The Fall

Yesterday, I was the kind of mom I have always wanted to be...the fun mom, who doesn't worry about the breakables in the house, who has time for everything. Both kids had play dates (a rarity) and one friend spent the night. We had wall ball (in the house no less), swimming and an iced tea and cookie stand, they had an idea and I said, "Sure!"

Then, this morning my out of body experience ended and I had to go back to being me.

What a bummer. I woke up to two of the cutest little guys you ever saw. Kellis said, "Can you come outside and play a baseball game with us?" Umm, no.

Ten minutes later (8:30 a.m., PJ's still on, all the yucky packing still to finish)...Kellis comes back in, "Can you take us to the park?" Umm, no.

I hear the little friend ask, "What did she say?"

I want to go back to being that mom I was yesterday...the fall is heartbreaking! Oh well, packing prevailed today, I'm on a short rope in that department because D Day is upon us. Maybe I can be yes, fun mom again another day...soon.

Well, Well, Well....

Ok, the prodigal blogger returns! Lots has happened since snow days...no, I did not jump off of a cliff. I can see how you might wonder though. Anyway, Spring Break happened and we were having a wonderful time until my beloved grandmother got sick and passed away. Sigh. Then, some sort of vicious parasite or virus attacked my alimentary canal, in Round Top, of course. (I'm just hitting the highlights here.) All that, on top of baseball 8 nights a week and packing to begin our kitchen remodel. Enough belly-aching onto the rest of the story.

I know that I have promised before to be better and record things more often, but now I REALLY want to document the progress of the kitchen remodel so I am determined to be more vigilant. It is very bare in here at the moment and my imagination is running wild, so I am a little frightened. It is either going to be fabulous or I am going to make myself crazy with indecision.

There are so many wonderful blogs/products/magazine pictures out there that I have a bit of decorating schizophrenia. In a beautiful contemporary Fort Worth home, someone once asked me what style my house was...contemporary, she asked? I replied, "Ummm, no, my style is more like, if it looks unsafe and rusty, and you might contract tetanus, I love it, style." She had no response...I think I took her off guard. I am coming up with a new name for my style and I hope I can pull it off.

I wish that I had taken before pics of these rooms furnished, but alas, I did not...here is the empty living room. The kids are loving it...so far there has been indoor basketball and then a mean wall ball match that got even a little too rambunctious for an empty room. Rainey has now set up an art studio on the bench in the corner. They had better enjoy it, it will soon be off-limits. So I am planning to post progress photos and ideas I have for the space, should be fun...loud and dirty. I think it will get worse before it gets better, but bear with me!

The 4th Snow Day...and Chas Dean

4 snow days can really take a person to the edge of sanity...I found myself watching Chas Dean on QVC. Mind you, I have in the past spent at least another hour of my life watching a Wen by Chas Dean infomercial in a San Marcos Holiday Inn. I am transfixed, I want to order so badly! My friend Jacqueline talked me of of the ledge said it doesn't work, that stopped me...this time.

Ground Hog Day!

Okay, seriously this is our third snow day in a row...the natives are getting restless! We have been slightly productive with all of our extra time at home. Besides the countless design blogs I have been scouring to decide what to do with our kitchen renovation, we have embarked on several projects.

First off, Rainey's rolling black-out outfit....

Then, while I was stranded on the side of the road (I don't really want to talk about that part), Pat baked a strangely dense bundt cake. Pat is a great cook, but there are 2 things to know about his cooking...it is either fabulous or horrible. So when life gives you strangely dense pound cake....

Bake some back-up cookies and make bread pudding! Voila...what isn't made better by cream, sugar and vanilla? (and 3 loads of dirty dishes, so much for conserving energy)

 Then, Rainey and I decided to make some homemade Valentines for her classmates.

Now what?

Cool Room

Okay, so this is a little random..but our friend just built an amazing house, but the coolest part was this powder bathroom. It has sliced agate mounted on glass and lit from behind. Maybe it is the jewelry designer in me, but I am in love! We are also about to rip out the kitchen and renovate so I am excited and inspired by such a unique idea. I also know it is a little out of focus...but you get the idea.

Swoon!

Palm Springs

Pat and I went to Palm Springs last week for the Bob Hope Classic. Pat played in the golf tournament and it was so relaxing and wonderful. The temperature was 75-80 degrees, I was so lucky compared to all my peeps in Texas freezing in their boots! It is kind of a surreal place out there....the desert, mountains, windmills, retirees. One retiree made us all snicker when he called it "God's waiting room."

 Golf course and some retirees

 Another shot of the golf course

This was in a really pretty store in Palm Desert...the tag said jeweled Hannibal....hmmm, maybe some freaky retirees out there in the desert!

A new year

Here's to a new year! I always have the opportunity to start a new year and celebrate the anniversary of my birth almost simultaneously. That always makes me think about how OLD I am getting. Anyway, this year was significant in that I realized I have been an adult as long as I was a kid...wow, how time flies.

(the happy part of this post)
Pat and I went with some friends to New Orleans and did things up right for my birthday and New Years. We had the most wonderful dinners and a million laughs and smiles! I feel so loved and blessed this year...as I look back on all of the experiences and relationships I have had throughout my life it makes my heart is so full.

(the hangover)
Ugh, and my house...is so full...of things I don't know what to do with...I'm going under....can't breathe.

I seem to always begin the year with a horrible feeling of drowning in Christmas things, decorations, dead poinsettias, travel laundry, trash, and new wonderful things to find a place for. Oh yes, and the extra holiday body fat. Hopefully, this week will give me a chance to get a grip on everything in my home and my head.