This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

From L to R - Araceli, Me, Amy, Sue and Amy

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

Home....that word has some very powerful magic. It can be a building, a place, a person or all of the above, but it is truly where the heart is.  I spent the weekend away from home.  I had an amazing time with a wonderful group of ladies. The location was perfect.  The women were incredible.  The time away was needed and thoroughly enjoyed.  And after it was all said and done, coming home was complete bliss. Just to be with my people, in my building, in my place.  There is much to be said for coming home.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

At the beach, letting my troubles drift out to sea with the tide.  Back Sunday!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Happy Summer Solstice!

May your summer be truly blessed!  I'm heading out tonight and will be gone until sometime Sunday....No internet to speak of, so I will miss you all.  Have a wonderful weekend!

An Odd Work in Progress.

First, just to satisfy the yarn fans....here are pictures of my very slow moving current projects....I'm thinking I need a quick knit to satisfy my need for instant gratification.

There is not a lot going on here with the Herringbone Poncho....the same back and forth.  It is getting longer, slowly, but surely. 

And that's pretty much how the chevron scarf is progressing.....

Slowly, but surely.  It is rather pretty and because I'm using sock yarn, I don't think I'll be restricted to winter wear.










Now for the unusual work in progress....Sorry Annie, I know you won't like this....

That is my foot a month ago... please notice how HUGE my foot and ankle were - Yikes!  That was some painful stuff.   Please ignore the ugly pedicure, or lack thereof. No nail polish until everything is healed.  The doctors told me that they can tell all kinds of stuff my the skin under my toenails...like if it's blue, then there is a circulation problem.  And a few other things that I don't remember.

Now for the new and improved....

OK, so the lighting isn't all that great (on any of these photos) but if you look closely, you'll see that the foot and ankle now more closely resemble it's buddy next door.  I am now wearing a much smaller brace and hopefully will be moving to an ace bandage brace in the next week or so.  I can now drive myself around and walk without a limp...until I get tired. 

So that is the final slowly, but surely project.  Since the whole process is now annoying the living daylights out of me, it MUST be getting better, right?

Just an FYI - I will be scheduling a post for Friday, but I am running away.  I leave tomorrow night and will be back sometime Sunday.  I don't know that I'll have access to the internet or not and I'll let Friday's moment let you know where I am, but I will tell you this much....I am going on a much needed weekend away with some of my girlfriends and I can't wait!  So I hope everyone has a lovely week and weekend....I'll "see" you Monday!

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

Please forgive the blurry picture.  He wasn't in the mood for photos.

There are two pets that are a big part of the daily "going ons" in our house. They are definitely more than just pets, but members of the family and I am happy to report that the grey one up there is hogging the bed again, chasing his brother around the house at ungodly hours of the night and generally being a rambunctious kitty again. Never again will I take for granted the snuggles in the morning, the purring that vibrates his whole body, the begging for lettuce (of all things) and the running around he does.  He gave us quite a scare a couple of weeks ago and now is getting completely spoiled by all the members of this family.  So go love your pet....you'll feel better too.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Going to Texas

So I am TOTALLY showing my dorkiness...and age right about now, so be prepared.  Last night, I went on a trip to Texas.  Dallas to be specific and Oh my!  It was wonderful to go back.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the return of the television show Dallas...and JR.

Source: TNT

I know!  It's a totally melodramatic night time soap and I am so hooked.  The original came out in 1978...I was ten.  I wasn't originally allowed to watch it, but the next year, I begged and pleaded and my mom relented because it really wasn't that much different than the soaps my girl friends were watching after school and I showed no interest in those. The show ran until 1991 and I think I actually watched it most of the time, even in college....Going out Friday night? Watch Dallas while you're getting ready. But most of my memories associated with the show are also tied to my old dear friend Linda.   We would spend the night together as young teens, staying up late and talking about make up and boys.  Except when Dallas was on.  Then the Ewing family would have our rapt attention.  It's the first place that I learned you could love to hate someone...and I had the worst crush on Patrick Duffy....sigh....I really need some bubble gum and glitter eye shadow to make this moment complete.

And now, TNT brought it back...all of it.  And that man everyone loves to hate?  Well he's back too and he's got some competition...from his son. This show made me so happy and nostalgic last night.  Car Guy and I even forced the boys to have some quality time with their parents (ahem) and forced them to watch it too.  Much to their surprise, they actually enjoyed it...I'm pretty sure they didn't understood the word devious until they saw good ol' JR in action.  I'm thinking they might watch it with us again and I have to give everyone involved with the show a bit of credit...they didn't try to reinvent the wheel, they just added a few new spokes and so far it looks like it's going to roll along just fine (said with a deep Texas drawl.) If you were ever a fan of the show, then I recommend you check it out.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Linda and I grew up, went to college, got married and had babies.  She lives in another state, but we still keep in touch. I emailed her and asked if she was going to watch the new version that came on last night.  I can picture the smile on her face so perfectly when she responded...."If I can stay up that late."  OK, so maybe some things have changes just a little bit. I wonder what kind of eye shadow she wears now....


Update - Just want to send out a huge thank you to Annabel over at Little Pin Cushion Studio. Entered a drawing back in May and just found out this morning that I won!  I never win anything, so I was pleasantly surprised! Yea!  Thank you so much!  If you get a chance, go check out her blog for inspiration - very cool place!

Getting Back

Oh goodness! Getting back into the groove of things has been difficult!  So much going on. 

My sister came in Thursday and left Monday.  I wish we'd had a little more time.  We never seem to have enough, but I am so thankful for what we did have.  It is true what they say about that sisterly bond...it is amazing! Of course, the Brother-in-Law is pretty dang cool too.  They are two very creative people and it's always great fun to pick their brains and see what they've been up to. The best part was surprising Number One Son with their arrival. I sent him on a bogus errand to my mother's house....surprise!..perfect.

Here's my sister's take on graduation pictures...

Pretty cool, right?  Of course she has an iPhone and some photo programs.

This is one of my favorites, even though it's not very clear.

There is my boy, paper in hand. Yea!

I'll be back soon with more pictures.  I'm afraid that they are still being emailed in because of course the camera decided to be difficult at the worst possible moment.....it couldn't have possibly been the operator - gasp! No way!

Breathing

Hello all! Hope everyone is well. Just taking a moment to breath after all the hustle and bustle. Already missing my sister terribly...such a wonderful brief visit. And having a moment of total "mama pride" because Number One Son made me so proud...can you say "cum laude." Hmm... Yes indeed, very proud. So I'm sitting on my back porch, eating a roast beef sandwich with fresh maters, listening to the birds and the approaching summer storm and just breathing. Back soon with pictures!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

My sister is home!!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

No Yarn Today

If you've spent any time around here, then you recognize this little guy.  

His name is Smokey and he's about seven years old.  

Yes, he is as sweet as he looks. He's also a funny guy.

He likes to eat strawberries and lettuce.

He finds the funniest places to sleep.

Just an FYI, sinks are good on a hot day....

Last night, he gave us quite a scare and we ended up taking him to the emergency vet clinic. Turns out he had a urinary track blockage, which is not uncommon with male cats.  The poor little guy had to have an IV and a catheter.  He was NOT happy.  We finally got to bed around 2:15 am....yawn. I'm tired, but thankful.  He will be coming home later this afternoon and I know someone else who will be happy....

While they aggravate each other like most siblings do, he's wandering around the house this morning looking a little lost without his brother.  So there is no yarn today...just a tired mama who is very glad her furrbaby is going to be alright.

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

This week is definitely going to be an "in the moment" week.  My oldest baby is graduating Saturday.  He's growing up so quickly!  That's what I want to celebrate.  The everyday going ons of raising a child.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Try to enjoy and cherish EVERY moment because they go from this....

To this.....

 

before you even know it. 

So enjoy the bath times, the bedtime stories, the spilled milk, the restless nights and everything that goes along with being a mama because it is so fleeting and precious.  Get all the hugs and kisses while you can and don't worry about the sticky mouths and dirty hands when they reach for that hug or kiss.  Those gestures are priceless.

Please forgive this mama if there just a few more tears around here.  They are happy tears full of pride for the young man he is turning into. 

Letting Go

Sorry I've been absent for a bit.  I wish I could blame it on my foot, but I can't. My foot is annoying and does limit some of my physical activities, but it doesn't limit my writing abilities.  Only my brain and heart can do that and sometimes stepping away for a little breather is the smart thing to do...you know "retreat is the better part of valor" kind of thing.  I thought about not putting any of this out there, but this blog is about what is going on in my world and my world isn't always rainbows and unicorns...but then who's is?  Hopefully this will serve as a reminder and I will be the better for it.

I've gone back and read some of my posts and noticed that some of my more pessimistic feelings have filtered through.  There has been some sadness here.  Some of it is just part of life, or the passing of it.  This affects us all in some way or another. And some of it is the changes that come with living and letting go.  We all have friends that come and go in our lives.  Sometimes, it's distance of miles that cause this departure. Sometimes it's a natural progression and sometimes it's a distance of kindness, which is more difficult to deal with, particularly when there is a lack of communication...as in I don't know why.  This is a terrible feeling...What did I do....What did I say...Why? And after racking my brain, I still don't know why so sometimes it's just better to let go. That's where I am - letting go.  Because evidently, they did it a while back.  I'm trying to do so with as little drama as possible because there was so little drama in getting to this point. But I'm afraid I'm one of those people and an explanation would be nice, just for some closure. It's probably not going to happen. So, without going into details, I am trying to get back to a good place. I'm trying to let go of the crap that really shouldn't matter and focus on what does matter. I'm trying to push the self pity aside and listen to my heart.  I'm trying to follow my gut again and not let other things interfere.

That being said, I would like to thank a few people.  First of all, you blog friends. There is a rotation of friends here and that's OK. Interests change and people move on, but there are some who keep coming back - You know who you are...the ones that laugh with me - or at me, because that's allowed. You encourage, hope, dream, inspire and share.  Your presence has meant a great deal to me.  Your comments and emails always put a smile on my face and you have helped keep me in a positive place during this time.

And my Biscuits...you ladies are phenomenal!  You have shown me repeatedly what friendship really is, just by being there and offering your support, righteous indignation and humor.  I don't know that I could have dealt with this as well as I have without your laughter and strength. You provide this without me asking and that's what is so amazing. You have reminded me that friendships aren't all one sided and that it's good to do for others, but don't let anyone take advantage of me or the situation.  I love you guys and humbly thank you....no tears girls!

Hopefully I will be able to get back to my normal, erratic schedule next week...Thanks for being there!