happy new year's eve

i'm sick so i'm staying in tonight. it's gonna be just me, sam elliott & GERONIMO! or should i say "NO!!!! GERONIMO!!!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! there went the lamp! gotta gooooooooo!

merry CHRISTmas!!!

merry christmas eve, everyone!!!

after sleeping in, breakfast with my baby (provided by her!), opening our gifts together (a new tradition because she just couldn't wait & she was going to her dad's), i mowed the grass & worked in the yard all day. where else but the texas virgin islands can you wear shorts & flip flops & mow your grass on christmas eve?!?!!

i'm pooped!

have a merry christmas eve, everyone!!!!

back to work

yesterday i went back to work after being off for 6 days straight! it was a hard day, but i was so busy that it flew by & i had enough to keep me busy all day today too!!! then i have a 1/2 day friday & then a 4 day christmas weekend. i work with 8 guys & 1 girl in my division & then there are another 3 that i do stuff for when i'm not busy & they need me. my "guys" are so good - i love each one of them & have even adopted one of them - he calls me "mom". his mom lives in floresville & it takes both of us to keep him in line!! he came in my office this morning, didn't say a word & gave me a big bear hug then he said "you can't ever, ever go on vacation again!"

it's nice to be missed & needed.

my guys decided to give me a gift card for christmas. one of them had suggested a spa gift card. another of the guys said, "she's not a 'spa-girl type', she's more of a 'lowe's girl'" and he called me to confirm if i'd rather have a spa gift card or a hardware store gift card! he was right!!! i said, "jacob, you know me so well!!" so today i was given a lowe's gift card AND a hobby lobby gift card!!!!

i've had my eye on a reciprocating saw -- i've been borrowing a friend's, but i think it's time i had my own!!! i've also been thinking about my own set of wrenches! i wish hobby lobby carried tools!!!!! (well, they do, just a different kind of tools!!!)

i love my guys! they make having to go to work worth it! the best part of the gift was the card --- the stuff they wrote was so sweet & really made me feel honored to work with them!

it's nice to be loved & appreciated.

and i love & appreciate each one of them ---- i'm getting 3 more guys in the next couple months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and i think 2 of them are going to need a mom!!!!

if you build them, they will come!

remember that movie? "field of dreams". that was back in my "i like kevin costner" days. before he left his wife & kids. i liked him, still do, but he doesn't even come close to sam elliott. sam has always been the LOVE of my life!!! compared to sam, kevin's a little wimpy!!

but anyways.............

i don't even have to go looking for pallets anymore! they come to me!!!

this is what was waiting for me when i got home tonight:

he's in good shape -- the left side edges are a little "chewed up", but i can make it work!!!! i've made 3 christmas gifts with pallets so far. i think THIS one might be for ME!!
thank you, pallet fairy!!!!

a manly birthday card

a man with a circular saw is having a birthday in a few days, so i made him a birthday card.

i had seen a card with wrenches on it on someone's blog or on pinterest (sorry, i don't remember who the original maker was - if you do, let me know so i can give her credit) & i knew THAT was the card i wanted to make for him. i didn't have the right stuff to make the silver background like this person did, so i used the wrench idea & made the rest of the card my own. here's hers:

hers is nice, but mine is definitely "me"-- chickenwire, wood, rusty/rustic! the inside's grungy, rustic "me" too---

it's another of those "i wanna keep it" cards!!! if he throws it away, i'm gonna dig it out of his trash!!!!

2012 christmas cards

are done!!! and ready for the mail!!!!

i'll post a picture of my card in a few days -- don't want to spoil it for those who are getting them in the mail!!!

now, on to the next item on the to do list!!!

december 2012 ---- temps in the high 80's

today's the 8th of december & we've been having temps in the high 80's here this year!!! (and not enough rain, by the way!)

my grass is still green. i really should mow it!

i even layed out in the backyard last sunday afternoon!! i kept wondering how warm the water was.

my flowers are confused!! i've got blackeyed-susans! and bluebonnet!!!

the bluebonnets should be beginning to sprout about now, but they've been growing for quite some time already. they seem to love to grow in the crack between the house & the patio! it's already getting hard to open the backdoor!!!! i even have them growing in the cracks in my driveway!!!! crazy plants!!!!

in fact, one of the plants has BUDS!!!!!!!

(oops! forgot to watermark that photo!!! oh well, too late!!!)

will i be having BLUEBONNETS FOR CHRISTMAS?????!!!!!!

i think so!!!!

love letter:

and his friends 2am, 4am & 5am!!!!!

wanted.....

saw this on pinterest --- it's just too cute! would make a good "birthday wish list"!!!!

herding sheep

the elementary age kids are singing with my Sunday school class (preschool, ages 2-4) for the Christmas program at church. we're singing 2 songs & the kids have done a great job during practice. we play games like: sing loud enough that i can hear you when i go all the way up to the choir loft or sing loud enough that you hurt my ears. or sing with your outside voices or sing very quietly & pretty. hopefully this will get them to sing loudly loud enough to hear them & not me (!) at the program!


here's the conversation that occurred while practicing this morning:

me: all you little kids in my class are sheep.
me: anna, you're mary, ariel, you're an angel, you 3 are wisemen, you 4 are shepherds
brian (age 2): i'm a sheep
me: david, you're joseph
brian: i'm a sheep
heather: i want to be a shepherd
me: heather, you're a wiseman
heather: i don't want to be a wiseman. i want to be a shepherd
brian: i'm a sheep
me: we can't have 5 shepherds & only 2 wisemen. you need to be a wiseman
heather: i WILL NOT BE a wiseman. i WANT to be a shepherd
brian: i'm a sheep
me: ok, emma, can you be a wiseman?
emma: no, i want to be a shepherd
me: wyatt, please stand up!
wyatt: i'm tired
brian: i'm a sheep
me: amelia, put your shirt down, we don't want to see your bellybutton!
me: ok, abigail, can you be a wiseman instead of a shepherd?
brian: i'm a sheep
abigail: yes, i'll be a wiseman
me: thank you abigail. heather, you are a shepherd
heather: (changes the pout on her face to the biggest smile i've ever seen!!!)
brian: i'm a sheep!!!
me: ok, now let's practice our songs!
wyatt (age 3): i just want to practice my nap!
brian: i'm a sheep!!!!!

...........and it's the most rewarding thing i can think of to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love these kids!

oh, angy was supposed to be a sheep but she wanted to be an angel. i told her she'd have to wait til next year. she was ok with that, but then when there came an opening for a wiseman, she jumped on it!!!!!

so instead of 8 sheep, we have 6.

and one of them had better take a really good nap before the program!!!!!!!!!

post road vintage drawing

one of the blogs i love to read, post road vintage, (click on post road vintage to go to her blog) is having a drawing for a hydrangea wreath & lavendar soap -- i want to win, so i'm posting about this wonderful lady here on my blog.

this sweet lady named heather lives in michigan & has either 6 or 62 kids, can't be anywhere over the age of 16 by the looks of her, writes a blog, has an online store, builds stuff, decorates her home beautifully, publishes an online decorating magazine which has now gone to hard copy too, and she has the time to be sweet to everyone out in the blogosphere by doing giveaways every so often & she sends sweet emails occasionally (yeah, everyone gets them, but she makes them sound like she's sending them JUST to ME by calling me "dorothy dear"!!!). in fact, she just had another baby & i swear she didn't miss a beat!!! she reminds me of those pregnant chinese rice farmer ladies that just plop their babies out in the field & keep right on a workin'!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm hopin' i win!!!!