Wordless Wednesday #14 - Walkin'

For more Wordless Wednesday check out 5 Minutes For Mom

How I Met Their Father (a.k.a. The Love of My Life)

I've decided to participate in Rebecca's carnival about how I met my one and only... click over to read more stories of how love bloomed. But only after you've read mine first! ; )

My story begins in a college dorm cafeteria a long, long time ago. Okay. It wasn't THAT long ago, but it sure seems like it...

My friend Carrie and I saw a table tent at lunch advertising for a co-ed service fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega (a.k.a APO). During our meal she agreed to go with me to the intro meeting of some boring business organization if I went with her to the APO one. Mine was a complete dud (DUH!). Hers was the key to my future.

Carrie and I both pledged APO that semester and thus my college social life began. I met many people through APO but the most important was probably Tiffany Smith. She was Catholic like me, and encouraged me to attend "Awakenings" (no, not the Robin Williams movie) a special college retreat for Catholic students. During my first retreat, like anyone's, I was one of the special guests who didn't know all the wonderful and beautiful secrets that went along with the weekend. It was a very special time.

But once you do know all the top secret info, you become a host/worker instead and I was assigned to one of the tables as a "gopher." So my second retreat may not have been as special as the first for spiritual reasons but it would still change my life - forever.

The retreat always began on a Friday night but since I worked retail, I had to come Saturday morning to this particular one. I happened to walk in while everyone was having a moment of prayer and announced to the whole room, "I am here, the party can start now!!"

I know how to make an entrance don't I?

Well, I can tell you my future husband was in that very room and he will never forget that entrance, ever.

And I will never ever forget the first time I shook his hand, the electricity I instantly felt and the sweet man I saw for the very first time on November 11, 1995. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I was assigned to his table as the aforementioned gopher. So, I stuck myself to him. I invited myself along for the ride in his Volvo named "Bev" to the convenience store. I walked with him back to where the guys were bunking and told him some jokes. I watched what he was doing every chance I got, checking to see if he was flirting with any other girls (he was, because that's just his nature...)

But I knew when we went our separate ways at the end of that weekend that I would definitely see him again. We were 20 and 21 years old.

The following weekend he came to where I work to see what I was up to that Saturday night and we have (basically) been together ever since. The "basically" part is a post for another time! ; )

One thing that I love to think about is the fact that when we met I had one of the worst hair styles that I have ever had in my life (minus the time my hair was totally chopped off in the 6th grade). He has a little bit of a hair fetish and at the time we met he had no idea the potential my hair really had, but he fell for me anyway. Now that is a love that is meant to be. See evidence below. I am in the back with the bad hair cut and my Tim is on the right in the red t-shirt.

I was also sporting one of the sloppiest shirts I have EVER owned. I mean really, I was not "swoon-a-man" ready that weekend. Obviously he looked past my bad hair and fashion choices and obviously the good Lord was doing some of his best matchmaking work that weekend. Cause I can promise you it was not my modest first impression.

And yes, I still wanted to be with him even after my first ride in Bev the wonder Volvo, which was, let's just say, quite a sight on the inside...

We were married exactly 4 years later from the weekend we met. We were meant to be and I like to say that I knew it from the moment I shook his hand that first day.

The hand I will hold for the rest of my life.

Motherhood in a Picture

I think When Dickens wrote the first line of A Tale of Two Cities, he wasn't really talking about life in that era, but rather Motherhood in general. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Pretty fitting, huh?

I have had days when I have wanted to pull all my hair out and run for the childless hills but I have also had days where I had absolutely no idea that my heart could almost explode with joy. And of course those are the times I choose to remember and hold on to. Days when a picture like this can be captured.
This is me with my son Benjamin near his first birthday. I love how we are looking away together and the simplicity of our embrace. Most of all I love those cute baby legs and his chubby little hand on my arm. And, his "lovie" (one in which he still holds on to even now, at 4 years old) is right there on the ground next to us. Motherhood means many things to me but most of all it means loving and guiding your children.

I post this picture for two reasons... one to remind myself of how quickly they grow and how we should cherish ALL the moments. Yes, even the not-so-good ones...And two, because 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a photo contest for a little giveaway (ok, it's kinda big - $1,000) and who am I to pass that up?

All Good Giveaways Must Come to an End

So, I read all 337 comments left on my Bloggy Giveaway post.

Every. Single. One.

And, I even found some new bloggy friends. I just love giveaway time!

Here's the winner of my giveaway!

Christel @ Simply Us. Her comment said:
"Great giveaway. This could be the motivation I needed to get back into scrapping. Thanks."

I hope to hear from you soon Christel, so we can talk about what you want in your scrapbook!

I have also won two giveaways so far myself! Like I said- LOVE THIS!

This first one is really too crazy. Remember the blogger meet up? And remember my new friend Tx Poppet who brought us jam (and did I mention lives very near me??) well I won her giveaway!! Is this a nutty coincidence or WHAT?! She can even hand deliver it to me! She swears it wasn't fixed, but I don't know... ; )

I also won a ton of coupons and a Williams Sonoma G.C. from One Frugal Chick. I am so excited for a reason to shop at W.S. and I cannot wait to save with my coupons, that I didn't have to cut myself! That alone is a true gift.

I will admit, I have spent quite a lot of time this week entering giveaways but it wasn't ALL day, EVERY day, I mean the kids have still ben fed and watered. I even left the house a couple of times! HA! I did procrastinate a little on the house cleaning so I will have to quit ignoring that next week. Of course I think that has more to do with complete apathy in that department rather than the constant blogging... : ) The B Man did offer to help me clean the toilets. I guess he thinks it's time too...

So go visit the blogs that I just linked to. They are "Givers" (Christel also hosted a giveaway that included a Target G.C. - woman after my own heart!)

What Happens when Mommy goes to choir

I'm briefly hijacking E's blog and I hope she'll forgive me, but I just had to pose and answer this question:

What happens when Elaine goes to choir and leaves us boys home all alone? ROCK N' ROLL, baby!!!

Elaine mentioned Little G loves music but I'd like to show you another example. He's off the Soulja Boy and onto some good ole fashion Irish rock....so enjoy!




(btw, If you are wondering why The B Man isn't really into it, he told me after the song that it was "okay" but Joshua Tree was still their best album....everyone's a critic)

So, What's Up With Me You Ask?

A little list...

1. Little G's (FIRST!!) birthday is 3 weeks from today. I am a little va klempt (have no idea if that is how you spell that, but you can figure it out, right?) and I have an idea for his little party, but not quite sure how to pull it off yet. He LOVES music, so I think that will be my theme in some way... hmmm... Any ideas in that genre are greatly appreciated.

2. Little G is working really hard on walking. He stands by himself for quite a few seconds and walks with me with only one hand. For some reasons I can't wait until he can walk and for others (NO BABY, DON'T GROW UP!!) I don't want him to...

3. I had the opportunity to work on some scrapbooking last weekend and now I wish I could scrap every weekend. I actually finished my book for last year but now I need to work on Little G's baby book. Why can't there be more hours in the day?

4. I have had a good walk 2 days in a row and both times I was pushing a stroller that had somewhere around 55 pounds in it. Supposedly that helps me burn more calories. Sounds good to me!

5. I cannot get enough of my roses that are currently blooming. I am constantly walking outside to look at them and smell them. Oh glorious Spring I do love thee so!

6. We went to the Fort Worth Arts festival this weekend and it was so nice to get out as a family but boy was it crowded. I couldn't resist this huge bag of kettle corn and it's now gone (Tim did eat some of it). That stuff is SO good. Thus the need for the walking... Little G also had his first cotton candy.

7. I cleaned out Little G's closet today and reorganized his clothes. I have a bag of stuff for Goodwill, a box for my friend that just had her second boy yesterday - (congrats Claudia!!) and another box for the kids consignment store. Time to purge!!

8. The B Man said "we'll eventually get there..." today. His vocabulary always astounds me. I guess some other 4 year olds might use that word, but I don't live with them so color me super impressed!

9. The B Man complained of a stomach ache tonight, did not mention dessert until WAY after dinner (totally out of character for him) and is now asleep next to me on the sofa as I type this (yes I typed it the night before...). He has NEVER spontaneously fallen asleep before unless in the car. I hope he's not getting sick...

**This is also proof of my theory that the male species can fall asleep any time, any where and in any position**

10. I have close to 300 comments on my Bloggy Giveaway post. Apparently people really do like Target... and scrapbooking. WOW! Go enter if you haven't already.

Wordless Wednesday #13 - After Bath

For more WWs go to 5 Minutes For Mom!

Blogger Meet Up

So Saturday night I met up with some DFW area bloggers. It was really cool to meet some other ladies that live in the area and also are addicted to like blogging. We talked about all kinds of things, some blog related and some not. I learned that there is a new addiction out there called Twitter (although I had heard of it before) and I also learned that it's pretty easy to make new friends when you share a common interest.

These gals are great and funny too! So who was there you ask? Anglophine Football Fanatic organized the get together for us and although she's been bloggin' less than a year, she's up on everything (she does Twitter by the way). June Cleaver Nirvana is a mom of 3 boys and gave us the "in person" run down about her marker-illustrated incident with her mini van. You must check it out, it's too funny (and she's okay...). TX Poppet filled us in a little about what life will be like with teenagers (sounds like she's got 2 really good ones!) AND gave us strawberry jam. Love her! And verybusymomof4 may very well be one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met and it does sound like her blog title is right on! We had a great dinner and when I got in my car and saw that it was 10 pm I had no idea it was that late.

Thanks ladies for a great time - it was wonderful to meet you! Let's do it again soon!

(if you would like to see a more "artistic" depiction of this same picture, you must visit JCN here... she's great with Crayola markers, I tell ya!)

BSM: Spring Bouquet

Here's a little bouquet from the flowers in my garden. I wish you could smell them! : )

For more Best Shots visit Mother May I.

And go here to enter my giveaway for the Bloggy Giveaway carnival. Happy Monday!

Two of My Favorite Things Bloggy Giveaway

The Bloggy Giveaway carnival has totally snuck up on me this time and I am somewhat unprepared. But never fear, I do have a couple of my favorite things to throw in the hat for one lucky reader.

If this is your first time to visit, let me give a shout out and say, "Hey!!" Thanks for stopping in and I hope you like what you see. My blog was just recently made over by Karen of Simply Amusing Designs and I am very happy with my new header and signature.

Now on to "the goods." I love to scrapbook so the first item is a mini scrapbook that is currently a completely blank canvas. It has 20 7x7 pages and I will do 5 custom layouts with themes the winner and I decide on together. (if you want to see a layout I have done go to my last giveaway post to see one). The rest of the album will be up to the winner to fill...

The second item is a $10 Target card because I absolutley LOVE me some Target and I am pretty sure a lot of you do too.

So, there you have it. Leave me a comment on this post before Friday, April 26th at midnight, CST about why you want one or both of these things (you're gonna get both no matter what...). PLEASE make sure I have a way to get back in touch with you either by leaving your email in your comment or having it on your blog profile. I will choose a winner on Saturday, April 27th via Random.org. This is open to folks from the U.S. and Canada only and I will cover the postage to get you your winnings!

Now, go on over to Bloggy Giveaway central to visit tons of other blogs and enter to win free stuff 'til your eyes bulge out of your head. That's what I plan to do! Good Luck everyone!

Lucky Streak

Last week I was gifted with two different bloggy giveaways (woot!) but then I completely forgot to buy any lottery tickets. Yeesh! I so would've won, right?

I just wanted to say thanks (via some linky love) to Amy at By His Grace for the $15 Blockbuster card (movies - yeah!) and to Lawanda at Lovin' Life for the scrapbooking kit. I am so jazzed about a kit that has all the stuff included!

I'll see y'all later. I got some movies to watch and scrappin' to do! ; ) Oh, and tomorrow starts the Bloggy Giveaway carnival. Guess we'll get to see if my luck holds! ; )

An Angel in Atlanta

Are y'all tired of my alliteration yet? Hey, I can't help it if all the words I need to use happen to start with the same letter. I mean really...

Anyway, on to why this post is titled as such...

In a former life I worked for a pretty large furniture company as a home accessories buyer. I use the term "buyer" extremely lightly because I did not do a lot of the analysis and number crunching that a traditional buyer does. But that was the title they gave me and I took it. I did get the fun part of picking out pretties to go in the furniture stores, so really it was the perfect job. Well, except that un-named company did not have their "stuff" together in regards to the division I worked for... but that's beside the point.

I traveled on occasion with said job, and during one very cold January I met my boss and another colleague in Atlanta for a rug shopping expedition. I flew alone from Texas and after retreiving my luggage, had to make the decision as to what sort of transport I was going to take to my hotel.

I debated this quandry in my head for quite a while, standing right in front of the sign that pointed one way to the taxis and another direction to the city metro train. I weighed my options back and forth in my head. If I took the cab it would surely cost more, but I would have to have one on one contact with the driver. This is not really my cup of tea. I mean I LOVE people that I know or will know, just not strangers that I will more than likely never see or speak to again. I know, I have issues. I even make my husband order the pizza over the phone. So, my other option was the train, which was a lot cheaper (why did I care about this - the company was paying?) and would have lots of other people on it, but I did not have to speak to them AT ALL if I did not want to. After much debate I finally decided on the train. I sort of knew where it dropped me off from the map I had and it was a fine way to get there, I told myself.

The train was actually full of life and I felt a sense of calm come over me as I looked over to one of the seats and saw a woman who reminded me a lot of my college roomate, who is a still a very dear friend. She even had the same red hair.

After some quick strolls down memory lane about my roomate, I studied the transit map intently and listened for each stop, quite ready for mine to be the next one. I just wanted to get to my hotel. Once it was my turn to get off I hopped up and exited into the desolate terminal. To my left was a woman sweeping trash into a large trashcan. She and I were the only ones down there. I found my way to the longest escalator ever and rode it up into the freezing air, smack dab in the middle of downtown Atlanta.

It was so cold (remember, it's January) and me without my coat. I looked at the map on the sign and just picked a way to walk. I really didn't know where I was going. I passed at least two people asking me for change. I panicked a little inside. I was lost and just a wee bit petrified. I knew my hotel had to be close and so I just kept walking and my heart started to beat out of my chest as I realized how stupid I was not to take a cab that would have dropped me right. at. the. door. I began to accept that my poor baby son could soon find himself motherless. Would my husband remarry?

I turned a corner and right in my face was a strange man. He must have seen the panic on my face. I don't remember exactly what he asked me (s0mething to the effect of "can I help you find something" or "are you lost?") and instead of doing any of a number of horrible things I had envisioned, he gave me the very short directions to my hotel and when I turned back to thank him he was gone. I am not kidding about that. Gone. So there it was, my angel, sent from God on a cold night in downtown Atlanta, GA. I'm telling you people, you just never know when he'll send one. And I was never so happy to speak to a strange hotel clerk in all my life as I checked in to my room.

So here's the moral of the story: Always be on the lookout for angels, but still, take the cab.

Look, It's a New Look!

For those of you who come here often (all 3 of you...) you can already see that I have a new look on the ole blog! Isn't it cute and great and totally reflective of my personality? Yeah, I am braggin' and that's because I didn't do it, my bloggy friend Karen did!!

She is working on her portfolio and is totally responsible for this absolutely cute header and signature and few other subtle changes. I know you ALL want to be like me so head on over to her design blog - Simply Amusing Designs and see what she has to offer. She's great to work with and well, she knows a TON more about html than I could ever dream of knowing, obviously!!

Thanks Karen, I love my new Springy, "Elaine" look!

Spring Pickin'

Yesterday we went down to the farm with our playgroup to pick our own strawberries. That is after our lunch at McDonald's. See, this farm is right smack dab in the middle of our city. But just for a little while you can feel like you are out in the country. Well, until you look up and see all the cars going by...

Anywho, we had a good time, despite the fact that it was quite windy. The B Man wasn't too wild about the actual picking part because he didn't want to get his hands dirty. How many of you have ever heard of a boy that doesn't like dirt? Well, I've got one. He was all too happy for me to pick the berries while he held the basket. Here he is making sure that his hands aren't too dirty (and a few other pics too.)He did pick the first one but that's also when he discovered the dirt issue!

Buddies and their berries

Cutie pie Mabrie

Windblown Cooper

We had to hunt for them...

And here's one of me and Little G, taken by my friend Natalie's camera (because my batteries died!). Thanks girl!
Can you see the wind in our hair - I mean Golly it was windy!! So, we came home and ate a bunch of fresh strawberries and they were so good and sweet. The plan is to go back for blackberries in about a month. Yum!!

Wordless Wednesday 12 - Baby Bloggin

This is often what I see when I am doin' some bloggin'. I have a little buddy who wants to join in. This is also why there are a few keys missing from my keyboard...

I know, not completely "wordless," sorry. Check out more WWs at 5 Minutes For Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday! She is one year shy of a pretty big decade, but I won't say which. A woman never tells her age, right? Well in this case, a woman's daughter never tells her age. Anyway, I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom (and yes, it's tax day.) Wouldn't you love for your birthday to be associated with payin' up? It's still an extra special day to my family.

Here's a little tribute to her.

My mother began working in the school cafeteria at the middle school across the street from our house when I was in the third grade. It was the perfect job schedule-wise because she was still able to drop me off at school and pick me up. Not to mention, the commute was awesome! At that time I only knew that she was somewhere else than home while I was at school but it didn't effect me otherwise. That is until I got to that middle school.

Sometime during my 6th grade year I realized that it wasn't so "cool" for her to be the lunch lady and I constantly felt that the one thread of popularity that I was hanging on to would surely be cut and tossed. I layed low every day at lunch time, rarely ever got a "hot lunch" (which is where she worked at the time) and the few times that I needed her for money or something else, I was very discreet, as was she. That's the thing. She was very busy everyday at lunch time. I mean that was her job and it's hard work feeding a bunch of surley pre-teens. She didn't have time to come and slobber all over me and ask me how my day was going. But for some reason I still lived in mortal fear of this.

She left the house every morning in her navy blue pants, white polo-style shirt and work shoes. She worked with some ladies who weren't so pleasant (especially her boss) and in greasy and hot conditions. And what for?

Well, some years ago in all my non-teenage wisdom, it hit me. My mother wasn't necessarily working because we HAD to have more money. She was working so that she could do something with some of her day besides watching As The World Turns (although don't get me wrong, she still recorded it every day on her VCR). And... she was working so that she and I could have some "fun money." Many times she would cash her paycheck and the following Saturday we would hit the local mall. We didn't have a mall very close to us back then so I remember MANY drives to Barton Creek Mall with my mother (it was a good 25 minutes at least) where we would talk and just be together. Then we would go around to The Limited and various other stores spending much of her hard-earned money. My mother was working that job so that we could go shopping. She worked there for many years, until I was in college, possibly helping to pay for some of that too. I am forever indebted to my mother for the time she spent at that job. I did not know it then but today I look back and realize the sacrafices she made for me and for us as a family.

My mother has worked hard all her life, starting as the child of farmers. She raised 4 kids. She fed countless teenagers their pizza and hamburgers and fed us every night of the week (well except the nights where she would pick up fried chicken, which were few and far between). She continues to cook huge meals every holiday and is very active in all 10 of her grandchildren's lives and her church. She is a wonderful friend, wife, mother and humanitarian. I try to honor her every day but especially on her birthday. I love you Mom, Happy Birthday...

A few of my favorite pictures.

My mother on her honeymoon

One of my favorite pictures EVER of my mother. I love how relaxed she looks and how great she looks in that swimsuit. I have NEVER looked like this in a swimsuit. She's gorgeous.

A favorite Easter picture of my mother and me.

Today marks another milestone in our household. Little G is 11 months old and we all know what that means. Next month he will be a year old. I am reminding myself right now to enjoy the last month of his infant-dom. My little baby is getting too big too fast. *sigh*

Best Shot Monday

This is my first time to share a picture for BSM. I thought this one was sweet - my father taking Little G on a wagon ride...

For more best shots go to Mother May I

From Diamonds to Diapers

We went to Costco today - you know... the place where I buy my jeans (see previous post). We always go with a little list of things we need and then end up with WAY more stuff.

What is that about anyway?

Unfortunately we never walk out with the big rock (a.k.a. diamond) that I always make my way over to first (just so happend the big rocks are in the front of the store). I can always hear it calling my name, "Come over Elaine and look at the splendor that is me. I could be on your hand, all big and obnoxious, if only you had 20 Grand to spare!" Then I hear another voice calling,

"Elaine - Let's go!" That would be my husband and his actual voice.

Of course sometimes I just walk away on my own because I know I have to come back to reality and Tim is NOT calling me because he has gone over into his own dream land, also known as the electronics area. So, it just depends who can separate themselves from their coveted items first.

Sometimes it's a tie and we both end up back near the clothing section, which is our next stop. Yeah, see, we kind of have our Costco route mapped out. After clothes we check out a few of the aisles in the kitchen/home gadget and parephenalia section. Here I usually find about 3 things I want but don't want to fork over the cash for. Although today I did end up with a 20 piece glass bowl set that I "need because we aren't supposed to store stuff in plastic anymore!" I can rationalize almost any purchase. It's a gift.

We then move on to the seasonal area which of course right now has outdoor furniture and stuff for your lawn, etc. Then there's the wine and refrigerated foods and the baked goods and most importantly, the promise of a few good samples being doled out. Yes folks, we really go for the samples. Today they had key lime cheesecake. And today, Little G ate his first Costco sample, and quite happily I might add. He was NOT happy when it was gone. Like mother, like son.

Then we hit the paper goods. The mountains of paper goods. I mean do we really use that much toilet paper? Oh yes we do.

Then there's the frozen section, all 4 aisles of it.

Chicken nuggets. Check
Talapia filets. Check
Cream Puffs (oooh yummy - there's that voice again...) "NO, YOU CANNOT HAVE THOSE!!" (there's the REAL voice again.)
Frozen peas. Check
Some random other frozen food that looks good. Check.

We round out the trip by meandering through the dry goods aisles to see if there is anything else that we "need" and the last stop is usually diapers and wipes.

Then there is the matter of payment. Sometimes I will look at Tim and say, "What's the damage??" Sometimes I just don't even pay attention. I mean we do use ALMOST everything we buy there. There have been occasions when we tried a particular food item on a whim and it doesn't quite work out. You know like the organic wasabi crusted raisins... Ok, I made that one up, but you get me.

The worst part of all this bulk shopping? Brining it home and finding a place to store it all. Thank goodness we have a decent amount of storage in this house. Of course it might be good if we didn't then I wouldn't feel compelled to buy 12 cans of mandarin oranges. Hey, we'll eat them... eventually.

La Fashion Fiesta

The illustrious Big Mama is hosting a Fashion Fiesta! Ole! Margarita anyone?

So, I am joining in to share what I wear. She wants to peek in our closets and see what we wear on the daily. You know, to drop the kids off at school or run to Target, or to playgroup. At least that is what I am doing on a daily basis and I have to wear clothes to do it, so, here goes.

I thought I would start at the top and work my way down. Here are 3 of my favorite shirts right now.



The first one on the left is from Sarah Jessica Parker's line at Steve & Barry's and only cost me like 8 bucks. The second one is from Old Navy and the coral colored one is from Target. I mean do you really need to shop anywhere else for Mommy Wear? What can I say, I don't get out much.

Next are my fav jeans.

I actually bought these at Costco - they are Lucky Brand jeans and fit my tuckus pretty well. They are a little long, but what jeans aren't on a girl who's 5'3"? I mean really, someone tell me where to find some...

These are my "put-'em-on-in-the-morning-to-drop-off-The-B-Man" pants. Nuff said. (oh except that they are VERY comfortable!)

And since I RARELY wear short shorts (even though it gets Hot as Hades here in Texas) here are pair of my capri's and a pair of long shorts that I wear quite frequently.
This is classic outfit for me. The favorite long shorts and a black top.

Lastly, here are my shoes. The first pic shows what I wear when there are perfectly pedicured toes. The second shows the ones I wear when it's time to make a trip back to the salon..

And last (but no, no, not least!) is my Coach swing pack and coin purse that I got a GREAT DEAL on at the outlet mall near my parents on Easter weekend.

These were my birthday gift to myself. The purse is great because it holds everything I need, including a diaper and goes right over my shoulder. Love it.

I also have to show something I would love wear if I could wear Any. Little. Ole. Thing. Well mine would have to be something like this:

A girl can dream. Can I get her personal trainer too?

That wraps it up. So, what do you wear? I'd love to know. And go over to Big Mama's place to see what everyone else is wearing too!