I AM EXCITED !!

I am going to be a grandmother for the first time and I am excited. I have tried to not talk about it too much. I do not want to be obnoxious.

BUT, I have the feeling I failed at this attempt last week.

JC was home for spring break last week and as always it was a fun filled week. He had to do a lot of reading and homework and Dad and I had to work all week, but we did make time for some TV watching, game playing, walking, playing pool, eating out, talking, laughing and shopping.

On Wednesday, I took most of the day off work so JC and I could go to San Angelo for a Mother/Son day. It was a most wonderful day.

I usually do not look at the baby stuff unless I am buying a gift for someone. But every store we went into it seemed that we walked right by the baby department and now I can not help myself - I have to touch and feel how soft everything is. I did not realize the extreme point at which I was doing this until JC said, "Mom, come feel how soft this is." I turned to see and he was grinning and touching a sponge for washing a car.

I got the message.

But it did not stop me. He knew it wouldn't.

I am excited. (and so is he)


My Prayer is for a healthy baby (boy or girl).


Thank you God for this new chapter in our family's life.

New Do

I have not done a post in a while, because I have been busy doing other things - like watching reality TV shows and the Olympics.

But I told my kids that I had gotten a new hair do, so I was asked to post pics. Here they are:






Hope I can fix it myself!!


(I am laughing in the third picture because I am trying to hold up my double, third and forth chins)

Ear Wax

So, I take John upstairs to read the post I had just written on Kalyn turning 25 and I said, "Is there anything you want me to add." He thought about it and after a while slowly said, "No, not really, that sounds good. You know, she produced more ear wax than anyone I have ever known."

I cracked up.

What a memory.

My Baby is 25 Years Old

February 5, 1985 my life changed - for the better. I gave birth to a precious baby girl. My second born. It amazes me that it has been 25 years.

The years have been filled with lots of memories. Lots of good times. Some hard times. Lots of laughter. Lots of tears.

She was the perfect fit in our family. The perfect daddy's girl. The perfect sister for Bro. The perfect daughter for her mother who God knew needed a little girl.

She is so much fun to set and talk to, walk with, cook with, quilt with, shop with, buy gifts for!

She has given us sooooooooo many laughs throughout the years. How many people have "stretched Adam apples" or "chicken pops" or "taste bumps"? How many of us have been given "warming tickets" from a cop with grandma? She is so witty, it has always left us with jaws dropped at some of the things she would come up with.

She is daddy's girl through and through. No one on earth can get by with saying things to or asking things of him, like she does. If I ever "lost" her at reunions or get togethers I only needed to look for daddy's lap - that is where she always was.

How many sister's would let their brother take over her brand new doll house with G.I. Joes! They played for hours and hours. They were best friends always and still are. They were and are so much fun to watch when they are together.

Now we are getting to watch her blossom into one of the best wives we have ever seen. BJ you are a wonderful husband to our daughter and we see how much she enjoys being your wife. You two are a perfect fit also.

Kalyn and I have a great relationship also. We are prayer buddies. We ask each other to pray for things we might be embarrassed to ask some one else or just not comfortable asking others. We love to cook holiday meals together. We have made several quilts together. And we love shopping together!

One of mine and her daddy's favorite things to do is buy gifts for Kalyn. She is so appreciative and gets so excited over the smallest things. She will open a gift and look at it forever! It takes her so long to open gifts. But she wants to look at every button, snap, pocket, nook or cranny on the thing! She is so much fun to watch.


This is in no way all that I love about my 25 year old, and this is certainly not all the memories. It is just a sampling. Kalyn thank you for being the wonderful person you are, thank you for showing your crazy parents you love us every day of our lives. As Bob Hope would say "Thanks for the memories". And we are so looking forward to what the future holds.


I love you, baby. You are beautiful.


Thank God for little girls. Thank you God for Kalyn.

Recipe for the Week

I made a recipe from my WW Magazine. I could not find the dough that was called for, so I substituted a whole wheat pizza crust that I found. It was originally a Julia Child recipe that WW has made WW friendly. It was not my favorite recipe ever, but it was good. It had anchovies and that is something we had never tried, and will probably never eat again. Very salty! It is so much fun trying new foods and new recipes, I am really enjoying this challenge for myself to try something new each week. Of course this is just the third week of 2010, so I hope this continues to be fun!

Here is a picture of the dish:

Learning to Post Pictures on My Blog

I have the most patient son. He has spent much of his last day at home teaching his father how to use satellite radio and teaching his mother how to put pictures on the computer to send to Walmart and now how to put pictures on my blog.

I heard my precious niece, Brenda make a comment to her daddy while they were here visiting about "older folks trying to learn new technology"; to me this was hilarious - because she has NO idea what her cousins go through in teaching me!

The pictures I am about to post are pictures of some of the new recipes we have tried the past week.

Spinach Enchiladas

Roasted Green Beans

Maple-Flavored Acorn Squash

E.S.T.B.S.

I teased one of my sisters today by not telling her what E.S.T.B.S. stands for. I have been meaning to do a blog post on this for a while and since I have put up my goals for 2010 I have been asked several times what it means.


A while back I was asked to list 25 random things about myself and one of the things I told was that I would secretly like to have a tattoo. If I ever got a tattoo it would be E.S.T.B.S. in my wrist. I do not know if anyone has ever noticed, but a lot of the time I have this written in ink on my wrist. It is just a reminder to myself of how I want to be.


I have also posted one of my favorite hymns, "Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen In You," before and it is a line from that song.


In my eyes, my mother was the sweetest person I have ever known on this earth. I will never be able to achieve her sweetness, but I want to live my life trying.


When I read in the Bible and see God's love - and Christ life, He was sweet. No I will NEVER be able to accomplish His sweetness, but I want to live my life trying.


E.S.T.B.S. - "EVER STRIVE TO BE SWEET"