Happy Mother's Day

 

Mothers are the gardeners of the human race. ~Anna A. Rogers

 



My Mom is a pretty good gardener. I know she probably doesn't think so (what mother ever thinks they are doing a good enough job?). But she watered us and nurtured us, made sure we were growing in the right direction, made sure we got enough sun to help us bloom.

I just hope she is proud of her garden.

 

A song in our hearts

Those who wish to sing always find a song.  ~Proverb

This is my favorite photo from our recent family vacation. It isn't perfectly posed. None of us are even looking at the camera. It's a candid shot of us singing some random song and dancing on the beach. But it captured how we are together. Always singing and dancing.



YTD

2016, so far.

1. The dishwasher leaked (again) and pretty much destroyed what was left of our already ratched kitchen floor. I am determined to get the floor replaced this year (it WILL be done!).

2. Jeremy's Grandfather passed away.

3. Our older than dirt dryer retired (i.e. stopped drying). Short of having to finish up some already washed laundry at my Grandma's house, this was a small hiccup since we had a new dryer two days later. (Jeremy is still trying to make friends with the new dryer...it doesn't seem to like him)

4. I finally finished my cross stitch that I have been working on for a year.

5. Jeremy and I went to a lyp-synch battle. Us, out on a Thursday night! We are wild and crazy. (Never mind that we were still home and in bed by 10:30)

6. I've discovered the greatness of a good cider.

7. My football team won the superbowl. (My sister still owes me a drink) I'm not sure where my loyalties will lie next year if Payton decides to retire.

8. Jeremy took me to a play. It was a short and funny comedy about dating, mating, and marriage. I'm not sure we've ever been to a play together before (if we have, it was because my sister was in it..oh, did you not know..my sister is wicked talented).

9. I've been stitching up a whole pile of cute burp clothes to give as gifts. It's the season for having babies, apparently.

10. I've seen exactly ONE movie at the theatre. (How to be Single, if you must know).

Welcome to the Club...we're all old here.

My baby sister is turning 30 tomorrow. Where does the time go? I can remember when she moved off to the big city and I was all kinds of worried that she was going to lock herself out of her car and not know what to do (here at home..she just called me). She has navigated this big bad world of adulthood with surprising ease. And I honestly could not be more proud.

I was sitting here thinking of different 'I love my sister/My sister is better than yours/My sister is the best' kind of posts when I started thinking back to when I turned 30. What did I blog about when I turned 30? I headed back to my blog archives to take a look. I did a great post about what my 20's taught me. So I decided to ask my sister for 10 things her 20's taught her.
1. Guys are assholes {adult dating sounds crazy hard, yo - Jinny}

2. Girls are bitches and guys like that for the challenge {it's all about playing the game}

3. Being fiscally responsible is not lame; it's one less thing to worry about {she didn't learn that trick from me}

4. Stick to your principals regardless of how people make you feel because of them. {like my friends and I use to say...go wit' yo feelings}

5. Never regret the things that have happened or decisions you've made; they've made you into the person you are. {and you can't go back and change any of that stuff anyway!}

6. Depend on yourself. People are human and mess up and will probably disappoint you. {Expectation is the mother of all disappointment...someone famous said that, I'm sure}

7. Be thankful and grateful for those that have been there with you, even if they do disappoint you. {Your homies are your homies...4 life}

8. Your dreams and goals can, and will probably, change throughout your 20's and that's ok. {what do you mean you still want a pony?}

9. Find something you are passionate about and dive into it. {unless its cake..don't dive into that unless you are in the privacy of your own home}

10. Invest in yourself in whatever capacity. {like with cute shoes}

Do y'all know that my sister bought a Kurig machine for her apartment specifically for me? Well, she did. And it only took years of me complaining about having no coffee when I went to visit her. If that's not sisterly love, I don't know what is.

Thanks for introducing me to Doctor Who and Sherlock (the Cumberbatch edition).

I love you more than my dog...and you know that means a lot.

New Adventures

Last summer I bought a cross stitch kit as a Christmas present for my sister. It's the Tardis from Doctor Who and it says 'Tardis Sweet Tardis'. I started working on it as soon as I got it, but thankfully I didn't get far before my mom checked my progress. Turns out it's called a counted cross stitch for a reason! Ha ha. I learn something new every day. I started the cross stitch border on the very edge of the aida cloth and my mom gently encouraged me to count out from the center of the picture guide. Turns out that my entire cross stitch pattern was going to be much smaller than the size of the cloth. She set me up with an embroidery hoop to hold the cloth and a storage box for all my
thread and cute little scissors. And once I had counted and started over again in the correct spot, I was in business.

But...I found that I was having a hard time making myself sit at home and work on it. I was too distracted with the TV and the animals and the husband and the Facebook. So, I was lucky enough to be invited to join a sewing group. I know, I wasn't really sewing but the ladies were nice enough to let me come and sit there doing my cross stitch. And I really, really enjoyed it. As Christmas drew closer, I finished up the cross stitch and decided to make it into a pillow. I ordered the fabric online and brought it along to the sewing group. One of the ladies, my co-worker, was nice enough to help a girl out and sewed it all together for me.

Once I was finished with that, I started wondering what I was going to work on next..so that I could keep going to the sewing group. I have a sewing machine. My mom gave it to me for Christmas years ago. But its been up in a closet unused for nearly all that time. Was it time to actually get it down and learn how to sew? Once the thought was in my head, I couldn't get it out. So I took to trusty Pinterest for simple, easy, beginner sewing projects. One project I came across was a tie-on dinosaur tail for little kids. I'm not sure how "beginner" this project was considered but I really wanted to do it for my friend's little boy. He turned three this week and I thought it would be the perfect gift.

Instead of getting my own sewing machine down (I'm working up to it) I took the fabric and directions to my Grandma. Thank goodness she was there to help me because I would have never figured it out on my own. Keeping to the seam allowance is SUPER important, I learned.

I did most of the sewing, and some of it had to be ripped out and re-sewn. But my Grandma did do a little bit of the sewing for me (mostly because I was over there for three hours and it was getting late). Either way, for better or worse, the tail was made and shipped off to the birthday boy.

It's the elusive Kidasaurus.

According to my friend, Jonessa, the tail was a real hit with Jethro and he even sent me a video to show off his dino ROAR!

Well, as much fun as I had putting that together, I did it outside of the sewing group. So, I still have to come up with a new project (maybe one that actually includes my own sewing machine). I might try infinity scarves next. How hard can that be?

I have another cross stitch kit heading my way...in case this whole sewing thing doesn't work out.

Relationship status: It's Complicated

I found out, by Facebooks handy-dandy 'People You Might Know' carousal, that my dad has a Facebook account.

Never one for technology, he's a little late to the game.

So far, he has friended his son, my half-brother (who is older than me, from my dad's first marriage), and both of his step-children (who came around from his third marriage after my mom).

He hasn't sent a friend request to me or my sister. But we haven't sent a friend request to him either.

I'm not sure how I feel about all this.



Here are a few back posts about my dad, if you want to get caught up: The Key , Daddy Dearest , L is for Let It Go

S is for...Simple

Day 19. What makes you happy

This guy..this guy makes me happy.

My babies make me happy.

 

Our love cottage makes me happy.

My family makes me happy.

 



L is for...Let it Go

Day 12. Best advice you've been given

*sings* Let it go! Let it go!

Admit it, the song is in your head too. Forget Ebola, Frozen has the whole 'infectious contagion' thing locked down. That shit gets on everything and spreads like wild fire.

I can remember, years ago, having a discussion with my mom about my dad. My dad has been pretty hands off, absent...dead beat, if you will..for most of my life. I was so angry, for so long, at him..at the situation he put us in. I can remember my mom telling me that I needed to get over it, to let it go and forgive him. I think she may have even said I was being a tad righteous. Which I was.

Eventually, I did learn to let it go. I would never do what my dad did, to anyone that depended on me, but I have my own shortcomings and failings. We all do. I was tired of letting the past control me when I couldn't control it. There was nothing I could do about what had happened, I couldn't change him or even understand his motives.

Since then I've had a few encounters with my dad, a phone call and one Thanksgiving with him. It was nice not to have the simmering anger under the surface. He had no more control over me, not that he ever wanted it (which is the real kicker about it all). I still don't have a relationship with my dad and I'm pretty ok with that. He is too. Maybe we have both learned to let it go.

Is anyone still here?

Hi.

I'm Jinny. You may remember me from back in the day when I actually posted regularly to this blog. Work totally and utterly devoured my life for about four months. Most everything outside of work came to a screeching halt. But that doesn't mean that nothing has been going on.

So, let me get you all caught up.

The hallway project we started in March has finally come to a (almost) finish. It's down to painting doors, so I'm calling it finished.

We've started on the bedroom but it's going at a snails pace. Which is fine, we aren't on any time schedule here.

We spruced up our outdoor space. The café table and chairs was actually a surprise birthday present from Jeremy. I went out of town for a weekend and when I got home this was waiting for me. I cried, I was so surprised.

I've been out of town a few times. I went to a wedding in Austin. So, Kenedi, the bride, met my sister when they were both in college. This is how I met Kenedi. Eventually Kenedi ended up in San Marcos and started going to the same church that my cousin and her husband work at. So now Kenedi is practically part of the family so when she got hitched this summer we all had to be there.

I went to Canyon, TX to see Texas, the musical, at Palo Duro Canyon. It was a charter bus trip and my Grandma invited me to go (who says no to their Grandma? Not this girl). It was a fun trip and I had a good time spending the weekend with the ladies of my family. I'm very thankful that my aunt Gail didn't laugh at me while I had a death grip on her hand when the charter bus drove us down into the canyon. It was pretty hair raising.

Aunt Bev, Grandma, Great Aunt Lynette

 My Mom and I went to Dallas to help my sister get her new apartment situated. She's lived in Dallas for many years now but this is the first time she has ever had an apartment by herself. After living with our cousin for years we have jokingly compared it to a divorce. I wasn't sure what she got to keep or what she needed to replace. So we went shopping and did manly things, like put together furniture.

We adopted a new family member! Ferguson, the fish. He's pretty low maintenance, doesn't make a peep, and doesn't need a lot of attention...no nail clippings or insulin shots, no grooming or heart guard meds, no walks or toys required. And he is pretty to look at.

We had to take Harley to get her teeth cleaned. I wouldn't even mention this but her recovery from the anesthesia and pain meds was unlike anything we've had to deal with before. If any of y'all have had to have a pet put under to have any type of work done, I'm sure you are familiar with the little speech the office people give you on the way out. "Keep them quiet", "They might not feel like eating", "They will probably be drowsy", etc. In the past, all of our pets have bounced back from being put under with ease, not even a hitch. But poor Harley girl, she's old and doesn't bounce like that. She couldn't walk, but she sure did try, and when she fell over she would just lay very still like 'I'm just going to stay right here'. She was the funniest little drunk kitty ever. But while it was funny, it was sad at the same time because we could tell her mouth was bothering her. They extracted 5 teeth and noted that there were others already missing. So now we call her Toothless.

So, you see, I haven't been a complete couch potato this summer (although there was plenty of couch wallowing). Overtime at work is easing off, for now, and I really hope to have more time to come back to this space. I've missed it.

 





Rambling Woman

Hey.

I'm still on overtime. I've officially worked 115 hours of overtime since the first of May...and there is no end in sight. People keep reminding me of the paychecks. And those are nice, but I don't think they quite understand the utter exhaustion from not only being at work so much but also feeling like you aren't getting anywhere. Honestly, I'm doing some of the most jacked up work I've ever had to do in the whole 16 years I've worked for this company. It just feels like spinning wheels. I'd be less frustrated if I felt like I got things done during all those work hours.

I went to the gym for the first time in...well..I can't really remember the last time I went to the gym. I did a 45 minute Body Combat class. It felt good to be up, moving around. Seeing my under arms jiggle as I punched was sobering. I'm back at a place I swore I'd never be again..a place of my weight creeping up, a place of me mindlessly stuffing my face, a place of being uncomfortable in all my clothes. I don't want to be HERE. And I definitely don't want it to get worse. So, I have to do something.

Sorry if I'm rambling.

My sister moved into her first apartment all by herself. She's been moved away from home for years now, but up until now she's always had a roommate. She lived with our cousin for four years. Them moving on separate from each other is kinda like a divorce, I'm not sure what she got to keep. lol. So we've been window shopping together via text message and pinterest boards. I hope to get up there soon to help her get things on the wall and shop for the odds and ends. It's nice to know I'm needed for something.

But before I go up there she will be coming here (along with our cousin) for a Doctor Who viewing party. I can tell you with a straight face that I never, ever thought I'd be into Doctor Who. But on New Year's Eve Jeremy and I started watching Season Five and we just kept going. Now we have Dalek and Tardis pillows and we are eagerly awaiting the Twelfth Doctor. Do you watch Doctor Who? Will you be watching on Aug. 23?

It's that time of year

It's the end of the school year. My facebook and instagram feeds have been overflowing with photos of graduations, from Kindergarten all the way up through college, and all the fun parties that go with graduating. It has me thinking about my own high school graduation.

There I am..in all my awful close-toed shoe glory. We actually weren't allowed to wear open toed shoes. And they were suppose to be either black or brown. If these rules were not followed they could and would yank you from walking the stage. I'm fairly certain the dress code rules have been loosened up since then.

 

Speaking of rules, we weren't suppose to walk across the football field to visit with family and friends. If you'll notice in photo#1, I was in fact across the football field to visit with my family. And I did get busted for it. Luckily they still let me walk.

This guy was around even way back then. He had no beard. What was that all about? We had been dating for nearly a year by this time and already engaged.

And THIS guy! This is my cousin Ryan, attending my high school graduation sitting on our Grandma's lap. He graduated high school last weekend.

*I am not old. I am not old. I am not old.*

Life on the home front.

Every morning, when I walk out of the kitchen to the living room to open the curtains, Lola pops her leg up in the air and insists that I give her a belly rub. A morning belly rub to get her through the day. A day full of lolling and sleeping. Her life is so rough.

Summer is coming at us like a fright train, with temps reaching the 100's already. On days like that the ground gets too hot to take the dogs for walks. So we take them on rides instead, which suits Duke just fine...especially when we roll the window down for him.

Jeremy surprised me with roses, chocolates, and Mother's Day cards from him and the fur kids on Saturday. But that wasn't ALL..he also brought me new plants for our front yard. West Texas is in a serious drought. Just about everyone's lawn is brown and dead due to severe water restrictions. Between no water and the extreme heat in the summer and rare freezing temps we have had the last few winters, many of our trees and shrubs have died. So Jeremy spent his day out in the heat, chopping down trees and digging up plants. And planting new, pretty things.

 

On Sunday, we had my mom and Jeremy's parents over the lunch (next time I promise to have dessert, Mom). Dolly was there too, of course. I didn't get a picture, but I painted her nails a silvery-white (she brought me the polish she wanted to use). We also watched one of her favorite movies, currently, 'Dear Dumb Diary'. I swear the songs will be stuck in my head for days. But it was still a cute movie.

I hope you had a fabulous Mother's Day weekend!