My Favorite Quote

Saturday, May 4: favorite quote and why you love it.

5 years ago, a dear friend gave me a sign with the following quote on it. She told me I lived this quote to the fullest:

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.”
― Erma Bombeck

I put my all into everything I try, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but at least I try. As long as God keeps inspiring me, I will keep on trying!

That Makes Me Uncomfortable

Friday, May 3: Things that make you uncomfortable

That's easy:

Feet - other peoples feet are disgusting.  Don't show them to me, don't touch me with them, and stop for God's sake, STOP posting pictures of your feet online. UGH.

Dry Skin - especially when you get out of a pool or salty water.

Snakes - Don't know whey we even need them.  Get rid of them all thank you.

When my iPhone battery is low.

The minute before you are about to speak in front of a new crowd of strangers.

My daughter growing up.

Having a to do list that never seems to get completed. Now were getting personal.....

Not having my summer planned as much as I would like it to be.

Iced circus cookies.

Plan the Best Summer You Can {Day 2}

Here we go - Day #2

Thursday, May 2: Educate us on something you know alot about or are good at.

I think I'm a know it all - I like to talk and teach.  I could tell someone where to take their kids in Texas, how to plan a Disney vacation, why living in Austin is so much better than Dallas, how to run a PTA meeting, how to teach kids to pray, why Zyrtec is far superior than Claritin or Allegra and on and on and on.

Yet when someone asks me to educate them on something I know a lot about, my mind goes completely blank.

So here goes what is top of mind 24/7 - planning the best summer you can.

This summer, I encourage you to sit down with your family and plan out the fun you want to have.

Where does everyone want to go on vacation?  Let's decide as a family.

What kind of things do we want to do and accomplish this summer?  Brainstorm and come up with a list.

Look to add in things you can do in the city you live in.  What have you always wanted to try but never did?  What kind of fun activities can we do at home that you have always wanted to do?

Some of the most fun things we did last summer required little to no money at all:
Movie Day
Ice Cream for dinner
Built a fort out of pillows
Masking Tape racetrack
Geocaching
Find 5 new sprinkler parks/swimming pools in our area
Stay up real late playing games

We also planned a ton of fun day trips to places all over Texas - from Brenham to see Blue Bell Ice Cream factory to SpaceCenter in Houston to the Tower of Americas in San Antonio.

We put our giant summer "TO DO" list on a poster board in the kitchen and crossed off everything we did.  We didn't finish it all (had to leave stuff for this summer) but we never had a day of "I'm bored.  What should we do?"

It was a busy summer but it was a fun summer.  And I can't wait to do it all over again.

My Life Story {in 250 words?!?}

It has been too long since I have consistently blogged over here.  When you "professionally" (I use this term loosely) blog at 2 places and free lance at 3 others, it seems the last thing you want to do is write for yourself. Even though it is the easiest and most rewarding.  So I am going to attempt to blog every day in May.  Just write and get back into doing what I loved.  May 1st - Your life story in 250 words.
I was born in Austin, Texas and by the time I was 18, I had lived in 22 different homes and attended 13 different schools.  So the question I always get is, "Were your parents in the military?" "No.  They were gypsy - wannabes." In all seriousness, all that moving made me who I am today.  I am confident, outgoing, head-strong, and LOVE change.  Had I not been forced to constantly make new friends, I would never have learned how to speak my mind in a room full of strangers.  Had I not lived in 3 different states as a child, I never would have discovered my passion for travel.  Had I not graduated high school in Nevada, I never would have met my husband. I married my sweetheart when I was 21.  We will celebrate 18 years this summer.  We have 3 amazing children who are the light of our lives.  Our days are filled with homework, soccer, traveling, bickering (they are pre-teen siblings after all) and struggling with what to cook for dinner......and I wouldn't change it for the world. I worked full-time in the pharmaceutical industry for 13 years, working hard to climb up the corporate ladder, thinking I was in it forever.  Then God made a BIG change in my life ~ I was laid off with 30,000 of my closest friends ~ and I was afforded the time to be a "SAHM" - something I thought I'd never be.  And I love it.  It has given me the time to raise my little man, volunteer at the kids' school, and start writing (remember, I "blog professionally").   I turn 40 in eight months.  I am so very happy with my life and so very blessed to be able to say that.  ANd though I have accomplished much in my first 40 - Great marriage, 3 kids, own my own business, been on a reality TV show (seriously), and have tons of amazing friends and family -  I have even BIGGER goals for the next 40.
Bring it on.

I Hated Running...Until I Tried It

I hated running.  Always did - Dreaded it in P.E. in school and as an adult, just jogging to the end of the driveway would wear me out.

 I always envied those "runners".  Such discipline, such endurance, such nice, skinny bodies....

 In January 2010, I was fed up with being out of shape and filled with "mommy-pudge".

 So I downloaded the Couch to 5K iPhone app and started running each morning with Bubba in the stroller.

 It sucked.  Big time.  Run for longer than 90 seconds straight? Are you kidding me?

 But the more I did it, the more it grew on me.  The more weight I lost and started to enjoy the results.

 My first "race" was in November 2010 - I did a half-marathon.  Forget a 5K - let's just shoot for the moon! It was exhilarating.

 Last weekend, I ran my second half-marathon and shaved 3 minutes off my previous run.  What made that a big deal?  This course was 10-times harder than the first race - hills, endless, grueling hills....

 We didn't have any hills around here to train on, so we knew it would be a tough course.  And the hills are at the beginning of the course, so they really took a lot out of you.  But I stuck with the 2:20 pace team and pushed myself hard.  And by mile 12, I was hurting like never before. Please Lord, give me the endurance to last this last mile......

The race was held out at the Lost Pines Resort, so we made a girls weekend out of it.  The race was over by 11, so we sat by the pool the rest of the day - heaven - and enjoyed wine, cheese, grapes, and other lovely snacks on our patio.   Great girl time. A perfect reward for a job well done.

 I can't say that I LOVE to run - especially while I am doing it.  I love the camaraderie of running with my friends. I love the calories I can burn.  And I love the powerful feeling it gives me. 

I get asked a lot what my "tips" are for running. Here are a few that have worked for me:

1. Start slow - like with the Couch to 5K app - and do it everyday.  NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU HATE IT - the more you do it, the easier it becomes - I promise.

2. Get a nice pair of shoes - your knees will thank you!  My hubby told me to go into the store, try on the nicest shoes until I found a pair that felt like I was walking on a cloud.  And then buy them without looking at the price tag - again, your knees will thank you.  If you want to, go to a special running shoes store and have them evaluate your stride and get you into the perfect shoe right for you.

3. Get a nice Heart Rate Monitor that will count calories - I use a Polar - there is nothing better than being able to see the hard work pay off in calorie burn.  Take it a step further and use an app (My Fitness Pal or Lose It are great) to track your calorie intake and burn - worked for me to lose 60 lbs!

4. Run with a friend - you will hold each other accountable to get out,  you will have great conversation (sometimes it is therapy for us), and you will make a dear friend in the process.

5. Set a goal - run a race (sign up for one!) - lose 10 pounds (start today) - or make it through the C25K app.  Whatever your goal may be, it will help you concentrate and get out there to see an end in site.

Are you a runner?  What tips have worked for you?

How NOT to Get a Picture of a Celebrity

Last fall, I received a call from my husband after my daughter's soccer game.  I was out of town and had missed it.  After the normal "how'd she do conversation", he mentions, "oh yeah, one of the dads from the other team was some guy from Friday Night Lights."

What??

Which one??? "I dunno."

AHH! I love loved that show- seriously, which one?

"It's the guy who was in Super 8."

KYLE CHANDLER???  You mean the guy who just won an Emmy for his role?  

"um. yeah.  I guess so. He's just a dad, watching his daughter play soccer."

I was so bummed to have missed that game.

A few weeks later they played them again and guess who was out of town...again!

So this Spring I made sure I was going to be at their game.  Even planned weeks ahead on what I should do.  

Do I play it cool and act like I don't know him? Nope.  I'd regret not talking to him.

Do I go up to him right away and tell him I think he's a fantastic actor? Nope.  I will get all tongue-tied and act like a stupid girl.

Hubby thought I was ridiculous - thought I needed to just leave him alone.  He's just trying to watch his daughter play.  Nope. Not me.  If he chooses to be an actor as a profession, he needs to understand that people are going to want to meet him.  Besides, he's Coach Taylor for goodness sakes - he's awesome!

Sunday came - I had my camera and all my lenses ready.  And I became a stupid girl. 

I was overcome with butterflies as I snuck shots of him.

Walking by me.... What? Can't you tell that's him?

 Sitting down next to us...

 He was chatting with everyone about how great the weather was - my friend, Dolly (in the pink hat) talked with him for a long while....all the time knowing I was dying to talk to him!

 I even used my son (I know!) to try to take his picture.... it's a terrific shot of his legs.....

 This one is so much better.....

 So then I started to get braver.  Sis was about to take a corner shot so I scooted down on the other end of the field to take her pic and quickly snapped a few.

Now he's looking like Coach Taylor!

 All the while, I am texting Connie (since she was the only other person who cared that I was at a soccer game with Coach Taylor) and even recorded him yelling, since it sounded so "Coach Taylor-y":

 So yes, I did watch my kids' soccer games - I wasn't totally obsessing the whole game.  Brody was actually playing on the field right behind Sis, so it was really easy for me to turn back & forth to watch them both.  After about 10 mins of freaking out inside, I started to do what I was there for - be a mom taking pics of my kids.....

At one point I was taking pics of Brody's game when HE started to watch the boys' game and asked if I had a son playing too?

(don't freak out...don't freak out)


"Yep - it figures they are at the same time"

"Man these boys are good...etc...."

And we talked about soccer and kids and coaching and being proud of your kids and rugby (don't ask- he brought it up?).  It was then that I realized, I was talking to a dad who was watching his daughter playing soccer - not an Emmy-award winning actor from one of my favorite tv shows.  He was just a regular guy.  And that was pretty cool.

Of course, did I get my shot? - absolutely - at the end of the conversation I told him, "look, I know who you are and I think your a terrific actor.  Would you mind if I got a picture with you to show my friends?"

He smiled real big, said "of course, here, let me show you how the pros do it....."

And he took our picture.

Kairos Time

I just finished 2 hours of science-project-hell.  I call it hell because that's what it is.  As much as I try to let my darling daughter do it all herself, momma bear kicks in to "advise" her.  Maybe we should put a border on each title?  Now how would you be able to explain that to a judge? NO! It's not pronounced nora-friend!! It's norepinephrine!!!

And now it's done, and Sis is proud and I'm a bundle of nerves after trying to not be that parent that controls the entire project.  Ugh.  I hate that part of my personality.  

And it reminds me of the Huffington Post article by Glennon Melton that circulated the Facebook this past week.  You know, the one about why Carpe Diem is a load of crap to a parent...until the kids have grown up.  If you haven't read it - please do - It really is fantastic.  I'll wait here for you.  

Back, already?

When I read it, I nodded my head, saying, she's right - remember and cherish all the wonderful memories you have of parenting.  Don't sweat the spilled milk, having to discipline your son repeatedly for his bus behavior, or getting frustrated over your 2 year old's meltdowns at HEB.  I need to apply this everyday.  Here is what she wrote that struck a chord in me:

There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It's regular time, it's one minute at a time, it's staring down the clock till bedtime time, it's ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it's four screaming minutes in time out time, it's two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.

Then there's Kairos time. Kairos is God's time. It's time outside of time. It's metaphysical time. It's those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them.

There are days in my life that are filled with Chronos time.  Those are the days that I stare at the clock, willing it to be one for Bubba's nap. When will Matt get home?  How many more days until Book/Wine club??  And I always lay in bed at night after days like these regretting everything I said - why did I waste my day with negative energy - am I fit to be at home all day with Bubba?

The only way I can chase out those "bad-mommy" feelings is to think of my Kairos time.  And I can think of a ton of those.  It's the sweet smell of all my babies' hair.  It's the belly-laughs at the dinner table over Brody's jokes.  It's the never-ending summer days at the beach, reading chapter books in bed,  selling girl scout cookies with Sis, playing Wii together as a family, beaming crazy with pride over a soccer goal.  Those are the moments I will remember when I am old and look back on my parenting years.  

It's Kairos time I need to remember when I begin to sink in that Science-project-hell again - the one-on-one time I get with my daughter, the exclamation of surprise when she tells me, "That's really cool- I never knew that it could be interesting!"  And the pride she has over a job well done.  

The past few weeks, I have been taking the time to really play with Bubba.  No, not I'll check Twitter while you play Thomas -play, but getting down and building a track for him, climbing in tunnels with him, chasing him around the back yard.  You know, Kairos time.  It has really been special for him and I .  (I know this is nothing new for all you fantastical-Moms out there - but I have to physically turn the social media off to truly concentrate 100% on him.)  

Rather than remember the frustration of the past 2 hours, I am going to remember all the fun we had earlier today geo-caching and eating burgers with my mom & dad.  

Wow - looky there, more Kairos time.

Happy 2012 from The Texas Darlings!!

We had a wonderful 2011 - Check out our re-cap!

2 on Tuesday: Me in Pictures?! Yikes!!

My sweet friend (who sends the BEST notes in the mail) Andrea over at My Chihuahua Bites hosts a fun topic to blog about each Tuesday - and she has asked for weeks to join her.  I said I would this week...not knowing the topic:
What are your two favorite pictures of yourself?
Me?  Favorite Pictures?
Uh. none 
thankyouverymuch.
I do not take good pictures......see?

 ugh.  I can't even take a decent one at the World.

And there are so many more (what did I get roped into??)

However.  There are 3 pictures from this summer that I love.  Allow me to be a bit narcissistic for a moment.

 happy girls weekend momma.

"lookin good!" family momma (minus the baby! )

lucky in love momma.
Link up and play along!

A Weekend Away

Whew!  Is it summer yet???  I feel like I am Sissy's little hamster, running on my wheel, just trying to get to the end of the school year.... round and round and round... so what is keeping us so busy??

Teacher Appreciation Week

Soccer Tournaments

Girl Scout Camp

Student Council Bowling Party

Select Soccer Tryouts

Bubba's Haircut

End of Year Movies

Planning Bubba's 2nd Birthday (awk- I can't believe he is two!!!)

and......

Our Blogging Girls Weekend is FINALLY here!!!

~ for 3 days, I am not gonna be a Momma ~ 

~ no "What's for dinner?  Can I watch a movie?  She hit me!!!" ~

~ 3 days of good conversations, tons of laughs, and relaxation ~

~ no cleaning dust bunnies from the corners or putting dishes away ~

~ 3 days of good food & great drinks ~

~ no poopy diapers!!!! ~

it's gonna be so great!

Can't wait to see Shawn, Viv, Jen, JennyKate, and IA tomorrow!!

Is it weird that I am this excited to meet friends that I only know from online?  That my neighbors look at me like I have 2 heads when I tell them about my weekend?  Nope - I have been friends with these ladies for more than 2 years - we blog, email, text, heytell, tweet, and yes, actually talk on the phone - we laugh together, give advice, share recipes (little miss homemakers that we are...) and do everything (and more) than friends I know who live in my neighborhood.  So I am more than thrilled that I get to hang out with them for 3 days here in my hometown.  It's gonna be fantastic.  

And then I get to come home and get right back on that hamster wheel again....Bubba's Birthday Party, School Book Swap, School Award Assemblies, PTA Party, End of Year Parties..........

yes, I realize what a **STAR** mommy I am going away the weekend of Bubba's 2nd birthday.

yes, I did plan it without remembering his birthday.

yes, I do feel guilty.

yes, he's getting a super-star train party on Sunday afternoon.

it's gonna rock.

and he is only 2.

he won't remember his bad mommy.

Not a Mom Today

Mother's Day is a great day - A day to recognize MOM for all she does.  A day to honor MOM with food, flowers, and gifts.  A day to hug & kiss & love on MOM for all she is to you.

Not in this house.  Mother's Day this year was my day to NOT be MOM.  And it rocked.


I slept in.

My sweet hubby snuck out of the house (with all 3 kids) to get me my favorite breakfast tacos.

I walked over all the scattered toys on the floor without picking up a one.

I had 3 cups of coffee in bed while watching tv shows on my dvr.

I didn't change a poopy.

I worked on my blog book for two hours.

I didn't make the bed.

I watched a 2 1/2 hour movie in the "Man Cave"....gasp.... I know he let me!!

I didn't go to the grocery store (hubby did for me...I know!!!)

I read for 30 minutes....and it wasn't Dr. Seuss, Goodnight Moon, or Harry Potter.

I ignored my 8-year-old's favorite question "What's for dinner?" all day.

I didn't help Sis clean the hamster cage.

I picked out dinner - my beloved filet mignon and glass of merlot, thank you very much.

I didn't touch a single dish all day.

I got an "Bubba" head for my charm bracelet - which was HUGE y'all - I never mentioned to the hubby that I wanted one but he NOTICED that I did.

I got amazing homemade cards from my kids.

And they all still loved me.....even though I WASN'T MOM.

But of course I am.......

I will always be mom to these amazing kiddos.

and that rocks even more than my day spent not being mom.

Cake Popped Off

I don't know why I do this to myself.  

I used to think I was a crafty kind of girl ~ and I don't mean a weasel ~ I mean,  I thought I could make stuff. 

But then I go and try to make something cutesy for the house...cause I've been inspired by all the amazin stuff Viv & Jen Jen & Shawn & ok....everyone....can make.  

And once again, I fail...miserably.  I don't know why I even think I can do it.  I mean, look at my latest mess.....

Anyone else been inspired by this woman???

Bakerella....ah how I love your cake pops!!! I think they are precious and adorable and I always promised myself I would try to make them......

And then I received the Cake Pops book from a dear friend.  I spent weeks reading the "how tos" and built up courage to make them myself.

So I finally did it.  $50 in supplies and 3 stores later, here we go!!

Bake the cake, cool it, then tear it apart.

got it. easy.

3/4 a can of frosting.

don't forget to clip the Box Tops for your favorite school!

mix it together - not very yummy looking.

 and then roll them into balls - but make sure you have atleast 48- panic a little while you are doing it that you might not have 48, so pinch a few balls down to size - there you go - 

messy hands and 48 cake balls

 now one of the pains for me was finding styrofoam that could hold 48 cake pops.

I had to go to 3 stores to get enough that was thick enough to hold them

And even 3 rows was too much for one block - argh!

 So after chilling (not freezing) the cake balls, the actually dipping was easy.

But why do they look all misshapen?  Bakerellas are all perfectly round.....

I took 30 minutes to make each tiny bow for the heads of these girls....

4 1/2 hours later and here is my finished product.

hmmm.

not so pretty.

especially when they should have looked like this:

What went wrong?

1. It took too long - It was exhausting!!

2. my edible markers would not write on the frosting well.

3. It took too long- I had laundry to fold that day!!

4. I managed to "overload" one side of the styrofoam block too much and the whole thing tipped over when they had just been dipped.

4. It took too long - I have a baby!!!

5. The noses were all pointy, not perfect dots like "she" can make.

6.  It took too stinkin' long.

So, how did I fix the 47 other cake balls to make them ready for the shower the next day?

I melted down some white wafers, added blue tint, turn the pops upside down and drizzled away!!

At this point, I am pretty sure the crafting Gods are against me.  I'm done - don't come waving your adorable homemade Easter eggs at me any more (you know who I'm talking to!!).

I will buy it from now on.

What's My Purpose?

Years ago, when blogs first started popping up, I thought, "What's the purpose?"  Why would anyone want to put all their thoughts & feelings out there for the whole world to read.

I stayed away.

But then I found myself emailing photos to family with updates on what the kiddos were doing.

weekly.

it was a lot.

So, I thought what a great way to share what's going on in the lives of the Darlings in Texas with family.  Ah ha - there's my purpose!

and the first edition of The Texas Darlings was born.

I posted strictly family stuff for almost 2 years.  I was working full time and not blogging very often.  It was only read by my family (or so I hoped it got read :)) ).  Looking back on it now, I am so thankful that I did it - I have so many great family moments that I captured that I might have missed or forgotten otherwise.  Ah - what a great purpose!

When I got laid off in early 2009, before the baby was born, I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands and got sucked into the blogging community.  I started joining into weekly memes and had a lot of fun reading about other moms' adventures.  I found great ideas and inspiration out there.  I joined a blogging Bible study.  I took an online photography class.  And I had so much fun getting to know people online.

I found my focus shifting a bit - I'd post about my family still, but I found other things to post about too - my favorite things, favorite pictures.......but my purpose remained focused on my family.

Blogging became a way to disconnect from the real world, chronicle my adventures in raising a baby after 8 years of not having one, and record all those memories that I was soon to be forgetting.

I made friends ~ how can you not when you are reading what is going on in each others lives & minds.  When you blog, you tend to know what is going on with someone in California & Florida better than your next door neighbor.  And the relationships were healthy.  I have received notes of encouragement and random gifts in the mail from my blogging friends.  We are friends on The Facebook and The Twitter and Hey Tell and we text each other.  And we have never met in person.

But.  Don't tell anyone this. I didn't discuss my blogging community of friends with many of my IRL friends.  I didn't think anyone who is not involved in blogging would understand it or could relate to it. Especially my family - I thought they would make fun of me.  (I know, I'm a crappy friend....don't be mad)

And then I lost my blog.

Oh how upset I was - I swear I developed 3 ulcers over that 3 day period. The thought of losing all those years of journaling my families' life.  The thought of starting over. The thought of losing touch of my friends.  It was very upsetting.

And I got it back.

And my purpose is renewed.

I am creating a work of art.  Yeah, it's not a masterpiece for the general public.  And I am probably the only person who can appreciate it.  But I know that I will be so very happy that I am chronicling not only what is going on in Sissy, Brody, Bubba, Matt, and my life.....but I am blogging about what is relevant in 2011.  And when I read it 20 years from now, I am going to appreciate that I blogged about what a fun birthday Sis had.  How lucky we were to go to Disney World at Christmas.  How blessed we are to live in Texas and are a strong & happy family.

And I don't care what anyone thinks about what I write about.  Because I am not blogging for them anymore.  I'm blogging for me.

And my wonderful friends who I have made?  Matt put it nicely the other night - he said that we have made personal connections with each other.  Who cares if we live down the block or 15 hours away from each other?  God puts people in each others lives for a reason.  And I know that he brought my blogging friends into my life for a purpose.  And I can not be ashamed or want to hide that.

So My Purpose?

I don't have one - I want to blog about any & everything.  Have fun.  Meet people. And ensure that I publish this so that if it does disappear one day, I have an incredible record of the wonderful experience blogging has brought me.

Thank you all for being a part of my purpose.

Growing Up with All My Children......

I heard a nasty rumor yesterday.  And I didn't believe it.  Until I saw it on the front page of the USA Today as I checked out of the HEB this morning.

ABC canceled All My Children.

what??

seriously??

I have such mixed feelings over this.

Let me explain.

I grew up watching All My Children - no, I really did - my mom (and her mom and her sister) all watched it from the very beginning - so I remember seeing it on tv in the background, overhearing conversations about it with my mom & grandma, and so inevitably, I started watching it along with her as a teenager.

By the time I was 18, I was hooked.  As I  headed to college and did not own a VCR, I had to schedule my classes around All My Children.  Yeah - I really did.  Somehow Organic Chemistry didn't get picked over AMC - go figure.

When I finally could own a tv & vcr, I taped it - sometime taping all 5 days in a row so I could fast forward through it all to get to the parts I really liked to watch.  And when the dvr came along?  I could zip right through my soap in less than 15 mins if I wanted to.

I even went so far as to meet the famous Susan Lucci at a perfume signing at....

don't laugh...


a Walmart!

(y'all, she was the most gracious, sweetest person.....)

I never really questioned why I liked it.  I didn't care about the bogus story lines - I mean who can't live through a bombing, tornado, kidnapping, airplane crash, and bear mauling? All in one year???

Hasn't everyone had their fiancee ride off a cliff on a motorcycle only to appear 2 years later perfectly fine?

Or find out that you have had a long lost twin sister that your alcoholic mother "gave" to another family?

Or had a baby in a cabin in the woods during a flood?  And was switched with another baby that was born that same night in that same cabin?  Confused much??  Nah- it all makes sense when you watch it....

And that I did - throughout all my working years, I always made time for my show.  Even if I only had an hour to catch a whole week's worth, I'd get it in.

Matt would laugh at me, call me ridiculous, but then ask, "so are Erica & Jack back together?"  Uh huh. Ridiculous.

I can't say it was the story lines or amazing acting that drew me in....I think it was more the tradition of watching it....discussing it with my family as it the characters on AMC were our family.....

Ironically, now that I am home with the kids, I have stopped watching it.  It got too complicated, I got too busy, I got too bored...who knows?  I just stopped.

Yet hearing that it has been canceled makes me a little sad....as if part of my childhood traditions is going away with it.

The Great & the Least,

The Rich & the Poor,

The Weak & the Strong,

In Sickness & in Health,

In Joy & in Sorrow,

In Tragedy & Triumph

You are ALL MY CHILDREN......

It's the April Vlog Y'all!!

It's that time again! April Vlog - Join up with Shawn & Mamarazzi as we get to "see everyone" in conversations around bloggyland. Click on the button below and visit some really fun gals in a unique way!!







I was totally prepared this time too!! I "filmed" this a week & a half ago!  Our first assignment is a dialect vlog - we were asked to say a bunch of words and answer questions to hear how we answer them.  Here goes....

Secondly, we were asked to show everyone our favorite room in the house.

As usual ladies, I love me some vlog - I can talk...can you tell??  Come back soon to see how the Cake Pops turned out.  Let me just tell you...Bakerella, I am not!

Brief Scare

Oh how happy I am to see you all reading my blog - no really- so very happy.  I want to shout it from the rooftops:

My Blog is back! My Blog is back!!

Let me tell you the sob story....

On the loooonnnnnnggggg drive home from Oklahoma on Saturday, I was reading all my favorite blogs on my nifty iPhone when I noticed I was signed in as "rebecca" on my business account.  So I log out and try to log back in as "Becca" when I get notification from Google that "unusual activity has been detected on your account".  I was asked to provide my mobile number to get a password verification texted to me - hmmmmmmmm - I hemmed and hawed over it, but it was from Google and looked legit, so I did it.

It worked and I was logged in as me and happily reading more blogs as we traveled south.

Until I went back to my blog and it was G-O-N-E.

"This blog can not be found and the address is not available.  It is possible it has been deleted.  If this is your blog and you did not delete it, please click here."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So I clicked there - "Please read our terms of service to see if you have violated anything to deem it necessary to delete your blog.  If not, please report it to us by clicking here."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

So I clicked there and it brings me to a help forum.  Basically, there is no number to call and you have to dig through tons of forums to find any kind of help - there is a process to report your blog as not being "spam" and Blogger will review it to see if it will "give"it back to you.  But there is NO ONE to talk to!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In the meantime, I walked around with a knot in my stomach.  I was so worried that 2 years of personal stories had been wiped away in one sweep.

and before you ask, no, I had not ever backed it up.  shame on me.

So, with a lot of praying and a great friend of a friend who works at Blogger- my beloved blog is back.

First thing I did?  Backed it up.  

And I advise you to do it RIGHT NOW.  Here are the directions, courtesy of Miss MiMi:

Okay, so go to your Dashoboard and then click on the Settings tab.
The very top has three links; Import Blog, Export Blog, and Delete Blog.
Click Export Blog and it will ask you if you want to download and save. Say yes.
Then it is saved as a hard copy to your hard drive. If you want to back it up onto a SEPARATE blog, then you just click Export Blog and save.
Start a NEW blog and go to Settings tab and click Import Blog. It will ask you which one and you'll select the same one you just Exported.
Now, be CAREFUL because Export Blog is RIGHT NEXT to DELETE blog. DON'T HIT DELETE! lol

THANKS MIMI!!!

So I never did find out why it was removed - if the text message thing was legit or not - all I can say is that the same thing happened to LOTS of others this weekend (as seen in the Blogger Help Forum).  

I will be certain to be backing it up on a regular basis - I never want to feel that helpless again.  

And I am definitely looking into one of the "blog book" programs - have any of you tried it?  What do you recommend?

So glad to be back.........

Happy Birthday Texas

Last week, Texas celebrated it's 175th birthday ~ the 175th Anniversary of Texas Independence.  And we Texans are SO darn proud of our heritage, that we are gonna celebrate it all year long!!!

Seriously.

Every month, all over the state, something grand is planned.

Just 2 weeks ago, while at Sissy's 4th grade field trip, we were a part of the celebrating too.

Every year at Sissy's school, the 4th grade goes on the "Amazing Alamo" field trip  - they get a private charter bus ("with a bathroom Mom!!") that takes them down to San Antonio for the day.  They visit the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Alamo, and then the watch the IMAX movie "The Price of Freedom" (about what?  You guessed it- the Alamo!).  This field trip is a rite of passage for these kiddos and they look forward to it for years.

What is particularly exciting for me is that when I was in 4th grade, we did the exact same field trip (minus the movie - no IMAX in the 80"s....we toured Mrs. Barid's Bread factory instead).  So I jumped on the chance to be a chaperone.

So you all 'Remember the Alamo' right?  no?  Oh that's right, I'm talking to non-Texans.  So short version, The Alamo is a Spanish Mission built in what is now San Antonio, Texas.  In March of 1836, a small group of Texans defended the Alamo against Mexico and were defeated.  Because of this loss, Texans came together and won their independence against Mexico a month later under the leadership of Sam Houston.  175 years ago to be exact......

so how impressed are you that I knew all that by heart?

don't laugh at me.

every young Texan knows their Texas history....especially the history of the Alamo.

and did you know that Texas has had 6 different sovereignties leading us?  No?  Let me name them for ya:  Spain, France, Mexico, Confederate States of America, Republic of Texas, and the United States of America.

ya, I knew all those by heart too.

love me some Texas history - they don't call me a Texas girl for nothing!!