Play Ball.....

Opening Day for BASEBALL !

 

I am pumped! I so wish I was gonna be at the opening game today for the Texas Rangers....what fun. I do plan on making plenty of games this year. I have already looked at the calendar and decided which games I want to attend - and there are plenty of them!! Who's with me ??

Dogs know...

I am true animal lover - and most importantly I LOVE DOGS. They love unconditionally, always happy to see you and are always there for you. I have 3 currently,(along with 3 cats and a horse and a multitude of cotton tail rabbits that live under my porch!) I have had as many as 5 dogs at one time. When they leave this world, I bury them behind my barn so they are always there!

A sweet friend and animal lover too (Thanks Louise) sent me this. I had to share....

get out the tissues..it's gonna be a bumpy ride 

Lucky Dog....

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy.   Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys.  Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease.....in fact;  she was just sure it was fatal.
She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders.   The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky.   A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky?   Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through.

 If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought.  He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him!  The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks.   Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap..

Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

 

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong.   She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot.   But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem.  She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!

While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.

He had covered her with his love.

Remember.....live every day to the fullest.  Each minute is a blessing from God.  And never forget...the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.   They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours!  

Live simply.

Love seriously. 

Care deeply.  

Speak kindly. 

Leave the rest to God .

Mary forgot about dying.   Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day.   It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free.   Lucky.   He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.   Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'   Lucky was a real character. 

KISS..keep it simple stupid....

One of my favorite TV channels is the FOOD NETWORK. As a general rule, I like to cookit's just that I hate the clean up part, so that sometimes sways me not to cook.
My mom and grandmother were GREAT cooks.
My grandfather was a chef. I never knew him, but heard many great stories.
I would have to say both my boys are pretty good cooks too (part of their "upbringing", along with doing their own laundry )
Maybe that small cooking gene from my past gives me the desire to cook....
I like to keep things simple.

One of my favorite shows is Sandra Lee's, Semi-Homemade. That women is a genius. Today, (among brownies, pizza and sugar cream filled cookies) she baked 72 mini cupcakes, in 3 different flavors, from one box of cake mix. Iced them with 2 sticks of butter, 8ozs of cream cheese and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Colored and flavored with JUICE! Who would have thought. Of course, they were adorable...and yummy no doubt. Being inspired (and easily swayed) I ordered 2 of her cookbooks...I see great cooking in my future - well with a little help from Sandra of course.

I love her 70 - 30 thinking,

70% ready-made, 30% fresh

Life should be so simple......

Spring is here....a new beginning

Today is the first day of spring.

 It is a sign of new beginnings. I love spring, the flowers (especially purple tulips), budding trees, green grass (even tho I will now spend the weekend mowing)

cool crisp days and the fact that summer is just around the corner!

As I previously posted, my original plan, was to blog, among other things, on my weight loss journey. Weigh in last week came up with a 1.6 lb weight loss! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS...extremely good considering I had a big family weekend and a week long visit with the g-babies. My sweet granddaughter Jaycee picked out JUST DANCE for the Wii...and we had a blast playing it while she was here.

Now, it is my fun exercise. Thirty minutes and I am exhausted. It uses all the muscles, its fun and I can do it in the privacy of my home! It can't hurt, right??

So, back to my original plan.

HAPPY SPRING !!

Spring Break....

One advantage to working in a public school system...is SPRING BREAK.....

Another advantage is that I get to spend it with my family,

especially my g-babies.

Jaycee and Cody came on Saturday and stayed with me until Weds.

Jaxson joined us and stayed until Tuesday....what a fun time.

Being a grandmother is the best - and this past week is a plus.

We started off with family pot luck/game night on Saturday. 26+ at my house was a BLAST!

We hit the movies to see "RANGO".....Chuck E Cheese, many parks/playgrounds,

 swam in the hot tub,

 played JUST DANCE on the Wii (Jaycee kicked my butt) McDonalds,

 enjoyed some great TEXAS weather 

ended our time together at the BUILD A BEAR WORKSHOP.

It was a great week and it was hard to send all these sweet babies home...but then that is advantage to being a "BOO", I get to spoil them rotten and send them home for THEIR parents to contend with!

Thanks guys for a great week - I love you all very much!!!

Pops meets Annabelle

March 11 is a very special day in the Wheat family. 

You see....Pops and our second little GRAND princess - Annabelle -

share a birthday on this day.

When Princess Belle entered the world on Pops birthday - two years ago.....it became an even more special birthday. Pops is very proud to make a point to EVERYONE, that he and Belle are birthday buddies.

She is a very special little girl.

She is beautiful and lovable and we love her very much !

Can't get enough of that sweetness!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS AND BELLE.....LOVE YOU !!

Back to my original plan....

As it goes, I am blonde...and so I use that excuse when I wander from my intended path. When I started this blog, along with wanting to be a "blogger" I also thought it would help me on my journey with weight loss. Seems, it is on everyone's mind. I just read my daughter-in-laws blog and remembered my original plan. (whew - blonde moment) I haven't written one blog about my weight loss (or lack there of). So - along with an occassional sidetrack, I will blog about my weight - loss - and hope it will help me along my path. Bear with me....
I started the infamous weight watchers 8 weeks ago. I have to be accountable to someone when I am losing weight and I have to know that someone else (any one but family that is) will see what I weigh. I pay a monthly fee to have this done. The first 6 weeks - 5 lbs. going, going, GONE! The last two weeks, 4 ozs. on, 2 ozs. off.....BLAH BLAH BLAH...
I am finding that the weekends seems to be my downfall. I do great during the week, even eating out lunch everyday. Walk 2 miles with a co-worker each morning (this helps to catch up on the office gossip)
and ride my stationery bicycle 2 -3 nights a week.
But, man o man, the weekends - is not working so well. Now the next weekend is approaching and I am having a family pot luck, game night, celebrate birthday Saturday night...WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO??

My weigh in day is Thursday - wish me luck ! I am open for any ideas. The WW plan is good, it teaches you portion control, healthy eating and the fact that you write down every morsel you put in your mouth (ooooppps, I forgot to do that part) helps you to realize how much you are eating. I am off plan, need to get on plan, must get on plan.....

Weekend Fun...

My husband and I love camping. We have camped with nothing but bedrolls, no bathrooms, no running water, to a 27foot trailer that is a home away from home. I love camping and I am so happy when it involves good friends and good places. This past weekend we went to the 1st Annual Outlaw Legends Music Festival....in Abilene, Texas. IT WAS A BLAST!!

Besides great friends....there was great music. 

Backstage passes.....

Cody Gill

Matt Martindale, Johnny Bush, Tommy Alverson and Gary P. Nunn

Stoney Larue and ME !!

Life is good.....

Happy Independence Day - Texas

Happy 175 years Texas.....

Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation
in every sense of the word - Author John Steinbeck

Texas is the crossroads of the world. Everything here is big - Bobby Lee.

I am forced to conclude that God made Texas on his day off, for pure
entertainment, just to prove that all that diversity could be crammed into one
section of earth by a really top hand - Author Mary Lasswell

I think Texans have more fun than the rest of the world - Choreographer
Tommy Tune

For a few precious moments.....I am back in Old Texas, under a high sky, where all
things are again possible and the wind blows free - Larry L. King  

I love Texas.

It is a great honor to be a true TEXAN...

God Bless the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS !!

My First Little Princess...

I come from a family of four children. I have three brothers....no sisters. My mom and dad were both only children, so I have no first cousins. For the most part, all my best friends in school and life have been males. I married my best friend. I was blessed with two of the most lovable, generous, kind, strong, intelligent sons. I have great sister-n-laws, and two of the BESTEST daughter-n-laws a mom could ask for. But the most precious of all things that God has blessed me with is my first grand daughter - Jaycee.

She is my little princess.

On Monday - Feb. 28, 2011....Princess Jaycee turns 8 years old. Happy Birthday my sweet little princess....

You surely are the apple of your Boo's eye.

You are beautiful, smart, funny, lovable and have all the qualities of a true princess !!

I LOVE YOU......

Happy Birthday...

Today, 33 years ago....I was blessed with my first born...A SON!

What a blessing he has been. There is no relationship like that between a mom and her son.

It is a very special one.

He has brought laughter, proud moments, tears, anger, happiness, scares, ups/downs, in/outs, blessings, and I can't imagine a life without him.

Thanks for the past memories.....

from BIG OLE TRUCKS, Poopon(shampoo) Kermit, soccer, t-ball, baseball, football, basketball,

hunting, girls, cars, trucks.....

And thanks for the memories to come!!!

Love ya!!

START

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lao-tzu

START: Something

Stop: worrying

START: Living

Stop: waiting

START: Talking

Stop: texting

START: Exercising

Stop: dieting

START: Trails

Stop: treadmills

START: NOW

Stop: procrastinating

START: Breathing

Stop: smoking

START: Doing

Stop: planning

START: Simple

Stop: complicated

START, Just START

-Missy Park

I love the sentiment expressed in this simple poem by Missy Park that I came across recently.  It is sometimes hard for me to remember that getting started really can be the hardest part. 

As an example: when I am out of the habit of exercising, starting again sounds like the worst thing in the world.  Getting up early, getting to bed on time, and the prospect of sore muscles all seem like impossible obstacles to overcome.  However, once I just start, I realize that I enjoy exercising, I like getting to bed early, my days are more productive when I get up early and sore muscles represent progress.  Taking one step in the right direction makes what at first seemed unattainable, feel achievable.

I tend to spend more time and energy planning that first step than the whole journey would require.  So, I have decided that I will:

START: Achieving

Stop: worrying about failure

START: Finding ways to serve others

Stop: stewing about things I cannot change

START: Magnifying my strengths

Stop: focusing on my weaknesses

START: Recognizing housework as a way to express love to my family

Stop: Seeing housework as drudgery

START: Appreciating the little things

Stop: wanting more

START: Cultivating my talents

Stop: comparing myself to others

START: Taking better care of my healthy body

Stop: making excuses

START: Reconnecting

Stop: being too busy

START: Making "BEST" my priority 

Stop: settling for "good" or "better"

I will START, Just START

What will you be STARTing?

AMAZING...

Anyone that knows me, knows that MY FAMILY is very important. I have an amAzing husband who is also my best friend (almost 37years). We have two AMAZING son's. They brought to us,  AMAZING daughter-in-laws and to top off all that AMAZEMENT - we now have 4 AMAZING grand kiddos ( Jaycee, Cody, Jaxson and Annabelle !)

My life is AMAZING. This past weekend we got to spend AMAZING family time (even had an AMAZING neice along with us) together in Austin.......We celebrated birthdays,shopped, ate (Schultz Beer Garden and Stubbs Bar-b-q and of course, HEY CUPCAKES, went to the UT basketball game ( they won), visited the capitol, swam, ate, played games, had pedicures, enjoyed the AMAZING weather, and most AMAZING of all, spent good family time together.

Thank you guys............I love my family and am so blessed.
(Thanks for pics Corey.....)

I think I can, I think I can......

I have been inside this house for 3 DAYS! I have cleaned, cooked, done laundry, watched TV, played with the dogs, rescued a cat, rode my stationery bicycle, talked on the phone, played WWF, and then..started over and did it again.

So today, I thought I will venture to the local WALLY WORLD in my little red bullet (Miata)

It is about 20 miles from my COUNTRY home, but I thought, its' been 3 days, my husband said it "isn't too bad", surely I can drive 20 miles, on the country road.....slowly.

So I hit the road. My first clue should have been that it took me 10 minutes to get out of my subdivision...it's a 2 mile drive!!

OK...not too bad...18 to go - I can do this...slowly I attack the corners, watch the traffic, slide thru the stop sign. I let all the cars go around me, I was so proud of myself. THEN...a hill, so I get some speed, hit the hill, halfway, I stop...I slide..I panic! Looking in my rearview mirror....a long line of cars coming...everyone stops, slides, one goes in the dtich! Three incredible men immediately jump out of their vehicles and come to my rescue. They rock me back and forth, go forward, slid back...stop...do it again! 20 minutes later...these 3 BRAVE men, literally pick up my little red bullet, (with me in it) turn me around, heading back down the hill......tell me to go back where I came from! So....I did. It took me an hour to go 7miles...in one big circle. This is the one BIG drawback to living in the country...no sand trucks.

I thought I could, I thought I could !

Sports, I love SPORTS..

Most females don't like sports, don't know anything about sports, don't watch, don't listen and wouldn't know ESPN if it hit them in the face. ME, on the other hand, LOVE IT, LOVE IT I say. I had two amazing boys that grew up a small town, where sports is a way of life. I never missed an event they participated in.....if at all possible. I enjoyed watching them and enjoyed being there. Today, I haven't changed.
I made it a must do and went downtown Fort Worth this past weekend to take in all the ESPN set-ups. Amazing.

Monday, my husband and I drove to Arlington just to say "we were there." I won't be attending the superbowl, but I will be watching it on TV and loving it. Most of the females in my family think I am weird - I am sure of it - but be it as it may..I love sports!! Ok.Ok...I love to shop too....but DUH - I am female!!

Have I lost my mind, have I gone MAD.......

I wonder sometimes what possess me to do things I do. I am sitting here, reading everyone else's blogs...my son, my daughter-in-law, a neice, a friend, a distant relative and people that I have no idea who they are. I decide I must join "that world". Now, time will tell how well I do.  I think it helps one's self to put words to paper. Sometimes, you should do this before you open your mouth and insert your foot. I am guilty of that!!
So here goes nuttin' honey. Bear with me, I am always open to guidance from those that are way smarter than me.
In the famous words of my dear mom, "You can get happy in the same pair of pants you got mad in!"