YEE-HAW

Riley was so excited to go off to pre-school today.  She got to get out her bright pink cowboy boots with a little bling on them and dust off her pink cowgirl hat and prance on over to WESTERN day at school.  

They sent a note home the week before and said that it was optional...and only if the kids had something at home to wear.  I just laughed...you know we have cowgirl stuff to wear...I just had to decide how much to let her wear.  Boots...hat...bandana...praire skirt...etc.

But I didn't want her to look to backwards country...so I whipped up this skirt to go with the outfit...That is some wild and funky cowgirl skirt.  But I loved making it...it only took 4+ hours to make...and I thought I was a good seamstress...but I wanted it to turn out perfect...of course there are flaws...but who cares

Now I am whipping one up for Reagan since she begged for one just as bright.  You have got to

 check out this fabric line from Heather Bailey...to0 cute.

How much is too much

So I went to a scrapbook convention. Okay stop laughing all you non-scrappers. I really wanted to go. Of course I went by myself. No BBF Jenny to drag around. But I did plenty of damage by myself. I had to buy 2 totes to help carry the bounty...but only half way through the show...my shoulders couldn't take it anymore. So did I go home....NO WAY!

I found a vendor selling a suitcase. Yes, I said a suitcase. Full size even. It is darling. Black with pink crowns all over. I convinced myself it was for Reagan since she doesn't have a cute suitcase like her big sister. But truthfully it really was to haul the excess. With those deals who could resist.

Here are some of my favorite finds. Look at this darling album. I figure I will use it as a family album. It even has 12x6 pages you can insert.

I also love this paper from Rusty Pickle. My not so shy kid is going to be a pink pirate for Halloween...look forward to those pics.

Tons of Halloween papers, ribbons and embellishments. I have Halloween on the brain. It is more than a month away but I am planning a big WITCHES bash for my littlest witch's birthday. Anybody got any good witch games to play and no we are not going to cast a spell on anyone. But I have to stick to the theme...little witches.

SO that is what I did this weekend. How fun.

GOD BLESS TEXAS

I have always liked that song...but I truly mean it today. My thoughts have been on my dear family and friends who are going to get slammed by IKE. Being a native Houstonian, I have been through a few hurricanes...they were always FUN as kids. We got to miss school and wait for the storm. We watched anxiously inside our houses and couldn't believe how far trees could bend and touch the ground. I loved watching the big fat slanty rain pounding our home. Then we would wait for the EYE of the storm and everybody would run outside and survey all the damage. We would run and play in all the water rushing down the streets...I can even remember some boogie boards being dragged out in Kingwood. Then as the eye passed and the 2nd part of the hurricane hit...we would say our goodbyes and rush inside to watch the next set of destruction. I remember sleeping in a little closet under our stairs when ALICIA blew through in the 80's.
BUT now that I have my own family to protect I know realize how scary it must be...watching this storm which is large as the Gulf of Mexico barreling toward your home. I have been anxious for you.
Our family prayed for each our dear TEXAS family friends and neighbors. We pray that the precautions that you have made will sustain you through what ever lies ahead...wind, rain, flooding. loss of power for days. May you all be spared any serious destruction. I watched hubbys family home take on 2-3 feet of water back in 1994...I know the devastation it can cause. May you stay safe and warm inside of your homes.
Wish I was there with you to weather the storm as you have all helped me weather the "storms" of my life. Know that your Utah friends are pulling for you. HUGS.

Our Casa

ok...ok....here are a few pics the inside of our home. Those who saw ours in TX would not believe how different my dwellings are here in Utah. My old tuscan villa decor does NOT work here. No more floral arrangements in every room...no italian roosters living here...tons less nick nacks...no big tapestry rugs and wall hangings...no floral drapes with 3 rows of fringe...no stacks of pillows falling off every couch and chair...no set of HUGE silver candleabras greeting you as you walked in.

Things are more streamlined. I got my inspiration for the family room from my beloved Anthropologie table cloth. Who would have thought I would have gone so funky and bright...but quite frankly it was either I had to brighten up my house or go get the biggest bottle of depression pills I could find. So shopping won out !!

So here are a few of my favorite things. Ok so these are still roosters...but they are nothing like the ones you would find waking up the farm at sunrise...these are much funkier and they make me smile. Hubby still can't figure out why I like them. These sit proudly on one of the only 3 cabinets I have in this house. YES I did say 3. So you say "Where is all of my 10 set of dishes...6 sets of glasses...8 sets of chargers...15 Nordic ware cake pans??? Well I have learned to live with less. I had to part with alot of my beloved things. First I tried pawning them off on poor friends and family. Eventually DI and Goodwill loved my dropoff.

This is a new welcome sign my sister in law, Whitney, made me after seeing my new scheme. She makes all kinds of fun and fabulous things. Check her out on etsy...although she doesn't have her plaques up there right now. She sold out and is making more.

My bedroom isn't all that exciting (honey, I am only talking about the decor)..don't want to hurt his feelings you know. I went brown, yellow and cream for spring and summer...but I am making a new ensemble for fall and winter...it will be brown and blue. Dragging my feet because that will require a new color on the wall. Any painters in the group????

Look closely at the transom windows on the top...this is hubbys version of solar shades...our house gets the lovely afternoon sun and it gets so blazing hot our A/C can't keep up...so as I was shopping for a proper solultion like solar shades on the outside...Matt was busy cutting up leftover drywall. I came home and very loudly exclaimed that they had to go...Company was coming within the week.. I was promised they would be painted the wall color and no one could tell...well here we are with fall nipping our toes and still they look like they did 2 months ago. So they are coming down this week and hopefully I can hide them so next summer we get something really done about those windows.

So here is a glimpse of my Utah digs. You will have to come visit to see more. :)

I Miss You..I Miss Your Smile...

Friday Septembe 1st, 2000 is the day I HATE the most. It is where I mark time from. Where everything changed for me. The day my Mason's fight was over. The day I had to switch places with him. Instead of him being in pain...I now was the one in excurating pain. A pain that will last a lifetime.

I never thought I would be posting a Hannah Montana song on my blog...but the first time Madison popped this CD in..and this song...I MISS YOU...came on, I changed my tune. I was trying to wipe away the tears as fast as they were flowing...one because I was driving and needed to see the road..and 2 b/c I didn't want my kids to see my crying to HM.

Mason memories came flooding in and I couldn't keep back the emotion. Mason, "I never wanted you to leave...I wanted you to stay here holding me...I do miss you Mason...I do miss your smile. and Mason I still shed a tear...every once in a while" (try every day.)

Why does it still hurt so much after 8 long years? Maybe because you were our only son. Maybe because I loved you so much more knowing how hard you fought to be here so we could behold your sweet spirit. Maybe because I know that you are counting on Dad and I to make it back to you, in your perfect state, to raise you in the millennium. Father in Heaven chose us for each other for some incredible reason that I can't even comprehend. Why did he bless me to be your mother I will never know....but I also carry a huge responsibility to be in your mother in the next life...and for some reason Heavenly Father knew Dad and I could do it.

So I will press forward with faith even on those days when my heart still feels like it is breaking in two at the thought of enduring the rest of my life with out you. I will try to raise the best sisters I can for you...so there will be no "empty chairs" at our table in Heaven. You still influence them everyday. I overheard Madison talking about you today. She was sharing a very special and sacred experience she had with you. It took my breath away to hear her. SHE LOVES you...as we all do.

You are the face of Heaven to us all. When I think of eternal life, I see complete happiness as we are all reunited as a family. There will be no "till death do you part". Instead I am so grateful for the sealing power of the temple that can bind us together as a "FOREVER FAMILY".

I hope you receive our balloons from all over today. I know Aunt Cindy, who shares this special day with..since it is her birthday into this life and it is your birthday back into the life hereafter, and her boys will be sending you balloons from Dallas. Grandma and Pappa will send off East Texas balloons, You will get Laurens from Austin, and of course ours from Utah. Madison said today " Boy Mason sure is going to have a lot of balloons when he meets us again." I LOVE that thought. It made me smile.

We love you and will never forget our Little Angel smiling down on us, cheering us on. We miss you...we miss your smile...we still shed a tear...every once in a while...WE MISS YOU!!!