December 10, 2009

Life as I know It

Wow! It has been a couple of months since I actually wrote a blog post. I have every intention of posting something a couple of times per week; but life happens.

Where to start?

I worked in El Paso from October 26 through November 20. I taught a MEPD (Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities) Part One BST (Basic Skills Training) class. This class is for newly hired MEPD specialists. I teach them about the Medicaid programs that are available for the elderly and people with disabilities who live in the community. I also teach the basic policy guidelines and how to actually work a case to certify or deny an individual for Medicaid.

I love being in the classroom.

Thanksgiving Day and the day after are paid holidays for me. I took vacation days the three days before Thanksgiving, which gave me the whole week off from work. I planned to rest, clean my house and get ready to put my Christmas tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

I picked Sophie (my sweet dog) up from mom and dad’s house on Saturday. When I travel, she lives with them. I guess you could say we share custody of her.

I was sick the following three days. I was finally able to do a few things on Wednesday.

Thanksgiving Day Sophie and I travelled back to mom and dads for the day. We had a good day. It was nice to spend time with my family.

Caley, Gloria, Clara and I were up early on Black Friday. Caley and I were at Old Navy at 2 a.m. only to discover that they actually opened at midnight. Our next stop was Kohl’s; then on to super Target.

I told Caley that we were making memories.

I finally had to have a nap. No nap for Caley. She played with the Lincoln Logs, watched some television and played on my phone…to be young again and full of energy.

I didn’t get my Christmas tree put up on Saturday…or Sunday.

Monday came. I was busy, busy at work.

I flew to Houston on Tuesday. I flew home on Wednesday.

Dad had surgery. What we thought would be a simple procedure and short hospital stay turned out to be a not so simple procedure. He is out of ICU; but still in the hospital.

I worry about mom. She stays by her man. 48 years of marriage.

I still haven’t put up my Christmas tree. I still have pumpkins on my mailbox and a scarecrow on the front door. At this point I don’t want to drag out the tree and all the decorations for only 12 days.

I have most of my shopping done. I’ve tried to get a couple of things each day after work. I want to avoid the weekend crowds as much as possible.

My house is still dirty and scattered. I have so much to do that I don’t know where to start.

I am thankful for my family, for the memories we make. I am thankful that I have my health, my dirty, scattered house, heat and hot water and more food than I need to eat.

I am thankful that life happens.

Holiday Blessings,


September 20, 2009

Cowboy Symposium

Last Saturday, I received a telephone call from a friend that I haven’t seen in a couple of years. She and her husband were in town for the Cowboy Symposium. She stated she would like to see me and asked if I would meet them.

I really did not have a desire to attend the Cowboy Symposium. It is a neat event. I have attended in the past. It is not really my cup of tea. I did want to see my friend; so I headed out to the civic center.

We walked through the inside exhibits, looking at items of interest and catching up. We ended up outside walking among the chuck wagons. She stated that her husband had purchased a wagon and was in the process of rebuilding it.

Some of the wagons were really neat.




There had been a contest earlier in the day regarding which wagon cooked the best food. The cooks on each wagon had been given the same ingredients and told to prepare a meal. Then they were judged individually on the meat, potatoes, bread and dessert.

One of the wagons belonged to two sisters. Both of the sisters were in their 70’s. Each of them wore an apron from Imperial Sugar. I wasn’t there for lunch, so I can’t say how good the food was. I know they took home several awards. The aprons ROCKED! I want one!

Hope you are having a peaceful Sunday afternoon!



September 12, 2009

Family

I download a free desktop background from The Shabby Shoppe each month. It is so simple to drop your photo(s) into the background.

I took some pictures of dad to go on the August desktop. This is one of my favorites. He is in his element. He is happy.

Dad's birthday was August 27th. He is 78 years young. It was not possible for all of us to be together on his actual birthday; so we chose to celebrate during the Labor Day weekend. Mom prepared a great lunch, we had cake and home made ice cream. We had a great time together. Of course I had to take some pictures. It is so hard to get everyone to smile at the same time.

Look at Shawyn. He did not want any part of the photo shoot.

I love this picture of Dad and Caley.
Enjoy your Saturday!

September 10, 2009

Sunflowers

One of the neat things about living in rural america, is the agriculture.

I traveled to Abilene a couple of weeks ago. Just outside of Lubbock, I noticed a blanket of yellow sunflowers. It was beautiful. I knew it would be a great background for a picture.

I noticed the sunflowers again on the trip back from Abilene. I could not wait to take some pictures.

A couple of days later, I called my niece and nephew to see if they were up for a photo shoot.

My niece is always willing.



My nephew, not so much!

I wanted to take a few more pictures.

When we stopped, Shawyn would not get out of the car. I made the mistake of leaving the keys in the ignition. He locked all the doors!

I did manage to get some pictures of Caley. I love this picture; I just wish I knew enough about photoshop elements to get rid of the shadows. I need to work on lighting.



All in all it was a fun couple of hours…for me anyway. I did buy ice cream to pay for their services.

Enjoy your evening!



September 8, 2009

New Camera

I have always loved pictures. I can remember as a young girl, looking though old pictures in my Maw Maw’s picture box. There were pictures of my aunts and uncles. There were pictures of my daddy when he was a boy; then when he was a young man. There were also pictures of relatives that I had heard stories about, but never met.

My mom likes pictures, too. She has many, many pictures. I can remember mom having several different cameras. I especially remember the one that when she snapped the picture, she pulled it out and we watched it develop. We would all gather around to see what the picture looked like.

Memories.

A couple of months ago, I bought a new camera. I am excited and at the same time, a little over whelmed.

I haven’t figured it out yet. I’m still learning. It is fun.

I have a dilemma. Sophie, my sweet little dog, is very camera shy. She hides when she sees the camera in my hands. I don’t have kids of my own running around to snap pictures whenever I want to practice.

I do, however, have some nephews and a niece.

So I begged them to let me take some pictures.

They reluctantly agreed.

Brady modeled first. He is the oldest of the three and very handsome.


Then we took some group shots. Everything is going great. They are looking good.



Caley and Brady had their eyes closed in the picture below. Shawyn looked perfect. So I cropped the other two out.


By this time, Shawyn thought he had agreed to only one picture.

When he is done, he is done. Nothing will change his mind...not bribes of ice cream or money...nothing. He seems to have a bit of a stubborn streak. Personally, I think he gets it from his dad. Just my opinion...
Beautiful kids. Great models. Lots to learn.
Blessings,




July 9, 2009

Yard Work

I moved into my house six and a half years ago. The summer after I moved in, I had a lot of help to install Tex Turf 10 sod in my front and back yards.

My neighbor at the time, T, planted fescue in his front yard. T was very concerned that I installed Bermuda grass. He stated my yard would grow over into his fescue. He tried to convince me to plant fescue. His efforts were fruitless, however, because I loved my Bermuda grass.

T re-seeded his yard each year to fill in the bare spaces. Each year, to my dismay, I had sprigs of fescue in my yard. It was so aggravating. I would spend hours pulling that fescue out of my grass. I finally gave up on the strip that ran along the property line.

T passed away last year. His children sold his home.

I have new neighbors.

This past spring, new neighbor dug all of the fescue out of his yard. Well, all but the strip that runs along my property line. I have tried to pull this strip of fescue up. I think new neighbor thought I would never do anything, so he has dug some of it up, too. It is a slow process.

New neighbor installed Bermuda sod.

His yard is beautiful. Just beautiful.

Another thing you should know is that three years ago I started travelling with my job. I am away from home a lot.

I have a sprinkler system and Perm-a-green comes about every six weeks. However, it is all I can do to mow the yard and keep up with the inside chores.

New neighbor has a beautiful yard.

Because new neighbor has a beautiful yard, I have been trying harder with my yard this year. I don’t want to be known as the woman who let her yard go, with sprigs of fescue sticking up every where, seeding and ultimately ruining new neighbor’s beautiful yard. I have my pride you know.

This past weekend I worked in my yard. I mowed. I researched the internet on how to go about leveling said yard; as it contains low spots. I made a mental note to buy some topsoil to fill in the low places. This top soil process needs to be completed during the growing season.

I worked in the flower bed in the back yard, too. Here is a picture of the flower bed that was taken about five years ago.


Notice the purple grass along the fence. I thought that purple grass was so beautiful. I was so proud of that grass. However, I did not plant it again after that summer because it would not come back every year.

Or so I thought.

I didn’t take a before picture of the flower bed; because frankly, I was embarrassed. It was horrible. It was over run with weeds and grass. It was just horrible.

Here is an after picture of the flower bed. Notice the two Gerber daisies on each side. I purchased these daisies at Ivy Gardens at least four years ago. I am amazed that they come back out each year. They haven’t received much TLC. The delicate yellow flowers in the center came from Ivy Gardens, too. These have come back for at least two years.

Do you see the little sprigs of grass?

They are there. Believe me.

I pulled grass out of the flower bed for what seemed like forever. The grass just sprouts back out. It reminds me of gray hair, you pull one out and two replace it. And while I loved the purple grass a couple of years ago, I am no longer feeling the love.

I bought some chemical at Little Red Riding Hood nursery last year. It cost $30 for a small bottle. It is supposed to kill the grass without harming your other plants. As far as I can tell it hasn’t killed anything.

If you are reading this post and know of some sure fire way to get rid of that grass, without killing my hardy Gerber daisies, please, please, please let me know what it is.
I am also open to suggestions as what plants I should add to my grassy flower bed.

Blessings,



June 13, 2009

Cousins

Recently I observed a presentation on “cousin camp”. The presenter stated that she and her husband did not have a close relationship with their cousins growing up. When they had grandchildren, they began to see the importance of having close relationships with extended family members. She and her husband created a “cousin camp”. For one week each summer she hosts “cousin camp” at her home. Her grandchildren attend “cousin camp” to send time and form relationships with their cousins. No parents are allowed at cousin camp.

I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation. It made me think of my cousins.

I have a bunch of cousins on both sides of my family. However, I must admit that I am much closer to my cousins on my daddy’s side of the family. Many of us are very close in age. We practically grew up together. We were each others best friends. We shared good times and bad. We laughed and cried.

Here is a picture of Jill, Shirley, Daisy and me. The picture quality is poor (it was taken with one of those cameras that shoots the picture out and then you watch it develop). It still brings back lots of memories.

Through the years, we have all gone our separate ways. We are scattered all over the United States; which makes it hard for everyone to get together at the same time. However, when we do get together, we are all reminded of the bonds we formed as children.

These were taken in April. We still act silly; but most importantly we laugh! Joy, me, Jill, Shirley, J.L. Paul and James.


I think we need to plan a "cousin camp". Maybe for a weekend, I'm to old for hanging out a whole week...LOL... I would love to hear your suggestions!

Blessings,

June 11, 2009

Houston

I am finally catching my breath again. I have been travelling a lot for work. I always think I will take the time to update my blog while I am on the road; but it never happens.

I worked in Houston from May 4 - May 23. I didn't look forward to the trip. The first time I travelled to Houston, I hated every minute of it. The traffic was horrible, the people were not very friendly, you name it.

I actually loved the time I spent there in May. The weather was beautiful...not to humid. The traffic did not bother me. I was much more comfortable. I don't know what the difference was this time. It could be that I have travelled a great deal for work during the past three years or my handy, dandy GPS. Whatever it was, I loved being in Houston. The Galleria area is awesome. I told someone that I could see myself living there. LOL...

My one and only niece celebrated her ninth birthday while I was in Houston. I was a little disappointed, as she had her party at the Clay Cafe, and I wasn't able to attend.

I told her that I would buy the paper goods for her party. She also wanted a cookie cake, which I told her I would buy. Before I left for Houston, I met she and her mom at Party City to pick out the plates, napkins, etc. She also picked out some cute party favors.

A few months ago, I purchased the cutest purse template from Papertrey Ink. I have been dying to use it. I told my sister-in-law that I would make "purses" to hold the party favors. I made four, one for my niece and each of her friends. I loved the way they turned out!

Sometimes I feel guilty that I don't make as much stuff for the boys. There are just so many things to make for girls. I really don't think the boys notice. As long as they get $$ they seem quite content.



Blessings,

May 1, 2009

T-Ball

My nephew turned 6 in February. He is playing T-Ball for the first time this year.

He looks so cute in his uniform. I've always had a soft spot for boys in baseball uniforms.

My brother is coaching the team.

Go Indians!

April 30, 2009

Bluebonnets

I recently travelled to Fort Worth for business. As I drove from the airport to my hotel, I noticed bluebonnets all along the side of the road.

They were beautiful.


When I parked at the hotel this was my view.




I had to snap a couple of photos.

The next day, when I arrived at the hotel, there was a photographer taking pictures of two cute young boys. It made me wish I had a Canon 40D camera.

A girl can dream...

Blessings,



April 27, 2009

Expiration Dates

Recently I reached into my pantry to grab a can of soup. For some reason, I looked to see what the expiration date was. To my astonishment, the expiration date showed 2007. I began to look at the expiration date on the other food items in the pantry. With the exception of a couple of cans of corn, green chilies and pumpkin, the expiration date on all the other items was 2007.

As you probably guessed, I do not cook often. I usually buy the ingredients for a dish when I am considering making that particular dish. Sometimes the dish gets made; often times it does not. The items then get put in the pantry and forgotten about until I think about the recipe again. Sometimes it is months. Sometimes it is years.

I hate to admit it, but I have done the same thing with God. I have placed Him on a shelf; out of site, out of mind.

I have always believed in God. I was saved when I was in high school. However, I never developed a relationship with Him. I never believed that God was interested in my day to day activities. That He really wanted to know how my day went; if I was happy or sad. I never considered Him to be my friend. He was just there on the shelf for emergencies; much like a first aid kit.

God sat patiently on that shelf for many years; just longing to hear my voice call out to him.

It has taken a long time, but I am finally learning about the relationship that He desires to have with me. A relationship where we talk each and every day. A relationship where we share anything and everything. He wants to be my friend, my counsel. He wants to know and love me, flaws and all.

For years I believed that in order for God to love me, I needed to be beautiful, thin, smart…perfect. God has shown me that He loves me no matter what. No one has to tell Him what my flaws are, He knows them all. You know what? He loves me any way. He thinks I am beautiful, no matter what I weigh, how smart I am, or how organized my pantry.

I have learned that God doesn’t want to be kept on a shelf for emergencies. He wants to be involved in every aspect of my life; in little things as well as big things. He wants to celebrate the happy times and comfort me in times of sadness.

I am so grateful for God’s love. I am thankful that unlike the can goods in my pantry, His love for me does not have an expiration date, but endures forever.

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

Blessings,

April 26, 2009

What I Am Reading

I am reading, “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God,” by Lysa Terkeurst. I have read her blog for about a year. I love her style, her honesty. She appears to be just an everyday woman, mother, and wife. It is apparent that she loves God.

I had not, however, read any of her books. I can say that I haven’t been disappointed in this book. It is full of God’s truths.

For a couple of weeks, as I have been reading Lysa’s book, I have heard God whisper that he wants me to write for him. I have tried to ignore the whispers; telling Him that I know nothing about writing; yet I hear another whisper, “You have a blog.” To which I have responded, “Just because I have a blog doesn’t mean I can write. What if I don’t punctuate correctly? What if I use a comma when it should be a semi-colon? What if people judge me? What if? What if?”

With each excuse, I hear a whisper, “I want you to write for me.”

So I am saying yes to God. I will write for him. Even if it means I don’t punctuate correctly, even if it means I will be judged, even if I am not perfect. I am learning to trust Him completely. He will give me words.

I will still share pictures of my projects and silly things that are going on in my life. Whatever I share, just know I am writing for Him.

Blessings,

April 1, 2009

Birthday Cards

Happy April Fool's day! I hope you didn't get fooled to many times.

I have a couple of cards to share.

My youngest nephew celebrated his birthday in February. He wanted to ride a horse for his birthday. No, not a carousel horse; a real one. Although I could not grant that wish, I did make him a cute “Cowboy” card.


Here is card that I made for my cousin. She is celebrating her 30th birthday on Friday.

I was pleased with how it turned out. I just wished I would have stamped something for the front of the card.

I am trying to make birthday cards to send this year. For those of you who celebrated your day in January, I apologize. I sent you a store bought card. Maybe you will get a hand made surprise some time during the year.

Blessings!

March 17, 2009

Mr. Flu

Mr. Flu bug stopped by my cozy cottage for a visit. If you know me, I don’t always welcome unannounced visitors with open arms. I much prefer that they call first. Mr. Flu did not take my preference into consideration.

It all started on Saturday morning. I had some congestion and a scratchy throat. I wanted to stay in bed so bad, no makeup, no fixing hair…I bet that’s a visual you could have done without. Hey, I’m a very visual gal and I believe that a picture is worth a thousand words. Anyway, back to the story. My parents were flying home from a week long visit with my baby brother in San Antonio. I was their chauffeur. I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed, showered, and fixed my face and hair.

My sister-in-law, her children and I headed to the airport to fetch my parents. When we had collected the parents and their belongings, we headed to my parent’s favorite eating establishment in the big city…Golden Corral. We could eat anywhere; but my daddy loves The Golden Corral. He says that everyone can get what they like…lol. As we left The Golden Corral, I commented that my body ached. It actually felt like I had been in a fight and someone stomped my chest; not that I would know what it would feel like for someone to stomp my chest, I’m just saying I hurt.

We arrived back at my place. I might have been a teensy, weensy bit anxious for everyone to transfer their belongings from one vehicle to the other and be on their way. My dad was somewhat confused, because earlier in the week I had whined that they (my parents) never come and stay with me for a whole week, it must be nice to be the baby. You know how it goes. Being the oldest is not always that much fun; even if it requires being the bossiest at all times.

Finally, Sophie and I could take some Advil and rest. No, I didn’t give Sophie Advil. Later I would learn that Advil was the strongest medication (over the counter or prescribed) in the house. Over the course of Saturday night, Sunday and Sunday night, I scoured the bathroom cabinet for Benadryl or something stronger with an expiration date of at least 2008. Not one Benadryl in the whole entire house; everything else in the medicine cabinet (if you call it that) had an expiration date of around 2006. When I used the last tissue on Sunday night and resorted to blowing my nose on Quilted Northern, I knew I must see my kind young doctor if at all possible on Monday.

The doctor asked me how long I had been running a fever. Fever? I have a fever? Oh that explains why, I would dose off to sleep, only to be awakened fifteen minutes later drenched in sweat. Did the fever cause the really weird dreams, too? Yes, I own a thermometer. A digital ear one. No, I had not used it.

I am grateful to my awesome PCP. He prescribed me a strong antibiotic and a cough pill. Today I began to breathe through my nose again and the cough is practically gone. Modern medicine rocks! I actually stood at my back door this afternoon and soaked in some awesome sunshine. This is quite the accomplishment; as I have not had the energy to lift my head off the pillow in three days.

Notes to self:

  1. Buy tissues with lotion. There is a difference.
  2. Keep a supply of Benadryl and Tums.
  3. Stock freezer with frozen juice, ginger ale and ice.
  4. Stock pantry with items other than Rotel, green chili’s, microwave popcorn, caramel sauce and Starburst Jelly Beans.
  5. Buy lots of Lysol - the big cans.
  6. Check the dates on items in the bathroom cabinet, the pantry, the refrigerator. Most items have expiration dates!

Be Blessed!


February 23, 2009

Bag Woman

It is so hard for me to pass up cute tote bags. I have a bunch and I love them. I found a cute one on clearance at Ross a couple of weeks ago for $2.97. Did I need it? No. Could I pass up such a great deal? No. I can’t help it.

I recently bought a laptop. When I bought the laptop, I did not think it would be difficult to find a cute bag to carry it in. Mind you, I did not want a plain old practical black bag. I wanted a CUTE bag. So I headed out to Ross in Lubbock in search for a bag. No luck. They had some cute bags, but not one in which my new purchase would fit. Bummer! Oh well, I was headed to El Paso, surely there would be a cute laptop bag with my name on it in El Paso.

I searched every Ross and Marshall’s that I found in El Paso, still no bag. I proclaimed my disappointment to my brother, telling him that I didn’t want some practical black computer bag; I wanted a cute bag. Now being the typical man that he is, I could tell he was ready to move away from this conversation when he stated that it wasn’t a purse; it didn’t necessarily need to be cute. Ughh…

One of my students always arrived to class early. One day she arrived with an awesome RED bag on her shoulder. She stated that she had heard me say that I was looking for a computer bag. She thought she would bring it to show me as her laptop is the same size as mine and it fit in this bag. I knew immediately that this was the bag I had been searching for. She said her husband gave it to her for Christmas, and he had purchased it at none other than J.C. Penney. I asked if she would mind if I copied her and bought the same bag. She told me of course not. So that afternoon after work, I found the closest J.C. Penney. No bag. I stopped at J.C. Penney at the mall. No bag. I was somewhat disappointed.

I returned home the next evening. While running some errands on Saturday morning, I stopped at J.C. Penney. They had the larger computer bags grouped together on a table. Hanging there on that table was ONE lone bag in the style I was searching for. I was excited, except that the bag was BLACK. I wanted RED. I took the bag off the hook and began to inspect it. Then I began to casually walk though the area, looking at the other purses and bags. Guess what? There on the bottom shelf all by itself was my RED bag. I could not believe my luck. I was holding the only two bags in this style in the store, one black and one red.

Now if you know me at all, you know that I could not decide which color to get. One of the bags had a sale price on the tag; the other had the regular price. I headed over to the counter for a price check. The sweet little sales clerk check the price…both bags were on sale…75% off. Oh how I love a bargain! One of these bags was meant to be mine, but which one?

Here is my new bag. What do you think? I LOVE it!



I’m traveling to Austin this morning for a week of meetings and training. Hopefully, I will be able to squeeze in some fun.

Blessings,

Charlotte

February 21, 2009

Mom


My sweet mom is seventy years young today. Mom is such a kind and giving person. She has always been my biggest supporter. I talk with my parents, especially my mom, every day. Not that I am partial to mom, I love both my parents dearly, but my dad doesn’t talk much. Oh, he will answer the phone if mom is not home and sometimes he might answer when she is at home, if he actually hears it ring, but if mom is available he usually passes the phone to her after just a few words. Anyway, mom and I had a conversation earlier this week regarding her birthday. She informed me that she did not receive a birthday card from me last year and she would really like to get one this year. I tried to remember if I sent her a birthday card last year.

I usually make everyone in my family a handmade birthday card. However, last year was a difficult year for me. Although I tried to remember birthdays and at least buy cards, I don’t remember sending mom a card. She remembered. I gave her a gift, but no card. I didn’t realize that a card would mean so much to her.

Mom quilted when we were growing up. She and my grandmother had wooden quilting frames that hung from the ceiling. I decided to use a stamp set from Papertrey Ink called Quilter’s Sampler to make mom’s birthday card. When talking to mom on the phone, I asked her what her favorite color is. She told me she didn’t know, she doesn’t have a favorite color. How can someone not have a favorite color? I finally asked her if I were making her a quilt, what color would she want it to be. After much deliberation, she stated sky blue. So here is her card. Happy Birthday Mom, I love you.



I finished the card late Thursday night, so the picture is not that great (no natural light). I also had to trim the quilt blocks with scissors because the square punches that I have are bigger than the blocks. Lucky for me, PTI has a square punch just the right size.
Many Blessings!

Charlotte

February 15, 2009

Catching Up

It’s hard for me to believe that it is the middle of February. The first six weeks of 2009 passed in a flash!

I worked in El Paso from December 29 through January 16. I’m blessed that I was allowed to travel home each weekend, but the time at home was short…just enough time to do laundry, pack and head back to the airport. There is only one direct flight from Lubbock to El Paso each day. When I fly on Sunday, I elect not to take the direct flight as it leaves at 9:30a. I take a later flight which takes me to Dallas then to El Paso. I’m not complaining; I would rather fly than drive. Can you imagine driving from Lubbock to El Paso…alone????

On January 21, I met my dear friend, Raquel, in Houston. We had a great time, just hanging out, catching up and attending the Proverbs 31 Girls Night Out. The GNO was hosted by KSBJ, a Houston Christian radio station. Lysa TerKeurst and Renee Swope from Proverbs 31 were there, along with Kate Gosselin and Aiyesha Woods. The event was sold out…4,000 women. Lisa and Kate even signed our books.

Raquel wanted to visit family in Austin before returning to Virginia. On Friday afternoon I took her back to IAH so that she could pick up her rental car and she headed to Austin. I shopped at Sam Moon (for the second time this trip...it was so close to the airport) then headed to Archiver’s my favorite scrapbook store. I returned home on Saturday very refreshed. It was a great trip, relaxing and insightful.

When I travel, my parents keep my baby, Sophie (a red Pomeranian). Because I travel so much for work, Sophie stays with mom and dad a lot. They spoil her terribly and I sometimes wonder if she thinks she belongs to them. My parents know that I miss her, so they brought her to see me on January 31. Sophie still knew who I was…I was thrilled. She does not like to have her picture taken. She runs in the opposite direction when she sees the camera (yes she knows what the camera is when she sees it). I never get very good pics of her. Here is one of the better ones.



My one and only niece (I have three nephews) also spent the night. She wanted to use my scrapbook supplies and stamps to work on a heart Valentine’s coloring contest. She did a great job on her project. I also promised that she could come back next Saturday and I would help her make her valentines. On Sunday, I headed to El Paso…again.


I arrived home late on February 6. Saturday morning, I ran errands. That afternoon my niece came over to make valentines. We die cut some hearts, she glittered and glued, stamped the sentiment and she had some cute, sweet cards. FYI…I now have glitter everywhere. Oh well, as long as she had fun. She had been to the hair stylist before coming to my house. We had to take a few quick pictures of her new do.

I dropped her off at her house on Sunday and headed back to the airport…back to El Paso for my final week. I arrived back home on Friday, February 13…I was exhausted and so thankful to be HOME. I have rested the past two days and I’m excited that tomorrow is a holiday.

I know this was a LONG post, thanks for your patience. The good news is, I finally bought a laptop…Whoo Hoo!! I am so excited. My goal is to post something at least once a week, maybe more...I may even post daily...

Have a blessed evening.

Charlotte