I’m getting ready to head to my super neighbors house for our annual New Years Eve bash. It’s not really a bash, in fact usually one of us ends up drinking a wee bit too …

We are headed home to Texas this evening, back to warmer weather and better cell phone signals. We’ve had a great time visiting the Hoosier state, although I still don’t know what a Hoosier is?
We …

I have no eartly idea what a Hoosier is but I know in Indianal, they like them.
Here are a few other things I’ve learned about Indiana (which, for the record, is where my father was …

My posts this week will be limited, as I’m in the great state of Indiana, visiting my brother and his family for the first time since the Texas Exodus back in August. My mom and I arrived in Indiana this morning, by way of Tampa, Florida of all places. We purposely chose an extremely early flight (at least by my standards) so that we could have as much time as possible to visit on such a short trip. This meant me getting up at 4 am, inhaling coffee, sitting on my suitacase to get it shut, not showering and rushing out the door.

Yesterday, we went to meet my aunt and her mother for a post-holiday breakfast.
As we sat at the restaurant waiting for them to arrive, I reminded the kids to please behave and mind their manners. …

It’s semi-official: I think I need to rename my dog.
I’m not entirely sure she can handle it, or that it’s the smartest idea, but after tonight, I think she needs a new name.
We have been …

If you think your Christmas was chaotic, just try to imagine this, close your eyes and try real hard to imagine our evening. At about 4 pm on Christmas Eve, just as I was stepping out of the shower, a massive cold front blew in, and blew our power out with it. Snuff. Out went the electricity, along with any chances for me to blow dry my hair.

And to all a good night.
 

 
Isaiah 9:6-7 
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, …

I’m finally coming down from my Oreo Truffle high, and was at my hair dresser today when  we all started discussing cookie recipes. I mentioned the Oreos, and one of the ladies mentioned CAKE BALLS.
Apparently …

I ran to Petco this evening to get some new dog treats for Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson-Bella. I grabbed some small training treats, some new tennis balls, various dog chews, and at the last minute, grabbed a Bully Stick.

Ohmygoodnesssomeonehelpmeplease…..As if I don’t have my hands full with Tyler and his new flame, the red headed girlfriend, now Jordan, my 12 year old with over-flowing hormones has apparently been hit by the love bug as well. I should have known, he’s been giving me hints. He’s told me at least half a dozen times that he really needs to get a girl a Christmas gift, and he’s been pretty serious about it. “Mom, we HAVE to get her a gift.” When I’ve inquired about what she likes, the typical 12 year old boy response has come back at me: “I don’t know. She likes purple?’” Okay. That’s good. At least he’s not asking me to buy him a purple g-string, right?

As I was blindly zipping through Atlanta last week, I had the pleasure of being introduced to a new holiday treat. Now, before I share this recipe, there are a few things you should know. …

I thought I would post a quick update on Bella, so everyone can see how much she has grown. First of all, she is doing wonderful. She has really bonded with us, mostly me, since I am the one who spends the most time at home with her. For the most part, she has calmed down enourmously, unless she gets in a ‘mood,’ in which case she races around the house like a maniac. The endless rainy days haven’t helped much, some days it’s been really hard to get her outside for very long, I know she’s looking for a way to burn off some of that puppy energy.

After I left the viewing for my uncle last night, I headed to a holiday party with friends that I knew would run late into the evening. I knew we would need to get up early to head out for the funeral this morning, so I traded dozens of text messages from the party, telling the kids to find their dress clothes. Getting three teenage boys crammed and stuffed into suits, ties and dress shoes is like herding cats, and I wanted no surprises this morning.

Tonight was my Uncle Jared’s viewing, tomorrow we gather for the funeral. Once again, my family is coming together to say goodbye. It occurred to me that I grew up accustomed to seeing my crazy, wonderful relatives at huge family reunions. My children have grown accustomed to seeing our family at funerals.

There is nothing…
Not day after day of endless rain,
Or two flat tires in 30 days,
Or surprise doctor visits,
Or wacky holiday traffic,
Or wackier holiday shoppers,
Or bumpy airplane rides,
Or middle school progress reports,
Or untouched Christmas lists,
Or even …

I’m back from my 36 hour trip to Atlanta. Ya’ll would be so proud of me. I’ve made no secret of my aversion to flying. I’ve actually gotten much better in the last few years, probably because of the necessity of work travel. That, and the fact that you can’t exactly drive from Texas to Waikiki. While I can now fly without downing 4 mini bottles of White Zin on the plane (after downing about four in the airport bar before getting on the plane,) I don’t know if flying will ever seem natural to me.