my mama and my baby

It's the little things...

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...ELC (and My Sweet, Sweet Dad) graciously giving up the last day of their "getaway" so Mom could come take care of me and Little Leighton. I was sick all last week, and it reminded that I'm never too old to need the comfort of My Sweet, Sweet Mama. (And the Diet Vanilla Cokes -- DVCs -- from Sonic she brings along with her.)

...This smart, sassy, sweet, sunshine-y, silly, little girl that turned 9 months old last week. She's obsessed with books -- will choose to "play" with them over toys every, single day. She also learned how to wave "bye-bye" last week. She's a genius. Plain and simple. She is my heart and soul and sun and moon and stars and everything in between.

getaway

It's the Little Things...

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Going on a quick, mid-week trip to Oklahoma with My Sweet Hubby (MSH) and having a MARVELOUS time!

When you've been married for almost 35 years, past getaways and vacations can start running together in your mind. You discover that, between the two of you, you can sometimes almost piece together the experiences. It's always amazing to us what we each remember. What we each thought was important enough to send to our long-term storage in our getting-feeble-ish brains.

I plan to do another post about this trip...we went to a place we'd never visited.  For now, I want to thank MSH for his humour, patience and silly, sweet spirit! He ROCKS. Period. 

Be safe and HAPPY wherever in the World you are this Last Friday Ever in April of 2013...

xoxxooxxx

catfish and yoga

It's the little things...

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Riding in the Jeep with Grammy to go watch Pa-Dad feed the catfish.

Poor Little Leighton is teething.

Though we love our chompers, it sure is tough business "growing" them.

And yoga pants.

The end.

(P.S. Hope y'all are having a sparkly Saturday!)

West

Yesterday evening, in a small North Central Texas town called West, there was a fire and explosion at a fertilizer plant. The devastation is chilling.

West is about 90 miles from our home. TLC referred to West in a post about their famous kolaches many moons ago. Autumn, her family and her husband's family, call West their hometown. Even though she hasn't lived there in a long time, she still has cousins and many good friends there.

At this time and fortunately, there haven't been as many deaths as they originally feared. But too many lives were lost (one was too many...could go as high as forty). Hundreds of people were injured.

After the terror at the Boston Marathon, this was another shocking and heart wrenching event happening too often in our country. I'm certain there are thousands of Americans thinking about alot of "little things" tonight they're going to miss. Millions who are grateful to Our Lord God Almighty for the little things they're still able to enjoy.

In honour of all of the people who have lost someone in the past week, TLC and I will say some extra prayers tonight, to Our Heavenly Father, for the grieving community of West. Asking Him, in His Son Jesus Christ's name, to bless those people with strength. Hope. Peace. To bless the people in Boston, too. To bless America. Our World. Please.

Amen.

three Oreos...

It’s the little things . . .

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Three Oreos. On the nightstand. In “Grammy’s (aka The Guest) Room.” At TLC and LL’s casa.

Last Friday morn I headed east to spend the night with My Girls. So TLC could have two or three or five short shopping trips around her neighborhood that afternoon and Saturday. Sans LL. And so TLC and Her Hubby could have a Date Night. (My Sweet Hubby would be well taken care of by our oldest son—who was coming from Houston to spend some quality time with his Dad.)

Around 6:00 p.m., I gave LL her bath (which, BTW, she loves…). I gave her the last bottle of the day. Rocked her to sleep. For the requisite thirty-ish minutes. (Yes. Yes, we all know that could be considered ridiculous. However, we consider it a privilege. Of the HIGHEST ORDER.) I gently put her in her crib and headed to my room—next door.

TLC had shot me a text, after they’d escaped, I mean, motored away, saying she’d left me a bottle of water and a “treat” on the nightstand. I went straight for both. There was my water. Next to it was a little sandwich bag with three Oreos. TLC knows her Mama sooo well…

Heaven. Heaven must be a place crammed FULL of “Little Things.”

Thank you, TLC. Those were the best Oreos I’d had in years.

Hope Y’all have a Wonderful Week! Be Safe. Be Happy. Be Kind. Be Grateful—for little, medium and BIG things in your life…

smooches…

on the right foot...

It's the little things...

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Treating myself to a Skinny Vanilla Latte and Pumpkin Scone (Who says pumpkin consumption is only limited to the fall?) to start this Friday out on the right foot.

Teeny leopard print bows and grey and white polka dot leggings.

SWOON.

Freshly "crunched" honey roasted peanut butter from my favourite grocery store: Market Street.

Having Grammy ELC spend the day and night with us so I can make a (rare) solo trip to said favourite grocery store.

Stopping at Kroger's after Market Street just to purchase our most favourite cinnamon rolls, and then ending up with the yummiest orange tulips in my cart, too!

Lovely blooms sittin' pretty in my Hubby's Grandmother's blue mason jar!

Stopping at Starbucks (yes, again -- twice in one day really isn't a big deal, right?) with ELC and Little Leighton because it was tres important that we tried their new Chocolate Cinnamon Bread (no judgement -- we did split one piece -- and p.s. -- it's fabulous).

Going for a stroll in the most gorgeous weather we've had all week with my two favourite girls to look at the ducks "swimming" in our neighborhood pond.  LL giggles and giggles when you ask her:  What does a duck say?

Getting dolled up for a much needed date night while the amazing Grammy graciously "babysits" LL. (I cannot tell you how long it's been since we've had sushi.)

The hope of "sleeping in" until 8:00 a.m. because Super Grammy ELC is here to save the day!

Have a wonderful weekend, y'all!

(All of these things, though seemingly "small," do make my heart incredibly full -- but it all pales in comparison to having a happy, healthy family. Thank You, God, for Your constant Amazing Grace.)

brown-eyed boy

It’s the little things…  

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My Sweet Hubby’s (MSH) gorgeous brown eyes.

When I met him, about 36 years ago, they're what got my heart pounding and my brain to be unable to think straight. They are so dark brown they’re almost black. They’re kind. Sweet. Mischievous. Strong. Caring. Loving. And full of FUN. They often pierce my soul.

TLC and I have noticed in the past couple of years that the TV weather peeps call bad weather situations—like storms, rain or ice, tornadoes, wind, floods, etc.—weather “events.” We think that’s a little silly. And, actually, sometimes kind of confusing. We find ourselves wondering: “Is this ‘event’ scary? Dangerous? Significant?” I mean, seems like a tornado is a tornado. Not something that ends up sounding like a celebration.

Anyway, I thought of this terminology while I was sitting in a Cath Lab Waiting Room in Ft. Worth late Friday afternoon. Last week, MSH had a “heart event.” That’s what I decided we should call it. He didn’t believe it was a full-blown heart attack. But, at 1:30 a.m. Thursday morn, he knew something wasn’t right. TLC and Little Leighton were at our casa because TLC was going on a Bachelorette Weekend Adventure to Gruene, Texas. (One of her best buddies is getting hitched in July. TLC had looked forward to this for at least two months. It would have been her first night away from Little Leighton in over eight months. MSH and I were to babysit. We ALL couldn’t wait!)

When us (we?) gals woke up around 6:00 a.m., TLC and I looked at MSH and knew something wasn’t right. He confessed his fears. TLC made plans to head east back home. Clearly, we weren’t going to be babysitting. Not this time. She needed to cancel her trip. She’d have been too far away—physically and in spirit—if she’d tried to go. I took Teddy Buddy Boo Bear to our Vet to board him. Got there right when they opened. With, obviously, no reservation. And, as I knew they would, they welcomed him with open arms. I said: “I have no idea when I can pick him up.” To which they replied: “Don’t worry about him. We’ve got it.”

Bottom lining this story at this point:

MSH was admitted to the hospital soon after we arrived mid-Thursday morning. On Friday afternoon, he had an angiogram. One artery was blocked 99%. (Not 100%. 99! I’m not going to lie—that kind of tickles us. We hope you don’t think it’s wrong to find some humour in this challenge!) That one got a stent. One artery was good. One was funky and couldn’t be stented. Bypass wasn’t going to be appropriate at this time, either. The cardiologist believes it can at least stay the same for many years with the right meds and a change in MSH’s diet. (He has to quit salting tater chips. Imagine that.)

From noon on Friday until 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning, MSH had it tough. It was breaking MY heart to see him in such pain. So uncomfortable and discouraged. Once he could finally get up from the bed in his room, and the nurses could do what they needed to do so he could go to sleep, I was able to crash on my not-so-comfy couchbed/futon thingy about 2:00 a.m. I cried into my pillow. And thought about MSH’s eyes. How I couldn’t bear to not see them every day. Every night. I made a lot of promises to God I’m not sure I can keep. I will try. I will. I begged him to let me have as many years as possible with those Big Brown Eyes.

We got to come back home on Saturday afternoon. As I type this, MSH is outside on our front porch. Rocking. With Teddy Buddy Boo Bear. Being grateful to our Lord God Almighty for more time. For his eyes to continue to see the beauty we see every lucky day we’re alive from our piece of country heaven.

The little things…mean everything…

Look into some eyes you love tonight…or tomorrow…or SOON...tell them how GORGEOUS they are, okay?

Hello, Old Friends!

It's the little things...

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For TLC:  Rediscovering her love of Garnier Fructis Mousse.

They may not make this exact mousse anymore.

I have no clue how old it is.

It's an ELC hand-me-down.

For ELC:  Rediscovering her love of Corn Nuts.

Best served with an ice cold Coke Zero.

(Yes, we tag-teamed this post. We're wild like that. It is the weekend, after all.)

the little things...

TLC and I were talking last week about “the little things” we cherish. Those things in our lives that would be meaningless, possibly/or probably, to others, but that give depth and joy to each of us. Things like our family. Friends. Places. Music we love. TV shows we NEED. Food. Clothes. Jewelry. Shoes. (Yes, TLC. I put shoes 9^th on this list. I know. That was quite RUDE. Sorry, Sugar.) Makeup.  Products. Stuff. Etc.

Sooo…for the month of April, we’re going to share some of the these little things we value/crave. Maybe you’ll think we’re positively nUts. Maybe some of our small “treasures” or “obsessions” will be some of yours, too. Hopefully you won’t mind humouring us.

We’ll each do several posts on this month’s “theme.” We know you’re already standing by with great anticipation and excitement! Yes. Yes, you are. Don’t even try to deny it, Sillies.

ta-ta for now, Friends Everywhere…