What I LOVE About Texas

Yesterday I shared with you a few pictures of why I like living in Texas...the Sunrises.

Today I want to share some pictures of what I LOVE about living in Texas...THE SUNSETS!

Jim and I both just love watching the sunsets here. The beautiful colors that swirl and blend. The other day I was having a "fighting traffic all the way home" kind of day when I looked up and saw this sky. I just had to stop and capture the last few moments of daylight...and say a prayer of thanksgiving that He does know best...and that Texas is one of the best gifts He has ever given our family.

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised." Psalm 113:3


From our family to yours - "Happy Thanksgiving!"

What I Like About Texas

In this week leading up to Thanksgiving, I have been thinking alot about things for which I am thankful. I haven't always been thankful for the relocation of our family so far from 'home'...but to be honest with you, I can no longer conceive of living anyplace else.

One of my favorite things about Texas is the sunrises. That moment when the light breaks over the trees and greets the day.

Enjoy!

"Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:78-79

A Trip To West Texas

The second weekend in November had Jim and I heading out to West Texas to visit with friends. It was my first trip that far west by land...and boy did I see things I had never seen before!

Isn't it all so beautiful? I mean look at the blue of that sky!

I grew up in (and still live in) flat lands...so all this terrain just blew me away.

To give you an idea of what it was like, here are Jim and Albert up on a ridge with the wide open expanse before them.

Gorgeous!

I saw my first mule deer. But the pictures didn't turn out very clear.

And needless to say, we didn't have plants like these growing naturally in SE Arkansas.

This is one of my favorite sights of the weekend, though...

My Hero! So handsome! I find this rugged outdoors man irresistible.

While we were out exploring we came across the "Snake Pit" or "Bat Cave" or "Bear Den" or whatever this was. But it sure had me looking closely at where I stepped...just in case. (We had already found two snake skins near here so it didn't take me too much imagination to conjure up images of rattlers everywhere!)

As we left on Sunday, I snapped this picture of I-10...heading another 300 miles west before running out of Texas. This is truly an amazing state.

I enjoyed the chance to see new places and experience new things...but West Texas doesn't like me much. I have been sick since we entered the mountains. I don't think the cedar bushes and I get along very well allergy-wise.

Thanks for the invite, Albert and Stacy. It was a weekend we will not soon forget!

Woo Pig Soiee! Beat them Bulldogs!

This was my prize find at Sugar Plum Market a few weekends back. It has already found its home on the deck. I thought I would share it with you today as I cheer on my beloved Hogs to victory (hopefully) over the Mississippi State Bulldogs! Woo Pig Soiee!

Bulldogs Vs Mustangs: The Final Game Of The Season

On November 4th, the Bulldogs played their last game of the season. Their opponents were the Magnolia West Mustangs.

But the big news of the night was that they got to play in the BIG STADIUM!

Here are the boys getting ready to take the field. Don't you just know that they are each dreaming of the day that they make Varsity and this is their home field?

Fire it up! Gotta get ready to play. These Mustangs look like they have come to stampede!


Clash of the Titans.

In the huddle.

Not MY Quarterback!!!

These boys have waited all year for the opportunity to line it up on the Bulldog!

Pressure!

Why do they always chew on their mouth guards?

Taking a much deserved breather!

The final score was:

Bulldogs 27

Mustangs 14


Great game JV Maroon! Y'all made us proud.

And yes, we finally got to sit in the bleachers wrapped in jackets and blankets because FOOTBALL WEATHER had finally arrived on a game day!

Looking forward to next year!

Brookie Bear Turns 3

Here is our Little 3 Year Old Princess, ready to dig into her presents.

And here is her little brother, Mad Dog, so excited that everyone has come to his house for a visit. He just couldn't contain himself!

"What's in the bag Brookie Bear?" Davin can hardly wait to see.

I think she had a GREAT birthday, what about you?

It has been a big weekend and I think she is ready for a nap, UNTIL....

CUPCAKES!!! Now that is worth waking up for!

Happy 3rd birthday to our Little Princess!

Four Wheelin' At Nonna & Pappaw's

After "Zoo Boo", Brooke came home with Auntie to spend the night with Nonna and Pappaw. She had a big day the next day...the reveal of her BIG GIRL ROOM at her birthday party.

Being the good Nonna that I am, I made sure that she got ANYTHING that she wanted for her birthday. So, when she wanted a Twinkie Mummy for breakfast...that is just what she got! A Twinkie dipped in melted chocolate chips with piped on almond bark for the wrap and two M&M's for eyes. Sounds like all the major food groups are covered, right?
After breakfast, Davin came over to play. The two cousins hit the ground running to make it to the four wheeler.
Brooke doesn't like to drive...and Davin doesn't like to share the driving...so it made the perfect fit!

Notice how tight Brooke is hanging on? Let's just say, she has learned that lesson the hard way! This boy knows nothing but all out!

What sweet smiles! Stayed tuned for birthday party pictures tomorrow!

Zoo Boo

On October 29, Miss Brooke turned 3 years old. For her birthday, her mom took her to one of her most favorite places...the zoo.

Because it was just before Halloween, the Houston Zoo was celebrating with Zoo Boo.


My three grand babies got all dressed up for the occasion. Brooke the Butterfly Fairy, Davin the Dragon and Maddux the Punk Rocker.
Davin and Brooke loving on the seal.

Brooke with her freshly applied "Zoo Boo" tatoo.

It must be nice to have someone else pull you through the zoo while all you have to do is kick back, relax and enjoy the scenery!

I think Maddux has his eye on something. What do you think?

Precious Baby Girl was enjoying all of the attention for the day.

She even got to go up on stage. Isn't she prissy?

Davin and Brooke trying to climb the wall. Now that is a change. They are usually making their Mommy's want to climb the wall!

Maddux's turn at the pumpkin patch.

I didn't get to make it to Zoo Boo...so thanks, Bri, for taking lots of pictures for me.

Live Blogging The CMA's

Our family has eclectic tastes in music. But for the four of us still living at home, Country music is the hands down favorite. So, tonight we are sitting on the couches, eating sandwiches and watching the CMA's.

Of course, we can't help but comment on our choices...so I thought I would share the night with you too.

Now, we may have missed something since Jim was watching a movie that overlapped the beginning of the show...but these are the awards we saw, our opinions and the outcomes.

Single of the Year:
My vote - Need You Now
Bri's vote - The House That Built Me
And the winner is - Need You Now

Song Of The Year:
My vote - Need You Now
Bri's vote - The House That Built Me
Will's vote - Toes
And the winner is - The House That Built Me

New Artist of the Year:
My vote - Zac Brown Band
(No one else got their choices in before the award was announced...therefore, I took the remote away from Brianne)
And the winner is - Zac Brown Band

Vocal Group of the Year:
My vote - Lady Antebellum
Bri's vote - Lady Antebellum
Will's vote - Lady Antebellum
And the winner is - Lady Antebellum (No, duh!)

Album of the Year:
My vote - Lady Antebellum Need You Now
Bri's vote - Lady Antebellum Need You Now
Will's vote - Carrie Underwood Play On
Jim's vote - Miranda Lambert Revolution
And the winner is - Miranda Lambert Revolution

Vocal Duo of the Year:
My vote - Montgomery Gentry
Bri's vote - Sugarland
And the winner is - Sugarland

Male Vocalist of the Year:
My vote - George Strait
Bri's vote - Keith Urban
Jim's vote - Brad Paisley
(we all wanted to choose Blake...but just didn't know if he could pull it off against the Big Dogs)
And the winner is - Blake Shelton (and he did!)

Female Vocalist of the Year:
My vote - Miranda Lambert
Bri's vote - Miranda Lambert
Jim's vote - anybody but Reba
And the winner is - Miranda Lambert

Entertainer of the Year:
My vote - Lady Antebellum
Bri's vote - Lady Antebellum or Miranda Lambert
Jim's vote - Brad Paisley
And the winner is - Brad Paisley

It looks like Bri knows her Country music better than any of us. Many of the ones she missed was because she chose the mainstream over her favorites.

Thanks for joining us for the 2010 CMA's. We had fun...but we were missing some of our favorites. Craig Morgan (Jim's). Rodney Adkins (Mine). But we really enjoyed the performances of Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland...and my personal favorite of the night, Reba. Who wouldn't like Reba singing Beyonce? Amazing!

Goodnight, y'all!

Time Keeps On Slippin', Slippin', Slippin'...

Oh, my! Oh, my! Where have the past two weeks gone? I have so much to share but no time to sit down and share it. That just isn't a good sign for the upcoming holidays when everything gets kicked into fast forward!

Since my last post about the Chicago trip, we have:
1. Watched Will play the Spartans...the Bulldogs lost by a field goal with 30 seconds left on the clock!

2. Celebrated Brooke's 3rd birthday with a sleepover on Friday and her party on Saturday.

3. Spent Halloween putting up a deer (Thanks, Dad!)and a hog (Thanks, Josh). We will be enjoying chili and Italian Sausage for at least the next few months!

4. Went out that night in search of oysters-on-the-half-shell after having a craving "flung" on me by Josh's sister, Chelsea. (Found them at Pappadeaux's! Yumm!)

5. Helped a friend move boxes and begin set-up for Sugar Plum Market.

6. Voted in the General Election!

7. Had lunch with a dear friend that I haven't seen in two years and is heading back to school soon. (Thanks, Gihee!)

8. Watched the last JV Maroon football game of the season where the Bulldogs beat up on the Mustangs. (After two false starts, Will settled in on the offensive line and had a great game.)

9. Experienced several days of GREAT fall weather! (Thank you, Lord!)

10. Drove up to Bryan/College Station to have lunch with another dear friend who has walked this parenting path with me for years. Now we get to learn the "adult children" phase together. (Thanks, Lea Ann!)

11. Dropped by to see my son while I was there and had a great visit with him and his roommates.

12. Worked Sugar Plum Market with Robin on Friday night and Saturday.

13. Set up a new office at work for our newest employee, who will be arriving next Monday.

14. Went to the Urgent Care with Kelli and Maddux after Maddux had an accident at our house on Sunday afternoon. It was only nursemaid's elbow...but it was hard to see Mad Dog crying from the pain.

15. Had dinner (planned, prepared and served by Brianne) with family and friends.

16. Enjoyed some time with company and "Chat Pack" answering interesting questions.

And now...

I have a full week in front of me this week too. I will try to at least post pictures from Will's last game and Brooke's birthday party before the week is up.

Thanks for being patient with me these past two weeks. I can't say the rest of November will be a whole lot better...but I will try.

And by the way, now I can't get that Steve Miller Band song out of my head! Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future...I want to fly like an eagle, to the sea, fly like an eagle, let my spirit carry me...See! Now you can't either!