A MONDAY HIGH

MLK day

1.  sleeping in till 7, listening to the owls coo at dawn, knowing your banker hubs has Monday off and his outfit will be shorts instead of a tie

2. Your precious sister in law AND HER mom asleep together in your upstairs bedroom while cinnamon rolls warm and coffee brews...for a visit on the way to see her bo peep at college

3.  Your son and wife and bun in their oven popping in unexpectedly for a lunch visit

4.  Your baby bo peep calling to tell you about the radiator hose, the commitment of student loans for masters education getting paid off (not by you) and chicken in the crock pot recipe with homemade pico

4.  picking up your grandbaby at Gus Birdwell Elementary and fun 

washing the owl poop off your car soon after

5.  Hubs talking to his dad about measurements of bookshelves they are building together for his office

6.  Wheel of Fortune, blazing fire, Hamburger Helper

 with two precious blondies that live down the street

 who both now know how to ride a bike

7.  A Hot Bath Stiff Drink

I mean really...

how many good normal boring incredible real perfect things can happen in one day

to assure you...that....

life is abundant?

Thank you 

Martin

Luther

King

HONEY BEE

From time to time I like to decorate

 the baking station that nobody bakes at

do you remember me telling you about the dream I had before we looked at

822...the one about me growing lavender and having honey from bees?

and then when we came to look there was an actual wild bee hive that we had to get someone to come remove from our picnic table?

 ....to be brought back when our yard was completed?

and later when digging around in the yard putting in a new water line

we uncovered this old glass bottle?

maybe I'm just craving spring

(I'm not craving to bake)

but I just love bees

and hives

little bo peep even took a college class and

gave me her books

I think me and bees are M.F.E.O.

(made for each other)

I can't wait to have a real bee hive where I really go gather honey

did you know that if you eat honey that is raised within a 7 mile radius you won't have allergies?

kind of makes sense

so over in the white dish corner on a cold January day

I made myself a little reminder

spring days are not that far off

and my dream of bees and honey

and summer's fragrant lavender

are enough for now

it will be here before you know it!

WINDMILL TOWN TEXAS USA

This Thursday, our little city will be the host of the regional
Texas Municipal League Quarterly Meeting
to be held at the Civic Center in Amarillo

Our former mayor will give the program which I created for him and was so honored to do so.

As I was creating this program, it gave me great satisfaction to realize how much a part I had in this whole event. I was the chamber director and looking back I realize something I did not at the time...

it is possibly one of my greatest achievements that will benefit our town forever.  I am a behind the scenes kinda gal, and I highly doubt that 16 years later folks in this town even remember that I had anything to do with it at all.   I don't care about that..really...all I care about is that my husband and kids know it and that it will make a substantial impact...a very positive one.

 Our little oilfield pop up town is ...well...not that cute when seen by the highway. The idea was to place the mills (68 now) throughout the town so that folks could get a good look at how neat our little corner of the world is.  I can remember finding the way points of all the mills to list them on the chamber website....16 years ago, GPS was futuristic to our windmillers who are all 70+.  We also created a memorial fence and the local businesses adopted the mills...these proceeds fund the efforts of the association.

On this day, we were presented the flags that flew over the US Capitol by our Congressman Larry Combest; and the one that flew over the State Capitol by our State Senator Teel Bivins.  The first mill was brought in by a team of Clydesdale horses and raised by the power of a 1920 steam engine.  All 3 news channels were on the scene and we had a crowd of over 300.

One of these mills in the collection is at the Smithsonian and the collection was in the process of being purchased by Texas Tech University...that is until I said...

Wait just one dang minute here...

and the rest...

as they say...is history!

OK...LET IT BE A QUEEN

So...we went to Oklahoma City to buy a bed and came home with a mirror

which is a good thing

because when we got to looking at the space between our sconces...well...

it caused me to get out the measuring tape

me to hubs:  there's not enough space to put our bed 

hubs during football bowl week:  peeking over his glasses rims:  annoyed

me:  really...go look...go measure...there's not enough room

long story short

our contractor does know how big a king size mattress is

he just didn't think about that mattress being surrounded by a big fat fancy four poster bed

there is barely enough space for a QUEEN..without moving lots of stuff

stuff like sconces and electricity and plugs and holes in walls

so

Queen it is

don't let this happen to you...know your bed size

the mattress is only part of it!

PUNKED OR POISED

via google

Ok...I confess...sometimes I act dumb just for the heck of it

even though I am getting on up there in years 

and have over-baked paint-thinned stimulated this old brain in sun and fun at times

I'm really still pretty sharp, uh huh

let me tell you a recent and funny advertising story

I had a person from a big city contact small-town-me 

about putting a very well-known product on one of my online sites

we were doing all this via email as I detest talking on the phone..

which in this case would have been prudent

it literally took days to complete the transaction

to the point I told hubs.."I'm getting punked..she's punking me"

it seems that she had the "ok" from powers that be to place their logo on a specific story

dated November 2012

she thought I was a dunce because it took me some real effort to locate it in our archives and with each change/addition of logos and links...it changed the html code which was not the one approved

(btw..it took a bit of jiggling with all the additions,
to make the code stay exactly the same as the one that was approved)

I thought the same of her--as in--why would you want to sponsor a page that no one will ever read again?

but...she insisted and during the transaction 

there were two wonderful things that played out in our dealings with one another

1.  Patience

2.  Graciousness/politeness

to each other

have you ever wondered if someone was being difficult to you on purpose

to test your character in how you treat others

hmmm...it's kind of an interesting thought isn't it?

SURVIVING

is important

but to thrive

is

ELEGANT

PAPER

Tradition says

the 1st anniversary gift should be

paper

that'll do 

SOFTLY CALL THE MUSTER

I must admit that I have lost a little interest in blogging (writing not reading) but am trying so hard to get it back!

You see...I was really really so sad over the shooting of the school children.  I think it hit me so hard because my own granddaughter was just that age and I could only imagine...and quite frankly had a hard time putting it out of my mind.

I am writing a prisoner and have been for about 6 months now...it's a very very long story, but I'm so glad I'm doing it..he has been such a blessing to me.

I did have a wreck that totaled my car and though no one was hurt, it just made me realize how incredibly crazy and even dangerous the traffic was...and why?  Shopping?  It all kind of scared me.

All that being said, it seemed like anything I might want to write would just be so shallow and frivolous and almost....well the first words that come to mind are pathetically unimportant.  How can I post photos and content about curtains and paint and tile while so many in this world are truly living in such immense pain?

How do you write Merry Christmas on a colorful card to a young man who may be behind bars for most of the good part of his life?

I have really thought a lot about it and this is the conclusion that I have come to....

Our world will always be full of this kind of thing..no matter what we do or don't do
I am so blessed by reading about your fun and meaningful creative worlds--it has been quite healing
Perhaps it's very important, rather than frivolous, to know how much good still exists in the world
Do you suppose it's possible that all the little good parts of all our worlds...stuck together, could actually

Change things?

When our youngest was attending Texas A&M, one of the rich traditions they do each year is

Muster Call

they meet at a certain hour and call the name of all those that have died

some are old, some are young, some are tragic and some are expected

but they unite

light a candle one to another

those that are chosen to, answer "here" to the names called~

 and soon, the space is illuminated

yes, our world can be hard and scary and full of sorrow

yet

in our everyday lives there are

words and photos

poetic, humorous, engaging and informative

sons that cut hair locks for love, family, Swedish antiques, frolicky puppies, couples that have loved each other for years and years, letters to daughters, castles, water colored owls, recipes, 

fashion tips, Christmas wreaths, garden tips, art, makeovers, travel and just plain

everyday lives lived

 a light that beckons us

away from the dark

excellent

NEW YEAR RESOLVE

I love resolutions...especially new ones!  But this year I decided to keep it simple.  I am going to do one thing and one thing only...I already know it will be a thing that will matter and make a difference.

I am going to

seek ye first the kingdom of God

and let all the rest be added unto me

Matthew 6:33

SO LONG 2012

You say good bye

and I say hello

I don't know why you say good-bye

I say hello

I am finally getting my muster back...lots to share

one thing I want to say...I do a lot of blog reading late in the night from my Ipad which for some reason will not let me leave comments...but dear ones...I have  kept in close touch with you and look forward to things kind of getting back to normal in the next day or two...

who knows...

I might even take a bath!

IN GREAT SORROW AND HUMBLE GRATITUDE

PURA VIDA

pure life

I was in a wreck on Thursday that was not my fault and I totaled my car

We had our family Christmas this weekend and it was fun 

My brother is here to visit

My baby brother has a new girlfriend

Our new daughter Jena is having morning sickness

Coach Been's team lost

Grace went to California to the art gallery opening of David Caruso

we watched Betty

This morning as I held this precious life close to me and waited on her mom to come pick her up for school

I watched a couple on tv talk about what their precious baby wore to school Friday

including sparkly ugs...just like Betty has...a bouncy ponytail and a bright happy smile

and that when she found out she was gone 

she went home 

and crawled back into the bed that her 6 year old had just left

Pura Vida will pause to pray for this unspeakable loss

and to give thanks for the life and gifts 

that have not been

 taken 

from us

PARFUME FIDDLE

my hippie bff is such a cool grandmother

this summer she had a little yard sale for her 3 granddaughters and I happened upon them

This lovely little atomizer belonged to HER aunt

I snatched it up so fast and paid them extra!

and then I got a most clever idea~

for my dressing room table to be 

I am going to take photos of my small collection of

vintage perfume bottles

and I'm going to 

FIDDLE

them

on to a 12x12x2 wrapped canvas

my favorite is 

Oil Paint Style

You might like

Deep Sponge

Or Knife Impasto

Or Heavy Knife Impasto

Or Oil Paint Mild

I haven't decided yet...still playing around with the thought of it all

you know..backgrounds, placement, all different?  all the same?

which bottles?  all the same color?

and if you visit the site, you will find dozens of styles from sketch to sepia...tons to choose from

I think I could spend all day fiddlling this one little perfume bottle

and my next idea was to print it on some old paper and mat and frame it

for my hippy bff for Christmas and her vintage dressing table!

PEACE

I confess

I have not enjoyed a great deal of peace these past two years

I mean, really, how can one obtain peace when constantly surrounded by

destruction?

I only realize now that we are in the home stretch, how very hard it has been

(mentally) to take a perfectly good house and take it down to the bare bones

to build it back up again.  

It has gone against my nature

 the desire for 

peace

is instilled in us 

deeper than we can ever imagine

Peace is a beautiful ornament we wear

a pleasant garment we put on

an essence that exudes from within

As we remember this day 

December 7, 1941

and the overwhelming destruction

let us also remember in this Christmas season that 

peace

is a sister to 

hope

and to my precious daughter Grace,

I am so grateful that you teach me each day

EMBRACE THE GRACE

so elegantly

Peace creates grace and grace gives peace 

In memory of Roy Lynn Bulls...who left as a boy to fight for his country and made it home to be my dad

TABLE AT THE READY

Long Christmases ago, my dear mother purchased each child (5)

a 12 piece place setting and serving dishes of

Fitz and Floyd

St. NICHOLAS

I love to set my little breakfast table with them

so that they are at my fingertips whether I want a cup of cocoa

or a full blown dinner party

It makes for such a festive view when you step into our kitchen

and I just love how you can see all the way down the house out the window

and into the neighbor's yard!

and when you have little ones around

you need to have a few Santas too!

We found this one under the original stairs when we tore them out and moved them

I love his charming and nostalgic face

We found this treasure in the house too!

I love to mix the formal with the retro with the whimsy with the contemporary

and the soul with the spirit

Yesiree...we are pretty ready at 822