I'm SO Thankful

Holy Cow can y'all even believe that Thanksgiving is in 2 days? I don't even want to think about how many days are left until Christmas.  My head is seriously spinning at the speed of how quick this year has flown by.  I am so very Blessed and I have so many things to be thankful for.  These are in no certain order:
My husband, My Dad and his health, my family, my soft cozy bed, MUSIC, My job that I love, being on vacation this week, sweet tea, ice cream,  Dallas Cowboys, My crazy curly hair, my awesome church and our pastor, to live in a free world, my Blog, My blogging FRIENDS, My blog followers, my cowboy boots, My red pickup, our Harley, wearing shorts in the winter here in Dallas, the short bursts of actual Winter temperatures, Having both grandmas around at age 86, My ipad, Ipod, My laptop, the luxury of eating out once a week at restaurant, working from home on Friday's, My many clothes, my fun junk jewelry, My many books on my bookshelf, the ability to pray and boast of my love for the Lord , My birdcages, my wedding rings, my stepkids, my nieces, WINE, living in Dallas with the best Mexican food on planet, my countless supply of sharpie markers, and  my love for road trips.
I could continue my list for days but the bottom line is that we DO take so many things for granted just waking up in a home , to have  a car and clothes and running clean water. So many countries, heck people in my own City that doesn't have half of that.  I pray every day for no one to suffer and to not go hungry.  Thursday is my 13th year to feed the homeless on Thanksgiving and I say that not to remind y'all that there are too many people that our not able to sit with their families and watch TV so full from eating a feast and dessert. Please donate a coat, socks and underwear , food, your time , something this season. We can all make a difference even if its for a day.
God Bless every single one of you and have the sweetest Thanksgiving holiday. Keep it real and appreciate all the people in your life.  Have fun shopping but don't get crazy.
Hugs to y'all!

To lighten things up- Adam Sandler singing the Turkey Song

My weekend wrap up

This past weekend was the first weekend in months that we didnt have something planned for everyday. We've had Todd's birthday, Halloween party, Dad's birthday, a friend's birthday, etc and it was so great not to have anything specific that we had to be at. We just played everything by ear and it was so relaxing which we both needed. Friday night we ended up having dinner with a good friend of ours that we dont see very often. Her boyfriend lives in same neighborhood as ours so we met at a local Mexican restuarant and we had yummy margaritas and good company. I worked from home on Friday and as i was reading my facebook i noticed i had a few of my crafty friends were driving to Waco for the Junk Hippy show. I went last year with my cousin Lauren and it was just down the street in Arlington. For whatever reason, the show didnt stop in DFW area but was south in Waco. I asked Todd if he would be interested in taking a short road trip to see the show and have lunch and he said as long as we could go to the Harley shop afterwards. Deal!! Saturday morning we slept late (7am) and ate breakfast and left the house around 9am. The show was at the Waco Convention Center and we got there around 11. I have wanted Todd to see for himself the styles and creativity of some of the booths we came across. See one day yall, my dream is to also have a booth of my own. Todd is very supportive and he was a great sport while walking around the show. I have to admit it was great having him with me because i barely bought a thing compared to last year. I bought 2 Christmas ornaments, a t-shirt and a magnet key holder. The sweet talented gal Jennifer that made my wedding brooch bouquet was there with her Mom and they had a great vintage booth. She got to meet Todd and it was nice to visit with her for a few minutes. I also FINALLY got to meet a blogger/author/booth owner Lisa Love Harris. We are facebook friends and have a few mutual friends and i've followed her blog forever. Her booth is Garden Cat and i saw her in the first 5 minutes we were there. Lisa was a blessing when Dad was in the hospital because she posted about us on her page and asked for prayers. I appreciate that more than anything. After the show as promised, Todd and i drove to the Harley shop and sat on some the new 2014 models. Harley did it right and came out with a 4 paint schemes that has large glitter fleck!! What?! So tempting for sure. The bonus for us is that most all the Harley dealerships do cookouts on the weekend and this one was no different. They were grilling out burgers, sausages and hot dogs with chips. Free lunch- dont mind if i do! On the way home we stopped at one of my favorite fried pie places in Hillsboro. Todd and i both ordered coconut creme and they made 2 of them right then and came out so fresh and scalding hot! I couldnt eat mine for almost 20 minutes later down the road. It was like hot lava in that pie. Sooo yummy though. Later that evening i guess i was inspired by all the crafts i saw at the show and so i painted 2 of my wood candles holders orange and blue. IF it wasnt so late i would have been outside with the spray paint. Sunday after church we went for a nice drive to check out some neighborhoods we might be interested in moving to eventually. We also met my parents for lunch and then followed them to the ranch and stayed a few more hours visiting. On our way home we stopped at Sam's warehouse to see if they have their seasonal Lobster Bisque and they did. Woohoo! Yall i bought 3 sets which means i have 6 pints of this liquid happiness. Every year Sam's has this and when its out its out never to be seen again until the next holiday season. All in all it was an awesome weekend and the weather was in the 80's and we wore shorts. Crazy! Dad and Deb were out in his newest toy 74 convertible Cadillac and they looked 2 cute in it! 

While we were in Waco there is a nice park across street from center with large statues of cows and a cowboy. I wanted to take pictures of then and then I see this cute family dressed as super heroes taking turns with pictures. I volunteered to take a picture with all of them in it and they were very appreciative . Apparently there was a run that morning that was themed around superheroes . Anyway , something you don't see everyday . 

I know this post seems random and all over the place but I'm struggling with the worst headache right now and I'm going cross eyed just typing this. 

Happy Wednesday 

My tune for Tuesday

Miranda Lambert is one of my fave country girls. She grew up in small town of Lindale which is just a few miles away from where my grandma (Nanny ) lives.  I love her spunk and attitude and her songs are the best. She's also married to cutie pie Blake Shelton which has to be pretty entertaining.
Miranda also has a girl group called The Pistol Annies and they have some fun music out too.
I cant wait to get to Lindale soon because she had this winery on the corner of town where you could buy souvenirs of her stuff -tshirts ,etc but she also has a place called The Pink Pistol. I want to go shopping there one day.   Oh and i have one of those Mama Tried  t-shirts!

Have a great Tuesday Y'all! 

Joy to the World- the holidays are So stressful!

I love putting up a Christmas tree.
I love MOST Christmas music.
I am not a fan of all the stress and pressure that holidays seem to bring. Most of it always stems from money and that makes me sad but its true. With the wedding just 10 weeks ago and having to replace Todds engine in his car, we are wiped out!  I want nothing but to shower all my friends and family with fantastic gifts. I will just say this- I am a great gift giver! I dont mean to sound full of myself but i try hard to listen and observe on what people want and what they like. I also dont shop at mainstream mall stores unless i have to. I have a few of my favorite places that i shop that has different things and i love hearing " where did you get this"?
I know that there are many things i can do like bake or make a craft but lets face it- i dont bake AT ALL and i love doing my crafts at my speed and not under pressure.
Growing up with a single mom most of my life, we had some very scarce Christmas's where i got only one present under the tree and some candy in my stocking. Truth is, i would rather get one present that i want than having several presents of "fluff" for the sake of having something to open.  Times are tough this year for so many people and my heart just breaks for all those struggling. I am a sucker for the Santa's ringing their bells and i always bring extra change and put it in my car. Yes , i said change and not dollar bills. It has to start somewhere and even change makes a difference.
One thing i love about gift exchanges is the understanding and agreement i have with my sweetest grandma Nanny. She is on such a tight fixed income and she cant afford gifts for all of us.  Many years ago, we decided that we were not going to make a point to exchange gifts on Christmas unless there really was a specific need for either one of us. We sometimes do Christmas in March or May or whenever we are together and we see something that we want. Its so much fun that way and we appreciate the gift so much more. She will cook me dinner or make me my own pot of Chicken and Dumplings and i couldnt ask for a better present than that!
I know that i will figure out something and make sure to have gifts for those who dont understand not receiving a present. I do have to start thinking about that now though. It's around the corner and coming fast! Wouldnt it be great if we could just all work on kindness to each other and that would be our gift to each other. Smile more- really listen to people when they speak and take that extra 5 minutes to talk- give with your time and effort and not money.  Donate a coat or blanket to your homeless shelter. There are so many things we can do to ease stress and bring peace. Its so cliche but Happiness really cant be bought and a smile sure does go a long way.
Happy Thursday y'all! Thank you for reading this and being a follower. Its Christmas and my birthday everyday when you comment.

Long Live the King- Birthday celebration

How's your Monday so far? Mine has been pretty busy hence my late in the day post. I wanted to share with you some fun pics of my Dads 64th surprise birthday party. His birthday was this past Saturday and it was of course a very special celebration. Since it was a surprise, one of his best friends Doc came in from Austin on Friday and took Dad to Winstar Casino and they stayed over so we could decorate and get everything ready for the party. Winstar is less than 2 hours away from his house so  very convenient.  

My step brother and sister came up with the idea "long live the king" and so decorations were bought accordingly . A throne was made for him with a chalice , robe and crown and even a sceptor. 

We had Brats, burgers and hot dogs on the grill with tons of yummy sides to munch on and his cake was huge ! No one went hungry or thirsty. 

Deb had one of our cousins who's a welder come to the ranch and make a ginormous fire pit so we can make s'mores and dang that was so fun . 

Can you believe that less than 4 months ago, this sweet man was fighting for his life?!  I got emotional a few times during the evening just thinking back on how far we've come and how amazingly blessed we are that Dads transplant went well. Of course I also has to show my video from my phone of my daddy daughter dance from the wedding several times and I never watch it without getting teary eyes. 

I hope your weekend was great and that today you take a moment to say a prayer of thanks to our veterans . 

Why so far? I miss my friend already

The last 3 weeks i have been super crazy busy helping my sweet friend Ciana have a garage sale and get packed up to move far far away to Minnesota.  You guys, if you pray i would really appreciate some prayers for her. She is such an amazing woman with the best personality. Ciana lost her husband a year ago and from there it just keeps getting worse. They owned a laundromat and had 2 small homes that they rented one out to.  One of her homes and the laundromat got foreclosed last year and now they're foreclosing on her home she lives in.  Her husband's death was unexpected and she has literally spiraled downward financially.  Ciana is originally from Minnesota but has lived in Texas for the last 15 years.  Minnesota has a better health care plan that what Texas does so she has no other choice right not but to move back. She has some friends that are letting her stay with them until she gets on her feet.
SOOO, i have been going to her house every other day for the last 3 weeks after work to help her sort through her stuff. She was so overwhelmed that she was didnt know where to make heer first step. Thats where i came in. She actually told all her friends and family that she calls me the Gestapo because i've been cracking the whip! Last weekend we had a garage sale and we did really good.  We sold everything but at the same time, we practically gave everything away for mere pennies. She has to have every single thing out of the house by tomorrow and so nothing could be left behind.
I handed out bags and said fill them up for 5$. We sold washer,dryer, dining table  w chairs, patio table wchairs, a kitchen island, you name it we sold it. Her garage was packed floor to ceiling with  boxes so we had to go through every one of them. It was long and tedious and sad but it had to be done.  I gave her homework every night so that she could know what to do for the next day and then i would be there day after to pick up where she left off. Every inch of my body hurts for climbing over boxes, grabbing boxes down, packing and moving. Ciana also has a small break in her vertebrae so she cant lift or bend which meant all that was for me to do. My husband said he misses me because i've been gone so much but he understands. Minnesota is SOOO cold right now and she's moving 4 hours north of Minneapolis.
Ciana and i worked together several years ago and then she took early retirement from corporate life to own her laundromat. We also go to the same church and she just always put a smile on my face! Ciana and i have this funny thing around Christmas about Joy to the World. See several years ago we both got into the whole stampin craze and decided to make our own Christmas cards that year. We went to a stamp party and we picked out what we wanted together so that we could share. I bought a set different than hers and we would swap. Well i borrowed the Joy to the World stamp and had it for longer than i should have.  The "joy" had left my enthusiasm by then to make the cards. LOL. Anyway, i gave it to her she had forgotten that i gave it to her and she every flippin day she kept telling me to bring back the Joy to the World. I would then reply what she could do with the Joy to the World and it went from there. She finally found it but it was a while and she was mad at me. During Christmas we now always go out of our way to find anything special with Joy to the World for each other.  Matter of fact, we came across the box with all her Joy to the World gifts from the years and she's taking them with her. I had bought her the coolest music box a few years ago and we found that too.
Minnesota is so far but like they say, distance is never far between friends. Today i'm taking her to dinner and saying my departure good bye and see ya later! She has a friend that flew in to help her drive the car and uhaul back with her. Oh i have a quick story about her. Sandy is Ciana's friend and during the garage sale a lady showed up with her daughter and her daughter was carrying a tiny chihuaha puppy. Next thing you know, i turned around and the people were gone and Sandy was holding the puppy. She bought her from the lady for 75$ and the little girl had started to cry because she didnt want to sell her. Sandy was pretty quick and asked the little girls name who said it was Melanie, so she then named the dog Melanie which made the girl happy. Fast forward 3 days and Sandy found out her apartments dont allow dogs and she would have to move out if she brought Melanie home. I asked a coworker who i know has chihuahuas and he forwarded to a friend who wanted her.  Yay for finding a home less than 3 hours for the sweet dog!
My friends mean so much to me and i have several out of state friends. I will miss our lunches and get togethers with Ciana but i also know there are several of you that i've connected with from this blog that live out of state and we do well keeping in touch.
Happy Thursday y'all!

Tuesday Tunes

I have bought SOOOO many songs from watching Sons of Anarchy which happens to come on tonight on the FX channel. Seriously, they have the best music played during the episodes.  This song was a few seasons ago and i like it so much and her voice.
Forever Young by Audra Mae.

No link today - just comment or tell me what your song is for today thats on your heart.
Happy Tuesday y'all!