Alaska-Day 58

David and I are dreaming, planning and scheming for our Alaskan cruise in July 2013.  I am not fond of cold weather but want to experience this beautiful state, and I'm even more excited about opportunities to share this trip with family.  I definitely want to include a photography excursion on this trip, and discovered there are several to choose from!  Obtaining passports and saving lots of money are on our immediate to-do list in order to see our dreams fulfilled!

Pistachios-Day 57

Yum!  What a delicious and healthy snack to enjoy!  I was introduced to eating pistachios by my Kerrville friends, Richard and Lane, so when I pulled out a brand-new package of them to satisfy my hunger pains, it made me wistfully wish a visit with our friends was in the very near future. 

Banana Tree-Day 56

I am the proud first-time owner of a banana tree for my kitchen, thanks to David!  It really seems to keep the fruit good for much longer than if stored in a fruit bowl.  David does much of my grocery shopping now, and has been on the lookout to surprise me with items I have not ever used before!  I think this will be a keeper. 

Three Roses-Day 55

My sweet mom and dad came to visit our home Friday evening with three beautiful roses from their yard.  How it warmed my heart to place them in a small vase, and then on a table in our family room to enjoy!  My thoughts as I admired the roses in shades of pink reminded me of my priorities in my life-my faith in Christ, my family, and my friends.  May God richly bless each one of you!

Research Park-Day 54

Today was such a beautiful day of sunshine, the sound of birds in song, and gentle breezes!  I jumped at the opportunity to share a new adventure with the twins, so I packed a picnic lunch complete with baby foods, snacks, bottles and sandwiches for David, Jamie and me, and of course, diapers, wipes, twin stroller, blanket and baby toys for entertainment!  Boy, I had really forgotten what an effort it was to pack for an outing with little ones!  Research Park was our destination, and the boys were instantly fascinated when I began feeding many feathered critters, and yet a little startled when noisy and "not so nice to each other" ducks of all kinds surrounded their stroller.  After explaining to them about the ducks and the sounds they make, I could tell the "duck" lesson needed to end before we had tears. Shooing the ducks back into the lake,  we introduced Noah and Adrian to the grass, and they were typical little boys in that they tasted clover, leaves, sticks, and probably a tiny bit of dirt!  Sorry, Amber!  They explored the ground thoroughly, and even made several attempts at quick get-aways to investigate the lake.  Thankfully there were 3 adults to two babies!  Because I was shooting lots of photos for their 9 month pictures, David and Jamie were the baby chasers.  Hysterical and unpredictable moments, to say the least.  I'm wondering how parents of twins manage to capture those Kodak moments with both together in the same picture without losing babies, or patience.  Lunch was quite interesting as they had no desire to eat their baby food, but rather lunged for my turkey sandwich, and yes, they ended up splitting a half of it.  How privileged we were today to create special memories with our baby boy grandangels!  I have the BEST job in the whole wide world!

Thirty-One-Day 53

It felt like Christmas for me this afternoon when I discovered my thirty-one consultant kit on my front porch!  How much fun I had this evening checking out all of the new products I will have to share with my customers!  I have been interested in this company for several months now, and finally took the plunge.  I hope to be able to use my professional development background and skills to share my passion for all of the totes for organizing practically everything, as well as to spend time with other women!  My "why" is to save enough money to pay for an Alaskan cruise in July 2013! 

Alpacas-Day 52

Expanding my horizons, I visited an alpaca farm in the Bryan area with family and learned so much about these sweet animals.  They had beautiful coats, and most of them enjoyed or tolerated being petted by all of the visitors on the farm that day.  Their wool is used for knitting, and making items such as scarves and blankets.  I think it would be fun to have one as a pet, however, they prefer living in herds.  That could be problematic for us...I wonder what our neighbors would think!  LOL!

Presidents' Day-Day 51

Presidents' Day:  a national holiday, a remembrance of great presidents past, leisure time to visit with my dad and his newly-formed friends at the cancer center, lunch with my husband, Barnes and Noble, and quiet time this evening to reflect on the beautiful presence of the American flag and all that it means for this great country!

Kyleigh and Jamie-Day 50

Poor Kyleigh has recently had Fifth's disease for about 10 days, and has not been the happiest 3 year old!  "It takes a village to raise a child" is so true when you have a little one who is sick.  Lynsey, Jon, David, and Jamie, as well as Tomacina, have all spent time caring for her until she could return to her day care.  I loved capturing this memorable moment of her snuggling with Uncle Jamie!

Bucky-Day 49

My adorable 2nd puppy, Bucky, was feeling quite dejected because he heard Ginger was featured first in my blog!  Is this not the sweetest little face ever?  He is all boy and is like a "bull in a china shop", as the expression goes, but who could not love him?  Bucky was a Valentine's gift from David four years ago-a weak moment on both of our parts when we strolled into a pet store, and held this baby, advertised as a miniature dachsund.  This big boy now weighs 25 pounds, and our vet laughs when we tell him we thought we were buying a mini!!  He's a keeper though! 

Sick Again!-Day 48

Well, it says a lot to me when family and friends are prompting me to explain why I have not posted on my blog in the last few days!  Thanks for holding me accountable!  Even David needled me just a little that I was two days behind on my project!  It seems that if I had to describe the last month in one word, it would be "sick"!!  I am so ready to be myself again, and to feel better!  While David has not been the best of nurses this weekend, he certainly knew how to make it up to me by surprising me with a little pick-me-up pot of miniature roses! 

Ginger-Day 47

Not so very long ago, I met a friend who bred miniature dachsunds and visited her home just to meet and cuddle with all of her four-legged babies.  At the time, I was beginning to experience "empty-nest syndrome" so you can imagine when I held those precious puppies, one of them claimed my heart in a matter of minutes, and came home with us.  Ginger was such a tiny treasure as she fit in the palm of my hand when we brought her home.  Meet Ginger!  She is our love!

Long Day-Day 46

Wednesday was a wonderful day to enjoy grandangels, a whiny day with two teething boys and a "wine" kind of evening before Bible study!  What a long day it was!  Now to bed to recharge for our Thursday!

Valentines-Day 45

I found a wonderful Valentines' Day surprise on my kitchen table this morning from my sweet husband.  Love never ends...my necklace is beautiful, David! 

Mommy's Valentine-Day 44

What a day we shared on Monday as we created Amber's first Valentine from her precious baby boys!  I adapted an idea I pinned on Pinterest, bought some red paint, and proceeded to capture both hand and foot prints from the twins.  Now I was not inexperienced with crafting with such little ones as I had shared similar experiences with my own children when they were young.  However, Noah and Adrian were not very happy with paint all over their hands and feet, and let me know by crying loudly until we washed it off.  Four adults later, and splatters of red paint on our clothing, table, and babies, our project was ready for completion!  My hope is that Amber will treasure this gift of love for always and forever!

Game Night-Day 43

I had such a fun afternoon/evening learning to play Farkle with Jamie, Tomacina, David and Mary!  It took us a round or two to learn all of the scoring combinations, but a great time was had by all!  We need to plan game nights more often!

Coffee and Conversation-Day 42

What a beautiful way to start my day with a visit to Starbuck's for my favorite tall skinny vanilla latte, and enjoyable conversation with a sweet friend, Melissa!  We caught up on each others' families, work and play, and I learned some new tips about cameras and photography.  I'm curious to know how others spent their Saturday morning!

Irish Blessing-Day 41

As a young bride, I expanded my love of small needlework projects into something that could be framed and displayed in our home for always and forever.  I purchased and lovingly stitched this stamped sampler over several months' time, and even to this day, enjoy reading its sentiment often as I pass through our entryway.  "May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back, may the sun shine warm on your face, and rains fall soft upon your field, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand."

Beginning and Endings-Day 40

Fannin Elementary is where I started and ended my career in education, with some other wonderful assignments of service during my 29 years!  What an honor and privilege it was to serve the many precious children who attended this school during both my teaching and administrative career!  Today I took a walk down memory lane in these halls of learning, and it felt like home.  How proud I am of the amazing teachers and staff who dedicate their lives to making a difference with each and every child, no matter what obstacles they face each day!  Thanks to all for instilling a desire for life-long learning with these children, and for always expecting their BEST! 

My Joy-Day 39

It is with joy each day that I care for the twins while Amber is teaching.  What a blessing it is to embrace two happy, healthy boys, and know that they are a gift from God to our family!  Love them bunches!

Houston Traffic-Day 38

So excited this afternoon to travel to Houston Baptist University to watch my niece play basketball, and then there was traffic! Horns were blaring, and multitudes of vehicles of a variety of sizes, shapes and colors were jockeying for the best positions on the crowded roads and tollways!  Everyone was rushing to go somewhere-to work, home from work, out to dinner, to sporting events, and a million possible other destinations.  I was thankful tonight for my home and life in a much smaller and quieter community.

Sharing a Moment in Time-Day 37

While sharing in my sister-in-law's care the week before Christmas, she expressed a wish for me to find a very special book on her shelf one morning so she could "introduce" me to her grandparents.  This book was actually a beautiful collection of recipes from an inn in Colorado, where her grandparents spent many summers.  Hand over hand, we jointly held the book so that it would not slip to the floor, and together ooo'd and ahhh'd over the mouth-watering recipes with photos.  When we turned to the page featuring Nicolette's family, she beamed and touched their glossy pictures with her fingertips as if somehow she was drawn closer to them through the colored ink on the page.  Along with the pictures were several paragraphs describing the highlights of their lives and summers spent at the inn.  My sister-in-law's interest in reading the text to me immediately peaked, but knowing she had not been able to read for several months because of her brain tumors, I quickly offered to read it aloud for both of us to enjoy.  With courage and determination, she emphatically shook her head and declared that she would read it by herself.  For the next few breath-taking moments, my brother and I watched and listened intently as she carefully began to decode each word with a little assistance from me, until she had painstakingly completed one paragraph for us.  With joyful pleasure, Nicolette smiled at her husband, my brother Michael, and whispered with exhausted breaths "I did it!"  A moment of tears...a moment in time...a moment to treasure!

Success-Day 36

One of my passions that I love to share with family members and friends is my desire to read.  Coupled with that passion is my desire to encourage others to read for pleasure!  Well, I have failed miserably over the past 34 years with David!  I can safely estimate that he's only read 20 books since we married, so my most recent Christmas gift to him was a Nook Color, hoping that would be the motivation for him to read instead of watch so much TV.  Well, my gift has been a double-edged sword, so to speak!  The Nook was definitely a hook for him in that he has devoured 10 books in the past month, much to my surprise!  Wow!  Who would have thought an e-Reader would be the trick to opening his doors to reading?  But unfortunately, that is all David has wanted to do night and day!  I never thought I would utter these words to him, but they slipped right out of my mouth last week-"I'm limiting you to four hours of reading a day!"  Today he shared aloud his personal goal of reading 100 books before the end of 2012, and grinned as he issued a challenge for me to meet or beat his goal!  HELP!  I have created a book monster!  On a more serious note, I am excited and proud of him for discovering new horizons through reading on his Nook!

New Herb-Day 35

My friend, Ginger, brought me a delectable new herb to add to my small collection in my indoor herb garden.  I've never had chocolate mint so I was excited to receive this gift.  It smells like a peppermint patty, and adds a delicious new taste to my hot tea.  Now I can enjoy chocolate even in my beverages!  Try it sometime!

Bread-Day 34

My day began early as I prepared breakfast for the twins, and baked mini-loaves of one of our family's favorite breads!  Strawberry bread is delicious with coffee for breakfast, dessert after a meal, or a snack during the day!  I loved sharing bread, coffee, and conversation this morning with my friend, Ginger!

Friends-Day 33

Looking back on this photo of some wonderful friends, and remembering the great times we shared together last year, as well as last Saturday when we attended the MSC OPAS Gala.  Thanks so much to Beverly and Mark Taylor for the invitation to share this evening with you! 

Ballet-Day 32

After a trying day spent with unhappy, teething twin boys,  David and I enjoyed an evening at MSC OPAS, attending Moulin Rouge.  I thought the orchestra played magnificently, and the choreography was outstanding.  What a special evening with my husband and friends!  Let's just say David was not as enamored with the performance as I was!  Thanks, dear, for being a trooper!