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Friday, February 27, 2015

If I could turn back time

Cher - If I Could Turn Back Time - song lyrics, song quotes, songs, music lyrics, music quotes
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I missed my blog anniversary which was in early Feb.  We can blame all the snow in Boston but I live in Dallas-Ft Worth and we didn't have any bad weather until this week.  I personally prefer to blame the Dress:
The original image is in the middle. At left, white-balanced as if the dress is white-gold. At right, white-balanced to blue-black.
Science behind the Dress
Mostly because first the dress looked white and gold to me no matter how hard I looked, it was white and gold.  Later I thought, okay maybe that isn't white really, maybe it is very light robins egg blue.  That was last night.  This morning....the dress is clearly, oh so very, very blue and black.  What happened.  Was it ISIS?  I know the science behind the dress but I do not understand this madness that causes the dress to actually change colors.  Okay, maybe it isn't a terrorist plot but let's face it, if it were, this would be brilliant.  It confounds people, it caused them to argue, it has made all the news channels.  The dress is evil, pure and simple.   

And that still doesn't explain me forgetting my blog anniversary but I am going with #BlameTheDress

So anyway, I thought how about a little getting to know me type of blog today because, what the hey, I am forgetful, almost mid-40's, and I am just out of ideas this week. 

 My friend Micah over at  Unabashedly Me did this great "If I could" post on Tuesday which she got from Erin who got it from Katie...woohoo!  That's a lot of blog happiness!  Anyway, I wanted to share with you a few If I Could turn back time type things.  What is Turning Back time without Cher?


*If I could pick another career I would:
Go to design school.  I wanted to when I was 17 and graduating high school but somehow got talked out of it because Interior Design isn't exactly the career choice of stability.   I regret not going to design school.  

*If I could meet one famous person:
I know you are expecting a baseball player, right?  Adrian Beltre would be at the top of my baseball player list.  Love him!   I would probably go right over him, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, and head right down I35 and have lunch with Joanna Gaines because I love her.  I love her so much I am afraid she will think I am going to stalk her but I adore her! I love her style and I am really not stalking her even though I think she has made my blog about 10 times in the last month! 
**Killer WiNDoW** and it's ChiPPy-WHiTe!*!*!
Joanna Gaines Style
*If I could change one thing that happened in history:

Nelson Cruz can't come up with a catch on a ball hit by David Freese in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game during Game 6 of the World Series between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Thursday October 27, 2011 in St. Louis.
2011 World Series
I can't let my Rangers Fans down on this one.  There is one thing I would change without thinking twice about it! 
Nelson Cruz would catch that  #!@!%^$%^@%$   baseball!  I don't know how I would fix it.  I would warn Wash to play him somewhere else.  I would do something.  Anything, to make that baseball end up in Nellie's glove.   It is 3 years later and I can just now look at this picture and not cry.  It is 3 years later and I still get angry when my husband tweets anything about 2011.   It is 3 years later and I will never watch a replay of anything about that game.   Not. One. Minute!


*If I could change anything about my life it would be this:
LOVE THIS QUOTE! Primitive  If I could live my life over again wood by mtcvinyl, $20.99
Meet my husband
I would meet him before he met his ex-wife.  I would meet him and hope that we fell in love instead.  I would have spent the last 20 years with him learning to hunt and having babies and raising a family because that is my regret.   I can't change it.  He wouldn't because of his daughter.  That is my regret.  As crazy as we make each other, I feel somehow we missed out on learning to love one another when neither of us had been hurt, broken down, and reinvented.  


Since I can't do any of that though, I am working really hard on trying to make me better today.  I am working on doing my own design thing even though I didn't go to school for it.  I am working on making myself in the here and now.   It isn't too late for my dreams they just have to be adjusted to reality.   I am working on being okay with that too.  

So, what would you do differently if you could?  Anything?  






 
 


Thursday, February 26, 2015

Thursday Favorite Things blog hop




I am trying a new blog hop today and linking up with Katherine's corner to share Thursday Favorite things.  So here are my 3 favorite things this week. Enjoy! 

Antiqued Red Hutch:
One of my favorite things is making something old new and beautiful. 

I have this old hutch that was in my mom's kitchen and at some point in my life, she gave it to me.   It's a great solid piece of country style furniture which is just my thing and I had refinished it a few years back so overall it looked pretty good but there was something really bugging me about it.  These doors.  They had a gold stenciled pattern on them that had seen better days and just made the thing look old so I decided to use red chalk paint and the same hickory stain I refinished it in a few years back, yes I still have it.  I LOVE how they turned out. Once they were done,  I selectively added just a touch of the red to the rest of the piece and finished in a protective poly acrylic coat. I now have a piece I love. 


I plan on refinishing the table in a similar way if it ever warms up and the two pieces should look great together. 

Also, while I am not a big fan of wax protective coatings, this piece actually would have looked great waxed.  I just prefer to do my own pieces in something more durable and I don't think I lose anything however, now that it had a poly finish I could always go back and add the wax to give it more depth, if I wanted.  

I admit I am obsessed with furniture refinishing right now.  I love having the ability to make things beautiful and I love being able to spin out of control creatively with them. 

Curtains as a room divider. 


This is my master bath and I finally got around to hanging the drapes someone gave me years ago for my old house.  Sorry I didn't take a full shot but I didn't think you would want to see the toilet.   


I love the way these look from both sides of the bedroom and the best part is they were free.  

This old house is coming along slowly but it's coming. 

Maple Bacon Cookies: 
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Being iced in for 2 days I did what I always do and bake.  Something about bad weather makes me want to cook.  I made maple bacon cookies and OMG!  This may become my new favorite!

So what do you think?  What are your favs of the week?  

Here is a link to all the great hosts of the blog hop party so you can check out their blogs too!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

What I am loving and Have a Pinteresting Wednesday #4


What I am loving:

Snow, not ice 
Sadie says Hi!
We have been buried under a sheet of ice.   I know that everyone says Texas just can't handle winter but you try handling it after having 60 degree days on Saturday and this Monday, Tuesday and today. I love winter but not ice.  So give me the snow, within reason but you can keep the ice.  
My personal Ice Rink



Sneek Peek at the latest project. 
Here is a peek at my latest project which I got going this weekend and then, with the cold temps in the garage promptly abandoned until I can feel the paint on my fingers again.  I can't wait to breath new life into this table.  The new stain is going to be amazing.

I tweeted Joanna Gaines last week and she favorited my tweet.  I am such a geek.  I swear I felt about 300 feet high for 24 hours!  My favorite HGTV style icon favorited my TWEET!!!!
I can choose to let it define me, confine me, refine me, outshine me. Or I can choose to move on and leave it behind me..
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I love this quote.  I have been struggling a lot within myself lately by overthinking things that happened in the past and I realized that I define me.  I can't let my mistakes define me and I can't let people from my past define me.  It doesn't matter what other people think about me, what matters is that I know that I am a good, honest, well meaning person and yes, I have faults but I am not my faults.  I am so much more.   So, whatever anyone else thinks about me, the only thing in the end that matters is what I think about myself because that is how I am going to be accepted or rejected by the world.

Pinterest:

Love yourself, be yourself, and shine amongst those who never believe you could! Don't wait for the New Year, start your Total Body Transformation today.
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Don't just be comfortable with yourself, love yourself :)
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Magic Monday: Love Yourself & the Rest Will Follow monday quotes love yourself 3 – Pink Chocolate Break - Living The Creative Dream
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My husband told me one day last week loving me is so much harder because I don't love myself.  Ok, that is paraphrasing what he said because he speaks with a southern accent so thick and he is as subtle as a train wreck.  That is what he meant though.  :)  
Gooey and Cheesy Warm Bacon Dip - Comes together in less than 30 minutes and is the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer!
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Bacon...yum.


Okay that is about all I have today.   I have been thrown completely off by trying to do my taxes and get ready for vacation in a couple of weeks and the snow  Ice storm did not help me do anything except sit on my bottom and watch a lot of movies.







Thursday, February 19, 2015

Behind Closed Doors



Everyone has an untold story hidden behind closed doors, try to understand that people are not always as they first seem.
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You never really know what is going on in the lives of people, behind closed doors.  I want to introduce you to a few people, just to prove my point.  You may like some, you may not like others, but I think you will understand my point.  Yes, I know these people.  Yes, some of the facts have been changed to protect the innocent people involved. 

Meet David:

He is a youth minister at church.  He can quote scripture chapter and verse.  He was raised in a God fearing home and loves Jesus. He is the perfect dotting dad to his little girl.  He has the typical divorced dad guilt.  On the outside David is the most together person you have ever met. He is talented, funny, smart.    Inside, David is falling apart.  David is afraid, angry, and broken.  David feels worthless and randomly rages against anyone or anything that makes him unhappy and everything makes David unhappy.  David thinks the whole world is against him, even God.  David goes through serious stages of depression.  When he is in love, he falls for the wrong person.  He picks based on the stuff that doesn't really matter, the superficial because being with someone beautiful makes him feel better about himself.  When the relationship ultimately ends up where all relationships end up when you are basing it on something that isn't concrete, he spins out of control, rage, depression, anger.  The cycle continues.   Only his close friends know.  On the outside he is the happy, church going, loving dad.  On the inside he is unhappy, sad, and wishes he were dead or better yet, never born.

Meet Jessica:

Jessica is a middle aged mother.  She is your typical soccer mom.  She is divorced and dating.  She goes to all of her kids sporting events.  Jessica has all the team t-shirts and she cheers the loudest at the games.  She runs the kids to and from practices whenever she can.  She takes them shopping and spends her time on Facebook posting all the great "mommy and me" photos.  She is always the first to volunteer for the kids school functions.  She is a part time student and runs her own business.  Everyone thinks Jess is mother of the year.   She is great, happy, funny, and lively.  Behind closed doors, Jess has a little problem.  She likes nice things and she can't always afford them so sometimes, she takes them.  She takes them a lot actually. The list of things that she has done to keep up with the Joneses is long, shameful, and pathetic. She belongs in jail.  She doesn't think about what is going to happen one day when her kids find out that she has been arrested several times for shop lifting. She doesn't remember that there are public records of her misdeeds.   She forgets that memories are long and google pulls up her mug shots.  She uses her kids to get to her ex-husband and his wife.  She manipulates them into thinking other people are bad when those people only have the best intentions for the kids. She doesn't consider the fact that she is going to destroy her children with her lies which eventually will catch up with her.  Her kids aren't always going to be little and naive and think "mommy hung the moon".   Eventually, they will catch on to her, just like everyone else.  

Meet Sam: 

Sam is a busy business owner.  He is on the go!  Sam spends all his time on the golf course trying to grow his business.  Except that isn't really what he is doing.  He is playing golf.  Sam also spends a lot of time with his young, cute girlfriend.  The one he left his wife of 25 years to be with.  Sam is hip.  He is fun.  He is in to all the cool things.  Sam isn't an old fuddy duddy.  No, not Sam.  He hasn't forgotten how to have fun. He isn't having a mid-life crisis he is just showing the world how to stay young!  Behind closed doors however, what he has forgotten is that he has two kids who need him.  He has forgotten that his two kids feel abandoned by him.  Sam's ex-wife, the one he thinks is a nag and a pest, just wants him to be present in his kids life once in a while. Sam however, is so wrapped up in his life that he can't see how he is hurting his children.  That's okay though because Sam is having the time of his life and in 15 years when his kids don't want to be part of their dad's life, Sam will regret not spending a couple weekends a month getting to know his kids.  That is, if anyone knows where Sam is.  


You never know what goes on behind closed doors. Don't judge me until you've walked in my shoes.
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Sadly, all of these stories have one thing in common, kids.  Hopefully the kids involved will be able to get past the issues of their parents but I posted this for a couple of reasons.  First, was to show you never know what is really going on with people and what you see on the outside may not be what you get.  Second, I know that the kids involved in some of these stories have already suffered because of their parents issues.  If you know kids with messed up parents, be kind to the kids.  They didn't create the problems.  They are victims too.






Wednesday, February 18, 2015

What I'm Loving and Have a Pinteresting Wednesday

Link up below 

It's Wednesday again!  I love this blog hop because it's so fun. 

What I am loving:

-Friend and Family time: 
Not only did I get to hang out with friends  on Saturday but I got to see my nephew and two of my triplet nieces Sunday.  The third was in Houston for a volleyball tourney.  My step-daughter and I hung out at softball practice and had a great time.  I love seeing the kiddos getting along. 

-Mckinney, Tx:
It is constantly in the top 10 of the best place to live in the US.   When I lived in other places nearby I didn't get it.  I do now. There is so much to do and so much always going on.  Last weekend was Mckinney Trade Days and Old Red Lumbaryard (ORLY) Sale.  I only made it to ORLY and plan to make it to Trade Days next month but it is just so fun to have the options and the Old Doentown area is so vibrant and alive with shops and cafes.   I can't get over how small it feels at times, right in the DFW metroplex. 

-Craft time with my step-daughter: 

She had a craft project for me,   This was all her idea so I was just along for the ride.

We made plastic bowls!  They turned out really cute.  


Speaking of my step-daughter she "made" me redo her bathroom countertops.  Kind glad she did. It looks really great and now I want to frame the mirror to give it a finished feel.    

What I am pinning:


Extra-crispy French fries baked not fried
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I have made several of the potato receipes on my potato board and I think these fries are the next try.  They are baked, not fried! Healthy is always better.  I love sweet potato fries but my family won't eat them so I am constantly looking for ways to make white potatoes a little better for you.

Pallet furniture inspiration :)
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I love this and it is made from old pallets.  It is way beyond my carpentry skills which are just short of  "Hello, this is a nail and I can hit it with a hammer".....but I am going to try and make something with some pallets so stay tuned.


easy crate bookcase.. could maybe use this as a buffet in a dining room.. with baskets also.
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I actually think with my hubby's help I might be able to pull this off and I would love to do this for our family room.  

We decided to start the carpet removal in family room first because it has concrete floors so we are putting a totally new surface in that room.   Because it is the room with the dog door and the feel of it is much more rustic, we aren't going to try and match anything, we are going with different floors altogether. We can get away with this because the room is on a different level from the rest of the house.  It is an addition, a converted garage and therefore, you have to step down into it.  We are thinking of something along these lines:
Dream Home - St. James 12 mmx5" HDF/Laminate For Family Room
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I love the rustic feel, we just have to agree on what we want to put on the floor, since it is going to be the room that gets the most use and the washer and dryer and the garage are both off this room as well as one of the doors to the outside deck.   I love this idea of starting in this room, my husbands not mine.  I have a thought that once this room is done, I will feel better because there will be at least one finished room in the house!

So what are you loving and pinning this week?





Monday, February 16, 2015

Manic Monday: 50 Shades of entertainment




Texas may not be under Blizzar conditions but we woke up to freezing rain this morning in DFW and we expect possible ice tomorrow.  The metroplex will virtually shut down with all of our bridges and overpasses should be get ice tonight....so secretly I am kind of hoping for ice.  Today has been such a Monday.   Sadly, I had so many great ideas for a post for today and I can't recall a single one right now!  Typical.

So instead I thought, because I had shared some kind of deep stuff and sappy-emotional stuff lately, I would share something lighter.  


50 Shades of bored:
I don't understand the fascination with this book series at all.  I tried to read the first book and got maybe halfway through before I  tossed the book across the room put the book on the coffee table and buried it under a pile of magazines never to be seen again.  I just couldn't care less about the characters and I found the writing so lacking there was no way I wanted to invest another moment of my time in that book.  It was a good remedy for insomnia but I heard some single lady on the radio say she has read the series 4 times because she just loves it and I can't help but think, what am I missing?

Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Episode:
I have to admit that I loved almost every minute of the show.  I came in about 45 minutes late and I really wish we had taped it.  I enjoyed the look back and the memories so very much.  I was a little confused about why Chris Rock spent more time talking about Eddie Murphy then Eddie Murphy spent talking and I laughed at myself when I literally sighed in relief that Miley Cyrus had cloths on but I felt so overwhelmed by Paul Simon's performance and I was just glad Paul McCartney is still around.   I totally get that Kanye West has made his career pushing the box but could he not just turn it off for one night?  This wasn't suppose to be a night about how weird Kanye is and yet the main drawback to the whole show was Kanye's performance.  Actually, the main drawback was that Kanye was invited to perform at all.   Aside from that it was amazing seeing all the stars from the past and I absolutely had to hold back tears when I watched the tribute piece to those SNL has lost over the years.  So much talent has come off that stage.  So many laughs.  Is there anyone alive who hasn't been touched by SNL?




Gone Girl:
I read the book first and watched the movie Friday night.  I thought the performances were good but considering I knew exactly how screwed up these characters were to begin with I found myself putting up barriers as I watched the movie.  I did not want to get reinvested in these people because I didn't like them the first time.   I did think Ben Affleck made Nick Dunne a lot more likable in the movie, which says a lot about the fact that leaving out the first person point of view helped redeem Nick a lot.  There is still nothing about Amy Dunne to like. It is a strange thing to hate the characters, not really like the book and although I did kind of enjoy the movie in the end, I feel like it is a good read and the movie was worth the time invested.   I can't explain it but I guess it becomes about being fascinated with the train wreck and not being able to stop looking combined with knowing that inside we are all just a little bit less mentally sound than we appear to be.  Some of us, like Amy, do a really good job of hiding just how disturbed we are.  Most of us, just feel on the edge at times and walk slowly away and coming back to normal.

10 BOOKS YOU MUST READ IF YOU LOVED 'GONE GIRL. Didn't love Gone Girl, but like this list!
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The Walking Dead:
I have to admit, I haven't caught up since it came back 2 weeks ago.  I didn't realize it was back and when I planned last night as my catch up night, I ended up watching SNL instead so, please nobody spoil it for me.

South Park:
I know this is stupid.  I know this show has been out for 15 years.   I know, I know, I know, but I never watched it until......Joe.  Now I can't get enough of the stupidity of it.  Seriously, I think I fall asleep to South Park almost every night. I laugh at some of it.  I cringe at a lot of it.  I roll my eyes at most of it but every once in a blue moon there is a little piece of gold hidden in one of those stupid cartoons that just makes it worth it.   The characters just make me laugh and that's okay M'kay?
South Park. (:    ...BTW, GET YOUR SOUTH PARK APP:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.JERASeng.Worldsouthpark
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CNN:
I wake up to CNN because life isn't life if you don't know what ISIS is doing and that is just sad.  I wish I could just forget them.  Don't we all?

What I am looking forward to:

Game of Thrones:
Just waiting...waiting...waiting.

What I am reading:
The Monster of Florence-I really enjoyed this true crime novel about a Jack the Ripper type muderer in Italy
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I first heard about this book when I was reading one of the many articles I read in the last two months on Amanda Knox and I have been putting off reading it only because I have it in paper not on my iPad.  This means I don't get to read at night in the dark like I prefer because the hubs is asleep so it is harder to find time to read.   I am not far in but I am loving this book.  I will do a review, evantually. Someday, but it has sex, murder, mystery, and I am only a few chapters in but I can promise you the writing surpasses 50 Shades...of anything.


Alright, I hope everyone is having a safe, warm, and dry Monday!   Happy Fat Tuesday Eve as my Lousiana friend just reminded me.
  








Friday, February 13, 2015

Baseball Talk: Opening Day Fashion Talk





*Let me just say that if you support another team (shame on you) these styles probably come in your teams too and if you want to look on the links you can find them there.  BOO!

Spring Training is fast approaching and that means one thing, it is time to dust off your Texas Rangers gear and start thinking of what you are going to wear to Opening Day.   Now for men this is simple, a pair of jeans or shorts and a red or blue Rangers T-shirt and cap.  Women however have a very different problem.  We want to look pretty.  We want to show our team spirit and still be comfortable.  Baseball season is our chance to look good and show off our Rangers pride.  Baseball season is almost here and it is time to start planning.  Seriously, you can not get your Opening Day outfit ready soon enough.  You want to look good for those tailgates and that first pitch.  Nobody wants to be passed out in the parkinglot sitting in the stands cheering looking like a slob.

  So I did what I always do, took to the internet via MLB.com and a few other sites that have become my favorite and drooled over the new Rangers gear (and pinned them for you because I am nice like that) and told myself that I will find something in the 300 shirts I still haven't worn.   Okay maybe it is a few less but I swear there are shirts I still haven't worn.

Here are some of my favorite baseball looks:

Texas Rangers Women's White Double Play Pullover Hoodie T-Shirt

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It will still be cold on Opening day so a sweat shirt is probably going to be required wear.  This one is just too cute.  You won't need it for long here in Texas but gosh darn it, when you want to be warm and cute, this says you are a fan and you look good doing it.

Texas Rangers Women's Flourish Tank Top - Royal

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This is my absolute favorite tank!  I love the damask on the back and I am just keeping myself from ording this, for now anyway, by reminding myself that my husband is going to shake his head.  Gosh this is adorable.  I WANT!

Texas Rangers 5th & Ocean by New Era Women's Opening Night Pinstripe Tank Top – White

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I have a t-shirt that is very similar to this tank, in fact, I don't think I have ever worn it.  Hmmm.  Anyway, I love the Texas Rangers meets Chicago Cubs style.
Too cute!! Texas Rangers embroidered shirt, hairbow and bow legwarmers. I love this. My daughter will be dressed similar at some point :D
Cute BABY!
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Because the littlest Rangers fans need to look good too.  How sweet is she?

Texas Rangers Baseball is upon us, ladies....and random gentlemen with Pinterest

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Definately the Opening Day shirt to have if you are a Dude and the Ladies would look smashing in this too!

Baseball: Opening Day - Texas Rangers, created by getsnazzy on Polyvore
Complete look!
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Now I am not a "wear heels to the ballpark" kind of fan because...real fans do not wear heels to the ballpark...in my Opinion, with the exception of my friend Trish, who has been known to once or twice, but she wears heels everywhere.   So if any of these looks I am showing you have heels, forget that! Also, it is Texas and you will not catch me in Uggs.  That is just stupid. I don't even wear my cowboy boots to the ballpark.  Those are for Country Music Concerts, thank you very much!

Texas Ranger Outfit!!!
Say no to the shoes!
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Jeans are probably going to be needed on Opening Day because it is usually too cold for shorts.


I Heart The Texas Rangers Outfit
No UGGS!
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I have my own personalized Toms but there are lots of options on Etsy like this if you don't and you can always make your own!
Texas ranger toms on Etsy, $100.00
CUTE!
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Of course, you should also be carrying one of these:
Texas Rangers Cupcakes by SweetNothingsPhotos, via Flickr
Yum!
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Because they are just too darn cute...that is if you can manage to not eat it.  My gosh those look good!

Now, I have to admit something here.  I have Texas Rangers earrings, necklaces, handbags, shoes, t-shirts, and bracelets so pretty much by the time Opening Day rolls around I am a well accessorized walking billboard for our boys of summer.  I may go a tiny bit overboard if that is possible.  I like to overdo it just a little.  I have been known to paint my fingers and toes Red and Blue.  I feel very patriotic!  By the time Opening Day rolls around I am in full blown "We need to petition the United States Government to make this a National Holiday" mode.   I may be a fan.  

I can't wait to smell the grass, hot dogs, beer, peanuts, and hear the crack of the bat, ball meet leather, and the roar of the crowd.  There is nothing like Opening Day, except the World Series.  The World Series...now that is a feeling you do not forget!


Let me get serious just for a minute:

My husband accuses me of loving nothing more than him except baseball. He was teasing, of course and it isn't true.  I love hiim more than baseball but baseball is a romantic sport for me and I can't wait to feel the passion again.  I lost the passion last season because I was so wrapped up in my life, wedding and moving.  I didn't have time for baseball.  I am significantly cutting back on my baseball time this year and that is okay too.  When you priortize your life, you make room for things that are important but you put the things and people that are most important first.  My family is obviously the most important thing in my life but my husband knows that baseball matters to me and he is a wonderful and supportive man and he is making room in his life for the things that matter to me in the same way that I am trying to make room in mine for the stuff that matters to him.  That is what marriage is about, right?   

Okay, end of serious, so tell me, what are YOU wearing to Opening Day?





Thursday, February 12, 2015

Thankful Thursday: All you need is Love: My Valentines Blog



Because Valentines Day is Saturday I thought I should do a Thankful Thursday Valentines Day edition today and share the love that I am thankful for.   Love comes in many forms and from many people in your life.  I am sure if you look around and really think about it, you will be amazed at just how many people you are truly thankful to give and receive love from.  These are just a few of my loves:


He hates that I flash our wedding photos

I am thankful for my husband who is super supportive and loves me with his whole heart. He is the smile on my face. I love coming home at night to his goofy grin.  It's nice to have someone there to help shoulder the load and who has your back.  He drives me crazy, don't get me wrong but he is worth the nuts.  He puts up with me and encourages me and he lets me have too many irons in the fire and he doesn't mind my own personal brand of crazy too much.  Every once in a while he even surprises me.  I can't express in words how much he means to me.  He gave up his hunting weekend this weekend to let me go to a trade and junk show.  Now that is love! 

My mom walked me down the aisle

I am thankful for my mother who worked her bottom off being a single parent to give her kids everything they needed and most things they wanted.  She is brave and honest and she taught her kids to always be truthful and true to themselves.  She gave us wings and she gave us strenth.  She gave us freedom to make mistakes and the ability to make choices.  She never pushed too hard but never boxed us in either.  She was honest with us when she needed to be and told me flat out "you are never going to be a singer so channel your efforts somewhere else, honey" which I am grateful for after watching some really sad audition episodes of American Idol. 

Blessed with an abundance of kids in my life!

I am thankful for the kids in my life who make me grow and love they give me. They teach me to approach life with a sense of humor and to never take things too seriously. They make me laugh and they bless me in so many ways.  They make me worry for their future, each in a little different and unique way and they give me hope.  They have their own special sweetness, hurt, anger, pain, pesonality, good qualities, bad traits (some that need to be squashed) and they are the lights of my life.
Brother and Sister (in-law)

I am thankful for my brother and sister-in-law who raise six kids and I still don't know how they do it. They manage to fit more in during one 24 hour period than most people do all week.  My sister-in-law, Sandie is the best.  She is an amazing woman of God and I could not ask for a better roll model for my nieces and nephew or a wife for my brother.  She is a nurse, an angel, and she puts up with him which makes her a saint.  :) 
Trish was my maid of honor 
Shanna was my honorary Best Woman

I am thankful for girl friends who are there when I need girl time because as much as I love my husband he just doesn't care about hair, handbags, or shoes. Sometimes you just need your girls and I love spending time with mine. I have been especially lucky this week to spend time with Shanna, Robin, Debbie, Jan, Trish, Sharon and I still have Cinnamon and Michelle coming up Saturday.




I can't forget my fur babies Ries and Sadie!  They are the biggest hams and the goofiest dogs but my life wouldn't be half as fun without them and if push came to shove, Joe would tell you he loves them too...if you really held a gun to his head and made him. 

There is a special group on Twitter who makes my life crazy insane fun and I love them in a only can it happen on Twitter sort of way.  They know who they are. 

There are a whole host of people at work who I adore who make me laugh on a daily basis.  I take them for granted and sometimes, I don't even think about them. Sometimes, I forget about some of them for days and weeks on end.  The mail clerks who get the mail to our office everday.  The office assistant who makes sure to log all our work and send all the annoying emails.  The human resource personel who we never see unless we need them but boy when we need them they better be there.  Don't forget about the janitor who always seems to be cleaning the bathroom right at the moment I have to go really, really bad!  Life would go on without them all but there will be a little bitty whole in my heart where they once stood, even the janitor with the amazing timing.  I am thankful for all of these people too.   

Finally, I am amazingly thankful for you all!  Every single one of you who takes 3 minutes out of your day to read the ramblings of my mind!  You are wonderful!  Happy Valentines day!