The BIG Day!

Waiting to go downstairs and see if Santa was here...

B was first one up. He maybe 15, but he's still a kid, thank goodness!!

The boys received lots of wonderful gifts and had a great day.

B has taken a liking to flannel shirts...but then again who wouldn't, they are so comfy!

Tuck is happy with no shirt at all...

Dudley looking for wadded up wrapping paper to play with.

We had a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

It was a little different this year spending it without any family other than the five of us.

Mom was here the first year and Brent's parents were here last year.

Christmas Eve was cold and snowy. We went to Denny's for dinner (there are only like 3 choices of sit down restaurants here in our little town). With the blowing snow we didn't want to travel to far from home just for dinner. Back at home we opened our one present and got ready for Santa. Christmas day was spend playing games, cooking (we had steak and it was great) and putting up Christmas decorations. I know, we put them up way to early you are thinking. But the thing is, I had to work on Saturday and we were leaving on Sunday for Lubbock, then home on New Year's Even and then left again on Friday to get home on Sunday and go back to school on Monday! We all wanted to get it done so we didn't have to do it when we got back. Besides, we had the decorations up the week before Thanksgiving.

Okay, only one more post with our trip to Lubbock and New Year's Eve then I'll be all caught up and ready to get the New Year going!

C ya in a minute, K

Makes me HAPPY

Last week end we bought one of those (above) so that we could see one of these:
Aren't they awesome?!?!
If I am lucky enough to be standing at the kitchen sink when they fly up, I can see their little feet holding onto to the lip of the feeder.
I guess when your wings are going at warp speed, you have to hold on to something while you get a drink!
We tried and tried in Lubbock to attract hummingbirds but never with any luck.
I didn't know if it was my water recipe or the dogs or the atmosphere...
But, the other day Brent was certain he had seen one in our yard, so off to Lowes we went for a feeder. They make boxes of powdered mix (like koolaide) that you can now buy to feed them.
I don't know how many we have, but we have certainly been enjoying them.
Have a happy and restful Labor Day weekend!
Hugs, K

Fun Saturday!

My boys took me here first thing Saturday!

It was amazing. I have been wanting to go check out "The Red Shed".

My BFF mentioned the place to me, then I ran into their blog while blog hopping one fine day!

Their blog has lots of fabulous treats!

This past Saturday was their "Special Sale" that they only have four times a year.

The ladies were so nice and helpful. We (Brent even) got lots of fun ideas for our backyard.

I found a pretty vintage lampshade like I have been wanting.

I will take off the fabric and decorate with ribbon and vintage ephemera.

I also found a cute little two drawer utensil type holder thing-a-ma-jig.

Downtown Grapevine was a delight and I think next time I may grab a girlfriend or two and stroll through more of the downtown stores and sights.

We then took Brando to Rosa's Cafe for his birthday lunch. There isn't one within 45 min. of us. It's one of our top 5 restaurants we miss from Lubbock.

Brent gave us an unexpected, unplanned tour of downtown Dallas which included Highland Park and SMU. I love to see what all is hidden in downtown Dallas. We are always on the main highway/interstate and in a hurry to baseball or soccer, so there's never much time to just explore. I always wonder where taking one of those less busy/popular exits will take us. I know there is so much more around here to see and do than what is in our little corner of North Texas. It was fun and interesting. The homes in Highland Park are amazing!!

I hope you had a fun and adventurous weekend too!

Hugs, K

Is it a ROSE or...

a HIBISCUS??

It is so beautiful with it's many frilly petals! I would almost swear it's a rose if I didn't know better!!

It's a Hibiscus, and I wish I knew the exact species because I would buy lots more!

I bought the plant a year ago this last spring and it was blooming when I bought it.

Last summer, the buds kept getting infested with bugs and no spray would keep them off.

I brought it in during the winter, while it struggled just to keep leaves.

This spring I put it back outside praying no bugs "bugged" it!

This is the pay off!! It took this long to bloom again and the full bloom only lasts a day.

Luckily, there are multiple blooms coming up each day!

Don't ya just love it???

Hugs,

K

Happy Anniversary Babe...

Today is our

17th Anniversary

and Brent has been singing that song to me ALL DAY long!!

very cute though...

We were married 17 years ago, outside, at sunrise with the squirrels running around and birds singing in the background. It was a beautiful morning and the sun was shining bright.

My bouquet was made of Gerber Daisies in pink and yellow.

Our reception was a brunch that was topped off with wedding cake layers of

Strawberry (mine) and Italian Cream (his)!

Here we are 3 houses, 2 cities, 8 jobs (mostly me), 3 KIDS, 6 dogs, 6 cats, 5 vehicles, 7 schools, unlimited baseball teams, soccer teams, and basketball teams, 3 football teams (our kids least favorite sport to play), unlimited lessons learned, very few regrets, amazing family and friends along the way and ENDLESS wonderful MEMORIES later!

"Life is an amazing journey, not a destination"

(not sure who author is...)

Hope your day is full of happiness, hugs, and singing like mine!

Hugs, K

(our boys took the pic, pretty good job, huh? this is one of about 4 photos.

i need to crop, but this computer doesn't have photo shop)

Polka Dots

I finally got my polka dotted kitchen curtains made and up!

I made them so that I can pull them open to see outside. I love having all these windows in my house, so I try not to cover them up completely. I like leaving either the top or bottom open.

You can also see on the left where I hung my little soldered house.

Have a super day!

Hugs,K

Boys of Summer Part II

The boys dug out the slip n slide this weekend and the games were on!

This is how Keyto and Tuck learned to do the baseball slide. That is what they are playing in most of the pictures. One of them stands to the side and throws the ball to the catcher (at the end of the slide) and tries to get the runner out.

Tuck doesn't like water in his face, so every slide at the end he turns.

At first B wasn't playing, but then later on couldn't stand to miss out on the fun or competitivness his brothers had going on. Wally looks for every bit of shade he can find!

Patiently waiting for big brother to MOVE!

Look at that form, he is the Slip N Slide King!

More pics tomorrow of how Wally cools off!

Also, more Paper Cowgirl pics. Until then though, if you can't wait, you can click on the Paper Cowgirl button on the top left or click on Tina or Cindy (yapping cat) in the previous post to see their blogs and pics!

Hugs,

K

Paper Cowgirl Welcome

A true cowgirl welcome with Sunflowers tied up with a pink bandana!

Tina and Cindy

Tina and Cindy are the two amazingly talented ladies who created the Paper Cowgirl Retreat.

They have been working on it for many months and the time and attention they put into it was evident with every little detail. I had a great time and truly enjoyed my classes, lunches, vendor fair, and social time. These ladies thought of everything. I hope this event continues to grow and that many more ladies will get to attend and be apart of this fun and talented group of women. Next time I hope to talk my MIL, Aunt, and BFF into going!!

More pics to come of my classes, the vendors and my "finished" projects!

Hugs, K

B's Baseball Banquet

Last night was Brandan's High School baseball banquet. It was great. I was soooo proud of him. He received the Best Defensive Player Award for Center Field! All the awards were voted on by the boys. The cutie on Brandan's left is Ridge and he received the Freshman Pitching Award. His big brother is a Jr. on the Varsity and received a District Pitching Award. That is Riley on B's right. He is a sweetheart and has the best personality!

This is the Freshman Coach...Coach T. Wallis. He is only 24 and this was his first year coaching.

I think he AND the boys learned a lot about High School ball!

I told them to just ignore me and as you can see they did a great job of it, especially Brandan. The boys all looked so handsome. A Mexican food restaurant in town catered a Fajita Buffet that was very good. The decorations were great! There was also a huge cake. I can't wait to be a part of all the planning next year. The parents are all really nice (I don't know many of the Varsity and none of the JV). It is good to go somewhere and know people now. High School baseball has been way different than we all expected, but I think we are finding out niche now.

He was giving me a hard time about being soooo much taller than me.

I didn't realize it was this much until I saw this picture!

Proud Daddy! Wont' be long before B catches up with his Dad on height!

WE are sooo proud of you Brando!

Keyto and Tuck were with the neighbors. Keyto had his last outdoor soccer game to makeup. He said they tied the other team, which is a good note to end their season.

Have a happy week! I only have today and tomorrow at work before we close. Friday is Tuck's Field Day at school so I will miss the last day the store is open. Probably best!

Hugs, K

Heaven on Earth #2

This is my heaven on earth. Acres and acres of beautiful flowers...wandering from flowerbed to flowerbed. I feel joy, excitement, bliss, and a peace that no other place, but home gives me. A couple of months ago I posted Brando's heaven on earth...the new baseball field. That is his favorite place, where he is himself, his bliss. It doesn't matter if it is the buckets of flowers at the grocery store, the local hardware store, the intimate nursery on the road home, or my small flowerbed (our old house had lots and lots of flowerbeds), the flowers bring me happiness and a feeling that all is right in my world no matter the challenges.

This is at the arboreteum that we went to for Tuck's school field trip. The morning was a little misty at first, but eventually the sun came out...for a bit. Then around lunch time it turned cold and cloudy, but it didn't darken our spirits we had a great time.

I was "in charge" of my little rugrat plus one boy and two little girls. They were great and we had lots of fun.

This is part of the Texas history display they have. We got to stand inside the teepee and sit in the covered wagon. There were also a bunch of cabins and historical buildings.

TULIPS! Many, many tulips in all colors, shapes and sizes. Bed and beds of them. It was FABULOUS. I am anxious to go back and see what they have planted in place of the tulips. There were a lot of flowerbeds that had volunteers and paid workers already replacing what I think were probably pansies and daffodils that were dying off from winter and early spring.This is White Rock Lake. Just beautiful...

A very cool structure that the kids enjoyed playing on.

Gotta have a pirate ship.

Azalea bushes in bloom everywhere. Tuck loved this place just as much as I did. He really got into all the activities they did. I don't know if you remember, but he used to take a lawnmover with him EVERYWHERE. Maybe, just maybe, he will be a Landscape Designer! Remember the bluebonnets he planted? Looks like a few of the seeds took and we may have some late bloomers!

We were supposed to be looking for pollen on flowers that bees were spreading, but got intrigued with a bug or TWO.

I am looking foward to a trip back, actually, I would like to go back with the family, by myself (so I can actually read the labels and info.), take family/friends from home, go with the girls...I could just live there I think. Sooooo, if you come to visit me anytime soon this may be on the agenda!!

Hugs,

K

PS. I am really sorry for all the exclamation points, but I just get so excited I can't not put them in...

First Pitch, First Run

What a night Thursday for our family!! Tucker was honored by his principal and teacher by being selected as a First Pitch Kid in our school district (only TWO kids per SCHOOL are chosen). The program is sponsored by the head Varsity Baseball Coach and our School Chief of Police (a great guy)! The kids are picked based on how they are in and out of the classroom. We are so proud of him!

That is a Varsity jersey on Brando! This is also the night Brandan RAN and SCORED for the Varsity...2 times!!!! He didn't hit, but ran for the hitter and did awesome. The score of the game was 11-1 us. Very cool. Brando has been at the Varsity games on the bench, but hadn't played until tonight. I am so grateful it happened tonight, because I won't be able to be at the game on Tuesday (too far away on a school night for the little ones). I would just die if I didn't get to see him play his first game. But YES! I did and am sooooo proud.

Here is Tuck in the Dug-Out pre-game meeting some of the Varsity players and the Chief of School Police.

Here he is meeting Coach Autrey (head coach)

My pics got a little out of order, so this is him following through on his pitch. He threw it all the way to the dirt! Brando was so proud. We practiced for several days to get back in the motion. Brando was a little concerned and vocalized that if it bounced in the green he might be laughed at. No pressure there!!

I believe here, he is verifying to Coach that he new the correct direction in which to throw the ball!

Tuck received a nice certificate and a baseball signed by all the players.

It was really cool after he received the certificate and baseball, all the players lined up to shake his hand, even his big BRO is at the end of the line. So cool!

Keyto is such a great Big Brother. Very supportive of his brothers. And very cute I might add.

This is his first time to run. We played West Mesquite. You can see the haze in the background caused by the wild fires. It was giving me a headache and I rarely get headaches.

Darn that kid's elbow!! This is when he scored the first time. Whoo HOO!

This is his 2nd time to run and is on 3rd base getting a few pointers from Coach!

What a night. I am just the most blessed MOM in the world! I am so grateful that all my boys are doing so well in their school, sports and social life.

Have a blessed weekend.

Hugs,

K