I was in the quilty shack today!

I wasn't sewing though.I was using these. Don't worry, all of my digits are still attached.

I SHOULD have been sewing, but alas I was rearranging. I need to go to furniture re-arrangers anonymous. Seriously. Last week in Sunday School I suggested we rearrange the furniture. So we did. It is like if I feel the furniture would work better a different way, it will just eat away at me until it is done. Freak show, I know.

So some ideas had been lurking around in my head about the optimal layout in the quilty shack and they had to be acted upon...post haste.

I'll try to take pics tomorrow for a little reveal.

Here is Alvin on the quilty shack porch...Nothing says sewing room more than a napping cat on a quilt right?


There was a bake sale at blonde rascal's school last week. I made chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes. Oh my.

The cookie dough inside ends up not raw but not cooked either....sort of in between the two. Delightful I tell you. Kids go nuts for them. I got the recipe here. Only difference being I used a cake mix, canned frosting and that Pillsbury break apart cookie dough.

Last night was the rowdy, sugar crazed, exhausting fall festival at blonde rascal's school. Is it just me? I can't wait for that thing to be OVER every year.

Here is B.R. and his buddy the grim reaper. B.R. was an FBI agent. See his little secret agent ear piece? Seriously, we go all out around here.

Gosh, looks like our brave agent is taking out a sniper in the school gym rafters or something.

By the way all you people with daughters, check out this costume....
It was Volleyball Barbie. So cute. The shower thing was fun too.


In other news, we adopted another stray kitten.
Scrappy. Look at that cute little booger. We take all the barn cats we can get. Barn cats= less snakes. Amen.


Look who is driving the tractor?
Yes, he is 10. Yes, that would be his father who let him do that. His mother was in the house and unaware that her baby was driving a large farm implement.

And here he is driving cattle!
Or pushing them or moving them or whatever it is called.

My goodness I love that boy.

Brain Drain.

I have nothing to say really, but I miss blogging so when I have nothing specific to say I think I will just ramble. Flush the brain, if you will.

Blogging is time consuming. Amen? Especially with pictures, that whole uploading thing is for the birds. So no pictures today.

I love this time of year. SO much. The cooler weather just makes my heart go pitter patter. Pumpkin scented candles are the best thing ever. The "fall back" time change? BRING IT! Although it seems like it is happening so much later in the year, did they change it? Dark at 6:00, love it. Candle burning, little lamps on all over the house, snug as a bug in our cozy home. Makes me happy!!

In wildlife news this week....I killed a snake with a hoe, got stung by a wasp on my finger (which incidentally in case you are wondering, a scorpion sting hurts worse than a wasp) and we were woken up in the ungodly wee hours Sunday morning by the outside dogs incessantly barking at something that was growling.

When we were leaving for church, the silly doggies greeted us with porcupine quills in their muzzles.

Sunday afternoon was spent wrestling dogs to the ground and yanking quills out with pliers. Well, hubs and blonde rascal did that. I have a weak stomach and cannot partake in activities like that.

I am going to decorate for Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving!!! Although I'll probably not put up the tree until the day after T-day. I love Christmas decor and it just really sucks to put it up after T-day and then take it down 3 weeks later. Last Christmas was our first in this house but we went to TN for Christmas so I pretty much only put up the tree last year. Christmas decor in a new house, that's exciting! So that's that.

I bought a Spanish nativity while we were in Mexico. Love it, a lot.

Equally riveting, I bought panty hose this weekend. I think it has been 10 years, if not more, since I bought/wore panty hose.

**We lived in Cleveland for a few years during my teen years(Dad's job transfer, and then back to Houston) where panty hose are referred to as nylons. Likewise in the south carbonated beverages are all lumped together and called "Coke" and in the north "pop".... you guys vs. y'all. Yankee/southern folk language barriers, that's a good topic for another day, yes?**

I did not buy them to wear. Does anyone still wear them? Obviously someone does, because CVS had a stellar selection, I must say. I bought them to cover the cracked pool strainer basket which allows leaves and crap to go through the basket and then into the strainer in the pool pump which then slows down the filtering process thereby making the pool green and the vacuum not work and generally pissing me off in a big way AND pool strainer baskets cannot be bought in this small town they have to be ordered, meaning at this point in the game I will just buy panty hose(nylons) and get a new basket next summer.

How do you feel about run on sentences?

Pinky swear to me that you will never lose your mind and have a pool put in your yard? Or in our case, buy a house with a pool already there. Please save yourself. However, it does feel reeaally good to jump in the pool after mowing the grass in July. Fully clothed right from the mower to the pool. I think honestly the best option would be to have a pool boy. A pool boy AND a yard boy. I'll work on that, and a new strainer basket, for next summer.

I am going to make 2 quilts as Christmas gifts this year. However I am going to make a wall hanging and finish another quilt BEFORE I start the gifts. I said it out loud so I am now accountable.

OK just one picture. Because well, that dang weenie dog is so cute.

The men folk were roping yesterday afternoon and Missy was doing what she does best....bossing. Bossing the steers, horses, humans, other dogs, cats.... the world is hers. She rules it in no uncertain terms. Thank the heavens above that she sleeps inside because had she been outside with that porcupine? Her crazy vicious little sassy weenie self would have fought to the death and she would have been covered head to toe with quills.

All righty then, I feel lighter now letting all that worthless information out! Off to turn on the pool vacuum. Praying to the pool gods that we can put the cover that S.O.B. this week. Sorry, but I'm keeping it real this morning. Stream of consciousness thing.

Now please leave a comment, if anyone has really stayed with me this far in this ridiculous post. Leave a comment telling me when the last time you wore panty hose was OR if you have an extra pool strainer basket you could send me OR if you have ever been stabbed by a porcupine quill OR admitting that my weenie dog is cuter than your dog.

Best week evah.

A year and a half ago hubs and I pulled up roots and opened a new chapter in life in a small town. A small town 90 miles away from the city where hubs was born and raised, where I have lived since 1989 when I started college and where blonde rascal was born.

We started a new business, working our fingers to the bone to make it work. Blonde rascal started in a new school, a tiny, tiny school much different from the huge school he had attended.

We sought God's direction in this new chapter and really have felt His hand on it the whole time. Our business has been even more successful than we could have imagined. Blonde rascal adores his tiny school and friends. We found a great church, the kindest people and some priceless friends.

This group of friends, 3 couples, wholeheartedly adopted us and welcomed us into their motley crew!!! They have befriended us and loved on us like we were old friends. We have been so blessed by having them as we started out new in town.

The best news is that they have gone on tropical vacations together the past 2 years. Since we got voted into the gang, they invited us to go along this year!

Last week we spent 7 nights and 8 days in Mexico. The Mayan Riviera.... Playa del Carmen, right on the Caribbean.
Boy we know how to pick friends right!

Fellow bloggers please know that before you die, you must go to this resort... Secrets Maroma Beach.

(All inclusive resort and airfare at a very VERY reasonable price, booked through www.cheap caribbean (dot)com. By reasonable I mean when you divide out meals (LOTS of eating!), drinks, airfare, lodging for 7 nights...it is amazing, I don't know how the resort comes out ahead)

We got off the shuttle from the airport and walked into this exquisite lobby
Where we are immediately greeted with a glass of champagne and a cold towel lightly scented with lavender. I'm not gonna lie, it's hot in Mexico so that towel felt super good.


We checked in and walked further, passing by and partaking of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies sitting out, entering into this gaawgeous main lobby area.
It sucked to be us, right?


Then it was off to our room. It was beautiful.

Hard to decipher in this picture,

but this is the spa tub in our room, partitioned off from the main part of the room by that little curtain. Curtain that was gently blowing in the Caribbean breeze. The breeze was blowing in from our open patio door.Which led out into our private swim up pool. This little pool connected all four of our groups rooms, which I have to say was undeniably the highlight of the trip. Our gang had the most ridiculous fun in this pool. The hysterical laughter echoing out of that little pool was no doubt heard across the resort!

It was dreamy. Worth every relaxing, soothing, gorgeous penny (or peso as the case may be) that it cost!

The last hoorah of summer...or The Griswold's take New Braunfels!

We snuck in a quick end of summer trip last weekend, getting home literally the day before school started.

We loaded up the family truckster and hitched on the (new to us) travel trailer. It was our maiden voyage for our little travel trailer.

There she is our home away from home! Let me tell you, it was $90 total for 3 nights in the RV park. Sheesh, where have you been all my life trailer?
We of course brought Missy the wonder doxie, no family trip is complete without her.

She was the trailer park queen, a coveted title no doubt, with her cute self. She got comments everywhere we went..."She is beautiful"/"What a pretty little dog" / "Is that a Dachshund?"

Some fellow campers at the park had a Dachshund and as they walked by our spot with their short haired doxie one of them said "Look there is a hairy weenie!" To which, of course, blonde rascal and I giggled and snorted. Guess who has a new name added to the long list of endearing things we call her?

(She did get knocked down from her trailer park beauty queen, big head status today when the lady who cleans our house asked if Missy was pregnant! Wha...???? Why no, she is just fluffy, and big boned and she has a great personality and she makes her own clothes...)

Also along with Missy in our humble trailer was ZZ. You have not met ZZ yet, he is a new addition to the family...
Apparently no trip is complete without him either.Nobody asked if he was pregnant.

(ZZ is short for ZZ Top. Don't ask me.)

Friday morning we headed out to Schlitterbahn. First the fellas checked out the park map online so we could make our plan of attack.
RV parks have wi-fi. Sheesh. $90, who knew?

Schlitterbahn admission was significantly more than $90, but who's counting?Hubs and blonde rascal in the lazy river. The only picture I got...camera and water park don't really go well together you know.

It was fun, fun, fun. We had such a great time and were completely exhausted when we left that evening.

The next morning we floated the Comal River. By the by, our swanky RV park was right on the river.
That was ridiculously fun. Good times, great memories.

My sunglasses are on the bottom of that river.

Based on the adventures of those 2 days I feel I should give pause and discuss the importance of females getting a swim suit that appropriately covers and holds in all fat, jiggly parts, stomach, buttocks, bulges...that no one wants to see. Really ladies, have some respect. None of us are perfect but if you are pushing 350 lbs., I feel like it is obvious that a bikini is not the most flattering choice. Yes? I digress again...

Anyway RV park life was fun, relaxing and a great family getaway.


Toasting marshmallows....

Grilling burgers right next to the neighboring trailer and their sewer poop chute hose hookup. Dinner's ready!! Yum!

It was incredibly fantastic to be with 2 of my favorite guys (and the dog...and the hamster) for a fun weekend before the craziness of school started up again.

New school year, same emotions....

I walked into blonde rascal's room this morning at, after a lazy summer, a shockingly early 6:45 and said Good morning, wake up for your first day of 5th grade!...... I swallowed the lump in my throat as I thought 5th grade, how can that be when I could so vividly see in my mind walking into his room and seeing a happy, chubby baby smiling back at me from his crib like it was yesterday?

I am always sad when school starts, not only because I have to realize my "baby" gets older and older, but also I so enjoy summer just hanging out with the little man and hate to see it come to an end. He is for sure a bright spot in my every day!


Enough pictures Mom!! He took the camera and decided Jake would make a good subject....

I guess I can hang out with Jake today, but that's just not the same....even though he is pretty cute!

Blonde rascal was excited. His teacher this year is super kind and nurturing, a real sweetheart.


I left his classroom without hugs and kisses, like I used to get in his early school years. That would be SO uncool now. He was happy to be there. That makes me happy too.

I think I will go kiss Jake. He is very free with giving kisses!

News worthy

So I have been MIA all summer. It has been a great summer, a busy summer, but sooo fun nonetheless. School starts a week from today and I am dreading it! I like having the little man with me all the time.

There is so much to say about our summer.... I may never have to time divulge all that information. However there are those instances where something happens and it MUST be blogged about A.S.A.P. You know, like a to die for recipe that must be shared, a monumental family event, a super cute new haircut, a fantastic find at the junk store.....

OR.....

How about a scorpion in my shorts this morning that stung the everlovinghell out of my tender inner thigh/lower buttocks area?

That is a blog worthy event if I have ever heard one.

Yes sir, in my shorts. That's what I said. While I was in my shorts too, mind you. Me and a scorpion.... sharing my khaki shorts. Cozy, huh?

How in the name of Pete did that happen you ask? You know I am going to tell you.

It all goes back to my mom telling me to pick up my clothes when I was a kid. Should of listened. You see there was a lovely pair of khaki shorts, on the floor of my closet and I chose to wear them today. Yes they should have been put back in the drawer after I wore them last, hindsight is 20/20.

I put on said khaki shorts after getting out of the shower. Wore them for a good 15 minutes before there was a devilish horrible stinging in my britches! That is the part that makes my skin crawl...that dang vile creature was hitching a ride in my drawers whilst I was putting on makeup and such. Nightmarish honestly.

I went to pull the trash bag out of the kitchen trash and obviously bent in such a manner that was not pleasing to Mr. Hitcharideinmydrawers.

Instantly there was this fire burning trauma going on in my shorts and I was momentarily dumbfounded by just what exactly was going on. I commenced to yelling and stomping. It was a very painful intense burning, so I pretty quickly had a horrified good idea at what the culprit was and shucked my shorts in a mighty fast manner. In the kitchen no less, all the while both blonde rascal and Missy the wonder mini-doxie stood mouth agape staring at the spectacle I was obviously making of myself.

As I flung my shorts, the dastardly scorpion fell to the ground where in a blind searing pain filled kung fu moment I stomped on it with my full body weight. I did have flip flops on thank goodness.

Then I grabbed an ice pack out of the fridge and waddled over to the ottoman, in my underwear, in front of blonde rascal.... and sat my left cheek on the ice pack.

It still burns 6 hours later, thank you very much.

I told blonde rascal I'd pay for his therapy later in life. I can see him laying on a therapist's couch in his young adult years mumbling..."my Mom..... hollering....underwear...... ice packs...." Poor kid.

Mog

Obviously I am on some sort of monthly blogging thing now. So, I give you my monthly log...Mog if you will.

I have so much more to say but apparently not enough time. You know, important things...like how much money we have spent on pool chemicals, rattlesnake sightings, cool patio furniture from the junk store, how much I adore summer with no schedules. The list of totally irrelevant information I could be forcing on you on a daily basis is limitless. Unfortunately I am not organized enough to blog daily.

Today all I have the energy for is a story from Sunday School. Don't worry I won't be getting all theological on you. When blonde rascal came out of his SS class this morning he was totally fired up because two girls, sisters no less, completely lost their cool and starting fighting over a sticky note in their Bible during class. He said it was off the hook....screaming, crying, slapping. He stated, for the record, it was the best SS class ever.

Does this mean he will be amused by mud wrestling when he is older? Whatever. If unruly girls keep him looking forward to church, then so be it.

The return of the phantom blogger

My Dad keeps reminding me that it has been over a month since I have blogged. (It is so nice to have a fan!)

A month? Does time always fly this fast or am I getting old?

At the end of my last riveting post, we had just returned from NC. Let's take it from the top since then....

1. Easter. Jesus lives! And obviously less important but somewhat noteworthy for the sake of killing time....

A giant chocolate rabbit to keep blonde rascal whacked out for days...
Coloring of the eggs. You should know that this one says "Mom rocks"
The holiday would not be complete without the jelly bean pooping bunny. I'm not gonna lie, it's funny every time.
2. I did a re-decorating re-vamp on blonde rascal's room. I don't have any "after" pictures yet, so it is pointless to continue that conversation. Other than of course to further justify why I have been absent from blog land.

3. In case you just stumbled across my blog (lucky you) I'll give a quick precursor to #3. We moved to a small town a year ago and hubs started a used car business. We are equally blessed and thankful that the community has embraced us and the business has taken off. Unfortunately that took my willy nilly part time involvement in the business to a full time status. (Cutting out way too much of my goof off time!) Now, hubs got a taste of this entrepreneur stuff and got all crazy, bidding on an auction of 150 FEMA trailers. Now we all work 900 hours a week. Again, we have been blessed and the customers are coming out of the woodwork to get these travel trailers. That is the main reason I am MIA. I will have to devote a post to the trailers... fun times! (P.S. if you are in the West TX vicinity and need a TT give me a shout.)

4. I like Vanilla Ice. That has nothing to do with why I have been absent, but I felt like getting it out there. Word to your mother.

5. Another issue, again nothing to do with my absence but just go with the stream of consciousness right now please, is my oven. More specifically the timer on the oven. When we moved here a year ago and did a little kitchen remodel on our new house, we got a new oven. Maytag. They are generally known for quality products yes? Well the stupid timer on said Maytag beeps 3 times in a row when it is done...and that is all. Done, will not beep again ever. Is it just me or is that wrong? Granted continuous beeping is somewhat annoying, but how about beeps at intervals until turned off? I NEED more beeps in order to not burn dinner.

Back to my original purpose....

6. The Marine got to come home on leave for about 2 weeks.

He was glad to get to drive a horse instead of an armored bulldozer!
Did you ever wonder where the term slinging snot came from?....Now you know. That steer needs a kleenex.

Or what a modern day woolly mammoth looks like?....
I digress.

We were so glad to have him home, he deserved some time off after fighting in Afghanistan.

#7 I have been working on the porches and trying to get flowers planted, in my spare time. Again, no "after" pictures so that post will come later.

Incidentally while sprucing up the porches/yard, I droped an extremely heavy bottom to a bird bath on my big toe. I have had the bird bath for like 7 years. The bolts rusted and fell apart. We re-bolted the top to the bottom, and then it got hit by the lawn mower & fell apart again. It has been in the garage for like 2 years because I am cheap and bird baths are not, I refuse to get rid of it. So I glued it together last week with some E6000 wonder glue that bonds anything. Or at least that had been my experience with that glue until I picked up the bird bath and the bottom smashed my big toe right in the joint. Ouch. I got a big gnarly bruise. I thought I was beginning to see the likeness of the Virgin Mary in the bruise. In which case I could have sold pictures of it on E-bay, making some big moolah. Unfortunately, it ended up looking more like Papa Smurf.

The bruised toe has caused me to run all gimpy on the treadmill, which in turn has cause all kinds of weird blisters/callouses, skin peeling. I am in dreadful need of an intervention by way of a pedicure. No time for that......

#8 We went to the car show in our little small town. Blonde rascal took a friend from school.Beautiful cars...
Hot Wheels races....
Trophy for winning a coloring contest....
And the real crowd pleaser....The tire burn out competition.

For your viewing pleasure, I give you the burn out competition...
Nice.

The next competitor had a bumper sticker on his tailgate that summed up the whole event....
Nice.

Man, I am tired just reading all of this nonsense. I hope to be back soon. Maybe tomorrow? It IS Mother's Day tomorrow after all, so I will exercise my right to do nothing, but blog if I so choose. How else am I going to get all this useless information out of my head, huh?