It's Been a Month???? Really???

I CAN. NOT. BELIEVE it's been a month since I posted.  Wow. Shame on me.  Well, I'm sorry, but it can't be helped right now.  Life has been busy, family has become of utmost importance to me - namely, my sister Lisa.  She's actually feeling pretty well right now.  She went without her chemo for nearly 3 weeks because her "numbers" on her blood, etc., were too low.  The Dr. kick-started her and gave her some treatments to build her blood counts back up and she was able to take her chemo last Friday. Tomorrow, she'll have it again.

However, we've been able to spend some time together.  Our families met up in Terrell to help Daddy celebrate his birthday.  We had a great dinner.  Then Lisa's husband brought her to Mom & Dad's house and then she came and spent a couple of days with me.  We had such a good time, just visiting, drinking coffee on the deck, listening to the birds, putting up green beans, and just being together.  She is so precious to me - I can't even explain it to you... I covet your continued prayers for her and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

It's that time of year for the garden to start giving forth its bounty. (Actually, we're about a month behind this year, but no matter...)  I've been putting up green beans in the freezer and pulled up my plants just yesterday. I will be planting something else there in a day or so. Blueberries are about ripe, grapes are growing, tomatoes are coming on as are the squash. I have pintos and cukes and purple hull peas, too. And a little corn. June promises to be SO busy.  Bad news is that the late cold snaps got most of the fruit trees around here - the peaches are going to be sparse and my plum tree suffered, too.

Adam did a concert down here at our annual Lakefest and it was wonderful!  His single "There's A Girl Out There" is now on the radio and you can call and request his song on your local country station I imagine. We are hearing it on our local station now!  Take a listen to his new single!

On YouTube here's a link to his awesome VIDEO ---  http://youtu.be/oW1J7Zi6RmY

Sell Music online at ReverbNation.com

You can also download it from iTunes, too!  Adam Fears "There's A Girl Out There".  Also check out his new soon to be released single "Golden Graven Road", also on iTunes.  It's a tear-jerker so get your tissues ready! I love it, too!  I have it here on ReverbNation --- http://www.reverbnation.com/adamfearsmusic

BLOGGER MEET-UP!!!

Of His Pasture - Debbie (and a sweet friend of hers, Mona) and the other Debbie - Wisdom -  welp - we all met up in Jefferson, TX - quaint little victorian town with shops, B&B's, eateries, complete with a bayou boat ride with alligators and cypress trees AND a sweet carriage ride all through the historic part of town!  Good food and new friends!  We've been friends for several years now, but I'd never gotten to meet Debbie (Of His Pasture).  "Wisdom" and I have met up several times and we were thrilled that those two gals drove all the way down to Texas.  Of His Pasture has written about our trip so I won't repeat all that. But I will say that it was SO good to meet Debbie (OHP) and her friend Mona.  It was a wonderful day!

 

L-R Debbie (Wisdom), Mona, Vickie (me) and Debbie (Of  His Pasture)

 

Our very fancy carriage ride!

 

 LOVE LOVE LOVE Horses!

 

Coupla pics of cute victorian houses - I think this 'un was French styled...

 

Notice the sign on the golf cart...  "Bleed Maroon"  (Gig 'Em, Aggies!)

Well, gotta close now.  It's getting late and I've got to hit the floor running in the morning. Hope things are going gangbusters with all y'all.  I'll be back soon!  Take care and I'll get by to visit before long!

And Keep Yer Dress Down!

Hello there!

Hello friends!  Hang in there with me ~~~  it's been SOOOOOOOOOOO busy around here, but I'll have lots to share when I get back to blogland!  Big hugs to you all!

This weeping angel has nothing to do with anything. I just thought it was so beautiful....  Hated to leave you without any pictures...     :)  See you soon!

Taking a Little Break

Hello my dear ones ~~~  Just a quick stop to let you know that I'm going to take a little blogging break.  With the wedding drawing near, my mother in law laid up with a broken leg/hip in the nursing home, trying to get the household moved and cleaned out, work, and all the other busy-ness in my life happening right now, blogging has definitely taken a back seat.  I DO so miss you all, but I know you'll be there when I can come back and visit.  Hopefully, I'll be back to visit from time to time, do some reading and catching up and will have lots to tell you and lots of wedding pics to show  you in a few short weeks.  But for now, I have to slow 'er down and do what I need to do.  If you need to contact me, do it by email.  Don't forget about me!!!

Keep your dress down people!  Or let it blow up if your bootie looks this good! Me?  I let mine blow up all the time!  JK....

source: http://www.cwomen.com/marilyn-monroe.html

Sam is Missing....

With a heavy heart, I am sad to report that Sam, one of our farm cats, has gone missing.  He was there Thursday, and Friday, we could find not a trace of him.  Don't know what happened. 

We have two kitties with very distinct personalities.  Alice is cautious, flighty at loud noises and runs at the sight of a new person or animal.  She's always on guard.  Sam, on the other hand, is very laid back almost to the point of appearing to be lazy.  He loves new people, is curious about new animals, lolls about in the yard and on the porch, and runs to the front gate when he sees people approaching.  They are both almost grown...

I'm trying to believe that perhaps Sam decided to follow one of the  "walkers" that stroll by our place at any given time of day.  I'd like to think he decided to take up with somebody like that.  Perhaps someone decided they needed this friendly kitty at their house and let him come with them.  Perhaps he decided to go hunt for a girlfriend (he was scheduled to be 'fixed' in a couple of weeks) but I don't know why since he's got lovely Alice right there with him.

I don't wanna think the worst.  I refuse to think the worst.  So, what do I do?  Take a chance and get me another kitty to keep Alice company?  I'd like to, but at the same time, we'd already had all their shots and vet visits and all that was left was the neutering.  It does get expensive.  I really need another skittish kitty like Alice. My Mamaw's barn cats were almost feral.  Of course, you couldn't catch them for any kind of health care and there were always kittens, but they kind of fended for themselves and did their own hunting even tho Mamaw threw out scraps for them every day..  I did not want to get too attached to my cats cuz I knew that living on the farm can be perilous at times for the animals.  But I guess it's almost impossible NOT to get somewhat attached.

On a lighter note, my future daughter in law, Lindsey, and her mom and Josh invited me to go with them Friday evening and all day Saturday to look at possible wedding venues.  They want an outdoor wedding and we looked at four different settings in our area.  A ranch wedding, a lakeside wedding, a beautiful estate wedding and a wedding at an Arabian horse farm.  All very different, all beautiful.  I'm curious to see what they will choose.  They have a couple more they are going to look at, but they need to decide probably THIS week what they'll do.  Dates are filling up fast!  Lindsey and Josh are wanting their fairy tale wedding!  I know it'll be wonderful!



I was SO touched that they invited me.  Usually, the wedding is mostly planned by the bride and her mother.  But Lindsey and her mom want me to be involved in the process - I think that is so special!  Her mother is an absolute jewel and I know from whom Lindsey gets her sweet nature.  This photo of the "kids" was taken after Josh had taken Lindsey fishing. He proposed on the lake after they got through fishing. Lindsey was wanting to go cuz she'd never been before!  It was sweet, and my family and Lindsey's family were all at the farm to greet them after the big event for their party!  (they DID catch some fish, too!)

Well, I gotta get busy here at work.  I'm sorry I'm not able to post more right now.  It's been SO hectic with the ... well.... you know.... you're all busy, too.  I think we have something going nearly every single weekend this fall - ALREADY - My calendar is FULL!  It's that time of year, and the holidays will be here before we know it.  Oh PLEEEEAAAZZZEEE, can we skip Christmas this year??????  I just want Autumn and Thanksgiving to last and last!  I love Thanksgiving!  Autumn kinda gets skipped over here in Texas cuz it's so blasted HOT til right before Thanksgiving. I want a looooooonnnnngggg  Autumn this year! Christmas is too much pressure - it all falls on ME.  Whine, whine, whine!!!  And we still are having near record high temps in the mid-90's and TOMORROW'S THE FIRST DAY OF FALL, FOR PETE'S SAKE!

source - (http://dclips.fundraw.com/pngmax/ciuccio.png)

Ya'll have a great week, 'n Keep your dress down!

More Randomness...

OKAY - I'll post something, but I don't know what. My mind is mush. Ever feel like that? Why would I think you all would want to read a bunch of stuff I wrote just to waste time?  Lessee here...

Here's a fall picture of our pond. The leaves are getting in full swing here, but there's still a couple of weeks til they peak. Usually around my birthday is when they're at their best providing there doesn't come a huge storm and blow all the leaves off.

Another random picture:  G.E.R.A.R.D   B.U.T.L.E.R.   If you haven't seen him in "P.S. I love you", the movie, you don't know what you're missing. Love that Scottish accent. He actually plays an Irish man in the movie, but he is SOOOO dreamy.  Love it!

Ok, whew, enough of that...

Love it! Love it!

Ok, here's the little mini-horses across the road from my parents house.  They are so cute. I tried to get a close-up picture of them last fall cuz they had frost on their fuzzy coats, but they kept turning & looking at me and wouldn't be still.  I wanted it back-lit so the frost would stand out. This was the best one I got. I'll try again maybe...

Since we just passed Halloween and the Mexican holidays Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, thought I'd show you a  couple of shrines to the dead loves ones that I took at Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurante (mi restaurante favorito de todo el mundo!) in San Antonio a couple of years ago. To the Mexican culture the way I understand, death is a part of life, and on November 1 & 2, they honor their beloved dead relatives by creating shrines to them in the cemeteries and elsewhere. They shower them with decorations, flowers, music, photographs and favorite foods.  Sometimes they will stay at the gravesite and wait for their spirits to come and it is comforting to them, not scarey. The Mexican bakeries are full of the sugar skeletons and skulls and all kinds of goodies which they add to their shrines, too. Anyway, here's a couple of shots to honor some departed souls in San Antone.

And THAT, my friends is about all I can think of this day and may you find something of a tiny bit of interest here just to prove that I am, in fact, still alive and kicking (struggling), and have not gone MIA in bloglandia.

I've been quite busy with work, kids, getting ready for company, and a church fellowship at the farm, and gophers.  I"m trying desperately to git rid of some mounds before the fellowship, but I may be fightin' a losin' battle.  You don't want to see a photo of one of the dead gophers that I have. 

I think I'm going to start a "GOPHER COUNTER" on my sidebar and keep count.  I think, to date, it's 8 or 9, but I really need a counter so I can keep up - I like statistics (not really). Monday I  caught 2, yesterday I caught one.  If you need any help learning how to catch gophers,  find their burrows, set the traps, and how to dispose of said varmint if not already dead, I'm thinking of having an online tutorial called "Gettin' Gophers 101" and will have it on my side-bar for you to click and download for $19.95 and that comes with a $5.95 certified galvanized homogenized plagiarized gopher trap that's guaranteed to catch gophers for you or double your money back (if returned within 10 days of purchase).  Think it'll sell?

PETA will probably come after me...

Garage Sale Finds

Sunday night, a quick review of Friday garage sales.  I only went to one this week, squeezing it in between bank runs and post office.  I've been looking for something to help me organize my little garden shed at the farm and I stumbled upon the neatest thing!!!  No, it's not pegboard. You know how you stack all your garden implements in the corner and they all slide eventually and fall down and you step on them and they're in the way, or you get too many in that corner and then you can't find anything you're looking for cuz you grab a handle and have to follow it down with your eyes to see what you've got ahold of, and dirt and hay collect behind them and you have to move every stinkin' one into another corner so you can clean out from behind it? (how's that for a run-on sentence?)

It's THIS!  Can you tell what it is???   Or once was???  Here's another picture...

Now, do you know what it is???  It came out of an old lumber yard.  It used to house WEATHER STRIPPING of all different sizes.  Isn't it a cool color?  Vintage green.  Must've been a really "with it" color back then, because I see SO many different things painted this color.  And it was only $10.00!!!

Anyway, I thought it would make an excellent storage place for all my garden tools.  There are slots in the top that you can slide your hoes, shovels, rakes, etc. down into.  It has a cool lid, too, but of course I can't close it with the stuff in it.  I thought it made quite a unique storage place.

Also, I found at the same sale, all these wooden boxes, made from pieces of old produce crates.  Some were small with lids that swung open sideways attached on only one end by a nail.  Some were old drawers with dividers that had been used at the lumber yard to store different size nails and hardware.   I thought some of them might be of storage use in the garden shed or I guess could be used as planters.  $ .25 EA!I'm open for suggestions on these boxes - what do ya'll think could be done with them?  I'd love to get some more ideas for them. Would you paint them different colors or would you leave them alone and let the old produce marking show?  That was mostly on the bottoms. It wouldn't show anyway. 

Some of the drawer pulls were made out of old coke bottle lids with a screw.  It was definitely a make-do situation on these little boxes.  I love how frugal people used to be and would just make do and be creative and use what you had on hand to make things work.

Anyway, we worked all day at the farm. Sorry I didn't get any fall pictures taken. There is so little time on the weekends - we have THREE houses we're trying to keep up right now - our home, my in-laws' house, and the farmhouse & land.  It's running us ragged.  We've got to do something with one of the houses QUICK!  I'm going to have an estate sale at my inlaws' house ASAP.  Gotta do it before the holidays or just wait until maybe February or March.

Well, girls, Ya'll have a wonderful Monday - I 'magine I'll be staying pretty busy this week.

Keep you dress down!

103rd Post

I know I said I was having a 100th post giveaway, but life has a way of throwing a wrench into the best laid plans of mice and men. I haven't forgotten, but it's going to be in the very near future and will probably be some random post # like 107.5 or something.

Seems like there's been someone or something having a crisis for the last few weeks and I've been unable to do much of anything, let alone blog. Here's what's been going on...

1. Spent $1500.00 on my car getting some much needed things fixed and it was in the shop for two weeks, during which time, me & Tony were carpooling and all that jazz.
2. Spent another $750.00 on my daughter's car getting a new a/c & running back and forth from her college town to swap cars with her.
3. Two weeks ago - I had several days off getting my heart procedure done & recuperating.
4. We've had 3 funerals to attend in the last 10 days.
5. We had one wedding to attend.
6. Been out on the farm trying to get the garden in for the last two weekends and evenings after work.
7. Mom had knee surgery this morning and I will be helping Dad out with her for a few days.
8. Been dog-sitting for Princess while she spent spring break in Orlando with her roommate and roomie's big sister who is a flight attendant (they got really cheap-o plane tickets) (that makes 3 dogs for me to take care of & Princess's dog is very time-consuming)
9. One of my friends confided to me yesterday that her 18 year old daughter is pregnant & I'm trying to lend my shoulders to them. I hate it so bad for them. They are trying to wrap their brains around this right now and figure out what to do. They've checked into open adoption, but are not sure they could actually give the baby up. Marriage to the young man is a definite NO. They even had already paid for her college tuition for the 09-10 school year. They are good Christian people. Mistakes do happen to all of us, don't they, whether we're Christians or not.

Anyway, I may be away for a little while, and I will definitely be back with my giveaway. I'll try to check in on ya'll as I can. I miss ya when I'm away - I like to know what's going in your lives.