Weather is amazing and frightening. I remember being really afraid of storms when I was younger but now I find them rather intriguing. I can easily say that right now since I am in the safe path of the latest Hurricane headed to the Texas coast line. I might change my mind if I had a home in Galveston! However, my kids are in that area and I am trying my best to persuade them to "come to Mama" today instead of waiting for the predicted chaos if they issue a mandatory evacuation. I remember what it was like last time when they had to evacuate for Rita. What normally would take 2 hours to get to my house took 18 hours! In traffic moving practically 5-10 mph and in a total stop alot of the time. People were running out of gas etc. C.H.A.O.S. I remember Macy had just gotton potty trained and refused to put a diaper on just in case! So, hurry my babies and come home. I don't like worrying about you getting stuck in that horrible confusion again. God Bless the people that have already been affected by the storm's wrath and those that must face it yet.

Several have asked about Tucker! THANKS. He is doing better. He has rallied although he still has a ways to go to regain his strength and weight. He was a very sick puppy. The vet still says that we have to get him 100% before he can finish his vaccinations. The kids are loving on him 24/7 and TLC is the best medicine of all, don't you agree? We were so happy to see his tail wagging and to hear him bark. The yard is off limits for long term visits and quarantined too because the virus still lives there! Creepy! Plus, the dreaded Sago palms are still back there. It's going to take a crane to get those babies out of the yard! The only known chemical to kill the parvo virus is CLOROX. Of course, he can go out to do his "business" but in he comes. Thank goodness for the trusty "pooper scooper". The tiles stay 'cloroxed' where he stays. I think he has decided he likes the air conditioning too! If you lived in Texas you would too!

BLOGGER IS DRIVING ME NUTS TOO....what is up with it? It takes forever to get your posts organized and layed out. TOO MUCH TROUBLE.....I wish I knew how to switch to something better and still free.



OH boy.....how we get attached to our kids.... I mean our animals! I think pets are second to getting to be a mother.

Obviously, Tucker ( shown here with his brother, River ) is a much loved addition to our already plethora of granddogs Petey, Tex and Tater.



At 12 weeks, Tuck was being the usual mischievous and pesky lab puppy. Eating everything in sight...shoes, plants, paper, wood, you name it!

One day last week, I believe Wednesday, he started acting peculiar. We discussed what to do over the phone and whether to worry yet or not. Heather patrolled the yard and found that he had dealt havoc with alot of bushes/plants along their privacy fence where he had made little "play areas". One spot in particular was where he had obviously EATEN on several of her Sago palms. The ones is their yard are huge, mature plants but unbeknownst to her and alot of us they are SERIOUSLY poisonous. They will kill pets and children if ingested. Then the rapid onset of severe vomiting/diarrhea started. So, off to the emergency all night vet clinic. $$$$$$




After several tests/ labs/ exams $$$$$$$$$ that night it was determined that he was indeed showing effects of the plant. But, he also tested + for parvo. Which in itself is a deadly canine virus. It wasn't looking good. They were devastated as was I ! We stayed in contact 24/7 for the next few days. He was very very very sick. Vomiting/diarrhea / and almost inability to walk, drink fluids or focus. He spent that night in the "hospital" $$$$$$$ and by Sunday night it was still looking bad. Daily trips to the vet for fluids, etc were needed for him to survive. $$$$$$$$ I spoke with her Sunday night about 5:30 and it didn't sound like he was going to pull through. The kids were starting school the next day and she is getting ready to go back to her MDO job at church and hadn't had time to work in her room. What would happen if he died the morning the kids went back to school? They would be heartbroken! She was in tears. Which made me in tears. Which made me feel like I couldn't stand it. We discussed how far do you go with treatment? $$$$$$$$ How do you put a price tag on that? $$$$$$$$ We hung up and I just felt helpless. I threw some stuff in a bag and headed to Houston. They had no idea I was coming and it was quite a surprise. Tucker was even glad to see me. As pitiful as he was. We took him back to the vet $$$$$ yesterday. He is showing some signs of improvement. Slowly. Getting him to drink this puppy pedialyte $$$$$ is almost impossible. His appetite is gone. They have been trying to give him Gerber baby food $$$$$$$. They say if they can survive 3 days that the prognosis is pretty good for a recovery. Although he can't finish his vaccinations until he is well. $$$$$ And the parvo vaccination is one of them. This world is a rough place. Getting rougher all the time. But, I can't stand to see children and animals suffer. Even my own children who are not children anymore! God bless the beasts and the children.....for in this world they have no choice.

SCHOOL DAYS are back....

After a long (?) summer all the 'young-uns' in my life are headed back to school next week. New back packs and school supplies are laid out and ready. New clothes are hung in the closet. I remember those exciting few moments until the reality of homework and science fairs were sent home with DUE dates on them! For the second year school will start without me and I am not sad at all.

I'll be looking forward to hearing about everyone's first days and hoping they are good. Just remember about being a good friend, being true to who you are, being honest and being respectful. That's all the advice that Neena has.

I know exactly where I was 12 years ago today. I may not remember where I was last week but I will never forget August 18th. This was the day that I learned how DEEP a Neena's love goes. Unbelievable. It is amazing how much I love being his Neena. He makes me happy. He makes me proud. He makes me feel young again. He makes me feel special. He is such an example to his sister and his cousins. He is an exceptional young man. Everything he does, he does it 110%. Happy Birthday ROOSTER. You know how special you are to Paps and I and how very much we love you. Don't ever forget that!

* Don't mind the mess from painting in the background. Just as we were nearing completion...Paps feel off the top of a 6 foot ladder so painting has stopped for now.

I've said it before. Some things just bear repeating. I was born to be a mother. I am not happy unless my nest is full of commotion and my feathers are all ruffled from love. The problem with living in BIG old Texas is that it is hard to get everyone in the nest at the same time. Seriously though, on Friday another one of those WILD August birthdays rolled around in our family. It was JD's birthday and I wasn't there ( on the other side of Texas ) to share cake with her.....I actually don't know if we have ever actually been together on her real birthday but we celebrated it together in San Antonio a few weeks ago with a shopping trip and lots of fun. I didn't actually "give real birth" to her. She is my daughter in law. But, I detest that title. To me it just conjures up all kinds of evil and wicked visions of in-law jokes and people that are forced to be family. I am happy to say that is not the case with my in law children. Not my sons or daughter. I totally and absolutely adore and love them all. Having JD in my life just sort of completed that circle of happiness for our family. I am sure the first time she met me she thought, HEAVEN HELP ME! But, how could she have known that I had been praying for her all of her life. I never knew she existed in reality until 5 years ago. I never saw that beautiful face or heard her contagious laugh. I had never even really imagined how beautiful a bride she would be as she took my son's hand. I hadn't really realized how I would feel when I stood outside that delivery room door and waited to hear that she was OK and my tiny princess was safely here. I had never snuggled on the couch with her and watched a million episodes of GILMORE GIRLS in our pajamas. I had never talked and talked and talked with her. I didn't know her cell phone by memory or have it on my speed dial. I didn't talk to her almost everyday. My other daughters didn't know that they would be getting another bestest friend. And I didn't either. At least not yet. But, I knew she was out there somewhere. I knew the girl that I wanted to love my son and be my daughter was finding her way to us. She is the last piece of the puzzle for our family tree. Now that I have her, she has blessed me beyond measure. She has given me a beautiful granddaughter. She is the most awesome wife and mother. She knows that my door is always open. I'll always switch over to take her call. I'll never EVER betray her confidences or our talks. I'll always be her listening ear or her shoulder to lean on. I'll always try to give my advice ONLY when asked for. I'll never reject her advice to me. I'll always take her advice on books and movies! I'll never ever take her for granted or wish she was "like someone else". I love her just like she was, is and always will be. My son's wife. My daughter in love. Happy Birthday Jennifer Dawn. I LOVE YOU!

It's all in a word, isn't it? The last few months Mother and I along with my sisters have been going through and organizing (?) things at their house. We found boxes of cards and letters that she saved. Most of which there could be no price tag on them! Letters from Daddy during WWII while he was away, cards from sisters and family members but mostly cards ( homemade ) that Jody, Kathy and I had made when we were small. Or maybe before Hallmark! Anyway. Maybe it is just our family but we save sentimental stuff! Look over on Heather's blog from yesterday and tell me she'll throw this away! I think NOT. Another generation of note writers. I always think I am the worst saver of "stuff" , but maybe not. I opened my Bible last night at church and stuck in the crevice was a note from Heather scrawled in preK handwriting. When the kids were young and we would quarrel ( WHAT! Us quarrel? ) we had a routine that we would stop the yelling ( WHAT? Us yell? ) and correspond the rest of the misunderstanding by note/letter. I have had many notes/letters shoved under my door and taped on my mirror. I have saved many notes, cards, and letters from all my kids. Some are in boxes, some are on display shelves and some are framed but most of them are saved in my heart.

As with everything I attempt and I mean EVERYTHING it ends up being way more than I had initially planned. I have really do have such good intentions. I pick the best paints and always buy GOOD brushes. That paint color is Toffee Crunch and it's on the walls. Color is VERY IMPORTANT. But my good intentions, they never seem to turn out that way. And this curse drivels down into all aspects of my life. Not just home projects. As noted a few days ago, I began a massive indoor painting project that had been needed to be done for Y.E.A.R.S. So far, the prepping I( the most important part of the project has gone well. I have taped and taped and taped. The paint cans I try to so carefully pour from and seal back up start looking like these. PAINT is everywhere. But, I am actually getting very good at prepping. Then when the actual painting starts is when the nightmare starts. I am a maniac. No matter how many times I gently wipe my brush into the bucket or re roll my rolller to get off excess I still have about 30 extra pounds of paint that go flying all over. This project was a 2 coater too. I've had to stop to do some second coats on the baseboards and I ran out of paint for the main color. I figured that I painted 8 1/2 hours on Friday and 11 hours on Saturday. My sweet daughters finished up a few door facings and "furdowns" over the windows for me. But, I rested Sunday, Monday and today. Mainly because I ran out of paint but actually because even when I stand on the tip top of the ladder I still cannot reach the vaulted corners. So, as soon as hubby takes pity on me. (? Not looking good ) I'll finish. I have one more massive piece of furniture to move and I'll be done. There are somethings I just can't do dang it.! So, I'm off to paint myself into a corner until I get help. And it better come soon. Otherwise, I'm in this corner for a long time. And I may start liking it.

Don't ask me how or where it came from but my missing post returned. Go figure that one out and get back to me.

In other news, I took a little trip to Home Depot today because I decided we need to paint our house. Especially, the front room, den, kitchen area and master bedroom. I pretty much have the other side of the house looking good. So, here it is at 12:30 and I am just washing up brushes and cleaning up my mess only to start again tomorrow. This is going to take at least 1 or 2 weeks because I am doing it right and trying not to make too big a mess ( I'm a known maniac with a paint brush!) . However, I haven't seen hubby since we got back. Maybe he thinks he isn't up for this type of work. OH OH I have news for him in the morning. We are going to paint paint till the sun goes down. It is looking pretty good so far. HGTV is responsible again. I have totally planned this remake in my mind several times. It's moving the furniture that I hate and the reason it has taken me so long to get started. The secret I think to painting is all the prep work... Then when I finish the painting I am starting ripping up carpet. One room at a time. We'll see how far I get! Pray for me though. This is important to me and I won't to be able to use my house and be a happy hostess! Where are all my big strong nephews and son that would do anything for me. Yeah right! I'll get it done , don't worry. But, if you are looking for work, give me a call.

Yes, I am on my soap box. It takes forever for me to get a blog post just like I like it. Even then sometimes, I just have to walk away and leave it as is. On the 5th, I did a post about family birthdays. It is partially still there. About an hour after I posted it, I went back and added a part about my own daughter's birthday. I had 2 additional comments after that. Last night I got on, and the whole edited version was gone along with my comments. I know that "blogger" is having some issues and it's just not me but it still drives me crazy. Is anyone else having blogger issues?

BIRTHDAYS. This is the month for most of our family birthdays. Seriously. Every week we have one, two or three celebrating! Yesterday began the insanity with my son-in-love Troy's birthday. Followed closely today with my dear daughter Ashley's. Then tomorrow is my nephew, Matt's. Next week on the 11th we will be honoring my Daddy's 86th. Followed close behind on the 15th with daughter-in-love JD's. Then, the day we have been waiting for on the 18th....my "baby" Rooster's birthday. He'll be 12 and I can NOT believe it. On the 28th JorJor ( or Nunya, as Reese calls her ) will be celebrating. Isn't that crazy?

On one of the most memorable nights in my life, the 5th though, Laura Ashley came into our lives. Just as loud and unscheduled as she always is and stealing the hearts of everyone along the way. Always having to make an entrance and throwing plans out of the way, that's my girl. We were down to the last day of the annual VBS in our little congregation. I was exhausted. The grand finale program was the next day. Little did I know I would be having my own ceremony! About 6 of the younger moms ( me, then! ) had picked up the week's program and were all teaching classes, doing the crafts and running the JOYBUS to pick up kids all over town. It wasn't unusual to have over 100 just for one day. We were still worshipping in our little "almost one room" church with the wooden floors and pews. The one where you had to lift up the floor under the preacher to get to the baptistry. Remember? Kids and adults were everywhere because there was no where else to go along that little street. Trying to get everyone out of the parking lot, the bus loaded, and everyone gone for the day. One more day of VBS to go! If you know me, you know that VBS is not on of my favorite activities! I am not sure why because I feel like it is an important one. Anyway, I was the one waddling around in the August heat carrying 28 pounds that I hadn't seen since I had done this before in 1973. Hot, cranky, fat, uncomfortable, achy and hungry. I was ready for it to be over. As usual, I went home with my mom so I could lie down and she would watch Heather. I was spoiled like that. Still am. Later in the afternoon I knew that I was feeling fatter, more uncomfortable and more achy than usual. Sure enough, all those trips to the bathroom confirmed there was no stopping now. My water had broken. We called the hubster to tell him to stay at work ( it was on the way to the hospital ) and that Mom Heather and I, would be "flying" by to get him. The plan was that I would pick him up and we'd proceed on and Heather and Mom would ride back in his vehicle and come into Austin later. Mother drove of course and flying wasn't an exaggeration. Sure enough it wasn't a false trip. Around 7PM my favorite OB stopped by to tell me I had just interrupted his supper of home fried chicken and potatoes. Too bad, I said. We had important work to do here. And we did. Not the birthing part but the baby part. I couldn't wait to meet the new addition to our family. We didn't know the girl/boy part back in the 70's. So, it was just another suprise when the black haired/ black eyed baby girl came into our lives. Along with a most proud little blonde haired sister! To say she was an added blessing is an absolute truth. I loved the idea of two girls to play with! To say she changed our lives is an understatement. We have not had a dull day since 1976. And we have never had so much fun. Happy Birthday Ashley! I love you.

I wish they were all close enough so that we could have a huge cake. But, it might be a fire hazard if we added up all the years of candles. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY PRECIOUS FAMILY BIRTHDAY HONOREES!