It's The Thought That Counts

One of the great things about having moved all over the country is that you have the opportunity to gather friends.

One friend I cherish is a gal I met while living in South Texas. We'll call her CSG.

She was, and is, a dear friend to me. Although we don't have the opportunity to see or talk to each other very often, we have "marathon" conversations about once a year where we fill each other up on our families in a phone conversation that usually lasts 4 (or so) hours. We always easily pick up our friendship as if no time had passed at all.

Recently she sent me the little gift pictured above. I love it and it now hangs proudly on my computer desk.

However the funniest part is this...She mailed it to me with a note attached entitled: It's the Thought That Counts. She explained that she had bought the gift but the family pet had gotten a hold of it. She had contemplated not sending it since the puppy had definitely left his dental imprint upon the blue caribou feathers.

I loved this story, because CSG is very organized and very thoughtful and very "all together". But one of my favorite parts about her is that on those rare occasions when she isn't "all together" she readily admits it and usually will tell about it with a good (and very funny) story. I laughed out loud as I imagined her reaction to the canine caper.

When I got the pillow in the mail I thought that I would get my glue gun out and fix the bit of feather that had become detached, but then I decided against it. The pillow is fun, but the story that comes with it is priceless and makes it even more valuable. So it stays as it is!

Thank you, CSG! We need some chocolate chip cookie dough and a marathon conversation this summer!

Opossum Among Us

When I got engaged my parents sat my fiance down and said: You have our blessing but there are three things you ought to know...

1. She will steal your socks, sweatshirts, and t-shirts.

2. She's expensive.

3. She is a keeper of all strays. She has brought home everything from kittens to strange Japanese exchange students.

This week we had a baby opossum in our garage and it proved to me that ALL babies are cute...Even when they look like large rats. At first I didn't think it was doing too good...When the Hubby gently reminded me that that's what opossums do: play dead.

The next night however he came back and somehow got back into the garage and managed to make it up the steps to our back garage door. Where he was patiently waiting to be found. We again gently pushed him into the recycle bin and then transported him to the woods across the street from our house.

However there was a slight hesitation on my part, he was afterall, just a baby, and his mother wasn't anywhere to be found. And, with the exception of his baring his razor sharp teeth in one brief moment, he was so cute and fuzzy. When I said this out loud the hubby gave me that "don't even think about it" look.

After 11 years he's gotten very good at it.

So we can add opossum to the ever growing creatures that we share this part of the woods.

Talking

I have always had the habit of talking while driving.

Sometimes it's because I am on my way to a function where I know I will be speaking. Sometimes its when I know I will be asked to answer certain questions. Sometimes it's when I am talking to my imaginary friends. (That's a joke...sort of)

Last night was my last night at a Bible Study I have been attending all year called Bible Study Fellowship. We have been studying Genesis and I knew I was going to be asked what I had learned in the last nine months of study...Which isn't an easy task when you have just done and in depth study through 50 chapters of the first book of the bible! There's a lot of good stuff in there. So I was "thinking out loud", so to speak. I have done this since I was a child. I remember having a conversation with myself driving home from school in my Dad's brown VW bus. (I remember him asking me who I was talking to? He couldn't hear me over the roar of the engine...I told him I was singing) I think this is because I tend to process things by talking them out, however, one can really wear others out by talking all the time. So one resorts to talking to herself.

Back to yesterday. Everytime I would stop at a stop light I would stop talking. Afterall I didn't want the people next to me thinking I was some sort of weird bird who talks to herself. But then it occurred to me that they couldn't possibly tell if I was talking to myself, 'cuz in this day in age I could be talking to someone with my "hands free" cell phone.

Do you know what freedom there is in this epiphany? I can now talk to myself all I want and I can just be a "normal" part of today's culture.

So, fess up and be a weird bird with me, do you talk to yourself?

Sugar Hangover

I can hardly believe that it has been 6 days since I last posted. For some reason in my head it had only been about 3!

Perhaps part of my problem is that I took that "box" out of the cupboard on Friday evening. I took it to Girls Night and shared some of it with 4 friends. When I got home it was late, so I left the box on the counter. BIG MISTAKE. Because what could have been stopped on Friday night lingered on into the weekend.

So now it is Monday morning and I have a serious sugar hangover: a headache, lethargy and general icky-ness. I might as well add this "sugar problem" with all the other maladies of being in your mid-30's. Now, suddenly, even though I have managed to consume large amounts of chocolate for most of my life, I get "chocolate sickness" that lasts for 24-48 hours if I eat too much...Now that I think about it... Maybe that's the problem. But with me it's usually all or nothing. ( Note to self: can chocolate be eaten in moderate quantities?)

And on top of it all, my face will look awful in the next few days because suddenly with "30" came the 15 year old acne.

Have a mentioned that when I have a sugar hangover I also have a great attitude?

Saltine Secrets

Do You remember that part of the movie Parenthood when the "perfect" mom who was a fitness fanatic and health food guru had a huge box of chocolate bars hidden in her closet? Well, I am far from perfect, and I am not really a fitness "fanatic" (although some may argue this point with me), and I am far from a health food guru, but I will readily, no proudly, admit I have a "Chocolate" box.

I had some Hershey bars in there left over from our last camping trip and then I had few chocolates from Easter. But I recently acquired more than my fair share of chocolates during Teacher Appreciation Week last week.

After two bags of Ghirardelli mixed chocolates, one bag of Dove chocolates, 3 giant size Hershey bars, 2 huge bags of M&Ms, several single serving M&M's packages, various bite size Snickers and candy bar varieties, and a gigantic box of Fererro Rocher hazelnut chocolate thingy's, I stopped counting...There was just too much to keep track of.

I couldn't get rid of it, but unfortunately it is bathing suit season, so I needed to "hide" some of this stuff... as to be sure that my new suit still stays where it needs to stay. So I put most of the chocolate in a clear tupperware box with a blue lid and hid it behind an industrial size box of Premium Saltine crackers and various other edibles. It's not that I don't remember it's there. In fact it is quite the opposite, I have actually thought about it sitting up there everyday since it made it's home there on Sunday night.

Sometimes, after all the kids have been put to bed and all is quiet, if you listen really closely, you can hear those little chocolates saying "Kellie! We can't breath in here! Come check on us!"

It's a sickness I know. Although If you look at it positively, we could say it's a talent...but I digress.

Some people think resisting such temptations is all about will-power. But I am here to tell you the truth. It's actually more about laziness. I can put all that chocolate up on the shelf and place piles of stuff on top of it because then it takes effort to move things around that cramped little shelf. I would have to pull the crackers out to make room to take the the box down and then open it, and then have to choose something and then I would have to do it all in reverse to put it all back again. This is why I often eat granola bars for breakfast...because pouring cereal takes too many steps.

Back to the box of chocolate...It's hidden and hard to get to but I like to know it's there...Because if you are a woman, or you are married to a woman , or you were raised by a woman, then you know there are times when that box of chocolate could be sitting in a nuclear vault and wrapped in bombs and we would take the time to carefully dismantle it for consumption.

So, the secrets out. I have a hidden box of chocolate.

The good news...I'm willing to share.

Strawberry Time

Living in the south is fun because you always have something to look at that is pretty, and there is usually always something to do.

For instance for Mother's Day we took a drive and passed a grove of Magnolia trees that were in full bloom. After our drive we went out to a strawberry farm and picked berries. We picked 18 pounds and carried them out of the field (we ate 10 pounds in the field...It was encouraged!) and then came home and took a siesta! The great things about strawberry time is that there aren't any bugs out yet and the weather was awesome...A mere 71 degrees!

This was a fun Mother's Day for me, hanging out and picking berries with 3 of my favorite people.

Now, for the next few weeks, I may be sounding like the guy on Forest Gump: Strawberry short cake, strawberry pie, strawberry smoothies, strawberry bread...

La Vida Dulce!

Dear Mom...

Thank you for sleeping on the couch while holding my hand after I had a nightmare.

Thank you for filling my bedroom FULL of flowers after I had had a particularly bad day.

Thank you for riding the train all the way to San Antonio so I could come home from the hospital with my first baby, and eat my favorite mashed potatoes that you made sure where warm and fresh when we arrived. (Thank you for extending that trip for one more week because I wasn't ready to let you go)

Thank you for paying for guitar lessons when I was old enough to pay for them myself.

Thank you for loving my children as if they lived next door...For being intentional in knowing them.

Thank you for loving my husband as if he were your own.

Thank you for the un-countable boxes of chocolate you have sent me.

Thank you for driving me around town to ballet and auditions and all sorts of things...Thank you for making me learn to drive even though I was content to let you do it.

Thank you for helping me to pursue those things in which I had some talent...I still use those things today.

Thank you for believing me...And believing in me.

Thank you for loving me well.

Happy Mother's Day...

Love,
your Kellianne

Eleven

It was 11 years today that I tied the knot.

I was told I was the most calm bride they ever saw...little did they know the doctor had me on a low dose of valium. I highly recommend it...because without the anxiety I had the greatest day.

We married on a Saturday evening, the night before Mother's Day. The next Morning my Mom planned a Sunday brunch for all the out of town visitors and the Groom and I opened our gifts...She, doing what Mom's often do, sacrificing her day for her daughter and new son.

I look at our wedding picture and we look like babies. Being only 22 years old, I couldn't even drive the rental car on our honeymoon...you had to be 25. Today we have gray hairs...I cover up mine in an attempt to look like I did, and that handsome Groom becomes more distinguished by the day.

Eleven years ago we thought we could never love each other more. Yet with each passing day my heart expands with love for this man...Constantly it stretches...making room for more.

Eleven years ago we were more like the Lion Couple who thought we were the King and Queen of our jungle. Of course we never napped because back then we didn't know how illusive sleep would become.

But the reality is that today we are more like this couple...just happy to have a minute or two to ourselves.



It is a jungle out there...but there isn't another in this world I would rather live life with...

Happy Anniversay my Love...here's to decades more!

Gratitude

As I type this I still am shaking my head.

As many of you know I got this amazing job teaching pre-schoolers music in February. There isn't one thing about this 10 hours a week that I don't love. It's a creative outlet with a group of people I am totally comfortable with...and not everyone is within the ages of 18 months and 4 years old!

This last week was Teacher Appreciation Week at the school. Being new, and "just the music teacher", I thought that perhaps a few parent's (mostly staff with kids in the school) would be kind. Not that the non-staff parents aren't kind...it's just with most of them I have never even had a conversation...nor would I even know which parent belonged to which kid...all this to say I had no expectations.

The picture above is what I brought home this morning after my last class. So many gifts and notes of appreciation that it took three trips to load it up. I could barely fit it all on to the kitchen table.

The truth is I would do it even with out Teacher Appreciation Week, but today I felt genuinely appreciated... and that is such a treat.

Now, COME ON SUMMER!

Guilt

One can't even go to the zoo without feeling guilty about one of the finer things in life.

Random Poll

I just finished reading a book called What a Girl Wants by Kristin Hillerbeck. This is a book under the new genre of "Chik Lit" and I really enjoyed it. I also enjoy that it is written with a Christian perspective...but without being cheesy.

The story takes place in today's time and the main character is a successful, smart and single female named Ashley who is my age. She also believes in the three C's: Coffee, Chocolate, and Clothes. To which I shout: Amen!

I love that Ashley's just a normal girl trying to make the right choices and sometimes not doing so well...maybe that's why I like her...she's just like me! In this book she realizes that all the things she thought were important aren't the things she wants to be remembered for.

In the book, Ashley has an epiphany, that "success" isn't exactly what she thought it is.

So that is my question for the month.

How would you define "Success" in ten words or less?

Happy writing!

OK! I Give Up!

I really tried to put my foot down. I had moved ahead.

But today I surrendered.

I pulled a sweatshirt out of the winter clothes pile.

I had taken a stand against the cold. I had announced to those within shouting distance that I was officially finished with winter....But it seems winter wasn't finished with me.

So as I type it is 50 degrees outside, with a high only to get in the upper 60's, and I will humbly , yet comfortably, wear my favorite sweatshirt and will allow nature to do it's thing without complaint or whining...cuz quite frankly...it doesn't work.

Although, maybe pulling out the winter items will make summer come sooner!

He's Been Found

For those of you who have been losing sleep ever since the Pillsbury Doughboy was kidnapped, there is good news!

He's been found!

http://cbs4boston.com/seenon/local_story_126120506.html

Happy Cinco De Mayo

...Or No Mayo Here

I needed to clarify what we are celebrating here. Just so that you are sure that my celebration has nothing to do with mayonnaise....Because even as a Hispanic women who finds any reason to celebrate I would not be celebrating anything to do with mayonnaise.

AS a side note, this may be a good time to tell this tidbit of information.

I hate mayonnaise.

I hate the way it looks: all gelatinous and yellowy-white.

I hate the way it smells: Indescribable.

I hate the way the knife sounds when you work it through the jar: qwieegh!

I am pretty sure that most of my readers include my long suffering friends (because I call them up and say "Did you read my blog today?") and my faithful parents ( because they have to due to that whole They-Brought-Me-Into-This-World-issue) so if you're reading this you probably already know and are very sick of this information. But on the off chance that someone doesn't know....Like if you happen to see me in the store completely avoiding the mayo isle, or if I snubbed my nose at you when you served me a sandwich in a restaurant with that vile disgustingness on it, or I wouldn't eat your covered dish because it's held together with it....you can rest assured I am not trying to be rude. It just happens when Mayo and I are sitting at the same table.

For example, our good friends came to our house a month or so ago, they brought the main dish, cold cuts and yummy bread. When my guest pulled out a huge jar of mayo I said very calmly under my breath "It's OK we can still be friends." Only it was after I said it that I realized it wasn't exactly under my breath as much as it was out loud.

I am working on it....but it is taking quite a bit of time. And honestly I haven't been that successful.

But on to the real reason for this entry today. It is the Fifth of May! What could be better than Mexican Independence Day falling on a Friday?

To celebrate I took a siesta!

Today is a great excuse to have some enchiladas and some tortilla chips and salsa and wash it down with a margarita, frozen with salt... preferably in a glass the size of a fish bowl.

As an added bonus, this is a meal completely free of mayo!

Fiesta Time!
PS: Miracle Whip = Mayo...with a different name.

The Learning Never Ends

Or...Our Idea of "Normal"!

It is with great excitement that I announce that everyone in our little family will again all be in school starting January 2007. The kids at their elementary school, myself teaching music at the day school and that sweet Always Hungry For Knowledge man of mine will officially be in Graduate school...Again.

We received his letter of acceptance to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and with it the knowledge that we are back in the (school) saddle again!

When we met over 13 years ago, he was in school. Then we moved so he could continue to go to school. Then we had a short break where he again, went back to school. So it is only fitting that he should be in school again...Otherwise I might not know what to do with him!

So I have exactly 8 months to have him to myself (and to get him to finish that honey-do list...Hey, I have dreams of my own you know) then it will be back to the late nights of hearing his computer type like crazy and finding heavy books, that could kill a small animal, lying all over his desk. Back to Saturday afternoons of his being behind a closed door studying and me trying hard to not bug him (because he looks so darn cute when he is thinking). Back to a way of life that, for the most part, always seems to work for us.

I guess we could say we will be back to "normal".

La Vida Dulce!

Reality Train

Although vacations are really great, the reality is that life still goes on...even when you aren't there.

I have never had to come back home from a trip where I have left my family and 1. Go back to a job outside of the home and 2. Have a huge amount of "small" things happen while I was away.

For instance, the night before I left we had a storm blow through our little town and it completely knocked out our hard drive. Luckily we have a friend who is computer savvy and had a new drive up and running before my airplane taxied out of Texas, but unfortunately there was a lot of things that had to be done on the computer to get it to function the way I used to have it (i.e., reloading software)...it is amazing how much of my life is wrapped up in this little piece of technology. It's kind of sad...what happened in this world before PC's?

Then there was the garden that needed some Miracle Grow....and my guys both needed haircuts. And The Girl had some sort of pretzel and water explosion in her back pack, and, oh ya, by the way we are out of milk, bread, cereal, cheese and apples.

I am grateful to have all these things to complain about...I remember the days when I used to visit AZ and come home to an empty apartment and cry for a couple weeks with homesickness, while my sweet husband did everything he could to make me feel better this side of just sending me back home to stay...shipment paid. Who has time for homesickness these days?

Back in the day I could leave for a few days and then take a whole week getting unpacked and "back on track". Today nothing stops this train. You run like the wind along side the track, take a deep breath, close your eyes and jump back on with both feet.

All Aboard!

So it's back to the sweet life.

La Vida Dulce

Top Ten: Fave Texas Moments

Other than the company of good friends, lots else happened that either made me very, very happy...or just made me laugh. Here are the Top Ten:

10: Sitting in the jacuzzi and boiling myself under the Texas stars.

9. Sleeping in the most comfortable feather bed.

8. Having a friend in a panic because not one, but two, of her coffee grinders had broken down. (A potential crises when I am in town.)

7. Feeling coffee'd out when I went to a quaint new coffee shop in town...yet feeling very southern when I order iced tea and a lemon square.

6. Drinking more Route 44 Diet Cherry Cokes than one should do in a five day period.

5. Almost peeing in my pants on the way to Dallas.

4. My roomates and I, waking up entirely too early when we had only gone to bed a few hours before, piling together in one bed and talking from the heart...Learning something new. (OK so that''s two for one)

3. Looking around the room at my sweet friends and realizing that time and distance does change somethings...but not really a lot. We can all still talk like we saw each other yesterday.

2. Mexican food...and eating two Hostess Ding Dong Cakes in one day.

And the #1 funny moment of my Texas Vacation;

Having my suitcase exceed the airline weight limit and having to unpack some of my suitcase into a plastic American Airline shopping bag...Apparently 12 packages of tortillas and 2 pounds of coffee are heavier than I thought.

A Texas Tale (In Pictures)

If there is anything better than the feeling of the buzz off of a hot cup of coffee in the morning it is the buzz of a great 5 day trip to visit friends whom I love more than chocolate...and believe me I really love chocolate. I love these girls not just in the description of "love" that one throws around like a tired pillow but a genuine affection one has for family.

There is too much to say regarding my time in Texas, but a picture is worth a thousand words.

The following display is priceless!

Tomorrow: 10 Ten List of my favorite Texas moments!

Lara doing my hair...instead of her laundry.

Coffee...With a cheesy grin! It's kind of sick isn't it?

TORTILLAS!

Spa treatments for the feet!

Texas Girls

Texas morning on the Ant Ranch

Together Again

Dinner with The Mom's.

Jen and Family

Jane and I after coffee.

Reading with Julia

Laughing 'til it hurt.

The Lone Star State

I am sitting in the kitchen of my dear friend Jen (you can see her in the archives of October) . We have done several things that we enjoy doing together: We've shopped and talked and went to the gym together. We have had a great visit together and now we are getting ready to make our trek east to Dallas for a night with the old Mom's group.

Yesterday I spent time with Lara. You would remember her from the last post. We had fun talking and laughing and doing alot of what we love to do together most: hanging out! It was perfect.

Yesterday in the late evening I had the opportunity to spend time with my friend and mentor Jane, drinking coffee and learning what we could pray for one another in the weeks to come.

When we arrived here in the Lone Star State I had the most glorious evening at the Law "Ant" Ranch. A lovely, warm, and best of all, fun home full of teenagers and the awesome couple trying to raise them. In the next week I will post pics of the spectacular sunset and sunrise at the Law "Ant" Ranch and my first time solo ride on their quad racer thingy.

Now I get to spend the next 24 hours with some women whom I have had the pleasure to share the experience of young motherhood with...only tonight we will get together with only photos of our precious tots (most of whom aren't really tots but bigger than we would like to admit).

So that is the update. I wish I could post some pics but time is short and a Texas storm is brewing outside...so I better get off the computer!

La Vida Dulce!

Laundry Wars!

I have recently been challenged to a duel.

My dear friend Lara, over at www.frommytexaswindow.blogspot.com has posted her own laundry woes. In comparison to my post on March 17th, I think she may have won. Only because she didn't organize her pile of laundry and make it look "nice" therefore making it look much larger than mine. I spent quite a bit of time making my pile look "just so".

So Lara, here are my hints for dealing with laundry:

1.Close the door and run

2. Blame it on the kids.

About Folding: My friend Becky says that you should just attack it all at once and fold, fold, fold. But she does something completely weird...if the t-shirt is inside out...she doesn't make it right. She just folds it and moves on.

I, for one, cannot do that. Not with T-shirts, nor underwear, nor socks.

Now, I can let it sit on the guest bed for a couple of weeks, but I absolutely cannot put things away when they aren't correctly right side out. Unless, she (Becky) comes over (which has been twice this year) and does the folding for me. Then she can do anything she wants short of burning it (which is sometimes appealing) and I am fine with that.

Thanks for the great post Lara, now I don't feel so alone.

I actually feel slightly better. ;)

Procrastination

Tomorrow I am leaving for a much anticipated trip.

You'd think I would be excited to get ready to go...and truly, I am.

And yet I keep finding silly useless things to do (not that blogging is silly and useless)...I keep calling all my friends (of whom I am about to see) over and over again so that I can waste their precious time as well.

When it comes to packing...I am the queen of procrastinators! The only thing worse than packing is unpacking!

Truth be told I have gotten a few things done. I have packed my toiletries bag so as to make sure I look, and most importantly smell, good while being guests in the homes of friends. I have also taken care of unsightly facial which, in all honesty was becoming quite a problem. This endeavor took up quite a bit of time especially since recently I have had to include the chin.

I also packed 6 pairs of shoes...you know sandals, casual, running, dress and of course flip flops. One extra pair of red shoes...just in case. Seven if you include slippers. I contemplated others but since this is a short trip (and I might buy a pair of shoes while I am there) I thought this would be sufficient. Of course, I could always change my mind.

I have eaten an apple. And a handful of granola. I've called my mother. I've laid out more clothes on my bed than I could possible need for a little trip. I have reloaded my MP3. I got the mail.

Now I must go pack my bag and get ready.

I may not have the opportunity to blog in the next few days. (Maybe on Thursday for a bit of an update) Until then...

The stars at night are big and bright...

(clap, clap, clap, clap)

Deep in the heart of Texas!

After the Rain

I can hardly believe I live here.

These are pictures of my front and back yards.

This is what I get to wake up to with a hot cup of coffee and the smell of wet grass and fragrant flowers and enjoy the latest and greatest feature of the spring season.

I have been trying to figure out how to get video on this website. Especially this morning when I took these pics. There was a flock of geese that noisily flew overhead in anticipation of the lake that is down the street. There are huge (like the size of a large grape) bumblebee's eating their breakfast out of the damp azaleas. There are birds singing exuberantly as they flutter around in the cool morning air. The squirrels are romping around from tree to tree. It's is just very, very neat.

The fog rolled in this morning which makes everything look magical and the smells it produces off of the wet earth (mixed with the fabulous aroma of coffee) are indescribable.



Just thought I would share...

Siesta

Today I did something I very rarely do...

I took a nap.

I have had a long(ish) week. Nothing bad, but this week felt very full and a little long. This is not unusual coming off of a 5 day weekend!

I had a full and busy morning in the house because it was raining outside. We had all the windows open and the Whole House Fan on (which is a massive fan upstairs in the ceiling which pulls crisp air in from outside and makes a fabulous whirring noise that makes sleeping very, very nice) so the air was very cool.

It was the most amazing, beautiful, lovely sleep I have had in years. A true siesta where I woke up not feeling groggy and sad I laid my head down...but feeling genuinely rested and ready for the night.

Now the true test...

I am notorious for suggesting a Saturday night movie...then falling asleep on the couch promptly at 9 p.m. We'll see if my nap (and a diet Coke) holds me over!

Siesta's....La Vida Dulce!

Hat

Yesterday after we all arrived from work and school we decided to go to our favorite store in town: R.E.I.

We went to grab a few essentials for the old S.S. Pina Colada and while we were there I wanted to investigate a couple of items that I had been "researching" on the www.rei.com catalog. One of the items was a cute brown skort that is made for hiking. Because when you are on a trail in the the middle of the wilderness and you haven't had a shower in 2-3 days you still must remain fashionable.

I found the skort in question. There were actually only two skirts left. One in a size 4 and one in a size 16. But for $42 dollars I was glad they didn't have my size.

I did find the second item on my list...the brown hat pictured above. Even though I spent many a day in my youth lying out in the backyard in the Arizona sun, usually with Tropic Sun tanning oil or Crisco slathered all over, I now have become ultra concerned about my face being too sun-kissed. Let's be honest here...I am trying to ward off wrinkles. I had worn a sun hat i bought for our excursion through the country of Montana for the last few years, but last summer it bit the dust. So I wanted to try this beautiful brown hat on for size.

I of course loved it and when I showed that Better Half of Mine he said, "That's cute....I'll buy it for you." I married him 11 years ago cause I thought he was cute and a man of character...but I have to admit his generosity is an amazing perk. I like to joke (fairly often) that I married him for his money...but he'd tell you that I'd spent it long ago...which is a joke that is basically the truth. But I digress...

I Love my new hat! I asked the clerk in the store to cut off the tag so i could wear it out. I did take it off briefly while we went into a restaurant to have dinner....but only because my son gave me that Please-Don't-Embarass-Me-Like-You-Did-The-Other-Day-When-You-Sang-That-Crazy-Fiber-Song-In-Front-Of-My-Friends look. But After we ate I got in the car, put it on and wore it all the way home and didn't take it off until after the kids had been read to and put to bed. It was only when I announced that I was going to go brush my teeth that that sweet man of mine asked, "Are you going to sleep in that hat?"

To which I replied, "I'm thinking about it."

I woke up this morning still happy about my new hat. i like it because it is fun, and it is brown with blue stitching and the inside is lined with fabric in tiny pink, yellow and maroon lines. It will be great for summer weekends at the lake in the kayak.

But, secretly, I also like it because when I put it on I feel like a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Gilligan.

Well...maybe just a very fashionable Gilligan.

La Vida Dulce!

True Confessions

I just ate a sugar cookie...


...while on the treadmill.

New

Happy Easter

I Love Easter for so many reasons.

As a child I loved it because it was the begining of a new time. The winter was over and the world was coming to life again. Even in the desert there are a subtle changes between winter and spring. The signs of change weren't just left to the landscape and the weather. Every year I got to purchase a new dress and some shoes.

As an adult I love this time of year because I have a deeper knowledge of why Easter is spiritually important. This is the second Spring I have experienced in my home in the east and yet the new-ness of spring is just as exciting...

The trees outside only 4 weeks ago looked dead and lifeless without their leaves.

Those beautiful flowers I posted three days ago were non-existent a month ago. The ground where they now are firmly planted was nothing...literally, nothing but dirt. I had forgotten they had been there last year.

Which is why I love Easter...because it is a celebration of Christ. Who chose to die on the cross to save me from the certainty of death. Going from winter to spring reminds me that there will be a time when i am no longer alive in this world, but will arrive in Heaven like the glory of spring time.

But, in the meantime, he has made me new right now in this place. I no longer have to be bound in those things that so easily bind me. I can be free like those emerging Iris buds....one morning they are wound tight in a bud that couldn't be pried open if I used my own hands, but when the time is right it springs open. Free and beautiful.

I love Easter because Christ didn't do this just for me; but for anyone who believed that God sent Him. We need only to admit that we need Him and invite Him into our lives.

You can be new too.

What I love the most about springtime and Easter time is that it gives us insight into who God is and why we can trust Him: He isn't flashy. He isn't loud. He is majestic. He is real. He is fragrant. He is approachable. He is trustworthy. He has a plan. His timing is perfect. He is stong, yet He is gentle.

He cares for me. He cares for you. (1 Peter 5.7)

He makes us new.

There is a song by Bethany Dillon that is my favorite right now I wish you could hear it instead of just read it but if you want to hear a bit of it you can go to www.bethanydillon.com to listen to it:

New

What is this sun that conquers mountains

Singing over what has been asleep?

What is it that softens all my doubting?

It’s You

Morning brings a hunger for new eyes

That have been covered by the hurt of yesterday

Who could create in me the vision of a little child?

It’s You

You take an ordinary day

And turn it into flowers like the month of May

Yes, You do

And You see all my pain

And cry over it for hours till I’m new again

Yes, You do

When I have been the victim of familiarity

When my heart has fallen into sleep

Healing is the voice that awakens me

And it is You

You,

You make me new…

With love,

Kellie

P.S. Now would be the time to tell you that i I also love Easter because of chocolate bunnies. Oh, and also Peeps. Stale Peeps. As a kid my Mom would open them when she bought them and let them get hard so on Easter morning they would be not new....but old...and hard! Just the way I like them! Yummy!

The year of the Kayak!

She's here! A piña colada colored kayak.
We can't wait to get to the lake!

Garden

This blog is far from being a lesson in horticulture, but there isn't anything that makes me more happy and thankful than going out side on a spring Saturday morning, with a good cup of coffee, for a walk around my yard.

This morning at 7am the birds woke me up and I could smell my coffee all the way upstairs. I sleepily poured the java and looked out my kitchen window to see that my iris's had all opened up! They are almost 3.5 feet tall with the most beautiful fragrance...it is just amazing to me.

The white zinnia's are also opening and the baby pink ones are on the way.

And, of course, with the good comes the bad...

...poison ivy...growing within 30 feet from our house...

The Dreaded Day

Last night I looked out the window and saw a flash of light. It had been a long day and I had just put the kids in bed. Being tired I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

It flashed again...and again... and I realized that I had witnessed the first fire-fly of the spring/summer season. He is out a little early but it was a sign of the warm days to come. Which means that the Dreaded Day is fast approaching.

I start to anticipate the Dreaded Day around January 1st. Through February and March it is what motivates me to keep up the work-out routines, even though it is frigid in the mornings.

But no amount of running or pilates can ever make the Dreaded Day easier...

Because nothing makes shopping for a bathing suit fun.

I don't care what size you are or how many stomach crunches you have done...if you have popped out 9 and a half pound babies or are approaching middle age, there is some loose skin and some cellulite somewhere on that body. I am no exception.

For several years now I have uttered great praises for the tankini. It's a two piece, which allows for the descrepency in size between the "top half" that's apparently fallen and taken up residence in the "bottom half", giving you the option to buy different sizes between pieces.

In the search for the perfect suit your mind tells you it must be flattering, and yet not too revealing, and you shouldn't have to sell you first born to afford it...it should be reasonably affordable so when your husband gets the credit card bill he doesn't have a heart attack (cause ladies, it doesn't matter how good it makes you look...if he looks at you and has flash backs of the day he paid that bill...the effect is lost).

The Tankini is great because you get the coverage of a one peice with a modest style of the two piece. But there is a catch.

It will cost you twice as much.

This is highly irritating and adds to the stress of the entire day.

After you have tried on 122 different bathing suits, and picked the 2nd one you put on (you wanted to buy the 1st becasue it was perfect, but at that price you could put a pool in the backyard), you are physically exhausted. Triple this exhaustion if you mistakenly brought your children with you. The stress is so great that you decided to head for the food court and find the nearest Cinnabon store...Which makes you feel guilty since your new suit only fits just right, but only as long as you don't go on a chocolate binge or are PMS'ing.

Lastly, the thing that makes this experience even tougher is that this is a task that must be done alone.

I laughed when I was talking to the hubby several years ago when he was on the way to a retreat, his sleeping bag in his hand. I asked him why he was bringing the bag if there were going to be double beds in each room. His simple answer: Kellie, men don't sleep together.

I really couldn't understand that because women do everything together...but now I do. When it comes to buying a bathing suit: Women don't shop together.

As I have shared the vast array of insecurities and hang ups in my life: from fear of spiders to dysfunctional laundry problems, I thought I would share this issue with you as well. Mostly becasue I know that I am not alone...I've heard you crying in the dressing room next to mine.

On a positive note: Exactly one month from today I will be celebrating 11 years of marriage. Last night that sweet hunk of man approached me and said he had a "thought". Let me tell you that when he approaches me with a "thought" I always give my full attention because it means it is something BIG. This is no exception. Last summer we became fast friends with a family that owned a couple of kayaks. It was a blast to go to the lake and paddle around with the kids. On Sunday we had seen a kayak for a reasonable price and (not to count my chicks before they hatch) we are thinking of purchasing that as this years gift to each other.

The really good news: IT is generally known that life jackets make you look chunky no matter how great the suit is...so if you accidently indulged too much in that Cinnabon trip or on that chocolate frenzy just throw on that life jacket and blame it on safety.

A Mr. Rogers Kind of Day

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. The new flower of the week is the Azalea. The hot pink ones have been blooming like crazy and now the light pink and white are starting to wake up.

And like a good southern woman I went out and watered them this morning with a cup of coffee in my hand and fuzzy pink "house shoes" on my feet.

Kona didn't like being left outside and so she risked getting into big trouble by sitting at a window in a room where she isn't really allowed...but look at that sweet face!

La Vida Dulce!

Inter Blog Memo

Agenda: Gingko, Slugworth, and Phyto Chemicals

Item of Business 1:
You know it has been along time since the last blog when you can't remember your own computer password! I would take gingko to help my memory but I can't remember to take it.

Item of Business 2:
Do you remember Slugworth from the old Willie Wonka movie. He was that bald "bad" guy who would go around to the golden tickets winners and whisper in their ears. Well I am beginning to think that there is a Slugworth type of person lurking around the halls of elementary schools across the nation. And he is whispering old jokes to our kids.

My kids come home everyday and tell me stories, jokes and silliness that I learned almost 25 years ago...really you'd think some new material would go around. For instance, The Boy got in the car a couple of months ago chanting "I got you where I want ya, Now I'm gonna eat ya!" If you remember there was a "scary" story about kids being in a house alone at night. Upon arrival at this house they here a distant voice chanting the words above. In the end it turns out that a monkey has picked his nose and is chanting at his "find". This to me is truly a scary story...Because I don't like mucus of any kind. And I don't want to see, hear, or think about anybody (even a monkey) eating it.

Two weeks ago The Boy got in the car with a sheepish look in his eye and said, "Mom, how do you spell 'I Cup'?"

I, not paying a whole lot of attention because I was just trying to get out of the carpool line alive, spell, "I-c-u-p"

He says, "Get it! Get it!...I-c-u-p !"

Yes, yes, I get it.

Yesterday he gets in the car and looks kind of serious. He says "Mom will you remember me in 20 years?"

This tugs at my heart strings and I say " Oh Sweety Yes! I will remember you in 20 years! I could NEVER forget you!"

Then there was quiet.

"Will you remember me in 1 year?"

"Absolutely"...although I was wondering what was going on in that little brain of his since he is acting quieter than usual.

About 30 seconds later he says "Knock Knock."

I say, "Who's there?"

"I thought you said you would always remember me!"

And he laughs so hard I think he might actually pee in his pants.

He was incredibly happy that he had played a joke on me and I told him that was the oldest joke on the planet...that they even had those jokes when cavemen existed.

He said that if I had heard them before then why did I fall for them...how come I couldn't remember them....refer to Item of Business 1.

Item of Business 3:

As you know I have been teaching music to 2-5 years olds at a local pre-school. I have been doing lots of research on different things especially to find music ideas on the unit themes the school plans for each month. One of the themes for this month is the Five Food Groups.

So in my research I found that at www.dole5aday.com in the teacher section you can download some pretty entertaining songs about fruits and veggies. My favorite one is entitled Phytochemicals. Although Fiber and Salad Sisters come in a close second.

Happy Friday!

Happy

Can I tell you how happy these flowers make me?

And Baby Makes Five...

APRIL FOOL'S!!!

But i did survive the 5K and that isn't a joke.
The hills weren't as bad as I thought they would be and I made good time.

The picture above was taken before the race.

This is at the finish line. I was happy with the my time finishing at 29:10.

Now the good part of the day...hanging out with the 'fam'.

Happy Weekend!