Ready

It's finally ready!

I am so excited. If you remember, back in August of 2009 I ventured up to Dallas for a few days to hang out with the amazing Rachel Anne Ridge of Home Sanctuary fame.  She and I worked together on a book project of hers and I had an absolutely amazing time. 

Well, after lots of life and other responsibilities got in the way, the project was put on hold.  However, I was so pleased to find out a couple of months ago that things were back in motion, and just last night I received the news.  The book is finished!!

I am so incredibly honored and humbled to be a part of this. My role was very small, but the end result is so awesome. I really hope that the book is amazingly popular for Rachel; she is so deserving of great success.

To see the story of how the book came to be, you can read today's Company Girl Coffee post. If you would like to order a copy of the book for yourself or a friend, you can click here. It would make an awesome Christmas gift for all the girlfriends in your life.  The story is precious, the pictures are beautiful and the sentiment is uplifting and joyous.  I hope you enjoy it. I know I will treasure my copy forever.

Until,
D :)

Spring Spring Spring

Happy Friday Company Girls and Beloved Readers!

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day! I just love it when the weather is like this! Sadly though, Texas will prove itself unpredictable once again and we'll wake up to rain and cold. Blech. What a way to experience the official start of spring. Oh well.

Hubby has been home with us for a couple of days. He originally took off from work so he could go on a TORCH (the church motorcycle rider's group) camp out. Unfortunately the trip was canceled because the bike trails where they were supposed to camp were closed, but it worked out good for us because we got to have Daddy home. And it worked out great for me because Hubby worked on finally putting the wood down in the hallway!! Yay! No more walking on concrete! It looks so nice! We have a bunch of the wood left, so I think we may put some in the bathroom and then tile the areas around the shower and the tub. I think it will look really nice when it's done.

Little Port woke me up bright and early this morning. We are still not adjusting to the time change well. And today, I believe he is dealing with teething. He has had the worst, the worst diapers all day, including 2 nasty blowouts. And he has been pretty testy as well. Tonight when I put him to bed (he was very upset about it) he cried for a while then stopped. We thought he had fallen asleep but about 30 minutes later he was up and screaming. I went to check on him and he actually asked for medicine. He's never done that before so my guess is his teeth were hurting. He will hardly let me brush them right now. Poor little guy.

Today I was able to get out for a bit while he was napping, so I went to a couple of hardware/garden stores (Lowes and Home Depot) to look at gardening supplies. I purchased some conduit pipe and some connectors and am going to build a frame with netting for my veggies to climb. I need one for the green beans and one for my cucumbers to climb. I think I will use tomato cages for the peas.

We've recently had a flock of birds take up residence near by. I think they are grackels, but I am not sure. Whatever they are, they are noisy beasts and they are pooing on everything. It is extremely annoying. I need to find some helpful tools to keep them out of my garden. I may have to sacrifice some old cds to hang or buy some mylar balloons. I know you can hang them over your plants and the shiny/flashy-ness of them will scare the birds away.

Today I finally got the 2 gardening books I ordered. I had a rewards credit on Amazon (my business credit card gives me $25 rewards every now and then) and so I ordered The Vegetable Gardener's Bible and All New Square Foot Gardening. I was so excited to get them home and look through them. As soon as I walked in and set them down, my 5 yr old confiscated them and ran off to the hammock outside to read them. I wasn't sure if I should be upset or proud! lol! He loves gardening books! I have caught him many times flipping through and reading one of the one's I use, and it doesn't even have pictures!

Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and wet, but thankfully, Sunday should be back to sunny and warm. I am so ready for spring and summer! I can't take much more cold.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend.

Until,
D :)

Change

Happy Friday Company Girls and Beloved Regulars!

Man, all week long I've been thinking it was Friday, wishing for Friday and dreading Friday. Friday, needless to say, has been on the brain.

And all day today I thought it was Wednesday. Go figure. lol

But, indeed, it is Friday, and I am looking forward to getting some things done this weekend. Hopefully I can make it out and about and get some tasks taken care if before Hubby runs off to do his thing. It seems there are never enough waking hours in the weekend for us to both get our stuff done. And usually I am the one to not do my stuff if time is short because if I really, really have to, usually I can do it during the week. But doing my stuff kid free on the weekends is sooooo much easier! How I long for those few hours to myself. I wish I got them more often.

But I digress.

My parents sent me my birthday present early, a beautiful gift card to Home Depot, and so I hope to be able to do some garden supply shopping and pick up some much desired dirt and fertilizer for my garden. I am so eager to get things planted and now is the time! Yay!!!

Last night we recorded this weeks Musing Mommies podcast. We were a few days late because Kim has been having trouble with her voice. We did a dual podcast with Melody from 2GodChicks. It was so much fun talking with her, and being interviewed as well as interviewing. It is different when the tables are turned! Anyway, I think it was a great conversation and I can't wait until I get to hear it all edited and nice. One little fun fact; Melody and Wendy record their podcast in Melody's closet! lol! Awesome! It was so funny watching her on Skype sitting amongst her clothes and shoe boxes. Hey, you go where the sound is the best, right?

I got little Port to nap today. He protested for a few minutes but finally relented and went to sleep. Thank goodness, because the no-nap day yesterday was not fun. Don't get me wrong, Port was actually pretty good most of the afternoon. But come bed time he was so over tired he fought everything. He didn't want to get his jammies on, he didn't want to tell anyone goodnight, he didn't want to give his "bump-bumps" (fist bumps) to anyone. He screamed his angry CPS calling level scream for a good 20 minutes before finally passing out. It was not fun for anybody. Tonight, he scrunched up his face and huffed and puffed a little, but he willingly went in his room for jammies and he happily said goodnight and bump-bumped everyone (even the cat!!). He willingly went to his room, picked up his toys without asking (my sweet little organized dude) and helped me turn out the light. When I laid him in the crib he scrunched up his face again, but he turned on his little fishy light and only said one "no!" when I closed the door. No crying, no screaming, nothing.

Bliss

I am not ready for him to give up naps yet. I know he can make it through the day without one, but the difference it makes in how well bed time goes is enough for me to put up with the noon time protest so he will take a nap. It may keep us from doing stuff most days, but it is so worth it.

How old were your kids when they gave up naps? I have probably asked this before, but I am really hoping I can get a few more months at least out of him before we have to do something else. (afternoon rest time? stay in your room and read time? I have no clue here.)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Until,
D :)

Hallelujah

Hey there Company Girls!
I am sitting here at the computer (shocker, I know) playing with all my new friends on Twitter and watching the Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies. (talk about a roller coaster ride - one minute I am snoozing {Peter Pan anyone?} and the next I am moved {KD Lang, Hallelujah - if you didn't hear it, look for the youtube vid when it comes out. GORGEOUS!}, then I just want to make it stop {I love opera, but...}...mercy! lol) Anyway, I wanted to get a quick post out to say hi and check in with you all.

Rachel Anne's little homemade coffee pot cracked me up! That's my girl! Don't let anything keep you from your morning caffeine injection. I'll have to remember that the next time we wake up without power.

I hope everyone is staying warm and dry during all this snow business. We haven't received any here; just a lot of sleet, rain and general muck. I am so tired of the cold. Thankfully the sun came out today for a few hours, and I was able to get out with the boys and run an errand. We hit Sonic's happy hour so I could let the van run for a little bit. The battery that we bought a few months ago for some reason isn't holding a charge anymore, and every time I get in it and start it up it is a struggle to get it to turn over. It will charge up if I drive it for a while, but if it sits overnight or for a couple of days I can barely get it started the next time we load up. That's not a fun thing when it takes so long to get everyone in the car in the first place. Thankfully it hasn't left us stranded yet, but something needs to be done soon. I was going to see if I could get it replaced at Walmart (they installed it) when we went today, but I guess we arrived at just the wrong time because the automotive area was PACKED. So, Hubby will be toting it up there this weekend sometime.

So I got a decent amount of sun on my face today. I am determined to soak up as much as I can this weekend. 2 weeks of dreary, rainy, cold days just about did me in. Can you say moody? I got my package from the garden supply, and it is just sitting here, unopened, waiting for spring weather. It makes me so sad every time I see it. I want to plant my garden NOW!! :(

I found an old video of Kiddo on our computer the other day. I have been trying to upload it to my blog for days, but it keeps messing up. I may have to edit it so I can get it on here. It is from when he was about 10 months old, and includes the clip of his first steps!! I still can't believe I caught that on tape. As soon as I can figure it out I will post it.

I have so much going on right now - I don't know if I am ever going to catch up. But it is all good and I trust that God's hand is in all of it. I am just hoping my patience can last through it.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for having coffee with me!

Until,
D :)

Here is KD singing it at the Juno awards - turn up your speakers!

Warm Me Up

Happy Friday Company Girls!
Sorry I skipped out on you last week. Friday got away from me and I just completely forgot about blogging.

How are you? Until about an hour ago, it has been a cold, rainy, dreary mess for the past few days. I am so tired of the dark and damp and cold - blech. I am ready to move back to Arizona! Thankfully the sun just peeked it's head out from behind the clouds. I hope it stays out long enough to dry us out a little. The weather man keeps talking about some arctic blast that is coming in next week, but I see little indication of that on weather.com. Thank goodness! I don't know how much more I can take of the cold. I am ready for spring!!!

I planted some seed in my garden last week and the day after we got a huge rain storm complete with buckets of hail. I am fairly certain everything I planted got washed out, but we will see. If it dries up some I may go plant more seed on top of what I already planted, just to insure something grows! My mom sent me a $50 gift card to an online gardener's site - I am so excited to get the fertilizer, compost and row covers I ordered. Thanks Mom!!

The bees are starting to come back, despite the cold. We have a terrible problem with honey bees at my house. I don't know where their hive is, but it has got to be close because every time I open the back door I have to deal with them coming in. It's funny because I don't really see them much in the yard or even in the garden, but that back door has some sort of draw for them because most days, if the door is open for any length of time while the boys are outside, I have to kill at least 5 or 6 bees. Last week, little Port got stung on his finger when he found one in the living room on the rug. Poor guy! The boys were arguing and I thought at first that Kiddo had done something to him. He came running to me holding his hand; and I was screaming at Kiddo to tell me what he had done. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bee dead on the floor (thank goodness for a white rug for once!). I opened up Port's hand and sure enough there was the stinger in his little index finger. Thankfully I was able (and brave enough) to pull it out really fast. I gave him a dose of benadryl just in case (we have a family history of bee allergies) and watched him close for a while. He was fine after about 2 minutes, but he licked and sucked on his finger all day. It swelled up pretty good, but by the next day it was fine.

I felt so bad about it. Usually the hair on the back of my neck stands right up when one flies into the room (I am terrified of them). But I guess this one snuck by me. How it ended up on the floor where Port could pick it up I will never know. I am just thankful we can mark that off the allergy list for him.

Beyond all that, I am working hard at my business - getting some marketing materials done and some new programs set in place. This week I hope to release my spring specials and some fun stuff I am doing with that. Right now my focus is newborns and Austin area high school juniors and seniors.

And, if you listen to our Musing Mommies podcast, we are having a very exciting giveaway right now!! A beautiful necklace is the prize. Click on over there if you are interested; we would love to have you for a visit. :)

I hope you all have a glorious weekend. May the clouds depart, the sun rise and it's rays warm your soul. I know I will be soaking it up when and where I can.

Until,
D :)

Spring Love

Happy Friday Company Girls and beloved Regulars!

It is a gorgeous day out today, and I am absolutely itching to start working in the garden!!! I made the mistake of stopping by Lowe's this morning and checking out the gardening department. Oh mercy, mercy, mercy!

So far on my list of "wants" for my garden, an apple tree ($22.95), an orange and a lemon tree (2 for $39.95), another blueberry for the blueberry I already have (they don't fruit unless there are 2 of them, awwww! - $10.95) a blackberry and raspberry bush ($8.95 each), more dirt, fertilizer and seeds or small plants for onions, spinach, and a couple of herbs, and some peppers. I would also like some strawberries and red onions this year.

So....I need about $200+ to start. *sigh*

I have no idea where that is going to come from. Maybe we'll have a garage sale or something.

I was getting giddy looking at all the little plants.

I still have seeds for zucchini, tomatoes and the peas and beans. I hope to plant a lot more of those this season. My returns in the fall were pitiful, and just as everything started to really get going, we had a hard freeze and it wiped it all out. The only plants I have left are carrots, some sad little onions that probably won't come to anything, a couple broccoli plants that still haven't produced anything, and 2 teeny tiny spinach plants. I also have some brussel sprout plants still growing, and while they are gorgeous, they aren't producing anything and probably won't. I just don't have the heart to pull them!

I am thinking about incorporating our fence into the "garden" area and plant the squash and the berries along it. The squash takes up so much space, it nearly swallows the entire 4x8 box with just a couple of plants. I am just not sure I want to go through all the labor of getting the ground ready over there. There are lots of rocks and junk to dig through, weeds to pull, and bushes to take out. And the dog will probably try to trample anything I plant, so I would need to devise some sort of fence.

I discovered this week that the family of squirrels that lives in our back yard has moved it's nest from one side of the yard to a tree on the other side. Right next to the garden.

mmmhmmm. They are planning for the spring harvest too I am afraid.

So, are you thinking spring too? I would love to know your plans!

Thanks for stopping by!

Until,
D :)

One

Happy Friday everyone!

It's a good thing we are having virtual coffee because I am sick. yuck. The boys have been sick since last weekend and I got it Monday. The only one left unscathed so far is the Hubby, though he mentioned today he thought he might have a sore throat. We shall see where this leads.

Anyway, we are freezing here in Texas. I am not a cold weather kind of girl. I do not function well in temperatures below about 60 degrees. So I have been sick and oh so cold and I am not happy about it.

Aren't you glad you stopped by? ;-)

So Kiddo (5 yrs) and I are butting heads. He is completely and totally into the new video games he got for Christmas. I have always been pretty lax about how much he plays - usually after a few days of playing non stop he will get tired of it and put it down for a week or so. Then he'll fall into a regular pattern of only playing every other day or so.

This time he wants to play non stop; which I understand when there are cool new games to play. The problem is that now, little Port wants to play sometimes too (he sits next to Kiddo with an unplugged controller and watches the action) and the only thing Port wants to play (or watch) is Cars.

He's a bit Cars obsessed right now.

And, unfortunately, when Port has his little heart set on something, if he doesn't get his way he pitches a rip-roarin' fit.

And poor Mommy's head really hurts. So we just can't have that.

Soooo, the long and short of it is that the xbox causes a bunch of controversy in our house right now. And when Port starts getting upset about the selection, I just opt to turn the whole thing off.

Which, of course, makes me the meanest mommy in the world to Kiddo.

And Kiddo has started whining to us (Hubby and I) whenever we make him stop playing that we are "taking away something that he loves". (say that in your head with a pitiful, whiny voice about 10,000 times and tell me you are not going insane!)

And another downside to my already dramatic son playing a bunch of video games is sometimes he gets stuck in that fantasy world. He doesn't always separate fantasy from reality well anyway, and right now it is particularly bad.

So today I made him turn the game off when it was time for breakfast which upset him as usual, and then after breakfast I wouldn't let him turn it back on. I told him we needed to turn off the tv for a while and play with some of the other toys. Kiddo gave me attitude about it so I sent him to his room. As usual, Port followed him in there and within a few minutes they were playing together. Several minutes later I hear Kiddo scream at Port, Port whined and Kiddo started yelling at him some more. I went in to see what was going on and Kiddo proceeded to tell me that the baby was robbing him and trying to steal his stuff.

I had just about had enough. This has been going on for days. And the kicker was that the baby wasn't even anywhere near him!

I put him in time out and told him that he needed to stop living in his fantasy world and that this was his real life. And in real life he is to treat his brother kindly and respectfully and that yelling at him like he did was never acceptable. I talked to him about it a bit more, reminding him that his real life included me and Hubby and Port and that we were a family and we needed to be nice to each other. And I told him that he had a good life and that we worked hard to make sure he had a nice home and toys to play with and lots of things to do....

After a long silence Kiddo turned to me and said,

"My life is TERRIBLE! And you took away the one thing that I looooove!!! It was the only thing that made me happy!" (i.e. the video games)

{well give the boy an Oscar!}

"The video games are the one thing that you love?" I asked.
"Yes!" he said.
"And nothing else that you have makes you happy?"
"No, and you took them away and now I have NOTHING!" he replied.

I looked around his overflowing room and the stacks of toys and books and clothes and junk.

And I told him that if he really felt that way, I would pack up all his toys and everything else in the room and send it all off to kids that would appreciate them. I stood up and walked out of his room to find some boxes.

He chased after me and promptly declared that he was only kidding.

*sigh*

The teen years are going to be TOUGH!

Hope your weekend is wonderful. Stay warm!

Until,
D :)

These Small Hours

Hi there Company Girls and Beloved Regulars! I trust you had a great holiday season. Are you glad it's over? I kind of am. I never really did hit that high point in Holiday Spirit. I think things were just too busy or something. I am ready to get back to normal; to be able to go to the Walmart return desk and not have to wait an hour and a half...to go to Target and actually see what is tagged on the shelf, on the shelf. I am ready to go to the post office without having to...well I guess the post office never really changes, huh?;)

Come on in, as always I have fresh coffee in the pot. I still have a good stash of peppermint mocha creamer too if you are so inclined. And yesterday I made fresh oatmeal scotchies. Don't mess with the fudge I made though - it didn't turn out any good. I need to work on my fudge making skills. I see a candy thermometer in my future. ;-)

I am so incredibly tired. Both the boys have a nasty cold, and Kiddo was up all night because of it. I am afraid tonight will be Port's turn. He has had a really bad day so far. I think I will most likely end up on the couch with him at some point in the night. Between the fever and the nasty, phlegm-y cough, he isn't going to get much sleep. At least I can give Kiddo OTC meds to help him rest well. Poor Port doesn't have that option.

My last post about my recurring dream sparked some interesting discussion. I don't know why we have recurring dreams; I however think it may have something to do with unfinished business or something we are trying to reconcile/decide upon. For almost 15 years I had the same dream weekly about a guy I went to high school with. Our parting of ways in our early college years was abrupt and I guess for all those years I had some sort of internal issue with it. At least once a week I would dream that I was walking through the halls (usually of our high school, but sometimes college) and he would be walking with a group of people 5-10 feet away. In every dream I would call out to him and he would never acknowledge me. Or he would look my way, give me a knowing look and then act like he didn't see me. I would yell and scream and call his name but he never responded.

About 6 months ago I reconnected with him on facebook, and the dreams went away.

It's funny how that happens.

Anyway, so maybe my dream had something to do with the fact that I never finished my graduate degree, or maybe it has to do with my strong desire to participate in a photography workshop or classes.

Who knows.

On facebook, a couple of my friends commented that I was indeed an important member of my college choir. It's funny, because I never really felt that way. To me, it felt as if I was just another nice voice in the mix; that no one would miss me if I wasn't there. But I guess some people thought I was important (well, 2 people anyway. lol). And that brings me all back to what I have talked about here before; the fact that we as a society don't let others know how we feel about them. What a difference it would have made to me in my college career if someone had just once said, "you are an important part of this group". {Gratitude Monday my friends! Participate with me!}

Seriously! I know it sounds simple, and that is the point. We as humans need to know how we are perceived; we need to know how people think of and feel about us.

My husband's grandfather, every time he saw us, always said, "I am so glad you got to see me!" ;-) But, in that joke, I know it was his way of saying he was glad we were there. And it always made me feel loved and wanted.

I was discussing with Hubby the other night - if we all spoke to each other the same way the characters in tv drama shows did, it would be incredible how different life would be. Imagine being able to discuss anything with anyone. Imagine not having to sensor yourself or bite your tongue. Imagine if you could tell someone how you felt, without having to worry about the recipient bottling up their feelings as well.

Of course, that world might be a little scary. lol

But I think there really is room for improvement in this area. I think we need to be more honest and forthcoming with each other. I think we need to show our "people" how we feel about them while they are here - not just in a nice eulogy after they are gone. What good is that anyway?

So yes, it was quite the thought provoking post for me.

In other news, today is New Year's Day! A new year, a new decade, a new everything it seems.

New Years has always been a perplexing concept for me. I just don't get it. It doesn't work in my thinking.

What I mean by that is - everyone goes on and on about things being new and fresh and making change, and then a month from now everyone is back to the same old routine. And they can never figure out why it works out that way.

Well here is the thing. New Year's Day is just another day of the week. It is the same old grind; of course nothing changes! Now, if every year at New Years we had a full week where everything shut down and people were able to take some time to get things in order, maybe things would be different. Why we place so much expectation on one little day on the calendar is beyond me. Do we have more time in that day? No. Do we have less responsibility in that day, freeing up the existing time for us? Usually not. How do we expect to fit it all in, start anew and fresh and organized if there is no extra time involved to get those things in order? We can't figure it out the rest of the year, what makes January 1st so special?

I am speaking strictly from my own experience, so if you have an answer for me I would love to hear it.

And I usually try to avoid resolutions. They just don't work for me and the frustration and disappointment I face each year after once again failing is just too much trouble for me now. I haven't made a resolution in years - at least not a serious one. This year, I would like to be more organized, but golly I have no clue how to go about it. I suppose getting off the computer once in a while might free up some time...

Anyway...just something to think about I guess.

How can I reorganize my life, while living that same life I lived yesterday? There just aren't enough hours...

Until,
D :)

Square One

Welcome Company Girls and Beloved Regulars!

I can't believe it is Friday again already! This week just flew by. Come on in, my fridge is stocked with Peppermint Mocha creamer and the coffee is always hot!

I posted these to facebook, but I don't think I shared them on here. I wasn't able to take the boys to a proper pumpkin patch this year due to all the rains, but we did venture with some friends over to the local YMCA. They had their own "pumpkin patch" {read: 10 pumpkins on a wood flat and then a gated yard area with a bunch of hay bails and decorations. lol} so we tried to take some pictures there. I had a hard time getting anything decent, but these were the best of the lot.
Port was not happy sitting amongst the pumpkins. Much like last year, he kept pushing them away from him. Then big brother jumped and and all I got was "the face".I can't believe how much Port has grown this year! Looking at last year's pictures - on my!

Oh well. Maybe I'll have better luck next year!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Go ahead, pull out the holiday cds, it's not too early!

Until,
D :)

Visit The Moon

Happy Friday Company Girls and Beloved Readers!
I am kind of off today - we packed up the fam and drove to Houston last night and so all day today I have felt like it is Saturday. It wasn't until I saw MuMo Kim's coffee post over at Musing Mommies that I remembered it was actually in fact only Friday.

So come on in, we are visiting at my inlaws home today. I just made a wonderful smelling Carmel Glazed Apple Cake and I am thinking about skipping dinner and just diving into that cake pan with my own fork!

And yes, I bake at other people's houses too! I am a nut!

I hope you all had a good week. I am still on the busy train; trying to get all my sessions edited and all the orders in. I am still shooting too - this time of year is always a crazy ride with how busy I get. I can't seem to keep my head above water, but of course it is, in my opinion, the best kind of water treading.

So this weekend will be full of photo sessions and coffee with friends, apple cake and good visiting with the family. My boys will be spoiled and we will all be exhausted, but I look forward to the time away from home.

I hope you all also have a wonderful weekend! I look forward to reading your blogs.

Until,
D :)

Remember Me This Way

Hello Company Girls and Readers who haven't dropped me from their feed... I know, this blogging once a week thing isn't working for you. It's not working for me either. I really, really, really will try to get back going with this. No excuses, I should be able to do something a few days a week.

*sigh*

So last weekend was a total blast! I had a family session on Saturday morning. I pulled into the park that we were meeting at and couldn't believe my eyes! I have never seen so many people there! There was a horse show happening on one side and some sort of physical fitness training thing on the other. I couldn't even drive down the main road properly because of all the cars parked on the sides. And of course, I forgot to bring my client's phone number with me. So I called Hubby and asked him to look it up, got a hold of her and we eventually found each other. The park was so full of people there was just no way we were going to be able to do a proper session, so we decided to move to another park down the road.

On the way there, I got turned around while they were following me, and then they missed a turn when I was following them, but we finally made it to the park. After that the session went well, except for the part when the 2 year old almost fell in the creek!

I got home just in time for Hubby to leave for a project of his own. I fed the kids, put the baby down for a nap, scarfed some food down for myself, took a shower, got the baby up, repacked my gear and then when Hubby pulled in I took off again for a wedding.

I left a little bit later than I had planned and of course, being late I got behind all the slow people and caught all the lights. I had to stop for gas and a big Dr. Pepper, and when I got out of my car at the gas station I realized that my black pin stripe slacks were actually navy blue. doh! So much for my professional, all black photographer ensemble. I got back on the road and called Hubby when I got on the freeway to make sure the baby wasn't still freaking out from my departure. After I hung up, I zoned out for a few minutes (actually about 15 minutes) before coming to and realized I wasn't even supposed to be on the freeway!!! ACK!

So I drove 15 minutes out of my way. *sigh*

Thankfully, I pad my time enough that even with all the hangups I was only about 3 minutes late. Thank goodness. I called Allen (the photographer I work with) on my cell to find out exactly where he was.

Allen: Hello?
Me: Hey Allen it's Dawn
A: Oh hey Dawn!
Me: Hey! So where are you?
{long pause}
A: uh, well I am at the zoo with the kids.
Me: ha ha! No really, where are you?
A: I am at the zoo with the kids.
{kids screaming in the background}
Me: *blink* *blink* {brain trying to process information.}
{really long pause}
Me: Oh ALLEN!!! I am so sorry! I dialed the wrong Allen on my phone!!

The Allen I called was a friend's husband, and unfortunate recipient of many an unintentional phone call from me.

Sorry Allen.

A quick call to the right Allen confirmed I was indeed in the right place and at the right time (thank goodness) and so I gathered my things and headed to the ceremony site.

The wedding was a blast. The people were sweet and friendly and so much fun and the location was gorgeous!

While everyone was eating dinner, Allen, the wedding coordinators, the DJ and I gathered in the dancing room (it was separate from the dining area) to eat and sit for a minute. I had recognized the DJ from some events we had at the country club I worked at long ago (before kids). We were all eating at a table and the coordinators and DJ were discussing other events and other coordinators - apparently they all knew each other and worked together frequently. I usually don't talk much in settings like these, but I was curious so when the conversation lulled I asked if any of them had worked at the country club recently.

The coordinators both replied "no". The DJ said, "Dawn Fry!!"

lol

I had to laugh. "You remember my name?"

Shaking his head, "Dawn Fry!"

The coordinators: "Who is Dawn Fry?"

uh, that would be me.

We all talked for a minute or two after that about what I did in my past life and they asked me what I was doing now. I couldn't believe the DJ remembered my name. Suddenly it was time to get back to work.

A little later I got to thinking that I didn't ask him why he remembered me exactly. I mean it could have been because I was mean or because I really sucked. So when we had a moment, I walked over to his table and asked him.

"No, no," he said. "You didn't suck. I worked with Sloane a few times after you left." (Sloane was a girl who was brought on while I was there, then took over the department when I departed)

Smiling, he said, "And well, she was no Dawn Fry!"

I guess I can take that as a compliment. ;-)

******************************

At times I wonder if my contribution to the lives of the people I come across is a good one or a bad one. Sometimes I definitely know the answer. Other times, like in the case of the country club job, I felt like I was doing a good job and being nice to people, but it ended so badly that even though I feel like I did a good job, I still kind of wonder. But, getting that reaction from the DJ made me feel better about my time there.

I just hope that I make as good an impression on people in my life now. Though, if I think about it, I am not the same person I was then.

I guess only time will tell. Perhaps someday I will have another chance to ask someone how they remember me.

It kind of makes me sad that people only really express how they felt about someone at their funeral. If only we were so forthcoming with our feelings about our friends, family and even acquaintances when they are with us and can hear those good words, maybe so many of us wouldn't be living with depression and self esteem issues and the like.

So, tell someone how you feel about them this week. Even if it's a coworker, an acquaintance or someone you just met. Give them honest feedback - I think good or bad (as long as you are tactful), it just might make someone feel better about themselves.

I want to know how I come across; what it's like to know Dawn Fry. I want to know if I'm weird or witchy or sweet. I want to know if people actually value my opinion or if they think I am blowing smoke.

I want to know who the person in the mirror is to the world around me.

I think it would be interesting at the very least.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until,
D :)

Chilly Down

Greetings Company Girls and Beloved Regulars!

Thankfully today did not start as early as the last 2 Friday mornings, but after a week of pretty consistent 7:15 wake ups, this morning's 6:15 was kind of a shock. I believe I have a lightning/thunder storm to blame; a couple of the cracks of thunder were loud enough to shake the house.

So *yawn* forgive me if I am dragging a little.

How was your week? Mine was alright. I have been a bit on the emotional side of things this week, what with the hormone surge and whatnot. And the Kiddo and I have been duke-ing it out on a daily basis, so my brain and my sanity are about gone.

I am so looking forward to the weekend though - I have a holiday family session to shoot in the morning and a wedding tomorrow evening. It should be absolutely gorgeous, fall like weather and I am stoked to be out in it all day!

After this morning's rain it has been cold, cold all day here, so I am fighting the urge to bake and cook. Haha! Well, I guess I am not fighting it too hard - I have red beans cooking in the crock pot and fresh pumpkin roasting in the oven to make a pumpkin puree. I am dreaming and drooling over all the pumpkin goodies I will be able to make. mmmmmmm! I have to say it is so very nice though to be able to run the oven for a few hours and still keep the house cool by just cracking a couple of windows. YAY!

Well the baby started off the day by falling into the coffee table and busting either his upper lip or gums (he won't let me get in there to look) so I have his and my bloody jammies to deal with. He is totally fine - only cried for a minute at most; but he looked pretty funny until the swelling went down. And since I have a load of cloth diapers in the wash I better get them finished up so I can get the jammies in there before the stain sets.

Ah the joys of motherhood!

I hope you have a wonderful week! Thanks for stopping by.

Until,
D :)

Sweet Thing

When I was growing up we had a number of pets; cats, dogs, birds, rabbits... One of the dogs we had was a little terrier mix we named TJ.

One of the things TJ loved was my dad's coffee.

I know it sounds funny, but he did! Every day my dad would take a cup of coffee in the car with him on the way to work. He would drink all but the last swallow and leave the cup in the car while he worked. When he came home in the evenings, TJ would bolt to the door and sit up for his coffee. My dad would hold down his cup and let him lick the left over coffee from the bottom.

The dog looked forward to this every day. If by some chance my dad forgot to leave some in the cup, or didn't have coffee that morning, TJ would sulk for a little while.

So here I am, 20+ years later, and I have my own little guy that likes to finish the last drops of my coffee in the morning. He will stand in front of me and paw at the desk trying to grab my coffee cup. When I oblige his request, he will stick his tongue in my cup and try to lick as much of the coffee out of it as he can. And he is every bit, if not more cute than TJ ever was.
Sometimes I let him take my cup completely. I just can't resist him.

Until,
D :)

3 AM

Oh good grief I haven't blogged all week!!! Mercy! Well, actually, I started a couple of posts, but never finished them. Perhaps I shall get to that today.

Welcome Company Girls and Beloved Regulars! Today I will be serving hot coffee all day long - if you happened to check out the post at Musing Mommies, you'll know that I have been up since 3:53am, thanks to a cranky baby who decided that was the perfect time to get up. ugh. It is only 1:30 now and I am ready for bed. The baby is napping - I know, I should be too, but I drank too much caffeine to sleep now - though I am in kind of a frantic haze (if that makes any sense whatsoever).

Anywho - things around here, despite the early rising (2 Fridays in a ROW!!!), are actually going great! I am almost completely booked for the holiday season, and this week, a fabulous opportunity to possibly assist in shooting 2 destination weddings dropped in my lap. Can I get a woo-hoo?!? It is not definite yet, but I could possibly be shooting in Fredricksburg and Marathon this month with my fabulous wedding photographer friend Allen. I am stoked! It is such a great opportunity - lots of time in the car to pick his brain -haha! And, I am shooting another wedding with him in a couple of weeks. I am so excited about that too!

I even have a Houston weekend of sessions booked this season as well. Business is AWESOME.

So, I am still working on those adorable twin newborn images and planting my fall garden and chasing after the boys...the house may never look decent again (sorry Hubby). But it is all good, right?

In some sad news, I found out this week that one of my past clients had a tragedy in her family. Her 21 year old son was in a terrible car accident. Even though the doctors said he most likely wouldn't survive, he managed to make it despite a multitude of complications from his injuries for over a month. However, last week he succumbed to a blood clot in his brain. It is such a sad, terrible thing and my heart is just breaking for this family. A friend of the family (and a mutual friend of ours) contacted me regarding the portraits I took of them 3 years ago. I was thankfully able to find their images (thank goodness I saved them!) and make some prints for her to give to the family. Please keep them in your prayers during this trying time.

I hope you all are having a great Fall so far - he holidays are right around the corner! Thanks for stopping by!

Until,
D :)

Sleepyhead

Good morning Company Girls and other Beloved Readers!

Yes, it actually is morning! Unlike my usual 11:55pm post, I am trying to get a jump on things today.

Of course, it helps that I was up at 4am.

zzzzzzzzzzzz

Thanks for stopping by; I have plenty of coffee and some very yummy Costco blueberry lemon muffins that are about the size of my head. They are scrumptious, but I can only eat about a 3rd of one! I also have some homemade pumpkin banana muffins if you prefer.

So yeah, 4am - so not my time of day!

Tuesday I traveled to Houston for a newborn session (photo shoot) and then drove back Wednesday. At almost 4 hours each way (counting stops for diaper changes and retrieving tossed bottles) I was exhausted once we arrived home. That night, I was up at 3am cleaning up doggie doo off the hallway floor. I didn't get much sleep after that. So last night I was in desperate need of some good sack time. Unfortunately I heard my 5 year old rattling around in the hallway at about 4. He went back to bed so I assumed he had only gotten up to use the bathroom. I laid in bed listening and dozing in and out until the baby started screaming at 5. I got up, changed his diaper, gave him some water and put him back to bed. He screamed and screamed...I went back to bed hoping he would settle and go back to sleep, and as I was lying there listening again I heard a big thud from the older boy's room.

Upon investigation, I discovered the boy up and attempting to turn on his turtle lights. He was completely without jammies. I asked him what happened to his clothes and he informed me he had wet the bed. "Mommy would you change my sheets please?" he asked. I simply did not have that kind of energy so I tossed a couple of towels over the bed along with a clean sheet and found him some clean pajamas. Then I put him back in the bed with a clean blanket and told him to go back to sleep. Poor guy, if I hadn't discovered him I don't think he would have gotten back to sleep. It never occurred to him to come get me, so he was hanging out nekked in his room and trying to sleep on the foot end of his bed where it was dry.

Port was still crying in his crib and it sounded like he wasn't going to give up so I got up with him at 5:15. He was just as happy as a clam! It is so hard to be grouchy with him when he gets up that early because for some reason he is so incredibly sweet. He was giving me all kinds of kisses and hugs and lovin' - it was just too cute!

So, *yawn* I am so very tired now. I think I may have to nap at the same time Port does today. I just don't think I will make it through the day if I don't.

Hope you all have a restful, exciting weekend, free of wet beds and doggy poo! Thanks for stopping by!

Until,
D :)

Too Much Food

Happy Friday!
Come in, poor yourself a cup and have a seat (if you can find one - just shove those blocks out of the way). Ahhhh!

How was your week? The usual stuff over here; still super busy, still got lots on the "to do" list and still have a trashed house. Oh well. I did take the time on Monday (or was it Tuesday) to just get the kitchen clean. My goal was to do a room a day, but the rest of the week has gotten away from me and well.... at least I had a clean kitchen for a couple of days.

So this weekend should be busy, and sometime between Sunday and Wednesday I hope to travel to Houston to do a newborn session for my friend's twin baby girls! I am so very excited!

If you visited the Musing Mommies, you read that I suddenly have little veggies in my fall garden! I can't wait to start harvesting! I planted a lot of beans this time in the hopes of growing something that my little Port will eat. He is 17 months old now, and by far the pickiest eater I've seen. We got so lucky with Kiddo (5yrs). He would try anything and he still, to this day, eats just about anything I serve him (except tomatoes, onion and rice). Kiddo loves green veggies and will usually choose them over french fries at a restaurant. He loves all kinds of fruit too - that kid is awesome when it comes to eating.

Port on the other hand, well dang. I am having the hardest time with him! He will eat chicken nuggets (I know, bad Mommy), mac-n-cheese (sometimes), string cheese, hot dogs, corn, beans (red only), bread, apples, pears, blueberries (sometimes) and almost any kind of muffin you feed him. NOTHING else! He used to eat pasta with both cream sauces or tomato sauces, and now it's hit and miss. Don't even THINK about putting something green in front of him. This week I made spaghetti with some tri colored pasta and he ate it all except for the green pasta. Stinker!

So I guess I am going to be baking a lot of muffins for him. I made some banana pumpkin muffins a couple of weeks ago that he loves. I keep them in the freezer and just pull one out for him when he won't eat the dinner I make. I am thinking zucchini, blueberry, apple, maybe sweet potato or carrot - I need to start searching for recipes. Oh and he will eat some crackers and the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms cereal, but I don't really count that as proper nutrition. ;)

And before you even suggest it - I refuse to mess up the holy brownie by putting beans or spinach in them. I will not do that to a brownie! lol!

So, as the experts advise, I continue to offer and offer and offer and hope that one day he will eat a piece of broccoli... any other ideas as to what might work?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. :)

Until,
D :)

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Happy Friday Company Girls and Beloved Regulars!!

I am so glad this week is coming to a close. I have had more than my fair share of cruddy things happening this week. The boys have been at each other’s throats, and I am tired of reminding, negotiating and flat out yelling. My patience has been worn thin this week and I am done.

Beyond that, things have been good. We are finally, finally getting some desperately needed rain! Yahoo!! This has been one of the driest summers we have seen in a long time - the drought is so severe that our lakes and rivers are at alarmingly low levels. Everything that should be green is dead, communities are under strict watering restrictions and I feel terribly guilty every time I turn on a faucet. However, we are now getting some sweet, wet, wonderful rain and our temps are dropping as well. Say it with me now, Hallelujah!

I haven’t had a chance to mention yet that I did start my fall garden a couple of weeks ago. The only thing left from the spring is my cucumber vines - which, after not producing anything worth mentioning this summer, are now going gang-busters! I pulled everything else over the course of the summer as the heat cooked it all to a crisp. Two weeks ago, the morning of my Kiddo’s birthday party, I ventured out and did my first fall planting. That morning I planted (from seed) fall tomatoes (both small and large varieties), bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, brussel sprouts, peas, green beans, black beans and lima beans. I did have a few black bean and lima bean bushes that I had planted in July and they are just now starting to flower again. Since that late August planting I now have tiny sprouts of the jalapeños, peas, both kinds of tomatoes and all the bean varieties.

On September 2nd I planted two hills of zucchini, and the plants are already a couple of inches tall. In my containers I planted parsley, mint and more basil. My rosemary and basil from the spring is still going strong. In the next couple weeks I will start the greens; broccoli, spinach and lettuce, as well as carrots, onions and garlic. I think that will be enough for my first fall garden as I am still trying to determine what I can and can’t grow. I went out in the rain today to check on things and I saw the most beautiful, big earth worm wiggling around in the garden. It is so neat to see nature working her magic. There is no sign of the brussel sprouts or the bells, but I am still holding out hope.

The boys and I all got out in the rain this morning to check out a new “farmer’s market” in our area. Sprouts is a market sort of between Whole Foods and maybe Trader Joe’s (oh how I wish we had those here!) and has an amazing selection of local fruits and veggies (organic and otherwise), meat and dry goods, vitamins and health food; all at really low prices. I was very pleased with the selection, despite the small size of the store. The place was PACKED. I wish I had been there during a slower time because I missed a lot of the store just trying to get around people. I totally missed the meat section, and am now kicking myself for forgetting to check out the Pork Sirloin Roast and Chops they advertised at $1.49 a pound. I did score great buys on strawberries, grapes and pears, as well as some Hansen's Natural Soda at only $1.50 a 6 pack! They have a huge selection of vitamins and natural products, and I was able to pick up some Oregano Oil capsules at a very reasonable price. (more on my need for that at a later time)

Anyway, at check out, I was distracted by the boys and the commotion of all the customers around us, and when I got to the car and loaded up the boys and goods (in the rain) I paused only briefly to look at my receipt as we were pulling out of the parking lot. Still visualizing the receipt in my head as I drove, it soon occurred to me that the bottle of Oregano Oil had not rung up. I checked; it was in the bag, but some how the scanner missed it.

Oh the dilemma! I'm not proud to say that I thought for a while about turning around and going back to pay for the bottle. I mean, it was raining, I would have to unload both boys and drag them through the crowded parking lot again and go through the lines again - I couldn't remember seeing a customer service desk anywhere. And honestly, if it had been a small, inexpensive item I may not have bothered. But, the oregano oil was almost the same price as the entire amount of the rest of my purchase, and I just knew I would never feel right about not going back. In reality, expensive or cheap, the guilt would have stayed with me. So back we went, and God smiled upon me as He presented me a relatively close-to-the-entrance parking space. I unloaded the boys and went back inside with the bottle to pay for it. I had to wait in line again, this time without the convenience of being able to set Port in a shopping cart. We paid for the pills and trekked back out in the rain to the car.

And you know, I would love to end this story saying something amazing happened to me after, perhaps as a result of my good deed, but it didn't. And that is ok, because I shouldn't be rewarded for my actions; I did what was only fair and right and I am glad I did. Next time I am faced with this dilemma it will be even easier to make the right decision.

And because today is September 11th, I am thankful for all those little annoyances and dilemmas, because it means that I am here, I am healthy and able, and I am free to go where I want when I want to. I am blessed to live in this messed up yet still lovely country of ours, and I am thankful for those brave enough to defend it for me.

May you all have an equally blessed weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Until,
D :)

Saint Of Circumstance

Happy Friday Company Girls and Beloved Readers!!

So come on in, grab yourself a cup. How are you? I have missed you all so much! I am looking forward to having coffee with you all this weekend as I peruse your blogs. It has been so long since I have had time to comment - I am making it a point this week to comment on as many as I can.

I have been very busy lately - I know I have said it before but it's true! After months of absolute nothing aside from the regular day to day, my photography business suddenly took off! I hope the momentum carries on through the holidays! God has blessed me so much lately - I just have to tell you all how faithful He has been.

So yesterday I drove to Houston so that I could do a photo shoot this morning. One of my sweet friends had a baby girl a few weeks ago, and she asked me to come out to do some newborn photos for her.

The baby is absolutely precious! She is such a beauty and I enjoyed hanging out with her and her momma (and one of her brothers) this morning. She totally made me work for the photos though - she would not sleep! lol! It was so cute - Momma would get her nice and asleep and then set her down and I could get maybe 2 or 3 shots before she woke up. She made us WORK for sure. That's ok though, because I know I still got some great shots of her.

So after the shoot I loaded up the boys (my inlaws were watching them for me while I had the session) and we headed back to Austin. I just couldn't afford to stay for very long because I am so behind on my work. We got about 45 minutes from home (and we were out in the middle of NOWHERE) when one of my tires blew. I managed to get the car off the road at the next opportunity (there weren't any immediate roads to choose from nor was there a shoulder so I had to drive for about a mile) and had to unload everything, all of our luggage and all of my photo session gear, onto the dirt road to get to the jack and wrench.

The boys were sweltering in the car even with all the windows rolled down, but they did really well. Port only screamed a few times, but I was able to sooth him with a container of Goldfish crackers and turning the DVD player back on.

And I am proud to say I changed the tire on that dusty road all by myself!
.
.
.
except I didn't. ;-)

Thankfully, after yanking and tugging on the lug nuts for a few minutes, a very nice gentleman in a very large pickup truck pulled over to help me.

And then I stood there completely useless on the side of the road while he changed my tire in 100 degree heat.

Did you know there are still saints roaming the earth? Oh yes!

He was so nice - he didn't really say much, but he struggled with those dang lug nuts too so I felt better about being such a wimpy girl! lol!

So if you've read my blog for a while you might know that I am a socially awkward person. Completely. And in situations like this I never really know what to do. Do I try to pay him? I didn't have any cash on me. Would that be insulting to a good Samaritan anyway? Do I offer him water - oops I didn't have any with me. I had no idea what to do so I just thanked him profusely. I didn't even offer him a wipey for his hands - gracious knows I had plenty of those! Ugh. And of course I thought of the perfect thing after we were already back on the road and he was long gone.

Mr. Good Samaritan Dwight or Dwayne (I am so sorry I am terrible with names, but I remember it started with a D) - thank you so much for stopping on a very lonely stretch of FM 112 to help a crazy woman and 2 cranky kids with a completely blown tire. People like you are so rare and wonderful and I am so thankful that you stopped to help. You mentioned you have kids so if by some strange chance you or someone you know comes across my blog and identifies you as my guardian angel today, please know that if you ever want it, I would love to offer you a free photo session for your family and a credit for prints. Please contact me through my site and we will set something up.

I should have offered him my business card. I could have thanked him with a session and prints. It's really all I can afford - at least it would be something. People like him don't come along every day and I am just so thankful he stopped.

If any of you reading have ever stopped to help someone change a tire - THANK YOU!!! You have no idea how nice and wonderful a gift that really is. Hubby and I have had our fair share of flats in odd/difficult situations and each and every time someone has stopped to lend aid. It is such a blessing!

I hope that you have the opportunity to bless someone this week. I certainly intend to pay this blessing forward.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until,
D :)

Going Home

Happy Friday Company Girls!! (and other Beloved Readers!) I tried to publish this post 3 times before Blogger quit eating it...

Well as many of you know, I had the most amazing weekend last weekend. After getting my hair colored and cut (always a treat - thanks Kim!!) I waited for the Hubby to get home from work. As soon as he was home, I kissed him and the kiddos goodbye and drove my little happy self up to Dallas to spend a couple of days with our very own Rachel Anne!
We met up to work on her very special book project, Company Girl. It was so fun sifting through all the amazing photo entries. We narrowed it down to a little over 100, and then took to task placing the perfect photo with each line of the text. Sometimes, it was so hard to choose!
Rachel is so fun to work with, and thankfully we agreed on most of the selections. We were very fortunate to have her daughter there as well to help us choose. I just love her office - it is so open and inviting, with lots of room to spread out.
I know ya'll are dying to know, so I am going to spill. lol! Her home really is a Sanctuary!! Yes, really! (not that I ever doubted you Rachel, but you know some internet folk can be kinda dicey... hee hee!) Her home is so nice and comfortable! It's beautifully furnished and inviting. I felt completely comfortable in every room. She has little touches all around the house that make it special - well placed books or an antique lamp, beautiful lace on an end table or a cute little potted plant. And it's all placed so perfectly and makes each area look just right. I so wish I had that kind of eye for things.

Like I said before, we did lots of talking and visiting. This is Rachel talking to her daughter just after we ate breakfast.
We did lots of laughing too!
I just fell in love with this guy. He is soooo sweet! And when he wants to talk to you he moans. lol!
This is only part of the long, twisty dirt road drive to Rachel's house. It was a good thing she met me at the end of the driveway when I arrived on Friday night, or I never would have found the house.
I can totally see myself having coffee and spending some peaceful time here in the mornings.


This of course is the amazing Flash!!
He has the coolest black stripe running down the middle of his back and tracing around his shoulders.

Flash is so sweet, like a big ol dog. He would approach me, but then back away when my shutter clicked. I think the camera kinda freaked him out a little.
He loooooves Rachel - I think he would crawl into her lap if she let him!
I had so much fun on my trip! We made great progress on the book, and developed a wonderful friendship. It was a weekend I will never, ever forget!

Thanks for stopping by!

Until,
D ;)

This Road

Happy Friday Company Girls!! I know, long time no see, right? Well today I will have to make my post quick - I am headed out the door to get on the road to see our very own Rachel Anne!!! This weekend we will be working on her book, Company Girl. I am so excited to finally get to meet her in person and check out the "barn house" we've all heard so much about! I may even get to see the famous Flash! lol

So wish me well tonight as I will be on the road for a few hours and then searching for her house in the dark - eek!! I may have to call in the rescue team.

I am looking so forward to my time with Mrs. Ridge this weekend. I am also looking forward to a little break from the kiddos and getting to see some old friends too. I even scheduled in a photo shoot while I'm there. Hey, a girl has got to make money where she can, right?! I am very excited and hope to get lots of good pictures to share with all of you. And I am thrilled at the opportunity to work on this project.

Well, I just pulled out some homemade cheesecake sopapillas - help yourself to a couple. They are divine!

I will try to update this weekend as it progresses, so check back when you can.

Have a great weekend!

Until,
D :)