the cat we adopted twice

This has been in my drafts folder since May of last year.  This is the beginning of the story about us adopting a nightmare kitty. In my next post, I will let you know how the 'story' resolved. Hold on to your hats..its gonna be a bumpy ride.

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There is a new kitty boy in our lives. It's been a rocky start. Ok, sometimes it just feels rocky all the time.

I had been scouring the Petfinder app starting about two weeks after Annabelle passed. Too soon..I know (now). But anyway, this one "little" cat stood out to me every time I searched. I secretly hoped one day I would search and not find him because I had this bizarre draw to  him and I hoped someone else would get him. I know that sounds weird. It was weird. So one day I went to the shelter and he was there. His shelter name was Lance. And he was so so affectionate. And for some reason the people at the shelter thought he had been declawed on all four. And yet he didn't seem to have a mean bone in his body. So I felt like he was too good to be true and called the hubby and finally decided to bring him home.

Immediately upon getting him home we realized he did indeed have claws. I wasn't quite ready for that. So I called the shelter and they said I could bring him back. It was late and they were closing so I planned to take him back immediately the very next morning. He stayed in our bathroom. I encouraged our daughter not to get too attached to him because 'he was leaving'. I would go in and take care of him..and cry..because he was super cute and showed a lot of affection. Hubs thought he was 'too big'. So his fate was sealed. I took him back.

And I continued to think about him for the next two and a half weeks. The girl and I talked a lot about him. Hubs and I talked about him. In different lights of course. ; ) But I finally talked the hubs into trying again with him.

So one day I told the girl that after lunch we were "going to get him". She knew exactly what I meant. Y'all...he was an absolute terror. He was beyond crazy! It stressed me out so much that long before the week's end, we planned on returning him. But I never felt settled about the matter so it never happened. I also took him to the vet because we wanted to know just how much this tub of bricks weighed, because he felt like he weighed almost 20 pounds. 8.3. Whaaa?! He knows how to make himself feel heavy. Very weird. The vet told us that she expected him to weigh about 10  full grown. So the 'he is too big' argument went out the window...AB weighed 15. He currently weighs 10.5. ha. I think he's going to weigh a little more still.

He is extremely active. And playful. He was estimated to be about 8-9 months when we got him in May. One day he got so "playful" that he kind of went off the deep end and attacked me. I got two gashes in my ear! So we planned once again to send him back. Or better yet...I know..terrible thing to say..euthanize him because he's such a horrible and scary animal. Before you say anything..I know! But that never happened. I read a lot of books and talked to a lady I met on insta who is a behaviorist.  And we are taking more careful note of his affect before he goes nuts. And he is learning through some discipline not to go bonkers on me. (He did it today and he had not done it in quite a while. But it was less severe and he stopped much more readily). He's an active teenaged boy.

To be fair, he is quite affectionate..when he is hungry. Which is in the mornings before I get up. So I get some cuddle and purr time early in the morning. Sometimes he goes under the covers and suckles on my pajamas and purrs his brains out while I pet him. It's sweet..but kinda gross. He is super smart. He plays fetch. And he is very athletic. He can jump from our kitchen counter to on top of the upper cabinets. He can also jump from the floor TO THE TOP OF THE REFRIGERATOR. No joke. It was crazy. He has only done that once..during one of his Tasmanian devil moments when he's just super charged. We are hoping he grows out the kitten stage sometime before we lose our marbles.

And that's how we adopted the same cat twice. We almost named him Ditto. But instead we named him Dudley.

holy ground

On that day in 2002, the birds were singing and the skies were a bright blue.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky...just the one that hung over our hearts as we buried our beloved one.

Today was much the same. Except we came in shorts and tee shirts. Holding flowers. For our sweet boy. 

That day was perfect. I know that sounds strange. The weather was stunningly beautiful. The perfect 'no temperature' temperature for a spring day.

Today as we walked up the small incline to his place, I watched my flip flopped feet. My only thought was we are standing on holy ground.

Not because there are lots of headstones and much grief there..and not because my baby's empty shell is buried there. But because of how I met God that day.

He was in the birds singing. And the breezes that caused the wind chimes to play their melodies.

And He was in me. I sat and felt those breezes and knew at that moment, it was Him breathing His Spirit around me and into me when I needed it like never before.

Today, it felt very much like years gone by, but the knowing was even more real. My hand pressed against the cold stone touching a name that is only a spirit now.  My girl and I exchanged knowing glances and she left me just to be for a moment, breathing it all in, touching, listening. It's all the same...yet He is more real. 

Thank you Father for breathing Your Spirit into me every day...but with an extra measure today. 

Happy anniversary, my beloved one.

this little piggy went to Walmart

I woke up in the night last night to a weird smell in the house. In my groggy state, it finally hit me...nail polish. She had polished her nails..all of them..right before she went to bed.

What a horrible smell. Worse than that, a VOC!

It got me to thinking. I have read articles and pins about not horrible for you nail polishes, but had yet to take the plunge and purchase any. I have just done without because it's not that big of a deal.

Well. Today it became a big deal. No reason. I was kinda crabby and needed in a pick me up. So thanks to google,  I had a list of possibilities. But one stood out because of it's cute name. Piggy Paint.

The more I read about it, the better I liked it. And they carry it at Walmart.

So this little piggy went to market and got some Piggy Paint!

It is in the kiddie section of health and beauty. (it is also carried in some baby stores and some froo froo boutiques on Main Street in a suburb near me) Walmart carried a two pack of what I would call tester bottles. Very tiny. I got hot pink and really pretty turquoise kinda like color (just go with it). I also got a bottle of remover. All vegan. All no VOC. No smell at all to the paint and very very little in the remover.

I came home and painted my piggies. They are hot pink and oh so cute! It was such a simple thing but it lifted my mood so much to look down past my hot pink tee shirt, and see my hot pink piggies in my hot pink flip flops. Made. Me. Smile.

So there ya go.

(They also have an adult line, a pooch line and a toenail line among other things. Worth checking out. But the kiddie stuff comes in many colors and if I like the wearability of it, I will just stick with it. It's easy and fast.)

Happy piggies. :)

ps..I should add that my girl rarely paints her nails, so it's not like she was exposing herself to these toxins every time she turned around. : )

Ice and snow

I'm sitting here waiting on my leftovers to reheat in the toaster oven. A salmon croquette...or salmon patty..or as we call it, CRABBY PATTY. There goes my 4th grade humor for the day. You're welcome.

We have missed two days of school for ICE. So that was fun. Hubs stayed home the first day but ventured out the second (and did ok..no wreck). And then last night they issued a snow warning. And despite my best efforts to warn the girl that school would probably happen, she set her hopes WAY high that today would be a triple play and we would miss yet another day of school.

It was raining when I woke up way too early to potty. I was all see I told you so.

And then a bit later she got up all excited that it was snowing. But grumpy that school was indeed happening anyway. And I was all see I told you so.

So it was dark and very cold and snowing early this morning. I was also grumpy about having to get out in this awful weather. But I tried to keep it to myself.

And then I needed to run a couple of errands. So I trudged out in the gray skies and wet snow flakes.

But then a funny thing happened. It stopped snowing and the sun came out. I ditched the coat for the rest of my errands and ended up enjoying being out and about...with less grump and a little more spring in my step.

Let's hope spring weather isn't far behind.

what day is it?

Yesterday we were sorting through her fresh school supplies. Can I take a moment to lament being a college parent and the frustration of trying to find the things she needs since it’s so PICKED OVER by now?! Gee whiz.

Anyway..we were looking through her supplies and talking about what comes ‘tomorrow’ (which is today), as much for me as for her.  The conversation went like this…

Me: And tomorrow it’s art and math.

Her: And Duck Dynasty!

Me: Yes, that too.

Priorities people. Priorities. : )

(It’s not basic math, but we call all math classes ‘math’)

first day for my fish

For many of my friends, school ‘began’ last week when they dropped off their kid at college for the first time and got them all settled in their dorm etc.

For us, it started today when I pulled into the parking lot and dropped her off at a very nice community college just a few miles from our house. She isn’t completely sure what she wants to do and with excellent opportunities to learn in a less expensive environment and do some exploring and perhaps a little more deciding, this was a perfect fit.

And my girl just wasn’t ready to ‘go off’ just yet. She doesn’t even really like to drive. Thank you big city traffic. FREAKS her out sometimes. Freaks ME out sometimes. ; )

So today was kind of strange. I packed a lunch and dropped her off, much like I did when she was in middle school and her first year of high school. Only this time, we’re starting over.

I was excited to pick her up today and hear about her day. She told me the social stuff first and then after I prodded, she told me about her professors and her classes.

So far so good, being a little fish.

And with a click of the mouse…

….she’s finished with high school.

No prom. No parties. No awards ceremonies. No cap and gown.

No whoopla whatsoever.

Just a little click of the mouse exactly like a zillion others, but this one carried with it her last assignment.

And that was that. Over. Done.

No bells or whistles or tickertape parade. We slipped into the void of being done with high school so quietly.

Very strange and surreal.

Friend’s daughters are going away to school…some as early as next week. Others in the fall.

The changes here feel just as drastic until I am reminded that I’m not leaving her miles and miles away. She will be going to a two year college about two miles from our house just to get the basics over. This will allow her get her bearings a bit and decide something she would like to ‘do’.

So there are changes. I guess ours just feel more subtle since she will come home to us every afternoon. Something we haven’t had since she was in 9th grade….the going and the coming home part.

Come fall, I will miss having her around all the time. But she’s growing up.

*long contemplative sigh…..*

Happy graduation, sweetie girl. : )

spring break in our rear view mirror

We all survived spring break. It was a pretty low key non-event around here. But we managed to squeeze in a little fun. : )

My girl turned 18. She had a small get together with her besties.

I made cupcakes. And there was no licking involved on my part. For the first time. Ever. And I didn’t eat one either. These aren’t the prettiest cupcakes but they are a recipe of my mom’s that this bunch seems to enjoy. So instead of a bundt cake, I made cupcakes. And I sent the leftovers home with everybody so they weren’t staring at me. Crisis averted. : )

One of the girls made her this pretty bookmark. This girl is a reader herself so it makes me smile that she gave my girl a bookmark for her birthday. It’s very pretty. Good job!

She could use it in Pride and Prejudice. She was having to read that for school. And this sort of book is not her thing really. (even though she finished reading it last night and ended up liking the ending, so it’s all good) But the girls also gave her this…

…which I think is a hoot. The light is awful because the flash is so obnoxious that I shot a lot of pics without it. : / But the book on the left is P&P and the book on the right is P&P and Zombies. Cracked us up! A fun little gift while she was trudging her way through the real thing. : )

They also did some things you can do now that you’re 18 kinda stuff. One of the things they did was a mock-wedding. This is the ‘bouquet’ being tossed. The girls made tissue paper flowers for fun and used these in their ‘wedding’. It was a hoot!

The party was fun. She had a great time getting together with the girls and I had fun planning it and listening to them laugh. : )

Also during spring break, my girl went for her driving test. Well, nerves got the best of her and she drove into a parking lot instead of making a right turn. And got so flustered, she didn’t do well on the rest of the test. She did not pass. (she went again a few days later and passed with flying colors, justsoyaknow) She was crushed and a little embarrassed but handled the situation with grace. I was thankful for her attitude and it was a learning time for her…even though she was disappointed at the time.

We drove to a podunk town near us to order her a class ring. It is one of the things about school she was missing and really wanted one. So we found a company that could make that happen even though she home schools. So that was a fun little outing.

On a funny note…we have had trouble with our potty flapper for ages. I can’t tell you how many we’ve gone through. But his time the hubs came home with something different.

Isn’t it cute? It’s kinda like being at a bed and breakfast every time I flush. Or not. ; )

My garden seems to be taking off. I have baby strawberries.

And the kale is getting bigger. And everything is really doing well and growing. And the squirrels are doing their best to dig it all up. Will be making a fence’y kinda deal pronto!

I had to take the cat to the vet Monday. She had a weird tummy. Come to find out she had lost THREE POUNDS. Gah. So the vet did a bunch of blood work on her and she’s got high thyroid. So we’re doing meds for that. She’s acting better but not eating as much now. I may end up trying to find something herbal for her if she doesn’t start eating soon. She is on antibiotics also which can cause her not to want to eat. The thyroid med doesn’t taste bad and it’s not hard to get it down her. But the antibiotic tastes bitter and she foams at the mouth with every dose. Which is gross, in case you didn’t know. ha. So it will be a long week or so til that’s over. Ugh. Poor kitty. Aaaand in a strange move I still don’t understand, she slug slobber onto my lip last night. Poor me. : p

Well I think that about covers all the major activities of spring break and beyond. Hope you are all doing well, my friends. : )

strawberries

The other day when I went to Home Depot the nursery to pick out my plants for the garden, I ran into a friend that works there. She has worked there for what seems like forever, but I never run into her because I usually go to ‘the other’ Hope Depot in my neighborhood. (closer, less traffic etc) But on this day, I needed a big ole honkin’ bag of vermiculite and ‘my’ store was out. So we made the trek over to the other store to pick up my soil amendment and get some plants.

The instant I saw Mrs K, we both just locked eyes and I immediately made my way to her and we hugged in the longest hug I’ve shared in a very long time. We go way back. She kept both of my kids in mothers day out and we used to go to the same church. She also used to baby sit my little guy for me while he was sick so I could grocery shop, since I couldn’t take him with me. And she had my girl in MDO when she got the tip of her finger slammed in a door (another little kid closed it on her..no negligence on the school’s part) and it cut off her finger print. I frantically arrived at the school to find Mrs K holding my screaming, flailing girl with her blood all over the both of them. I reminded her of that the other day…good times. : )

But anyway, as we got ‘caught up’ chatting among the plants, we quickly discovered  that we are both on a journey to remain healthy. She has stayed the course for a long time and at 62 is proud to say that she doesn’t take any medications. Because of her healthy lifestyle choices. And since I am a slow learner, I am navigating this world AFTER a major illness, unlike her. But we both excitedly chatted about what we do, what we eat, how much we enjoy it…and how much we wish others could see what their toxic choices are doing to them.

She later commented on my basket of transplants and said I should have lots of good food. Among other things, I got 2 varieties of strawberries, two plants each. And it has nagged me ever since. So a couple of days ago, I went back to the store (to her store..and chatted with her some more) and got two more strawberry plants (yet another variety) and planted them too.

Yesterday I went to a farmers market she told me about and they had early strawberries so I grabbed a small basket. I told the girl about them and instructed her to eat SOME of them for lunch while I went to the gym. When I got home, she told me she ate all “the big ones”.

Gee thanks, kid.

Makes me glad I got those extra two plants. ; )

Maybe a need a couple more.

Sparkly Green Earrings

Y’all. I have been waiting. And waiting. And watching the calendar to see when Melanie’s new book was coming out.

And then I read on Boo Mama’s blog that she had seen it on the shelf EARLY at Lifeway where she lives. And I became on woman on a mission.

With a coupon.

I called Lifeway and they said they had two on the shelf. So I was on my way. When I got there I looked all the places I thought it was going to be, but couldn’t find it. So I asked about it. And the guy said he had a box full in the back for the Dot Mom conference so he just went back there and got me one. I was so excited.

I immediately dove into reading. But I struggled because I wanted to inhale it but I also wanted it to last forever because it was that good! But I managed to find a happy medium and stretch it out over a few days.

And y’all…it is so good! It’s not a bunch of recycled blog posts and I was thankful for that. It’s fresh and new, but it reads exactly like the voice we’re used to “hearing” on her blog. It is sweet and touching while being laugh out loud funny at the same time. A joy from beginning to end.

It doesn’t matter whether you are early on in your mothering or have a bunch of few years of parenting under your belt like me, you will love it.

In the immortal words of Larry the Cucumber…”I laughed, I cried. It moved me, Bob.” I know I’m old, but I can still quote Veggie Tales.

And we all know that’s one of the lesser known skills of being a mother.

In other words…buy it. Read it. You’ll be glad you did.

The end.

Please click here to see the trailer for the book. It is just precious and a must see, in my opinion. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out how to make it show up even though I got the html imbedded. So I had to add the linky. Sorry. : )

a sweet note to my girl

Dearest Daughter,

You do not have to get a new plate when you go to the stove for seconds.

This is not Golden Corral.

Love,

Your Mom aka “the one who does the dishes”

shorts thoughts on random stuff

We are finally getting a little cold snap. I think it was supposed to be around 32 this morning. A couple of days ago I was wearing shorts. Such is the way of fall and winter in Texas. I uncovered my arms this morning and noticed the chill in the house, but it wasn’t until I got up that the funny thought hit me. If I had nipples boobs, they would be pointy this morning. I was cold.

The other day I was shopping around for bras for my girl and I had a random thought. I hoped nobody asked if they could help me because I feared I would give them a minutes long diatribe about how *I* get my bras at the hospital because I’ve had a double mastectomy, thankyouverymuch. But of course, nobody actually helps in department stores these days, so I think I’m pretty safe.

The girl and I are both PMS’ing at the same time. I wonder if we should wear special tee shirts or post a flag out doors…or at least text the hubs to warn him.

Fun times…hope you have a great day! : )

it’s the heat

I think I’ve mentioned it before…it’s never good when my kid comes to my bed at 1:30 am and does the ‘holler whisper’ to let me know there is a problem.

And last night was not an exception.

Mom!

What?

I gecko just fell from my ceiling.

Where did it land? (I’m thinking…her head…her bed…)

A gecko just fell from my ceiling.

I heard that…WHERE DID IT LAND?  (what part of where did it land could you not understand, kid?)

Oh, on the floor.

Oh. Go back to bed. It’s fine. It will not bother you…go to sleep.

I heard a rather loud THUD a few minutes later and knew what had happened. It involved a text book….RIP little gecko. : /

Hubs went in this morning to move the book and take our dearly departed little friend to his final resting place.

Dear Summer,

I am officially sick of you. I am so tired of hot weather. And insects and lizards. And not being able to go outside lest a mosquito bite put me in the hospital (or worse)…I’m talking to YOU, West Nile Virus. I am so tired of not being able to enjoy being outside, or inside for that matter. Going on vacation just ruined me for the rest of our summer, because the weather was just so nice. I want to move. Thanks Colorado for being so dad-gum perfect in the summer.

Signed…Burned Out in Texas

where the wild things are

One day last week, I I was getting going on my day…and one of the things I do before time gets away from me is exercise.

I have one of these little dealies and it hooks on the door and I know the things I’m supposed to do every day. (I have a trainer) Anyway, I finished using it and opened the door so I could detach it and toss it in the corner. And then I plopped down on the floor to do some crunches and something else that I have no idea what they are called.

And while I was mid-crunch…I heard it.

And so did that cat.

We both zero’ed in on one spot on the wall right above the place I tossed my equipment when I took it off the door.

Scratching. In the wall.

So I did what any reasonable woman would do who is about to leave the house. I closed the door to the office so we couldn’t hear it.

But I was left with a little problem. I needed to tell the girl what was going on because I put a call in to the bug man to figure out what we needed to do (if anything). And he might call while I was gone. And I really didn’t think he wanted to be the one to tell her there might be something lurking in the walls.

And she might wonder why the door was shut. So I had to tell her. And the conversation with a little bit like this…

Me: So yeah…I heard this scratching a little bit ago inside the wall..INSIDE the wall..not ya know..inside the HOUSE…and um…I called the bug man to see what to do. But it’s not IN the house so don’t freak out {while I’m thinking…I’m freaking out… I hope it can’t get in the house}.

Her: A rodent? In the wall?

Me: Yeah…but it can’t get in. It’s in the wall. We’ve had this happen before and whatever it was figured out how to get back outside. {That sounds like a good story.}

Her: But what happens if it does?

Me: It won’t. I promise. {I really hope it doesn’t get in while I’m gone.}

Her: But what if it does?

Me: It won’t. {I don’t think it can..hm can it?}

Her: But what if it does?

Me: It won’t. {I hope it doesn’t, cuz it would freak us both out.}

Her: But what if it does?

Me: It won’t. I’m going to run my errand and it will be fine while I’m gone. I promise. {I hope nothing happens while I’m gone because I’ll feel like I dog if it does.}

And then I left.

And just so ya know…nothing happened.  And whatever-it-is seems to have figured out how to get out.  Disaster averted.

But maybe I should have just left well enough alone and let the bug man tell her about it. It would have been easier.

For me. ; )

that look in her eye

We’ve had a lot going on this week. Hubs folks have been visiting so that means I’ve made a few meals and had a few things to do to entertain the troops.

The other day I was about to run out the door to do an errand and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the cat litter box needed to be scooped something fierce. Usually I just do it myself so I don’t have to listen to ‘it’.

And I think all you moms know exactly what ‘it’ is.

But I was in a rush, so I asked the girl to pwetty pwease take care of it for me. And then I passed through the house a couple of times before I walked out the door. As I walked past the bathroom, I could hear the grumbles…this is gross…I don’t like doing this…this is not any fun. (you know the drill)

So I replied…hmm, that’s odd. It’s loads of fun when *I* do it.

I am pretty sure there was some stink-eye-shootin’ in my general direction.

summer school of sorts

Today was graduation day. She got a diploma…and a sugar rush.

It’s been a long month of baking and making greasy icing, but my girl has come a long way. 

Week one was just learning how to squirt out icing on some cookies.

Week two had them following a pattern in the book that comes with the class. She chose the cupcake.

Not bad. Week three had them decorating cupcakes. I was going to pick her up at a friend’s house after class and with all the extra moving around, her cupcakes took one for the team. They got pretty squished so there wasn’t much to take a picture of. I didn’t even get to see them before they got messed up. *sad face*

And then week four was today. They all decorated a cake. I wasn’t sure what to think about it all but I was very impressed!

She even demonstrated how to make roses when we got home from class. Her favorite one..the best one..is at the bottom left. She got better and better as she made them.

Good job, sweetie! : )

get in the boat

Yesterday we went to the waterpark with a bunch of buddies. A fun time was had by all. No one came away red or even pink, thanks to adequate sunblock.

Unlike last week.

*insert PSA here*

I have been using Banana Boat products for years and have always enjoyed good protection with their products. But the line of Boat products I used the most left me sticky, which isn’t all that bad at the waterpark, but is messy and icky at a function that requires…say…regular clothes.

So I have been on the hunt for a better solution. I tried some Neutrogena stuff..and let me tell you, it was pricey! And I came away red more than once even though it said it was waterproof. So it was back to the Boat with us. But this time I tried something else in their line…and the girl and I both came away red last week. She got it worse than I did. And I felt like a dog for it.

So I did some research online and found that not all Banana Boat products are made equal. So I tried the Sport line (in the orange bottle) and neither of us were the least bit pink after yesterday. It is the same stuff that left me sticky “back in the day”, but I don’t think I was as sticky when I used it this time. I wonder if they’ve reformulated it or something. But anyhoo…one of those consumer rating/research places online gave Banana Boat Sport and No Ad Brand the best ratings.

(It also comes in a ‘face’ formula and it worked perfectly on both of us…with no burning eyes either!)

So get on the boat…the Banana Boat!

*end PSA*…and no, nobody paid me or gave me anything to say that. I just don’t want you burned like we were. It was so nice to just leave the park, wash the day off and be the same color I was at the start of the day. Woot!

As I said, a fun time was had by all. I had a particularly thrilling couple of moments when a spider when down my cleavage swim shirt and I began to wonder if I was gonna have go to into wardrobe malfunction to get the silly thing OUT. But thankfully I was able to finally flick the little guy out of there without scaring anybody around me or getting kicked out of the park.

So it was a good day indeed.

school’s out!

We have now officially completed 10th grade! She was down to two finals left. And spent a week studying for one and then almost  a week studying for the last and she took that one a little over a week ago.

We have returned her books from this year and registered and purchased her books for next year. She’s turned in every little odd and end required in every class and received her final grade in all her classes. 

We are done.

It’s been nice to let her sleep in some. And it’s been nice to see little doodles on her whiteboard calendar instead of things like “study” and “test” and “write paper”.  Little doodles are a lot more fun.

We have no big plans for the summer…or the fall. Which is kind of sad. She’s taking a beginner cake decorating class with some friends.

I ate some of her classwork when she got home.

I like this class. Yum. : )

ants

Called the bug man earlier this week because we have ants in our kitchen. About once every year or couple of years we get the same type in the same place. He comes. And then it’s over.

Yesterday afternoon the girl was eating a snack in  her room when all of the sudden I heard an AAACK sound coming from her room followed by a lot of spitting PPPHHHTT sounds. Come to find out that little snack she’s been stashing on her desk for a little too long ended up with some little teeny buddies.

Ants. So I called the bug man…again…this morning. After I explained what they look like, he paused and asked me if I kept one. He knows I always keep one if it’s something like ants, because he needs to know exactly what they are before he can treat them. So yes, I saved him some.

He thought for a minute and told me they don’t sound like anything he’s ever seen before. He read that there is a new kind just coming into Texas. So now he’s wondering if we’ve got them. Nice.

Leave it to us to be the first!

I also had to ask if it would hurt if she accidentally ate one. Very harmless. Protein.

Good to know. In case ya know, she ever decides to be on Survivor.

the best part of picture day

There are so many things I could tell you about going out to take pictures the other day.

I could tell you about learning about being the “trusty assistant”. It was sort of fun learning about using a diffuser to shade her a bit from too much light and lessen the possibility of dark shadows on her face.

I could tell you about just how much fun it was just to be out on such a gorgeous day. Soon enough it will be stifling hot and miserable at 10 am.

But the real thing I wanted to tell you about was the great attitude my girl has about some things. As we were pulling out of the driveway, she was commenting on how “all” the girls at her old school felt the need to slather on a bunch of spackle makeup every day. And how they spent forever in front of the mirror to primp during the school day.

Her comment to me as we were pulling out of the driveway…”I don’t have to put all that makeup on to look pretty”. And ya know what, she’s right! She doesn’t.

She never wears makeup and it doesn’t bother her when she’s around those caked on girls at all. She doesn’t feel the pressure to conform or be like everybody else. And I’m glad.

It reminded me of a day many years ago when I was dating my hubby. He told me that I didn’t need to be wearing makeup to look pretty in his eyes. That statement made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

When the email arrived that I could go and have a look at my girl’s prints, I was so excited. And as you already know, they’re fantastic!

But the neatest thing was when she came through the kitchen and saw herself. “I look pretty!”

Yes you do, my dear.

And now I guess I’m the second prettiest girl in the world. And that’s ok.

Looking forward to the day when she meets her someone special and he tells my fresh-faced girl she’s pretty just the way she is. Because it’s true.