New Book!

Did you know I authored a third book? Well, neither did I! Imagine my shock when I unwrapped a gift this Christmas and saw a book with my name as the author. Angela had taken "Our Story" from my blog and made it into a book. I was overwhelmed with joy!

Our Story tells about the grief recovery journey that Cheryl and I traveled together. Our friendship has so many fascinating stories that I decided to do a series on it through the blog. I never expected to see it in book form, complete with pictures, and my name on the cover. I immediately asked Angela if she had sent a copy to Cheryl. She said Cheryl had received hers that very day and was so excited to talk to me about it. Cheryl was as thrilled as I am with the book. We both sat down and read it again. What is really special is that Angela included Cheryl's comments after each chapter.

I wish this picture could capture the real beauty of the book. My camera flash is reflected in the glossy book cover even though I snapped several times and at different angles. This was the best shot.

Thank you, Angela, for a keepsake Christmas gift that will always be cherished by Cheryl and me. You're a special daughter to your Mom and Mom II. We love you!

Christmas with my Wonderful Kids!

Our 4th and final Christmas for 2009 was last night and we had a ball. There was a slew of eager grandchildren, just waiting to tear into the presents. Christmas has always been the most fun when children are involved.I'm always proud of the family pictures. Here's my beautiful Allison with her family. Sophia didn't feel well and was not in the picture taking mode. Nothing is much fun when sick.

My beautiful Angela with her family. I'm so thankful they came for Christmas and I really enjoyed the sleepover with these precious kids.

My handsome Ron with his beautiful family. We missed Candice, who had to work. I was happy that Camryn was able to rearrange her work schedule.

Mama with her three grown up babies. Ron thought it funny to mess up my hair but I have news for him: it was already a mess due to my hot rollers biting the dust. Thanks to Angela and Clayton for slipping in a new set when I wasn't looking. Aren't those some gorgeous kids???

Sophia definitely looks like she doesn't feel well. She was a cuddle bug most of the night, mostly in her Daddy's lap. Brian didn't feel well either and he and Sophia missed our dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

The house was busting at the seams with family, as it should be.

We had another white Christmas! Ashton and Juliet posed with snowflakes drifting in their hair.

Christmas is over for another year but the warm memories last forever. What a fabulous day with family.

A Princess Tea Party

While Robin entertained Ashton and Callan, Juliet and I had a princess tea party. Unfortunately, Juliet was the only one with a princess gown. Memaw had to improvise.
First, we snapped a picture of our little princess in front of the tree. Those gifts will finally get opened this evening. Isn't she a doll? She's definitely princess material.

I hope my lacy blouse and pearls will qualify me as royalty. If not, I think Juliet is decked out enough for us both.

The granddaughters are loving the tea set Robin gave me one Christmas for this very purpose. Since Juliet lives out of state, this was our first time to enjoy a tea party together.

What's a tea party without something sweet to eat? We indulged in some cinnamon rolls while daintily sipping our tea (grape juice). This sweet young princess and the wizened old princess had a royal time!

Christmas at the Farm

Christmas with the family at the farm was wonderful. However, I'm dismayed that my pictures didn't turn out. Even though they are blurry, I'm posting the better ones. My daughters told me they weren't clear and I assured them they would upload perfectly. I was wrong. I also talked to Clayton about my eyesight and he assured me that family gets a good rate. Having my eyes checked and getting used to a new camera should solve the picture-taking problems.My mother and her sister, Dorothy, in their matching Christmas sweatshirts are proudly showing off Mother's hard work. Again, as she did Thanksgiving, she made ten pies, two cakes, and added her mouth-watering homemade fudge and peanut patties. Exercise should be on my list of New Year's resolutions!

Jude and I got into this picture but we can't take credit for the baked goods, except for the oatmeal cookies I made.

Same camera, clearer picture. Go figure. Robin and my mother are pretending to have this wonderful mother-in-law/son-in-law relationship. Actually, they get along well since they both are good at picking at each other.

Sophia, Callan, and Juliet getting ready to chow down. The cousins were so excited to be together. Thomas spent the night with Jude and Ashton even though the household was functioning on little sleep due to Allison's nanny job and Angela traveling all night. It was great having my baby home for Christmas.

These are my handsome nephews, Ryan and Troy. They belong to my brother Dennis and his wife, Cindy. I appreciate the pose since guys aren't into getting their pictures taken. Thanks, guys!

Tuesday I will finally have all my kids and grandkids together at my house for Christmas. We always have four Christmases at different times to make sure everyone is included. The day doesn't matter. Having family together does.

A White Christmas!

A white Christmas is a rarity in Texas so we really got excited about the snow. Having plans to stay in anyway just made it perfect. I can remember a time or two when we had snow flurries on Christmas, but never the blizzard we had this time. I just wish I'd gotten my lazy body out of bed early enough to catch the full beauty. Temperatures are above freezing and it's melting fast.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Robin and I always enjoy Christmas Eve when we share our Christmas together. It's a special time. Now I'm looking forward to having all my kids here for gifts, dinner and cinnamon rolls next week.
This is the first picture I took with my new camera Robin gave to me. It's PINK! Allison asked if it was a Barbie camera. Funny girl. It's small and will fit nicely in my purse and I'm so proud of it.

I thought I'd sneak in Robin's birthday dinner picture since I hadn't posted it. We chowed down on steak (me) and steak and lobster for Robin.

Robin posing with his new guitar. I bought an instruction book that will come in handy. He's a beginner and a very anxious one at that. I look forward to the day he becomes professional.

Since I picked out my jeans Robin didn't bother to wrap them, just placed a bow on the rear. We had to go to a western store to find Levis in black.

I also picked out the black wool coat he gave me. He selected the guitar he wanted but we still had a few surprises under the tree. I never expected my metallic pink camera. It will really make me a blogging queen.

Merry Christmas to all and have a healthy, happy 2010.

The Divas' Christmas Lunch

I'm finally getting around to posting the fabulous time the Texas Divas had with our Christmas lunch and gift exchange. Let's just say I have been steadily going crazy with shopping for a husband, 6 kids, 9 grandchildren, Robin's 2 kids and his twin grandchildren. I see the fear in Robin's eyes when he dares to say a word to me. This, too, shall pass (I hope).
We had three special guests join us for our Christmas lunch. This is Leslie, Donna's step-daughter from her former marriage. We were so glad to see her again and marvel at how she has grown up into such a lovely young woman. I hope she will join us again.

Deborah and Cathy were in the Christmas spirit and shared many laughs with us.

Paula P. brought her sister, Trish. We were excited to have her with us and hope she will make it a habit. There's always room for another Texas Diva. Welcome, Trish!

Cathy brought her childhood friend, Shar, who was visiting Cathy at the time. She was a real hoot, just the type we need in our group. She lives further away but we hope she will want to get crazy again with us whenever she is in town.

Patty and I are great childhood friends too. We had a special advantage since it was slumber party weekend. We shopped, wrapped, and laughed a lot. We missed three of our Divas: Jan, Darlene and Allison. Allison was on her way to Missouri for Christmas with her in-laws. Too many absences aren't allowed! Merry Christmas to a group of ladies who save each other a lot of money on therapists. I love you all!

Happy Birthday, Robin!

The Birthday Boy is proudly displaying his German Chocolate Cake that he gets only once a year. They are time-consuming. One year I slipped in a German chocolate cake mix. He ate a few bites and asked what did I do differently this year. Well, I was lazy but it won't happen again. So I separated 8 eggs, melted chocolate, bought buttermilk that will be thrown out since neither of us will drink it. Ah, but Robin is worth the trouble.
I gave him a bottle of Versace Man, two bags of his favorite candy, a hooded jacket, and a new alarm clock with extra features, including the projection of the time on the ceiling. He wants steak and lobster for dinner so we are going out. I'm ordering steak. No lobster for me. He can have it all.

Happy birthday, Robin. I hope your wonderful, adoring, loving wife makes it all you dreamed it would be. I love you!

Happy Birthday, Angela

My beautiful Angela is celebrating a birthday today. How I wish I were celebrating with her. But the distance between us is only measured in miles and my heart is with her today and every day. I know her little family will more than take up the slack. They've been known to make her breakfast, pamper her, and I have a feeling an intimate body massage is on the schedule for tonight. Can't beat that, unless I was there to add a good fingernail touch to her back.
I love and admire this girl for many reasons beyond being my wonderful daughter. Her beauty begins on the inside and just blossoms on the outside. She gives time and care to her relationships and is a doting mother to Ashton, Juliet and Callan. I'm sure Clayton will agree that she is a loving and devoted wife (I know where you work, Clayton). She's talented, creative, loving, fun and has a sterling character. Just ask anyone. You don't have to take her mother's word for it.

Happy birthday, Punkin. I thank God for handing me this special delivery ?? years ago. I love you!

My Obsession with Perfume

A girl just can't have enough perfume. And I have these pictures to prove it. No, I didn't indulge myself with all these beautiful bottles of lovely scents. My family and friends know of my passion and they think of perfume for every occasion. Mostly, they came from Patty who is just as obsessed as I am. Every time she buys herself something new, she buys two so she can share with me. I am blessed.
Robin gave me this standing cabinet for Christmas last year to hold my prized possessions. My vanity was becoming too crowded and I wasn't about to stop my collection.

I have two wall cabinets stocked with my smaller bottles. I estimate that I have around 160 bottles of perfume. About a dozen are loaned out to family. Even my younger granddaughters love to sample the good stuff.

A few bottles still remain on the vanity due to lack of room in the cabinets. I enjoy selecting my fragrance for the day. I have my favorites but still like something different once in awhile. I do not have a signature scent. I tire of the same thing every day. So, a girl really needs variety in her perfume. For those of you who want to know what I want for Christmas, this is it. Of course I still have my other obsession with Peanut M&Ms.

Thanksgiving at the Farm

It was a bittersweet Thanksgiving this year without my Sugar. Last year he pulled me into his lap and neither of us seemed to want that moment to end. We didn't know it would be the last time. We sure missed him at our family feast. We also missed his beautiful prayer over the meal. But we're all confident that we will sit with him at the great banquet table in heaven one day soon.Donna and I went to help Mother two days before our big family gathering. We went out for Mexican food to treat ourselves before the busy cooking began.

Cousins Joe and Janet came for the night and we enjoyed our visit with them as always. They left early the next morning for Thanksgiving with Janet's brother and family. Thanks, you two, for buying our meal.

I guess no one has told my mother that she is 83. Before we arrived, she had all the dressing and cranberry salad made, rolls mixed up, three cakes baked, and two fruit pies made. Then she spent the day making eight more pies. These crusts were filled with pumpkin, chocolate, coconut and pecan. They were delicious! And a lot of work, but she never complained. While she baked, Donna and I readied the basement, washed dishes, chopped, and ran from one freezer or refrigerator to another. That includes the ones in the three houses on her property. We got our exercise.

My niece Shelley brought her dog and Baylee and Sophia enjoyed getting to know him. Sophia appears a little coy in this picture.

We were happy that Brian brought his parents to share Thanksgiving with us. His mother just lost both her parents so it was a bittersweet time for them too. My sister-in-law Rita lost her mother this year so it seemed appropriate that we all band together.

My brother Dennis didn't need any coaxing to appear in this picture with my beautiful granddaughters. He likes the pretty girls!

Two of my sisters-in-law Cindy and Peggy, and Shelley's step-dad Kenneth.

Our family can boast some beauties! I'm proud to say that these belong to me. My beautiful daughter and four of my beautiful granddaughters.

This is the dessert bar with all the pies and cakes Mother made. One pan of her rolls are in the background on the stove. Yes, she is 83 and simply amazing!

Dennis has him another pretty girl. This time he is wrapping an arm around our niece Shelley. Did I say he likes pretty girls? At this gathering, there were plenty to go around. Happy Thanksgiving.

Texas Divas' November Lunch

The Texas Divas made a beautiful showing today with only one of our group missing. We miss you Paula F.! We had a fabulous time and so much to catch up on. Let's face it, a lot can happen in one month among 9 ladies!

I'm so proud of our group picture, thanks to our lovely server, Sara. She fit right into our craziness and is even a Twilight fan, which is even better. This is such an awesome group and we have so much fun together.

We were thrilled to have Deborah back with us. She is not allowed to take any more reprieves from the Texas Divas. She always adds her brand of humor and is definitely one of us! These three Divas were in school together as friends.

Donna and Deborah met in the 3rd grade so they go back a ways. I'll be kind and not tally up the number of years they have been friends.

New best friends Jan and Darlene. They had to miss our last lunch and we were so happy to have their smiling faces back in our midst.

This is our server, Sara, and Donna's new BFF. We plan to look for her on Facebook and we've given her my blog address, and hoping she will join our ranks. We need another boost of estrogen since Allison is carrying us all through on her own. Welcome, Sara, and be sure to leave a comment here. We've adopted you. Donna has captured you.

This picture of my sister and daughter just warms my heart. I love the touchy-feely emotions I get when I look at those who are so deeply planted in my soul.

I got to share the spotlight with two dear friends. Patty and I have been friends forever, and even though we only met Paula almost two years ago, she is the type to make you feel that you have been the best of friends for a long time. We just love her to pieces!

We are planning our December lunch for the 19th if all goes well. And Sara, if you're off, be sure to join us instead of serving us.

You are all so special and loved so much!