The Silver Lining of Hurricane Ike (for me anyway!)

I found out last Thursday that one of my blogging buddies, Jayme, from down near Houston was evacuating to get away from Hurricane Ike. And where, oh where, do you think she and her family evacuated to? My little town, that's where! We were able to meet Friday for lunch. Here we are at Applebee's, just finishing up. And if you read my previous post, you'll remember I mentioned a shirt that I will never, ever, ever wear again because I've now seen this picture and come to realize that my honkin' arms are ginormous and probably shouldn't see the light of day again!! I mean, hel-lo! I really must speak to Randey about letting me leave the house dressed like this. He should know better (ha!). Anywho, lunch was great fun - Jayme and I seemed to be able to talk like we'd known each other for ages! Then we did some shopping together. You all know how I hate shopping, right? But...I'm a good friend so I soldiered on along through store after store in order to show an out-of-towner a good time when they're visiting our fair little hamlet. Oh the sacrifices I make for others...(heavy sigh). Here's Jayme at Ross. We found these baskets and, for some reason, we both thought they were quite funny. They're "labeled". Wonder if the basket police will come take you away if they find you've put "books" in the "stuff" basket or vice-versa? And what's with that "laundry" basket? Laundry for who? Little, bitty, tiny smurf-like people? Here's Jayme and I at On the Border the next day. Yes. We enjoyed lunch a couple of times. So sue us. I have to say, I really enjoyed lunch this day. I luvs me some Mexican food, yessir I do. I love it so much, in fact, that I really, really need to just keep clear of it or I'll undo all the good I've done with Weight Watchers these past four months. lol Cheese and onion enchiladas..... ahhhhhhhhh. Here's a picture of Jayme's daughter, Saira, playing Randey's X-Box (and that's a whole other story we'll call The X-Box Debacle. I'll tell you about that at a later time). Jayme brought Saira over to our house when she came over to use the computer. Saira is a perfectly charming little child with the most wonderful accent and speech patterns. If you could hear her in person, you'd know what I mean. I really enjoyed talking with her. She's great. I also met Jayme's husband Chad and her son Ryan (who has perfect teeth, just let me say that. I know, it's a weird thing to mention, but his teeth were that good! lol). I know that Hurricane Ike was not a happy event by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm grateful that it allowed me to meet Jayme and her family in person. That's my little "silver lining" for this particular natural disaster. By the way, her house and property sustained very little damage by all accounts, although they are still without power and water, etc. Their little town did take a huge hit and I know it'll be a long road ahead of them before they are anywhere near normal again. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers, if you would.
Here's what else I've been up to. Last year, my daughter-in-law Jodie, decided to do a fall themed tree to celebrate Autumn. This year, I decided to do one, too. What do you think of it?
Here's a full shot of the room. As you can see, it's a small tree. Just enough to make the room glow at night. I love it. Just looking at it puts me in a better frame of mind (geez...does that mean I'm easily influenced? Yeah. Probably. That's okay, though...I can deal with that knowledge. lol).
As some of you know (and thank you so much for your kind words about it!) Friday was my birthday. My son Kaleb, got me this:
House, Season Four! Yay! I love that show. My daughter got me a pair of sandals and a kitchen clock, both of which I need to take pictures of. I liked the clock so much, I hung it up right away and then forgot to snap a photo of it when I was preparing for this post! I'll fix that soon.
Then I got this in the mail yesterday from Annie. I was so touched by her kindness. I was sort of pouting about how I didn't hear from either of my parents on my birthday and was feeling kind of down about it when Randey walked in carrying the mail. Thank you, Annie. Talk about great timing. (I should clarify that I didn't really expect to hear from my parents on my birthday. My mom and I have issues and my dad's memory isn't what it used to be so not having either of them call was not a surprise. I was just being moody about it, that's all!) Anyway, I appreciate the gift and will get good use out of the book, I'm sure.
This is what I woke up to Friday morning:
Roses, a card and a gift. I was kind of surprised because the laptop was our birthday present to each other (Randey's birthday is 6 days after mine). But oh man, aren't these flowers pretty? I love them. And the card was just wonderful, too. By the way, the card says "Happy Birthday Sissy" because everyone in my whole entire family calls me Sissy, including my husband. That's because we were introduced to each other by my sister and his brother, who are married to each other. If Randey ever called me "Kari", I wouldn't know who he was talking to. lol Just goes to show you, people...you can get used to being called darn near anything. I've been called "Sissy" for so long, it doesn't even phase me anymore. :)
Want to know what was in the package from Randey? This thing:

A Jim Shore Halloween cat. I adore this cat. It's so perfect for this time of year and just makes me happy to look at it. I discovered Jim Shore stuff last year. I don't like everything out there that's made by him, but certain things just really appeal to me, for some reason. Like some of the cats. The ones with words like "freedom", "patience", "vigilance" and "curiosity". Love them! I also have a little chihuahua (in honor of Sydney the Wonder Dog, of course!) and a Jiminy Cricket with the words "Let your conscience be your guide!", a saying I've long been fond of, across the bottom of it and a Little Red Riding Hood "Granny" figure. I get a lot of pleasure from just looking at those figures. Don't know why, so don't ask. lol Anywho, my beloved daughter-in-law Jodie, knows of my love of some things Jim Shore. So...being the great gift-giver that she is, she found this to send me (and yeah, I just know she was the one responsible...Nick would have bought me a Star Wars thing instead! ha!) by the way, I'd have loved a Star Wars thing, too! Nick does know his mother pretty well. lol :
Isn't this witch and cat adorable? And doesn't it just put you in the mood for autumn and Halloween and cooler weather??? I love it. I don't think I'd actually seen this figure before. It's totally cool and I'm so glad she picked it out. (Check out the face on the broom. Cracks me up!) But the absolute most awesomely wonderful Jim Shore item ever made is this:
I had actually seen this in a Hallmark store here in town and came so close to buying it for myself. But I didn't. I've been spending way too much money on just "me" lately so I talked myself out of it. (See? I can exercise self control occasionally!) Then I received it from Jodie and Nick. Talk about being all smiles!!! I have spent more time just staring at this beautiful cornucopia. All the little details, the colors, the workmanship. I, quite simply, love love love this thing. Click on the picture to enlarge. You'll see what I mean. It's just darn cool to look at. Thank so much Jodie, Nick and Kara. I'm totally pleased with these two things. You spent too much, of course, but well heck...I'm thrilled with them anyway. Thank you guys! And thanks also to Susan, my BFF, for the gift card. I'll let you know what I end up getting with it. Decisions, decisions.

I guess that's about it for today. I have my weigh in tomorrow at my Weight Watchers meeting. I'm tired of agonizing over it, though. I've decided to take a totally radical approach this week. I'm gonna wear jeans and a heavier shirt and I might even leave my shoes on when I hop my butt up on that dreaded, evil weight measuring device those people call "scales". I know it'll make those scales say I've gained at least 3 pounds, but just think of how virtuous I'll feel next week when I wear my normal (and not nearly as heavy!) regular clothes. Yeah, so it's cheating. I don't care. I need to shake things up a bit and this seems like a perfectly harmless way to do that. I hope to get around to some blogs again soon. I've read a few, but need to go back and leave a comment now. But first I have to cook dinner for my dearly beloved. He's headed out of town Thursday so it's looking good for dinner out tomorrow night. But tonight, it's just me, slaving away in the kitchen (another heavy sigh). See you guys tomorrow!

Introducing....PABLO RODRIGUEZ

AKA The Six Million Peso Man! Sorry it took so long to post the correct answer on this. We had quite a visit with my sister and her husband. It was absolutely wonderful and I've been exhausted from it! lol Anywho, Jacob dressed as The Six Million Peso Man for Super Hero day and for those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular "hero", he's featured on a funky little show called Robot Chicken. Teenage boys loooooovvvvvveeeee this show for some reason. As do older boys, I suppose. Now for the disturbing part...three of YOU guessed correctly who Jake was dressed as. That means THREE of you watch Robot Chicken and I must say, I am stunned. Who are the three, you ask? Well, you won't believe this, but it's Pea over at Pea's Corner, Sandi from Whistlestop Cooking and Sue at Rabbit Run Cottage. Okay, so maybe you will believe that of Sue. I mean, come on...it's Sue. She's goofy anyway! lol But Pea and Sandi? I never saw that coming..... And now that I've outed those three as knowing of Robot Chicken and The Six Million Peso Man, let me ask them this: Guys, have you ever seen the Star Wars spoof on Robot Chicken where Vader has to call the Emperor to tell him that the first Death Star has been blown up and Palpatine has to take another call to order take-out food and then he goes back to talking to Vader and makes Vader cry when he brings up Padme? And then has to tell him "I love you, too" before he hangs up? Now that was just funny stuff. I had that TiVo'd for the longest time. Great tv, really. And yeah, I'm admitting...I've watched Robot Chicken occasionally. Too bad I missed that Six Million Peso Man episode, though. I think I went down a notch or two on the Cool Meter as far as the boys are concerned. Ah well...I'm getting old, I'm out of touch and I can't be expected to know everything. Right?
Now look what the wonderful sweet Jayme from Scrapper Mama sent me. Isn't this the cutest little Halloween card you've ever seen? She's so talented....she even used her sewing machine in the making of this. I was thrilled when I opened it up the other day and, while I'm ashamed I didn't jump on here right away to brag on her cardmaking, I've shown it to anybody and everybody who has gotten within a 2 block radius of my house. Thanks, Jayme. I love the card and I love that you thought enough of me to send it! You know you've made my Christmas card list, don't you? lol

For those of you who have been reading my blog for any amount of time (that's probably just you, Aunt Sandi! lol) you'll know that, naturally, when family comes to visit, we take them to Granbury. It's not that I wanted to go there, of course, but it's my duty so I suffered through it. (lol, lol, lol - I'm laughing hysterically at that ginormous white lie!!). But looky here at what I came home with. See this sweet little potted flower? My son, Kaleb, bought that for me while we were in Granbury. He saw me looking at it and, after I'd put it down, he snuck it down to the cash register and bought it. Is that not the sweetest thing? That kid has a heart of gold and he touches my heart with gestures like that. I have some pretty wonderful offspring, that's for sure.
And I also have some pretty wonderful friends. My gosh, when I said that my last birthday had become a birthday season instead of a birthday, I wasn't kidding. My friend, Susan, who still lives in Florida, had told me that she was mailing my birthday present but that I wouldn't get it until the first week in October. I couldn't think why any package would take so long to ship and she wouldn't clue me in. Her gift finally arrived the other day. (Nice wrapping, huh? - you gotta love those people at Amazon.com). And now I get it why it took so long! It was Criminal Minds, Season Two. It didn't come out until October 3rd and Susan knows how much I love that show. In fact, she bought me Season One for Christmas last year. Isn't it great to have a friend who just knows you so well? Murder and mayhem...she so gets me. lol
And check out this purse. My sister brought this to me (she also knows me so well - a little animal print always brings out the animal in me). lol
And speaking of animals, my sister gave me these ducks to wear on my feet. I love them, of course. They just quack me up. What? You're surprised that I made such a cheesy joke? Come on now...you had to have seen that coming! But let's not dwell on the sad state of my sense of humor. Just say "ha, ha" out loud a few times and move on.

I've got more pictures to post later. (Pictures of the visit, not so much the duck houseshoes.) But first, I must do my checkbook so that I can get that mini-depression from the financial ruin I've put us in over the last week shopping like a madwoman over with. Wish me luck and I'll write more as soon as I've recovered.

The Greatest Birthday EVER! (Post 1 of 6 today)

I have the greatest kids and husband! The night before my birthday, Kaleb and Jacob gave me this: They know how much I love this show and it was released on DVD Tuesday so, after they went by Kaleb's job to pick up his schedule, they made a stop off at Wal-Mart to pick this up. I was floored. How sweet is that? I mean really, how many 16 and 15 year olds are this kind? I'm so lucky to have kids that care what their old mom likes!
Here's a picture of the other things I got for my birthday...I received so much more than I deserve. And I am grateful to those that remembered me yesterday. I received a wonderful card from my niece, Megen. The card has a picture of a little Chihuahua puppy that looks like Sydney the Wonder Dog did back when he was a puppy. I also got a card from my mom as well as one from my step-father, Jack. From my dad and step-mother Wendy, I got a Martha Stewart cake mix, excuse me CHOCOLATE cake mix, a box of chocolate and Milky Way powders for use in hot cocoas and/or cappuccinos, and a stainless steel thing shaped like a bar of soap that you use to get onion odors off of your hands when you've been cooking. Did ya'll know that? If your hands smell like onions you can take a stainless steel spoon and rub it all over your hands under running water and it'll take the smell out. Well, now that just got a little easier because now, my "stainless steel" is shaped like a bar of soap. That Martha Stewart...she is a thinker, eh? But I've digressed a bit...where was I? Oh yes, I also got a thing that makes seltzer water at home. See the silver canister looking thing? That's it. And it's great. You use plain tap water and CO2 chargers and it makes the most wonderful sparkling water. That was from Randey. And finally, Randey and the boys presented me with what I like to call "The Brighton Collection". lol While my favorite Brighton perfume is "Dream", I think a girl needs variety, too. So they got me "Love" perfume, plus some "Love" lotion. It smells divine! They also got a Brighton candle that came in the prettiest ceramic container.
And the prettiest, sparkly gift of all (and you know how I love the sparkly stuff) was this pair of Brighton earrings. I feel so Bohemian when I'm wearing them! lol
All in all, I would have to say, I received some fantastic gifts and I feel almost guilty because I'm pretty sure I don't deserve them. If for no other reason than I've been such a BEAST, thanks to this menopausal lifestyle I'm living now. But thank you Randey, Kaleb, Jacob, Dad, Wendy, Mom, Jack, Aunt Sandi, Uncle Wally, Megen Leigh, Charlotte, Penny, Kimie and Joan, as well as everyone else who was kind enough to send birthday greetings. It feels truly great to be thought of...
For any of you with a little time to kill, I've posted a bunch of pictures from the day in the next 5 posts. I know - I've gotten carried away, chronically my birthday like this, but it was just so wonderful that it has yet to occur to me that everyone wouldn't be thrilled and fascinated to read about it. lol It has really been one of my best birthdays ever.

It May Not Have Been My Birthday,

but it sure 'nuff felt like it was! First, I started getting all these "Birthday Wishes" from out of the blue...then I got a little package in the afternoon mail (more like evening mail where I live!) from my mom and her husband, Jack. I opened it up - after much wrestling, cussing and fussing (way to totally and completely wrap a padded envelope in clear tape, Mom! lol) and found this: Awesome, isn't it? Some of you are going..."what? Is it a poster? Is it a print? What the heck is it?". Well, I'll tell 'ya! It's an official sheet of the Star Wars stamps issued by the United States Post Office. I actually bought some when they came out, but I'm a bit of a goober (some of you never, ever suspected that, did you?). I used the stamps I'd bought. I couldn't help it! They're just so flippin' cool looking! And it was so satisfying to put a Darth Vader stamp on my mortgage payment. Don't ask why, it just felt good. And an Emperor Palpatine stamp on the power bill. Ahhhh, felt so appropriate, those thieving, over-priced b*st*rds. But I'm getting lost in the moment...let's get back to the subject at hand. My mom and Jack have saved me from certain regret sometime in the near future when I realized that I had used all of my stamps and had none to keep with my Star Wars Collection. (Never planning for the future, is this one). And really, I don't know who was more impressed with this gift...me or Jacob (my number 4 baby). He's always accusing me of not handling the collection properly...I don't complete sets of things (mainly because I just collect the stuff I like, not the stuff that only comes in sets). He hounded me when the stamps first came out to buy extras but I was quite too caught up in the whole "telling bill payment recipients what I thought of their companies" thing. lol Like I said...I'm a goober. Anywho - we won't dwell on that fact any longer. Let me just say THANK YOU, MOM AND JACK! Love the gift! :) And then...the "Lost UPS Delivery" from Aunt Sandi and Uncle Wally arrived. Would you look at all that was in it???? My gosh! I was unwrapping things forever! The box weighed a ton, according to Randey, who carried it upstairs for me. As luck would have it, I had a pan of cornbread in the oven when the package arrived. But that's okay. The family likes their cornbread crispy. And it was crispy, by the time I got around to remembering I was in the middle of baking it! Can you blame me, though? It's not everyday that you get a package like this! Actually, come to think of it, I don't know if I've ever gotten a package with this much stuff in it. Thank you , thank you, thank you so much Aunt Sandi and Uncle Wally. You guys are the greatest! I took a few close-up pictures of some of my "already" favorite things that were in the box. This little cat just stole my heart! Isn't she precious? She's already found a home in the girly room, of course. You'd think that room was made for her. She fits in so well, don't you think?
These ornaments are gorgeous, aren't they? According to the box, they are from the 2001 Avon collection. I love them! I can't wait to see them on the tree, reflecting the lights....ahhhhh, pretty, pretty, pretty. Boy, I love Christmas.
And how about this lovely little round box in a fall leaf motif? Beautiful, isn't it? Now I must find just the perfect thing to oh-so-casually place in it...it's going to look great in the living room!
Thanks again Mom, Jack, Aunt Sandi and Uncle Wally! I'll never be able to find the words to adequately tell you how much these gifts mean to me! (All these words I've just written don't even come close to expressing how happy I am!)

They Say It's My Birthday...

but, it isn't. Sorry guys. While I appreciate your birthday wishes oh so much, I have to tell you...today isn't the day! My Aunt Sandi is the one who started this rumor, I believe! But you can't blame her. By all accounts (except his!), my uncle wrote the date wrong in the book. To be honest, I can see where there could possibly be some confusion. My sister Sherri's birthday is September 4th. My cousin Sunshine's birthday is September 8th. My birthday is September 12th. We're all crammed in there together so I can see where one might get the date wrong. But what's in a date, right? The birthday wishes are still mighty appreciated!

Now here's the deal...I was going to announce a giveaway on my blog today. I took pictures, got everything all ready and then got distracted by other things...I had to tell you guys about Kat's mom and dad and their HRT patch, then I had to tell you about Tauna's , Julie's and Sue's Autumn postings and then I absolutely had to give a definition of Mojo because Marcia at Joy is My Goal and others had asked for it...well, before I knew it, I had already put 3 other posts up today! (Makes you wonder - how much can one person post in one day? Although, to be honest...3 or even 4 in one day isn't my "record" number...). It's either feast or famine with me, isn't it? So - in the interests of not being such a total Blog Pig today, I'll hold off on the giveaway post until tomorrow. And since my birthday is indeed September 12th, and I know for a fact that it's much better to give than to receive, that's when I'll draw the winner. So check back with me tomorrow to see what I'm giving away! Here's a hint: It has to do with the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...(oh act like you're surprised that I'd have a Christmas themed giveaway!).

P.S. Aunt Sandi - you're not going to believe this, but I just saw the UPS truck drive right past my house. I guess he couldn't see it (even though we live on the corner and we're the only two story house on the street and therefore, are pretty darn hard to miss!) I fear that the poor UPS VP's ear will never be the same if his driver doesn't open his eyes soon, will it?