tifi

So this school thing is actually work! Imagine that! After being thrown off almost a week due to an error made by the school, I am now playing catch up trying to get two weeks worth of work done before next Tuesday. I will probably be up till O Dark 30 Monday night getting it done, but s’ok. I work best under pressure. Some people pace themselves and do a bit at a time but why would I want to do that? That would make sense!

The kids’ school year is winding down and seems to be drama free, so I’m happy about that. It has gotten stupid Texas hot the past few days and so I spend my time indoors between sun-up and well, bedtime. If I must go out, I scurry from air conditioned car to air conditioned building and back. Like I’ve said before, I am a delicate flower, not made for heat. I had heat stroke last year, and even fainted from the heat as a child.

My kids are currently banned from taking out library books due to the whopping fine I recently had to pay for a lost book. It was either that or go to court as not paying fines is considered a misdemeanor here. I’m not kidding. I bet the library ban goes out the window once school lets out…or maybe remembering those fines will keep the ban in check.
Anyway, I have reading to do, so I better get to it!

There hasn’t been a very good bluebonnet season near me this year, but that didn’t prevent us from going to the field closest to us last weekend. Note to self: find Girlie’s sandals. She just can’t go out in flip flops again!

We went to see the bluebonnets after a puppet show Saturday. It was a cool adaptation of Cinderella with The Harms Marionettes.

We also had two picnics: one on Friday, one on Sunday with Isabelle in the park. And we played lots of soccer and my team always won. Yay. The kids are off tomorrow and my birthday is Saturday, so this weekend better be even more fun than the last. Or else!

We went on a mini hike the other day at a park nearby. It was wonderful. Bebe was apprehensive at first, but was soon trying to skip rocks and catch tadpoles with his siblings. I “entertained” everyone with tales of growing up as a kid who spent about 75% of her time in the park, community garden, and botanic garden. This was my kids’ first time being out in nature this way and I was a little afraid for them. I don’t know why, b/c kids are naturals when it comes to hopping rocks, trying to avoid sliding in the mud, and playing in the woods. We talked about everything around us: the tadpoles in the water, the falls, the flowers, the dragonflies, everything. They asked if we could move there. We had such a great time, and can’t wait to go back. I had fun, nothing bit me, I didn’t have an allergy attack, and I felt like I was channeling SouleMama, which IMO, is always a good thing.

This waterfall wasn’t big and raging at all. More like adorable.

Me and the kids. I even wore shorts! My husband said he had never seen me wear shorts before.

Girlie’s favorite thing to do was walk in the water.

DH fashioned walking sticks for all three kids.

The closer you go to the falls, the clearer the water became. The kids wanted to drink it. Yea, um, no.

Look, chalk ridges! Imagine that.

Mama’s little mountain goat. I like her “I am Girlie, hear me roar” pose.

Wildflowers are in my top 5 favorite things I like about Texas in the spring.

I just love old houses, so I was really happy when I found oldhouses.com today while browsing another site. You can view homes by state or style, and probably spend hours drooling at the pics. My favorite style, I think, is Georgian Colonial. I love the symmetry of that style b/c one of my quirks is having things be even and/or balanced. One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is stalk drive through the historical district of a nearby town and look at all the beautiful houses. And the people don’t even mind. Seriously. They wave at you while you creep past their driveway. Ah, Texas.

Because Bebe’s smock and chair cost less than a “Texas sized” Strawberry limeade from Dairy Queen.

Also, my Redbud finally started blooming!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Shorts, umbrellas, parkas, mittens, sandals: all items we’ve needed to wear one day or another in the past week. We’ve had spring, summer, fall, and winter in the past seven days. It even snowed last Friday. Nuts. Oh, I got that job, but I’m not going to take it. Long story short, it’s just not a good fit for my life. I had a meeting for my group yesterday, and it was quite disappointing (only one other person came). I’m the sole person responsible for it right now, and it takes up a fair amount of time, and for what results? Hopefully, things will improve with time. Anyway, pics…

Iz. She probably thought I had a treat for her or something, lol.

Spirit, a.k.a Green Dog. We have a love/hate relationship. He loves me, I hate him, heh.

Girlie loves to paint. She told me this was the two of us, and I was holding a tennis racquet. Otay.

The kiddos in our “snow”, lol.

I found Girlie wearing my cardigan and we decided to kick it up a notch, hehe. The suitcases behind her hold fabric. The one with the stickers is my fav, and I got it for $1!

This is my ninth winter in Texas, and without fail, I am sure the city will be ill prepared for the sleet that’s already fallen a bit today. I didn’t mind so much in the past that the roads were never really cleared or prepared, but that was when I had really little kids who didn’t go to school (and my husband used to most widely traveled road to get to work). This was also before my husband skidded off a road while driving, slid down an incline and ended up in a ditch about 60 feet from the road about this time last year. He had to kick out the back window and crawl out. It was pure luck that someone saw the accident and called 911, b/c the wreck was otherwise not visible from the road. Our truck was totaled, and everyone who has seen the site, including me, think it’s a miracle that he survived. So now when I hear wintry weather in our forecast, I cringe. And I wish I prayed. Because I would certainly be praying for everyone to make it safely to their destination today.

…and it was fun.

Darlin’: Friday was Crazy Hat Day at the kids’ school. Bebe got wind of it and of course, wanted to don his own “crazy hat”.

Dancing: We went to our favorite local park Saturday night and there was a concert going on! A little bit of country, a little kids music, a little R&B. It was cool.

Dots on my dress: I spent a good part of Saturday watching the kids ride, skate, and run on our block. They even let me sit down sometimes. This is me sitting.

Daring: I challenged myself to spend less time online this weekend so I could get more done around the house. And I did it!

Dana Milena: That’s the name of Girlie’s first (new) cabbage patch doll. (A gift from her god/dess mother)

Dragged her: That’s what Teresa claimed I did in order to get her to go to the little old lady thrift shop last week. I didn’t see her complaining when she got 5 books for Tristan for 50 cents. (Oh, we must organize game night Reesie, the kids are asking.)

Dream: I had the strangest one. I wanted to participate in some kind of highbrow art show and went to audition with my friend who was a painter. IRL, this friend doesn’t paint…and died two years ago. Anyway, her art was accepted into the show and all I had with me were some hokey embroidered onesies. The girls giving the audition tried to let me down gently by telling me that maybe I should sell my stuff at a craft bazaar. Ouch. I think I know why I had this dream though. I’d really like to step my handbag sewing up and make more structured bags. Learn proper handbag construction, etc. BUT, I am also afraid to try something new and fail. It’s kind of silly as it’s only fabric, thread and handwork, but there you have it. :-/

No, it’s not really here yet in Texas. But I like to pretend. This is my latest WIP. A scarf done in Misti Chunky Alpaca. This yarn has been a few things, but I don’t think it’ll be ripped back this time. This is actually the pattern that came on the label. I found it on ravelry. The acorns, leaves, and pinecones are from the nature walk Bebe and I took around the neighborhood. It’s so wonderful to just be able to walk in the morning and not feel like you’ll melt b/c of the heat. Ah, Texas. :-/