Happy New Year! What? I’m a week behind? The new year actually started last week? Oh, I know, but I’m counting today as my new year. You see, the kids went back to school today and I always feel like I can’t really get started with all my new year plans until they are out…
living
Holiday Moments and Gift Ideas
It’s kind of crazy how memories can overwhelm you sometimes. I was sitting here thinking about Jingle, the dog that goes along with the Hallmark Jingle All the Way Interactive storybook. My daughter, Ella, has really taken to this stuffed dog. He gets buckled into seat belts, sits by her feet at dinner, snuggles in…
Happiness Report #19 – Happiness Hodgepodge
Happy November! I feel like I say this with each passing month, but November already? Really? Raise your hand if you think that seems impossible! My heart has been heavy this week as I think of you all on the East Coast who have gone through so much. The pictures, stories, accounts… they all seem…
Pepper Pancakes?
When we visit my parents in Mission, Texas each year (near South Padre) there is always plenty of memory making fun happening. We get to go to the beach… We swim in their retirement community pool and hot tub under the palm trees… We go to the zoo… We hang out and get to explore…
Best Friends Forever
Let’s talk friendship, shall we? I don’t have a best friend. I’ve always been one of those girls to have a lot of good friends but as an adult, not a best girl friend. You know, that one friend you can call up and she’ll drop everything and be there in minutes with chocolate ice…
It Takes a Village… Not to Mention Wine and Coffee
I’ve always known and hoped that I would be a mom. When I was in Kindergarten, we had a “Star of the Week” program where the star would be interviewed. One of the questions in the interview was “What do you want to be when you grow up?” My immediate answer, firmly stated without any…
It’s A Good Thing She’s Cute!
I have four kids and you’d think by the time Leah came along I’d have this whole parenting thing down. What no one seems to tell you is that whether you have 1 or 10 kids, God sends you a different one each time. You get the experience of starting over, learning the ropes again…
Stuff – A Conversation One Year Later
A year ago this week, I was sitting in a hospital room next to my brother, just shooting the breeze. I had learned of his diagnosis just a few days earlier, and yet, even though I knew it was cancer, I still felt like everything would be just fine. Our conversation was so completely normal….
Tell Them – Thanks for Pulling Me Through
As many of you know, my brother passed away this past August from a brief battle with cancer. I’ve said a few times on my blog how surprised I was that his passing hit me so hard. What I didn’t tell you is that for a few months, I believe I was quite depressed. I’ve…
Banana Sticker Moments
When my sister, Kathy, and I were little, we used to take the stickers off of Dole bananas, tear them into tiny pieces and put them all over our cheeks. The one of us who wore the “sticker” freckles got to play Ginger from Gilligan’s Island while the other got to be Mary Ann. We coveted…
