Other Blogs and Bloggers

There is a pretty lengthy list of blogs that I follow.  Some of the stories that these people tell are phenomenal.  They are also sad, happy, funny, normal, crazy -- all over the place.  Kind of reminds me that everyone you meet is battling or dealing with something.

One blog that I follow is a young mother to 7 kids, and hers is quite a tale.  It is real life.  Jess shares her honest and raw feelings, but she will tell you that she has sugar coated it in the past.  She is trying to live the life God wants her to live, and she will also tell you that it is challenging.  She works hard at her relationships.  She bites her lip when someone says something mean when they have no idea they have done or said anything wrong.  But it looks like everyday, she gets up and does it all again in a mammoth attempt to move forward.  Here's her blog -- Jess Plus The Mess.

The Pioneer Woman is one of the first blogs I started reading.  Ree Drummond does it all.  She photographs everything, she homeschools, she cooks, she writes, she has her own Food Network show, she decorates, -- I'm sure I'm forgetting something.  I have been reading her blog for years, and she is creative with a capital CREATIVE.  Having lived in the country for quite a number of years, I know how hard that is with kids and activities -- so when you add in all this peripheral stuff she does, I am flat impressed.  She has published two cookbooks, and I'll bet there are more to come.

And then there is Big Mama.  She doesn't look very big.  She looks darn cute.  It amazes me that she never seems to hit a blog block.  She lives in San Antonio, and like me, she is a sports fan.  We just happen to cheer for different teams.  Her writing is very well done, and she keeps me in stitches.  She makes it look effortless.  She has recently published a book, Sparkly Green Earrings, and I am sure I need to read it.

Another fun blog is Ramblings of a Suburban Mom.

She might post several times in a single day -- what a woman!  She's the one who told me there was now DD Cream.  I particularly like her reviews on beauty subscription boxes.    Who knew there were so many?  And some boxes are edgy?  I had no idea.  Here's her cute button.

Ooooooohhhhh.  I forgot how much I love The Nesting Place.  Myquillyn has a unique name, and she gives you the permission to live in a non-perfect home.  When someone gives me permission to do or not do something, it makes me happy.  It reminds me that life is short, and my choices are the journey.

She corrals a houseful of boys, and I can totally relate.

There is a lot of great content out there, and I am always finding new writers to follow.  Let me know who your faves are!

Swimsuit Information - and it's good news!

I do love me some sun.  Especially if it involves a beach.

  You know, I don't live near a beach, but my sister and I believe that it is common knowledge that tan fat looks better than non-tan fat.  That is our justification for letting our Native American skin soak up some rays.  Her youth clearly gives her less fat than me, but here she is enjoying a gondola ride in Venice two years ago.

That same two years ago, Chase and Sheena got married at the beach they got engaged on in Southern California.  That was really so nice!  We have fun cousins there, the scenery is fabulous, and the fresh fish is always delicious.  The wedding was just south of Newport Beach in Orange County.  So lovely.  Just like my D.I.L.  :)

Speaking of sun and the beach,  the other day on the radio, I heard that women are most comfortable or confident in a swimsuit at the age of 59, and men are most comfortable at age 45.  Whaaaa?????  Okay, there is a certain amount of that I get, but who knew?  Guess I have a little something to look forward to...?  Looking back, I suppose we all realize youth escapes us in most ways.  That is definitely something I never remember -- any swimsuit confidence.  Yikes.  So, 59, here I come!  Eventually...

Harvest Is Here

The wheat is ready.  A late hard freeze and drought conditions have made for predictable yields -- read, not awesome.  Nevertheless, you still have to cut it and get it out of the field, preferably, as soon as possible.  A nasty hail could be right around the corner.  How about some nice hot weather to make sure everyone working actually breaks a sweat?

I took a poll among vehicles, and 106 degrees or 110 degrees -- kind of speaks for itself.

But the harvest crew was hard at work.  Thank goodness for them.  A small community of professional harvesters moves in, cuts the wheat with their multiple machines, then they move on down the road.  I can't even get all their combines in one picture.  

These guys are my heroes.  They prevent me from having to take meals to the field; they keep Mike from the headaches of breakdowns and hiring extra help; and they get it done faster than we ever could.   

I Collect Quotes...

And in an effort to share some with you, I am having a meltdown because in the draft, everything is nicely and perfectly spaced; but when I hit "go" (publish), it takes out my spaces and tabs.  So it is with much discomfort that I just let it go, and be offset in places.  I can deal.  Good grief.
 
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."     -Maya Angelou

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."     -Thomas Jefferson
 

"I have often regretted my speech, never my silence."     -Xenocrates

"Well done is better than well said."     -Benjamin Franklin
 

"We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time."     -Vince Lombardi

"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something."     -Thomas Henry Huxley

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."     -Eleanor Roosevelt

"Dancing is silent poetry."     -Simonides

"The fundamental cause of trouble in the world is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt."     -Bertrand Russell

"If you are going through hell, keep going."     -Sir Winston Churchill

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."     -Albert Einstein

"Attention to health is life's greatest hindrance."     -Plato
 

"Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?"     -- seen on a bumper sticker

You Never Know

After I returned home from the few days long trip, there was a very conspicuous black lining in the garage sealing up an opening I had been concerned about for quite a while.  As you might can tell from this picture, the garage is unfinished, but that is another story for another day.  The point of the matter is, that for an undisclosed amount of time, I have been commenting on this wide gap between the wall and the floor, and how I sure did hope that no varmints of any kind ever came in that way.  Sorry I don't have a before picture of the gap, but it approached one inch in some areas, so it is sizable to say the very least. 

This whole garage thing is kind of a touchy subject, but I decide to approach the topic gently.  I say to the Mister, "Hey, why are there several strips of black electrical tape on that open gap in the garage?"  And he tells me that he just got worried, because he had seen so many snakes, bugs, etc., around, he just thought it needed to be sealed up.  (Remember I have been gone for several days, so I have no idea what may have transpired while I was gone.  But after asking and no activity -- then, with no prompting, it is sealed up -- you can imagine, I am a little apprehensive.)

 

Seriously, does that not look a little suspicious to you?  So I ask again, "Really, you didn't see maybe a mouse or something fishy in the basement, and you just aren't telling me?  Because you know I can handle it."  We have lived in one, okay two, places where we have found a snake in the house at sometime during our tenure there.  It just so happens that I am kind of tough like that, and I can move forward and not demand that we sell the house and relocate immediately.  I have been known to move the good snakes away from the house, and take care of the bad ones.  They don't bother me all that much.  Not saying I like them, just saying I can handle them.  But he continues to plead his case that nothing was found or seen in the house, he just wants to be sure nothing gets in during the time of year we have the garage doors open so much of the day.  My head starts overthinking, and I come up with many different scenarios.  He has been mowing, and he stirred up a den of rattlesnakes in or around the yard.  He saw a snake in the garage.  He saw a snake in the house.  He saw a mouse run into the big gap and hide.  Okay!  I stop myself.  Whatever the conditions were that made him put the tape on the gap, it doesn't matter.  It is a step in the right direction, which is finishing the garage.  He convinces me it was preventative, and I believe him.  He really didn't find anything in the house, he just saw some ugly bugs near the garage, and since he knows how I dislike bugs, he was taking precautionary measures.  See how sweet that was?  We are waiting on our favorite carpenter, or something like that.  As far as husbands go, I won the lottery.  I tell him what to do, and he does what he wants;  he rarely tells me what to do.  He is not the least bit bossy, and maybe I am.  Lucky girl.  Remind me to tell you about the time Mike got bit by a rattlesnake and was in the hospital for a week of days.

It's What's Up

Being gone last week, I missed a lot of the goings on in the world.  I did add another Top 5 today.  Other than that, I am playing catch up.  It looks like the Spurs did not win game 7, and I was slightly bummed out until I remembered that they weren't my real favorite team.  Our Thunder didn't make it as far as hoped in the playoffs, so my NBA Finals watching was haphazard anyway.  Now, it's on to the draft, and I am anxious to see what happens there.

Told you I needed some new shoes, and yes I did hit a homer here.  Luckily, I found three terrific pairs, and they were even on sale!  Okay, maybe the last part of that compound sentence is a lie.  Alright!  They were all full price.  Don't judge.  I would grab a pic and post it with a link, but I don't know if the Mister would be all that impressed.  Let's leave it at this, they are strappy, black patent.  Speaking of the Mister, today he used a sarcastic tone and said, "You've almost been home for 24 hours.  When do you leave again?"  When I told him it wasn't until next week and he was going with, he acted a little bit disappointed.  I said, "Seriously, you're going to LOVE Beyonce!"  He mumbled something about Patron shots.  I know he is going to bail on me.

The Amsterdam departure is getting closer, and I can't quit thinking about it.  I am not even the one moving there!  The kids are excited, but they are not sure they are covering all their bases.  As far as they can tell, everything is done, applied for, and they are ready to go.  Still there are those things that you can't help but think, is there something else we need to do -- or be doing?  They seem to be very on top of everything.  I will think of an item that I wonder if they need to check on, and when I ask, they have already done it.  The waiting for the early August departure is getting harder because you start second guessing all your preparations.  Excited is not a big enough word.

Late To The Party

Who needs another cool app for their smartphone?  Evidently, I did.  Being around the youth of our world, one can glean a plethora of knowledge.  In my attempts to be young and hip -- what I mean is, in all my efforts to communicate with those who are young and hip -- I love to learn about the lingo they use and what's new in their circles.  This weekend a cool chick introduced me to Vine.  Vine is an app, available free on the App Store, that very simply allows you to make 7-second videos by combining clips of video.  It takes a snippet of video, blends it seamlessly with the next little piece, and it includes audio.  Oh my.  Didn't know I needed a new way to waste time, but I can see how you could use it for many different occasions, or no occasion at all!

No doubt, I am late to this party, but whoa, is it fun!  You might need to check out some other Vine posts if you are a visual learner, because this is impromptu goofiness at its finest.  Who doesn't need something to do while waiting at the airport?

If you don't get it at first, then that means you really do get it.  It almost doesn't make sense.  You wind up saying to yourself, so that's it?  That's all there is?  Why would I want this?  It is silly and fun.  You do it to make yourself laugh or to make someone else laugh.  It's nuts!

So I just started making Vines where I was.  Today it was traveling and puppy in the yard.  Who knows what is around the bend. 

Download Vine from the App Store, and the instructions begin immediately.  All it asks for is your name and an email address.  I did use my real name but in its shortest version.  You could use an alias, but your friends might not be able to find you.  Looks like you can change your deets at any time.

After you have recorded your Vine post, you can decide whether or not to post it on your public Vine, save it, or delete it.  It saves to your photo album, so you can copy and paste it into a text message or maybe lots of other places.  It is incredibly easy to use. 

I understand that Instagram now has a new video feature, but I haven't tried it out yet.  A friend told me it takes longer video clips.  Another friend told me about Hipstamatic.  Lastly, I have been curious about Snapchat.  Vine was a good starting place for me.  Hey, I'm no expert.  Today is my first day to mess with it.  Here's to Vining!

Still On The Road

It feels like I haven't been home in days.  I came to the "sweat your brains out" capital of the world, Dallas, and we have done just that.  My friend, Melly, and her entourage, came to do the market shopping for her boutique store, The Plaid Poppy, and I have just tried to stay out of the way.  Unless you have owned a retail business or been on that side of shopping, you may not know how much work it is.  Our guys always act like we are such lushes for spending so much time completing the tasks that it takes to place orders for her store.  She does a lot of the legwork and preorders certain items before she arrives, but sometimes you just have to see things up close and personal.

As you can see there are a lot of floors, maybe 15?   I always think it would be appropriate to huddle up and put our hands together, and yell, "Break!"  It's impossible to cover even a small percentage of the area.  We split up.  We take notes.  We take pictures.  We deal with pushy sales people.  It's hard to stand there and listen to someone tell you about something you know you don't want to buy.  The challenge is the diplomatic getaway.  There are times it just isn't possible.  Walk away.

There are several of the parts of ordering for your store that you cannot do by catalog alone.  Smelling candles, and in general, trying to figure out what people want to buy; it's all a test, and you never really know if you are passing or not.  Until they sell. 

And then out of nowhere comes Shirtless Santa!  Who knew?

After part of the entourage had their picture made with Santa, we forged ahead.  Everyone has a role to play, and we were burning daylight.

The younger set in our crowd always plays the role of model.  That needs no explanation.  It just makes sense.  They look good in everything, and if it doesn't look good on them, it won't look good on anyone!  Everywhere you look, there are words of wisdom to be learned and shared...

And lucky for me, I found another Top 5 to add to my collection!

And this is me, trying to stay out of the way.  A cozy bed and comfortable room is really all I need.  But there's nothing like your own bed.

Le Meridien

This is what I imagine Amsterdam will be like.  Contemporary and very simple.  (Okay, a little off-topic, but it's where my head is.)

I guess it's almost time to go home and sweat to death there.  Love Field completed a major renovation a while back, and I haven't had time to check out every nook and cranny.  There is nothing more exciting to me than a super cool airport.  Good grief.  If you have to wait somewhere, it might as well be designed with a lot of thought.  Being surprised with things I didn't know I needed is always a pleasant treat.

Out of Town

It is super hard to put a post together when you are out of town...  don't mean to whine, but just explaining.

With the first day of summer tomorrow, I figured I should find the hottest place in the universe to celebrate the summer solstice.  So I am headed to Dallas.  Yep, 97 tomorrow, 95 on Saturday, and 96 on Sunday.  Should be lovely.  This is when it is beneficial to be on blood thinners.  And being old doesn't hurt.

I added a few new Top 5's.  That's as good as it gets.  

R & R 

Today is one of those days when my mind is all over the place.  I don't think I accomplished much, but I have a lot of lists going.  How is it Wednesday and I didn't know Kim & Kanye's baby was born last Saturday?  And I must be living under a rock to not know that Selena Gomez and Ed Sheeran have been photographed together a few times lately.  Then there's the fact that many Miami fans missed the unbelievable win by the Heat last night, because they left early.  Classy.  At home.  Don't want to get caught in all that traffic.  

So, when the NBA Finals are over, it's back to regular television for me.

In my TV world, the countdown has begun to the Breaking Bad final season, which begins August 11th on AMC.  Yes, this is my dark side; but, my goodness, this is a well done show.  I can't decide which I like better, Breaking Bad or Mad Men.  Very different shows, but wow, they are good!  When the weather doesn't make me want to be outside, I can be quite lazy and conducive to idleness... thus, I am thankful for the television.  Which is my awesome segue into what I do on Thursday mornings...

Recently, I started a Bible study about the best-selling book, "One Thousand Gifts," by Ann Voskamp.  It is dubbed, "A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are."  She tells of a day when a friend challenged her to list one thousand things she was thankful for -- a challenge she accepted.  We, too, are challenged to do it, and I just started.  I wish I had previously read her book, but it didn't happen, so I am trying to do that now.  When working on the list, I just can't bring myself to write "television."  This amazing woman also has a phenomenal blog.  Everything about her relaxes me.  Hmmmm......

BTW -- R & R stands for Random and Rambling.

The Rest of the Story

Okay!  So here is a new week, and after a whirlwind weekend, I am leaving again soon for a quick trip to the big city.  We seriously went to dinner on Friday night, and before dinner was over, credit cards were on the table, phone calls were being made, and a group of four was leaving early the next morning for Vegas after Saturday's pre-planned obligations were met. Don't be thinking that this is my normal life, because it isn't.  I am not married to Mr. Spontaneous.  Frankly, I think we shamed him into going.  But it was SO. MUCH. FUN.  We usually send the guys by themselves, so it was a treat for me, because I haven't been in quite a while.  Additionally, they quickly booked a place to stay, restaurant reservations, a pilot, and transportation.  Lovely.  We went to the super-hot Tao Beach, and when I say, "hot" -- I mean it in every literal way.   Oh my.  Luckily, we weren't the oldest people there, but we had several crazy conversations with strangers and observations of others, that were unusual at best.  Lotsa laughs.  I had my camera, and it was one of those places that I thought, 'they're going to come take this away from me.'  Wild combination of people from all over the world, doesn't even begin to explain it.  We saw things that would make most people blush.  Loud, thumping music, and the heat, oh my gosh, the heat.  So much for that, "yeah, but it's a dry heat," stuff.  Unbearable.  This old gal was hunting for some shade.  Dinner -- Kudos to the guys again, best ribeye ever at Delmonico -- I'm a beef girl, and that's a tall order.  Now that I think about it, we stayed in the same general area for our whole weekend.  Never once got in a cab, and it was super relaxing.  The second day, we decided to act our age and go to one of the six other pools around the property.  There was no constant hard rap music and no questionable company.  Nice.

It is kind of a joke around my house about where I am going next, because I DO love to travel.  In my travels, I have taken quite a toll on our luggage, and we have been shopping for the last year or so for just the right things.  Never have been in the right place at the right time.  Finally, this weekend,  I think we found it.  We saw a variety of brands, and I feel like we have now tried almost every brand out there.  Bam - Travel + had such a great selection, and we got several pieces.  We're going to need it, you know.  Again, never leaving the parameters of our hotel.  Bonus!

This week, I am going to Dallas.  Mama needs some new shoes.  I am pretty sure they have a Nordstrom's.  *half-way kidding*  Hopefully, I will get to see my little seester.  Since she teaches high school English, she just started enjoying her summer.  You gotta love those teachers.  They perform miracles.  Kinda like my hairdresser.  I plan to see her before I leave. Again, bonus!  

Lucky for me, I have 3 super flexible jobs -- let's just say, I am a glorified bookkeeper.  Hopefully, no one will miss me.  Since it is the second half of the month, things are a bit slower.  Maybe they will never know I am gone.  Not sure how I am going to post.  As usual, I will fly by the seat of my pants.   

POP - Pour Me A Vacation

Just a quick explanation of POP.  These are going to be "pictures only posts".  They will be random, and they will be the best I can do sometimes.  Learning as I go, it is difficult to put together a post when I am not at home.  It is also difficult to put together posts in advance, so I am continuing to wing it.

My weekend was unexpected, to say the very least.  One minute, I am hearing the song, "Pour Me A Vacation," and the next minute, I am sitting across the table from someone who says, "You know, we ought to...."

The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm

I have not attempted to describe the Perfect Storm to you, because it is complex in nature.  It usually occurs when least expected and when the least effort is put forth.  We have been with friends or family when these conditions all blend perfectly together, and the beauty of the deal is that you never know when or where it is going to happen.

As you can tell from the picture, there are people that you may or may not know.  You certainly don't know what happened before or after this picture, and you probably don't know what happened when this picture was taken.  

That is the perfect storm.  The conditions are favorable.  The surroundings are ripe and perfect.  The people are in the right frame of mind.  Everything just falls into place.  It cannot be explained.  And in most cases, it cannot be recreated.  You never know.

Another thing that is unusual about the perfect storm, is that you may or may not have your camera when one occurs.  Most times, one doesn't -- but I usually just use the camera on my phone, and I always feel uber-ready.

Just a quick post tonight trying to stay at my quota for posting every day.  We'll see how long I can keep it up.  There was a bit of a perfect storm tonight, and I think I might be getting on a plane to Vegas in the morning.

Mañana!

The Perfect Storm

Home Organization 101

When it comes to organizing, I feel like it is one of those things that is a marathon, not a sprint.  No matter how much time or money you invest in making it happen, you must maintain it.  That's the hardest part for me.  It's a really good thing that I don't live near a Container Store, because that way I have to be creative.

Today, I am just going to throw a few tips out there, and if it doesn't inspire you to go organize something, maybe it will motivate me.

One thing I do a lot of is keep my costume jewelry on display.  If it is in a drawer, or jewelry box, I am much less likely to wear it, or remember to put it on, than if it is right there looking at me.  Several years ago, I bought this tall, decorative folding screen.  It fits in my closet, so I tend to toss a lot of things on it.

I love this little nugget.  Jill Martin, an organizer, with her own product line on QVC, has this awesome rotating and hanging closet organizer.  Wouldn't you just love to organize your shoes or other vertical items on the sides, and have instant access to some folded (or other) things in the middle?  You should know that if you want to get organized, you can start today, right now.  You should start small.  If you clean out one drawer, or one cabinet, or one spot in your closet -- you are miles ahead of where you were yesterday.

I believe in a landing place.  You know, that place when you come in the door, that you set all of your stuff down.  Everything in your hands -- purse, keys, wallet, change, mail...  This makes it hard for my keys to be misplaced, or if someone needs to move my car, they know where to look.

HGTV has some great organizing videos on their website.  And they have some of the best pantry organization ideas I have seen.

These are POP Containers by kitchen gurus OXO, and they are really big right now.  Super high quality containers that are easy to use.  Scroll over the picture for a link to the website.

There are so many blogs out there dedicated to organizing, you'd think we have all the information we need; but the fact is, the same thing doesn't work well for everyone.  If you want to read some of my faves, I've listed and linked them below.  I'm off to complete one small thing.

iheartorganizing

orgjunkie

abowlfulloflemons

Home Organization 101

Shopping

It is no secret that I live in the smack dab in the middle of the U.S.A.  That can sometimes create a problem when you need a quick birthday gift, maybe Father's Day is in 4 days, need makeup that isn't drugstore?, forget it, and that dress you were planning to wear this weekend is too small, or too big!  Yes, for those of us living extremely non-close to a metropolis, the internet is sometimes our go-to solution.

Over the years, I like to think I have perfected the online shopping technique.  I know where to go for shoes; I keep track of the times of year cosmetics release new products and colors, not to mention offer bonuses or gifts with purchase; and if they offer free shipping, I am impressed, but not as impressed as I am with free shipping and free returns.  

Just saying - could be time to get out of town and do some serious, get-down-to-business, shopping.  After all, I AM leaving around the first of August to assist in the international move.  A girl needs quite a few things when traveling abroad.  And I want to find some place particularly humid and hot (because I love to sweat - not) since it is June...  I'm thinking Dallas.

This picture isn't from Dallas, it's from right here at home!

My friend, Melly, has a fabulous gift store in our little town, The Plaid Poppy.  She looks high and low to find unique and wonderful gift, jewelry and clothing items.  Seeking out the latest and greatest is her specialty.  Her store has gift registries, for weddings as well as expectant mothers and new babies.  A few times a year, she treks down to the Dallas area for market.  And guess what next week is?  Yeah, it's time for her summer market trip!   With a bit of coordination, we will be able to meet up for some great dinners and maybe she can do a little side-shopping with me outside of market.

One tricky thing about her work at market is to get in the "Christmas" frame of mind.  That is the big part of what has to be done at this market.  She does it well, and it works out nicely, because the rest of us don't have to think about it yet.  In fact, I choose denial until at least after Halloween.  Sometimes I choose denial until after Thanksgiving.  I don't recommend that. 

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out my Top 5's page.  I think it is going to be neverending.