Mini she and me!

So, I got to spend Hurricane Ike pre and post with the grandkids. I had great fun, got to "work" in a flower shop one evening (after the kids were in bed) putting letters on mum ribbons and making the "Homecoming King" sash for a local high school. I went up to be with Lauren at Inspirations while she was finishing up a late nights work (we got home at 11:30 pm)

Here is Will with the garter Lauren made him...........



During the days it was my good fortune and JOY to be able to keep the kids, get the kids ready for bed, etc.... while Scott and Lauren went about their busy daily activities.

Will had fun riding the colorful Thomas bike I brought him from Katy (I had bought it this summer and he rode it a little bit in July). Claire LOVED the streamers, her favorite part of the bike, for sure!

Claire-playing with the streamers-




After the homecoming rush and football game, Lauren and I took the kids to Midland (shopping with us!) on Saturday (Scott was left home alone to study). The promise was to get a Frosty at Wendy's if Will was cooperative during the trip, through several stores. Thankfully, Gymboree in Midland had a kids area to help him pass the time, I bought Claire a plastic bracelet there to keep her occupied. Finally, our trip to Wendy's culminated our day,,,, we waited in line for about 10 minutes before we ordered, only to find out they were out of chocolate so we had to get vanilla frosty's. (I am a choco freak, but the vanilla WAS quite good- tastes like the old Dairy Queen ice cream).

Then on to Target, for a quick (?) errand by Lauren, while I stayed with the kids in the car. Mini me point #1 -Claire more than held her own with the ice cream, she ate at least half of my Wendy's (vanilla) frosty (16-20oz). Then she saw her momma's frosty and wanted IT!!! She had one tiny bite after another, without stopping, until she had eaten about 1/3 of Lauren's frosty by herself and Lauren came back to the van. Crazy,,,, and I thought I loved ice cream.. she is definitely MY granddaughter.

mini me point #2---- I had brought a box of goodies for the kids with me to Big Spring, one of the things for Claire was a pair of navy shoes from gymboree. The strap is green and has a yellow sunflower that velcros to the shoe to strap it on. Claire LOVED her new shoes, putting them on and taking them off.... which she did everytime she saw them througout the days I was there. She is QUITE the shoe hound. Lauren told me she had taken Claire into a Payless store and that she had to leave because Claire was hyperventilating seeing all the shoes!!!! Hilarious, again definitely my granddaughter, he he. I told Scott about it, and he said "Oh nO, oh well at least it was Payless".

I am mailing a box of stuff for the kids this afternoon, including for Claire- three precious pairs of shoes for her to love!!



Claire is looking and acting more and more like Lauren everyday, the wispy blonde hair, the girly stuff, loving books, the sweet affection (note: not the climbing though- Lauren would never do anything where she could fall, get hurt, etc...). So, looks like we have a "mini she and me" on our hands, watch out world!~

.... And Nature Sings ??...........

Tim searching for Mr. Toad & Co.













The Sunday night Toad Quartet







The good news is, when your kids are out of the house and responsible, you don't have to worry when the phone rings at 12:00 midnight. They are not out driving when the crazies are out, they are not calling with car trouble, or to tell you they're running late coming home. For empty

nesters, especially ones like us with 4 dogs (courtesy of Kendall's soft heart) it means the dogs have gotten out or are too loud. Actually, we put them in the garage at night so they have soft beds and good airflow, right, who am I kidding, it's because they are the neighborhood alarm system when a siren sounds or with any kind of lights flashing in the night.

So, imagine my suprise when the phone rang right at midnight Sunday night. We had been in bed just 15 minutes or so (us old folks were watching the Olympics) and Tim's phone went off. Since I wasn't going to work because I'm sick, I got up to spare him having to. I saw the number on the phone and saw that it was 347----- and handed the phone to Tim as I said " I think it's one of the neighbors". ( Hey, my night-time courtesy only goes so far!) As he's still wearing his CPAP facemask he listens and then tells the neighbor that the noise they are hearing is the toads in our backyard. The noise HAS been pretty bad the last couple of weeks. It intially sounds like a ceiling fan WAY off balance, making a loud grating noise. Tim has the CPAP machine which puts out air and a good "white" noise and I wear ear plugs, so we can tolerate the croaking, but honestly, I have been suprised that no one's complained sooner. Our good friends and neighbors behind us, that we talk to almost daily, have never said a word..... I digress. Anyway, next thing Tim is out searching for toads wearing his little headstrap light; it straps on his head and gives him light from the forehead area. I think some joggers wear them, he got it to wear when he's working on something so no one has to hold the light for him. So, he is thrashing through the banana plants and then doing a perimeter search of the fenceline to find the offending croakers. This was too good an opportunity for me to pass up recording exactly HOW LOUD the crazy toads can get, so I grabbed my camera to record at least the sound. I think I scared him to death when he parted the leaves and saw me standing there, HA! We looked around for a good 15-20 minutes and Tim caught 4 toads; the bucket they're in is a chlorine tablet bucket for the pool, that holds 35 lbs.!! I'm sure Tim missed Kendall that night, because this is something they used to do together often & Kendall was really good at finding the toads (sometimes they would have more than 10 at a time to relocate). BTW: I don't touch frogs, I'm not even good at locating them, I was just out there for moral support. Poor Tim, by the time he got back from relocating the caught toads to our neighborhood bayou, the remaining toads were croaking again,,,, my response was to turn on the flood lights in the backyard, direct the lights at the pond, and go to bed. Light seems to dampen the croaking substantially; Tim was good with that answer since it was 12:30 and he had to get up for work, so he showered and called it a night. What a crazy night.... really made me miss Kendall!!

Here's the audio, the toads start up good and loud at about 1:18............you're not going to believe it unless you listen!

Spanish Eggs and Doors

Welcome to our home........... Our front door looks new again !!!

the area stained by Gibron, who "work(ed) at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men"

Stain on the door inset, by the first guy that restained the door.......... splotchy and pooling :{

We've been needing to have our front door refinished for about 1 1/2 years now, it faces west and takes an afternoon beating from the sun. I had tried several times to call the guy who restained the door the first time several years ago. He did a wonderful job and was very reasonable; he also put the original stain on our custom built french doors in the living room, matching the stain PERFECTLY. His name is Heuve. Like I said, I had called the number we had for him and the person who answered spoke mostly spanish and said no, it was the wrong number.

So, we had basically given up on finding Heuve. One Sunday after church, our Bible class went out to eat together, during the course of lunch we got the name of someone who had done our friend's door. We called this guy and made plans for Tim to stay home from work and let the guy restain the door. This is the ONLY contractor who has ever shown up at the time he said he would, so we were encouraged about that. When I drove up that afternoon and then came to look at the door, I was literally sick. It looked terrible. Fortunately, he wasn't done and Tim had only paid him half of the stated amount. The door looked streaky and splotchy, like it had pooled in some areas and was much darker than we had wanted. The weather was bad for a few days and then the grandkids were coming and I didn't want them smelling the urethane fumes, so I was able to put him off until I could get the nerve to fire him. I called my SIL Scott for support in how to word the firing. The guy had already majorly insulted us by telling Tim and then me, that the door was the problem, that it was LAMINATE!!! Uuhh, NO, the door cost a large fortune and is solid wood. So, I successfully told him there was no need to come back. We were OK being out the $162.50 knowing that we would not have to live with the door the way we didn't want it, chalked it up to a mistake that we made.

So, I tried the number I had for Heuve again... I actually said the name (who-ve') this time and lo and behold, it WAS his number... I think I must have said his name (whey-vo) the first time I called and the family didn't recognize my very poor spanish!!!! So, he came out, with his Brother Gibron and said yes, the door was a mess. They could redo it for less than what we were going to pay the first guy. Gibron came out stripped the door, sanded the door, resanded the door, stained the door.... told us it was not to his satisfaction, so re-stripped the door, resanded the door (a little) and restained the door. It is perfect, just what we wanted. Oh, and by the way, he insisted on painting the fancy woodwork trim around the door (forget the name for that)! We really appreciated Gibron taking the time to be proud of his work and that his own expectations were so high. So, that is my saga of the door.

Gibron is going to come reapply the urethane whenever we need it for a marginal cost.... We would be most happy to recommend him for anyone needing a door done right :) He works full-time for a remodeling company and does his work on the side............. He truly works as unto the Lord, Colossians 3:23 and we couldn't be happier with him and his work.

this program is interrupted...........

I am in fear of my daughter cancelling my blog again, so I feel I must post......

I know you've all seen pictures on Lauren's blog of our WONDERFUL vacation in Panama City Beach and Destin, Florida. If you haven't, go see her blog.

Then July 2-9 Lauren and kids were at our house while Scott was on back to back weeklong trips with his youth group. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit and were quite sad to see them go!! Nana always has a hard time letting go, especially if the next visit is not already somewhat scheduled.

I had bought a bike for Will for him to enjoy riding here, he played with it some, but much preferred to be in the pool as much as possible. He is a regular "fish", though he is so literal he denies "being" a fish, but rather agrees that he can "swim like a fish". He also enjoyed playing over the course of the week in a huge box that I cut into a playhouse for him. (simple/cheap/fun)

Claire was just precious,,, we were able to celebrate her ONE year old birthday several times. We had a great family party at the lake (my aunt & uncle's house) and she LOVED the happy birthday song! Good thing, too, we sang it to her about 25 times over the course of all of her parties and various photo shoots. Her party theme was cupcakes, she had a giant cupcake for her birthday cake (the rest of the guests had little ones)! Hopefully, Lauren will post some pictures of the lake party with the decorations that we took to celebrate (since my camera was "lost" in the floor board of her car the whole trip), oops.

Work has been work.... Crazy surgery schedule in July, I guess people trying to recover before school starts, while family can take care of them, before July 4 was especially crazy.

We did get to stop by Austin and see Callahan's where Kendall works, shop a bit, then met Kendall and Stephanie for dinner before getting back on the road. We got to see their GORGEOUS pictures of their Montana and Wyoming trip, quite spectacular. I had not seen Kendall since April, MUCH too long for a momma to see her young. It did my heart good to see him happy and doing well.

I love reading your blogs and keeping up with your families, it makes the world seem so much smaller, the distances closer, and keeps our hearts joined at the heartstrings <3

Tagged!

I've Been Tagged!

This tag is easy and different-

Here is how it works:

1) Grab the book closest to you

2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence

3) Post the text of the following three sentences

4) Name the author and book title

5) Tag three people to do the same

"Yes, he is different---and that is a good thing to cherish and nurture. The very fact that we call dyslexia a "disability" reveals that we do not view this neurological condition as a gift. Nevertheless, like anything in life, we can choose to view dyslexia from an optimistic perspective or a pessimistic perspective (the glass is half full or half empty)."

from the secret life of the dyslexic child. how she thinks. how he feels. how they can succeed. by robert frank, ph.d.

I tag Lauren, Daphne, and Tami......

sleeping with a petri dish............

I am home sick today after feeling crummy most of the week. Yesterday, after telling one of my Dr. friends that I slept with Will (my grandson) the two nights he was here, said "don't you know that kids are little petri dishes!" (even so, snuggling with my grandson was totally worth the inconvenience of a cold...) Hence, the title of the post....................

It was a joy to have Lauren, Will, and Claire here for the weekend. It was a duel purpose quick trip as she needed to pick up our Expedition for our trip to the beach in May and was also here for a drill team reunion. We had a fast and furious weekend. We got to visit with my mom & dad, have dinner with close friends and neighbors, ger Lauren a mani/pedi at Nails by Lee, attend church together, meet our sunday school class, take a few pictures at the church garden, go to the reunion, and spent as much time in the pool/jacuzzi as time allowed. Will LOVES the pool and took to the water like a little fish. Pictures of both the kids in their new Gymboree duds are above, I tried to get them below the post, but blogger and I are disagreeing today & I give up!

Kendall and Stephanie were here for the weekend too. There was a horse reigning show at the Equestrian center that they were interested in and attended on Saturday, after they had an anniversary lunch at PF Chang's. Kendall spent a lot of time in the pool with Will, making a wave pool for his pleasure. Although, Kendall and Stephie's time with us was limited, Steph did finally get to meet Kendall's sister. Kendall, Steph & I went shopping for swim suits, etc... at Katymills after Tim, Lauren & the kids left. (Tim drove Lauren & kids home and flew home to Houston on Monday).

treasuring the moments :)

Tim and Terri 31 years together :)

Kendall and Stephie

Several thoughts on my mind lately. First of all, I lost a friend and ex-coworker/boss last week. Matt (46) died of an apparent heart attack at his home on Monday. He was an energetic and compassionate nurse, was full of life and fun, loved to laugh and was a good friend to his friends. We entertained thoughts of him at work last week, remembering special moments that he made fun and memorable. He was estranged from the family he was born into because of lifestyle choices he made; his friends became his family. At his viewing Thursday and his service Friday we shared about Matt. I think his family who came learned a lot about the person he was, and what endeared him to so many. He will be greatly missed. It is amazing how the people who should be the closest to you, can not even know who you are. His family definitely missed out :(

So, 1) make a will..... 2) live like there's no tomorrow, 3) be the best _____ you can be today..... That's what I'm striving for, to be the best nurse, best wife, best mother (and MIL), best nana, best friend, best Christian, best daughter, best daughter-in-law, and sister that I can be. I know that I don't give my all sometimes and live like I have all the time in the world. I'm going to treasure the moments more than I have and make sure that my focus is on heavenly treasures.

Next thought, Tim and my anniversary is tomorrow~~~~~~ 31 years together! I love that word and I'm so proud that we are still together. It hasn't always been easy, but we have taken the time and made the commitment to love one another til death do us part. No special plans, other than a mani and pedi appointment for us together tomorrow (his request :) !! ) He did buy me flowers for no reason a couple of weeks ago. I'm proud of the heritage of lengthy and loving marriages and basic stick-to-it-iv-ness that we were taught- that, and the similar family values and our faith in God have really been a strong base in our relationship.

Lastly, above is a picture of my son, Kendall, and his girlfriend Stephanie. Stephanie is an accomplished equestrian and has her degree in equine science. They are having great fun together working with horses and playing on her farm in their spare time. They will be here in Katy in April, the same weekend Lauren's bunch will be here, so Stephanie and Lauren can finally meet.

Finally, I love my red blackberry curve, so cool!!! basically a phone with internet!.... EXCEPT that it randomly dials people occasionally. I have accidentally dialed my mom several times (God is telling me to call her, I suppose) and tried to call Sam in Thailand and Paul in Chad, Africa.... I guess my next phone bill will tell me if I got them :<>

later....

Sandcastles with Gymboree Nana

We are anxiously looking forward to vacationing with Lauren's family in May, at our favorite beach in Destin, Florida. I have been busy buying out Gymboree, will try to post a picture of the clothes I have bought for the grandkids. What fun I've had, trying to make sure they are the best dressed little ones in Big Spring and at the beach this summer! They each have 3 new swimsuits and assorted shirts and hats. Their easter basket is in the shape of a sand bucket filled with sand toys, Easter candy & books.

Gymboree nana loot:

This aging process~

4 generations at Thanksgiving!

(You know you're old when........ this is my evening so far!!)

You know you're old when you eat dinner at Cracker Barrel at 5:30

You see a lady who has lived 2 doors down from you for the last 21years and think "she looks familiar" (I did recognize her husband--- for Lauren- the Kings)

You watch the "history of television" on TV on the history channel, and some of them were your favorite shows growing up: I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith, and Dick Van Dyke (in black & white)\

You have a soft moment (for your sons dogs) and pet each one in front of the fireplace

(You know I had a lot to sweep up, after 10 minutes with each dog, one at a time OF COURSE!)

The most exciting part of the evening is washing 2 of the 4 dogs

Your facial masque doesn't peel off after 10 minutes, it soaks in...

You go to bed at 9:30

The best parts about being gray?? Pictures like the above. What a joy to be a parent of Lauren, a beautiful inside and out, young Christian wife, mother and friend who has her own precious family and is in such a great time of her life right now. Kendall is living independently (mostly), making his way in the world, making the world a better place by his kindnesses and compassion and is happy! Tim and I are looking into the same faces we did 31 years ago, and growing older and wiser together, planning for retirement and loving each other, our family, and friends along the way. Life is good~! God is good!~

I had a good day at work today, my first day really back at work after having sinusitis and the stomach flu, etc.... I'm not sure what I had, but I felt really cruddy.

Keep Lauren & family in your prayers as they are all still recuperating from the crud after Christmas. It is so hard being far away from them and unable to help them out. Praise God that their lovely Christian friends helped them through the weekend (God bless the Bibbs). Aren't friends grand!!!!!!...... what a blessing we have to have good friends in our lives.

My aunt Nelda (a very young 69ish aunt) fell and broke her hip last Friday and had surgery yesterday. This is the same aunt that lost her husband to cancer last Jan. and her son to diabetes in Dec. She is one that I asked for prayers in an earlier blog to soften her heart to Jesus's healing and love. So keep praying, thanks :)

I've Been Tagged!
I was tagged by my daughter Lauren

1. Name: Terri Lynn Watson Reed

2. Birthday: October 9

3. Birthplace: Houston, Texas

4. Eye Color: green

5. Hair Color: remains dark brown with the help of my colorist

6. Height: 5'8"

7. Ethnicity: Anglo

8. Weakness: shoes, Christmas decorations, clothes for Claire, things I think my kids need

9. Most missed memory: my childhood, and Lauren & Kendall as babes in arms

10. Thoughts first waking up: "No, I don’t wanna get up yet".

11. Last time you cried: thinking about how much I love Tracey and that she’s leaving soon

12. Song title that currently says how you feel: “ It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”

13. What is the perfect day for you: sleeping until I wake up naturally, lounging in my pj’s, Spending the day with my family, nice enough weather to do something outside

14. Ever been asked for an autograph? Don’t think so

15. How do you vent anger? I think about it, analyze it and then do have to say something, even if I’m alone.

16. Who do you talk to most on the phone? Kendall, he likes to talk on the phone and calls frequently. Secondly, Scott, when we talk we have long conversations. Tim and Lauren don’t like to talk much on the phone.

17. As a kid, were you a lego builder? Legos weren’t around yet, Lincoln logs were, in the same small tin.

18. Do you chew on your straws? Nope, only use straws at restaurants and for take out

19. Do you sing in the shower? nah

20. Who's the last person you stayed up late talking to on the phone to? Kendall

21. The last place you went to in a plane? Midland

22. Do you cry at weddings? Sometimes, if there is a super-sweet moment that really grabs me.

23. Are you afraid of the dark? No

24. What are you addicted to? Diet Dr. Pepper, buying clothes for Claire, coffee is a must in the morning, chocolate

25. Crunchy or creamy peanut butter? creamy

26. Who do you fight with the most? We don’t really fight, we spar. I guess Tim because he is around me most, we tend to get in each other’s way doing things in the house.

27. Who can you tell anything to? Tim, Lauren, Tracey, Daphne, Traci, Penny, my hairdresser-Amanda

28. Do you recycle? Marginally, all the aluminum cans, plastic, and newspaper is picked up in front of our house 1 day a week.

29. Who makes you laugh the most? Will. The kid is hilarious.

30. What is the worst feeling ever? Not being able to help someone you love either with a physical or emotional issue

31. How many pillows do you sleep with? I use two

32. How many rings before you answer your phone? How many ever it takes to find it in my purse, I often have to call the person back.

33. How many times do you press the "snooze" button? 0-1 depending on the time I’ve allowed.

34. How do you sleep? Well, and often. As far as positions, I start out on my side and often wake up on my back.

35. Last time you laughed: with Tracey & Daphne at our slumber party

36. Ever looked at someone ugly and said “Eww”: I have thought “oh my goodness, that poor person” and known that it was either a genetic defect or from surgery. I have felt sorry that they couldn’t afford to make it better. I have seen one truly ugly baby, where it was an uncomfortable moment (for me) to think of something generic to say, like “oh, a baby” or “you must be so proud”!

I never make a face or stare regardless, nurses don’t do that.

37. What is your favorite color? Green, so many shades. I like maroon also.

38. What is your favorite state? Texas, so much diversity of people and nature

I tag Daphne, Julie, and Tracey

La Centerra with Thailand Tracey

Beautiful Texas sunset!!

Starbucks at La Centerra/Friends are forever!!

Tim and I have been so blessed to have Tracey using our home as home base as of last Saturday night when she landed in Texas. Of course, most of her time is with her precious daughter, but I will take whatever time I can get while she's in Texas! We've had a great time visiting in our jammies, decorating my house for Christmas and just catching up on her Thailand adventures. The pictures above are from Sunday night when we went to La Centerra in Cinco Ranch to hear the Kingsland chorus at the "town square". What a beautiful sunset we witnessed together, with pretty holiday music and Starbucks in hand. I introduced her to Gymboree and Claire scored two more cute outfits....

Today, Tim and I went to the funeral of my only older cousin on my mom's side. He passed away Saturday morning after being in and out of ICU's for 2 months due to diabetes and complications. He had such a big heart and was such a gentle, sweet and trusting person. He taught our family how to give generously despite having personal difficulties. He always reminded me of of Elvis, as in Presley. His hair was dark and wavy like Elvis and his facial build was very similiar. My aunt has already lost her husband this year, so this has been particularly difficult for her. Please pray for her peace and that she can begin a relationship with the greatest comforter, Jesus.

Next on our agenda, we are off to San Antonio for the weekend to spend it with Tim's mom; Kendall will meet us there on Saturday after work. Sunday is the 4th anniversary of the unexpected death of Tim's dad and Kendall likes to remember Grandpa John by being out on the farm where John lived and passed peacefully to his eternal life.

Keeping up with the grandkids!

Here are pictures of the grandchildren- our little angel and our little busy boy. Yes, I know the picture of Will has his eyes closed, but it is really hard to get a picture of him remotely still. He is not hyper, just busy. We had great fun playing pool balls, watching cartoons on cable, visiting with family, riding rides and playing games at Chuck E. Cheese's. He talks so well, he is amazing for his age. His latest thing is to ask "so, how's it going? and how is your family?" in a very concerned and sincere tone!! (he even asked HIS mother this, which was a riot!)

Claire is so much fun to dress up and to hold. She loves to stare at you and has the most beautiful toothless baby smiles, it just melts your heart. We are so blessed to have the both of them for our grandchildren, their parents are pretty special in our hearts, too. Can't wait to see them at Christmas time in Big Spring in a few weeks.

My friend Tracey, who lives in Thailand currently, will be flying into Texas this Saturday. She will spend most of her time here in Katy before Sam joins her on December 15. Then they will stay at our house while we are in Big Spring during Christmas, we're excited that we can share our home with them and look forward to this special time.

Talking Turkey

Well, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving... we all have so much to be thankful for. We were so blessed to have Lauren & Scott and the kids with us over the holidays. Kendall was not able to be with us and he was sorely missed. Though, it was convenient for Will to have his own room and bed at Nana's.

We had a great time with family at my mom & dad's house on Thursday. Lots of good food and good company and a fun family project to work on. Above is the picture of my dad showing the turkey to Claire! She is such a doll, and so photogenic. We basically had a very low key weekend... Lauren & I went shopping a bit after I got home from work on Friday. The bleary, blustery weather provided good shopping weather, though we had fun just being together, doing a little shopping with Claire in tow. Both of us have a good start on our shopping; Lauren & Scott also ventured out together to return for one sale and to puruse Bass Pro Shop and have the Starbucks experience.

We were able to have a fire burning in the fireplace most of the weekend since it was so chilly. The weather and the overcast skies did help everyone sleep in later in the mornings, which everyone enjoyed. Plus, chicken and dumplings were extra tasty with the weather as it was.

The weather is still so bad in West Texas that Lauren & Scott stayed here until this afternoon and are drove to San Antonio late this afternoon to stay with her Grandma for the night. Then on to home tomorrow, as the snow and ice melt away. Will has missed his first opportunity of the year to make a snowman, <:, maybe he'll have another chance. For our last afternoon, we took Will to Chuck E. Cheese for his kind of fun. A great time was had by all :), then home for naps for the kids and the jacuzzi for the mom & dad.

Tim & I thoroughly enjoyed our time with family and really feel like we had a good long weekend to be together and be thankful for our blessings.

looking ahead

The view we'll have from our breakfast room and from our back porch!!!!!!



Tim and I had a getaway weekend Sunday afternoon through Monday evening. We tried out a new (to us) B & B near our property south of Canyon Lake. This is a picture of the main house with the cottage we stayed in off to the right, we had a relaxing and fun time together.

This B & B was The Firefly Inn (formerly Aunt Nora's) and is approximately 6 miles from our land. We drove by the land as the sun was setting and then checked in at the Inn. I carried our bags as Tim is still restricted to how much he can carry after his back surgery. We met Tim's brother & sister in law in Gruene at the Grist Mill where Tim & I had the ribs.... yum, they literally fell off of the bone. We had a great time visiting with Paul & Shirley before Paul goes back to Chad next week. Gruene is a really neat place, very laid back, we listened to the music flowing from Gruene Hall, the lights for Christmas are up in the town square and the weather was great for sitting outside on the patio.

The next morning, the most scrumptuous breakfast was delivered to our cottage door, yum, yum. Then we sat on the porch in the porch swing and read the paper, etc.... Then off to explore the parks on the south side of Canyon Lake. We were searching for fishing spots for Kendall and fun places to take the grandkids. We found Crane's Mill Park and looked across the lake at Mystic Shores where Paul & Shirley have retirement property. They will begin building soon, they already have their finalized house plans. We, on the other hand, have a good basic idea of what we want in our retirement home and I have a plan I love right now, but it will be awhile before we can build and, therefore, are in the dreaming stages.

Then we went to our land and checked out the property, checked out the survey flags, checked out the view with binoculars, walked it, dreamed of where the house would be, etc...

This picture is off the deck of the vacant house on our street, similar to what our view off our porch or deck will be!

What the view from our front door will look like!

After we "played" on our land, we drove back to the B&B and checked out and drove to "Havenwood", a property in New Braunfels developed by the same parent company that developed our neigborhood ("Mountain Springs Ranch") and checked out the model home of the builder whose plans I like best at this point in our dream. We actually got to meet one of the owners/founders and loved the model and the quality of the home. From there we drove to Cracker Barrel and had a late lunch and then to a few select stores at the outlet malls at San Marcus for some goodies for the grandkids.

We had a great trip and FUN, Fun, fun dreaming & enjoying time together!

Tim returned to work today and put in a full day. He is doing great after his surgery. Thanks for thinking of us during these last few weeks!

Tonight, please pray for our long time friends Sam & Tracey and their daughter Vanessa. Vanessa was hospitalized last night and is in the middle months of her pregnancy. Exciting news of the day was that they are having a GIRL and she is fine on all counts. OOps, there's a lot of blue stuff going back!

We are looking so forward to having Lauren, Scott, Will & Claire here (Claire for the first time, of course) next week at Thanksgiving. My extended family is just beside themselves to get to soak up the kids for the day. Unfortunately, Kendall will not get to join us as he is a part of the retail world these days....., he will be missed :(

It's almost Thanksgiving and how thankful we are for all that God has blessed us with: Our family, our friends, our home, our faith, our jobs, our country,....our cup runneth over...........

Thursday Thirteen

(& What Precious grandkids I have...........)

1. Fall is my favorite time of year, I love the colors & the smells :)


2. The weather has been gorgeous!!


3. Tomorrow is Tim's back surgery


4. Please remember to pray for us


5. Tim's brother, Paul, has been hospitalized in Paris, France while trying to get home to New Braunfels (from Chad, Africa) for his 28 days off


6. It was thought he had a blood clot in his leg, but has turned out to be an infection


7. Please pray for Paul and his wife Shirley, too.


8. Kendall is enjoying his job at Shepler's in Austin


9. He knows how to block hats and is learning how to make the hat crown creases


10. Claire is teething & Will is potty training & Lauren is a great mommy


11. I have made significant progress in Christmas shopping!


12. I need to order my Christmas paper from Current


13. My porch fall decorations are really pretty :> Come see them!

101-202 things you never knew about me......

1. August is so hot in Houston that I don’t go outside and bother watering my potted plants, I just let them die


2. I used to have nightmares about being in small covered places I.e., like stuck under the bed, in a culvert, under an old house crawl space.


3. When I was little I couldn’t sleep if my closet door was open, it had to be all the way shut


4. There was an episode of Fix up that house with a plumber under the crawl space of an old house & I couldn’t watch it.


5. My Grandpa was the preacher at my church when I was young and he baptized me.


6. I was in the choir in high school and won a 1st place medal in a quartet at UIL


7. I was the video drama director/cinematographer/producer for the teens at church for 2 years - 01’ +& 02’ and we had rave reviews from judges at the LTC conference and the kids all won gold medals for their work


8. I own 37 pairs of shoes (I guessed the first time around)


9. I used to go country and western dancing when I was a teenager
10. I don’t know how to upload the pictures from my digital camera


11. I wore contacts only for about 13 years, I didn’t even own a back up pair of glasses


12. I get migraines a couple of times a month :<


13. I sleep with my socks on


14. I almost drowned in Lake Houston when I was young, my mom pulled me up by my hair


15. I have 2 magazine subscriptions: Better Homes and Gardens, Traditional Homes


16. I spent a lot of time reading in a willow tree in my backyard as a young girl


17. I am currently reading "Eat, Pray, Love"


18. I used to go to Sunday lunch with my Grandparents to Piccadilly cafeteria. to KFC or home to dinner if guests were coming


19. My hair has an annoying wave that runs at an angle across the back of my head


20. It has given my hairdressers fits over the years


21. I was a daddy’s girl


22. I was a tomboy


23. I played outside in the yards & in the forest near our house.


24. Chase, red rover and kickball were my favorites


25. I had mostly guy neighborhood friends


26. My two neighborhood girlfriends were both named Jenny


27. I got bucked off my cousin’s horse twice in one day, into a clothesline, and into a pig pen


28. I wanted to enjoy our pool a lot this summer, but it was the wettest summer ever


29. Going to the rodeo once every 3 years is enough for me
30. Baseball is my favorite professional sport


31. The Astros are my favorite team


32. I attended the NLCS play-off game in 86 and sat through the entire 13inning game against the Mets


33. I saw the Rockets in the NBA playoffs in 94 & 95


34. I saw Loggins and Messina in concert as a teenage


35. I took Lauren to see James Taylor in concert when she was a tween (Tim is a big fan~ but he was sick & unable to go


36. I saw Fleetwood Mac in concert at the Summit in Houston and it was awesome.


37. I like the OPI nail colors names- they are fun: “Cha ching Cherry“, shoot out at the OK corral“, “Skinny dipping in Lake Michigan”, “I’m really not a waitress” are some of my favorites.


38. I really like going to high school (and college Scott!) musicals


39. I like to sit by the window when I fly


40. I had TMJ really bad several years ago & could hardly open my mouth


41. I had shots in my jaw by our Korean alternative medicine Dr. (lovingly called our witchdoctor)


42. They really hurt, but I could open my mouth MUCH wider when I left his office & could eat hamburgers again


43. I don’t let my dentist use a bite block in my mouth anymore (I’m convinced that caused the TMJ)


44. Tim & I talked about adopting a child as well as having our own before we were married.


45. My kids won’t let me dance, even in the car :<


46. I can sew enough to do repairs, make Halloween costumes, etc… but am not a happy sewer on dresses, etc… (Tim used to make the kids leave the room or the house)


47. I learned how to paint icing on cookies one year ago (thanks Mary), it’s a lot of fun!


48. I got my ears pierced when I was sixteen


49. My holes never grew over, even when I didn’t wear earrings for a really long time


50. I remember not wearing seatbelts as a child


51. I remember my brother hitting the dashboard.


52. I remember many times crying in the floorboard as my mom was taking me to get shots from our family Dr


53. I remember the medicinal smell of the County health clinics


54. I flew into Washington DC on 10/11 one month after 9/11


55. I have worshipped at Washington National Cathedral 2x


56. I really want to go on a cruise with some of our couple friends or with family


57. I remember my grandpa smelled like a mixture of olives and cherries, he worked in a food bottling factory


58. I did not go to Kindergarten


59. I went to a private Baptist school for First grade


60. I started first grade a year early


61. My first grade teacher wanted me to skip 2nd grade and go straight to 3rd. My parents wisely said no.


62. I have a lot of crowns in my mouth


63. People comment on my straight teeth


64. I never wore braces


65. I drink milk every night before I (brush my teeth &) go to bed


66. I haven’t exercised at the gym in over a year


67. I belong to 24 hour fitness


68. 2 years ago I had a personal trainer for 5 months a. my trainer looked like a Greek god b.my trainer needed a psychologist or at least a good counselor


69. I got into really good shape then and lost 3 dress sizes


70. I am planning on starting my Masters degree in Nursing next Spring


71. I can’t wear long or really dangling or really big earrings


72. It makes me feel like I look like a hooker (I don't mind if other people wear them & don't think that of them :?, weird I know)


73. I have been bad and not sent out Christmas cards the last two years


74. My brakes have gone out on me 3 times in my life


75. I was scared, but handled it calmly & didn’t get hit or hurt


76. I have never ran out of gas in my life


77. My HS girlfriends and I watched the sunrise while sitting on a hole of the golf course than ran through the neighborhood where our school was.


78. On the way to pick up Kendall a spectacular rainbow appeared against a very dark sky- it was beautiful, we got it on film


79. Some of my favorite sunsets so far have been on the Destin beach


80. I enjoyed Lauren having slumber parties


81. I enjoyed Kendall’s pool/pool parties


82. I would like to live in a loft or in a high-rise


83. I am looking forward to going to Destin with my grandchildren


84. Autumn is my favorite season of the year


85. My favorite books of the Bible: New Testament-Ephesians, Old Testament -Isaiah


86. My favorite apostle is Paul


87. People tell me I sound like I’m from Minnesota


88. I’ve never been to Minnesota in my life


89. I am really hoping to visit Tracey in Thailand in 2009


90. My cell phone plays “hello, I love you won’t you tell me your name!” when it rings :>


91. I like to make lists and cross things off when I accomplish them (I.e., when getting ready for a party or to plan my Saturday)


92. I wish I had invented baby stretchy headbands (AKA baby head tourniquets) and if I had Lauren would have worn them


93. I attended BSF for 1 ½ years and loved the indepth Bible study


94. I wrecked my car in 2002 4mos before it was paid off :<


95. I am blessed to have both my parents still living and relatively healthy.


96. I hate cigarette smoke!!


97. I can only float in salt water (another reason to love Destin!)


98. I ride the park & ride bus to work as much as possible


99. I enjoy scrap booking & find it therapeutic to remember relatives who have passed away with a scrapbook for the family.


100. I occasionally buy myself fresh flowers just to enjoy them in our home


101. Spelling comes easy for me


102. I was in drill team in high school and we had to wear wigs to all look alike

OK, whew..... now you really know a lot about me!!!!!!!!!

100 things about me

1. My feet are ugly, they are man feet
2. I enjoy event planning
3. I have planned 7 events (for 100+ people) over the last 6 years
4. I am the oldest child in my family
5. I have three younger brothers
6. I have the best sister-in-laws ever, on both sides of the family
7. I have spent way too much time looking over plans/designs for our retirement home
8. I have spent way too much money on ebay
9. The clothes I bought for Will before he was born covered our 8ft. pool table
10. I have been inside the Supreme Court twice in the last 18 months to hear an oral argument
11. The last case I heard in the Supreme Court involved "Brighton", of which I have 3 pairs of shoes and 1 purse
12. I spent 250$ for that 1 Brighton purse
13. That is the most expensive purse I have ever bought
14. I chewed my nails growing up and never had them all past my fingertips at the same time
15. I loved having solar/"artificial" nails while I did
16. I enjoy pedicures, usually once a month
17. I read People and Us (and other magazines that I don't buy) at the nail salon
18. I have a great hairdresser and colorist- who is also a precious young Christian mother.
19. My house is MUCH cleaner without my children living at home
20. Contrary to what my daughter reported, I do NOT hoard (my dad does though)
21. I purge my house continuously, because the closets are too small to hoard anything.
22. I have been mowing the backyard (all few feet of it) myself because the boys don't do it often enough to suit me.
23. I was obsessive about my grades in nursing school
24. I don't have a nice sounding laugh
25. So, I laugh on the inside, but rarely laugh out loud
26. My cousins thought I was my grandma's favorite
27. I was!
28. I was blessed to be with my grandma when she passed away
29. I am a chocoholic
30. I can't drink tea because it keeps me awake at night :<
31. My favorite drink is Diet Dr. Pepper
32. Exploring Bed & Breakfasts with Tim is one of my favorite things to do.
33. Brownies are my comfort food.
34. I was a girl scout leader for Lauren's troop for two years
35. I prayed to God that I would die when I was 21 and had Hepatitis A and was so sick.
36. I was yellow and had yucky yellow eyes.
37. My nails grew the longest they had ever been.
38. My favorite summer destination is Destin, Florida
39. I love Washington DC and all the historical buildings and places
40. I love the subway in DC
41. I was an "extra" for the movie "The Evening Star" but the scenes I was in were cut. (A snowy street scene & an audience at the opera scene). It took all day to shoot and involved costume changes, etc..
42. I would like to get into photography
43. I taught piano when I was 12-13 years old
44. I took piano for 8 years
45. I played the organ for VBS at my piano teacher's Methodist church when I was an adolescent
46. I went to VBS at my grandma's Baptist church
47. I can remember the smells of VBS- koolaid & glue
48. I love seasonal decorating
49. My house is already decorated for fall
50. my Christmas decorations fill 20+ Rubbermaid tubs
51. All my linens are 100% cotton
52. My comforter is down alternative (Tim is allergic to down)
53. It is white and my sheets are white, very spa like
54. I love the color of my bedroom walls, it is like candlelight
55. I like the smell of paint
56. I can't paint much anymore, because it makes my ulnar nerve/arm hurt.
57. My grandma had me reading at the age of 4, out of the Bible
58. She let me grade her first grade papers (she was a teacher) when I was in first grade
59. I played softball in a church league when Lauren was little.
60. I don't mind the smell of skunk
61. I'm always just a little bit later than I intend to be.
62. I love taking naps
63. I own around 50 pairs of shoes.
64. I donate clothing/household goods to Katy Christian Ministries about twice a month
65. When I bag up donations, I take it to my car and keep it there until I donate.
66. My favorite soap is Bath & Body Works-Warm Vanilla Sugar
67. Tim & I just bought land in the Hill Country
68. Our retirement address will be: 2221 Longs Peak Canyon Lake, TX 78133
69. I have lost weight the last week since Tim has been on his diet
70. My first car was a Gremlin
71. I've been to Phantom of the Opera twice, it's my favorite!
72. I love the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
73. My favorite author is John Grisham
74. I like artichokes on my pizza
75. I think "The Office" is stupid, I can't watch it
76. I think the premise of "24" is not credible
77. My favorite TV show is "LOST"
78. I like reality shows- Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, etc...
79. I have been blessed to see both of my grandchildren born.
80. my favorite coffee is the "taste of san antonio"
81. I think Starbucks prices are outgrageous
82. I really want to go on a mission trip
83. I have been really lonely for girl friends
84. I have a new friend named Carol, from church :)
85. my best friend moved to Thailand 2 months ago (a lot of people call her their best friend :>)
86. I have to have my ear plugs in to sleep
87. My favorite surgery is transplants- because people are so happy that they are getting a new chance at life and are so grateful to the donors.
88. My drivers license has my donor sticker on it
89. my least favorite surgery is D & C, because it reminds me of the loss of life & the pt's are so sad.
90. I had a D & C the night of July 4, 1986. The night that the statue of liberty was lit up for the celebration of 100?200? years since the US got it from France.
91. I don't know punctuation rules the way I should.
92. I promised God that I would never ride another roller coaster years ago, if he got me safely off the one I was on, and he did!
93. I know the basic floorplan that I want for our retirement home.
94. I've incorporated ideas from my friends/relatives houses that I like in my ideal plan
95. I don't want to live in a house that's being remodeled again (we lived on cement floors for 2 months this summer)
96. I sang on the praise team at church for 4 years+
97. I knew at 4 years old that I wanted to be a nurse
98. I've been married for 30 years, I've got a great husband & we're in it for the long haul!
99. I've got three great kids
100. I've got two out-of-this-world fantastic grandkids

I could go another 100 I'm sure..................but, we'll leave it at that!

"the Bee's Knee"

William Reed and Claire Elise

Just look at those two adorable grandchildren!, what could be better? How blessed we are to have Will and Claire for ours. It has been a true joy to watch Lauren & Scott as parents over the last 2+ years. They have the sweetest family and are so loving and patient in their day to day living, even in the midst of sleepless nights and potty training, they remain Godly and consistent. Next weekend I will be flying to Lubbock to babysit the two of them while their mama and daddy attend their LCU chorus reunion.

I have to confess, at least here on my blog, that I went shopping today and Claire is going to rack up, hey, the girl needed shoes!! Here she is all dressed up for church last Sunday~~~~~

That's all for now.... I had just received these new pics and wanted to share :)

<3 Terri

Off the blogroll & Up to the Plate

Ok, so I haven't posted in so long that my own daughter deleted me from her blogroll, ouch, that hurts.

Really, I have never felt like I had enough to say, or was interesting enough to warrant anyone reading my blog. My friends, Daphne and Tracey, have started blogging and I have found a familiar sort of comfort in reading their words and knowing what's on their hearts. So, I will step up to the plate and rejoin blogworld.

Our news of late:

Tims' moms brain surgery (7/2) came off beautifully, praise be to God. Her tumor was bigger than the Dr's fist in size and was pressing on her brain stem. After rehab and a short stint at assisted living, she is now at home recovering and we are still faithful that the feeling in her face and her vision will recover fully. The doctors have been literally amazed at her recovery and her strength and determination in all of this.

We have a most precious new grandaughter, Claire Elise, born July 8. I was honored to be there for her birth and it is a most amazing experience to be a part of. Lauren and Scott are blessed with a very sweet family, what a great time in their lives. I know that most, if not all who would read this, read Lauren's blog and can see the pictures of our new, sweet darling. We have not lost our fascination with Will by any means, he is so precocious. He has a HUGE vocabulary. He is incredibly smart with a great personality,,,, so fun!

Tim, Kendall and I spent Labor Day in Big Spring with Lauren's bunch and thoroughly enjoyed our time with them. I NEED to see my grandkids at least every 4-6 weeks. I am already planning my next trip up there :)

I am still working at SLEH and splitting full time between the OR and Day Surgery. I love what I do and I have learned to like working days rather than nights. It lets me spend time with Tim when he's at home and has given us more freedom to travel on the weekends together.

Tim and I had a WONDERFUL trip to one of my personal favorite destinations in March- we spent six days in Washington D.C. right at the beginning of Cherry Blossom time. We went to the Supreme Court and heard an oral argument, had coffee with Senator Cornyn, had a personal capitol tour by one of his interns, saw a musical at Ford's theater and spent alot of time at the Smithsonians, the Holocaust museum, a moonlight DC tour, went to church at Washington National Cathedral, mastered the subways, spent an afternoon at Arlington National cemetery with all its' beautiful simplicity and complex pageantry, and too much more to tell you about here. Suffice to say, it was a fabulous trip!!

We had a water leak at the house in early May, and had to live through bare floors and dealing with contractors until the house was finished July 19. We have mostly hardwood floors now, with new carpet in the bedrooms. It looks and feels great to have our house back even better than it was. If I can remember how to add pictures, I will sometime soon.

We have been thinking a lot about retirement lately, as to the "where to", "how to" and "when to". We just bought a 1.69 acre lot in a great planned community in the Hill Country close to Canyon Lake. We always wanted to retire to the Hill Country, so this is a beginning of realizing that dream. I have spent way too much time looking at homes on eplans online for design/floorplan ideas. It will probably be another 9 years before we are ready to build.

OK, enough randomness, it has been good to talk to you all. TTYL