Just. Breathe.

This is the house I grew up in. It was yellow back then. I made a quick trip to my momma's house today for a very important reason - tomorrow is her birthday. I surprised her today when I showed up on her porch with a flower delivery...rang the bell, then appeared behind the bouquet when she answered. [We'll save the "what are you doing answering the door when you can't see who it is?" discussion for later. I watch too much Criminal Minds.] We went shopping at a little boutique in Waco where they sell lovely candles, flavored olive oils, and lots of stuff I don't need.  Stop by if you're ever in town. It's a happy place.  Then we went to lunch, at a place whose name Mom couldn't remember. Yes, seriously. It's "that little place in the shopping center...I'll know it when we get there." For the record, the name is Taqueria #9 on Valley Mills. And it was definitely tasty. My sweet Momma Shrimp, beef, and chicken fa...

We've officially begun the crazy part of the year. I always think April/May is when I can't catch up, but then October hits and I remember those earlier months fondly. Just a sampling of what I've been doing the last three weeks: Volunteering at a cancer fundraiser: First cold Saturday this year - and we're outside all day. Spending a morning with my girl getting her senior pictures made (and spending hours before that picking out clothes for it!): They all turned out so great, but this is my favorite. Prepping for the same senior's 18th birthday party: Thank you, Pinterest, for making me think I HAD to make these! (That's minion duct tape on the left one.) Popcorn bar to go with the pizza -- I refused to cook. Dealing with this, two days before her birthday: She's fine. The car is at the hospital. The other driver's car was toast. This little guy held up surprisingly well. The party itself was a hoot. The photo booth was a hit...

June ended on a high note -- 80th birthday party for my sweet mother-in-law. It would be the first real birthday party she'd ever had. No pressure. The Players : My sister-in-law Sharon (husband's sister), sister-in-law Kathy (brother-in-law's wife), and me. The guest of honor is Barbara. The Plan: We started planning in April, and I had one condition: I couldn't do the food from three hours away. They both live locally to Barbara, so they were forced convinced that they could do the food part. I'd handle the decorations and serving details. The Menu : After discussion, we decided on cupcakes. There was some thought given to having a chocolate fountain, until we realized how big a mess it can be. So cupcakes, nuts, mints, tea, water and punch was the final menu.  The Decor : Pinterest to the rescue, as usual. I wanted something simple to dress up the church's fellowship hall. Six foot tables, folding chairs, kitchen area right there...this wasn't go...

I'd started a completely different posting, ran into photo issues, and just gave it up for now. Maybe next time. In the last two weeks, we've had three birthdays in our house. My baby girl turned 17. S E V E N T E E N. How on earth did that happen? THIS is my baby. And yet, somehow this child is driving, working, making great grades, making my life joyful just by being in it... Ten days after that, I have a birthday. It's very easy to remember my own age, because, while I may forget many things, I always remember my age when she was born. And that's enough about that. And Halloween would have been our son's 28th birthday. It's such a weird time of year -- celebrate, celebrate, Halloween parties, and then the memories are just right there. This is the tenth Halloween/birthday since we lost him, and some years it just seems so much more tender than others. I can't really get into Halloween decorating - it just feels rude somehow. Anyone who has l...

Yesterday was my sister's birthday. I actually mailed her card on time, at least if the Post Office is still working on Saturdays. I just wanted to let her know I'm glad she was born. She's older than me by seven years. That means for a very long time we had pretty much nothing in common. I was just the kid she had to keep an eye on when she was in middle school, and I talked too much (shocking, I know). I was in elementary school when she got married, and in junior high when she had her first child. [That was cool, though, because I got to be an aunt before all my friends.] By the time I graduated high school, she had three kids, a husband, a house...and I went off to college. At some point in college, that adage about age differences mattering less as you get older really became true. Her marriage ended and she moved back to our hometown, while I was the one away. Within a few years, I was married and a mom to two boys. She married a wonderful man exactly one month af...