Stanley, Texas. Population: 4

Here's to Some Changes......

2011-09-27T22:26:00.001-07:00

As you can plainly see, I have sorely neglected my family's blog.... Although I am busy most of the time with the kids, I certainly could make time for my blog, and I really should be making time, because I know it will be something I will look back upon one day as a treasure trove of memories for my little family.

By saying this, instead of detailing some senseless, nonsensical things of the past--as you can read in my previous posts--I want to only write when I actually have something of relative importance to say. (I previously was slapping up blog posts onto the web I would write in record time, so I was getting fairly lax regarding my usage of spelling and grammar.... Yikes!)

So what will the "new" blog posts be about? Yes, you will certainly witness me stepping up upon my proverbial soapbox on occasion, because this, my dear friends, is part of the essence in which God made me. However, I want to offer things that will benefit others, but in particular, my children, who are truly my magna opera in life. Their understandings of the world around them but most importantly, the Creator of the Universe and Father of Lights, begins with Logan and me, and one day we will answer for this foundational structure we have established within each of our children. We are seeking to honor God in raising our children to glorify Him as they grow old. Ultimately, I want to encourage my kiddos to love others because we have first been loved, and to forgive, as we first have been forgiven. I want them to live this precious gift of life to its fullest potential, realizing how precious indeed it truly is and how incredibly blessed each of us are. I want them to know we are not here by chance--there is an incredible purpose for each of our lives, even though we may forget this on occasion in the sometimes monotonous state of this thing we call "life."

On a lighter note, I seek to use this blog to also document my "fun" side. Of course, I'll throw in some recipes (because going paperless makes it easy and my recipes are always easier to retrieve on the computer), good books (I have a hunger for a wide variety of books), and, of course, pictures of the latest antics of Weiss and Klein, and perhaps a few shenanigans of their parents....

Here's to turning over a new leaf.

"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the LORD
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." --Psalm 92:12-15

Countdown..............

2010-07-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! It has been awhile since the last posting. LOTS of things have happened: Weiss is growing, growing, GROWING and becoming more opinionated and mischievous, Logan is staying busy with work, and I finished my classes for the semester----YEAH! We've been squeezing in some last minute things before Mr. Klein Bennett Stanley makes his grand debut, which we are all looking forward to. I've noticed I haven't been as prepared for the "second child" because I've been busy with Weiss--chasing him around all day and doing his activities. Klein's room should be finished this week (I'm 38 weeks now--39 tomorrow), so that will be great. Weiss slept in a bassinet in our room for the first six months, anyway, so if Klein got here, it wouldn't really matter, because we plan to do the same thing with him. The boys' rooms have been a major undertaking---Mom and Dad have helped tremendously with painting both rooms (I'll have to post pictures at a later time), and Cinda is doing the "detail" work in Klein's room for his striped wall, which is looking awesome. We had some setbacks, however; she had to get stitches in her hand and then got the stomach bug, so we had plans to work last week, but it was a no-go. (It's soooo nice having an interior designer as a mother-in-law!)
My dear sweet friend Hannah threw me a baby shower, despite the fact she is due just a few weeks after myself. (Thanks so much, Hannah!) Alana, my dad's sister, made a surprise visit, which was great! I was excited to see her. That same weekend we had a fun wedding to attend, and I was sooooo thankful the reception was indoors! (Thanks Lauren and Blair!) That was two weekends ago, so that packed weekend was our last "hurrah" before we started slowing down to prepare for the entrance of the new kid on the block!
Weiss has been busy with swimming lessons this month; he is doing progressively better as he gets more lessons under his belt! He loves the water and will jump off of the dock at the lake, but he is just more tentative when he begins lessons with someone new. It didn't take him a long time to warm up, however! Martha is the swim coach at Faith Academy, so I really like her and feel she is doing a great job as his teacher. Speaking of water---Weiss got out on the tube behind the boat for the first time on July 17! Logan and Weiss were hanging out on the tube, and we sort of had to "sneak" the ski rope to Logan so Weiss wouldn't freak out. He loved it, though, and did really well. If we would have asked him if he wanted to go, he would have refused--that's why we had to go to Plan B. He may be doing private lessons with Martha in the month of August; she is really great with him and the other kiddos.
Recently, Weiss saw "Toy Story 3" in the theater; it was his first "theater movie." He is now obsessed with "Toy Story 1," "Toy Story 2," and all of the cute characters. He got a toy Rex that you squeeze and he roars. He now takes Rex everywhere. (This is pretty unusual because Weiss has never attached to a toy like that before.) He takes Rex to certain parts of the house with him and wants him to go places with us. It's pretty cute. Weiss is still into Thomas the Train, so he is always building elaborate track set-ups all over the house. He builds these great tracks---some with double- and triple-decker bridges, but then won't run his engines on them! (I guess it's all about the creation process for him!) I've even caught Logan sneaking a few pictures...I think he is envious!
Klein is getting bigger, and the midwife says to be prepared for any day now! My midwife group doesn't induce, so I am being very patient at the moment. I am content because I know all of the work that is ahead since I am a "veteran" now...haha! I am excited for his appearance, but I am okay with waiting, because I don't want to go through what we did with Weiss (3 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit....not cool).
Logan has really helped me out lately by hiring someone to clean our house. She cleans Dickey and Cinda's home, the dental office, and also several of Cinda's friends' homes. Nettali has been a such a great help; I think Logan likes it now that our house is staying clean! I could do an "okay" clean, but I DESPISE mopping. I LOVE to vacuum and do almost everyday, but mopping and putting on sheets are not my forte. I could work in the yard all day, every day (if I didn't have a 3 year old to watch!), but working indoors is not my favorite. I think Logan has figured this out. Now that Nettali is cleaning, I have devoted my additional energy to ORGANIZING, cleaning and sorting! It is coming along at a slow pace, but Logan and I are both making progress in the house AND garage! It is a wonderful, freeing feeling!!! Anyway, enough about the nesting!
I will hopefully keep everyone informed about Mr. Klein's arrival. I will probably be more likely to post on Facebook, but we'll see how that goes! I know I will be SUPER busy with my two--wait--THREE boys (including Logan!)

The Past Seven Years......

2010-06-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

As of tomorrow (June 11, 2010), Logan and I will have been married FIVE years!!! We have known each other for seven years now, so some of these are prior to marriage. I cannot believe the past half decade has zoomed by soooo quickly..... Here are just a few of my favorite pictures of us! Man---in some of them, we look like kids!!!! Here's to my awesome husband and friend!

Our 5 Year Anniversary.......

2010-06-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few wedding pictures from our big day. It's been FIVE years!!!! (Crazy!!! Life is but a moment!)

Our story was certainly arranged by God, with the help of some great friends! However, those friendships were also handpicked by God, as well. I am so blessed with a wonderful husband, friend, prayer partner, and earthly father to our children!!! Even when we don't see eye to eye on things, I know Logan always has my best interest at heart. He is the rational, laid back, cool-headed, dry humored person to my irrational, uptight, up and down, goofy self. Thankfully, however, we may have our small differences, but on the BIG issues in life, we see things quite similarly. (I am thankful for this because I met my match!!!!) I love you, Logan!!! Here's to many, many more!!!

Green Chicken Enchiladas......

2010-06-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

Hey there, friends!!!! Before I tell about all of our latest adventures, I will start with a recipe. I am soooo bad about misplacing my paper copies of recipes, so when I am cooking, it is much easier to pop open my computer and take the recipe directly from the screen.

This WONDERFUL recipe is courtesy of my former co-worker at the crisis center, Earley. It was originally from a vegetarian cookbook, but she modified it and added chicken and a few other veggies. It is HEAVENLY. I have tried several chicken enchilada/green enchilada recipes, but none has been as yummy as this one. (Logan can attest to this.... he is quite the foodie.) This recipe is relatively healthy, has LOTS of nutrition content, and with the added spinach, you have some extra iron to boot! And most of the food in the enchiladas I can find organically, without GMOs. With me being pregnant, Logan liking the dish, and Weiss eating it because it is yummy, I cook it often now. Here is the recipe, modified by Earley and then modified by me! (You can make the rolled up, traditional enchiladas, but for time's sake, I do the stackable ones now..... It really cuts down on prep time, you can fit more in a casserole dish, and it tastes no different!) Okay, here it goes.....

Green Chicken Enchiladas

2 large sweet onions, chopped finely
1 container of Cherub tomatoes (or other sweet tomatoes)
3 pieces of garlic (or 1 tablespoon, if you don't do fresh)
12 to 20 corn tortillas, depending on how many you want to stack
3 cups (or more, if you like) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (I just grate a whole medium block... we like it cheesy)
1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 green onions (including tops), sliced
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chili peppers
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of sour cream
1 lb to 1.5 lb of boneless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of water. Cook the chicken; drain. Shred with a fork and set aside. Finely chop the onions, half the tomatoes, and crush/chop the garlic. In a large skillet or in the pot you cooked the chicken, add some olive oil and turn to medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes, stirring ever so often, or until soft. In the meantime, squeeze the spinach to remove excess moisture. In a blender or food processor, puree spinach, green onions, chili peppers, soup, and sour cream until smooth to create the green sauce.

Preheat oven to 350. Take a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish; make sure to spray/grease so the enchiladas will not stick. Place some of the onion mixture, chicken, green sauce and grated cheese on the bottom of the dish, spread out. Now place corn tortillas, spread out to cover bottom of casserole dish, on top of the mixture. Now continue with next layer of onion mixture, chicken, green sauce, and grated cheese. Top with corn tortillas. Continue this until you run out of room in the dish or run out of tortillas! Finally, top the last layer of tortillas with a bit of green sauce and grated cheese.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. SUPER YUMMY!!!!!

(I like to serve this with organic brown rice cooked in a pat of butter and chicken stock. I make sure to cook extra onions and tomatoes to add to the rice when it has finished cooking. I also add a can of drained, diced fire roasted tomatoes with onion and garlic to the cooked rice. I also cook a mixture of kidney, garbanzo and black beans with cheese and cilantro for another side. You have a yummy, nutritious, and high protein meal that kids and adults love!)

Community Bible Church's 20th Anniversary!!!

2010-05-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today marks Community Bible Church (CBC) of San Antonio's 20th anniversary. When we were in San Antonio, we were so blessed as to attend this church, thanks to the initial invite of our friends, Bo and Katie Kilpatrick. (Thanks, guys!) I was so incredibly blessed being a part of the church; although it was a large place, I was blessed beyond measure many times by the people there and the way God was so obviously working. I was so blessed to be a part of Ray Jones' and Amanda Singer's wonderful praise choir program, which was over 500 strong and had incredible live music each Sunday, thanks to Ron Blount's amazing praise band and orchestra. (The choir there is the hand raisin', body swayin' type! No choir robes included!) Thankfully, they have many CDs, so I am still able to get a daily blessing of the wonderful CBC choir while here in Marble Falls. (Yes, anyone can ask Logan--I normally listen to them on a daily basis! Weiss and Logan love them, too!) I also was able to sing in the smaller praise team, which not only had some amazingly incredible voices, but even more importantly, people who loved the Lord.

Whenever people say that you get "lost" in a big church, I have to disagree: whenever Weiss was in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks after his birth, Ray Jones and Amanda Singer came to personally pray over him a total of 3 times. (It was also a "God thing" how they even got into the University Methodist Hospital NICU because they were supposed to have been escorted in, but all three times, we had stepped out for a bit! Our nurses would tell us they thought they were our "family...") On top of all of this, our incredible Sunday School class showered us with prayer, love, and food for several months after he arrived home. (And this same incredible class has now established an annual mission trip to Guatemala to build life-giving water wells and spread God's Living Water while they are there!) The church staff was incredibly easy to get to know--even the department heads, in many cases--and they were active in all of the ministries offered there. For such a large church, it had such a "small town" feel, believe it or not!

What I learned at CBC gave me a new perspective on how to reach the world for Christ and improve upon my own life and relationships with Christ and others. We still have many great friends there, and I thank the world for Facebook so I can keep up with them and what is going on at CBC! Logan and I have now made it a point to continue driving in ever so often (it is about an hour and twenty minutes away for the 9 AM on Sunday morning) to get an "extra blessing...." Thankfully, in this day and age, I can catch Robert and Chris Emmitt's messages on their website, which I try to do often. To hear the worship, however, we have to be "in house," and Logan knows what this means to me, so we have a huge incentive to go back when we can.

Please check out this wonderful tribute article, which talks a bit about Robert Emmitt, the senior pastor at CBC.

The Month of May.....

2010-05-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! I cannot believe it is almost June.... May has just seemed to fly by! I don't know if it is because I have been working at my internship or what, but this is exciting and scary at the same time. Exciting in the sense that Baby Klein will be here quickly, but scary because I have yet to begin painting/assembling/decorating his room. We have so much to accomplish and so little time! I will begin two classes next week, which will end the second week or so of July. Between my "Counseling Women" and "Addictions" classes, Logan and my Bradley birthing classes, church, Weiss's swimming lessons, preparing/painting both of the boys' rooms and organizing the house, catching up with friends I've neglected because of work via countless play dates, YoungLives camp, Logan and my 5 year anniversary trip, cooking dinner more often (yep, I've really missed it!) and the more frequent trips in to Austin to see the midwife, I will be SUPER busy! Hey---that only means the little guy will be here soon! I'm looking forward to it!

So on that note, I am hoping his arrival will get me blogging again frequently! I am really hoping to get a phone upgrade with video or something that can capture video quickly and easily, where I can upload it to the blog. (I know I have not been very "techo-savvy" in the past, but I am trying to change all of that--soon!) We have a great video camera, but by the time I get it out, I've usually missed the precious moment I was intending to capture in the first place! This might just be the "gift" I give to me when the baby gets here so I can capture all of those moments of the boys and share some with my bloggy friends. (Or it may come in the format of Logan getting a new phone and me getting his old one with video.... Hey--I don't mind his 'sloppy seconds!')

About Logan---he and Dickey have settled in to the new office and are busy, busy. I thought Dickey's Big Spring staff was just wonderful and he could never top them, but they have got some great staff members here. As a matter of fact, one of his loyal staffers made the move from Big Spring with her husband down here! We are so blessed to have her--and everyone else. Last week, the guys took the staff to the Texas Dental Association convention, which is held in San Antonio annually. (This is a perk for us.... We live so close in, and it is always in San Antonio!) I stayed behind because I am closing with my clients and cannot just leave them these last few weeks. I only get to see some of them one more week or so....

Logan and I have begun our Bradley Method birthing classes with Stacey Elwartowski, who is just fabulous! She is the only Bradley instructor in this area, and I am so thankful, or else we would be trucking in to Austin for 2 hours each week for 12 weeks! Because most people don't do the Bradley method out here in the rural area because all of the docs induce people from Marble Falls because we are farther out from hospitals, not many people out here have taken the classes with her. Because of this, we have her ALL to ourself. So it is a private class, basically. (We do have some friends--Casey and Hannah, who are expecting their 3rd child and may do a "refresher" with us, however, and drop in on some classes. We are really close with them, so we would love to have them join us!!) I think we really are both enjoying the Bradley class... It is very informational and "out of the box," so to speak. It also gives us some time to spend time together sans Weiss, who stays with Dickey and Cinda when we are at class.

Logan is also leaving bright and early, EARLY tomorrow morning to Key Biscayne, (Miami) Florida until Thursday to attend more continuing education classes at the Pankey Institute. His dad took many weeks of class there when he was beginning his career, and Logan is following in his footsteps. Weiss and I will be at it alone this week, but Dickey and Cinda are here if I need them.

And Weiss---he is growing, growing, growing! He is still OBSESSED with Thomas the Train, which is a bit annoying when he wants to read their books OVER and OVER again--and when he can read them verbatim back to us, which only verifies his obsession. However, he would rather be on the floor building/engineering a train track or lining up his engines any day before he would want to watch television.... UNLESS it is a Thomas show on DVD, of course! He now is at the magical age where he is really using his imagination, so this is extremely cute with his trains. I really crack up when I hear one train arguing with the other one... "No!" "Yes!" "No, Thomas!" "Yes, Percy!" (Repeat ad nauseum.)

You get the idea......

We also found a HUGE fuzzy caterpillar outside on our sweet basil plants. I gently placed him in Weiss's bug barn with lots of basil leaves. Weiss has adoringly named him "Cupcake." Cupcake, I have determined, will probably turn out to be some type of large, exotic moth species, but I hope he/she/it survives so Weiss can witness the metamorphosis one on one. That thing is an eating machine! I will put a large amount of basil (about as much that is in the small plastic herb packs at the grocery store) in his bug barn, and he will devour it in 24 hours or so.... Logan's first question was, "Are WE going to have any basil left???"

Hahahaha!!! We all know we sacrifice for our kids, folks!

Something precious Weiss said the other day.... Weiss loves our neighbor, Cathy Dellinger. He calls her "Ca-fee." Weiss is always saying, "God made ________." (He will then insert any random object/animal/word.) Well, Weiss said, "Mom, God made Ca-fee, and God made coffee!" I thought that was just precious!!!!!

Bluebonnet Pics of Weiss....

2010-04-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

What Have We Been Up To?

2010-04-13T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hello, all!

I have not been great about updating, so I will just briefly mention some of the things we've been up to lately......

However, I do have to mention our latest appointment with our midwife group. We were scheduled for the 20 week scan, which is the full-blown ultrasound where they completely check out the baby and all vital organs. (It's also the appointment where the sex of the baby is usually determined....) SO--- We found out we are having----- (drumroll)--------ANOTHER BOY!!!! It was VERY obvious on screen.... Logan said it looked as though the baby was sitting on a glass table. Nice visual, huh? His name will be Klein Bennett Stanley. Klein--because we liked it and it was somewhat unique, and Bennett, after my dad, Samuel Bennett Williams II (he's known best as "Benny"). We are very excited!

As of yesterday, Logan and Dickey, my father-in-law, have now opened their new building for their dental practice! It is very beautiful and also has a wonderful view of the Lakes Marble Falls and LBJ. I'll have to get some pictures up here soon... The guys are really happy with their office and all of their new dental "toys" to play.....ahem.....work....with! There is also an upstairs area for me to cordon the Stanley clan if I am at the building, with a seperate bathroom and shower. The guys have an awesome break room with huge windows and a great outdoor patio to eat on. They are planning to move a BBQ pit to the office so they can have healthy grilled lunches, and have some workout equipment upstairs, as well! So work will be a great place for them, just so long as they don't plan on living there permanently! I personally enjoy the massive steep hill that is right in front of their office, and I can really feel the burn when I walk/jog/run it! I am thankful the shower will be nearby!

Some other things that have happened, in no particular order:

Bluebonnet pictures with Weiss at Horseshoe Bay near the Ferguson Power Plant
Elton John Concert and date night in Austin!
Brett and Anna's wedding in Fredericksburg (fun weekend!)
Easter sunrise service, followed by Sunday brunch at Bluebonnet Cafe
Weiss colored eggs for the first time!
Community Bible Church Saturday Easter Service (always a blessing!)
Completion of an Easter gingerbread cottage (with massive sugar overload following)
Weiss's addiction to his backyard "Roller Coaster," as he calls it
Weiss's first pony ride at Gentry's party
Visit to Abilene/Merkel to see my parents (Chick-Fil-A and Target trips included, of course!)
Alice in Wonderland 3D with Kelley Homeyer
Accumulation of more "Thomas the Train" toys
Inaugural kayak ride of the season for Weiss and Logan

March Update....

2010-03-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hello, all! I desperately need to put some updated pictures of Mr. Weiss here on the blog; he has grown so much and is changing every day!!! Now that I am "working" (internship), on the weekends, I want to relax and spend time with my boys. I feel like I am missing out on so much with Weiss when he is now in school from 8 to 5. Don't get me wrong---I am VERY happy with his teachers and school (my only wish would be for the food selection to be healthier, however---typical cafeteria food stuff), but I don't get so see him like I used to. So lately, we've been scheduling fun things to do on the weekends. Last weekend we were in New Braunfels with the Burns family. We went to Gruene, Texas to eat at the lovely Grist Mill for lunch, followed by some time by the river for the kiddos to "skip" rocks. We then went to New Braunfels to the great McKenna Children's Museum. Weiss absolutely loves it, and I would highly recommend it to all of my parent friends. (I prefer it much over Austin's or San Antonio's.) We then made a Chick-Fil-A run---we have to do that when one is in sight! Weiss always says "Chick-Fil-A and play!" We had some ice cream, lemonade, and a cookies and cream shake, followed by 30 minutes on the playground! We drove in to San Marcos and stopped at the Tory Burch, Gymboree, Pottery Barn, and J.Crew outlet stores. Weiss was such a trooper; after all, everything so far had been all about "him!"
We headed in to Austin for Weiss a haircut at Cool Cuts for Kids... (He is NOT a fan of haircuts, even when holding a Thomas the Train and watching Thomas!) We then spent a long time in PetsMart.... Weiss has been loving guinea pigs lately because our precious neighbors own one.... He loves "Mr. Piggy." He is so gentle and sweet with him.... We are contemplating adopting one from Austin's guinea pig Rescue society, but haven't taken the plunge just yet....
We then went to Pei Wei in Bee Cave. (Because I could get my weekly fill in San Antonio, I desperately miss Pei Wei now!!!!) We ended the night in Target, walking up and down nearly each and every aisle. By this time, Weiss was starting to get cranky, so it wasn't the most pleasant shopping experience we've had.... I had a great time with my boys that weekend!

This weekend, we had a wonderful Friday dinner.... Weiss is SUCH a good eater and eats pretty much whatever we cook. (And we don't modify our menu around our house for our kiddo because he will learn to like what we like---we like yummy, healthy, food!) Logan helped me cook because we could prep the food faster, and he is good about making sure the food is perfect! (And whenever I use a Bon Apettit recipe, they are always more complicated....) We had tri-tip beef with shallots, fresh shitake mushrooms in wine and cream, served over tomato-basted sourdough bread.... Our salad was arugula and spinach, pinenuts, fresh blueberries, and goat cheese, with a yummy raspberry balsamic reduction.... Dessert was Ina Garten's tiramisu..... It was a great dinner, and will be repeated because Weiss ate it up! (I know I talk about food alot in my blogs, but we are big foodies, and it is such a big part of our family time--we all enjoy cooking together and spend lots of time in the kitchen....) Weiss really loved the tiramisu, as well....

Saturday morning I went on a 5-miler with Judi and Donna.... I am still feeling good at 18 weeks but starting to show more... I have to take more walk breaks now, but feel great! We then got ready and headed in to Kirby Lane Cafe on Llamar in Austin for brunch.... YUMMY!!!! We all had different varieties of pancakes, and I love how they offer farm-raised eggs and natural sausage, grilled, so it is not greasy. It was wonderful and we will definitely be back to Austin's popular local hangout. We then went to Stride Rite to take advantage of the "buy one get one half off" for Weiss.... Logan went clothes shopping at Barton Creek Mall and then the Domain. (He needed to---it's funny how guys can wear stuff for years before they think they need new clothes!!! Some of his poor shirts were getting really worn out!) Weiss and I went to Border's Books, where we read--you guessed it---Thomas the Tank Engine's Easter book.

We came back to Marble Falls to go to our Sunday School's cookout at a local park. The BBQ was great, and Weiss got to burn off some steam on the great playscape. (We had never been to this particular park before.) We had a fun time; it was starting to get colder, so I was getting miserable. We went home and I slept for 2 hours while the boys built--surprise---a Thomas the Train track/layout. (I think the weather change was getting to me.....)

Sunday morning we went to church, came home for leftovers, and then took a WONDERFUL Sunday afternoon nap. Logan and I had some friends (Justin and Ashley White) in town (Austin) from San Angelo, so we went to Barton Creek Resort to pick them up. (Weiss stayed with his grandparents.) They are huge foodies, as well, so we went to Hudson's on the Bend. It was absolutely wonderful, and we had a wonderful time catching up with Justin and Ashley. They have a little girl, Sydney, who just turned two, and Ashley is expecting their second, who is only two weeks after our baby is due to arrive!

Weiss has been busy around the house, as usual, with his obsession, Thomas the Tank Engine. He plays daily with his train table and cannot get enough of Thomas and friends! However, we recently got him some Step2 outdoor toys, and he has wanting to spend more time outside. (Last week, Logan was so kind to assemble his extreme coaster, and we have to assemble one more....) It's great Weiss is spending time outside, but he is at the lovely stage where I have to be a continual, captive audience....

"Watch, Mama!" "Look at me!"

I don't mind some of that, but if I am trying to get dinner ready and need him to be occupied, it makes it kind of difficult.....
(Even though our kitchen looks right out into the backyard and he can see EVERYTHING I am doing in the kitchen, and vice versa...... Stubborn little dude!!!!!!!!! But I love him anyway!)

Tomatillo and Shrimp Enchiladas.....

2010-03-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

Okay. I have been a baaaaaaaaaaaaadddd blogger in 2010. (It's been almost 2 months since my last post----what a shame!!!) However, I have a yummy, kid-friendly recipe I would love to share.....

Tomatillo and Shrimp Enchiladas

1 jar tomatillo salsa (approximately 16 oz. or so)
1.5 lb fresh raw shrimp, deveined and tail removed--cut in half (not butterflied)
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 T of olive oil
1 medium purple onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup frozen corn
12 corn tortillas
3 T of half-and half
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I had sharp cheddar on hand, so I used that)
1/4 cup water
1 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper, cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp, cook an additional 3 minutes, until shrimp is opaque. Stir in corn, water, chili powder and cumin. Heat through.
2. Heat oven to 375. Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I use olive oil or coconut oil).
3. Wrap four tortillas in damp paper towels. Microwave 30 seconds. Brush one side of each tortilla with salsa. Spoon 1/2 cup shrimp mixture on each. Roll up and place seam-side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Top with any extra filling.
4. Mix remaining salsa with half-and-half. Spoon over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Weiss LOVED this dish, so it will be repeated in the future!

It may look complicated at first glance, but was really super QUICK to cook and assemble, not to mention quite tasty! For those of you who are more health conscious, I was able to find all of these products in an organic version at my local HEB this time, but they are somewhat inconsistent with their produce at times. (We try to eat organic produce/food when it is available, avoid GMOs, and highly avoid any dairy product(s) with rBGH.) I also had some cilantro on hand, so I topped the enchiladas with that....

I enjoy posting recipes because I always know where to find them if I misplace them!!!!

I just thought I was busy.....

2010-01-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Hello, all!!! I hope you are all having a great start to the new year. I cannot believe we are quickly approaching mid-January.... (yes, I know it's not here yet, but it is right around the corner!). These past few days, there have been some major adjustments in the Stanley household--Weiss began "full-time" to FBC preschool. He is going 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. Although I love his teachers, the administration, and the school itself for its values, I feel so HORRIBLE having to leave him there that long every day! Don't get me wrong--I'm not knocking all of those working moms out there. It's just that he's been so healthy and used to hanging out with me all of the time. He had been going 3 mornings a week for socialization and to give me some "alone" time and to do my school work; however, this is MUCH longer. The reason he is doing this is for my internship; I begin two Mondays from now. I am leaving EARLY EARLY this coming Sunday morning for Lynchburg, Virginia to the Liberty University campus to get in my last requirement class for my internship. It will be my LAST class other than the working part of my practicum and internship! WOW!!!

I hate to leave Logan and Weiss, but I know I will be busy and the week will fly. I also made two friends from the last 2 classes, and we are all staying together. I am looking forward to that! I am going to visit Thomas Road Baptist Church on Sunday evening and Wednesday at campus church (which has like 10,000 people attending on Wed.), and I'm going to eat LOTS of Chick-Fil-A! (Okay, not too much!) I have loved Liberty and am sort of sad the book work is coming to an end. My master's courses were like a giant BIble study; Liberty grew me so much spiritually because of the great books we read that were related to Christian counseling. (Granted, we had to learn theories and techniques, too.)

Anyway, I will return home on Friday evening late and then begin working at the Highland Lakes Crisis Center the following Monday. This will be my location until I complete 800 hours!!!! AHHH!!!!! However, with the clientele, things should stay busy and I know I will learn so much and my eyes will be opened to the needs of those precious people. God orchestrated that perfectly! Logan will be moving in the new dental office hopefully at the end of January, so it will be busy for him and his dad, as well. It will be chaotic around here for a time, with everyone adjusting to new schedules! I personally don't know how I am going to cook the dinners we are used to having after work being pregnant and all! I normally start dinner early because we rarely do "quick prep" meals. I can see why working moms want to grab something quick or eat out because they are exhausted when they get home, and they have to pick up their little ones after work from day care/preschool! I am thankful this will only be a season for us, but I hope we can continue to eat healthy.... I need to get another grilling lesson from Logan and/or my dad because I think that would be the simplest option.... veggies and meat on the grill, or something in the Crock Pot.

I get off work on Tuesdays because I am still teaching the preteen homeschool class of my Community Bible Study. I am sad because Weiss would always go and he had GREAT teachers in his toddler class.... I love my students; they are so mature and kind--wise beyond their years. We are still studying Revelation in the children's department and adult department. We have been going since September and are now midway through Revelation. It has been a wonderful study so far. On Tuesday afternoons, I will probably go back to work to squeeze in 3 or 4 more hours at the crisis center. I don't know just yet what I will do about the schedules of my piano students (I have five); they are normally scattered late afternoon throughout the week, but they are all so great about wanting to work with my schedule.

All I know is the next few months will be jam-packed and probably a bit stressful because of the nature of my work. I am looking forward to the adventures ahead, and know this year will fly by! I just want to finish my internship in time to relax a bit before "the new kid on the block" arrives in early August. Mom is on her way as I type to help me organize the house before I begin working.... I like things clean, but I am such a clutter bug and live with one, as well. (He may not be quite as bad....) This may be my only time to get my ducks in a row! Mom is going to watch Weiss this weekend so Logan and I can clean out the garage. (Yes, it is REALLY needed....hahaha!)

Christmas, New Year's, and More.....

2010-01-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I can't believe it is 2010. It seems as though only yesterday it was 2000--how time truly flies!!! Our Christmas was a laid-back one this year, but it was definitely exciting for the grandparents. When we do Christmas around here, both sets of our parents get together to celebrate because our families are so small. We announced to them we are expecting in August, and boy--they were excited!!! (I'm glad we finally told them because I had kept the secret from them since December 1st--and I felt really yucky on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.... I think it was all of the food smells at once... Those are really getting to me right now!) Anyway, that was an exciting surprise for them! Weiss really had a great time; this year, he was REALLY into Christmas, saying "Merry Christmas," and opening packages. In fact, he kept opening packages when I would walk out of the room! (Good thing I only put out packages on Christmas Eve, or he would have opened everything!!!!) And by the way, Weiss is STILL saying "Merry Christmas....." We tell him Christmas is over, but he tells us "NO! Christmas is NOT over!!"

As for New Year's Eve, I had friends from San Antonio come to visit for lunch--Lucretia, Kayla, and Alexis Kebreau. I was certainly glad to see them; we ate some Cajun food and had some fun catching up on old times. Last night, we went out to Leslie and Jason Coleman's house and had a great time with their 3 kids, the Duvalls, the Burns, and the other Coleman family. We ate a feast of king crab legs, Chef Leslie's (yes, she really is a chef!) oven-baked chicken, and sides we had all brought. We then went outside and popped fireworks with the kiddos and the kids lit sparklers. The kids all played and Weiss LOVES their Step 2 extreme coaster! He loves that thing whenever we go over there... I've included a picture.... We're going to have to get him one for the spring/summer.... Anyway, the adults played Rockband on Wii and sang some country songs.... Super fun. We rang in the New Year early and then were out by 9 PM for the kiddos. I was in bed and asleep by 11 PM. Because it was New Year's, we let Weiss snuggle in bed with us last night. Today, I think we are going to take it easy; I want to see Avatar in Austin on an IMAX screen in 3D, so I think we are going to do that today or tomorrow evening..... I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and had a blessed Christmas.

Recent Recipes.....

2009-12-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

I have had some friends recently exchange some really good recipes with me. Not only do I want to share them with you on our blog, but having them on my blog helps me if I misplace my paper copy!!! So here they are…. We have tried them all, and they are each wonderful…..

Lime Scented Quinoa with Black Beans, Tomato and Cilantro—from Hannah Burns

3 cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups uncooked quinoa
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
zest of one lime
1 tablespoon of hot sauce (we used Central Market Organics Chipotle hot salsa)
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed, and drained
1 cup diced red or yellow tomatoes (we used a plastic container of Cherubs)
1 cup diced red or yellow bell pepper

--Bring stock to a boil; add quinoa. Stir, and bring back to a simmer. Cover, and cook for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the quinoa is fluffy and tender. Strain and let cool. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper, zest and hot sauce. Place quinoa, beans, tomatoes and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil mixture, and toss. Suggestion: Serve with sautéed kale or spinach lightly tossed with olive oil and garlic.

NOTE: Logan and I added a chicken we had oven roasted. We shredded the chicken and added it to the meal, adding some protein and flavor. (And we always want some type of “meat” with our meal!!!) This is a great dish, served hot for winter and would be great cold (like couscous) for the summer.

ABOUT QUINOA: That was the first time I had ever cooked with quinoa (keen-wah). Hannah and Casey had us over for dinner and she had made a wonderful quinoa dish with chicken, carrots and celery. (I’ll post that recipe later….) Quinoa is a very nutrient-dense grain, is safe for a gluten-free diet, is high-fiber, and it has anti-fungal properties. So in a nutshell, this is a very healthy, nutritious meal! Quinoa is a complete protein (one-quarter cup of uncooked quinoa has about six grams of protein, about as much as one egg), and contains vitamins B and E and trace minerals. There was no quinoa here in Marble Falls (go figure!), so Cinda got me some when she ran in to Whole Foods in Austin. You can buy it packaged in health food stores or in the bulk section of larger stores. If you buy bulk, make sure to rinse it off and drain before you cook it because it has a bitter taste if it is not rinsed.

Baked Spinach---from Ashley White

NOTE: Not only do we love spinach because it is healthy, but with cheese, it is even better! Ashley said their almost 2 year-old LOVES this…..

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
6 ounces Cheddar or Colby Cheese, shredded (1 ½ cups)
freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a 7 by 11 inch Pyrex dish. Add onion. Stir in flour. Combine spinach, eggs, cottage cheese, and Cheddar or Colby cheese in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon spinach mixture into onion mixture. Stir to combine. Back uncovered 1 hour.

This casserole can be prepared a day ahead, refrigerated, and cooked the next day.

Osta Kaka (Swedish sweet cake)---From a friend of Ashley White’s

24 oz small curd cottage cheese
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups half ‘n half
almond extract (use your preference)

Drain the small curd cottage cheese into a colander for 2 hours. Discard milk. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the 4 eggs. Add the sugar, half ‘n half, and almond flavoring. Stir. Add cottage cheese. Spray casserole dish and pour in mixture. Bake 1 ½ to 2 hours. You can serve with fresh fruit or just eat alone! Yummy!

WOW!!! It's almost Christmas!

2009-12-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

I can't believe this month has flown by already.... Here's a recap of what we've been doing. This month has been particularly busy for us, not only because of the Christmas holiday, but because Weiss had his third birthday. I had my finals for two classes at one time (which ended Friday---HALLELUJAH!) and had to secure my internship in late January to complete my master's program. All of this has made the first part of December busy, and unfortunately, stressful.
A bit about my internship: God worked everything out beautifully; I will be working at the Highland Lakes Crisis Center. It services four counties here in Central Texas and houses up to 40 women (and children) at one time. I will be working with women and children who are victimized by domestic abuse and sexual assault. (It is also the sexual assault crisis center for this area, as well.) It stays very busy and is open 24/7, so I am sure I will be very busy. I am required to complete 800 hours there, so this will take me several months working full-time.
Weiss was so excited about his birthday approaching; he really had a great time this year celebrating. For the longest time, he said he was "five" if anyone asked, but I think he has figured out he is three now....
We attended the Main Street Bethlehem production in Burnet this year.... If you've never been, it was incredible and so worth going to see. There were plenty of live animals (chickens, geese, camels, sheep, donkeys), everyone dressed in period costumes, and everything was so realistic. Burnet FBC has a permanent "Bethlehem" set up outside of their church on some property they have there. The buildings are stone, and there is a wall around the city, just like it really would have been. There are Jewish priests, many merchants, Roman soldiers, wise men, shepherds, tax collectors, prostitutes, vagrants, lepers, prisoners, and families with small children. And of course, there is Jesus (a real baby!), Mary, and Joseph. Weiss loved it and learned how to say "Shalom!" We went late on a Sunday evening (someone had told us that was the best time.... It really wasn't crowded. We had no lines. We had heard people waited for TWO hours in line! After all, over 10,000 people go through in 2 weekends.) Mary and Joseph were supposed to remain "stoic" with the baby Jesus, and Weiss kept hollering at Joseph and waving to get his attention. It was so cute--finally Joseph looked up and casually waved. We were the only ones around the manger at that point, so I guess he thought it would be okay to break character....
We went to a wedding in the Merkel area this past weekend (Kelle Hicks and Derreck Ratliff). We had a great time; I got to see and visit many people I had not seen in quite some time! Thanks, Kelle, for including us! We left Friday morning and Weiss got carsick right off the bat. (He has never done that!) We pulled over and Logan was cleaning out/"Lysoling" Weiss's carseat; I took Weiss in the back with the tailgate up and changed his clothes. When he was covered in yuck, he kept saying, "I need a doctor...." I thought that was hilarious! He perked right up and was fine the rest of the drive and weekend. We think he got too hot because the heater was on and he had just had a big breakfast. Poor dude.
We stayed with my parents and enjoyed visiting with them. It was so COLD there. The temperature isn't too bad, but the wind makes it feel soooo cold. We had the rehearsal Friday in Eriksdahl (Avoca), and then the dinner in Abilene. Saturday, we drove to Eriksdahl (near Stamford) and then the reception was in the Elks Building in Abilene. We then left to eat at Catfish Corner! (Logan was craving it.... Good choice, Logan!) Sunday we left to go visit Logan's granddad at Big Spring in the Veteran's Hospital nursing facility. It was great to see him and know that he recognized all three of us. He was glad to see us and Weiss was in a great mood. We then left to go to San Angelo to visit Justin, Ashley, and Sydney White. It was a fun but short visit. We made our way home last night. We had many hours in the car this weekend, but it was a fun one!

Some Catchin' Up to Do.....

2009-11-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hello, All! I have been enjoying the cooler weather the past few days here in Marble Falls and my recent trip to West Texas last weekend. Weiss and I had a great time, but we came back with sinus junk! Logan had gone to a dental conference in Dallas with Dickey, and he escaped the lovely allergy/sinus junk. What have we been up to the past few weeks this month? Weiss has been busy with school, going to the library, Lo busy with work, we finished Financial Peace (we LOVE Dave Ramsey--he's an awesome guy!!!) and I ran the San Antonio Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. We all were gone last weekend (what I mentioned earlier) and this weekend is the lovely Thanksgiving holiday with family! We are officially celebrating on Friday because my Mom and Dad are getting here on Friday because of work. So tomorrow (Thursday), we will be doing the Austin Turkey Trot with Dickey, which is hosted by Thundercloud Subs and helps to feed the local homeless. (It is really fun---last year, there were many dogs and costumes---people dressed as turkeys, Santa Claus, Indians, and pilgrims!) We can't wait for this year's five miles!

And as always, I feel overwhelmingly blessed this Thanksgiving. I hope all of you do, as well. My God blesses me abundantly and keeps on blessing me each breath I breathe. I am so thankful for my faith, family, friends, health, church family, community, our nation ('m a bit partial to Texas--teeheehee), my dog, our beautiful world--plants, animals, and all, good food, my beautiful home, good music (my favorite pasttime), books (another favorite pasttime), and much, much more......

Today, Weiss and I began to set out Christmas nativities. I put a special table in his room to place his 3 nativities upon--Veggie Tales, Fisher-Price, and his newest and coolest, Playmobil. For those of you who want to get your child a nativity set, I would highly suggest this one. Granted, I will really have to watch him around this one, but each of the kings have special gifts to give to baby Jesus, and there is so much DETAIL. You can REALLY tell the Christmas story in detail, and the kings LOOK like kings, and the shepherd really LOOKS like a nomadic shepherd. (The only complaint I have is the little, kidlike angel, but Weiss got a kick out of it.... He raced around his room saying, "Fly, Angel, FLY!") It even comes with a small story book telling the Christmas story. The neat background is included. I will have to post pictures of his nativity table and Texas Tech Christmas tree when they are all finished, but here is the Playmobil nativity....

We also got him a neat Playmobil advent calendar instead of a candy one this year. It's pretty incredible..... Every year, Playmobil changes their advent calendar and does a different theme to collect, and they aren't expensive--about $18.00, but the previous year's versions sell for quite a bit because there are BIG Playmobil collectors out there. I think this will be something we do for each Christmas season.... Here is this year's Playmobil advent calendar... It's a forest animal, winter theme.

The Muppets Do "Bohemian Rhapsody!!!!"

2009-11-24T21:04:00.001-08:00

Some of you may already know I am a BIG Jim Henson fan. I loved the Muppets/Fraggle Rock/Muppet Babies growing up, and now Weiss LOVES Sesame Street. I got a kick out of this new video of the Muppets doing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," and I just HAD to post it. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I'll have to post an update at a later time! Enjoy!

More Kilpatricks to Come....

2009-11-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

Okay. My bud Katie has a blog that had an AWESOME post about friends and mommydom, and I just HAD to share... (Katie and Ash, I hope this is okay! :) ) It could not have been better said.... Just click on the link and it will explain itself.... More Kilpatricks to Come

And Ash, you HAVE to start a blog telling about your jet-setting adventures! (Like Julia and Stacey!)

November is Racing By.....

2009-11-13T06:45:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it has been around one year now since I have started our family blog. Time has flown---my kiddo is growing--he'll be 3 next month, we've lived here in Marble Falls for a year and a half now, and we've almost been married 5 years. WOW. Life is indeed the blink of an eye. I can't believe all of these things. The past few weeks have had their highs and lows. Many good things have happened, but many tragic things have also happened, not only in our nation, but with people whom we are friends with--several families. Please keep them in your prayers.

We've been continually busy every weekend. This past weekend was Team Karen, a 5K that benefits a rare form of breast cancer our LifeGroup teacher, Karen Cottrell, is battling so courageously. Please check out Team Karen to learn just a bit about Karen and David, who Logan and I (and everyone else that knows them!) love dearly. Karen and David teach our class, the Encouragers, together, and Karen leads a Mom to Mom Bible study group that I am in. The 5K went very well; around $30,000 went to MD Anderson for her specific type of cancer research, and $60,000 was raised for the First Baptist Church School and Preschool. These totals were over and above any goals set. God is good---All the time!

Later last Saturday, I had the opportunity to see Katie, Bo, and Cameron Kilpatrick, along with Ashley Higley in San Antonio. Ashley flew in from Oklahoma, or "Joke-la-homa," as she kindly refers to it.... (You have to understand---she is a Native Texan who is temporarily displaced...) I had not seen Ashley, Katie and Bo for over a year and a half, but I had never met Miss Cameron! I had the best time with them catching up on each other's lives and having alot of massive belly laughs... (My abs were sore when I got home....hehe!) And all of you, we have to get together sooner this time!!!! Here are some pictures of us girls... (Thanks Katie and Ash for the pics that I "stole" from Facebook....haha!) Katie is in the yellow and Ashley is in the red, Bo is self-explanatory because he's the only guy in the pictures, and Cameron is that precious little girl!!!

Weiss has the potty thing down....I am sooo proud of him! We haven't had any situations were we are away from the potty for prolonged periods of time, but I just keep his "frog potty" with me in the car and everywhere I go. He is growing so fast and I can't believe it. He is a big helper and I feel I can delegate some more responsibilities to him. He LOVES to read and he has a newfound interest in the "I Spy" books... He loves to search for the hidden objects in the pictures. He also enjoys singing, and I think after Christmas, we are going to embark on learning the books of the Bible via a WeeSing song... (We'll see how that goes... I may change my mind on that one this early...) He is very excited about Christmas and I think he will have a blast this year!

Logan is also doing well; he is busy with work, and it just keeps getting busier! He and his father are practicing in a temporary building right now, which is very nice, but the new Stanley Dental building will be open in January. (I will post pictures soon!) We are very excited; this is my father-in-law's dream office, and Logan has the privilege of being his son to also work there! Cinda (my mom-in-law) has spent countless hours pouring over every last detail, and so she is looking forward to it, as well. (We are fortunate--she is an interior designer.) Each operatory has a large window with a panoramic lake view so the patients will not feel "claustrophobic" in the dental chair, all of the equipment is state-of-the-art, and there is even a workout facility upstairs for the staff, complete with a shower! You can sip on an in-house latte before your exam or surgery and bring your iPod or favorite DVD to listen/watch in the chair. There's even a massage and aromatherapy room for the patients who need extra care, along with an outdoor courtyard as a waiting area for those seeking fresh air. I am super excited for Dickey and Logan; however, it may be hard pulling them away from the office it will be so much fun for them!

I am beginning to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel with school; I am taking two classes together at the moment, which is a challenge, because I am wanting to finish some time next year. I go to Virginia again in January to take another class and a mandatory exam for all students prior to graduation. I feel I am ready, but it is still intimidating, so please send a prayer up to God for me!

3 Weeks Have Come and Gone....

2009-10-21T20:22:00.001-07:00

WOW! Can I just say this year has flown? I cannot believe we are almost finished with October, and I haven't even blogged yet!!!! We have been very busy!!!! The past three weekends have been my parents coming over, a half marathon with Lexy and Mackenzie at San Antonio, a day out with Thomas the Train (and a ride, too!), dinner with Mia, Grappa and our friend John Shao, and last weekend I worked the music team on a Walk to Emmaus with Kim Edwards, so I was gone Thursday through Sunday. The boys hung out and had some quality bonding time! Since I have had some time off school (I start back Monday, however), I have really been enjoying myself. I've done a lot of leisure reading and spending some good playtime with Weiss.

Mr. Weiss, in the meantime, has been doing very well with potty training. We went 4 days with no accidents, and then he had an accident when he was at the church nursery this evening without us there (I think it could have been avoided if he was with us). However, things have been going well and his vocabulary is ever-expanding! He can count to 20 and identify most letters. (There are about 5 he does not know.) We've made an autumn gingerbread house with gumdrops and candy bats on the roof, and when I am not looking, Weiss will grab a kiddie chair, stand on it, reach the house up on the bar, and grab a licorice gumdrop! Of course, it's easy to spot the evidence in his teeth! YUCK!!!

I will have to update with some more current pictures, but I am just glad to be posting a short update. (I'll probably post more when school is back in session, because I'll find myself stalling on the computer!)

WHOA!!!!! It's been a LONG time......

2009-09-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

WHOA!!! I can't believe it has been soooo long since my last post... I have really been negligent lately; however, now that things are more back to normal and I don't have any more exhausting weekends looming in the future, I should be able to post. I have just been drained from all of the traveling and packing.... I have felt until recently as though I live out of a suitcase! It's refreshing not to feel that way anymore!

After our Las Vegas weekend, Weiss resumed school and I don't know where that week went! We left the following Friday for the coast with our friends, Casey, Hannah, Sophia, and Gabriella Burns. We went to Port Aransas and stayed at the family friendly Port Royale.... We had a great time at the beach, in the sprawling pool, visiting the U.S.S. Lexington, and the State Aquarium (Weiss really loved the dolphins, petting the manta rays, and the bird show). Of course, we also enjoyed the company of our friends, and the kids had a great time together.

This past weekend, my parents came down to Marble Falls. Friday after picking Weiss up from school, we visited the pumpkin patch at Sweet Berry Farm. Weiss was really looking forward to stuffing a scarecrow and seeing the goats, but the scarecrow stuff wasn't ready yet and the goats weren't out. (I was looking forward to the homemade pumpkin ice cream, but it was still freezing....DRATS!) We picked out some pumpkins, got some pictures of Weiss posing, and pet the horses and the donkeys... The baby donkey was sooo cute! We all headed in to Austin to go to the Apple store for Dad and we ate some good food at Pei Wei! (It was my FAVORITE in San Antonio; there was one not too far from our house--I haven't eaten there in awhile because I am out here in the "boonies!" Haha!)

Saturday morning, we went to Sea World! It was Weiss's first time. We were all anticipating (and hoping for) cool weather, but that wasn't the case. However, we saw the Shamu show, the Viva! show (with acrobats, dolphins, and belugas), and the sea lion show. We also got to see the penguins, dolphin feeding tank (Weiss was too tired at that point to feed them), and shark reef. By that time (5 hours in the park), Weiss was zonked! We were, too. We came home and ate at the Bluebonnet and then retired to the house.

Anyway, I know I'm not too detailed in this post; I'm just glad I'm posting! I have some stuff to do here and dinner to tend with, so I've got to wrap up. Tata for now!

Viva Las Vegas!!!

2009-09-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Now that I have returned home from Virginia, it seems like I have been ultra busy!!!! (You probably all can relate; activities are never spaced out equally; they tend to fall together in clumps!) The last week home was a great week--I mainly spent it getting the house back to normal, doing laundry, and spending some overtime with husband and son... (I owed them BIG TIME for being gone!) I also tried to exercise each day because Chick-Fil-A and all of Liberty's goodies (free coffee, bagels, chips, cereal, cookies, you name it) had REALLY gotten me down....

Anyway, I aged one more year on Wednesday, which happened to feel more like a Monday (random things occurred to make my day a bit "out of whack" from the moment I woke up....). Weiss kept us up during the middle of the night, banging on our door, wanting to sleep in the bed with us (he knows he's not supposed to), I got two giant quarter-sized blisters on my arches for not wearing socks with my running shoes.... Aunt Flo came to visit--ON MY BIRTHDAY...BUMMER...., my car battery was beginning to give me trouble, so I had to go spend an hour and a half in Walmart Automotive... However, a visit with Kelley and little Brooks really helped get the day off to a better start!!!! (Thanks for the birthday cake, Homeyers!!!!! YUMMO!!!!)

I left the Homeyer's house to pick up Weiss from preschool at FBC, and found him in a totally different set of clothes. His teacher informed me that he pooped his pants first thing in the morning on the playground, took them off, and began to "play" in the mess..... (GAG...).... Weiss was put in time-out... Then at lunch, he began to "play" in his food without his utensils... I guess we have a little sculptor on our hands.... "Le artiste..."

Logan and I went to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University on Wednesday night. I am super excited about the class, and I am glad we signed up! He loves anything about management or finance, and so we are both looking forward to it... That was a great finale to my big birthday....

We left on Thursday to come here to Las Vegas. Logan and Dickey (his co-worker and dad) had a conference here for the specialized medical/dental group they belong to, which is really focused around biological dentistry and overall physical and dental health. I'll discuss more on that, later.....

The conference is located at the JW Marriott, in Summerlin, Nevada, which is not far from the LV strip. The first night we all (Logan, Weiss, Dickey, Cinda, and I) went to the Caesar's Forum and ate at Wolfgang Puck's Spago... WONDERFUL!!!! Weiss was a great boy and ended up making friends with a couple from Vancouver sitting across from our table.... He made such good friends that they shared their dessert with him..... SUPER hilarious!!!

He really had a good time at Caesars, and he was great on the flight from San Antonio to Las Vegas.... (Buying a miniature Southwest plane really helped, I think!!!) Yesterday, Cinda, Weiss and I went to the pool (which is fabulous here) and spent all morning... Weiss had a blast, and enjoyed hanging out. We had a great lunch (caprese salad on focaccia bread....going to try that at home....DELISH!!!). We came up to the room so he could take a nap, and then Dickey and Cinda went to a banquet. Logan and I took Weiss back down to the strip and went to New York, New York. (I thought he would like the scenery in the boroughs.....It reminds me of Universal Studios....) We ate "outside" at a little Jewish Deli called Greenberg's... We had homemade chicken noodle soup, matzo balls, and a pastrami reuben.... Because it was 9/11 and we were at NYNY, they had a great, HUGE group of bagpipers and drummers in the traditional garb. They honored the miltary and the LV and NYC firemen and police officers, which was quite a sight. They had a "mini" parade in the casino.... Weiss enjoyed seeing the firetrucks.... He was impressed they came in red, white, AND yellow!!!

However, he began to ask if he could play the "games" as we were leaving.... (aka "the slot machines.....") AAHHH!!!!!! Funny, but NOT funny...... (We didn't even play ourselves..... He just saw everyone playing and all of the cool lights and sounds...)

We then took Weiss back to Caesar's forum, where we spent some time in FAO Schwarz.... Three stories of a child's fantasy!!!! He picked out "Colin the Crane" for his Thomas railroad set (go figure---he's obsessed with wooden trains) and has been playing with it all day! He also was loving the Playmobil toys in the store, and I'm glad about that, because I had already bought him some for this coming Christmas!!!

After the toy store, we went to see Caesar's fountain perform in front of the Cheesecake Factory.... He started out saying, "I'm not scared....." However, Weiss started getting scared when he saw the fire in the show. He didn't cry, but he said, "I'm scared..." However, that was only for a brief portion of the end, and then we redeemed ourselves by letting him watch the fish in the huge aquarium around the back of the fountain... He watched for about 30 minutes.... It had some great fish and lots of rays...

This morning, I heard some great speakers at Logan's conference. I decided to go because there are many topics that echo beyond dentistry, and quite frankly impact ALL of us, and these topics are near and dear to my heart. I have heard some GREAT speakers this morning, one being a top expert in his field, Dr. Boyd Haley. US Representative Dan Burton gave a compelling speech, as well. (If you want to know the content of their speeches, just ask me. Don't get me started on my blog because it is a HOT BUTTON for me....) One reason this group is controversial is because it does NOT agree with all the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), CDC (Center for Disease Control), ADA (American Dental Association), AMA (American Medical Association) and other big governmental agencies stand for. (This includes all of the big lobbying, big spending pharmaceutical industries....) Any entity that is denying individuals their right to know the FULL truth about health and its various components is what the IAOMT speaks out against. ANYWAY--Enough about that!

Now, I'm waiting for Weiss to wake up. (He stayed with Cinda in their hotel room while the guys and I went to the conference.) Cinda and I are going to head out again to the strip and go grab something at Serendipity 3 (ice cream)!!! We fly back tomorrow..... I'll chat again soon! I still have to update on my fun weekend with Logan in Virginia!!!

Something funny from class this week.....

2009-09-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hey, all! I'll continue my blogging when I return home; I really can't focus because I am HERE:

Well, not really at Magic Kingdom..... I'm stuck in the airport with all of the fun of Orlando right outside.... And this was a LONG layover, people!!!! VERY BORING!!!! Anyway, just thought I would post this great clip from class.... (This is not what Christian counseling is all about, but it's hilarious anyway.....)

I'll Talk More Later...

2009-09-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

I'll talk more later about the awesome weekend Logan and I had together this weekend and the fun things we did!!! Here's a preview of what we did last Thursday evening, the first evening he was here....... It just so happened it was opening week for Liberty SNOWFLEX and we got to go Thursday........... Fun, fun, FUN!!!!!!

Some of You Have Been Asking....

2009-09-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

So I know I've taken quite a hiatus from blogging. I don't like doing that, but I just haven't made the time lately. However, I've had many adventures going on. Some of you Marble Falls people and Facebook friends have been wondering where I've been.... Actually, this is the beginning of my second week in Lynchburg, Virginia. I am completing my master's in professional counseling at Liberty University. (Please note: this degree is not to be confused with school counseling.) I have done the majority of the classwork online and have put off the required courses on campus until this point, and now that Weiss is a bit older--although it is still hard to leave him--I found it time to get my coursework on campus started. I am nearing the end of my degree--I see the "light" at the end of the proverbial "tunnel"--however, I do still have some more on-campus work, a practicum, internship, competency exams, and courses from home before I am complete. However, I should be finished in the next 8 to 9 months...

I chose to go back to school after I had Weiss because I LOVE people. I love to help people; I love to interact with people. I chose Liberty because I knew they were online, would work with my schedule as a mom, they were reputable, could give me the degree I was seeking, and--most importantly--would teach me in a manner that corresponds to my Biblical worldview as a born again Christian. Liberty is the world's largest evangelical Christian university, is the world's fastest growing university, and has only been around since 1971. (When I got on campus, it was totally evident that this is God's economy here at the university; they are being blessed tremendously...)

Anyway, I've heard some great preaching while I've been here--Thomas Road Baptist Church, Wednesday night campus church (Aperture) with Dr. Ergun Caner, who is incredible.... Check out his stuff.... I'm going to be following him from home... I feel so comfortable here because you can speak the name of Jesus and not feel "weird" or uncomfortable because most likely, the individual you are talking to knows Him personally, as well. Our professors are also spiritual leaders; I appreciate this greatly. They lead us in worship, prayer time, prayer requests, and daily reflection and devotionals. They bring up questions from a biblical standpoint, which I LOVE. My classmates are pastors, youth ministers, church administrators, teachers, and people who just feel God's calling to help others. These weeks have been tough (leaving family, et cetera), but it has honestly felt like a spiritual retreat for me and my classmates. Each of us (in our 15 person class) has expressed this; we are learning how to counsel with others, but have each been receiving counseling, as well, and it has been a time of renewal and joy, albeit draining.

The emotional aspect of it all is pouring out yourself, being transparent and honest, but also listening deeply to others with empathy. Having a relationship with Christ helps provide the foundation a counselor needs to work with all of His children, no matter how hurt or broken. Although this doesn't sound draining, it truly is; I am mentally exhausted today, yet physically energized (probably from all of the coffee they've given us!!!). I'm sure many of you in the ministry and other helping fields can relate.... I have been a sounding board for the deep emotions of others, but I am honored that Christ can work through me. I have also used others as my own personal sounding board. God has also revealed to me additional ways I may choose to help others in our community, so I'm going to look into these avenues very soon, as well....

Enough with the deep stuff.....

Anyway, I've had a great and awesome experience with last week's intensive with Dr. Patti Hinckley and my counselor and small group facilitator, Francis Raj, a Christian pastor from Malaysia who is on fire for the Lord (and has a great sense of humor to boot). Just when I thought the classes couldn't get any better than last week's, this week is Dr. David Appleby, a former pastor turned professor with two doctorates and a seminary degree.... He is coming out with a book next week, and he is an authority on deliverance...... Tomorrow afternoon, he is going to explain more in a Q & A session with our class of 15.... Can't wait!!! (More on that later!!!!)

Before each class session with Dr. Appleby (the class deals with group counseling), he plays this clip, which has really touched me (and everyone else in our class) this week. It's the Gaithers, for those of you who shy away from their music, but the message is sooooo incredibly powerful for anyone in the helping profession, or anyone who is a Christian, for that matter. Take a look and be moved......

Now Here's MY Personal Favorite....

2009-08-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

And here is my personal Sesame Street favorite: Huey Lewis and the News. His hit, "Hip to be Square," is changed to "Hip to Be a Square." And the cool part is that Huey Lewis is actually singing it! I didn't know this 1980s goodness existed, but it is on one of Weiss's Sesame Street DVDs from the 1980s. It's made complete by the awesome 80s music video style format. Take a look.....

And While We're on the Subject of Sesame Street....

2009-08-24T15:53:00.001-07:00

I thought I would post this... I love how Sesame Street uses current songs/artists to convey a learning principle to kiddos. (And it also helps "woo" the parents because it's entertaining, too....) This is one of Weiss's favorites current Sesame Street songs by Feist. The song was made popular because it was in an Apple Computer commericial, and then Feist showed up on Sesame Street. I bought the CD, and when it is in the car, guess what Weiss has us listen to, over and OVER???? "1, 2, 3, 4....."

I am CONSTANTLY singing Sesame Street's praises.... Weiss can now count to 15 and recognizes about two-thirds of the alphabet, and I certainly attribute this to the show. Each episode, there's a "letter of the day" and "number of the day," and I think those 7 AM episodes on PBS and all of the Sesame Street DVDs have really helped him out! Thank you, Sesame Street!

Potty Training is 90% Complete...

2009-08-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, Weiss, Logan and I have been focusing on his potty training. He is in "big boy pants" most of the day, and he stays dry during naps and at night. (Even then, I am still paranoid and put a Pull-Up on him; I really don't want to add "change and wash sheets" on my to-do list...) And we had a "motivating moment" last week on the potty training circuit....

Last Thursday, Hannah and I took all three kiddos to the Dell Austin Children's Museum. We had a great time; Hannah and I are both still partial to the New Braunfels McKenna Children's Museum, however.... There was lots for kids to do (the target age was more like 5, 6, or 7) and LOTS of kids.... WHOA.

After the visit, we took the kids to eat at Which Wich? downtown, about 2 blocks away from the museum. The kiddos seemed to enjoy it. Weiss and I made a run to Target before he was to get a haircut. And, as always, I found more in Target than I was anticipating....

Weiss kept asking to go down the toy aisle. I obliged, of course. (I feel like he has to go down every non-toy aisle in Target for me to browse; why not let him have a few aisles of his own?) There was a toy--more like an obsession--the Sesame Street house, exclusively for Target, by Fisher-Price, complete with the Sesame Street character figurines to play with. I thought I would get it for Christmas; I like to shop early. I figured I could put it in the basket, take it home and stick it in the closet. He would just forget about it. WRONG.

We returned after a haircut for Weiss to Marble Falls. I picked Logan up from work and we met Dickey, Cinda, and Logan's godparents, the Davenports (who were in from Dallas) at Real New Orleans Restaurant. Weiss began to ask for his "Sesame Street House" when we got out of the car. No---it was more like PLEADING for his Sesame Street house.....

To make a long story short, for several days, he pleaded for his Sesame Street house. BEGGED. OBSESSED.

Logan and I finally decided it would be a good potty training reward. Christmas (or his birthday--whichever gift-giving occasion we chose) was too far away to hear all of this.... So I told him Elmo and Big Bird cry when he doesn't go in the potty. So everytime Weiss had an accident, he would say in the saddest tone, "Elmo and Big Bird cry...."

However, he is doing GREAT now. He has had just a few accidents, and he is getting better about telling you when he needs to go potty instead of forcing him to go. So last week, he had a great day and was a great, obedient kiddo. He earned his "Sesame Street House." And he is still OBSESSED with it; he continually plays with it and asks us to play with him. It's so fun because he's just now getting into imaginative play....

So now, Weiss watches Sesame Street while he plays with his Sesame Street House in his Sesame Street pajamas, drinking Sesame Street Earth's Best Organics juice. AAAHHHHH! (At least they're cute characters....)

First Weiss Video Upload!!!!

2009-08-11T14:36:00.001-07:00

Okay..... I was going to upload some pictures, but I couldn't find the recent files here on Logan's computer because I don't know where they're categorized.... However, I did find this precious video of Weiss saying his shapes at dinnertime on his Sesame Street placemat.... (This was from about a month ago.....)

What's Been Going On Around Here....

2009-08-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

Hello, my bloggy friends!!! This past week has been fun and laid-back. Weiss and I have spent more time around the house, which has been nice because he will begin preschool at FBC very shortly. (He'll be attending Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings....I'll pick him up after they serve him lunch...) This is really a bittersweet moment for me because I feel he is growing up and we are already cutting one of the "strings" that attaches him to our "nest." Friends will become more important to him, he'll be forming opinions and bringing back things that are not of this household, and you name it.... (Thankfully, there are some great Christian families we know that attend his school and strong Christian teachers and administrators, praise the Lord!)

Because school is starting, Weiss had to go to the dr.'s office for a wellness check. And I LOVE Dr. Madrigal, our doc. (When I was in San Antonio, I started driving Weiss all the way out here to see her.) She is a Christian, very high energy, and she practices what she preaches (extremely fit and healthy doc--love that). She spends lots of time with each patient, thinks outside of the box (she doesn't try to shove prescription drugs first thing down your child's throat), and lets you call her home or cell if you need her anytime. (What doc nowadays does THAT?!?!?!) Anyway, so we have found a real gem for our entire family.... (She is board certified in pediatrics and internal medicine, but she also does family practice....)

Because she hasn't seen Weiss since December, she was very impressed with his sentence structure, counting skills, and him saying his ABCs. I had brought his little DVD player with Sesame Street playing, and although she is not a TV advocate by any means, she began talking about how great Sesame Street is for development and how it can help Weiss get ahead. (I told her he was OBSESSED with Sesame Street....) She said at this pace, she had no doubt that he would probably begin reading in his fourth year after several questions she asked me. (I'm not going to take that to the bank, but we will continue to work on all of the above....However, it made me proud of him!) Weiss is tall right now for his age and right smack in the middle for weight, and Dr. Madrigal thinks he looks older than he is. She told me to make sure others understand his maturity level and age and don't expect him to act like an older child.

She also told me to always, ALWAYS keep him in a five-point childseat for as long as possible, regardless of what companies advertise for older kiddos. (Her personal childseat recommendation was the "Britax" brand.) She said avoid boosters AT ALL COSTS, even if it means Weiss doesn't look "cool..." We will certainly heed her advice for as long as we can... I believe our particular seat holds up to 65 lbs., so Weiss will be stuck there for awhile.... Dr. Madrigal gave him a clean bill of health and signed off on his FBC preschool sheet!

Last Thurday, we FINALLY got to meet Mr. Brooks Matthew Homeyer, the newly-hatched son of our great friends, Matt and Kelley. He is soooo cute and is a teeny little man! He's got a crop of blonde hair, and he's just precious! We took them dinner and Weiss came along... Weiss was VERY wired at their house....(Sorry about the free entertainment, Homeyers!!! And thanks for letting us crash your peaceful atmosphere.... We'll be back--whenever ya'll are ready!!!) I was SUPER frazzled with him because, well, Thursday had been a fiasco most of the day... I woke up and Weiss pooped his pants and tried to "clean" them up when I was in the shower..... (Just imagine....) There was poo all over his bathroom toilet and floor.... on the rug, and all over him! So he had ANOTHER bath, and I had ANOTHER shower... We went to volunteer at respite care at Fellowship Baptist, and Weiss was great---until it was time to leave. MAJOR screaming meltdown. Matt was so nice to bring this neat little train Weiss was nuts over home that night when we came over to see them. (Thanks, Matt!) We went on to HEB to get dinner for the evening and Weiss said, "Don't wanna go to HEB" when we got in the parking lot...

(HEB has marketed well.....he knows HEB logos, HEBuddy, et cetera, et cetera...) As a side note, we were going down an aisle to get Logan some more hair gel. The adult "underpants"--ahem--Depends--and the like, were across the aisle from us as we stopped to search for the particular type of gel. Weiss saw the HEB brand and exclaimed loudly: "HEB PANTS!! YEAH!! (I laughed so hard....) He loves to get Buddy Bucks after we check out and put them in the little claw machine. He cheers when he gets a Buddy Buck and doesn't keep the points.... He just loves the stickers because they are, well, stickers! He'll exclaim: "Number 2! YEAH!!!" And then he'll jump up and down.... It really is cute to see... (Parents, I'm sure you know what I mean with the Buddy Bucks.... And thank you, HEB, for making my toddler's day a bit brighter.... Can I get some free groceries for saying that??)

This weekend, my parents came down for a visit. We really didn't get out and do a whole bunch, but we ate at Real New Orleans Cajun Restaurant on Friday night, which is NOW IN TOWN!!!!!! Yippee!!!! It was great (as always) and I can't wait to order out etoufee and gumbo when it's cold outside.... And their bread pudding is some of the BEST on this planet.... (Now there are three locations: the old Round Mountain location on 281, Marble Falls, and Burnet.) And not only is the food great, but it benefits the "Smoking for Jesus" ministry, located in Kingsland. (Yes, you read that correctly.) They are an incredible group of godly people who moved together from New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit, and they have all made their home in here in the Highland Lake area. So come on out, support their ministry, and eat some REAL Cajun food from authentic Cajuns!!!

Saturday, we didn't do much but get some stuff accomplished around the casa. Even though Lakefest (boatraces) were going on, I wasn't excited about going because it was soooo hot, soooo loud, and soooo crowded....Dad, Logan and I assembled our new coffee table, which Logan was skeptical about me ordering, but now I think he likes it. (I basically watched... The dudes had to put their muscles behind it at times....) Mom and Dad played with Weiss, Logan washed his car, and I did some laundry. We ordered out Thai food from Ginger and Spice on Saturday night, and we all got the Pad Woon Sen (my fave, Logan's fave, Weiss's fave). We also got some Tom Kha soup, which I want to attempt to make (coconut cream base, lime leaves, cilantro, mushrooms, chicken...YUMMO.....) Everyone enjoyed it. Mom and Dad kept Mr. Pookie while Logan and I went to see "A Perfect Getaway." It wasn't too bad, but wasn't great. It was just nice to get out of the house for a bit and have a little "date...." Thanks for the babysitting, guys!

We all went to church Sunday morning, while Logan and I stayed for Sunday School and Mom and Dad took Mr. Weiss home to play before they had to leave. We came home, I threw together some lunch, and Mom and Dad had to go back to West Texas. Weiss took a nap with Logan while I worked a bit on organizing our closet. I want to install some shelves so we have some room to keep our suitcases off the ground...

I am enjoying these last two weeks with Weiss before he goes to school and I am gone to Lynchburg, VA, for two weeks for school. (I have to do a total of four weeks on the Liberty campus--4 classes, one week apiece. However, I figured I would cram two together to save on airfare and just to get 6 hours out of the way.... It will be hard to be away for the moment from my family, but so great to have knocked out. I am quickly approaching the finish date for my degree, but have many, many, MANY hours left for internships!!! Thank goodness I have five more years before I must have my completion!!!) Logan is coming to visit the weekend in between classes, and we plan to see the local Civil War sights that are around in beautiful Virginia. Anyway, more on that later....

So I've Been Getting Behind A Bit....

2009-08-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

my cousins, Cameron, Hunter, and Carson
my aunt and my Dad's only sibling, Alana
This last week has flown by and been action-packed. Logan headed off to Big Spring to see his grandfather, who is still not doing well at all, and Dickey and Cinda kept Weiss. I headed to DFW for a college friend's wedding, Mrs. Lindsay (Harris) Lemon.

(Okay, Lindsay---if you're reading---I still can't get the last name right: Lemon, Lemons, Lemmon, Lemmons??? Let me know.... However, I loved the "lemon" theme at the wedding... PERFECT for this time of year!!!! I could have used Stanley Power Tools as my wedding theme.....not quite as charming....haha!!!)

I stayed with Dad's sister, Alana, who I don't get to see nearly enough. We had a blast: She took me out shopping to some cool, little eclectic hideaways she knows of, took me to an AWESOME Italian place downtown (Taverna), and then to the "Jubilee," Ft. Worth's African-American theatre, to a musical comedy. And it was AMAZING!!!! "Sam Shade" was totally funny, and the cast had INCREDIBLE voices.... I felt as though several of the cast members could have been with major recording labels or on Broadway.... I was blown away.....

Alana and I got up to run---(well, it ended up being a 6 mile walk because we were catching up!) through her BEAUTIFUL neighborhood. It's over by the Colonial golfcourse, in the Tanglewood/Bellaire/TCU part of Ft. Worth, so it is absolutely stunning. The houses made me drool.... She even showed me where Pat Green lived!!! (Thanks for the tour, Alana!!! It was awesome!) Alana is a runner, snow-skiier and biker (she's been doing all for quite some time now---I'm jealous) and in EXTREMELY great shape!!! (Okay---Alana---I had to brag a bit on you!!!!) I won't reveal her age, but Dad always gives her a hard time because he is the little brother..... (I know Dad is snickering right about NOW....) I hope those great genetics have been passed on!!!! haha

We went to see Andy, Heather, Hunter, Carson and Cameron (the twins).... (This is Alana's son, daughter-in-law, and grandkiddos, for those of you out there....) Hunter was playing in an indoor summer soccer league, and he is AWESOME!!!! Lots of high school/college potential there..... I know he will definitely be on the Weatherford 'Roos starting lineup in high school, no doubt! (I also informed him he was wearing my number, 16, that I wore all the way through college...... I called it "sweet 16," but that's not too appropriate for a teenage boy.....) It was great to briefly see everyone and catch up a bit..... (Heather and Andy--- I wish we all lived closer.... ) The girls are growing like crazy and are BEAUTIFUL....

Then Alana and I had a quick stop at QT for a coffee and then my favorite: SUPER TARGET!!!! And I guess we are just out here in the backwoods, but QT is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I'm addicted!!!!!!!

We headed to the wedding, which was beautiful, and Lindsay was a stunning bride! I approve of her new hubby, Luke! I saw a few friends from college and got to visit and catch up with Shannon Stovall and her mom. (Shannon was my roommate on our Model UN trip to NYC.... She was the BEST!!!) Alana and I then headed to Stephan Pyles for dinner---it was WONDERFUL!!!!!
(Cinda and Stephan are good friends, and so he came out to greet us at our table and chat for a bit---Thanks, Stephan!!!!) We were so full from the wedding we had no room for dessert, but could fit a few truffles down....YUMMO!!!!

We headed off with our leftovers back to Alana's house for some R and R.....

Sunday morning, we went to Alana's church, University Christian Church. I really enjoyed the speaking and the great choir and handbell special.... It was a beautiful place to worship... After another coffee stop at 7-11 (well, a cocoa stop for me---they had a HUGE thing of the little miniature marshmallows to sprinkle in---my FAVORITE!!!!!), she drove me around the TCU campus and through some more gorgeous neighborhoods where we walked on Saturday.... After some quick leftovers from Stephan Pyles, I had to head back to Marble Falls.....

It was a great visit with Alana, and we've already made plans to rendezvous again soon for the State Marching Band Contest in San Antonio in November!!! (Anissa, I hope you can join us!!!!!!) I was glad to see Logan and Weiss again; I was very tired from the drive and the fun! Now, this week, I've been concentrating on EXERCISE and HOUSEWORK........ Blah....

We're Going to Start on Some Bible Verse Memorization....

2009-08-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

So---I think it is time for Weiss to get some Bible verses to memory. (After all, he is old enough, a talker, and can be motivated by rewards!) Here are some I have found that are "doable" for little ones... We're going to start with these....

10 Easy Bible Memory Verses For Kids
Proverbs 30:5 - Every word of God proves true.
Matthew 6:24 - No one can serve two masters.
Deuteronomy 6:5 - You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
Matthew 22:39 - You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
Psalm 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of God.
Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Psalm 139:14 - I praise you God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Isaiah 43:5 - Do not be afraid for I am with you.
Psalm 1:6 - The LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

(I've been lazy lately; I'll have to update soon with another post of what we've been up to....)

Weekend of Fun....

2009-07-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Hello, Everyone! I blog to you today from the Stanley lakehouse... (Thanks, Dickey and Cinda!) We had some great friends from Logan's years in dental school over: Brett Shirley, Anna Windham, and Mark and Brooke Sumbera. We had a great time catching up and enjoying the lake.

I took Weiss to Mom and Dad's on Thursday for them to keep him over the weekend. I stayed overnight and left Friday morning. All of our friends arrived Friday evening. The Sumberas arrived from beautiful Victoria, where they both grew up. Mark practices dentistry with his dad (who ironically went to dental school with Logan's father!), while Brooke is a second grade teacher (and looks like Rachael Ray).... (Sorry, Brooke--I just had to throw that in!)

Brett and Anna were also in Logan's class. Anna and Brett brought their two dogs, Sassy and Dot. (We had Zoey out here, too!) Anna practices in Center (far East Texas) with her father. Her brother is also in dental school right now... Anna always has great recipes wherever she goes, so I got some great stuff from her this weekend! Brett Shirley is from San Antonio, and the crazy thing is HIS father was also in Dickey's class!!! (So it was Dickey Stanley, Malcolm Sumbera, and Jack Shirley all in one class... Brett, Logan, and Mark all were in the same class, as well! Anna was also in their class, but Anna's dad went to dental school in Houston--the rebel. haha) Brett is currently in an oral surgery program at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, which means he will graduate in 2014!!! For this program, he will receive his MD, as well, so he enjoyed a weekend at the lake, away from hospital rotations.... (Bless your heart, Brett!) So Brett and Anna are in it for the long haul!!!

Friday night we stayed up super late--just visiting. On Saturday, the guys smoked some meat (wonderful pork and chicken) and we spent lots of time on the boat with everyone tubing! We all put on sunscreen, but some of us got burned.... OUCH!!! The water was PERFECT and we had a great time looking at all of the great homes on Lake LBJ.... We came back in later in the afternoon and sat on the giant floatie out in the water....(It holds 8 to 10 adults!!!) We also took the kayak out and put Dot and Zoey in it.... Us girls went inside to visit and cook the side dishes while the guys went out to surf behind the boat. We had a wonderful dinner!!!

This morning, we got back out and tried surfing some more. Everyone did great, and we had a few good laughs!!! Logan and I are relaxing right now, waiting on his parents to bring Weiss home. (My parents met Dickey and Cinda at Bronte, who were coming back from Big Spring this weekend. Weiss hitched a ride home!) We're going to enjoy the last few hours of daylight on the boat, so I'll chat again later!

This Article is Very Relevant... (WARNING: Rant)

2009-07-21T23:23:00.001-07:00

As a former student of political science, political intern, and law school dropout, I do find myself interested in politics. I'm not as obsessive as I once was because I have OTHER things (Logan, Weiss, et cetera) to fill my time. However, I do credit my knowledge to Dr. Paul Fabrizio and Dr. Tina Bertrand... (The benefit of a small university is that I took EIGHT classes with Fabrizio and SIX with Bertrand... I really got to know them well!) They were really great professors and made learning something possibly so mundane, well, so...fun and interesting!

(Anyway, enough with my reminiscing!!!) (WARNING: The following contains my strong opinions!)

This article is very relevant with today's presidential situation. We all know the current domestic situation: taxation issues, the presidential push for universal health coverage-- and I may discuss the healthcare issue in a later post. (I've been really tempted to already, but haven't had time to condense my thoughts!) The international scene is shaky: relations with other countries (North Korea, Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela) are unsteady, Honduras is having a major political upheaval, and the economy is causing a strain for everyone. The President has ALOT on his plate to deal with, domestically and internationally.

Although I've never been a big Obama fan because we have differences in our opinions, I still pray for him, his family, and his leadership of our country. The article shows President Obama's approval rating to be dropping rapidly; frankly, this is disturbing because if his approval goes down with the general American public, then the approval of our country in the eyes of other nations is certainly influenced in a negative manner.

Although Obama has the incredible benefit of working with a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate, the unity is fading even within the Democratic party because of so many different views regarding this vast, enormous piece of legislation to reform health care. My comment on this article is that Obama's polling numbers are only beginning to drop, but this debate is likely to become much, much, MUCH more heated--not just across party lines, but within Obama's own Democratic party. What I am saying is that his approval rating is likely to drop much further. (As I stated earlier, when his approval ratings drop, we ALL lose--Democrat, Independent, or Republican).

However, I do want to praise our president on the encouraging speech he gave during the latest NAACP convention.... (NOTE: It is a bit long, but is very inspiring....)

"Snow Ski, Mama!!!"

2009-07-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

A Little Weiss Antic:

Early yesterday morning, Logan was out kayaking with Matt Homeyer, and so I had the opportunity to sleep in. I had my alarm set for 7:45 ("sleeping in" for a mom), and at 7:20, lo and behold, Mr. Weiss Hyatt Stanley comes toddling in my room. Apparently he had been up a bit because he was naked from the waist down but had his Superman pajama top and cape on (hahaha!!!). I walked through the living room to his room to see where his pants were... and he said:

"Snow ski, mama!"

He pointed over to his Fisher-Price school bus. I didn't see anything, so I groggily replied, "uh-huh." (At this point, my eyes weren't hardly in focus yet!)

We go in his room, secure him some underwear and clean clothes. I looked by his kiddie potty, and he had removed his overnight Pull-Up and the Superman shorts to try to use the potty. What a good boy!

I walked back in the living room.

"Snow ski, mama!"

I looked closer..... Weiss had poured baby powder all over and inside his oversized school bus..... (Thus, the reason for "snow....") He had several little characters, including Elmo, Grover, Lightning McQueen, and Tow Mater, "skiing" in the "snow."

Very funny. However, I had to get out the vacuum and clean it up.

The Week's Recap....

2009-07-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hello, All! We are still here, surviving in the ridiculous heat......

I am ready for some rain.... Weiss and I have spent some time almost each day in the water, whether it is our sprinklers, Weiss's "frog" pool, the Meadowlakes pool, the lake, or at the pools of generous friends....

And the days we haven't been in the pool, we've been in "pools" of our own sweat.... (Gross, I know... but true....)

I have a crazy story from the heat: Wednesday evening, I got in from choir at 7:15ish and took Zoey on a 3.2 mile run. She was really pulling hard against the leash after the first mile or so.... She was POOPED when she got in the house, and immediately went to sleep. She sort of limped home. However, she has run many times before, so I did not know why she was limping because I was running slow, as well....On Thursday morning, she was still limping.... She kept licking her front paws... I looked at her paws, and she had BLISTERS from the asphalt... I guess it was sooo hot... My poor baby....

Weiss finished up his swim lessons this week. He did really well; I am looking at putting him in private lessons or the ISR option, but I'm going to let more friends know about it first to see if we can get an instructor out here in no man's land...

We stayed cool on Friday night by going on a kayak ride as a family up Lake Marble Falls.... Ahhh---the breeze felt soooo good off the water... We had a great time, as usual! Weiss LOVES to kayak, and I really, really am enjoying it, too!

Currently, Weiss is pooped... We went to two separate birthday parties this weekend (Sophia Burns and Zach Spillman)... I am exhausted, as well!

Weiss has been doing very well with potty training. (It's just that I have to remember to take him every 30 minutes or so......) However, it is so funny now--I will tell him to go potty, and he will usually go... YEAH!!!! He is sleeping through the night without going in his overnight diaper, so that is a good thing.

This post is a bit short and sloppy, but I am ready to retire for the evening. I have two great, great books I am reading (a mother/daughter memoir---I'll talk more about it in a future post---and "Revelation Unveiled" by Tim La Haye), so I want to go dive in!!!! :0)

Too Funny.......

2009-07-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Katie K, I just HAD to post this...... way too funny..... I had never heard of the "Hawaii Chair" before, but it is a riot!!! I actually found the website selling it here...... Anyway, check this out and get a few laughs.... (You'll probably laugh as many calories off as the Hawaii chair could burn.....)

I'm Just Full of Posts Today....

2009-07-12T16:38:00.001-07:00

Goodness!!! This is what a lazy Sunday afternoon will do to you!!!! (Hey--at least I am getting caught up on blogging....)

And have you noticed the new background and font?

THAT took about thirty minutes for me to decide and get on my blogsite....

And I figured out how to do hyperlinks today. (I used two in my last post.

(Sorry, I just couldn't help myself......)

I'm trying to be better about posting pictures and images; hopefully, I will upgrade to video soon! I took down the RealPlayer for a bit.... (I'm sure you would be proud, Dad....)

Anyway, this week I found some 1980s goodness that used to fill my little ears for Mr. Weiss. Yes---that's right: Psalty.
(Did anyone else listen to the big blue songbook's music?) Does anyone remember the song, "If I Were A Butterfly?" That was my favorite on the first CD..... Psalty KidsPraise! albums were great, and they have a knack at helping little people remember Bible verses and other great life-building principles.... (However, I do realize Psalty sometimes gets a bad rap for his goofy costume.... As a matter of fact, I remember going in a closet growing up in my home church, and seeing an old Psalty costume that was used sometime in the early 80s, complete with foam pages for the hymnbook and a hole the actor's head popped out of.....)

I thought I was getting SUCH at deal at amazon.com, but his music is MUCH cheaper at his own website: http://www.psalty.com/who.html So I just wanted you moms to know...... I anticipate getting the music in so I can reminisce while Weiss enjoys his new music!!!!

A Great Website.....

2009-07-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

Okay---I just had to post this.....

My Memaw (my maternal grandmother) had a great talent of sewing. It wasn't just some little pastime; it was her living and profession. I grew up with her sewing many precious dresses for me on until very recently (the last thing she completely made for me was a beautiful, classic "Jackie O" type dress I wore to a formal wedding shower we had. I had purchased the fabric at a amazing custom fabric shop in Taos, NM.) Now that she's gone, no one in our family sews. and although I have never really sewed before, I am interested now. I want to learn how to make a simple shift dress (I need to go look for the pattern---it is very simple, and could be used for ladies, teens, or babies.... The pattern would look great with leggings, over jeans, or alone. (Go to http://www.itspoppydipblog.blogspot.com to see what shift I am talking about.... By the way, check out Poppy Dip's blog, too---it is for a great cause (she's a Jesus-lovin' woman making dresses to pay for her childrens' adoption fees, and her dresses are super cute and a great price, for all of my friends with little girls!)

ANYWAY.... I just need to get my sewing machine set up and go for it, cold turkey. I want to order some funky fabric, and found this AWESOME retro fabric website from the UK..... I just emailed them to see what the international shipping will be here to Texas, and then I am going to place my order..... Take a look..... Here's the link: http://www.fabricrehab.co.uk I want to make some pillows and attempt some other things eventually.

Here's some fabric I'm planning on ordering:

WOW.... A Jam-Packed Day....

2009-07-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

I am still recovering from yesterday (Saturday). It was such a fun day with Logan and Mr. Weiss. I got up, ran 6 miles (getting back on track for November's marathon) and then biked 4 with Weiss. After a quick shower, I made biscuits and eggs and Weiss played with his Thomas the Train stuff. I got a new book in the mail, so I was reading!!!! Logan watched Weiss while I showered and made coffee. Then we were off to the driving range! Logan got Weiss a club and he "chipped" onto the green for about 15 minutes. Then Weiss and I got in the Meadowlakes pool. He looked so cute in his floaties and swim ring! Logan joined us after he finished hitting his bucket of golf balls. We swam from 11:30 to 1:30 and then had lunch from the club afterwards at the pool. Weiss LOVED his foot-long corn dog! (We have some cute videos from Logan's phone--however, I don't know how to post them!)
We then all went home for a nap, followed by Ben and Jerry's ice cream. We all played a bit (Weiss was WIRED) and debated going to watch a movie. However, that was vetoed.... I went to Ginger and Spice to get Thai food for us all---Logan--red shrimp curry, Weiss--pad woon sen, me--pad woon sen. Afterwards, we took our kayak and went to get the Burns' kayak to take Weiss on his first kayak ride!!! He did great!!!! Logan and Weiss were in the Burns' kayak and I took ours. We were out about an hour..... SOOOOO much fun!!! I really got a good, full body workout yesterday! (Running, biking, swimming, golfing a bit, kayaking!) Logan put Weiss down while I showered and then we watched "Valkyrie," which was really good (we are both WWII buffs, so it was great....). Although we were very active, yesterday was a super-fun day!

Today's Mad Hunt.....

2009-07-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello, all!!! I have been a bit better about posting lately..... YEAH!!!!

Today was day 4 of swimming lessons; I am starting to talk to people about ISR lessons, and hope to possibly get a group here that is interested so the instructor will come to US. However, if that doesn't work out, I'll just take Weiss in to Lakeway, which is still around an hour drive... It will have to be in the fall, because the summer lessons are booked.... However, if you are from Marble Falls and you are interested in ISR lessons, let me know and spread the word! Weiss's swim instructor says it is great and it would be a great idea for him; she would love to become certified herself, but I checked the certification cost, and it is a $15,000 initial certification fee for instructor training.... WOW.

Anyway, Dickey and Cinda had gotten Weiss a Fisher-Price Kid Tough Portable DVD player last Christmas, and he LOVES it.... He would rather watch his DVDs on a 3.5 inch screen because HE can press play, HE can turn up the volume, et cetera. And it really is a great thing, because now that he is older, if he wants to watch Veggie Tales, Sesame Street/Elmo, Baby Einstein or Barney (his top four), Logan and I do not have to be captive victims. I have it plugged in (it also works off batteries) under this little buffet table with a low shelf so he can sit on the carpet and watch. (Our main TV is on the other wall, behind Weiss's back).

The DVD player has been, for the most part, "kid tough," as advertised. He has ripped off the legs it stands on, but they pop back on, and I think I have seen it fly down the grandparents' stairs as Fisher-Price has advertised. He has touched the laser inside, and we've had to clean it off, but it has definitely been the "little DVD player that could." We have never had any problems, until I attempted to clean the screen.

I used some Mrs. Meyer's basil spray to clean the screen one day, and I guess Weiss saw me. (He also saw me spray my fragile orchids with a bottle of water, and later hosed them down with Mrs. Meyer's..... Monkey see, monkey do.) Later that day, I came around the corner, and Weiss was hosing down his DVD player. I let the player dry, and he began playing with it the next day. However, the buttons have a "sticky" feel, and the latch that closes the player seems to act funny now... Weiss will put DVDs in the machine, and most of the time now, they will not play because the machine's cue tells us the DVD door is not closed (which it IS, but the Mrs. Meyer's residue is confusing it, I guess....)

After Weiss tried today to load Veggie Tales' "Gideon and the Tuba Warrior," I finally gave up. It wouldn't load. I called Fisher-Price, which has always been great when I have dealt with them in the past. (I had to get a new motor for his Baby Papasan swing when he was an infant, and they were quick, friendly, and helped me out, no questions asked.)

My dealings with the company were great and they are sending me a check to replace the DVD player for its cost during December 2008.... Which means.....

THEY ARE NOT MAKING THE DVD PLAYER ANYMORE..... UH-OH. Tell THAT to a two-year old who considers it one of his favorite toys.....

So, today was spent going to the local Walmart Supercenter and looking for the Fisher-Price player in "blue." No blue players, but about SEVEN pink ones.

I went online, called Mom and Dad to look in Abilene (possibly better luck there, but there were NO players in either color when they looked at several stores/locations). I noticed even my favorite "store," amazon.com, did not have great prices on the blue ones--the pink ones were usually much cheaper. However, the pink one is MAJORLY pink; my kiddo cannot do the pink one.... It's fuchsia and baby pink....ALL OVER.... His old one was more gender neutral.

Anyway, I looked at about 15 different online retailers (including many common stores online); no luck. Most were sold out of both, and were not getting any more in. However, I decided to check eBay. I got outbid at the last minute on one (was winning bidder, but did not put last bid in quick enough for my FINAL bid....ARGHHHH....frustrating....)

The same seller had a "buy it now" on a brand new, boxed BLUE player. By the time I would have payed tax on the pink one at Walmart, it would be just slightly less (a few bucks) than what I payed for this one. The check Fisher-Price is mailing me will be seven dollars more than what I got the eBay player for, so, hey---we came out on top.

Isn't it crazy how parents will do ANYTHING to make their children happy?!?!?! (I'm just thankful I found another one, because when I told Weiss his player was broken and he needed a new one, there were tears.....)

This is Hard to Watch, But SOOOO Important....

2009-07-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

After checking Facebook this evening, I saw a friend had posted some precious summer pictures of her family. I flipped through them, and saw her son taking ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) Lessons. These are not just any swim lessons, folks.... These teach swimming survival skills to children from age 6 months to 6 years. I have another friend in the Dallas area whose little girl took ISR classes, as well. She was taught how to swim/float to the edge of the pool, fully clothed (in a jogging suit), with shoes on, just as she would probably find herself had she fallen in the water accidentally.

Even though Weiss is enrolled in swimming lessons now, they only last here in Marble Falls for one more week. I am going to check into some ISR classes for Weiss. I think it would be extremely beneficial to do. Watch the video and take note of the statistics....It's hard to watch, but it is amazing what the young kiddo can do that would save his life....

Key Lime Pies and Raspberry Tarts.....

2009-07-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! The past two days have been busier than normal; Weiss has started swimming lessons for the next two weeks, and he actually has done well without me in the pool! Today he started out on the wrong foot; he did not want to leave the house this morning for lessons (they are at 8:30, so he's not always in a happy mood at that time), but he eventually enjoyed them and at the end of the lesson, didn't want to leave the pool. Afterwards, Kaili came over to keep him while Carol Rhodes, our CBS Bible Study Director, picked me and another group of CBS facilitator ladies up to attend our monthly brunch at Carol Dold's home outside of Burnet. It was a long drive into the country to a place called Wolf Creek Ranch, but the view was well worth the drive! Her home was deep into the ranch, which is now home locations with EXCELLENT views and acreage. Carol had windows all around her home, and even though it is not presently hummingbird season, she had SO many of them (probably 15 or so at one time).... I have never seen so many at feeders in my life.... I could watch them all day....

Carol said she had estimated at peak season, there were over 50 hummingbirds at one time! Amazing. She has to refill her feeders daily (and she has 3 in the back, 2 or 3 in the front), and I could literally see the nectar "bubbling up" because the hummingbirds were drinking so much, so fast. Carol also had many butterflies because she had planted certain things which attract them. Anyway, can't you see I was very impressed????

I brought a raspberry tart from Whole Foods. If you haven't tried one, they are WONDERFUL.... They are in the frozen section, and look and taste homemade. However, last night, we had some extra key limes, and I made a key lime pie, which I do often, but I normally top it with fresh whipped cream (Logan doesn't allow Cool-Whip in this house, folks....Only the real McCoy.......) Anyway, I LOVE MIRENGUE---so I thought I would make it with mirengue.

I'll post my super simple recipe......

COURTNEY'S KEY LIME PIE

1 HEB graham cracker crust
1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (approximately 12 key limes or so)
2 teaspoons of fresh key lime zest
4 large or extra large egg yolks (save the egg whites)
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat the 4 egg yolks until they are thick and a light yellow. (Don't overbeat.) Turn the mixer off and add the Eagle Brand. Turn the mixer to low and add half of the key lime juice. Continue mixing until mixed together and add the zest and the rest of the juice. Mix together and pour into graham cracker crust. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until filling is firm.

For mirengue:
Beat the 4 egg whites in a metal or glass bowl. Add 1/3 teaspoon or so of cream of tartar to give structure (If you have to use the same beaters, make sure they are completely dry or the moisture will keep the mirengue from rising properly.) When the egg whites form soft, foamy peaks, slowly mix in 3/4 to a cup of sugar, depending upon how sweet you want your mirengue. Spread the mirengue on the hot key lime pie filling so that the mirengue's bottom can slightly cook and keep it from shrinking during baking. Bake 325 to 350, watching the top of the mirengue until it is a nice golden brown.

Store the pie in the refrigerator and DEVOUR it!!!!

Look What I Found!!!

2009-07-07T07:55:00.001-07:00

I found this sweet little gem on Cinda's iPhone. Look how much Weiss has grown!!!!

Must-Read Book!

2009-07-06T09:27:00.001-07:00

Okay: since my class ended this past week, I have loaded up on books that I want to read. I’m not even finished with this one I’m about to tell you about, but it is a MUST READ. The book’s called “The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick—and What We Can Do About It.,” by Robyn O’Brien. DISCLAIMER: The following commentary contains some pretty heavy opinions, which may be unpalatable to some……

This book is a hands down, MUST READ. Robyn addresses many concerns related to our nation’s food supply, which are mostly “swept” under the rug. She poses questions we, as consumers, parents, and informed individuals, should ask. Knowing what I know about the government from studying it four years and attending law school for one, I know there is a HUGE lobbying interest for mega-corporations and basically, whoever has the money. So what about our food supply?

Why is it our nation has the best healthcare system in the world (our people live longer), but our people are more unhealthy (obesity, auto-immune diseases, allergies, cancer)? I have always wondered this myself after having many in my family (and Logan’s) affected by cancer. (I’m sure many of you can relate.)

I know allergies have always been an issue, but why do so many, many more children have allergies? I’m not just talking about mild allergies, which are also on the rise. I am referring to severe, life-threatening allergies. (Think of children with peanut allergies….)

WHAT is possibly triggering this? Robyn explores the lucrative connections between the FDA, EPA, and mega-corporations, many which dominate our food supply. After reading this book, it is very frustrating how the big corporations, namely Monsanto, are using their power to bully the little men: North American farmers.

She poses some interesting questions for which we should all seek the answer: Why is it that Europe, Russia, Australia, some African nations and Japan have all banned genetically-modified ingredients within their foods? (The United Kingdom allows GM foods, but they must be clearly labeled.) Why is it US food with GM ingredients do not have to be even labeled? Isn’t it our right to know what we feed ourselves and our children? After all, in the US, genetically modified food does not even have to be TESTED before it is put on the market. Robyn explores WHY this is happening and WHAT we should do about it.

The UK, Europe, Russia, and Australia have passed laws so there are no artificially synthesized colors in their foods lining their grocery shelves. Even American corporations with businesses within these nations, like Coca-Cola, Walmart, and McDonalds, abide by these rulings. WHY is it that here in the US artificial colors are no problem?

Now here’s some commentary of my own: We have so many health related issues that doctors have NO CONCLUSIVE evidence exactly WHY they have occurred, like ADD, ADHD, autism, many types of allergies, Crohn’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and some cancers. (These are just the few I can think of off of the top of my head…) Many doctors say many of these are “auto-immune” related disorders, but there is NO CONCLUSIVE evidence what exactly causes them. Why have these diseases seemed to affect more people in recent years? Robyn speaks of this in her book and poses some important questions we should ask.

The foods she discusses are not “processed” foods—these are foods we think are healthy (milk, fresh produce, grains-based foods). PLEASE read this book.

Oh---another great, FREE resource that Robyn suggests is the documentary “The Future of Food.” (It’s an hour and a half long, so make sure you have a bit of time, or watch it in sections, as I am doing.) I found it FREE on hulu.com……… Go to hulu.com and look under the “movies” tab and you will find “The Future of Food….” (It is only one of the topics Robyn covers in her book, but it is worth seeing…..)

Independence Day Recap......

2009-07-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

I sure hope everyone had a great 4th holiday filled with fun, food, family, and FREEDOM!!! We had a great time with Logan's parents, my parents, and Logan's godparents (Brian and Debbie Davenport) at Lake LBJ. We spent Friday and Saturday in and out of the water, but not in the boat (because it was RIDICULOUSLY crowded this year). Lake Travis was down, the heat/humidity were CRAZY, and EVERYONE wanted to be out on the boat. So we'll just wait it out until a weekday or next weekend.... we can have a nice section of lake practically to ourselves so the guys can barefoot. We had a great time floating on this HUGE float that can hold around 10 people.... They had it tethered between the dock and the boatlift. Some of us got on it, and the wake was so crazy from the lake traffic we would slide off at times!!! It was great fun, nonetheless. Weiss enjoyed jumping off the dock to B-Paw (my dad) and Logan. We got some great video of that.

Something new this year was a great neighborhood block party. The neighbors down at the lake have always been pretty close, and they decided to combine festivities this year. Everyone cooked their own meat, but we combined the other things. It was a SMORGASBORD!!! There was even a salsa contest and washer contest--which I am proud to say, my hubby and father-in-law won! One of the families had several members in a family band, and they provided the music, which was really fun! Weiss enjoyed popping small fireworks this year; as a matter of fact, we had to go back to the stand two days in a row to stock back up! I had just as much fun as he did lighting and popping them!

The Homeyers came out last night to sit on the deck with all of us and watch the Kingsland, Horseshoe Bay, and neighbors' fireworks shows. Dickey and Cinda have the perfect spot on the lake to have a great view of the show without having to get out in the boat. However, that's the best part for me: watching the boats go up the lake to the fork in the Colorado and Llano. The boats all watch the fireworks parked together, and some boats are so close in the water you can walk boat to boat! It's fun when they all leave because the wake gets SO HUGE and the water white caps. Little boats really have a hard time. The water sloshes up over the seawalls, which are about 3 feet, and could knock you down if you were standing at the edge. However, we were looking down on all of this from the deck, which is on the second floor. A great ending to a fun weekend!

ANYWAY.... Today, Mom and Dad left, and Logan, Weiss and I took a Sunday afternoon nap! Mom and Dad also brought down my September birthday present early so I could use it: a new bike with a child's seat! (I'll do the trailer when we have more than one kiddo, but for now, I though the seat would let me maneuver more easily.) I was super excited! I really wanted one to change up my marathon training and for cardio, so we took it for a spin tonight and rode about 4 miles! Logan even got out his bike and aired up the tires. My old bike from middle school will be going to the library thrift store. My booty is a bit sore getting used to the seat, but I'll soon get used to it.... I really felt the burn with a heavy toddler behind me! It's so nice to do more miles and move more quickly in the heat so there's a nice breeze drying my sweat! Weiss kept saying, "This is fun!" He had a precious sea turtle helmet on, which he is quickly outgrowing!

Speaking of "outgrowing" things, this weekend, Dad and Logan took down the baby bed rail to Weiss's bed and put up the toddler rail! It was a bittersweet moment for me to see him one step closer to being a "big boy...." However, it will mean easier sleep for me, because he can come knock on the door to our room (which he already does when I am doing homework) and get out of bed on his own. I won't have to worry about listening for his voice saying, "Mommy! Daddy! I want out of bed, please!"

Tomorrow, Weiss begins two weeks of swimming lessons. I hope he does well; they have moved him up to the older kids' class (3 and 4) because he already has taken lessons in San Antonio and jumps to us from the side of the pool/deck. I sure hope they let me stay in the water with him, or else he may not like it.... I'll keep everyone posted.....

7 Random Things About Me.....

2009-07-01T09:01:00.001-07:00

Okay, Aimee! I am finally getting around to doing this.... I have been wanting to, but I have been sooooo lazy on blogging lately..... Here are seven random facts, in no particular order... (You all probably know some of them already....)

1. I REALLY love working in the yard. I find it extremely therapeutic.... Stress relief, calorie burn...all of that! (And it's great exercise, to boot!) This is something that is new for me and has happened over the past few years. I love learning about plants and taking care of them; they are like my babies! I've also gotten brave and we now have several citrus trees; they will live their lives in large pots because of the climate here.... We have a lime, Meyer lemon, lemondrop (a mandarin orange/lemon hybrid), a grapefruit, and manadrin orange trees! And we do get fruit from them! (They smell divine when they are blooming.....) I have really enjoyed this year because I can really work and get dirty while Weiss plays outside. He's also at that wonderful age where I can slip in a quick shower after I am all sweaty from working!

2. I want Weiss to have the most memorable childhood possible. (Of course, you have to learn boundaries and discipline at the same time.....) I know most parents feel this way, and I'm not alone in feeling this, however. We try to take a "field trip" at least once a week to do something out of the ordinary, and I try to do little things around the house to make him feel special. (I try to do a craft project or two each week so he'll learn and have fun....) We also take a weekly library trip, which he really enjoys. I am a cleaning fanatic, but it looks like I run a home daycare because of all of the "kid things" in our living area!!!! I love entertaining him, because I can be a kid again, too!

3. I love Chick-Fil-A. And Target. And Nordstrom. (Usually when I go to the "big city," I hit up all three.... hahaha) And for Weiss, my new favorite is Baby GAP.

4. I love my hubby. Even though we can drive each other crazy at times, he is my balance. The salt to my pepper. The yin to my yang. I love watching him be a daddy---it really pulls him out of his "shell...." (For example, he would NEVER want to eat at a kid's buffet line, go to a theme park, or surround himself with a bevy of children normally, but for Weiss, he'd do anything! I love that!) I am thankful that although we have slight differences, we see the BIG issues the same: spiritual issues, issues related to how we raise our kiddo, et cetera.

5. Building on #4, Logan and I live a bit differently than most. We cook most of our meals, and try to eat as hormone-, pesticide-, and artificial additive-free as we can. (Granted, when you eat out, that is another issue in itself. However, everything in moderation! We have to socialize..) This has been a gradual transition for me, but I am really into it now. It is a bit more expensive and time-consuming, but it tastes better and is healthier. I am thankful for a husband who has made me wacky, too!

6. I LOVE to read. I'm not just talking about just a book here and there. I'm talking a RIDICULOUS amount. I don't really like fiction (unless I've had several recommendations beforehand), but I tend to read nonfiction, historical, spiritual, and health-related books. I wish I could be a professional book reviewer and actually make MONEY off of my all-consuming hobby.....

7. If I could do anything, I would love to adopt internationally. Yes, I know the shpiel about adopting domestically, and that's wonderful and all, but with international orphans, one's life literally hangs on the brink. Adoption may be the very thing separating that child from life or death. I pray everyday that one day we will adopt one of our children internationally. After all, we are all orphans in Christ, and He has so graciously loved us and become our Father (James 1:27).

Busy Week....

2009-06-30T21:20:00.001-07:00

Hello, Everyone!

Sorry for the "blogging delay," but we've had some summer fun.... Last Monday and Tuesday were VBS here at Marble Falls FBC, and I was volunteering. Mr. Weiss came along to play, even though he was too little for the classes (aww.... he would have loved them!) I worked with the Pre-K group.... I had a great time, but I was thankful to return home to my own little man! (It's like those "mom swaps" on TV---they're fun at first, but everyone is crying for their own mom at the end.... That's how I feel about Weiss! I wanted him back by noontime!)

Monday afternoon, Cinda kept Weiss and I made a trip in to Austin to get Weiss a train table with several Thomas the Train accessories. I then went to Whole Foods for groceries and then came home to set up the table. When Logan walked in with Weiss (he went to pick him up), Weiss screamed and said, "Thank you, Mommy--Thank you Daddy!" He kept saying this over and OVER.... So precious! He had the biggest meltdown EVER when it was time for his bath.... He LOVES his new train set and has played with it constantly from the day I got it.... It was money well-spent, I might say!

Tuesday, Weiss and I drove to Hamilton to meet Mom and Dad...We ate some good Mexican food (Mom--can you remember the name of the restaurant?) and I drove in to Dallas to spend some R&R time! I met up with Cinda, and I went to the pool while she and Kay McDaniel went to market (Terry and I stayed at the pool)....

I got a bit of sun, too! (Actually, WAY too much!) As I have gotten "older," I have wisened up. I used to worship the sun, staying brown year 'round, thanks to the tanning bed. I was addicted like a smoker is to cigarettes. Bad, I know......

After I had Weiss, there was no time for that. (And I noticed sun spots appearing on my body....AGHHH!) Now, the only tan I get comes from a can. I am diligent about wearing sunscreen on my face, neck, and back of my hands. And yes, I am a bit obsessive about spray-tans; sometimes, I look like an Oompa-Loompa. However, I was a bit late on the sunscreen last week. I am paying for it now....

The McDaniels and Cinda and I ate some great, great food. We went to Charlie Palmer's and Abacus.... We stayed at the Joule, which was INCREDIBLE.... The pool is awesome... It is on the tenth floor, and hangs out over the sidewalk.... That was pretty crazy.... It was solid glass overlooking the street!! (I've included a picture of the outside of the hotel... The pool is the glowing blue to the top right....) Thank you, awesome Mom-In-Law! (I am thinking about booking a night for Logan and I sometime in the fall.... He would love it....)

Anyway, I left Saturday morning to get Weiss in Merkel. I stayed with Mom and Dad, and we ran into Abilene for the afternoon. Weiss had seemed to have grown the short time I was gone! I left Sunday morning to meet Logan and Dickey in Big Spring.... They moved Logan's grandad (Pawpaw/Delbert) to the Veteran's Hospital, which has a hospice floor. They are trying to get Delbert in down here in Marble Falls, but there is a waiting list for the nursing homes they want him in.....

Anyway, he is not doing well at all, but he was having a good day on Sunday; he knew all of our names, and even remembered little Weiss. Weiss was an AWESOME sport, too.... He even sat on Delbert's lap in the wheelchair and let him love all over him. (Thank you, Weiss!) I couldn't have been a prouder mommy! Logan and I then stopped by the cemetery to see Meagan's grave. (For those of you who don't know, Meagan is Logan's sister who was two years older--they lost her to cancer at age 17.) We then got on the road and made it back to Marble Falls.

Weiss and I have just taken it easy this week (he's played with his train table) and I've been cleaning up around the house. I wrap up my career counseling class final this week and won't have another class until late August. It is nice. I am taking a break! See you soon!

The New Jib Jab...

2009-06-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Okay. I've loved this site since early college (when I was a political science major....). Here's the newest Jib Jab. And I think it is pretty much what the Obama supporters think.... Take a look....... (NOTE: You will probably have to scroll down to the bottom of the web page first and turn off my background music to hear.....)

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

More Recent Random Pics....

2009-06-20T08:44:00.001-07:00

Here is a recent photo of the three of us, a picture of Weiss and precious Sydney White, a picture from Wildseed Farms, a picture swimming in his kiddie pool at Mia and Grappa's, and some pictures from Longhorn Caverns last weekend.....

Some Pictures...

2009-06-20T08:00:00.001-07:00

I admit: I get really lazy with pictures. Since I am on Logan's computer, here are some of the latest--from last night, actually. We have been eating dinner on our back patio (with the help of six tiki torches with anti-mosquito oil).... Logan had a little inflatable pool at the end of his little playscape's slide, and Weiss was running around sans clothing and playing in the water. He stopped for some quick pics...

Weiss Antics.....

2009-06-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

Weiss is sure growing. I am always amazed at what he says, and there are things I am noticing him pick up from other places. At this stage in life, that's good, because the only "other places" are at both grandparents' homes, the church nursery, and other church activities. However, (I know this won't quite be the case as he gets older....)

Anyway, here are some funny things he's said the past week. (I really should type them as they occur, because I forget so many of the cute things...)

--He constantly calls himself "Puppy Dog." (Remember a previous blog post?) He is always saying things like, "Puppy Dog wants to ____," or "Puppy Dog likes ______." However, if you call him Puppy Dog, there are times when he will correct you. "Me no Puppy Dog; my name's Weiss!!!" I love to provoke this....I'll do things like, "Is your name Jim Bob?" "Hey Santa Claus, would you bring me that toy?" I love it because he will say, "Me no Jim Bob/Santa Claus, my name's Weiss!!!" And if I'm lucky, sometimes he'll say his full name: Weiss Height Tanley. TRANSLATION: Weiss Hyatt Stanley

--I've found a great line of hot dogs for kids at Whole Foods... The meat is from organic, grass-fed, hormone-free beef. It's also free of nitrites and nitrates, so children and even those who are pregnant--some of my friends out there, not me at this time--can eat them. (I remember I could have robbed a bank for a loaded chili dog when I was with child!) And Weiss LOVES them.... I have to cut him off at two hot dogs (minus the buns--we usually do a pita or Ezekiel bread if he wants it) because he could eat them all day! So the other day, he finished his second hot dog over watching "Barney" during lunch.
He pitter-patted up to me: "More hot dog?"
"No honey, you've already had two hot dogs."
He replied, "Three hot dogs???"
(I couldn't stop laughing at how early children learn manipulation.)

--Weiss is capable of potty training (and he's almost two and a half), but he doesn't like to go sit on the toilet when asked. Sometimes I will put him on the potty right after he wakes up and his diaper is dry, but if his diaper is really wet from the previous night, I just skip that step. (I do know that "potty training" ME is an important part of the process (getting me to be consistent), and we're working on that, too. But he's not too interested at this point...) ANYWAY--if it is his idea, he will go #1 and #2 on the potty. Sometimes, he even tells me to change his diaper. For example, this morning, he came in the room and had removed his PJ pants and diaper. He had a fresh diaper in his hand and powder. He said, "Mama, change my pants?" I had to laugh!!!

--Like most kiddos, he has a fascination with water. He always wants to wash his hands and make a mess with soap. However, he goes to the sink so much, I have had to go so far as to put a childproof doorknob turner on the door....

There are other antics, but I will have to think for a minute....

So I've Been Lazy on Posting.....

2009-06-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone! I really thought I would post more this summer; boy, I was WRONG!!! And not that I've been doing anything much recently, besides chasing a 2-year-old around!!!! HA!

We've had a fun week... On Tuesday, Weiss and I went with a little group from FBC to the Strawberry Farm, although we are ending the strawberry season... He had a great time picking blackberries straight from the vine, feeding the goats, petting the horses and donkeys, and releasing ladybugs on the plants to eat the aphids. (He ate more berries than he put in his basket!!! His little face was all purple....so sweet!) And If you don't know the children's minister, Ed Necker, ("Mr. Ed") from FBC, you ought to.... He is so awesome with the kids, so enthusiastic, and so fun! The other day I caught him playing hopscotch with a kiddo.... He's such a kid at heart.... Anyway, we had a great time....

On Wednesday, Logan and I went in to Austin to see my parents, who were in town for the Texas Funeral Directors' Association convention. They were there with Monty and Debbie Howard, who are their friends and partners in business. We went to eat at Hofbrau's on 6th street.... Very good service and a good butter sauce on the steaks. We had a good time and a fun visit.

Thursday morning, Weiss and I drove back in to Austin for the exhibits and to see Mom and Dad again. There were casket exhibits, hearse exhibits, embalming chemical exhibits--you name it!!! Weiss woke up in a cranky mood, and to top it off, he hurt his arm roughhousing at the convention. (If you want all of the details, ask Lexy!!) Mom and I had to leave the convention and get him some baby Motrin....His arm hurt all day, and we had to see Dr. Torry after hours for him to check it out! Thankfully, during his bath that night, Weiss was magically all better!!! Praise the Lord!!!!

Rusty, Jessica, and Isabella Baker spent the night with us Friday. Bella is only a few weeks younger than Weiss, and it was so much fun to see them all and get the kids together! Bella is a cutie patootie, too! Weiss and Bella played, and Logan was a sweetheart for keeping Weiss and taking him to dinner with everyone while I went to see Jane Elway at FBC. She is WONDERFUL!!! She is a tiny, 71-year-old woman who portrays biblical characters. And she is INCREDIBLE...
She portrayed Martha, the mother of the boy with the loaves and fishes, Pontius Pilot's wife, Phoebe (the deaconess from the old testament), the Symarian woman at the well, the woman who was about to be stoned, and I may be forgetting one or two....Maybe that was it..... I was blown away. And if someone had never heard the gospel, it was so clear in her monologues with the women she portrayed.... She would dress like the women in front of the audience, and it was so cool seeing her wear the different head coverings, tunics, and period clothing. I also got to see someone I was not expecting: Nancy Shirley, from San Antonio!!!! I was so happy to see her; she was there because her church is hosting Jane this coming fall, and they wanted to see her and get promo pictures with her. Small world!!!

Today after church, we had a picnic in the backyard. Then, Logan, Weiss and I went to Longhorn Caverns outside of Burnet. It was really fun; Weiss seemed to have enjoyed it. We hiked the nature trail in the heat; thankfully, we wore outdoor sweat-wicking clothing so we were prepared! However, there was a good deal of shade. We then took the 2:30 tour. It was nice and naturally "air conditioned" in the cave.... I'll have to post pics.... We really had a good time. We'll have to go back. Since it is only about 10 miles from home, I'm sure we will!!! After Logan got a geocache or two with his GPS on the way home, Weiss fell asleep. Logan read my mind---I really wanted a snowcone and have not had one in like 3 or 4 years! It seemed like an "official" way to roll in the summer for me! However, Weiss conked out and so he missed out on the fun! I got my usual: a wedding cake flavored one, and Logan got white coconut cream! YUM!

The boys dropped me off by the house so I could do homework and they went on to Lake LBJ to swim at Dickey and Cinda's and go out in the boat.... Boo.... I had to miss out! They also grilled out while they were there and I was stuck at home.... Anyway! It was a great weekend, and Weiss was pooped!

Oh, What a Night!!!!

2009-06-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! It seems as if this week has flown by---there has been something to do almost every day! I went to west Texas to get Weiss and Zoey and see Mom and Dad. We ate at top-ranked Harold's Pit BBQ, which was AWESOME (they are ranked as one of the top BBQ places in the state, located in Abilene)!!!! They are finally open for dinner now--it used to be lunch only--and it was GREAT food.... Logan is going to have to go. I hit a MAJOR storm driving in to Merkel, complete with hail. On I-20, the traffic slowed down to about 15 to 20 MPH.... one of "those" storms. The lightning was incredible, too. It was beautiful to see the storm build up across the West Texas plains on the way into town. (We can't quite get the great visibility down here in Central Texas to see a beautiful T-storm building up, so I've missed out...)

Anyway, as soon as I was in town, I had to leave to come back to Marble Falls so Logan could see Weiss... he was missing him desperately!!! (After a Target and Chick-Fil-A stop on the way out of town, of course!)

On Wednesday evening, when we got home, we had dinner with at the Burns' with the Duvall family joining us. It was really fun... When we pulled up to their house, Weiss let out a blood-curdling squeal of delight.... He then proclaimed, "SOPHIA!!!" Logan and I looked at each other and laughed.... He was super excited to see her.... There were a total of five kiddos, and they all played in the Burns' beautiful backyard.....

Yesterday, I kept Royann Williams' two kiddos, Cayden and Colsen, from 12:00 to 4:00. We went over at 11; Royann brought us lunch. (Thanks, Royann!) They were fun and Weiss certainly enjoyed playmates for the day. We were over at Royann's house, which is just down a few blocks, and the boys all played outside and enjoyed it. It was fun hearing the commentary from Cayden (almost 5) and Colsen was such a sweet baby and SOOOOO easy to take care of... WOW.... All Royann said to do was lay him in his bed and tell him "Goodnight, Colsen," for his nap... I did this, and he was out for TWO AND A HALF HOURS!!!! And not even a peep. When he woke up, I stuck my head in the door, and he was just cooing to himself.... If all babies were like Colsen, everyone would have 4 or 5 kids, no doubt!!!!!

After babysitting, Weiss and I drove out to this lake area past Wertz Dam. Logan had gone out to cook with Bob Clifton for a Texas Tech Alumni gathering. There was a large crowd, and one of the old TT athletic directors spoke, along with a TT spokesperson. It was fun. Weiss had a good time, too: it was right by the lake, and Weiss wanted to get his feet wet. It started out so innocently..... We ended up stripping him down and putting him in a swim diaper. He LOVES to pick up rocks and throw them in the lake. He could do this for HOURS.... Future rock skipper. And of course, I enjoy it because he stays in one place and is occupied for a long time, so I can enjoy myself and "vegge out" a bit....

Friday, Nancy Foley and the girls came for piano and stayed afterwards a bit and had lunch with me. I enjoyed the visit. We had planned to go overnight camping with the Homeyers, but Delbert (Logan's grandad) is not doing well, and so he had to leave really early this morning to go and see him at Big Spring. So Logan, Weiss, Kelley, Matt, Max the dog, and I all planned to go have an evening picnic at an LCRA park on Lake Travis and then come home.

We drove about 10 minutes outside of Marble Falls on FM 1431 to Smithwick and turned off to an LCRA park. There are many LCRA parks, but Matt and Kelley had not been to this location. However, it was beautiful.... No one was there.... just us. Max swam, and Weiss stripped down to his swim diaper and was wading around... It was the perfect temperature and warmth. There were beautiful rocks everywhere and the water was very clear. We all waded out to this big rock area in the middle of the river/lake and played for awhile.... I kept saying, "I already want to plan to come back here...." It was really beautiful....

We then decided to have our picnic. We hopped in the cars and drove down just a bit, to where we had seen some other cars and picnickers/campers. We parked on a very high embankment. (The Homeyers had their truck, and we had my little SUV...)
We took the Homeyer's cute picnic basket, a backback with some towels, diapers and water and our insulated bag down to another nice "rock island" in the water. We waded out to it in shin/ankle deep water. We did notice there was a strong current, but Logan carried Weiss, and all was well. We had a wonderful dinner of Darcy's Deli chicken salad and homemade bread on beach towels. (Thanks, Matt and Kelley!!!!) After eating, Kelley and I stayed and visited while Matt, Logan, Weiss and Max went and walked down the little rock island....

Kelley was the first one to notice the water beginning to rise. I didn't really think anything of it, at first, but we had to start moving our shoes we all took off down by the water's edge.

Then we began moving our gear, which was closer to our picnic area we had made.... The guys were quite a ways down, and then they turned around and began coming back to us.... After gathering our gear up, Matt tried to ford the water with the picnic basket to get back to their truck. He was our "guinea pig" testing the water. He was planning to come back and get Kelley to help her across the current, which was now past Matt's waist. (Correct me if I am wrong, Matt...) He had to turn around and come back. The current was too strong. Matt could have swam across and ended up down the river on the other side, but because we had Kelley and Weiss, this was not a very good option.

Oh--by the way--Kelley is due at the end of July with their first baby. So not only did we have a toddler, but a pregnant woman on our hands. (Yes, folks, all great stories have a pregnant woman. I guess it adds to the suspense.....)

Even Max the dog was having a hard time swimming against the current. The water was even doing the little thing where it peaks and whitecaps, so the current was a movin', folks..... After exploring some other options, we figured we would all move to the opposite bank of the river/Lake Travis instead of attempting to get to our cars. The water was less intimidating going away from our cars... It was more shallow, and at this time, the water was still rising....

What was the cause of the rising? Well, The Highland Lakes are all connected by a series of dams.... Lake Travis is connected to Lake Marble Falls via a dam, and on the other end of Travis is another dam, connecting it to Town Lake in Austin. Unlike some of the lakes in the Highland Lake chain, Travis is not constant level. Lake Travis is a very large lake (stretching from practically Marble Falls to Austin), and we were close to the dam, but could not see it. Anyway, the dam will open and release water periodically. This is exactly what it was doing when the water began to rise around us.....

So we all flailed out of the water with our gear. Matt and I were acting as sherpas with the gear, while Logan had Weiss on his shoulders and Kelley was gear-free because she had some gear of her own (baby Homeyer!). We climbed up the slippery banks--complete with rust orange mud--and Kelley and I waited with Max and Weiss while the guys walked down to an area where they could possibly communicate with others by yelling across the water. (By now, people across the river were noticing us....) Weiss didn't have anything but a swim diaper on... We had extra diapers and shoes in the backpack with us, but when we drove on down the river, Logan took Weiss's wet clothes and put them in the back of my car to dry. However, we were blessed because he did not get cold... The weather was neither too hot (for Kelley) or cold (for Weiss)....

Meanwhile, Kelley and I were watching points in the river to see if the water was still rising. We could see some people with lifejackets and ropes trying to get across. There was no way... The river was at least 150 yards across, and the grown men with lifejackets kept losing their footing from the current in waist-deep water..... We were still within earshot of the guys, even though they were 100 yards down or so... (The sound echoed off of the high banks, just like a canyon....) We heard the guys across say, "Go back to where ya'll were... [the rock island we moved off of]....Ya'll can get out across here....." [about 100 yards or more down on the other side..... they were showing us we could get across, but the current would take us down quite a ways....]

Logan and Matt yelled back, "We have a pregnant woman and a baby...." The guys on the other bank said, "Oh...." Yes, that plan failed....

After watching the other group with the ropes and lifejackets attempt to get about 10 yards into the river, we saw their truck race up the steep side of the bank and out of our sight, back down the road to leave the park. By this time, Matt and Logan had made it back, and we all decided to walk back down to where they had communicated with the guys. (It was an area of large, smooth rocks for us to sit on and camp for the evening, if this was necessary.) We all got there after retracing the path the guys had made. Thankfully, we were all full from dinner and had more liquids if needed (We had water bottles, tea and lemondade in the cooler....) We also had more bread, Cheetos, chicken salad, Weiss's crackers, and trail mix, if needed. We even had baby wipes for toilet paper and some beach towels for cover! It was even a full moon, so we would have enough light to get around.....I had some bubbles out and blew some for Weiss, but quickly got frustrated because he LOVES to dump out his bubble solution. Matt took him for a little stroll while Logan discovered he was the only one with his phone, which had gotten wet, but still worked.... (None of us had ours because we had just planned to picnic and go right back to our cars....) Because his good phone was recently stolen, he was using his old phone, which did not have any local contacts plugged in to it.... only San Antonio contacts.... He dialed "411" for info to get the LCRA's number to ask them about the rising water (still rising).... We knew they had to close the dam gates soon, but did not know when... He could not get ahold of anyone, after calling two numbers.....

We waited a bit longer, and then began to hear the faint sound of diesel engines and firetrucks.... We all had that nauseated feeling you get when you are super embarrassed. I envisioned ropes and rescuers, complete with helmets for all of us, fording the river. Because the road was windy, we would hear the sirens and then they would fade away. We were almost relieved because we thought they were going away.... However, we would all hear them again, and then we would all collectively say "oh no" and began joking and laughing out of embarrassment. However, Weiss knew the sound. "Fire trucks!!! YEAH!" Someone was excited.

It began growing a bit dark. We then could not hear the sirens, but saw the lights. And not just one or two vehicles, but TWO AMBULANCES AND TWO HUGE FIRE ENGINES!!!! However, they would do us little good at this point because we were about 200 yards or more separated from them---they were across the river...... Weiss was so excited, saying, "Firetruck!!! Firetruck!!!!"

Shortly later, a volunteer fire rescue truck--someone's farm truck with lights on the top---not as embarassing---pulled up. Then a Ford Explorer complete with lights pulled up with ANOTHER volunteer firefighter. Logan, Matt, Max the dog and I hopped in the back of the truck with the gear. Kelley and Weiss were inside the truck with the firefighter. The Ford Explorer, which was the volunteer firefighter's stepson--who was also a volunteer firefighter--followed. (A family affair!!! Wait....it gets better.....) After a drive down a bumpy-as-a-washboard dirt road and a few telephone calls, we found someone to come pick us all up at the Spicewood Fire Station, clear on the OTHER side of the lake. (Our cars were about 20 miles around the lake from us or so now....

At the end of the dirt road, a Buick LeSabre pulls up, complete with lights and a whip antenna (pretty funny!). It was the volunteer firefighter's WIFE... (So there's Gary the firefighter, his wife now, his son, and his grandson, who was also in the Ford Explorer....)

Kelley, Weiss and I hopped in the Buick so Logan could ride in the truck. Poor Matt had to stay in the back with Max, who was behaving like a really good dog does. (He's a great dog!!! Kudos for chocolate labs!!!) Kelley and I heard some interesting stories, to say the least, on the way back..... I'm glad the woman didn't know that a PASTOR'S WIFE was present.... (Haha---Kelley and Matt, you guys are totally cool about it, but I'm sure we would have had a 'G' rated conversation if only she had known.....)

When we arrived at the Spicewood Fire Department, it seemed like there was a party going on! There were several people there for a Friday night, and an LCRA officer drove up and got a statement from us. Kevin Naumann, a new MFISD school board member who is also a volunteer firefighter, called the superintendant of MFISD to get Rick Edwards's number--the OTHER new MFISD school board member. We wanted to make sure he was on his way..... (Because we didn't have our phones and Logan had his old one, when we dialed "411," it gave us Rick's home number, and Matt talked to Kim (Rick's wife), but we didn't have Rick's cell...) Anyway, Rick came out in his brand spankin' new truck, complete with the paper tags.... I got in and dirtied it up because I had some rust colored mud on me and my shoes....

They dropped Weiss and I off at Kelley and Matt's house while Kelley, Matt, and Logan all went in Kelley's car to get the two remaining vehicles back at Lake Travis. I stayed and gave Weiss a bath, and Kelley left a tank top for him to wear....It was so funny---it looked like a dress on him!

When they all arrived back at the house, Kelley said, "You'll never guess what happened!!!" Apparently, she said there were state troopers and more cops at the site, and they stopped Kelley and questioned why she was out there. (She dropped off the guys--I guess they were still getting in the cars....) She told the officer we were the "stranded" people, and the DPS officer I guess knew what was going on (Kelley, correct me if I am wrong....). The officer said there were gunshots fired, and they were investigating. GREAT.

I'm glad we were NOT still out there.... And, to top it all off, the water level STILL had not gone down from the dam. The firefighters assured us it would probably go down right after we left for the fire house, but Kelley said it was still up.... We really WOULD have had to camp out there ALL night...

The fire fighter also informed us there were 2 separate mountain lion sightings recently in that same area we had been at on the rocks (when the firetrucks came). We surely would have chummed them in with our chicken salad leftovers......

But God took care of us. Even if it was a bit humiliating, we are safe. And Matt has a good sermon story--or series--now to preach.

We're Back Home.....

2009-05-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hello, bloggy friends!!! Logan and I are back home, and I am snug in my bed! We had been in Scottsdale, Arizona since Thursday with Dickey and Cinda. We had gone there for the boys to go to the Scottsdale Center for Dentistry for continuing education and some other teeth related stuff! We had so much fun!! We stayed at the Fairmont Scottsdale, a huge resort on a PGA golf course. The landscaping in Phoenix/Scottsdale this time of year was amazing---huge bougainvilleas everywhere (top picture), massive pride of Barbados (bottom two pictures), and awesome palms and dutch irises. (I am such a gardening nerd!) I have some pictures to show you what I'm talking about....
Speaking of plants: Logan, Dickey and I went jogging on Friday morning, and we found a Meyer lemon tree near the golf course. A quick lesson on Meyer lemons: they are HUGE, usually bigger than the size of a softball, and very sweet. Most gourmet foods containing lemon specifically use Meyer lemons. If you've never had a Meyer lemon, you are missing out on life. And unless you have your own plant--you can buy them at your local nursery--you can't often find them to buy. They have an extremely soft skin for lemons and are relatively fragile, so supermarkets rarely carry them. Whole Foods or Central Market will get them once in a while, but that's it. However, they can grow easily in Arizona because they love the arid climate, hot weather, and acidic soil. ANYWAY, I got on this ledge and stuck my hand through a thorny bougainvillea to get several of the lemons. So by that time, Dickey, Logan and I were jogging with our hands full. We found a green belt behind some gorgeous homes, and went back there to jog. We found a HUGE grapefruit tree, dropping pinkish-orange grapefruit on the ground. We gathered some and got a few more off of a LOADED DOWN tree. When we got back to the hotel, we had some of the best grapefruit in our lives.... NO JOKE. It was very sweet with a tiny bit of tart. (My mouth is watering right now just writing about it....) I have vowed to buy a grapefruit tree the next time I see one.
That was Friday morning. The boys went golfing and Cinda and I hung out by the pool. It was absolutely beautiful but HOT!!!! I went up to the room later to do some homework on my computer, and then we went down for dinner at a wonderful restaurant at the resort with all local grown, organic produce and hormone-free meat. My kind of restaurant! On Saturday, the boys had a dental thing all day, while Cinda and I went to the Fairmont's spa, the Willow Bend. It was incredible and smelled wonderful.... Cinda and I went and put the spa's big plush terry robes on and went to sit in the waiting room. We were both scheduled for massages first. They called my name. "Courtney?" There was only me, Cinda, and another woman in the waiting room at the time, so I got up for the appointment. The woman took me back to a massage room and I noticed there wasn't the layer of blankets on the table. I'll spare you the extra details, but the woman thought I was there for an "undercarriage" wax! I'm sure my eyes bugged out when I knew I was in the wrong room!
She asked, "Are you Courtney [some French last name starting with an "M"] ?"
"No 'mam, I am not." (I started laughing.....) "I am scheduled for the relaxation massage...."
"Oh--I'm so sorry, Mrs. Stanley....."
My massage was great, and then Cinda and I got a pedicure. While hers was finishing up, I went in the "inhalation room" (yes, there really is such a place) to read "The Shack," which is awesome. I'm halfway through. Cinda and I then went in the steam room, which was torturous, but smelled heavenly (eucalyptus). We then ate lunch in our robes (very good, but all spa food is for those women who only consume like 500 calories per day!) and went up to the spa pool and napped. AHH-- the everyday life of a stay-at-home mom.

NOT.

However, I was really missing my pookie bear. I will see him and Zoey on Tuesday at Mom and Dad's. Logan is really missing him, too, and wanted to travel to get him right when we landed today. However, I have to finish painting our bedroom tomorrow. Yes---begun painting probably 2 months ago, and have yet to finish. Let's face it: it's impossible to paint with a 2 year old, unless you do it after his bedtime. And by that time, I am already WIPED OUT.....
Anyway, Logan and I finished up our trip last night by ordering lamb burgers with cucumber and tziki and duck fat fries with truffle oil and aioli (yes, that is correct, and YES---they were really the best fries I've ever had) down at the pool. We then had a 'smores cheesecake with toasted marshmallows on top. It was very good, as well... Thankfully, it was dark outside and hardly anyone was at the pool, because my stomach was pooching BIG TIME after all of that food! And was Logan's? Of course not!!!!
Our little trip was a blast and we had a great time with the in-laws and a great time together, just Logan and me. I definitely want to go back sometime to that resort because I felt like a princess! (However, if we don't secure a Patterson Dental discount rate again, I'm sure that won't be happening!)

Awesome YouTube...

2009-05-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

My parents had told me how great this YouTube clip was, and I finally watched it. It is awesome!!! Please watch!! God makes His presence known everywhere, even in our cellular protein!!

Memorial Day Weekend Catch-Up.....

2009-05-26T21:30:00.001-07:00

Hello, everyone! I feel like it has been FOREVER since I last checked in.... Some weeks I do better than others on keeping up... Anyway....

This last week, I have really begun to notice Weiss growing up. It seemed just out of nowhere, if that makes any sense... (???) He is forming longer sentences, making more observations about the world around him, and although he was fun before, I think he is even more fun now! I am able to explain things in more detail to him because he will ask questions, or say something that has that "question" tone to it in his voice so I am able to explain something to him. It is amazing to see him retain information! How kiddos learn totally amazes me!

Weiss is also getting more of his own opinion. I love it because just this week, he started something REALLY cute. If you ask him to do _____ and he doesn't want to, he'll say, "No. Thank you, though!" I think it is absolutely adorable. He loves to talk to other people, and I love going in a store/restaurant and seeing him wave and talk to other people. It is so neat to see an older person smile or someone who might look a bit gruff smile back or say something after Weiss waves or talks. And of course, I know this is just not MY child, but kids in general. It is so cool to see how people change when a child touches their heart! I'm a proud mama!

Now that our activities have slowed down, we've been spending more time around our house and at the lake. At first, I was missing the activities, but it is really nice because we don't have to be anywhere and I am not as stressed. I am taking the time to do more spontaneous things and not follow a schedule so much. For example, if Weiss wants to read a book when I am stepping out of the shower, before I would tell him to wait. Now, I'll just sit down and read with a wet towel on my head. Ahh----the joys of not having to be anywhere at all!

However, Friday, I wanted to catch my last MOPS at CBC in San Antonio. As much as I love it and LOVE all of the people and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE CBC, I have to stop going next year. Not only is the drive a bit long now--I get up at 5:30 on MOPS mornings and haul Weiss out of bed at 6:45 (he's a good sport about it)--but I have to wean myself off of CBC. I equate it to an addict: I go to CBC, get my "hit," and have withdrawals for several days--or even weeks--afterwards. I get to where I don't enjoy the church we are attending here, and I just want to be at CBC with my old friends and everything that I was comfortable with there! (Don't get me wrong, "new" friends: you know I love you!!!)

However, I will still be listening in to Robert and Chris Emmitt on the CBC podcast, people!!! And I will still be checking in on you CBC people on Facebook and the blogs (Katie, Aimee, Denisse, Clarissa, Mandy and Bre'Anna)! And we will make the occassional trip to San Antonio to catch a service--PRAISE THE LORD for Saturday worship!!!

So Weiss and I hauled ourselves out of bed and drove in to San Antonio by 8 AM on Friday. We even got Starbucks on the way out of Marble Falls, we were so early! I hit up SuperTarget on 281 before MOPS. MOPS was great, as usual, and Amy Gilbert shared her AWESOME testimony. She is an AMAZING speaker with an amazing story, complete with miracles only God can perform! After MOPS, Weiss and I went to Marshall's, my OTHER favorite place! We hit the motherload for boy's clothes! He got some awesome clothes that would regularly cost an arm and a leg! But not at Marshall's! We drove very fast over to The Painted Plate to get a pitcher I had painted that had been there since LAST SUMMER--when we lived in San Antonio--and it was finally fired and finished. Weiss and I then did a literal "happy dance" because we went to---wait for it----CHICK-FIL-A!!!!

We ate and then Weiss played, but we had to leave the play area prematurely because a poor little girl peed in the top. Yes, folks, that's right. Weiss--thankfully--had come down to see me sitting on the bench watching him, so he was not in the play yard at the time of the, well, downpour. The little girl peed at the top of the platforms the kiddos crawl up to get to the top of the playscape and it dropped all the way to the floor (Yes, I know it's gross). And what is so bizarre is right before it happened, I was wondering, "How many kiddos have peed or puked in this thing?" However, kudos goes out to Chick-Fil-A, because they keep their play scapes clean and have Purell wipees by the door....

On Saturday, Lexy and I got up to run 6 miles.... We did it with no stops this time!!! We are slowly getting in the groove again!!!! Weiss and Logan headed out to the lake, and I stayed and did some homework. I met them out at the lake, and Justin, Ashley and Sydney White had driven in from San Angelo. They were all basking out in the sun on this GINORMOUS floatie that literally held probably up to 8 people. Dickey and Cinda (my in-laws), Logan, Weiss, Justin, Ashley, Sydney and myself all fit comfortably on the float with much room to spare! However, there was a lot of wake due to the boats, and I started getting nauseated.... (Everyone else was fine. And NO--I don't need to take a pregnancy test... I get motion sickness much easier since I have had Weiss. I used to never feel nauseated from cars or motion, but now I do...)

We ate a great meal and the kiddos played. Sydney is walking now and is super cute! And Weiss was a sweet boy and played with her. Logan and Weiss stayed out at the lake house and I went back home to do some more homework. I got up and played on Sunday, and then went straight home to do MORE homework. I finished around 6 PM.... LOTS of homework this last week. Logan, Justin, Ashley and the kiddos came to pick me up from the house on their way back from Troy and Linda Fraser's surprise anniversary party. I hated to miss, but I had to have my work done by 12 PM eastern time....

We all stayed the night out at the lake house on Sunday. Monday morning was a LAZY day.... Weiss had slept between Logan and me on the sofa bed, and he is one CRAZY sleeper... At one point, his feet were by my ears! We all had some fun in the water, and Justin, Ashley and Syd left late afternoon. Dickey, Cinda, Logan, Weiss and I then took the boat up the lake. It was Weiss's first time out this season, so he was a bit scared. Logan got out in the tube first, and Weiss told Dickey, who was driving the boat, "Be careful with Daddy, Grappa!" (He calls Dickey and Cinda "Grappa" and "Mia.") When Dickey was out skiing, Weiss said, "Be careful with Grappa, Daddy!" My father-in-law was a competitive trick skiier through college, and so he can do all kinds of crazy tricks. He has a special harness that goes on his foot so he can have the ski rope attached to his foot rather than holding it. (He skis on one ski, while the ski rope is connected to the other foot that is in the air. CRAZY!) Because of this, when he falls/lets go, someone has to immediately "pull the pin" to release the tension from the rope, because his foot is tethered in the harness. So it IS kind of nerve-wracking to watch him!

We pulled over to a sandy beach and Weiss had a blast! He played, but because the sun was beginning to go down, he had to get back in the boat. He was NOT happy about that! Logan and I have not decided where we want to go this year on our family vacation, but I am pretty positive that after Weiss's newfound love for the sand, we will be going to somewhere there is a nice beach and water!

Weiss was so tired coming back in that he fell asleep sitting up in his lifejacket in the boat. He was pooped. (It's funny how you're always so much more tired after going to the lake.... I never have really understood that!) We got home and all went to bed!!!!

Today has been a catch up/clean up day for us. Weiss and I went to the library, to Walmart and HEB. We were still both recovering from the lake today because we took a nap from 2 to 5:30!!!!! Crazy, I know....

Tomorrow, my mom (LuLu) and a friend (Becky Rynders) are coming to pickup Weiss and Zoey because Logan, Dickey, Cinda and I are going to Scottsdale, Arizona for the weekend. We leave Thursday and return Sunday. The boys have some dental stuff to do; it's a dental gathering of some sort. Cinda and I have nothing to do, so we are going to get pedicures and a massage and spend the day at the spa! And we have both picked out books to read at the pool, which is supposed to be super-luxe! I'm going to try to work out when I'm there because I'm sure the facilities will be nice! And of course, there will be good eating. So I will try to check in this weekend, but no guarantees!

Summer Lovin'.....

2009-05-20T10:24:00.001-07:00

Hello, Everyone! As I sit here, Weiss and I are pretty soaked. We had a little "water fight" today. I watered my plants and beds in the front of the house with a shower hose, and Weiss decided to soak me when it was his turn. So--I got revenge on my 2-year-old. Unmerciful, I know....

This week, all activities have really slowed down. Don't get me wrong: I love the summer and all of the activities associated with it, but since our normal routine is changing for the summer, I am somewhat sad. (Less social time for me; Bible studies are ending for the summer, et cetera). However, there will be more time for the fun summer stuff, like yesterday: Weiss and I went down to the lake and played in the water. It's so nice to hop in the jogging stroller and just go. We'll also probably be venturing into Austin more, and also to the pool, just so I won't go nuts--and Weiss, too!!! Our library is doing a summer reading program, and we may get involved with that. And if anyone knows of a good snowcone stand around here, let me know!!! (You know--the really good shaved ice, not the crunchy stuff.) Weiss has yet to experience the bliss of a sticky snowcone.

We had to get up early this morning because I got a FLAT yesterday. I went to register Weiss for preschool next year at FBC, and noticed my car's warning light was on. I didn't know exactly what was wrong: was it squirrels--AGAIN--like in San Antonio? (For those of you that didn't know, a squirrel in San Antonio did $1200 worth of electrical damage to my car, TWO WEEKS IN A ROW. Apparently the squirrel only had an acquired taste a la Nissan Murano, because no one else's car in the neighborhood was "eaten." And I'm talking NOT driveable, folks. I did some research, and apparently, certain models of car insulation parts are made of soy derivatives---NO WONDER he liked the flavor.) Nothing was this dramatic this time. Just a roofing nail. And of course---there are roofers EVERYWHERE in our neighborhood, still cleaning up from the huge hailstorm two months ago.

I returned home, and noticed my tire was rather low. So Logan filled it up this morning to get me to Jimbo's, the guy who has worked on my car. I had to take Weiss because Daddy had to go to work. We then drove out to Horseshoe Bay to have a playdate with Noah, Karen and David Cotrell's grandson, who was in town for the week. They had fun together; Noah told me he was a dinosaur/tiger, while Weiss was a dog. They chased each other around and played cars. We read a few books, while Karen and I attempted to visit. We had a great time, and Noah is a cutie. When I got there, Karen came to the door with her hair in a towel, and Noah was in his PJs. It was cute. She told me he had a few meltdowns, and she had lots of phone calls, so she had a hard time getting ready. (Very relatable. The story of one's life with a small child.) I brought my camera, and did I take any pictures? I am ashamed. Anyway, the boys had fun, and we plan to get them together the next time he is in town.

On a random note, we are blessed to have a little nature experiment in our front yard. Mom and Dad brought two Topsy-Turvy tomato plant kits down, and I planted tomato plants in them, hanging them upside down on a big stake in the yard. The tops of the planters--where you water the plants--are waist high. Apparently, a bird made a nest in one of them. She has added an egg each day or so. Now there are FIVE eggs! It's so cool because we can get really close to her and the eggs, and Weiss will really get to see these birds up close. So pray for health for the birds; Weiss wants to check out the eggs all of the time, and I have explained there will be baby birds soon. And pray for NO CATS, raccoons, anything to eat the little birds. The Topsy-Turvy planter feels like a safe place for the birds, and hopefully nothing can get to them. Weiss has big expectations now.......

Austin Zoo, Whole Foods, POTTY!!!!!

2009-05-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! I have been lazy about blogging this past week. Not that I have been super busy, but I have kindof taken a hiatus from the computer. I had been on so much the past few weeks for my finals in my class, and of course, I would blog more because I found myself "stalling" and making every excuse in the world not to do my work!!!! But that class is over, I am beginning a new one, and so that means this first week is really introductory and doesn't require alot of computer time, just reading.

Anyway.....ENOUGH ABOUT THAT!

On Wednesday, Hannah, the girls, Weiss and I went in to the Austin Zoo. It was hot and windy on Wednesday--kind of like west Texas (seriously)! The Austin Zoo was waaaayyy out in the boonies; it was not in the center of town like you would normally picture a city zoo, or in a location you would expect. However, there were lions, tigers, bears, giant tortoises, several varieties of monkeys and birds and a small petting zoo area with farm animals, and it was worth seeing. However, it was NOT stroller friendly at all. Poor Hannah had to navigate the double stroller, and I had my "good" stroller (not the jogger or the umbrella)....It does great on most terrain, but even this zoo stumped it. There was NO pavement whatsoever, just white caliche with craggy rocks and steep trails in some places. And of course, the wind was blowing, so the nice white dust from the caliche was in the air..... YUCK!!! The kiddos did enjoy it, and although it wasn't my favorite zoo, I will be back for Weiss's sake. Weiss had a good time holding Sophia's hand and talking about the animals....so cute!

We then all went to our favorite, Chick-Fil-A to eat and play. Weiss did not want to leave the playground; he was having too much fun! Little Gabriella is a daredevil and was climbing right up the playscape with no problem at all! (Weiss was very timid at her age...)

Weiss and I then went in to downtown Austin while Hannah went shoe shopping in Bee Cave at the Hill Country Galleria for the girls. We went to the Whole Foods flagship/original store on 6th Street, and it was a BLAST!!! (I am already making plans to go back on Monday or Tuesday.....) It was so much fun; who knew I would want to drive an hour to get groceries? They even have a clothing section!!! AWESOME!!! As always, Weiss and I walked out with lots of cool, great tasting, unique and healthy food! Logan goes there nearly every week after work, picks up a few groceries and eats, and I am so jealous now of what I've been missing out on!!! It is truly an experience; a hundred times better than the Whole Foods and Central Markets I am used to!

Oh---Logan brought the BEST dairy-free beverage home last week, and when I was there, I loaded up on more.... It is called "So Delicious Coconut Milk." I think only Whole Foods carries it, because I have never seen it anywhere else. He got the vanilla flavor, and it is like melted ice cream with a hint of coconut..... HEAVEN!!!! I got the carton and would just lean back and chug it.... We went through a half gallon in less then 24 hours, courtesy of ME.... So when I go back later this week, I am going to buy about 3 cartons to last....

Thursday morning, I had my last Mom to Mom of the year. We had a special brunch for Karen Cotrell, who is one of the mentor moms in the program and also my Sunday School teacher (along with her husband). If you don't know her or already know the situation, she had a rare form of breast cancer nine years ago. (In fact, the cancer is so rare, Susan G. Komen was not aware of it....) She had a radical mastectomy and endured chemotherapy and radiation. They did not expect her to make it through the first time. She is truly a miracle.

Unfortunately, Karen's cancer is back---inoperable stage IV cancer, now in her lungs and lymph nodes. PLEASE pray for this amazing, precious woman! She is an inspiration in her walk with Christ and she has such an effervescent, fun-loving personality. She loves to give back to others and is the epitome of a servant for Christ.... Pray, Pray, PRAY! Her husband, David, is starting a foundation in her name, and there will be a benefit for her in October that I will update you all about here on my blog. It will be something everyone can get involved with, as well, to allow the world to know about her rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. I'll keep you posted....

Anyway, we just used the brunch to visit and to build Karen up before her first treatment, which was Thursday. Her potassium levels were low, and the docs were not thinking she could have her treatment Thursday, but she was able to have the drug, and she also was placed in a clinical trial for another drug. If you don't mind, send some prayers up to God remembering Karen and David Cotrell....

I had given up on the potty training bit. Thursday before lunch, though, Weiss decided he needed to use the potty. I went in the bathroom, and he was tugging at his diaper to get it off. He sat himself down on his potty, and went NUMBER ONE AND TWO!!! Man, I jumped around and did a happy dance, and he got to put a potty training sticker on his Elmo Potty Chart! I made happy phone calls to brag on him! However, he didn't do it the rest of the day. He only goes when HE wants to.

Anyway, yesterday, Weiss and I ran errands--mainly for M&Ms to potty train, taught piano and then I had to play for a funeral at FBC. Logan had been volunteering at FBC's community dental clinic, so he watched Weiss when I was playing. (Thanks, hon!) I think it's great they have a community dental clinic here; all of the local dentists and assistants rotate to help those in the community. When Logan got in from work (he worked at their office in the afternoon), we both left Weiss with Kaili and went in to Bee Caves to eat at Rosie's Tamale House. It was good!!!! I loved the verde sauce on the enchildadas; very fresh and tasty! We then went to see the movie I have been anxiously waiting for: Angels and Demons! I loved the book, and I loved the Da Vinci Code, and the movie is worth seeing. Of course, folks, its something that you enjoy as FICTION and take with a grain of salt, if you will. (All of these nutcases who blow the Da Vinci Code out of proportion.... Take it for what it is: a FICTIONAL tale!) And this one is even more fictional than the Da Vinci Code, because the Pope didn't have any problems with anyone watching it after he recently viewed Angels and Demons..... Anyway, I'm stepping OFF my soapbox now!

We got home, and Kaili said Weiss went number 1 and 2 for her, as well! Once again, he has to decide when HE does it.... (Stubborn kiddo, but we all love him!!!)

This morning, Logan went kayaking with Kacey Burns (Hannah's hubby) and then Lexy and I went running. Five miles felt like TEN, and we didn't even run it all. We mainly caught back up, chitchatting. However, we will get back in the saddle again, folks! Now Logan and I are chilling, watching one of his favorite movies, the "Shawshank Redemption...." Ahh---I love lazy Saturdays!!!

Weiss: 1, Mommy: 0

2009-05-12T19:26:00.001-07:00

All aboard the potty train....choo choo!!!!

(If only it were that easy.....haha)

Weiss has shown many signs of readiness for potty training, but he is quite stubborn. With a stubborn Mommy and Daddy, he's sure to be EXTRA stubborn. Last night, Logan and I decided we would put him to bed in a Pull-Up. He threw the biggest fit, and Logan had to come help me get the Pull-Up on his little body because he was thrashing around so much. Unfortunately, Weiss had to be disciplined in the process, but amidst the tears and ridiculous crying, we got the training pants on. He kept saying, "I like the Elmo diapers, Mommy!!! I want the Elmo diaper!!!" (Pampers makes diapers with Sesame Street, and he wanted his old diaper.)

This morning, I sat my alarm to get up before Weiss. He has been waking up unusually early lately. I woke him up, and we went immediately to the potty.

We sat......and sat. Daddy made some juice because Weiss had been on so long....

EIGHT books later---and these weren't short ones, people---he finally peed.

YEAH!!!!!!! He really didn't think it was that big of a deal, just like he did the first time he went. We danced around, we high-fived, we went crazy.....

"We" being Logan and me.

So we put Weiss's Elmo underwear on him. He threw a fit and wanted the Elmo diaper---AGAIN---but we finally got his underoos on him. Logan and I walked back to our bedroom, and Weiss ran in, streaking, without his pants, laughing.

(Although you try not to laugh at them and remain serious, it is hard at times.....)

Logan left for work. Weiss and I wanted to go for our daily outing. So I got ready and put a giant beach towel in the jogging stroller. I put cotton shorts on Weiss so he could "feel" if he decided to go pee. We were out for almost an hour walking/jogging, and no pee. (At this point, I was a proud mommy. I was thinking this potty training business was all overrated; it was going to be a piece of cake.) We got home, and I wanted to sit him on the potty. (It had been about an hour and a half, with 2 big cups of watered down juice!) NO. He told me he did NOT want to sit on the potty.

Okay.....

So I hop in the shower. I get out to dry, and Weiss runs in the bathroom, naked from the waist down. I couldn't help but laugh. Upon going in the living room, he had sat on Zoey's dog bed and peed. He left his shorts and underwear in the floor. So not only do I have to wash Weiss's clothes, but Zoey's bed. I threw her other bed from our bedroom in the wash. Might as well wash that one, too, while I'm at it......

I put ANOTHER pair of Elmo pants on Weiss, despite his protesting. I asked him if he wanted to go potty and carried him to the potty. NO!!!!! (Okay. I was not going to make a battle over this; he is really stubborn.) Five minutes later, he's gone pee, AGAIN.

I stick a Pull-Up on him, despite more beckoning for a Elmo diaper. I'm sure glad I did, because he decided to go #2...... (THAT was a close one.... haha!)

By this time, it was about one in the afternoon. NAPTIME! The day had stretched on, so slowly. (It normally flies by....) I had kept looking at the clock to see when he would need to go potty. I finally succumbed and put an Elmo diaper on him. Weiss naps curled up next to me, in my lap, and I did not want to have to take another shower.....

Okay. Weiss has won today's first battle of the Potty Training War.

Weekend Recap....

2009-05-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

Okay---now for the weekend recap.

Mom and Dad got to come down this weekend to hang out with Weiss, Logan and I. Weiss was especially happy to see them! When they arrived on Friday, we spent some time running errands in Marble Falls and we all went to see how the new office is progressing.... It's finally coming along..... YEAH!!

I "attempted" to do Cuban food from the Rachel Ray mag----I LOVE her magazine and food, and if I try a new recipe, it's probably Rachel Ray. Anyway, TWO HOURS later, the meal was prepared. All of the slicing, dicing, pureeing, juicing, broiling, boiling, baking, and mixing takes time, but it was well worth it!!!

(Next time, I'll know not to start an hour in advance, but TWO.....crazy!!!!)

We were all ridiculously stuffed.... Logan made homemade plantain and sweet corn hushpuppies with an avocado orange dipping sauce.....YUMM-O!!! (NOTE: I do not fry. Not because I think it's bad, but because I always ruin the food, burn the food while the inside is still raw, make a mess, or burn myself. I have a scar on my hand from chicken fried steak to prove it. So Logan does the frying, and it's a good thing!!!)

On Saturday, we all got up, went to Starbucks for breakfast, and then headed to Johnson City to the Exotic Zoo. It was Weiss's second time to go, and man---I LOVE that place! It is so much fun; you can pet so many of the animals, and the weather was perfect! (We were worried about it being too hot....) They had this awesome, HUGE African tortoise that Weiss just loved, and the camels, ostrich, and zebra are so cool. They had a new baby zebra that was really cute! I love how the animals follow around the trailer with all of the people the entire time; you really get a chance to pet them and love on them.

Of course, the animals just want the food, but who cares? I got to pet a camel for probably 20 minutes! Awesome!

Weiss was getting into the animals more this time, and he had alot of fun. I think Logan, Mom and Dad really had a great time, too. (It was the first time for the three of them to go...)

After this, it was lunch time, so we all went to Round Mountain (in between Johnson City and Marble Falls) and ate at the Real New Orleans cajun restaurant. That was my second time to eat there, and it is EXCELLENT, if you are in the area and have never been..... The people are friendly and Christians. (The restaurant is run by a church called "Smokin' for Jesus---" I kid you not.... They came from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and the entire church--over 150 of them---moved together. They have all established here now, have bought land, and have their church and homes on some beautiful property. Not only do they love Jesus, but they cook some mean Cajun food.....)

We were all so stuffed from lunch we had a light dinner and watched a movie.

This morning, we all went to church and then to lunch with Dickey and Cinda at Texas Nation here in town. It was the first time I had eaten there, and it was also great! Mom and Dad stayed for a bit and helped us with some stuff around the house and then had to take off for home.....

Weiss and I took a nap while Logan watched "Blades of Glory." (I fell asleep--I always do that!!!!)

I then did the last bit of my homework from this class.....YIPPEE!!!! My assessment course is officially over as of tonight!!!! I'll start a new class tomorrow in career counseling, which should be more to my liking......

Logan took Weiss down to the lake and Weiss got in the water for the first time this year! It's officially lake weather now, people!!! HOORAY!!!!!! Now Weiss and I can walk down to the lake in the afternoons from our house..... Super cool.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T21:29:00.001-07:00

Hello, all! I hope all of you mothers, grandmothers, and any woman who has ever loved on or help raise a child had a great and blessed day. Where would we be without women in our lives who loved, nurtured, and took care of us? Thanks, Mom, Cinda (mom-in-law)--for raising a great son, Memaw--who's gone to be with Jesus, and to my dad's mother. Although she passed away before I was born, she raised a great son--Dad! Anyway, now that I am a mom, I think about these things more often, and am definitely more appreciative.

I have to keep reading Proverbs 31 to keep reminding me to strive to be the wife/mother God wants me to be, but it's not an easy task, folks. I heard it put so beautifully by a mother whose children have already left the nest, but who is not yet a grandmother: "The days are long, but the years are short." Throughout my short tenure as a mother, I have sadly figured this out. Life is but a moment, and this beautiful--but stressful--time of raising children will soon pass.

I am one who always wants to hurry up and get to the next stage. I love the stages Weiss goes through, but I always want to think of what's next. But I think I need to just slow down and enjoy the present moment of being a mom.

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

We Got A New "Puppy...."

2009-05-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we officially have a new "puppy." Weiss's new favorite thing to do is act like a dog. Yes, 'tis true. He has always loved imitating dogs, and with us having Zoey dog, Dickey and Cinda having 3 (Avery, Quila, and Lola), and Mom and Dad with Barkley, he has spent his entire life around house dogs.

He barks like a dog, crawls on all fours like a dog, and loves to put Zoey's leash on his shoulders and have me "lead" him around. (NOTE: He knows he can't put the leash around his neck; he rests the leash on his shoulders.)

He has also been caught several times playing in Zoey's water bowl with his hands, and trying to refill it, spilling the slobbery contents on the carpet in the process of carrying it. He has finally figured out to "pretend" drink out of her water bowl, but a friend suggested giving him a little "dog bowl" to call his own.

Yes, I am aware this is weird.

However, I talked to two friends at Bible study this morning, and both had kids that went through an "animal" stage.

Weiss will even pant and bark like a dog, and he knows Zoey goes out in the yard to go "potty." The other day, Logan, Weiss and I were all outside, and Weiss was wandering around in his diaper. He went out into the grass and squatted down, imitating Zoey. And kids squat anyway when they.....well.....you know. And that is exactly what he did.

Weiss will even sit on the floor and pick his foot up to scratch behind his ear. It is funny.

When I picked him up from childcare at church this morning, he was on all fours, eating popcorn out of a plate, pretending it was a doggy bowl. He looked up at me, smiled, and barked.

Oh my goodness! He is silly---I hope this is just a phase!!!!!

All Aboard the Potty Train!!!

2009-05-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

Weiss loves trains--like all little boys--and as I was changing his diaper Friday, I was telling him how we were going to potty train soon. He said, "Potty train, choo-choo!" (He made the gesture of pulling a train horn as he said "choo-choo;" it was super cute!)

Now, any time we ask him if he wants to get on the potty train, he goes, "Choo-choo.....NO!" And other times, it will be,
"No potty train!!" And he knows exactly what we are referring to.... He likes to sit on the potty, but with his diaper on. He doesn't want to take it off.

And the kiddo doesn't like Pull-Ups. I've tried transitioning him to Pull-Ups instead of diapers, but yesterday, when Logan was with him and put a Pull-Up on him, he started crying, saying, "Elmo diaper, please!" (Pampers uses the Sesame Street characters, and unfortunately, I only had Huggies products in the house at the time. Huggies uses Disney characters, and Weiss doesn't like them as much...)

I've also tried real Elmo underwear, and Cars underwear. He despises them, as well......

The kiddo is ready to potty train; he is just stubborn, like both of his parents. He doesn't want to have poo in his pants, and tells me "gross" and "yucky." I admit: I have been lazy about putting him on the potty first thing in the morning and after meals because we always have something to do or an activity to attend, and I don't make the time. But these activities will be ceasing for the summer, so I'll have no excuse.

SO--In TWO weeks, we're going to go at it, cold turkey. I'm ready, Logan's ready, the grandparents are all ready. But the question remains: IS WEISS READY? Only time will tell......

My Tiny Hometown Made the News....

2009-05-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

OKay. I grew up in the miniscule town of Merkel, Texas--population 2500 and some change. And look: it made the news---for all the wrong reasons! Please see below.......

SWINE FLU IN THE BIG COUNTRY (www.reporternews.com)

Six "probable" cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Taylor County involving children from Merkel from 4 to 11 years old, officials said Friday evening at a news conference.

All six of the children are "doing well."

As a result of the findings, all schools in the Merkel and Trent districts will be closed through May 11, Merkel ISD Superintendent Bill Hood and Trent ISD Superintendent Greg Priddy said.

Dr. Zane Travis, with the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, said the six cases are among 19 samples from local patients that were sent this week to Tarrant County for testing. The results of the rest of the samples have not yet been returned.

Travis said local officials are sending the six samples of probable swine flu cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for further testing, but health officials from Fort Worth and Austin have told him that "you could probably say these are positive cases."

He said there is no way to know when more test results will come back.

The U.S. swine flu case count rose to 155 on Friday, with one death. The CDC has confirmed 28 cases in Texas. If Merkel's cases are confirmed, the town would have one of the highest concentrations of swine flu in the state.

Texas schools serving about 293,000 students have been closed due to swine flu, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Travis stressed that the public has no reason to panic or overreact, and he said he still plans to attend community events over the weekend without fearing infection. Travis said that the Merkel cases are "mild" and that the children are feeling better after taking flu medication.

Five of the children are students at Merkel Elementary, and one attends Merkel Intermediate School. The illness started about April 23, and Hood said some of the students were sent home sick from school.

"I would be surprised if these are the only ones," Hood said, noting some teachers have reported students vomiting in their classes.

Merkel ISD custodial staff have significantly stepped up sanitation efforts in the last week based on media reports, he said, and they will spend the next week cleaning.

"I talked to some of the parents this afternoon, and I bet some of those are feeling well enough to be back in school if the doctor hadn't told them to stay home for a week," Hood said.

The infected children are not related, Travis said, and he does not believe they had any close relationships. He added one of the students recently went to Laredo and visited with someone from Mexico, but there is no reason to think that is the case that started all the others.

Merkel's entire district has about 1,200 students in five schools.

Priddy said he decided to shut down Trent's only school because about 60 students have transferred from Merkel, not because he has seen evidence of swine flu in his school. Trent has about 180 students.

The Abilene Independent School District, with 16,400 students, plans to stay open for now, but administrators will be checking in with the department of health throughout the weekend to find out if any other test results reveal probable swine flu in Abilene schools, said Cathy Ashby, AISD associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction. She said she is not sure how many students transfer into AISD schools from Merkel but said, "It's not significant."

Travis has recommended that if one student tests positive for swine flu, the district should close that school and possibly any other school where that student has siblings. If students from more than one school test positive, the district should be shut down.

Larry Gill, a constable in Merkel who runs the city's history museum, said he was surprised by the news. He said the school district had canceled out-of-town trips and sent a group of 76 students to his museum Friday instead of Fort Chadbourne near Blackwell.

"I guess everyone is glad Merkel didn't travel," he said, noting the irony.

He said more field trips were scheduled to his museum, but school has been canceled until May 11.

Gill said that he still plans to attend church and that the only precaution he plans to take is to keep his distance from people who are sneezing and coughing and appear sick.

(The funny thing is is that Constable Larry Gill is a family friend of ours; he assists Mom and Dad in the funeral business most times..... Definitely small town!!!)

P. S.---My blog post from yesterday was correct in my inference: the 23 month old who died in Houston was in fact immuno-compromised. It is unfortunate he succumbed to the illness, but I knew the media wasn't revealing everything for a more sensationalized story........

Something I am Sick of......WARNING: Contains a Rant

2009-05-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! I hope this week has found everyone happy and healthy. It has rained a large majority of this week here, along with being very humid and gross. I am ready for the nice, clear skies, and if that means hot weather--which I'm sure it will be--bring it on!!! I am ready to get in the lake and get Weiss out in the lake. (We're only a block from the water, so I am ready to take Weiss down to the dock and swim!)

I didn't need to water my plants for the majority of the week because of the rain, but yesterday I finally gave in. It is amazing what the rain has done! This year, I endeavored to plant some bulbs of my own. (I normally plant sprouted bulbs....) Anyway, I planted some mammoth elephant ears--they are supposed to get up to FIVE feet tall--and I was really worried about them because they hadn't sprouted yet. Well, lo and behold, yesterday, it seemed like they had grown out of nowhere! I watched them a few days ago, and they were tiny sprouts, and now some of them are nearly one foot high or a bit taller.... CRAZY!!!!

So Weiss and I have been spending some time outside, despite the mugginess of the weather. Last night, all three of us were in the front yard with the bubble machine going before dinner. I hope it makes happy memories for my little pookie bear. Logan put up some trellises for my climbing roses. Oh--and Weiss "caught" a lizard yesterday afternoon and kept it inside all day in his bug barn. When I asked if he wanted to let him go, he replied, "no...." We have these cute green lizards everywhere, and we are always catching them and playing with them.

WARNING: The following contains a rant, which you may not agree with.....

I have to vent about the swine flu. Logan and I both roll our eyes when we hear the words. It is driving us NUTS!!! I am soooo sick of hearing about it on the news; I know it is an illness, which shouldn't be underestimated, but the regular yearly flu strain kills many, many more people than this variety. I am tired of the news reporting cases that are "highly suspicious...." Okay. So this means they haven't CONFIRMED the cases; they are only speculating that the symptoms are flu-like, which means it could be several DOZEN strains of the flu....

If it's ebola, people, I'll get worried.

Okay. So the news has not confirmed many of the "supposed" cases they are reporting......There are HUNDREDS of strains of the flu, and if I was a reporter, I would not get everyone in a tizzy before a case is positively confirmed. And there have been few positively confirmed cases. (Less than 200, I believe. So when you calculate that nationwide, it is miniscule.) And not to mention how every channel has different numbers of how many are infected, et cetera. Oh, and speaking of getting everyone in a tizzy, Joe Biden's comments probably would have, if the White House didn't wordsmith his earlier statement....

AHH---Joe Biden. He has always had such a finesse with words, hasn't he?

It is horribly unfortunate the 23 month old child died in Houston from the swine flu, but this child also contracted the case in Mexico and was here visiting, so I believe this should still be classified as a Mexico fatality (even though it is labeled as US). So--who's to say how long he had symptoms? What about other mitigating factors (did he have heart problems, breathing problems, an immune deficiency, another illness simultaneously to make him more of a likely victim?). Had he ever been previously under a doctor's care? Of course, the media won't say, because that would lessen the impact of the story.

Oh--and Tamiflu is NOT a cure, folks. It's not a cure for any flu, for that matter. It can lessen symptoms, but it is no cure. (I just LOVE how the media has made it sound as though it is a "cure" for this problem. And yes, I am being sarcastic.) Hmmm....

Oh--and by the way: Tamiflu is an over the counter drug, people! So, technically, what this means is, you can go to your local Walgreen's and pick up OTC Tamiflu yourself to fight your swine flu, without even needing a prescription from your doctor. (I find this REALLY ridiculous in itself.)

SO-----If this is highly contagious, it is a problem that we'll be seeing from here on out. So will the swine flu remain on the radar? YES..... Can we keep shutting down schools? Since it is the end of the year, districts are more apt to close schools, but I'm sure they will feel quite differently when the new school year rolls around...(And they need the government enrollment funding that comes with each child being present and in their seat.)

So what I am proposing is---The hype will eventually lessen. Can the media keep reporting about this day after day? NO, because their ratings will go down because it will be "old hat..." Oh wait--it already is.

Am I fearful of this swine flu? No. Granted, there are lots of other things in this world I am fearful of, and plenty of them are ridiculous, but this is not one of them.

Jeremiah 29:11 reassures me: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

You Have to Check this Out....

2009-04-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

Everyone, you HAVE to see this.

My old music minister from FBC Merkel who is now a minister at Watermark, Wes Butler, and his wife and 2 kiddos are adopting a precious little boy from Ethiopia. I am following their journey here:

http://thebutlersadoption.blogspot.com/

Wes just posted pictures of little Malachi, who will join big siblings Selah and Josiah very soon.....

I have been following their journey because my heart goes out to international orphans, or any orphans, for that matter. And as Christians, God commands us to have a place in our hearts for the poor, widows and orphans (Psalm 82:3-4).

Wes had a blog link you must see. PLEASE go to this website:

http://www.drawnfromwater.org/

There is a video at the top of the page about Bale, the precious little girl who helped to get this ministry started.

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT!!!!!

Monday, Monday....Dah-da, Dah da-da-da

2009-04-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

Helloooo, all! I hope this blog post finds everyone well and without the crazy swine flu that's been all over the news. (Don't you just love how the media dramatizes everything? I mean, c'mon....)

I haven't posted since this weekend, have I? Logan, Weiss and I took a fun little trip on Saturday to Johnson City, Stonewall, and Fredericksburg. We had quite a time. We had been wanting to eat at the Hill Country Cupboard in Johnson City for a chicken fried steak, so we finally got our wish! We had chicken fried steak, fried green tomatoes, and the works. Very good, I might add. Weiss got to get his first toy out of the old fashioned toy machines (that were EVERYWHERE in the '80s) where you put the coin in, turn the knob, and get the toy out of the plastic bubble... So he got this little slimy baseball...(You all know....like the sticky hand/foot???) He played with it all the way to Stonewall. But before Stonewall, we stopped at LBJ's birth home there in town. He lived there until he was 10, and we didn't want to take the tour because we knew Weiss would not stand a 30 minute tour at this age, especially where you are standing still for several minutes in one room of the house at a time... (Thankfully, it is only 20 minutes from home, so we can do this when he is a bit older and will appreciate it more...)

We then proceeded up the road to Stonewall, where LBJ's other home was and the state park is located. We went to the living history/working farm of the Johnson's neighbors, a German immigrant family that had lived there since the late 1800s. This was AWESOME!!! I had heard about it from friends, but had not been... They are open every day of the year except Christmas, New Years, and Easter, and people dress in period clothing and do everything on the farm as they did in the "old days..." There are sheep, turkeys, pea hens, chickens, roosters, cows (and calves), horses, and pigs, and most of the animals are roaming on the property as they would have years ago, in a perimeter fence around the entire property. Weiss LOVED this!!! We had fun whistling to make the turkey gobble.... Funny! He also had fun with Logan on the porch swing of the house and looking at the gigantic garden, which they use to make meals each day on an old coal stove. The foods were very interesting and looked great; they serve the workers a meal each day, and they even can for the winter, milk the cows daily, and make molasses! Super interesting! There's a smokehouse, blacksmith, and many other demonstrations on the property. And best of all, it's FREE to the public! We will definitely be back....soon! Logan and I--and especially Weiss--were super impressed, entertained, and learned alot!

We then drove down the road to Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg and wandered around there. It is HUGE!!!! They had a huge field of red poppies (they just finished the bluebonnets, so there were still some left) and we took some pictures. I'll have to upload some soon... Weiss had a blast running in the trails. There was live music, which was really good, and lots of food. We ate some homemade peach icecream and all shared a cherry cream soda. They had a great plant selection and great gifts for anyone who likes plants, birds, or Texas stuff in general. Of course, we spent plenty of time with all of the food sampling and displays they had and brought home a bunch! They had a chuckwagon making homemade biscuits to eat with the samples....YUM!!!!! I got a few plants, and then we headed in to Fredericksburg....

We got there just as most of the stores were about to close, and we just got to go in Zertz and Weiss's favorite--and a SUPER cool vintage toy store--Spunky Monkey. Weiss got some cool stuff and I got some stuff in Zertz, which has super funky and cute clothes, shoes and jewelry.... We tried to go to Hill Country Outfitters for Logan (he loves that place), but they turned their sign around just as we crossed the street....MAN.....

We took the scenic route home.... We took Willow City Loop out of Fredericksburg back to 281. We knew it was a popular route for motorcyclists, and NOW WE KNOW WHY!!! Absolutely one of the most breathtaking roads I have been on in the state. The road is narrow and windy, and the views are incredible. If you've never taken this route, it is stunning. There are places on the route were people have made areas to pull over and take pictures of the views because they are truly incredible. We will definitely be back down this route.

We got home and had a bite to eat. Logan and I were zonked and went to bed early.

Sunday came and went--too quickly. We went to church and Lo watched Mr. Weiss while I did some homework. I managed to get Weiss down for a short nap. Our Lifegroup went bowling at the local bowling alley. We had never been there before, but we all had a great time. Weiss bowled for a little bit, but quickly lost interest. He had more fun sitting in the seat of the race car video game that had a big "out of order" sign on the black screen. Haha!!! Our silly son.... He started getting cranky, so Logan and I ordered some yummy, greasy, bowling alley food. It was good going down the hatch, but I knew I would regret it later.... And of course, when we left, I was saying to Logan, "I never should have eaten that food.... I feel like Shamu...." Logan beat me one game, and I beat him one game... We definitely need to brush up on our bowling skills, but we had a good time....

We got home, and turned on the bubble machine. Logan got out this giant bubble wand and we went out in the front yard to blow bubbles. Zoey LOVES bubbles.... she loves to pop 'em and bite 'em. (If I can figure out how to do a video of that, I'll have to sometime, because it is so funny....) So of course, we let her in on the fun, after she ran halfway down the block. (That dog runs like a gazelle.... she's crazy....)

And in the middle of the night, there was an awesome storm. It was lightning so much, it was like God had turned on a strobe light. I got up to go to the loo, and I didn't even need the light. I went to check on Weiss, and normally I would have to turn on like three lights or so. I could even see his face in his bed, asleep, from across the room. It was lightning so severely, I just knew some electronics were going to be fried... I was worried about our new "electronic" in the house getting zapped... The lightning was CRAZY!!! Logan and I couldn't fall asleep for a long time....

It continued to rain. Weiss and I went in to Bee Cave/Austin to Target. Bee Cave has a new Target, and it was nice, but I am a VERY discriminatory Target shopper. If it is a regular Target and not a SuperTarget, it already has point deductions in my book.... And there was absolutely nothing--NOTHING--for Weiss in the children's department. (And for me, either, for that matter.) So despite the "flashy" appeal of the new store and its cleanliness, that Target didn't cut it for me. (Kind of like the Target at the Rim in San Antonio that is always picked over.... And the new SuperTarget at SA on 281.....don't even get me started on how picked over it is.......).

(NOTE: I am a BIG FAN of the SuperTargets on Blanco and Fredericksburg Road in San Antonio.....they always had what I needed....Or the De Zavala Target.....)

So---I was looking for a certain item, and the dude at customer service said the Mo Pac Target was the only Target/SuperTarget in the Austin area to have it. GREAT. So he gave me directions, and after a quick stop to pick up Chick-Fil-A, Weiss and I were off to ANOTHER Target.

AND I FOUND A GEM!!! Although it is an older Target and NOT a SuperTarget, it has a HUGE clothing section that is EXTREMELY well-organized. I found what I wanted for me, and found the motherload of clothes for Weiss..... They even had stuff on sale that the Bee Cave Target didn't.....I know which Target I will be hitting up in Austin now..... YIPEE!!!!

Okay. Enough about Target. (I know. I love that store and everything about it.) We headed to Central Market, and got drenched---even with an umbrella. Weiss helped me get groceries, and we are trying out some new Rachel Ray recipes later this week. (I love her mag and always try her new stuff...) When we got back to the car, it was raining so hard, I literally looked like I had showered.

The babysitter came later in the afternoon while I went to meet Kim Edwards to go BACK to Bee Cave/Bee Creek for our monthly Emmaus gathering. It is not always there; it is normally in Marble Falls, but the Bee Creek United Methodist Church was BEA-U-TIFUL. Kim and I will be doing music on the ladies Walk to Emmaus this coming October, so if you have never been, you should go. You will be richly blessed!!! It's like a retreat on major steroids. No---WAY more than that. Bloggy friends, let me know if you are interested. It is a non-denominational retreat that focuses on the many elements of God's love. There is also an Emmaus for men, and versions for college students and high schoolers. I would love to sponsor you or anyone you may know.

De Colores!

SNAKES x 2!!!!

2009-04-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

So not much has happened since I have been ill. However, Logan came home last night, which was great. He kept his distance from his ailing wife; even when taking precautions, we are always "great" about passing things to each other. So Cinda and Dickey still have Weiss. I think we are going to get him late this afternoon or this evening. Lo wanted me to "disinfect the house" and "get some rest" this afternoon before we got the little man. So--I vacuumed and went around wiping down everything I could think of that I had touched in the past few days with Clorox wipes. I bleached our sheets (thankfully they're already white!) and "Lysoled" the bathroom and kitchen. Ahh! I felt like I could have my piano lesson with McKenna today, so Nancy and the girls came over.

As I was walking them out to their car in the front of the house, Rachel saw A SNAKE in the flowerbed, under Weiss's window. It was not your typical "tiny" snake that you see in flowerbeds, either. It slithered around the corner of the house quickly, and disappeared into an area in between the bricks and foundation of the house. As I walked over there, ANOTHER SNAKE was slithering in the grass. All four little girls said in unison, "There's ANOTHER SNAKE!!!!" Although this one was small, it still gave me the creeps. After the girls left, I called Logan to make an executive decision. Should I (gulp) kill the snakes if I could find them? YES--he said... He didn't care if they were "good or bad" snakes.... He didn't want to take a chance. And I agreed.

So---never having killed a snake before, I grabbed the big shovel from the garage. I went over to where the snakes were, and the small snake was still sunning in the grass. I bopped him with the shovel. I know it may not be humane, but with Weiss and his small buddies around, I don't want to chance it. And being only one block from the lake, I am always paranoid that a snake may be a cottonmouth or some other mean water snake. Or a copperhead. Or a coral snake. Or a rattlesnake. Or a cobra. (Just kidding.) (I know.... I have the "Doomsday" scenario with snakes. You get the picture.)

Anyway, I went inside and although I didn't even come close to touching the snake, I felt dirty after I had killed it. I washed my hands with soap several times.

But about the other snake that escaped: I am assuming it is some type of grass or rat snake, but I am not sure. Little Rachel said it was "cream and green" in color. Does anyone know--for my peace of mind--what kind it could be?

Sick---AGAIN!!!

2009-04-23T15:27:00.001-07:00

I consider myself a healthy person, but this year alone, I have been sick THREE TIMES!!!! It is quite frustrating, especially when you have children; you don't want them sick, but you need time to recover. So anyway, when I was at Mom and Dad's (or BePaw and LuLu's) this last week, I slept in the bed with Weiss. He is a CRAZY sleeper, and Logan and I are not. I am also a heavy sleeper, so when I am with Weiss, I wake up ALOT because he thrashes around and makes noises and kicks me in the night. Anyway.....

I attributed my slightly sore throat to the West Texas weather--which always gets me--and my slight exhaustion and soreness to sleeping with Weiss and being kicked. On Tuesday afternoon, Weiss and I return home, and I get many things done around the house. I assemble the compost, I pull weeds in the yard, I do laundry, I unpack our carload of stuff we brought home.... Weiss and I were pumped because Hannah and the girls and the two of us were going to the Austin Zoo in the morning! Weiss went around all evening singing a song he knows about the zoo and talking about the different animals. He was super excited. So I put Weiss down for the evening, talking to him even more about our fun day in the morning, hop in the shower, and get in bed. I can't go to sleep. I also attribute this to my massive intake of caffeinated beverages when I am driving...

And then the lovely chills began. I toss and turn all night. I wake up about 5:30 AM and check my temperature. And remember, Logan is STILL out of town at the Pankey Institute, so my in-house medical consultant was no where to be found. My temp is 101.2. LOVELY. I am home alone, with my kiddo, whom I had made a promise to go to the zoo with, and I am sick. And of course, I don't want him sick, and I can't just quarantine myself. So I call the in-laws. PRAISE THE LORD for family that lives near and are always ready to help. (And YES, Mom---I know if you and Dad lived closer you would, too!!!)

At about 9:30, Cinda comes to get Weiss so I can spend my day in quarantine with my big goofy dog. She brought me some Vitamin D and some sublingual Texas flu suspension to take. (By the way, it is so crazy how dogs know when you feel bad. Zoey always follows me around, but she has been especially underfoot since I've been sick.) I spend all day in bed, dozing on and off and watching 1980s classics like "Back to the Future," "Gremlins," and "Wall Street." I also watched "So I Married An Axe Murderer." Super funny! (Mind you, I had to play each movie about 2 times because I would doze off, and I STILL didn't catch most of the movies!!!)

I was craving sweet potatoes all day, and they were the only thing that sounded good. I had some in the kitchen, but I felt so bad, I didn't want to get up and cook. Hannah called and told me she was bringing over dinner. (THANK YOU, HANNAH!!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!) And guess what??? Not only was dinner great--I ate it ALL--but there were the most wonderful sweet potatoes on my plate with coconut!!!!! I've never had them that way, and they were INCREDIBLE!!!

Anyway, Dickey came over later to give me a vitamin C IV at about 7:30. He said he would come back to take it out when it was finished, but I didn't want him to drive into town (our house is about 15 minutes from their lake house). So when the IV finished at 1:00 AM, I took it out! It wasn't bad at all!!!

Anyway, so I am still running a bit of a fever, but my appetite is somewhat back. I still have aches and a MAJOR, constant headache, but I should be fine by tomorrow. Cinda is keeping my little dude until tomorrow, and Logan will be back tonight!!!!

We Are Starting a Compost....

2009-04-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

(I am lazy right now...it's late....I'll give a weekend recap at a later date....)

As most of you know, ever since I got married, I have discovered I enjoy working in the yard/growing things/pulling weeds/learning about plants. Not only do I enjoy working in the yard because it produces something beautiful with some perseverance, but it is stress-relieving and calorie-burning. (And, I get a nice farmer's tan, to boot!) I have been wanting to start composting for some time. YES, it's good for the environment, but I have really been wanting to do it for my plants. Some of the best soil is to be had via compost material.

So---I have noticed that composts are expensive. However, Mom and I were in Sam's the other day, and there was one for $40. Impressive. So today when Weiss and I returned home, I let him play in the yard while I assembled the compost. Tonight I was shredding cardboard boxes and junk mail to put in it. I had about 3 lbs. of coffee grounds, courtesy of Dad, one of our family's many coffee aficionados. (Originally I was going to use the coffee grounds to give my hydrangeas and citrus trees more acidic soil, but instead, I dumped the huge thing in the compost.)

And yes, I am SUPER excited about this. When the compost gets going, it will be about 140 degrees inside. It heats up naturally to break down the organic material.

Anyway, I was wondering what exactly I could put in my compost. I knew the basics, but it is a very LARGE compost, and I want to get it filled up to get it started. (You have to have quite a bit of organic waste to get going, folks.) So I happened a website with 163 things you can compost. Okay, DISCLAIMER: some of them are gross.... (We're just putting the basics in our compost, folks, just so you know....)

Paper napkins
Freezer-burned vegetables
Burlap coffee bags
Pet hair
Potash rock
Post-it notes
Freezer-burned fruit
Wood chips
Bee droppings
Lint from behind refrigerator
Hay
Popcorn (unpopped, 'Old Maids,' too)
Freezer-burned fish
Old spices
Pine needles
Leaves
Matches (paper or wood)
Seaweed and kelp
Hops
Chicken manure
Leather dust
Old, dried up and faded herbs
Bird cage cleanings
Paper towels
Brewery wastes
Grass clippings
Hoof and horn meal
Molasses residue
Potato peelings
Unpaid bills
Gin trash (wastes from cotton plants)
Weeds
Rabbit manure
Hair clippings from the barber
Stale bread
Coffee grounds
Wood ashes
Sawdust
Tea bags and grounds
Shredded newspapers
Egg shells
Cow manure
Alfalfa
Winter rye
Grapefruit rinds
Pea vines
Houseplant trimmings
Old pasta
Grape wastes
Garden soil
Powdered/ground phosphate rock
Corncobs (takes a long time to decompose)
Jell-o (gelatin)
Blood meal
Winery wastes
Spanish moss
Limestone
Fish meal
Aquarium plants
Beet wastes
Sunday comics
Harbor mud
Felt waste
Wheat straw
Peat moss
Kleenex tissues
Milk (in small amounts)
Soy milk
Tree bark
Starfish (dead ones!)
Melted ice cream
Flower petals
Pumpkin seeds
Q-tips (cotton swabs: cardboard, not plastic sticks)
Expired flower arrangements
Elmer's glue
BBQ'd fish skin
Bone meal
Citrus wastes
Stale potato chips
Rhubarb stems
Old leather gardening gloves
Tobacco wastes
Bird guano
Hog manure
Dried jellyfish
Wheat bran
Guinea pig cage cleanings
Nut shells
Cattail reeds
Clover
Granite dust
Moldy cheese
Greensand
Straw
Shredded cardboard
Dolomite lime
Cover crops
Quail eggs (OK, I needed a 'Q' word)
Rapeseed meal
Bat guano
Fish scraps
Tea bags (black and herbal)
Apple cores
Electric razor trimmings
Kitchen wastes
Outdated yogurt
Toenail clippings
Shrimp shells
Crab shells
Lobster shells
Pie crust
Leather wallets
Onion skins
Bagasse (sugar cane residue)
Watermelon rinds
Date pits
Goat manure
Olive pits
Peanut shells
Burned oatmeal (sorry, Mom)
Lint from clothes dryer
Bread crusts
Cooked rice
River mud
Tofu (it's only soybeans, man!)
Wine gone bad (what a waste!)
Banana peels
Fingernail and toenail clippings
Chocolate cookies
Wooden toothpicks
Moss from last year's hanging baskets
Stale breakfast cereal
Pickles
'Dust bunnies' from under the bed
Pencil shavings
Wool socks
Artichoke leaves
Leather watch bands
Fruit salad
Tossed salad (now THERE's tossing it!)
Brown paper bags
Soggy Cheerios
Theater tickets
Lees from making wine
Burned toast
Feathers
Animal fur
Horse manure
Vacuum cleaner bag contents
Coconut hull fiber
Old or outdated seeds
Macaroni and cheese
Liquid from canned vegetables
Liquid from canned fruit
Old beer
Wedding bouquets
Greeting card envelopes
Snow
Dead bees and flies
Horse hair
Peanut butter sandwiches
Dirt from soles of shoes, boots
Fish bones
Ivory soap scraps

Spoiled canned fruits and vegetables
Produce trimmings from grocery store
Cardboard cereal boxes (shredded)
Grocery receipts
Urine

Speaking of Southwest Airlines.....

2009-04-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Southwest Airlines in the previous entry, I would LOVE to fly with this guy!!! His name is David Holmes, and he is based out of Southern California. He is relatively new, and is AWESOME!!!!!

Bathroom Emergency on Flight Prompts Felony Charge....

2009-04-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

(NOTE: Logan and I are big drudgereport.com fans, and I could not believe this article. I am TOTALLY on the poor man's side. And after being in Honduras, the dude probably had a horrible case of Montezuma's Revenge.....Unfortunately, I can relate to that. Plus, what is the RIDICULOUSNESS of using a bathroom within your "class?" PUH-LEASE! And, of course, if he was flying Southwest, who still have a sense of humor, this would have not been a problem!)

ATLANTA - A man who says he desperately needed to use an airplane bathroom after eating something bad in Honduras faces a federal charge after being accused of twisting a flight attendant's arm to get to the lavatory, the FBI said Wednesday.

Joao Correa, 43, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he had a bathroom emergency 30 minutes into a March 28 Delta Air Lines flight from Honduras to Atlanta, but found the single coach aisle on the Boeing 737 blocked by a beverage cart. He said he asked if he could use the lavatory in business class, but was told no.

Transportation Security Administration policy requires passengers on international flights to use the restroom in their seating class.

When the cart wasn't moved after a few minutes, Correa said, he ran for the business class lavatory. He said the flight attendant put up her arm to block him, and he grabbed it to keep his balance.

A Delta flight attendant said Correa grabbed her right arm, pulled it down and twisted it, according to authorities.

The man was arrested after the plane landed in Atlanta after a three-hour flight and Correa was held for two days in jail, authorities said. He was charged with interference with a flight crew, said Gregory Jones, head of the FBI in Atlanta, and released on bond after appearing before a U.S. magistrate.

"I'm devastated," the Concord, Ohio, man told the paper. "I've never had any event with the police in my life."

Correa could not be reached Wednesday by The Associated Press. A message was left on his home telephone.

Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott released a statement saying flight crews "do everything within the limits of the law to ensure the safety and security of our passengers."

(CORRECTS man charged with interference with a flight crew, not assault.)

We're Here in West Texas....

2009-04-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Weiss and I drove in to Abilene/Merkel on Thursday; I am singing at Sunny Riggan's wedding today, and we hadn't seen my parents in awhile, so we're here! The weather has been pretty cool and sort of rainy, but we've had a good time. I've got my fill of Chick-Fil-A (I ate it for lunch and dinner yesterday!) and may go back one more time before I'm back home where there's NO CHICK-FIL-A..... boo......

Anyway, I'll have more to post soon....

I Did a Very Bad, Bad Thing......

2009-04-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

Let's start this blog post off on a positive note, shall we? Easter Sunday was great; we had church followed by pictures outside, dinner with Logan's parents at our house, and a relaxing afternoon.... I had lots of homework to finish up on, and so Logan had an Easter egg hunt for Weiss in the backyard late Sunday afternoon. It was a great day. HE IS RISEN!!!

If you're wondering what the "very bad thing" is that I did, well, here goes.....

Some of you may know Weiss has--HAD--two betas, appropriately named "Pink Fish" and "Red Fish." They lived in a small tank, side by side, with a small divider in the middle so they wouldn't maul each other to death... Anyway, he was proud of those fish, and we did have some adventures with them.

I have cleaned out the tank before, and last time I used bottled water, at room temperature. However, I have read you can refill the tank with room temperature tap water, so long as it has sat out overnight to "dechlorinate" or whatever it does so it's okay to go in the tank....

This time, I figured I would save a buck or two by trying the tap water method. I even let the tap water set out TWO nights just to be safe.... I rinsed the tank and rocks off with Ms. Meyer's Clean Day products, which are non-toxic... (And even if they had been toxic, I really rinsed the rocks and tank out well...)

So I put the fish back in the spic and span tank on Saturday. They looked to be doing just fine, thank you.... However, on Monday (yesterday), I noticed Pink Fish wasn't moving.... We had already lost him....

Red Fish was struggling with his little gills to breathe....

So what do you do?!?! Do you flush a dying fish--a traumatic end to life--or let him die in his tank? I couldn't do anything because Weiss was wondering what was going on... (The fish tank sets up high so he can't carry it around...He couldn't see what was happening, but he knew something was up...) So I had to just leave Red Fish there when we ran our errands. He was gone by the time we got back.

I know this is pretty funny when you read it, but I really do feel bad for accidentally "doing in" Weiss's fish.... I don't exactly know if I should just replace the betas... I know he'll know the difference, or not. I certainly don't want to "do in" the next fish, so I'm going to stick to the bottled water this next time... I do know betas are a hardy fish and don't die very easily, so I guess I shouldn't ever try any rare, exotic fish.

We just need to stick to guppies and betas. So here's to Red Fish and Pink Fish...

Another GREAT book....

2009-04-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Okay---WHY do I always have this problem?!?!? I wish I could just READ all day..... This book is AWESOME! I wanted to read it because of our Genesis bible study at CBS.... We have been studying Genesis since September, chapter by chapter, and I have been quite interested in the patriarchs. My mother-in-law also has read it back several years ago and said it was great. So this story is a fictional biblical account of the story of Jacob, Essau, Issac, Rebecca, Joseph (and his coat of many colors), Rachel, Leah, and all of the other family members told through the only daughter of Rachel, Dinah. She is only briefly mentioned in the bible, but her story is sad but interesting.

This book takes the biblical account and fictionally "reads" into it. All of the plot is based upon scripture, but Anita Diamont "fills in the gaps," if you will! She has done her research in this book; she understands the lifestyle, traditions, medicine, and beliefs of the day.

VERY, VERY good and well written; I can't put it down!

World's Largest Dog Walk.....

2009-04-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had a fun weekend so far! Yesterday, Logan got home and we worked in the yard (which I LOVE---by the way) and then ordered Chinese take-out. We all decorated an Easter bunny cottage for Mr. Weiss. As much as he loves gingerbread houses, it'll probably still be here until the fourth of July....

He really had a great time decorating, and Logan and I enjoyed it, too.

This morning, we got up early to swing by Starbucks for breakfast and head in to Austin for the "World's Largest Dog Walk" to benefit the Service Dogs of Texas. This was the 11th annual walk, and it was SUPER fun! Austin once held the Guiness Book of World Records title for "world's largest dog walk," and we'll see in a few days if they reclaimed it this year....

Weiss enjoyed being in the jogging stroller and checking out all of the dogs. I had a smile on my face the entire time because there were so many funny, silly, unique dogs! (And of course, all of the funny and sometimes disgusting things that dogs do.)

And the trip wouldn't be complete without Zoey. After all, the race didn't charge per person; they charged PER DOG! She had a blast sniffing around, and her tail was going 90 miles an hour the entire 3 miles! It was a nice, cool day, and although I heard there were not enough water stops last time, there were MORE than enough this year! Volunteers were on nearly every corner handing out bottled water, and there were 6 water stops along the 3 mile route where volunteers were pouring water in bowls just for dogs. (There were even dog swimming pools, and several dogs were taking full advantage of this!)

Afterwards, Zoey made off with a haul of loot: a special "medal"/collar tag for her saying she was in the "World's Largest Dog Walk," two small bags of IAMS dog food, a full-size bag of Purina ONE treats, a full size bag of Beggin' Strips, some other assorted treats and milk bones, and everything except the IAMS was courtesy of HEB! (Thank you!!! HEB is always so supportive of local events that I've been involved with and they ALWAYS give out great freebies.....)

Afterwards, we went to Cissi's Market/Wine Bar on Congress Ave. and had a yummy breakfast/brunch as a family. We left and were going down Congress and saw Meera's band.... (we recognized their costumes....pretty cool).... we turned around and went to visit. They were going to be in the dog parade. There were some hilarious dog outfits, which I included my favorites (the Chippendales) here. We left because it was starting to get pretty crowded and we had some stuff to get done at home. We were visiting with a woman with a cute pug and she was wearing a funny shirt: "Sex, Pugs, Rock 'n Roll...." (Cinda needs that one!)

It was a great day! We took a back road home from Spicewood that was really beautiful and stopped to see a group of longhorns along the way. We then went to HEB to get Easter dinner. Now we're all at home, watching the Master's Tourney. FUN DAY!!!!!

This Week.....

2009-04-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

This may be the only time you hear from the Stanley Family this week, because the "designated blogger" is very overwhelmed with homework/projects this week, and it just so happened to fall on the Easter holiday....

Anyway, enough with my pity party....

Some quick Weiss blurbs:

Today, I picked him up and we were rocking in the recliner/rocker... He was really getting into the rocking, and he was moving his head to give the chair some momentum... Because he was facing me in my lap, his head and my head collided, and he busted my lip! I said "Ouch!" and had to kind of pull it together for a moment because my eyes were watering and my lip was bleeding... I think I made a sort of moan sound and Weiss whispered, "Mama?" I looked up at him because that was so sweet, and then he put his little hand on the side of my face, looked me in the eyes and said "Mama" again but in a pitifully sad voice.... It really was so sweet. He really was worried he hurt me.

Well, it hurt only for a bit! Hey, it's better a busted lip than a busted nose! (I have always had this fear of a broken nose....)

"Act of Compassion by My Son #2"

Several hours later after the first incident, Weiss was bouncing off the walls. I had been chasing him around, the dog was wired, and we were having a good time. I sat down on the couch to turn on "American Idol" and Weiss was still wired. He started flailing his arms around, and he purposely ran his little fingernails down my leg, which SMARTED!!!! (I guess this was a bizarre day....I usually don't have busted lips and legs scratched by my 2-year-old....)

Anyway, I told him "no!" and lightly swatted his diaper with my hand because he doesn't usually do stuff like that. He immediately looked up at me solemnly and said, "I sorry, Mama." I couldn't help but melt.

It's so awesome to see the things you are trying to teach your child FINALLY manifested in their actions. Granted, we still have a long way to go, but it is great to see the seeds of compassion taking root in our child. I pray for Weiss to change the world, or if not that, HIS little corner of the world, and so this is a good start for a 2-year-old!

Granted, I'm a little partial.........hahaha

Fun Weekend, But I'm Pooped!!!

2009-04-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

Stacie Morris (L) and Denise (R), smiling big after finishing Lavaman.

This is Denise's crazy foot injury the day AFTER she sliced her foot on CORAL at the Lavaman Olympic Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii, on Sunday.

After Logan's birthday, the rest of the week went on as usual. On Friday, Logan and I got to see JERRY SEINFELD himself, and he was absolutely hilarious! He was at the University of Texas Performing Arts Center, which was beautiful, by the way! Jerry covered every topic from terrorists to coffee, being single or married, parenting issues, big pharma and iPhones. He encored and signed off to "Hello, Newman...." (For those of you who are "Seinfeld" junkies.....) He was great, and I had just as much fun listening to this HYSTERICAL older gentleman sitting a few rows behind us.... He laughed at anything and everything, and his laugh was INFECTIOUS!!!!

We then looked for an Ethiopian restaurant that was recommended, but our friend couldn't think of the name.... We drove around absentmindedly, looking for it, until we went to Thai Tara on Congress Avenue, which was wonderful. We stuffed ourselves silly amidst good conversation.

We then headed to our hotel, which was there downtown. It was the Hilton Garden Inn right downtown on 5th Street off I-35, and Logan had got the reservation online the day before. However, little did we know it was going to be TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS to valet overnight!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?! That was truly, absolutely ridiculous. For what we paid for the room, we could have applied that fee to a room and it would have bumped us up to staying at the Driskill or Four Seasons, and even THEY have complementary valet..... ANNOYING. The hotel was nice inside and the staff was very friendly, but that valet fee was NUTS...

Anyway, we get up to the room, and it smells like cigarette smoke. It was a beautiful room, but I cannot STAND that smell......YUCK..... I don't want to have to inhale leftover nicotine..... However, it was late, so we didn't go to the trouble of changing rooms, because we figured they would ALL be that way.....

The bed was comfortable and clean, however. I'm sure glad it was because I woke up at 4:30 AM to meet Duane, his wife, Jennifer, and Denise at the airport for the inaugural ZOOMA Austin half-marathon. We all met up and hopped the shuttle to get to Bastrop to the Hyatt Lost Pines, where the race was held. The Hyatt Lost Pines was absolutely beautiful, and I want to go back very soon with Weiss and Logan. They have horseback riding, fly fishing, a lazy river, a butterfly garden, and lots of hiking and jogging trails. The rooms are in little casitas, not in one big "hotel." There's supposedly an excellent spa and five restaurants on the property, I believe.

Lance Armstrong's former wife, Kristen, was the MC, and I had no clue she was a runner! There was a BIG crowd for this inaugural race, and I was excited! Denise was running even though she did a OLYMPIC TRIATHLON LAST SUNDAY and got in from Kona, Hawaii THE DAY BEFORE THE RACE. Mind you, she also had the lovely jet lag you get when you travel east. Oh--and did I mention she really cut her feet up bad on the coral after her swim portion of the race? (I'm not talking just scrapes, folks....I'm talking down into the facia of her foot!!!! She even has pictures, and they are NUTS!!!!)

So we all take off. The course weaves in and out and hits a point and turns around, so you are seeing people who are ahead of you who have already turned around. And guess who I see?

A good ol' West Texan, MHS alum, and McMurry University alum, Brittany Moreno-Brown. She was at the top of the pack, folks! (She's always been an excellent runner....all-state track and Xcountry.......) I yelled, "Brittany Moreno!!!!" She yelled back, "Hey!"

(Brittany, if you happen to read this, I'll see you in two weeks at Sunny and Lance's wedding. We'll have to catch up!)

I finished the race, happy but tired.

(Might I add I was TOTALLY unprepared for this race....I had done little prep running, and the last "real" long run I had was the Houston Marathon and a 6-miler with Lexy and Sherry several months ago.....)

Instead of a cheesy medal for half-marathon finishers, we got a cool sterling silver necklace. And an awesome pink New Balance tech shirt.

Denise rode back with Logan and I, and we all ate burgers on 6th Street at Hut's.

My stomach was NOT amused after racing.

So I felt like a bloated roly poly all afternoon. We ran a few errands, dropped Denise off, and I had to go straight to my cut and color, sweat and all. I hadn't even been in the house. I was sooooo nasty.

Logan picked Weiss and Ms. Zoey up, and we all had dinner together. I am now all cleaned up, but I am sore, especially my glutes and thighs, because there were quite a few hills on the course.

It was a fun weekend. Logan, I love you and thanks for the weekend! Denise, it was fun hanging out with you!!!!

Logan's BIRTHDAY!!!!

2009-03-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, today is April 1st, or better known as April Fools' Day. And it's also LOGAN'S BIRTHDAY!!!!! He is 27 years young today, and so Weiss and I want to wish him a very happy birthday. (And as everybody knows, birthday's aren't as much fun during the work week, but his office staff in Austin had a little impromptu party for him and so will his Marble Falls staff later today, so he'll get some love at work! And of course, we will have a small family party, too!)

Anyway, Weiss has been so funny this week and man, he is REALLY talking. Logan was playing with him tonight and crawling around, chasing after him. Logan would then lay face down on the carpet. Weiss would say, "Daddy, please get up! Get up, Daddy!" He was also making overdramatic hand/arm motions to show Logan "how" to get up, as well as jumping around. (I call him my little "televangelist" because he acts just like John Hagee, even though I am a fan!)

Weiss and I went on a nice 3.2 mile walk this afternoon. When we got back home, I also wanted to be productive today in the yard and get some more sticks and things picked up. However, Weiss did not want to have any of it. He wanted to stay inside and watch "Elmo's World." He was saying, "Elmo hands and feet, Mommy!" He meant he wanted to watch the "Elmo has 2 Hands, Feet, and Ears" episode.

We made some Central Market pumpkin tortellini tonight--which, I might add, for those of you with kids, is EXTREMELY yummy, kid-friendly, and organic--and Weiss pulled his step stool up to where I was cooking and said, "Mac-roni and cheese, Mommy?" It was so cute! I tried to explain we were going to eat tortellini....tell that to a 2 year old!

Weiss is very interested in gingerbread houses, and it was late February before I finally threw out the Christmas gingerbread house. Well, I found an Easter gingerbread house for us to make, and Weiss saw the box and got REALLY excited. We'll be making it soon, and so I'll have to update with a picture......

The Book I've Been Reading.....

2009-03-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

As we are approaching Easter, I have been reading a book that fits this season of unconditional forgiveness and love. I didn't plan to read this book during this particular time, but God's timing is perfect. This book, "Dark Journey, Deep Grace" by Roy Ratcliff, may be seen by some as absurd, ridiculous, infuriating, or a vast array of many more emotional responses. Until you read the book, please don't prejudge it. And it's a quick, captivating read.

This book delves into the controversial topic of forgiveness. For those of you who are Christians, this should NOT be a hot-button topic. When one asks Christ into their lives, God provides anyone forgiveness anytime they ask with their heart. It's as simple as that. However, is this how the rest of the world sees it? Is repentance really that simple? How do some "professing" Christians see it? What about the legalism involved? Why is the topic of forgiveness so polarizing? Are there offenses out there that society deems "unforgiveable?" This book dives headfirst into these questions.

Roy Ratcliff, a co-author of this book, is now a full-time prison minister after his encounter in 1994 with the controversial individual within this book. He dares to ask the question: "If God forgives, can He forgive someone like Jeffrey Dahmer?"

A Note on Running and "Seinfeld"...........

2009-03-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Okay. For those of you who get sick of my posts that talk about my running, stop...... reading..........

NOW.

(Now that I've cleared the air, I'll continue on.....)

Two of my old time running buddies, Denise Rhodes and Lexy Hinson, are in faraway beautiful lands AS I TYPE. No, not in the same locale. Denise is doing the Lavaman Olympic Triathlon on the Big Island in Hawaii TODAY and Lexy is visiting her best friend, Beth on the beautiful Caribbean isle of St. Kitts. And since I know you guys are going to eventually be reading this blog, I AM EXTREMELY JEALOUS RIGHT NOW!!!! The weather has been not so fun here recently, and they both skipped town.

Lucky friends, huh?

Anyway, another note on running..... Next weekend, Denise and I will participating in the ZOOMA Austin half marathon (13.1 miles). The ZOOMA is a woman's benefit run (5K or half) that is technically in Bastrop, Texas, at the beautiful Hyatt Lost Pines Resort. For those of you who aren't familiar with Bastrop, as you drive towards the town, it is flat. However, the first settlers planted many, many pine trees there (or so my husband tells me), and there are these HUGE trees rising from the middle of nowhere. Absolutely breathtaking. I am looking forward to it! The course is supposedly a "hilly" one....

(Great.)

Denise (a. k. a. "Mrs. Buff") is ready for the run (obviously). I am NOT!!!! For those of you who want to pray for me as I crawl across the finish line on Saturday morning, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT!!!! :) However I do it, I am going to get the super cool necklace ZOOMA gives to race finishers in lieu of a cheesy medal!!!

Logan and I have plans the night before to see Mr. Jerry Seinfeld himself in Austin. This will be Logan's second time to see one of his favorite icons. It is my first. I am excited. Although, I am a big fan of George Constanza on the "Seinfeld" show. We will stay the night, and then I will meet the group at the Austin Airport to carpool out to ZOOMA, or until I talk to Denise about further plans!

Funny Little Things....

2009-03-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Because Weiss is talking more, he says some funny things. At least once a day, I am brought to tears of laughter because of something he says. I constantly am laughing at him. I absolutely LOVE this stage....errr, well, THAT part of it. (Granted, there are tantrums at times, he wants to run around and explore in public places, and also the "fun" diapers right before potty training....those are the minuses.) My point: I forget the little things he says, so I MUST document them. I was on the phone with Mom and Dad last night and I couldn't remember something he said yesterday morning! How sad!

--Weiss drinks almond milk (a non-dairy beverage) that comes in a carton. He LOVES chocolate milk, and we always have to add chocolate syrup to the vanilla almond milk. When I don't have the vanilla flavored almond milk in stock, I usually have a carton of chocolate almond milk. However, when he sees this carton with brown on it instead of the white/vanilla carton, he says, "Yeah! COFFEE!!!" He is convinced he is drinking coffee. It's really cute!

--When I am disciplining Weiss, he tries to avoid eye contact. To make sure we are understanding each other, when he is really in trouble, I squat down to his level and take his face in my palms and say "Look at me.... You need to _____." Anyway, when he really wants my attention, he takes my head in his palms and says, "Momma, look at me. Look at me...." It is the funniest thing because he is very serious, just as I am when I address him when he's in trouble.

--Weiss gets "amen" and "the end" confused, so he just says "amen" for everything. At the end of books, "Aaaaa---men!!" When we eat, even if we forget to pray sometimes if it is chaotic, he usually says "aaaa--men" before he eats. It is precious.

--Instead of "open it," Weiss says, "Openick!" Everything is "openick, openick," and he rarely says "close." He still hasn't got it quite yet.

(I'll have to think of some more things, but right now it's naptime, and I'm needing a nap! I'll update this list at a later date... :) )

"An Ode to My Carpet"

2009-03-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

by the world renown poet, Courtney W. Stanley

Oh Carpet, Oh Carpet,
You drive me insane!
My constant vacuuming
Is growing quite mundane.

When we moved in
You were newly laid,
We felt we would not remove you
Because of the price the previous owner paid.

Your color was chosen,
But NOT by me!
Oh carpet, we started out
On the wrong foot, I'll agree!

So here we are--
Several months later.
And yes, I'll admit:
I'm a Carpet hater.

You may be for some,
But You're NOT for me.
I prefer slate, tile or wood,
Even a nice area rug, maybe?

Weiss's roast beef vomit, and Zoey's messes,
I loathe how you absorb scents abound!
In my house, if you've a sensitive nose,
Don't worry--plenty of candles are around!

You've traffic patterns and
You're accumulating spots!
Oh Carpet, the joys of living
In a home with active tots!

Oh Carpet, you truly are
A daily gloom!
You are everywhere--
EVEN IN MY BATHROOM!

However, there are benefits
To owning you, I know!
Vacuuming gives me
Some daily cardio!

For this moment, however,
You will remain in our midst.
Because there are many more
Purchases ahead on the list.

I'll probably deal with you
Until the move when our family grows.
Until that day comes,
You'll unfortunately remain under my toes!

HAIL and HAIL DAMAGE......

2009-03-25T16:51:00.001-07:00

So---- Just as I was beginning my last post, my neighbor came over, bringing me some roses from her garden and telling me about the bad weather that was on its way here. I had no idea. Personally, I don't watch the local news anymore because it is so depressing, and it's cheesy Austin news. (And it's also not my beloved San Antonio KENS 5 with Chris Marrou, Steve Spreister and Ursula Perry...) Okay, I'll get to the point.

So I flip A&E TV on to "Cold Case Files." (My kind of programming.) A red screen cuts in, saying to turn to channel 10 for emergency warnings. It said Burnet County and several others were under a tornado warning until 5:30 and a severe t-storm watch until 9:00. Now, being from West Texas and growing up in a house with a cellar (which we never used, by the way...), I tend to take certain weather warnings with a grain of salt. I think that's from growing up with my dad. When I was little and warnings would flash across the TV screen, I would ask him, "Don't you think we need to get in the cellar?" He would always say, "We'll be alright." (And I understand now how it would have been MUCH better to risk the storm than to crawl into the cellar with who knows what and all kinds of creepy crawly things...)

So--I call my dad. My parents both grew up in Haskell County, Texas, which ALWAYS seems to be having tornadoes or heavy t-storms. (I kid you not.) I remember staying with my grandparents and going through so many t-storms and tornado watches. I had a roll away bed I used in their bedroom and I remember seeing lightning flash outside the window and hearing the wind howling while they were fast asleep, my granddad, "Paw," snoring. I also remember going into the neighbor's cellar one time (by the way, the ONLY time in my life I have been in a storm cellar due to weather). A tornado hit my grandparents' town in the 1990s, and thankfully, their house did not receive any damage. Anyway, back to my story.........

I did, thankfully, move my citrus trees and pink hydrangeas under my front porch. However, I was starting about 140 different seedlings in a special plant nursery, and didn't move my backyard plants under the back porch..... I stepped back in the house, on the phone. All of a sudden, the stillness turned to calamity. Hail the size of giant gumballs/silver dollars began falling, and the wind blew in Meadowlakes like I've never seen before. (Not that that amounts to much---we haven't been here that long!) The news later said we had up to 50 MPH wind gusts! I watched my backyard plants being pummeled before my very eyes. It was not pretty, folks. After the storm let up (10 minutes or so), Dad told me to check my west windows. (Thankfully, we didn't have many windows on the west side....) However, 2 of the 4 small windows on the west side were broken. However, the 2 that happened to be broken were double paned, so no water is leaking into the house. During the hail, Weiss kept saying, "Look, Momma! White snow!" It looked like it had snowed.

All of my landscaping in the back is damaged. Hopefully most of it will live. My $50 worth of seedlings will probably not. However, the landscaping in the front is okay because the house protected it as the storm blew in from the northwest. Thank goodness, because this is where my "really pretty stuff" is. Logan was at the office and had both side mirrors busted and hail damage; I had one mirror broken and hail damage on the top of my car. (And yes, we do have a garage, but it is filled with junk, not with a car.) We will most likely need a new roof, along with everyone else. However, all of this is minor damage compared to all of the homes on Meadowlakes Drive. Hannah called me when I was on the phone, checking to see how my in-laws' place fared (the lakehouse at Kingsland was a-okay). They live on Meadowlakes Drive, and all of their front windows blew in, bringing glass all in the house. The girls' bedroom was covered in glass, along with their family room (where they have a play area with all of their toys by the windows) and Casey's office. I haven't talked to her this evening, but she told me this afternoon they were at her in-laws' house tonight.

When Logan got home, we hopped in the car to see the damage. There were already many cleanup crews and handymen out because many houses were damaged. People were outside, milling around their property, looking at the damage, driving around, and working, boarding up windows, cleaning up glass. Tree limbs, plant debris and leaves were everywhere. On the area of Meadowlakes Drive running north to south, ALL of the houses had their western windows knocked out. It was a mess. So many of these homes have beautiful landscaping, and much of it was also lost--shrubs, flowers, small trees--due to the severe hail and wind damage. Please pray for the people in these homes.

Tomorrow, I will walk the perimeter of the house and see exactly what we need to replace. We'll call our insurance agent, along with everyone else, and see about replacing our roof, windows, and getting the areas fixed/replaced on our cars. There is much cleaning to be done; limbs and leaves are EVERYWHERE.... I was working so hard to get everything fixed up, and had all of the limbs picked up in the backyard. I also pressure washed the back porch yesterday, which now looks worse than before. However, I can't complain. I am thankful our house was, for the most part, unscathed.

The Little Man Is Out of Sorts and Locked Out, AGAIN!

2009-03-25T14:18:00.001-07:00

Hello, all! This week I have been savoring my time with Weiss because it seems like he grew just the few days he was with my parents! He is now putting several words together, trying to construct complete sentences. It seems like it happened overnight..... Dickey and Cinda came over for dinner last night, and we were looking at pictures from Christmas. Weiss was looking at the Christmas tree in the background. He said something like, "Green Christmas tree is all gone now..." I told him we would bring it back out to celebrate Jesus's birthday next year. He said, "Green Christmas tree out for Jesus's birthday next time?" He mimics everything you say, and it is so funny, entertaining, and heartwarming.
Yesterday was Bible Study Day. I was debating whether to go or not because Weiss was feeling out of sorts. Since he came back from West Texas, he has had the runny nose junk and now he has been pulling at his ear. His ears have not been able to pop because of his sinus pressure, so I went to the health food store and got some colloidal silver to put in his ear. He is remarkably better today, but yesterday, before I secured the remedy, this was not the case. I was getting ready, debating whether to take him to Bible study. I had a tight white tank on--it was to go UNDER another top I was wearing. (Basically, I was "nonpresentable" without the outer layer on.) Regardless, I was getting ready to make some phone calls to see about Weiss's ear. He was all dressed, and so we stepped out in the backyard to let Zoey out quickly before we left the house. (Mind you, it had been drizzling all day and was STILL drizzling....muddy, too.....) I close the door behind me because bugs are really bad here around the lake, so things are always buzzing into the house, which is annoying....

The door locks.

There is a deadbolt and a regular lock on the doorknob, and we never lock the doorknob lock. I guess Weiss was playing with it and turned it.....

So we are locked out---AGAIN---for the SECOND time this year (see the January 1st post). The front door is locked because we had not yet opened it for the day, and Logan used the "secret" key to open the house last week, and I sat it on the bar....

So I am really flustered. I pause and think. Should I break out a window? I had my pruning shears outside, so it could be done. What would be more "cost effective---" the locksmith, or breaking a window?

I decided to call the locksmith.

I went next door, to my neighbor's. I called the locksmith, and about 30 minutes and 55 dollars later, we were back in the house. And I'm also pretty sure the locksmith thought the way I was dressed is the way I dress EVERYDAY.

After I made myself more presentable (i.e. put another layer of clothes on), we go run some errands and head to the health food store for some sinus/ear things and some snacks. Weiss has a major meltdown in the store. He was grabbing his ear. We get home, eat, and he's better. (The great thing about him not feeling so well is that he snuggles and takes extra long naps, which I love.) During his nap I got several things accomplished in the front yard, and after his nap, I even pressure washed the back porch, which was LONNNGGGG overdue. After his nap, Weiss played with this new Step 2 sand and water table, which he absolutely loved!!!! He didn't know what to think of the sand at first, but he grew to love it!!! (He doesn't like things on his hands....) We then went to Meadowlakes Park in the jogging stroller and then walking with Bridget Slyker and her precious daughter, Susanna. She and Weiss were funny to watch in their strollers side by side.

We got home and had dinner with Dickey, Cinda and Logan. Weiss was glad to see him.

Elton and Billy!!!!!!

2009-03-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday finally came: Elton and Billy's concert!!!! This is the second time I have seen them together--but the third time I have seen Elton (he played solo at Caesar's in Vegas). Logan and I left around lunch, planning to rendezvous in San Antonio with his parents and some of their friends, Troy and Linda Fraser, who also had tickets. We got Starbucks for lunch (I am addicted to their prosciutto and ricotta panini) and headed out of Marble Falls. We went by our "old house" first in San Antonio--which still hasn't sold--to check on it and move some things out of the garage (garden tools, etc.). We then went to Nordstrom Rack, which is their "outlet store" that just opened before Christmas at the Rim. If we lived in San Antonio, that was a 5 minute drive from our house, along with La Cantera and all of those other great stores, but I really guess it's a good thing we are further away from them....... We found some good stuff for Logan and I got some workout clothes.

We then headed to the Quarry to meet the other four at P. F. Chang's. I got a mojito (which I haven't had in AGES) and my usual, lemon scallops. (If you've never tried them, you SHOULD! They are really the best!) All six of us had a great dinner. Logan and I left our car at Chang's and piled into Troy's sedan because he gets priority parking as a Texas Senator. (That was nice because the concert was sold out and so parking was CRAZY!) We get to the AT&T center, pull right up to the doors, Troy flashes his car to the parking attendant, and Dickey hops out and moves the parking barricades. We are pretty much right by the entrance. I am amazed!

Logan had bought the tickets in November, and Troy and Linda were sitting in a box, Logan's parents had pretty decent tickets, and our tickets were good, but the worst of the six of ours. I assumed we were going to our seats. However, we all hopped on an elevator and it took us up to the Terrace Level, where all of the boxes are. I had obviously never been.

We got up to the box, and it was a bevy of politicians and lobbyists for Time Warner. (With our group, there were probably 16 people or so up there.) The new Texas Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor were both up there, along with their wives. I just wanted to see the concert, however. And I did! Logan asked if I wanted anything to drink; I declined because I was scared to leave the box and go to the bathroom! (I thought they would look at our tickets like they do when you go back to the "normal" seats and kick me out!) Linda reassured me I had passed security and was okay! WHEW!!!! Anyway, it was very fun and they had an AWESOME dessert bar that would roll through every 30 minutes or so with HUGE cakes. I was really surprised for a large venue like that the cakes were so good and beautiful. (They were so pretty, I took pictures when I was away from the cart with my phone!)

Elton and Billy played for about 4 hours; it was incredible! They encored to "Piano Man" and "Bennie and the Jets." Elton changed outfits during the break and the crowd was really getting into it, so Elton was actually smiling and making funny faces. (He's notorious for being a big diva and not flashing his smiles when he's not enjoying himself.) Billy was awesome and was cracking jokes. He also got a mike stand and was chunking it around, spinning it like a baton, just basically being a goofball. He was absolutely great! I was sad when the concert was over, because those two are in my "top" favorite artists, along with ABBA and the Beatles. I am already for them to have another concert series again! It was AWESOME!!!

Lions, and Tigers and COBRAS---Oh My!!

2009-03-20T13:17:00.001-07:00

ARGH!!! I've been intending to blog all week, but just never got around to it. Weiss and I left for Merkel last Sunday afternoon since it was Spring Break week here in Marble Falls and all activities were cancelled. I got to see lots of people I had not seen in awhile: the Whiteheads (just happened to run into them--Robert, Becky, Heather, and her little girl, Josie), the Hunts (Freddy, Linda and Brian), the Bellahs (everyone except Chase--who was at college and Pierre the tortoise--he's still hibernating), Monty and Debbie Howard, and Brother Jimmy and Dorothy, who was our pastor who recently retired. (And Mom---if I'm forgetting anybody, please let me know!!!!)

We all went to the Abilene Zoo on Monday, and Weiss had a great time. He was all about running around and being a toddler. They have recently done some renovations, and the snake/reptile/insect exhibit was moved to a new building called "Creepy Crawlers." We go in. And you know, every time I have seen snakes on display, they are usually not doing much. They're always curled up in a ball, or maybe you'd see an occasional flick of the tongue. Not with the Moroccan cobra, however. That snake was moving around all over his cedar-lined enclosure. They had some clay pots in the glass enclosure, I guess to make it look more "Moroccan-ish." The snake would crawl in and out of the pots, and it is amazing to see. However, that's not why I'm mentioning the snake. Weiss went up to the glass enclosure of this particular snake, and because of his size, his head was ground level for the snake. The cobra, seeing only Weiss's head at HIS eye level, rose up, even FLARING HIS HOOD OUT. Mom and Dad had moved on ahead to another animal, and I began saying, "get the camera, get the camera!" By the time Dad got the camera ready (lens cap taken off, camera turned on, flash turned on) the cobra had put his hood back down. As a mom, this was VERY freaky because cobras only flare their hoods when angry, excited or intimidated, and Weiss made him feel bizarre enough to flare his hood out. Anyway, thank heavens for the glass and several inches that separated that venomous snake from my Pookie Bear. We saw other animals--giraffes, a jaguar, bears, a panther, lions, and the Abilene Zoo is getting a white tiger, which will hopefully be there the next time we go! Afterwards, we ate at one of my favorites, Chick-Fil-A, which I am majorly missing here in Marble Falls. Weiss had a great time playing in the children's play area afterwards, for about 30 minutes or so. That child has endless energy!

On Tuesday we went to the Grace Cultural Museum's Children's Museum. Weiss LOVED this.... He ran around like a wild banshee, climbing all in their toddler area. He was NOT ready to leave, even having a major meltdown. We had a quick lunch and ran some errands afterwards. That evening, we all went back to Abilene, meeting Monty and Debbie Howard for dinner at Logan's Roadhouse. (Weiss called them "Mommy and Daddy," which I thought was funny. Hey---that's kinda the way their names sound, huh?) When we got home, he was NOT ready for a bath. He heard me running the bath water, and he was stripped down to his diaper. He got behind Dad's chair, against the wall where I could not reach him. To bribe him out, I asked, "Can I have a hug and kiss?" He came out with a smile, saying, "No bath? Okay!" He then proceeded to give me a big hug and kiss. We all cracked up. (He often does that---Weiss will ask a question and then answer his own question. "No milk? Okay.")

On Wednesday, I left Weiss to come back to Marble Falls to get some work done around the house. I cleaned when I got home and grocery shopped. On Thursday, I worked in the yard and painted some of our bedroom. Thursday evening, there was the "premiere" of Logan and Dickey's temporary office at the Gateway building. The Marble Falls Chamber of Commerce hosted an open house for the entire building, which is a new medical office complex. There is a husband/wife doctor's office, a place for skincare called the "Skinstitute," a hospice office, Logan and Dickey's office, and Hill Country Pediatric Dentistry takes up the second floor with our friends, Dr. Bobby Walker (Steve's office manager), Dr. Steve Hernandez and my friend, Dr. Hannah Burns. (aka "Phia's Mommy"). It was a fun evening and a good time to meet and greet. Although the office is beautiful, this is their temporary location; the new office is right down the road on the corner of 1431 and 281, overlooking Lake Marble Falls. Anyway, enough about that.....

Today I have been doing homework and getting stuff done around the casa. I will post some pictures soon of Mr. Weiss. Mom and Dad are coming tomorrow to keep him here until Sunday, BECAUSE..................

Logan and I are going to the ELTON JOHN and BILLY JOEL concert!!!!!!!!

Yes, two of my most favorite performers of all time, performing TOGETHER and singing TOGETHER!!!!! I have seen them play together in 2002 and I saw Elton alone in Vegas in 2004, but Elton and Billy are BACK!!!!!!!!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

And no, I don't care if they play exactly what they played in 2002; I'm just gonna be glad to see them!!!!!! I'll keep you all posted!!!!!!!!!

What I'm Reading.....

2009-03-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is the book I just finished reading and it's great. I couldn't put it down and would find myself going to bed earlier and staying up super late (I wouldn't even get tired when reading!). What made me choose this book is that I've seen so many people reading it over the past year or so, and I was curious. It is extremely well researched and the characters are well-developed. It's the story of young veterinary student, who for reasons in the story, leaves Cornell veterninary school and ends up working for the Benzini Brothers Circus before the Great Depression. The story flashes back between Jacob as a 93 year old man in a nursing home/assisted living and as a young, naiive man with a wonderful story plot surrounding him. The research author Sara Gruen is evident within this book; the "circus jargon" (yes, it's like a whole other language), the oddities of yesteryear's traveling circuses, the plethora of animals, and the drama that unfolds around young Jacob.....It is wonderful and highly suggested!

What We've Been Up To....

2009-03-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

It has turned out to be a dreary, cold, wet week. Hopefully this will be the end of the "wintery-like" weather, but we certainly needed the rain. (Especially my baby plants I just put in the ground---God's timing was perfect!)

Because I want to be in better shape for Sunny Riggan's wedding in mid-April, I have been doing more arm workouts (I want Michelle Obama's arms!) and trying to watch my intake of empty calories. I have been on a kick in the last two months or so drinking those 100 calorie cans of Coca-Cola..... So random, considering I have never really been a big soda drinker growing up. Anyway, I am--for the moment--keeping a food diary for Weiss and I to monitor what we are eating and how much exercise we are getting. If I stay faithful to jot down what I eat/drink, I'm sure it will help; it's much scarier seeing the list of stuff you've eaten on paper than just shoveling it down the hatch... ANYWAY--this leads me to my next story.

I told you I am also keeping track of my runs/exercise and the like in the diary. Because yesterday was so dreary and cold, I didn't leave the house for a run. The day before I took Weiss out in the jogging stroller, but yesterday was way too cold, coupled with the wetness in the air. So after we got home from Mom to Mom, I tried doing a "Pilates type" home workout with DVD and a bar with stretchy cords attached for your feet. After about 10 minutes of this, Weiss kept laughing, so I had to stop. (Yes, he was really laughing at me!!!!) I figured I could try again after Weiss went down for the evening. However, I also thought on a full stomach after dinner, my lack of willpower would probably get the best of me and I would poop out on my exercise. So I just decided I would clean house. And man, did I get on a tear! I vacuumed, mopped, did sheets, the laundry, washed rugs, scrubbed toilets/showers, dusted, and even cleaned the blinds! I also have sooooo many books lying around in our bedroom and bathroom area, so I cleaned all of these up and reorganized my vanity and Logan's, as well. I put new globes on our light fixtures. I moved a chair and ottoman that had been our temporary furniture in the living room back to our bedroom, where it was "supposed" to be. I got out a new rug and put it in the bedroom. I was really getting after it. And man, today, I am so glad I did. I am actually sore from all of the "exercise" I got! (I'm going to count it as such, because I certainly did not have time to sit down since I did this all afternoon!)

Anyway, while I was exercising, I was going through the house in an ancient pair of shorts (from high school cheer camp, orange with paint spots on them from painting the half-bath) and a turquoise sports bra. To top it all off, I had pulled my hair back with a tacky headband and put a bright green "Queen Helene Mint Julep" face masque on, which I left on my face from noon until my shower last night at 9:00 PM. (What?!?! I was staying at home all day....) Anyway, I hear the doorbell ring. I step out into the hall. The UPS man sees me in all of my glory. I run back to the bedroom to throw a shirt on over my sportsbra. (I have no clue why he didn't just leave the package after seeing me and go--it wasn't anything that had to be signed for or anything.) Anyway, so I go back to the door--WITH a shirt on--saying, "You sure do see everyone in all their glory..." Anyway, later my neighbor comes by to give us their contact info for when they are on vacation this week. (I wasn't embarrassed this time because I learned my lesson and had a shirt on over my sportsbra.....Even though I still had my Martian green masque on, it wasn't as big of a deal. And it was Russell, whom I know.)

So Logan gets home late yesterday evening. Weiss was already bathed and dressed for bed. I didn't tell him how hard I had worked cleaning, but he opened up the bedroom door and his eyes bugged out of his head. (In Loganspeak, that means he's impressed with what he sees...)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Recipe Post...Sweet Potato Chili

2009-03-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, Katie K! This is for you. (Well, it's for me, too, so I don't lose the paper copy.......) And yes, it is very good if you like sweet potatoes and some spice. It came from a "friend of a friend", but the recipe's creator is Joe Russo of Whole Foods. It's low-calorie, high protein and YUMMY!!!! I also put in the substitutions I used. And, as with any soup/stew/chili, it's better on the second day. So if you've got company coming or just want it to be REALLY good, start it early and let it simmer on low for several hours!

Sweet Potato Chili

--1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO, for you Rachel Ray fans!)

--1 medium onion, chopped

--1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped

(NOTE: I subbed in a package of Nature Ripe Cherub tomatoes cut in half because I didn't have a red bell pepper. It was really good, as well.)

--1 large clove of garlic, minced (or 3/4 tablespoon)

--1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast, chopped

(NOTE: Sherri used and suggested I try chopping a rotisserie chicken into the chili instead; I cut up the whole thing, sans skin, and it was great!!!)

--1 (15 oz.) can of cannellini beans, drained

(NOTE: it really could have used 2 cans, I think. These are white kidney beans.)

--1 cup chicken stock

--2 1/2 cups cold water

(NOTE: I used 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock total, and no water. Logan and I are all about the

flavor, baby!)

--2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

--1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced, or 2 ounces of canned, diced green chilies

(NOTE: we used the jalapeno)

--2 teaspoons crushed red chili flakes

(NOTE: I left the chili flakes out because of the toddlers (Sophia and Weiss) eating the meal, and it still had a "kick." But if you want extra heat, keep this ingredient in....)

--1 teaspoon cumin

--2 teaspoons chili powder

--1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

--1 bunch of scallions, mnced

--sour cream (for topping)

--fresh cilantro (for topping)

In a large pot, heat the EVOO over medium heat, and saute the onion, red pepper, and garlic until firm-tender.

Add the chicken breast and saute for 2 minutes, until opaque. Add the beans, stock, water, potatoes, red chili flakes, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and chilies. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat, ands immer uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Garnish with the chopped scallions. Top the chili with a dollop of sour cream and some cilantro, if desired.

NUTRITION: (Per 1 cup serving)-----170 calories (25 from fat), 13g protein, 24g carbs, 2.5 total fat, (.05 saturated fat), 25 mg colest., 110 mg sodium, 15% DV calories from fat

Sweet Berry Farm and Something Not So Sweet....

2009-03-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Checking out the new baby goat with "Sweetheart" and Mrs. Glenna.

Weiss is finally understanding what the word "Cheese" is for.......

Starting to pick the berries...... Can you tell he's already been eating them????

Hello, all! We have had a fun week so far, however, as of yesterday and ESPECIALLY today, the lovely spring weather has transformed into cold, wet, wintery weather (low 40s and mid 30s tonight... It's not supposed to freeze, and I certainly am hoping so, because I have now planted nearly everything in the ground!). On Sunday, we went to church--groggily, due to Daylight Savings Time--and came home for leftovers. We went to church Sunday evening and Pastor Steve Peace of Marble Falls FBC resigned after 8 1/2 years of service. Please keep this church in your prayers; we are not members yet, but are visiting there, and pray for a visionary pastor who can lead the church and its future generations forward. Please pray for Steve and Celia and their future church home, as well. Weiss and I got home and began planting. Little did I realize it still gets dark early until LATER in the spring. Oh well.... We still got a lot accomplished!

Monday morning, Weiss and I woke up and went out to Sweet Berry Farm. I have gotten to know Mrs. Glenna Copeland through choir/piano, and she is such a kind woman with an effervescent personality! She took us to see the baby goats and showed us exactly "which" strawberries to pick. Weiss had a great time riding in the wagon, checking out the goats, and picking berries. He---or should I say "we"---have already eaten two pounds worth, so we are planning to go back at the end of this week if the weather gets better! As for the "something not so sweet" I mentioned in the title of this post, Weiss had a blowout on the way home, in his carseat. I thought this was only reserved for those parents with sick kids or newborns.... Boy howdy, was I wrong!!!! I had to take apart the carseat and clean it all out, not to mention give Weiss a bath right when we got home! Weiss took a long nap and then Kaili came over to keep Weiss so I could go to YoungLife. There was a great crowd of kids there on Monday; we had a "Scottish Games" night, complete with kilts, bagpipe music, a cabor toss, and tug-o'-war.

Tuesday morning was Kingsland Bible Study, and it RAINED when we were there! Awesome! We had been praying for rain, and it came during the lesson. We took a jog in the jogging stroller when we got home, and Weiss seemed to have a good time. It was nice and cool, upper 60s. We had a nice and relaxing day and spent lots of time in the late afternoon out in the frontyard. Weiss has really been enjoying sidewalk chalk.

In the middle of the night, I woke up because of all of the noise from the wind and rain. This cold front that is here today hit, and it was QUITE cold outside! However, when Weiss and I got up, it was cold, but with no rain. Oh---and he has a new trick. Whenever he has a dirty diaper, he has to tell me, "yucky, Mama" or "gross" or "stinky, Mama" or something of the like. However, Weiss has figured out his own way to check his diaper HIMSELF. The way the parent traditionally checks diapers out--you know, using your index finger to look down the back of the diaper to see if there is a "surprise" inside-- has been mastered by Weiss. He now uses his hand/finger(s) to show me or Logan what he is hauling in the back of his diaper. So when he says "Yucky, Mama," he is backing up to me, pulling his diaper top by his bum back for me to take a peek. (Yes, it is gross, and yes, this is a sign we need to start potty training.) This is all fine and dandy, except sometimes he sticks his finger(s)/hand in a little too far...... You get the idea. (Hey, I know this is graphic, but I am using this blog to document all of Weiss's little details for him so I will remember them when I am a little old lady. And YES, I want to remember even the gross stuff.) Sorry about the random thought interjection. That's the way I work. Anyway, WHY am I telling you this?!?! Because he did this first thing when he woke up this morning. I had to clean him up before our jog.

SO---We took another jog around the neighborhood with the jogging stroller, in the cold. (I'll have a future post about that.....) Weiss didn't want to wear a jacket, but I forced him to. He saw me get his hooded Texas Tech sweatshirt out and he began saying, "no jacket, Mama, no jacket!" When we got home, he looked like Rudolph. It was colder than I thought! We got home, cleaned up, ate lunch and headed to the library. He is busy taking a nap at the moment. I have some pictures here from the strawberry patch.....

Weiss Has Found a New Obsession....

2009-03-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

Not much has happened this week.... We went to the park this week and enjoyed feeding the hissing and tempermental Canadian geese, choir practice, Mom to Mom, piano lessons with McKenna, and dinner with the Burns family. We always enjoy getting together with them, (which has been a while!) and Weiss loves "Fia." He gets so excited to see Sophia and Gabriella/Gigi/Giggles. (Hannah, I had to refer to all three names because they are sooo cute!) Anyway, we had a new recipe Sherry (Lexy's friend from church and and our running buddy) for sweet potato chicken chili, which was really, really good and really healthy. Anyway, I was supposed to go to a baby shower last night, but the grandparents were out of town and my babysitter was busy. Logan was at a Rotary event, and so Weiss and I went in to Austin. I had a major Chick-Fil-A craving (I MISS IT SO MUCH) and wanted to go to Baby Gap for Weiss. My goal was to do the errand really quickly and then go to Chick-Fil-A. Weiss had fallen asleep, so I thought this would work. However, he woke up at Barton Creek Mall and was hungry ("I hungee Mama!"), so we ended up eating at Nordstrom's eBar. He messily ate a chicken salad croissant (I forgot how good "real" croissants are!), cream cheese brownie, and a pomegranate shake. (Well, we split the meal.) A mother/son date!

Today I got up and ran 9.3 miles with Lexy and Sherry. Well, they went a full 10, but I stopped at Lexy's mailbox because I hadn't run in TWO WEEKS!!!! I am NOT going to do that to myself again; I am going to run more this week. However, we had a good time, and I have the "runner's high" again. I came home, cleaned out my car and vacuumed it. I washed the floormats; they got soup on them from the Coleman's meal sitting in the floorboard the other day. We then cleaned up and went to Gabriella and Casey Burn's "dual" birthday party. Weiss started out in not so great of a mood; he was not too happy with Logan for going off and leaving. (Logan had the annual Rotary Golf Tourney today; this weekend was full of Rotary festivities.) He finally stopped crying and whining and wanted the kitty cat cake Hannah's mother had made. I got to meet all of Hannah's family, which was great. There were many little girls there, and Weiss was the only boy! We got home, took a long nap, and went outside to plant some more. We got 10 hollyhocks and some canna bulbs planted. Tomorrow we have much more to plant....Yesterday I planted 5 rosebushes, so everything is coming along. Now, only if it will rain..... Thank goodness we have a sprinkler system at this house, because my efforts would be futile if we didn't---but "free" water would be nice. Pray for rain all across Texas..... Weiss and I had planned to go to Merkel this week to go see my parents and also to the Grace Museum and the Abilene Zoo, but they got "busy" in the funeral home. We plan to leave next Sunday.

As for Weiss's new obsession, I got a DVD in the $5 bin at Walmart with four episodes of the Doodlebops. I had seen them flipping through the Disney Channel before, and some of my friends have mentioned their kiddos watching. I didn't realize how ANNOYING they are until I watched them!!!! Especially the blue one!!! Weiss saw this DVD for the first time yesterday, but he BEGS for it now! "Doole Bops, please Mommy!" I thought Barney was annoying, but this group takes the cake. Mothers, beware! It's mainly music and it does promote eating your vegetables and sharing, but it drives me loca!

It's Been a Long Time...

2009-03-04T10:21:00.001-08:00

Man!!! I was doing so good with keeping up with the blog, and I dropped the ball this last week. Not that I have been super busy, but we did have some stuff going on. My finals have also been this last week, so I have been preoccupied with them, as well! Anyway, we had our normal week, but the weather was SOOOOO nice the first part of last week that we replanted ALL of the flower beds in the front of the house Tuesday after Bible study at Kingsland FBC. I had a movie going inside, and Weiss went in and out of the house as he pleased, while I was covered in dirt and sweat (it was in the upper 80's!!!). I planted from lunch to about 5, and also planted some more on Wednesday. I have some more to do in the back; we have a low metal fence, which is really nice, but the neighbors can see EVERYTHING going on in our house and backyard. No privacy whatsoever. I plan to line the fence with cannas, lillies, hollyhocks, roses and elephant ears.

We've had LOTS of new babies in our Sunday School class here (yes, CBC friends, there was a baby boom here, as well!), and after the Murray's, I took a meal to the Koziel's last week (baby Lilly) and the Coleman's (baby Pierce). On Friday night, we had the Homeyer's over, who have a bun in the oven themselves! It's only like a week and they find out if Weiss has a hunting buddy or a girlfriend (sorry Matt and Kelley---we would approve!). It was an exciting week for them, as well, because Matt is the pastor of Fellowship Baptist, and their brand new church opened Sunday! Anyway, it is always fun to see the Homeyer's and of course, EAT. (Weiss was at Kingland with Mia and Grappa living it up....)

On Saturday, Logan and I went to a Focus on the Family marriage conference in Austin/Lakeway. Although it was a teleconference, it was really good. (I am not big on watching people on DVD/TV--I really like reading or hearing someone live!) Gary Smalley, Beth Moore, Del Tackett, Gary Thomas and John Trent all spoke for about an hour each; Jeremy Camp provided the worship. It was broadcast out of Colorado Springs. I really enjoyed Gary Thomas, although they were all very good. He just had something especially for me on Saturday. After that, a group ate dessert at Mimi's Cafe and then Logan and I went to the Hill Country Galleria. We went to Backwoods outdoors store and stayed there for about an hour and a half and then to Dillard's. We got Weiss several outfits for the spring/summer because he is GROWING UP.... We then went to Best Buy and Petsmart for Zoey some more dog food. And speaking of Zoey.....

When we got home, we opened the door to destroyed crayons EVERYWHERE in our living room. Weiss has an artist's easel with a big roll of paper and a big bin for crayons, and Zoey took out EVERY crayon she could get to. (I had just opened up a brand new 24-pack of crayons the day before, and he already had a 16-pack out and a 24-pack of plastic Crayola "Twist-Ups..." you do the math....) There were only about 5 crayons left when her antic was all said and done.... Zoey had left the paper, crushed plastic, broken colors, and to top it off, a HUGE pile of Crayola crayon puke in the most obvious spot in the floor. Anyway, I was NOT happy with her. OH---Monday evening, I went to "restock" Weiss with crayons and to find something to clean up Zoey's HUGE purple stain on the carpet. (Just an aside, all the crayons were washable, but I guess dog puke is an exception...) I got him another 24-pack of the triangular Crayolas and some more plastic Crayola "Twist-Ups" (also a 24-pack). Weiss and I got home today from a quick trip to Walmart and Zoey had DONE IT AGAIN!!! (She only got about 4 crayons.) This time, thankfully, there was no puke. I was very frustrated because Hannah, Sophia and baby GiGi were coming over to play ANY MINUTE.... Bad, bad dog!

Anyway, for all of you moms out there that have dogs in the house, I have talked so several people about the "crayon incident," and they have all said their dogs like crayons, also. I tried about 4 different products I had around the house on the stain, and nothing was getting it out. Before calling a professional carpet cleaner (1-800-STEAMER......haha), I went to Walmart (on the new crayon trip) and got something called "Krud Kutter" in the paint/home projects area. It is awesome! And it is water-based, which is a good thing, especially for homes with small children. (Which means it's not TOO toxic....) Anyway, my taupe carpet where she puked is not "concord grape purple" anymore; it is a shade of "soft lilac." I highly recommend the product. I do not highly recommend leaving a devious goldendoodle alone with Crayola products, however. Her idea of "fine art" is more like her own version of a Picasso on the rug....

Continued Toddler Antics.....

2009-02-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

Just so you know before you read below, these are his "Tadoodles" for the bathtub. Notice how closely they resemble the "Tadoodles" regular crayons, which is the bottom image. So just why am I telling you this? Well, Weiss decided to get artistic on Thursday.....

Weiss has been good about keeping his coloring on paper and his art easel, but this has changed quite recently. He has only been coloring with "big boy" crayons, but Logan got out his big, round, chunky ones (Crayola Tadoodles) that you grasp with your entire palm. I guess these reminded him of his bath crayons (they are identical except one is especially for bathtime), which he IS allowed to scribble all over the bathtub and tub walls (it comes off super easy with water). Anyway, our front door is completely white. I guess he found this to be a great canvas for his art! I was in the kitchen, putting up lunch. I walked back in the living room, and Weiss said, "Purple door, Mommy!" Sure enough, the door was purple. Thank goodness for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. The crayon marks (and there were many) came off easily. However, this happened AGAIN when I was in the laundry room taking the clothes out of the dryer, despite a spanking and "no no" the first time around. There was even MORE color (blue, yellow and purple) and also coloring on the side windows around the door, which, I might add--looked pretty cool. (Very creative, Weiss!) He also only used his Tadoodles, so Logan and I are both thinking he makes the association: Tadoodles = color on bathtub walls OR front door/windows. So I had to unfortunately repeat the discipline process. Later on Thursday, we took a meal to Mike, Maria, Marin, Mason, and baby Mallon Murray (say THAT five times fast!). Baby Mallon is precious and Maria was bubbly, as usual. We then took dinner out to Kingsland and ate with Dickey and Cinda (aka "Mia" and "Grappa"). Logan was out for the evening for a work meeting/dinner. Weiss enjoyed seeing them and had fun riding around in his little tractor with Mia pushing him and Lola, their French bulldog puppy, in the trailer behind him. It's pretty funny to see!

On Friday, I taught McKenna piano lessons and my parents arrived early afternoon. Weiss was waiting at the door for them! We went to the new Lowe's and Weiss had a good time. I got some MORE plants and Mom did, also. Logan came home and we went to the Marble Falls Chamber banquet out at the Horseshoe Bay Marriott. It was fun and we got to see many new and some familiar faces. There was a band and a fun photo booth. Logan wore crazy pigtails and I wore a Viking hat and an eyepatch. Fun, fun! The pictures turned out cute!

On Saturday, Lexy and I went running, after a LLOONNNNGGG hiatus for the both of us. At about 6 AM we drove out to her friend Sherry's beautiful new home in Spicewood. Man, I got a workout! There were lots of hills and beautiful homes to look at! But it was great to be back running again; me, Lexy, Sherry, and some more running buddies are running in the ZOOMA half marathon at the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop, TX on April 4th. I'm super excited, because you don't get a medal for finishing; you get a silver necklace! Cool, huh? Something to actually USE!

Anyway, Logan went out of town with his parents to see his granddad, who just had more skin cancer surgery, and to get fitted for a suit from a tailor in Midland (his parents got him the suit for Christmas--it's the same guy who does George W. Bush's suits....cool, huh?). Mom, Dad and I just hung out with Weiss and cooked steak and zuchinni Perinni. Yummo! We were all too tired to watch a movie, so I went to bed at about 10:30. I had to be at church early, so Mom and Dad took care of Mr. Pookie Bear and got him ready for me since Logan was gone. They left after lunch because Dad got busy in the funeral home. (Yes, it is a fact of life, folks.) Weiss and I worked out in the yard, pulling weeds in the front and back. We planted two camellia bushes and a star jasmine climbing vine. (For those of you that don't know, I have grown to love plants over the years, especially since Logan and I have been married. His family really enjoys plants/planting, and I guess I picked up on it.) Weiss pushed around his bubble lawn mower and "helped" me pick up weeds. I am glad to know he loves to be outside, because I really love to work in the yard. I find it stress relieving AND best of all, calorie burning. (And you can get a tan when the weather's nice...) We came inside and gave Zoey a shower because she romped all day outside, sniffing who knows what. Well, actually I had the water running and stuck Zoey in the shower to get her all nice and wet. I brought Weiss in the bathroom to help, and opened the shower door. Weiss saw her and freaked out. With all of her hair, she really looks different sopping wet, so maybe that was it. He was screaming like "The Exorcist." It was really disturbing. I'm not going to let him see Zoey get a shower any time soon.

Weiss's New "Pets"

2009-02-18T15:22:00.001-08:00

For quite some time, I have been wanting to get Weiss some fish. Something simple, no tank involved. So a few weeks ago, we got two betas at Walmart. (Even the cashier told me, "Next time you buy, go to the fish store down the road. These won't last long from here....") Anyway, "red fish" and "pink fish" are their names (self-explanatory, since a two-year-old named them). They live "side by side" in a double beta plastic tank, with a little blue plastic divider you can raise so the betas can see each other through the clear plastic and "puff up." The tank is small enough Weiss can carry it around, but big enough he could drop it very easily. The betas now reside on a high perch, since Weiss cannot be content with just watching them; he has to carry around the miniature tank. I do, however, get the betas down when I feed them for Weiss to look at. This afternoon, the fish were eating their food where Weiss could see, and I walked over to the back door, in deep thought about where I was going to plant my spring flowers along the fence line outside. (I could see Weiss if I turned slightly, but I was "deep in thought...")

I heard him saunter down the hall and saw he had the cover to the tank. I looked, and saw there was no "red fish" in his side of the tank. I went over to the table the fish tank was on, and lo and behold, red fish was flopping on the table top. I quickly put him back in the tank. I believe he escaped from this episode unscathed, albeit traumatized. I'm sure that was quite a blow to his little fishy ego. "Pink fish," his tank mate, got a kick out of that one, I'm sure. Frankly, I'm surprised Weiss could pick up, let alone CATCH---one of those slippery, squirmy things. Ahh, the interesting daily episodes we have!!! And this is only with ONE child!!!!