Gettin' my "Martha" on...

Today was a very Martha Stewart day for me.  In addition to totally ROCKING the whole mum thing for Max and his date (see post below), I also managed to create two rather sweet fall floral bouquets!  Feast your eyes upon these!

This one sits on the dining room table.  

This one is in the front entryway.  

I must say that I am rather proud of both of them!  Fall is in the air!  Or at least...that's what they are telling us!  Here's hoping that throwing out some fallish design will help to bring on the fall temps!  

Oh!  And here are a few other shots from recent days!  

Double knock out rose in my flower garden.

The Mom Did GOOD!!!!!

FINALLY!!!   The suspense is over!  I picked up Max's mum for Mattie today in Fort Worth.  I had to drive ON the big roads (which totally freaks me out) and it was a long way to go ON the big roads...but SO worth it when I laid eyes on the mum!  I've been eyeing them all over town this week.  You can get them at the grocery stores, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc.  There have been endless conversations about town and all kinds of advice and information given about these things.  I was really worried.  The mums I saw at Hobby Lobby, which were VERY plain and simple started at $75 and went up.  And by up, I mean WAY up!!!!  Holy cow!  I started to worry.  Like sweat worry...a LOT.  I started thinking...what if I go to pick it up and it's not good?  There's no time!  There's no way to order another from someone else because she has to have it TOMORROW!!!!  What if it's okay...but not GREAT and the girl is not impressed at all...or worse...hates it?!  I was in a near panic by the time I left the house this morning.  But then...I got there...and there it was...GORGEOUS and HUGE and AMAZING!!!  This lady really outdid herself!  I was blown away by the details!  I was downright giddy driving myself home!!!  And Max was equally happy about it.  He was so pleased with the way it turned out.  All the boys have been comparing mums...and it appears as though Max might have just come up with the best one.  Or, rather...Max's mom!  We delivered the mum tonight to Mattie and got to meet her and her family.  She is one of the most delightful young ladies I have ever met!  Just lovely.  Sweet, beautiful, talented, polite.  She has a smile that lights up a room and is just precious.  I am really so pleasantly surprised by Max's pick.  I think she's just charming!  This one definitely gets the mom seal of approval!!!   And so...without further ado....HERE are the long awaited mum pictures!  Here's the full length view!

 The top piece with bear dressed in swimsuit.  The Freshman star has a light behind it that flashes really bright...VERY cool!

 Some of the details...their names, Homecoming 2010, swim medallions, good luck charms, rabbits feet, etc.

 The finishing tail piece!  It was really so pretty in person!

 Max proudly showing off his token of Texan affection!

Just to give a little different perspective, Clara picked it up!  It's as big as she is!!!

And there you have it!  Our first mum season!  Our first adventure into Texas homecoming!  Fun, fun, fun!!!!  Good luck Grapevine High!!!  GO MUSTANGS!!!!

On a Mission for a MUM!!!

I have been frantically researching mums for the past 24 hours!  I've been shocked to find out how expensive they are.  Max and I came across an ad last night on Craig's list and I ended up calling the lady today, despite Max's initial reaction of "I'd stay away from the Craig's list ad people".  The lady was FANTASTIC and her mums were WAY cheaper than anyone else's with WAY more stuff in them!!!!  Stuff in them you might ask?  Oh yes...mums should have lots and lots of stuff.  And stuff this mum shall have!  Specifically, Max's date will be receiving a 7 1/2 inch premium single mum, which shall have 4 jingle bells and 4 cow bells (apparently, it is not enough to just be really big.  A good mum is also very loud!), a large Homecoming ribbon banner, ribbon banners with both Max and Mattie's name on them, a triple braided "love chain", bubblegum, blow pops, 10 to 12 trinkets, metallic garland, honeycomb ribbons, feather boa, a teddy bear IN a swimsuit (she is hoping and thinking) AND....are you ready for this?????  Flashing strobe lights!  That's right!  It will all light up!  The best news of all is that I will not be required to harvest and sell off any of my vital organs to pay for this.  When I first started digging into this subject, and came across starting prices of $50 and UP I was horrified and could not believe it.  Now that I know just how high and crazy expensive these things can go, I am SOOOO happy and relieved to have been able to order mine for JUST $60!!!  I'm like dancing over the moon happy!!!!  Funny how quickly your perspective can change over the course of just a few hours!   And so....I am going to bed OH so happy tonight over this mum thing!  I can't WAIT to pick it up this week!!!!  Pictures SOON!!!!

Texan Tokens of Affection

Well, I must say...Texas is just full of surprises.  I mean...it's been a real adventure and quite a learning curve.  They just DO things differently here in Texas.  Take for instance, homecoming.  Where I went to high school, homecoming was just another fun dance.  I mean...it was pretty special if you were on the homecoming court for sure...but for the rest of the world, it was just another fun dance, a chance to wear a pretty dress and have a corsage.  People were hyped up about the football game, of course, but we always knew we'd win on homecoming night.  But in Texas...homecoming is HUGE!  This I am learning hour by hour. Yesterday, Max announced that he had asked a certain young lady from his swim team to Homecoming.  My initial thought was..."oh, how sweet."  My most recent thoughts have been more along the lines of "Oh shit...what have you done?!".  Why you ask?  Well...because I now live in Texas.  That's why.  And Texas has it's own little traditions.  One of them being...homecoming mums.  Homecoming mums you ask?  No...I am not talking about pots of yellow and purple and orange fall mums at Home Depot.  I am talking about the Texas tradition of Homecoming Mums....namely...THESE...

What the heck are those you ask?  Here is another example of his and her mums....

THESE are the sacred Homecoming mums.  And apparently, Max is to give one to this young lady because he asked her to Homecoming.  They consist of anywhere between one and three mums...sometimes real, sometimes silk.  There are various ribbons, and ribbon braids and teddy bears, bells, whistles, trinkets and treasures on these things.  His and her names go on the ribbons and as I understand it...if there is a stuffed animal...then that's just golden.  If your stuffed animal is wearing a team sports uniform...well then....double score!  It's a LOT of ribbon and trinket and...well, stuff.  And the pricetag...well, just like everything else in Texas...it's just bigger.  They appear to start in the neighborhood of $50.  And can go right on up to $449!!!!!  Are these people for REAL???!!!  Oh yes...I assure you that they are!  If you don't believe me...just google "homecoming mums" on the internet and research it a little yourself.  They are written up in the newspapers and there are ads everywhere.  The price lists can be staggering.  And what is going through my mind, you ask?  Well, for one, I'm thinking...But what if we don't keep her?  What if she just isn't Roberts material?  It's only his first date with her!  That's a huge cash outlay to woo a gal who may or may not be around next week.  Not to mention that said asker, AKA Max is NOT gainfully employed and has NO income with which to purchase said token of wooing.   Then the female side of me says that 'Maybe, just maybe, being asked to this dance is a dream come true for this little gal and regardless of the outcome, the memory of this night and this mum will last forever for her."  I really just do not know what to think of all of this.  I'm still trying to take it all in.  What I do know is this...I have one week to come up with a Texas homecoming mum.  And so as not to shame the Roberts family and my boy...it had better be a doozy!  Wish me luck!

Loved

Yesterday, I celebrated another birthday.  My 39th birthday to be exact.  My little sister was fairly certain that I was turning 40 and called to make sure I wasn't ready to slit my wrists (she can be a bit dramatic at times).  It took a few minutes, but I finally convinced her that I was indeed only turning 39 and NOT the big 4-0.  The day started off just beautifully.  I got all of my little ones off to school on time and without hassle.  Max asked if I'd "like to take him to school" instead of throwing him on the bus.  I agreed that I thought that was a fine idea and dropped him off on my way to the gym (even though the gym is in a completely opposite direction!).  It was a great workout, the best in a good long time to be truthful, mostly thanks to Chris and his wonderful birthday present!!!  Chris gave me a new iPod nano.  And it's SO super totally cool!  I love it, love it, LOVE IT!!!!!!  My other one had been dying a slow and painful death.  The last time I worked out with it, it lasted exactly 19 minutes before it died.  Nothing worse than being only 19 minutes into an hour and a half long sweat session and have your music die!  I've spent the last week or so singing to myself through my workouts.  NOT the same.  Uh uh...no way.  Not even close.  As I get tired toward the end of my workouts, I often just crank up the volume and push through it to the end.  Well, cranking up my own personal voice volume...well, it's just downright embarassing, sounds like a dying animal and is 100% INEFFECTIVE towards my motivation levels!  SOOOOO, having the new nano and a library full of my favorite tunes was AWESOME!!!  After my workout I grabbed a quick shower, threw on my favorite jeans, and headed down to Irving to have lunch with my Chris.  It was the first time I'd ever been invited to see his new office AND the first time we've had lunch together since we moved here.  There was a time, way back when, when we used to have lunch together quite often.  But alas, those days seem to be no more.  Anyway, I got a tour of his office (and it was AMAZINGLY gorgeous!!!!  Holy cow is it a sleek place) and then we headed off to a birthday lunch.  We landed at a Mexican place called La Joya.  It was OH so yummy and a delightful way to spend my lunch hour!  After I dropped off Chris, I headed back home and before I knew it, it was time to get my Clarabelle off the bus and then head out to pick up Max.  After I got back from getting Max, my friend Kyra stopped by and blessed me with the MOST  ADORABLE travel coffee mug EVER!  Coffee is my love language!  And coffee to go is the story of my life!  So it was a perfect gift!  Then after our visit, I dropped my kiddos off at Chris's mom's house and met Kyra and my friend Renee in Southlake for dinner.  We went to the Cheesecake Factory and that was SOME kind yummy!  I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven for sure!  It was a wonderful evening with two amazingly sweet ladies.  As I was pulling out of there to head home, my beach buddies, Sandy and Tish called to wish me a happy birthday.  It was so fun to catch up with them and made me wish I was back on the beach again.  As though my day had not been amazing enough, once I got home and sat down and opened my facebook, I was humbled beyond belief by the sheer volume of birthday wishes and sweet messages.  And as my head hit the pillow last night and the sun was going down on my 39th birthday, I was consumed with such a feeling of being loved and cherished and felt like the most special girl in the whole wide world.  God has been SO good and blessed me with the most amazing people in my life.  Happy Birthday to me!

Sometimes...

Sometimes I miss Tucson so much it hurts.  Tonight is one of those nights.  The times I miss it like that are as random as the wind.  I'll go weeks; MONTHS, and be totally fine and content right where I am.  And then something will pop up and I miss being back there so much my heart feels like it will break into pieces.  Tucson is the one place on earth that has always felt like "home" to me.  It took nearly a year after we arrived there to feel it deep in my bones...but I sure did feel it.   Like the desert had always been there..waiting for me.  By the time I hit my one year anniversary in Tucson...I felt as if I had lived there forever.  Or at least...had meant to be living there!  I have now been in Colleyville, Texas for one year and two weeks.  I do not feel as if I have "come home".  No...I feel like...this is just where I am.   Most days, I'm fine with where I am.  Truly, I am.  I've made a few friends here I am rather fond of.  Not many...but a handful that I can count as genuine.  The jury is still out on much of Texas.  The ladies can seem so sweet...but I have this uncanny ability to tell when someone is sweet all the way through...or just donning their sugar coating.  Despite the crazy heat....there are a LOT of coats in Texas.  Why the sudden wave of nostalgia?  Well...I just read a great book, for one.  It's called "The Help" by Kathryn Sprockett...I think.  I mean...it's definitely called "The Help".  Just not 100% sure on the author.  It might be Kathleen...but I think it's Kathryn.  And several of my friends are doing a book discussion group there back in Tucson.  That might sound SO boring to some...but the book is SO darned interesting with so many different sides to it...and if you grew up when I did, where I did, in the family that I did...well, it's relevant on SO many levels.  It's just a fantastic book.   And I am DYING to have a group to discuss it with.  Heck...I'd love to discuss it with ANYONE.  But the group that WILL be discussing it....many of those gals are near and dear to my heart.  So dear...that I found myself online looking at plane tickets tonight.  To be with those ladies...for just one weekend, with all of us in one room...discussing this amazing book....it would be a dream come true...and then I stop and remember that I am the outsider now...I am the one that moved so far away.  I'm still invited...that is MORE than clear.  But no matter what...I am the one now who does not live there....is not right in the thick of it all.  And on a night like tonight....it breaks my heart and I am sadder than sad.  Not because I don't still belong amongst them...I definitely DO.  It's just that it takes a lot of effort and planning and $250 to make the simplest of things, like a book group discussion, happen.  It makes me think of the amazing women God blessed me with while I was in Tucson. I prayed for them.  Begged for them, really.  Moving away from Sarah Jo Clay nearly killed me.  It was if God's own apprentice lived across the street from me and she was SUCH an amazing example of God and Christ and faith in action.  I was so sad to have only had a few short months in her presence.  I just know I could have learned SO much from her.  As a mother, as a leader, as a teacher.  She was amazing.  But when we landed in the desert and I felt SO alone, I prayed and prayed that God would raise us a group of Christian women for me.  And He DID!  He blessed me with more amazing women then I could hope for.  Lee, and Mary.  Angelica and Catherine.  Jenny and Karen.  And so many more that I could never name them all.  There were so many amazing Christian women who crossed my path.  I was blessed and just felt wrapped up in God's love and care.  We had an amazing bible study that met each week in my home.  The blessings that came from that  group...amazing!  When we found out we were moving to Dallas, I wasn't worried.  I thought...here we are, moving back into the bible belt...how great is THAT?!  But it hasn't been the same.  God HAS provided me with some sweet and strong and amazing women.  But there are many, many apples to sort through here in the state of Texas.  Many wolves in sheeps clothing.  People are simply not as "real" and genuine here as what I found in Arizona.  There is a lot of pretention....a lot of airs....a lot of judging and acting so as not to be judged.  It's disheartening.   For the most part...I feel like the ladies I count as friends are about as real as real gets here in Texas.  But...I'm still trying to figure many of them out.  I may or may not figure them out.  Who knows?!  What I do know, is that tonight...one year and two weeks after my arrival in Texas, I miss Tucson like I've rarely, if ever missed anything.  I miss my friends;  the fact that they are avid readers; that they are bright and intelligent and willing to be genuine and share themselves and their honest thoughts on a book who's subject matter could be SO controversial.  I just miss Tucson tonight.  Like so many other nights.  I'm okay with Texas.  For the most part.  But sometimes....

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

I am officially poor now.  Like...TOTALLY and completely poor.  Going back to school has cost a fortune...and not a small one I might add.    The cost of going back to school SO FAR has been $1046.29. And we are SO not done yet.  There is still the Back to the Pool pasta event tomorrow night that involves joining the booster club ($25 at the lowest level), buying "spirit wear", providing a CASE of snickers bars and a CASE of Pepsis and a CASE of waters.  Then there is "GreenBack night" at Clara's school where there is a "direct giving" campaign going on.  Instead of doing fundraisers like selling gift wrap and cookie dough, they are just asking the parents to give cash straight up.  They are hoping to get $65 per family.  We all hope for something though, don't we?  Then there is Green Back night at Max's school...same hopes for yet another $65...different school.  I've already given a chunk of change at Ben's school.  It seems there is a never ending drain right now on the back to school expenses.  They all want and need money for something.  As Chris pointed out tonight, we pay a HEFTY property tax here in Texas.  It is not chump change and a great deal of that goes directly to the schools.  It's frustrating to get hit from a million different directions by all the expenses.  I can only imagine how hard this is hitting families who are financially struggling.

In addition to being broke now...I got a homework assignment from Ben's teacher.  Like a real live assignment.  Not just a form to fill out and return.  An actual thinking and writing and being creative assignment.  I was SO not excited about that.  I'm probably the ONLY mom who was not excited about it. I went to orientation last night at Ben's school and he has his gifted classes the last three periods of the day...all three classes with the same teacher.  It was obvious to me VERY quickly that one of these moms amongst the gifted parents is NOT like the others.  I'm pretty sure it's ME!  Uggggh!  I think those parents are crazy!!!  The teacher was telling us about this word assignment the kids will have every week and half the parents were already WAY over it and had a million questions about the extra practice website and how to record this and that and get on the scoreboard, etc.  It was crazy!  They were all over the homework and assignments and every freaking extra website even remotely mentioned.  I don't even know how they KNEW about those websites, because I sure don't!  And here I've been patting myself on the back if I get three kids out the door on time each morning with their books, lunches and deodorant under their arm pits!  Obviously, I am WAY behind the curve!  I have NOT explored these "extra" websites.  I haven't even committed the teacher's own website to memory yet.  In the next breath the teacher was telling us how our kids need to sit for the SAT and ACT this fall.  And I'm like...as in the college entrance ACT and SAT tests?  They need to sit for those NOW?  In the SEVENTH GRADE????????????????  Are you even KIDDING me?!  Man...7th grade has SERIOUSLY changed since I was there.  So not only am I totally slacking in the get on board with 100 extra practice websites, apparently I am neglecting the whole tour the college campus circuit with your seventh grader gig as well.  I suppose to their way of thinking, our Max is surely a lost cause.  He is a freshman...in high school...and has never sat for the ACT or SAT (GASP!!!!).  I know...the horror of it.  I'm surprised the Texas CPS hasn't come and hauled our kids away since they obviously belong to unfit parents.  To say that I left school last night feeling a bit defeated in the parenting department would be an understatement.  Of course...I've had a night to sleep on it and now I'm just plain fired up.  I'm fired up that the schools, because my child has a "gifted" label are fast forwarding him through his childhood and catapulting him straight to college level stress!  I'm fired up that they think that gifted automatically translates to highly motivated, super overachieving and needs triple the work of all the other kids!  They don't need triple the work.  They need DIFFERENT work. Work on a different level.  Work that challenges them and their need to be allowed to think outside the box.  I'm fired up and mad that they are shoving college entrance exams at my kid who hasn't even hit puberty yet.  He's not thinking past what he's having for dinner tonight...let alone college.  And I'm fired up that the teacher was presumptuous enough to assume I, as a parent of a gifted child have either A) the time B) the energy or C) the interest in being forced to write a poem about their child.  I'm half crazy right now running from orientation to orientation, from volunteer training to curriculum nights.  Juggling three kids in three different schools, plus swim team, plus dance class, plus gymnastics and now water polo.  The LAST thing I want to do is write some poem for a "homework assignment" at a school where I am most certainly NOT a student and get no grades for.  Can you tell I'm tired and stretched a bit thin these days?!  Grrrrr.  Just so you know...I wrote the stupid poem already.  I will probably sit on it and chew on it for a bit though because those gifted moms are vicious and crazy over achievers...they probably have big, huge gifted words the likes of which I have never heard before.  The teacher would probably take one look at my poem and immediately jump to the conclusion that Ben MUST be adopted and think how sad it is that his obviously gifted parents had to give him up to such simpletons like myself!  Yeah....definitely planning to spruce up the poem!

That's about all the happenings here in the Lonestar State.   We are the tired, the poor, the weary...the fired up.  yeah...that about sums it all up!