Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Spiderman?


Taylor (The Nephew) comes running in from the playscape in the yard with eyes popping out of his head and air gasping out of him.
"Sandra, look! Look at this!" he screams to me.
"What? What? What happened?", I reply fearing he is going to show me some hairy member of the arachnid family or perhaps a new reptilian friend.
"Look.....watch this!" He lifts the edge of his short-sleeved shirt and begins making voluntary jerking motions. "Can you believe that?", he questions.
"What? What happened? What is wrong? Did you break something?"......my heart is still racing, and fearing the worst.
"NO!", he shouts, "Just look. Look at those biceps! I have been climbing those monkey bars the last few days. I do that a lot at home, but look! There is somethin' messing with my DNA here in Austin. Look at these guns!"
To my knowledge, no radioactive spiders have sunk (sank? sanken?) their teeth into......no spiders have bitten Taylor. Must be in the Austin/Barton Springs water.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Roadrunner


Pre-race stretch and hug.

Starting line with Kate.


Run Kaelan, run!


Post race and boo-boos.
I am so far behind in posting......so many pictures, so little time. Here are a few pictures from the Round Rock Roadrunner. In the past, mama and even papa have run the 10K before the Kid K. Not so much this year. Kaelan did a great job despite being trampled at the starting line. Poor kid....she just can't seem to enter a race without collecting a road rash prize, lately. She actually had a footprint on her back from the dude, a father at that, who tripped over her and then proceeded to step on her, just as the start gun sounded. The skin had just returned to her knees from her last spell. She did wipe the tears and finish the race....gotta love that drive! Mama ran with her, and all the while, Jeana, Kate, Kaelan and I used spanking the fanny of the Chick-Fil-A cow as incentive to keep going. Proud of that girl!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Monday, June 15, 2009

Ashes to Ashes, and Dust to......Garage Sale


We had a garage sale last weekend. It was time. Like when the roots show through on the hair job, or when the flip-flops have some extra broken flopping. The one car fit in the garage was getting quite tight, and our storage shed runneth over. It was time.

Usually when we have a garage sale, we are extremely organized and everything meshes. This sale was a bit impromptu, so we pretty much just shoved the stuff out there early Saturday morning and threw our wishes for our junk to find a NEW good home out into the universe.

The night prior to the sale, I placed several piles and boxes of "treasures" near the front door for a quick grab in preparation for those crazy early bird shoppers (and you know what I talking about if you've ever had a sale).

Kaelan rose from her slumber at the crack of dawn, eager to come and help with the big event. Okay, seriously, I think she got up early out of fear we would sell some of her stuff off without her approval. Kaelan jumped right in with grabbing and stocking the tables that adorned our front driveway, and more than once I had to rescue items that were NOT intended for the sale.

Cut to a point midway in the morning when the garage bonanza is in full swing......

While talking with a nice lady perusing the tables and loading up on our loot, my eyes caught a glimpse of something on the corner of one of the tables. Could that be? No, you have got to be kidding....

I have been making a little stash of goods I plan to take with us on our travels home next week in the corner of the dining room. I just want to make sure I don't forget certain items on may take list, so I decided collecting them all in one place would be easiest. One of those items is very special. It is a small box containing the ashes of our beloved friend Poncho. We have gone to Cloudcroft a few times since his passing, but the earth was frozen, so we planned on taking them with us on our summer trip. You are a smart reader....I think you know where this is going.

So, there it was. A simple wooden box with a simple lift latch in all its glory on my garage sale table. It appeared my little helper had no idea what the contents of the magic box were. It simply looked like it could get a fair price. In horror, I watched as one of my best buyers approached the table as she chatted on and on about her 14 grandchildren. I cringed as I watched her hands take hold of the box. Words ran in fear of my tongue in hard, rocky clumps down my throat. That item is not for sale! Please don't open that box! Anything......but nothing came out. The lady's fingers clumsily fiddled with the latch, and just as the little stars begin to float around my head and the world went dark, a miracle occurred. The lady gave a shrug and placed the box back on the table. "I can't find room for anymore do-dads, anyhow. How much for that hat rack?", she stated. Thank you, Lord! That was an awkward conversation avoided!

You will be happy to know the box is in a much safer place now, awaiting its trip back to the mountains where Poncho was born and rolled in many a pile of cow manure. I'd like to think I would have gotten a real sweet deal on those ashes....he was after all one awesome dog!

Monday, June 8, 2009

All Good PC's Go to Heaven.....


Cue in the bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace".
I think my laptop is dead. I am fairly certain my laptop is dead. Yep, it is looking like he is a goner. I did get nearly all my photos backed up.....it wasn't a totally shocking death. There were warning signs.....I feel bad for not granting him something from the "Make a Wish Foundation" (laptop edition). Pictures and updates to come after I finish loading all the software/data on to the new and improved laptop.....but that is inappropriate for us to talk about right now.
R.I.P. my little PC.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Mother's Milk

Sometimes, I drink it straight from the bottle. There, I said it. Even though I absolutely flip my lid when I catch Doug drinking directly from the gallon of milk, when given the opportunity of discreetness, I will save myself the labor of cleaning one more dish, and drink from the juice jug.

Now, my confessional ends, and I can begin my story.....I feel better. Don't you?

In the hopes of feeling more lively and limber, or just no pain while walking up a few stairs, I have been on a regimen of natural and herbal remedies. Most of the stuff I take is in pill form, but I heard about a drink loaded with good stuff, and after reading some of the info I obtained on a google search, I decided to give it a try.

The stuff is called Mona Vie. Don't run....I am not going to try and sell it to you or layer you beneath me on a pyramid scheme. A friend's mom sells it, which kind of makes her like my "mule", doesn't it? (That will up her street cred here in the 'hood.) In my quest to stay off the heavy narcotics, I felt this might be a step in the right direction. It comes in a cute little bottle like this:



I had to take it to my doc's office to get approval before starting to take it. My doctor thought we were having a party when she walked in to find me holding up a boozy looking bottle that I tried to secretly sneak into the office wrapped in a paper bag......which only made it worse.

Anyhow, since starting the stuff, I constantly find myself having to explain why I have a stock of "wine" in my fridge. Most folks are aware that neither myself or Doug are much for alcohol consumption, so when they see a couple of bottles stored around the house, they start to wonder themselves when exactly the party starts.

I treat my Mona Vie in a very medicinal manner. I have a little measuring device like the ones in a hospital, and each day I remove my bottle from the fridge and pour just the right amount (too much can be bad, who new acai berry was so serious?), and take it whilst I consume my other vices. Occasionally, (and again, I stress this is a rare occurrence) I am in a hurry, and I just grab my bottle and guzzle the approximate 4 oz. and head on my way.

Story prepped.....now, the meat for your taters.

Recently, while visiting a friend's house for a group dinner, the kid's were playing near a huge wine rack the family has in their dining room. Fearful of my child using the rack as a step ladder (eek....what a carpet stain that would be), I tried to lure the children to another room.

"Let's go play in the romper room. You are making me nervous around those bottles", I told Kaelan.

"What is that thing?", one of the other children asked.

"I know, " called my all-knowing toddler. "It's a big tower to hold MOMMY'S MEDICINE!"

All the adults stopped their conversations and leaned in for more info.

"Really?", one of my friend's questioned, with a coy smile. "Does mommy need her medicine often?"

"Yep, every day. Sometimes early in the morning AND at night, too. Sometimes she just gets it out of the fridge and drinks it out of the bottle before we jump in the car....."

Gasps and giggles erupted from the grown-ups. Perhaps Sandra did partake of the spirits more than she let on.

I took a deep breathe and started my plea, "Wait! It's for medicinal purposes....really! Let me explain!"

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Law of Reciprocity


Your Random Acts of Kindness have touched my heart and have made a ripple in the world around you! Thank you so much to all of you who have sent emails, cards, text messages, smoke signals with beautiful words detailing your kind acts! I hope the giving continues. I will get a list of those received together for all to share!
A principle found throughout the Bible is: people return “like for like.” What you make happen for others God will make happen for you now. Jesus said, “Give and it will be given back to you….” In other words, acts of compassion will be returned with acts of compassion. If you desire to have more respect in your life then start giving out more respect to others. Whatever you give will come back to you in greater measure. Jesus said, “Pressed down, shaken together and running over” (Luke 6:38). If the positive is true, the negative is also true. Some people give out criticism and it comes back to them packed down and overflowing.

You well know that whatever right thing any one does, he will receive a requital for it from the Lord...
Ephesians 6:8
Thank You!