I found my camera!

It's been missing for months!  I love my little hand-held Canon.  I've just been in mourning for it for so long, thinking it was dropped on the road, or stolen, or other horrible thoughts.  But yesterday, there it was... hiding in plain sight under the passenger seat of my Impala.  It just took a good wash and vacuum job to flush it out!  And just in time for the holidays!  Yeah!  Life seems brighter today....

Triple threat!

Pavilion Projects ongoing...

John's been working on the front step, which is almost finished, and the back wall of the pavilion.  It's looking great!  The step has the State of Texas in it.  Can you spot it?

The wall is going to be nice - especially in the winter to block the cold.  We're going to put some kind of fireplace in the corner and a bar on the back wall, eventually.  Lots of work, though.  It's coming along!

Our trip to Florida...

We've been back over a month and I'm just now getting the pictures our of the camera.  We had a nice trip and enjoyed seeing family and friends again.

Thanksgiving 2009

Nice day! 
Leisure, with family and great friends.  Lunch with Mom at the Villa followed by a visit with Sue and Molly.  That Molly is getting to be so beautiful!  She's gotten so slim, and she's gorgeous! 
Then back to Mom's for a while, and off to our great friends where we were greated by this pilgrim and some "Hey Mambo" wine! Ha!  We had a quality visit with their two girls, Angie and Katie, whom we adore.  It was wonderful!
Hope you all had a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love you all!  Enjoy your feast and your football! Be careful tomorrow at Black Friday sales.

The Advent Season

Last year I stumbled upon this wonderful guide (thanks to Obi's Sister) to Advent that helped me get through some very scary and unsettling times.  It also helped me grow closer to my religion and enhanced the entire season for me.  It's a beautifully done daily inspiration.  I invite you to join.  It begins this year on November 29th.  Bookmark the page and log on daily!

It's been a year...

One year ago last week John had 5-bypass surgery.  The entire holidays was a huge blur to me last year. This year I intend to celebrate his health and how far he's come since then.  We've come a long way and I'm thanking God every day for this reprieve, with many, many more years to come.  Now..if I can just get him to slow down a little...mmmm, not going to happen. 

Sneek Peek

of what we got our future grandbaby, KT, for Christmas!  Can't wait to see it when it comes in.  I can just see her dragging her bean-bag around the house, two cats and a dog following behind.  Sigh.... I'm a happy grammy-to-be!

An Easy Thanksgiving Recipe!

I made this the other night when the Koenig's came to supper.  What an easy, simple and extremely seasonal recipe!  Very delicious!

Apple Cranberry Casserole
2 c. whole cranberries
3 c. apples (I used Granny Smith)
1 c. sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt (I think you could leave this out if you're cutting out salt)
1 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. margarine

Combine the berries and apples, sugar, lemon juice and salt.  Pour into a 1-1/2 quart baking dish.  Combine everything else.  Spread over the fruit.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serve warm with some no-sugar added vanilla ice cream.  Yummy!

From the Christmas in Texas Cookbook, 1994

I have an addiction...

And I think I may need an intervention.  I'm a magazine junkie.  My dear daughter even mentioned it tonight after seeing some of my many mags lying about the room.  I can't seem to help myself, especially at the holidays.  I see an attractive cover and I think, "I'd like my house to look like that."  And of course, I can never achieve the beautiful, classy holiday homes that they show in the page of the magazine.  But I'd like to.  Sigh...

I subscribe to about six magazines, and then I pick several up in the store.  Anything with the word Southern in it, I'm a sucker for.  I even buy Southern Lady, God help me.  A lovely little magazine with perfect homes and perfect children sitting at perfect tables, layed with every perfect piece of china.  And it's not that easy to find that magazine, so you know I have to go out of my way to find it.  I usually have to go to the big box bookstore to find it.
I obviously need help....

The Road

This audio book is slow going for me.  I'm getting a real sense of dread every time I try to listen again.  What's up with that?  I think it's because it might seem just too real.  Have you read it?  I'd love your opinion.
The movie is coming out soon, and I'm not even sure I want to see it.  This is frightening stuff.

Neat television series...

I'm on season three of this series that I'm getting on Netflix.  Somehow I missed this whole thing when it ran live.  Never even heard of it, which is surprising.  Clever show - and both of these guys are from Texas, which is nice.  The taller, younger brother is actually from right here in San Antonio.  I suggest it!

Birthday 2009!

A happy birthday was had by me!  And, I get to say, "Oh, I'm 50something," for another whole year. 
The crew at UTSA presented me with a cute zombie cake - somebody knows me! We had dinner with the Koenig's on Friday evening (thanks for the delicious Italian, guys!) followed by a special carrot cake made from scratch. 
I got to hold a tiny baby (Colleen and Jeff's neice), which was nice.  Nice gifts which included A NETBOOK!!! I still can't believe I got one! I got a snuggie (don't judge me!) and GIJoe (go, Joe!) video.  I also got a year's subscription to the golden EIB mic of RUSH LIUMBAUGH (I know -- you're jealous!) and I'll be receiving a couple of trees for the yard from the Arbour Society in a few weeks.  I know, I'm so spoiled.

On Saturday John and I went to see Zombieland (finally) at the Alamo Drafthouse, which was fun.  There's a whole Bill Murray scene that could have been left out, but otherwise kinda cute.  Lots of those fast moving, speedy Zombies in this movie.  I do hope if we ever have a zombie invasion that they are the slow moving, shambling type.  I don't really move that fast...