How did she get to be 13?

Today is Katie's 13th birthday. I really feel like it couldn't possibly have been 13 years since I had her. I know every year I say this, but time is just going way too fast! I really need her to just be a little girl for a few more years.

I need to be able to hold her and her not fuss about it...
Look, she was so sweet. She had some major hair issues. There was so much of it it was hard to keep a curl on top. (this picture reminded me that my hair also had some issues... it got so dark during both of my pregnancies...I really don't remember it being this dark though...)
Look, she's still sweet. Most of the time. (And we both have better hair now)

She has looked forward to this birthday more than any other I can remember. She has talked about her gifts and party constantly lately.

This morning we all went and got in her bed with her. Kellie was so excited about giving her presents. I hated that we could only enjoy this for about 5 minutes before I had to start rushing everyone to get ready.

I looked at her in her new clothes this morning and could only think that she really is looking like she is growing up. Did I mention that I don't like that...

We made a trip to James Avery this afternoon... She is showing off her new ring and charms.

She got a new phone and this was pretty much how she spent her evening...

(I have a little phone envy. She and Jennifer got a new fancy phone today...)

I have enjoyed 13 years of being a mom to a great kid. I couldn't be luckier!

A little weekend...

We had a weekend with no plans.... I worked in the yard and planted new plants on the patio...

I had to have the frog watering can!

It's so windy, don't know how long the pinwheel will last!

Guess it's officially hot... Kellie played in the hose...
Elvis and Ellie watched from the door...

I had searched for a big mirror for over the fire place for a long time and found one half price at Hobby Lobby this weekend.

We also saw the Hannah Montana movie last night and it was actually not bad...except for the man behind me who burped the whole time.

I love a weekend.

Well, well, well, how the turntables

Here is how my week went : drive to dance, back from dance, back to dance to pick up, home from dance... throw in some grocery shopping, some homework assistance, some laundry and you have the big picture of our monotonous fun filled week. Oh, and one night I had to have Big girl at school for NJHS induction in between trips to dance for the other girl...She wanted to make sure I blogged proof of her academic achievement...

Today I also called both of the girl's schools about incidents on the bus...I hate to be 'that parent' but they were issues I couldn't overlook. I just hate them riding the bus home!

All in the life of a mom of tweens...glad it's my job.

Such is life with big kids!

Spring cleaning of sorts...

Mike is out of town and my plan for the weekend was to turn the guest room into a craft/sewing/scrapbook/guest room. I started this project and told the girls they had to clean their room while I did this.
Well, somehow I ended up in their rooms helping because their idea of clean and mine are worlds apart. So, two days later and I have not done a single thing in the craft room BUT my girls have the most organized, clean rooms they have ever had. We have two huge boxes plus three black garbage bags full of clothes they have outgrown/ don't 'like' any more... some with tags still on them. Plus, at least 4 big trash bags full of, well, you know trash... that was not the word I was using for it as I was pulling it out of drawers and closets! We have quite the selection of single shoes, socks, etc. Where do you loose one shoe?
One child is appreciative and is enjoying her clean room.... the other... well, she's still put out I made her work so hard this weekend.
I'm tired and even though I got a lot of cleaning done, I don't feel like we've had a weekend.
The Domino's man just brought our dinner. I'm excited to try the veggie pizza I ordered and a little glass of wine...
Maybe next weekend I'll get something done on the craft room.

Darn tornado warning

We've gone from no rain forever to tornado's in the area... We stood at the back door looking at the huge amount of hail for a while before I thought to turn on the t.v. only to hear that the tornado warning was because of some rotation in our part of town. So, when the next round started we were smart enough to use our basement for a safe area. Of course I got down there and realized we have no flashlights, etc. if we did need it...I need to work on that.

Elvis sat and watched the storms on t.v. for us while we played pool. The storms interfered with the usual Thursday night - we got to see about 5 minutes of The Office before the weather man took over...

Katie and I did a little crafty time tonight - her invitations for her birthday...

plan on joining us...

How the adoption story ended....

Last summer I posted about having gotten the information about my birth mother. I know all my friends and family know how this ended but I've had a couple of people stumble across my blog and then email me and ask what I did....so...

After praying about it for a few days I decided I would write to her.

I stressed in my letter that I really wanted nothing from her, did not mean to upset her and any contact was completely up to her. I expained that I really just wanted to thank her and hoped it didn't upset her. I explained that since I have had children I couldn't imagine the sacrafice she made. I didn't offer any information about myself. I decided if she wanted to know any details she would have to ask. I did pray for her daily after mailing that letter.
About a week later I recieved a letter back from her.

She said she had several sleepless nights trying to figure out what to do since my letter. She indicated that she had hoped this would never happen and thought the records were sealed. She went on to explain that due to her 'life' she really didn't want any contact and she hoped that didn't hurt me.

In the original birth certificate I had seen that she was in her earily twenty's when she had me. My parents had been under the impression that she was a teenager, so this was my first suprise.

Second surprise, she told me in the letter that she had gone on the marry my birth father. That they went on to live a very happy, full life, traveled the world and that he had died a couple of years ago.

I didn't quite know what to make of that info.... I realize being an unwed mother in 1964 was frowned upon but they were certaily old enough to have a child...and since they went on to marry anyway.... one would think they would wonder what happened to their child....
Guess not.

So, in the end, I did feel a little rejected again, but I don't regret doing it and I did exactly what I set out to do.
I thanked her.
And leave it to my cousin Gina to sum it up with, "well, thank God she didn't keep you, she must be a selfish B****". She reminded me that I am in just the right crazy, southern family!

He is Risen

Luke 24:6

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee

How thankful I am that He is risen! The fact that he went to the cross for my sin is incomprehensible to me. But I am so thankful...

We enjoyed church and good family time together today.

they pretended to like each other for just a minute...

I am thankful.

Thanks Neely's, thanks a lot...

This morning while I was enjoying a leisurely start to the day doing my favorite Sat. morning activity - drinking coffee and watching the cooking channel - I was presented with a challenge.

I was watching 'Down home with the Neely's' and commented on how good the coconut fried shrimp with dipping sauce looked about the same time Mike asked me to flip to some sporting event on another channel. (This happens every time I try to watch anything) I explained that I wanted to finish watching the show to see what was in the dipping sauce...

At this point Mike said "I don't know why you need to finish, you're not ever going to make it".

Really? What? I won't ever make it?

I really don't know why he said this... I love to cook, I love shrimp, I love coconut shrimp... as I am drilling him about what possessed him to say this all he could muster was "well, you don't have a deep fryer and I just didn't think you would"

So, guess what we had for dinner tonight? Yep. That's right. Coconut Shrimp with spicy orange dipping sauce. And might I add that is was some kind of good! My favorite thing at Joe's Crab shack is the coconut shrimp and it tasted just like theirs, sauce and all.

All the breading ingredients and the sauce I had just mixed up...by the way, oriental chili sauce is HOT. I now have a whole jar that I needed about a tsp. out of... Did I mention it is very hot?

Here is the load of fried shrimp and I figured if I was frying I might as well make french fries.

The perfect dipping sauce. I think I could eat this on ever thing.

The bad part is Mike was right. I probably wouldn't have made the shrimp but I felt that the day could not end without making it after he told me I wouldn't... I had to prove him wrong.

The reason I wouldn't have made it is that I hate to fry foods, I hate the way it makes your house smell, I'm a afraid of popping grease and well, I hate to fry food.

After seeing "Monster's vs. Alien's" in 3-D today we went straight to the store to gather the ingredients to make the shrimp.

And Mike's comment on dinner was "I like plain fried shrimp better, I really didn't think you would make it"... Really? Is he trying to get me to kill him?

Now my house is stinky, but in a good southern fried food sort of way, like when I was growing up. My mother was not afraid to fry things.

So, thank you Pat and Gina Neely for the wonderful Coconut shrimp idea. Now could you come clean up the grease?

Dancing girls

We went to Dallas for the girl's dance comp. and really had a good weekend! We spent some time with family Friday night -

The girls did dance classes all day and then the comp. in the evening. Jennifer gave up her Sat. to keep me company...we watched the girls, had margarita's in the Sports bar and did a lot of good people watching! I was very thankful for company!

I got to spend a few hours with a good friend. That time was like 'therapy' for me! She has been through the battles I'm dealing with right now and had good words for me. God is so good to put just the right person where you need them!We headed out of town Sunday afternoon just in time to get in traffic from the Nascar race...
So our weekend was good but the week started with some tired girls. I'm so glad to have a 3 day weekend this week too!

As usual, Mike is working constantly and thinks he has to work all this weekend too. I guess retail doesn't even pause to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord...
I am praying for his job to be a little less stressful and us to have some normal family time soon.

Weekend of fun? we shall see...

The girls are both in a dance competition this weekend. I used to dread the dance competitions because it ate up a WHOLE day of our weekend... but since we've moved it is going to eat the WHOLE weekend!
We are leaving to drive to Dallas today and when they finish late Sunday afternoon we can drive home and be back just in time for a load or two of laundry and bedtime...
But. At least it's in Dallas and I can see family for dinner tonight and a couple of friends. Maybe squeeze in a trip to 'Yucky' Dillard's for a bargain or two....
It could be worse... And the weekend is starting on a good note... I had planned to take off after lunch today but at 8:30 my sweet nurse supervisor called and said she had an extra sub and was sending her to my school so 'get your purse and go home'... Can't argue with that!
So, off to watch endless dance numbers, glue false eyelashes on little kids and maybe sneak in some fun! Happy Friday!