & the UGLY

2010-01-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if it is possible to have a YUCK day,

and a Wonderful day all in the same day....

BUT I think I have just had my FIRST one !!!

More than once yesterday I wanted to say @##$%^^&@@

and had to bite my tongue to keep it in..

THEN I had my first night of Upholstery Class and

got so excited I almost wet my pants...

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The only problem with my class is that a sewing machine is the first requirement

and.... up until about 28 minutes before class I had one..

I was hemming my dad some curtains and WHAM it just stopped

with the needle stuck right in the fabric... STUCK and frozen..

NOTHING at all would move.

Brad took it apart and (he can fix most anything)

He said... NO WAY could he fix this motor..

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Then he said.. "by the way"...

The dryer isn't working either... but I think I can fix it..

Until it's fixed however, we have to tumble our clothes with NO heat.

So it takes about 3 hours per load.

Now I'm sure we all have that much time to spare..

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Then... if that wasn't enough the Water Pump on my car went out.

All I could say was... "Can you fix that?"

I'm not sure if it is just me...

But why is it when you are the most broke

you seem to have the most trouble ?

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So... I decided I would try my best not to let the DAY get me down...

I'd take a nice long bubble bath, relax and calm down.

But.. in the last 2 years I can't seem to sneak off to the bath without

a "little fellow" wanting to get in and "SWIM with you MOMMA"
Of course he was in before I could try to explain that

mom wanted to swim by herself...

I figured...OK I'll just let him play & I'll still sit here & relax.

Before I even had a chance to close my eyes and build a relaxing thought

I heard the bubbles blowing in my water..

Then... the giggles saying "I tooted!"

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Yes.. I said.. I heard that...

I then became a human shelf for all the plastic bugs, fish, blocks, ducks,

and other assortment of bath toys that have now taken over my ledge

that once held candles and sweet smelling bubble bath.

As my leg balanced the 20 or more bugs I felt an intense water pressure

pushing against my "non shelf" leg...

Then again with the giggles...

and a tiny voice that said " I peed"

Yes.... I know.. I said

I couldn't help but laugh as "my swim" quickly came to an end..

Some days you just gotta figure God knows best and try to smile.

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May we never forget that "this too shall pass"

Some times you've just gotta giggle and go with it !!

and

NEVER take a Relaxing Bath ALONE for granted !!!!!!!!!!

Mad as a Monster !

2010-01-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Ok... The game is over and I am just sick sick sick...

I like the Saints and I'm glad for them...

but MAN I wanted Favre to get another chance...

He played his butt off but that one stupid mistake will be what people talk about.

Very thankful when I changed the channel I was done......

He'll relive that one many times I'm sure !!

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I was stressing so much during that game that

I was eating triple chocolate chip icing right out of the can...

That might cost me tomorrow.. haha

Anyway.... Other than spending several hours of my day watching that game

Brady and I have been making us a MONSTER stuffie...

I saw the idea while I was BLOg hopping

and thought we'd give it a try.

We draw lots of monsters sitting at our coloring table

so we used one we'd drawn as our inspiration. ha
All I can say is...

they are harder than they look. hee hee

But... Brady likes him... so it somehow always makes it worth the trouble.

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May we always have an extra can

of Triple Chocolate Icing on stand by...

just in case we feel like a Mad Monster....