tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80794377754589306942024-03-14T03:52:35.335-05:00Time and PlaceThey say there is a time and place for everything.. sometimes I feel a little like Alice in Wonderland.Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-9297616445052595362009-01-29T22:19:00.003-06:002009-01-29T22:33:43.148-06:00Purple Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqEDtIj4eNKHj5Obi00ymNdUXUyItIZ2Rsi9k2Q7K0y3zTpSRNsH6xcASf4phHJh-Ixhe155JGK0ES8Y9IBQ0pmuJRYCYttcjnm4__N7PQ7bt4puuJn-Utt-6Wnn6dChwIedqNWWKCrY/s1600-h/IMG_1914.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296940196046447122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqEDtIj4eNKHj5Obi00ymNdUXUyItIZ2Rsi9k2Q7K0y3zTpSRNsH6xcASf4phHJh-Ixhe155JGK0ES8Y9IBQ0pmuJRYCYttcjnm4__N7PQ7bt4puuJn-Utt-6Wnn6dChwIedqNWWKCrY/s320/IMG_1914.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div align="center">Purple is the order of the day for Imposter Color Week, organized by none other than Miss Mary T. While not an official purple lover, it has begun to win me over, little by little. When I was in preschool, we had a pink and purple party. I never considered how the boys might have felt about that, but for me, it was a party to remember. In middle school, my sister was a bona fide purple fan. There was a kiosk in the RiverCenter mall in San Antonio devoted to all things purple and she would always want to spend time in there when we would visit our San Antonio relatives. Reesie looks pretty darn cute in purple (and polka dots too) so I snapped her picture, along with some new growth on my rose bush, a piece of purple fabric from my great grandmother's doorstop, and a slightly blurry shot of Jingo and his stolen purple toy. For more color week photos, check out <a href="http://zaybedowop.blogspot.com/">Mary T., Sonnie,</a> and <a href="http://www.christinehennessey.blogspot.com/">Chrissy's</a> cool posts.<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i3Ha3_Qk3SdmkooS7CfnRg2DSd4tXDAHin28wus7gAXvmYVCzRNTMk-y36_o0dV9EXmws0ssNH8ilF6YWhfJ27kR82H4ep6EG6K3hB2TAcefjvzf6azgFZ7FmWwZoOVum0t_p_Dhx7g/s1600-h/IMG_1921.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296937124832607314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i3Ha3_Qk3SdmkooS7CfnRg2DSd4tXDAHin28wus7gAXvmYVCzRNTMk-y36_o0dV9EXmws0ssNH8ilF6YWhfJ27kR82H4ep6EG6K3hB2TAcefjvzf6azgFZ7FmWwZoOVum0t_p_Dhx7g/s320/IMG_1921.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"></a>Jingo and the purple toy he stole from the Cox kids.</p><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzavDbp2cc1kY4voEN8uKEChF3B8mMGlQHetXMsg8tpd82DiANbyOuB3g-8-d0j850u6a1l5ecD1hAx2IEC-ai6xZvrF6aqNEqyRHfePIp4CA1Ck5OCwPaAf0N9As880KrPR_E-ShQTSY/s1600-h/IMG_1916.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296937125157284226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzavDbp2cc1kY4voEN8uKEChF3B8mMGlQHetXMsg8tpd82DiANbyOuB3g-8-d0j850u6a1l5ecD1hAx2IEC-ai6xZvrF6aqNEqyRHfePIp4CA1Ck5OCwPaAf0N9As880KrPR_E-ShQTSY/s320/IMG_1916.JPG" border="0" /></a> Lovely new growth on my roses. Too bad I'm going to prune them in February.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUORg3IC8cPsGYIPTIE2g9gEsgqjbDmHLXUA6w_WmmwQzvm62-C5VDRyMlN97qNn8KOaS9NYLJ8zpFw_G5fcvrxLJpzktiPYuZ9HNSWf7zP1_2gq7H0utU3U1IUFeUZKvcApvJg2QV4II/s1600-h/IMG_1907.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296937121285739506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUORg3IC8cPsGYIPTIE2g9gEsgqjbDmHLXUA6w_WmmwQzvm62-C5VDRyMlN97qNn8KOaS9NYLJ8zpFw_G5fcvrxLJpzktiPYuZ9HNSWf7zP1_2gq7H0utU3U1IUFeUZKvcApvJg2QV4II/s320/IMG_1907.JPG" border="0" /></a> My Aunt gave me this super cool doorstop made by my great grandmother.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-55513449729485486592009-01-29T08:13:00.005-06:002009-01-29T08:22:24.174-06:00Green, a Day late...Green is one of my favorite colors, so you can imagine my frustration when my camera decided not to play along with Imposter color week yesterday. It's on its last legs, and until I can get my dream camera, I'm just going to have to coax it along.<br /><br />Here is green, a day late - which is better than never I suppose-<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWONNiQnjFA9xLlWsZkW3dc_K4Z838MotetWnoOFZTBY0WQkrJNjU-NZ8eO1nyAqyyTFJ09XSLQrCHDRwn-LMdQNDWCVmJyonMtIR_9r_GQCv9umKVpFYBfenMslH-9p1HghZs1XjoWQ/s1600-h/IMG_1908.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296719676955495186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAWONNiQnjFA9xLlWsZkW3dc_K4Z838MotetWnoOFZTBY0WQkrJNjU-NZ8eO1nyAqyyTFJ09XSLQrCHDRwn-LMdQNDWCVmJyonMtIR_9r_GQCv9umKVpFYBfenMslH-9p1HghZs1XjoWQ/s320/IMG_1908.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTMPEoAh6PMiEjvRWu_xoR-RQE4UwLZW0sl9y-UeuixnBlK3AfH7a-4frPQgR3co14hM9lweUMpSc_M306D2B1KtF5_lTISrGb18BsN4dfHk4sk3LCnZZrOvuSVOyl7KNnwOp04Z5H9s/s1600-h/IMG_1904.JPG"></a><div align="center">When I was a kid, I would make up stories about pencil families -I'm sure these rulers would have been a happy family too..<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-exdqoS8Q3a6wbHkHUAMVuWNsdhlPtOlDFE9ySqZ3KfbDJzTZvgKLf6x-Nrsen1HeCTTyTTcfsVvToZ-slqploAtx_0g3XMZwCmEWcroZJGsttODB1bKDD45nKwTzKnQKas2mWWLfjs/s1600-h/IMG_1903.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296719500062033058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-exdqoS8Q3a6wbHkHUAMVuWNsdhlPtOlDFE9ySqZ3KfbDJzTZvgKLf6x-Nrsen1HeCTTyTTcfsVvToZ-slqploAtx_0g3XMZwCmEWcroZJGsttODB1bKDD45nKwTzKnQKas2mWWLfjs/s320/IMG_1903.JPG" border="0" /></a> Tready's legos- now Rees' favorite plaything.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UV2e8KltUoX13L-OZchKsFJzSTiCcDmX-lTIuBAvH3TJNoKQtfydlH1qTJ3Qfa44mIP_bKsIoim2nuzYhN6_5mnSfvdKFmcwc7X8Gt57xkoMUdQmELutpmGi3u7rAqumFqVntXJOklg/s1600-h/IMG_1904.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296719499326771586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UV2e8KltUoX13L-OZchKsFJzSTiCcDmX-lTIuBAvH3TJNoKQtfydlH1qTJ3Qfa44mIP_bKsIoim2nuzYhN6_5mnSfvdKFmcwc7X8Gt57xkoMUdQmELutpmGi3u7rAqumFqVntXJOklg/s320/IMG_1904.JPG" border="0" /></a> At the end of the day, Green defeats blue in a battle of the ray guns.<br /><br />If you haven't already, please check out <a href="http://www.french-roast.com/">Mary T.'s</a> blog for green photos featuring The Snapper herself, and <a href="http://www,christinehennessey.blogspot.com/">Chrissy</a> and <a href="http://zaybedowop.blogspot.com/2009/01/color-weeks-green-wednesday.html">Sonnie's</a> fab green day shots too!<br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /></div>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-91156820556855401012009-01-27T20:48:00.003-06:002009-01-27T22:38:15.198-06:00Polka Dotty Day<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfUBzjCzNrEX5qaMdX85kX_wXpyChNirUfzdRTLhSr9xg_igBYiDKzEVieV_vWy0G8LHh6O9dZ34jV6xmwwwN8vgangrnQO7HtmnCy9KvJVOTrMlPP1m-lifsQN1T2B_xrTEFlCru0Q0/s1600-h/IMG_1901.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296198178513746290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfUBzjCzNrEX5qaMdX85kX_wXpyChNirUfzdRTLhSr9xg_igBYiDKzEVieV_vWy0G8LHh6O9dZ34jV6xmwwwN8vgangrnQO7HtmnCy9KvJVOTrMlPP1m-lifsQN1T2B_xrTEFlCru0Q0/s320/IMG_1901.JPG" border="0" /></a> Clear-ly polka dots are everywhere!</div><div align="center"><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0YciJrT1ZMluE0wEF3ipdq3s-DyPW4S4kNSuNcIvAq-bQdAApfkQV1PclI5Jyy7osq3v77EhwP6wnBq91bF3GZgtg_V8iCMlVwD_c9C4NaHPER2qaiO44-r0FcpMJgRowrvVvaU3xmI/s1600-h/IMG_1898.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296171476351074770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0YciJrT1ZMluE0wEF3ipdq3s-DyPW4S4kNSuNcIvAq-bQdAApfkQV1PclI5Jyy7osq3v77EhwP6wnBq91bF3GZgtg_V8iCMlVwD_c9C4NaHPER2qaiO44-r0FcpMJgRowrvVvaU3xmI/s320/IMG_1898.JPG" border="0" /></a> Our dotty dog, Jingo!</div><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzIgDOcxobAAszWApW-XHxG0w-Qo8MVsaKgfKBd0l3DeSJZ3Xp0zBnYoQQ3sgKuRemdCbUU2TWRqQDnm5dRYt77XnabrSDSCTNBpisbmetdgGaEJBi9ABlRYZfJ4y9I_xN33-3ES_wrM/s1600-h/IMG_1889.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296171472360452818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzIgDOcxobAAszWApW-XHxG0w-Qo8MVsaKgfKBd0l3DeSJZ3Xp0zBnYoQQ3sgKuRemdCbUU2TWRqQDnm5dRYt77XnabrSDSCTNBpisbmetdgGaEJBi9ABlRYZfJ4y9I_xN33-3ES_wrM/s320/IMG_1889.JPG" border="0" /></a>Nature's polka dots- nandina berries<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4vutDMmqY9TQd6Gq3rTQwYYUGPXEZRw5-gXkL45mY5JO7mx6EbC_X1TTveEsZXE8iU3XWTNA3h8M2PLKTrnIDeRAW0hUtzivgrKmj-70V_Co4Jxx9RmIGviKcgszwEWaXGkUgcwt7HM/s1600-h/IMG_1891.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296171468892907426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4vutDMmqY9TQd6Gq3rTQwYYUGPXEZRw5-gXkL45mY5JO7mx6EbC_X1TTveEsZXE8iU3XWTNA3h8M2PLKTrnIDeRAW0hUtzivgrKmj-70V_Co4Jxx9RmIGviKcgszwEWaXGkUgcwt7HM/s320/IMG_1891.JPG" border="0" /></a> A Target find.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>For more Color Week posts, Check out <a href="http://www.french-roast.com/2009_01_01_archive.html">Mary T.</a>, <a href="http://www.christinehennessey.blogspot.com/">Chrissy</a>, and<a href="http://zaybedowop.blogspot.com/2009/01/color-weeks-polka-dotted-tuesday.html"> Zay</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div><br /></div></div>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-90847574404716924122009-01-26T16:31:00.006-06:002009-01-26T16:43:47.052-06:00Red-dy for the week<a href="http://www.french-roast.com/">Mary T.</a> has coordinated color week for us. Expect a colorful post each day. Today's color is red. While my kitchen is primarily pink, I think it secretly wants to be red.<br /><br />Enjoy! <div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9qVjV6nQUFbSjnvOHy_GZ5RqhcE5foTyTqJYK_YuoXejmSfTcqAnanxL0fvBO15Oxnjy-D-R_cE0v3PkhAfePx7LHoXaZKrhJ3FwDcsTwuDWKchCKqL9NjAuFBFQtl6KcuRLRRQl5M8/s1600-h/IMG_1887.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295735373949550290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9qVjV6nQUFbSjnvOHy_GZ5RqhcE5foTyTqJYK_YuoXejmSfTcqAnanxL0fvBO15Oxnjy-D-R_cE0v3PkhAfePx7LHoXaZKrhJ3FwDcsTwuDWKchCKqL9NjAuFBFQtl6KcuRLRRQl5M8/s400/IMG_1887.JPG" border="0" /></a> We bought this bib for Rees before we even knew she was coming!</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWTj_Tughyphenhyphen7Y7C0iEr8SclS6Yf7xz_oojm3RgwMYuMO2EQZthWgWPQvh2_aCf1ZlwRHICR1lZniQ0xFgrv1ATpAa_i0TW69acSuJ3e1JGy8GbBNxjiaIYNyiDK_eRe8KxZ6gQAmuDeBs/s1600-h/IMG_1886.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295735369541818402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWTj_Tughyphenhyphen7Y7C0iEr8SclS6Yf7xz_oojm3RgwMYuMO2EQZthWgWPQvh2_aCf1ZlwRHICR1lZniQ0xFgrv1ATpAa_i0TW69acSuJ3e1JGy8GbBNxjiaIYNyiDK_eRe8KxZ6gQAmuDeBs/s400/IMG_1886.JPG" border="0" /></a>This little guy is both a bit scary and jolly.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aoqNuzJKwjf5YhszzXcGDWzfxVWeuBlgDBqI9kU7snX8k_oP74qxx_OgTTToM1_tqZHPQgAIQ6dIBaCj4pXFx84knNTWMK09qFNsNshHE4LqGPgdYtXP1Qrgo2fzH-k9fvJlAE6b-KM/s1600-h/IMG_1885.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295735362235537266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aoqNuzJKwjf5YhszzXcGDWzfxVWeuBlgDBqI9kU7snX8k_oP74qxx_OgTTToM1_tqZHPQgAIQ6dIBaCj4pXFx84knNTWMK09qFNsNshHE4LqGPgdYtXP1Qrgo2fzH-k9fvJlAE6b-KM/s400/IMG_1885.JPG" border="0" /></a> Did you know that Scott and Nick collect "rare" candy? Now you do!<br /><br /><br /><div> </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-40406154565230856072009-01-20T23:47:00.005-06:002009-01-21T00:12:14.202-06:00Ch-Ch-Change<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVou5sV9Ul82zwWFcAgyidbV0_nQvmX54UisS45lXmjYOd9T7vGEFzyvvDYSLNJEU2FWB5AA59311WiT2mJEo9OfJ6H7N_N4Ka-NJhD8FXAltZzQL_U0f5iClD_yUTPtMePRHypoDqDw/s1600-h/milk.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293625489217643346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 269px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVou5sV9Ul82zwWFcAgyidbV0_nQvmX54UisS45lXmjYOd9T7vGEFzyvvDYSLNJEU2FWB5AA59311WiT2mJEo9OfJ6H7N_N4Ka-NJhD8FXAltZzQL_U0f5iClD_yUTPtMePRHypoDqDw/s400/milk.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Why is it that all that is on at 11:45 p.m. is a Ziggy Stardust concert, Spaceballs, and Heavy Metal 2000? It's like all of the cable stations wore themselves out with Inauguration coverage. I just heard that the Obama girls are watching Bolt and High School Musical III- thank goodness for them they aren't flipping channels while their parents are out dancing the night away.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I was happy that most media outlets offered streaming online coverage, since I was BACK TO WORK today.. I know I know, I had a lot longer vacation than most, still its hard to get back. Thankfully we stopped our faculty meeting and watched it on a video projection screen. For some reason I was in charge of keeping the darn thing running, which was no small feat, given the fact that a ka-gillion people were all crowding the Internet trying to get a glimpse of history.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I could totally identify with the various students that were interviewed along the Washington Mall today. Many expressed a desire to see something of this importance for themselves. People, old and young, were giddy with excitement and anticipation. I recalled a simialr feeling in the air back in January 1993 when Bill Clinton was inaugurated. I was a second semester freshman at UT, and I watched the inauguration on a small television in the University Co-op bookstore where I had been buying books for the coming semester. People crowded around the tv and stood silent as President Clinton was sworn in. It was a defining moment and one that echoed today's air of anticipation. I had campaigned for Clinton, was working for a yellow-dog democrat at the Texas Capitol and felt totally invested in the government. Shoot- I was only 18...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>While I am not sad to see him go, I did scan President Bush's face as President Obama gave his speech. I can't help but think that he never thought it would all turn out this way.I supported Bush as governor of Texas, attended both his inaugurations and even two inaugural balls. (the balls were something else- long gloves, long dress...) I interviewed Laura Bush one-on-one in her small office at the state capitol when she was first lady. She was gracious and kind and didn't rush me a bit. When he was inaugurated as President, I was hopeful for a return to Texas prominence on the national scale. But, the rest of the story, as we now know, was something quite different. Bush surrounded himself with complete idiots or worse, malicious people hoping to further their own agenda. Instead of national prominence, Texas was reduced to the butt of jokes and most of Bush's Texas confidantes left his inner circle long ago.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So it is with a happy heart that we move on into something that has promise and hope. I'm heartened to hear that the Consumer Protection Act is going to be reviewed and was chosen by Change.org as an issue with immediate importance. And I'm also excited that when I got home from work today, Reesie was excitedly pointing to the t.v saying "Barrrk, Barrrk"</div>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-65353464545988372612009-01-11T23:55:00.003-06:002009-01-11T23:59:18.814-06:00Lazy Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFVyr6svrg_8DzhHBhhtN5dlWCRLieErjosviA3siV9Iwh2FmvxXTtQdlTz8Dhyphenhyphen1cZNNqWzJ2N8wHspjgJx_Omo7gfQMzxEgqfHSUdyih4v8D0NaspsNTH6ocB3DdV-vT1aVrV7hvygk/s1600-h/IMG_1841.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290282670705704130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFVyr6svrg_8DzhHBhhtN5dlWCRLieErjosviA3siV9Iwh2FmvxXTtQdlTz8Dhyphenhyphen1cZNNqWzJ2N8wHspjgJx_Omo7gfQMzxEgqfHSUdyih4v8D0NaspsNTH6ocB3DdV-vT1aVrV7hvygk/s400/IMG_1841.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsfPqVgTq4emtsZbpJiSKhMOiIgJqcIPgK4sE6s859RBy9SkEQ3LrPiPZ5mCtGgsdac-ekMoOAcNfI0HkA0oanjoTgi1lb25W8yAKG9_sFx6KW8Cmsb17koMP8uBgg7KQuFf3RoK59Rk/s1600-h/IMG_1841.JPG"></a><div align="center"><br /><br /><strong>This is the life!</strong></div>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-48078993290950015672009-01-11T19:34:00.006-06:002009-01-11T23:55:17.760-06:00Soup yourself<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://localhost:56829/a0d3604cdda5f80e88df7604e3d8e45b/image/37c0284cefc488ae.jpg"><img alt="" src="http://localhost:56829/a0d3604cdda5f80e88df7604e3d8e45b/image/37c0284cefc488ae.jpg?size=320" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div>A Haiku to soup:</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>Soup.. comfort food, simple</div><br /><div>warm and inviting rich broth</div><br /><div>makes your tummy smile</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>So I had this cauliflower. And the Pioneer Woman had this <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/01/cauliflower-soup/">recipe</a>. So I had a dream of recreating her fabulous soup to round out a fabulous weekend. The cauliflower was perfect and local - straight from Millard's farm via the Farmer's Market. While I had the majority of the ingredients, I was lacking onion, parsley, and half and half. Off to the store went Scotty. </div><br /><div>chicken broth - check, cauliflower - check, soup tureen- double check.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div> Up the ladder went Scotty to retrieve my soup tureen. I'd never used it before, somehow it seemed too precious. I bought it from the estate of my dear friend's mother, Miss Dot. Miss Dot out-Martha-ed Martha with her complex and unbeliveable holiday meals. There would always be at least three or four soups, served in beautiful tureens. After she died, I felt so lucky to get one of her tureens.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>While getting the tureen, he realized that the shelf it was sitting on was precariously teetering on a broken peg. Back to the store went Scott to get new pegs AND more butter. He not only fixed the shelf, but re-organized too. I should make soup more often. </div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>The soup was really good, and it looked good too. Miss Dot would be proud. </div>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-24557438987972392912008-12-10T22:57:00.002-06:002008-12-10T23:09:06.225-06:00ThankfulOkay, so I know Thanksgiving is over.. it really is just a bleep in the calendar compared to the huge holidays of Halloween and Christmas. And while the turkey (and the corresponding leftovers) has been eaten, I'm still thinking about everything I'm thankful for. So indulge me if you will in a re-counting of recent blessings:<br /><br /><ul><li>warm mochas on a cold day. Today Mary T came to my door with a wonderful mocha to fuel our trip to the beauty shop. It was a very welcome surprise.</li><li>Far away friends who took the time to show me the sights. It was so wonderful seeing Kealy earlier in November. She is really the most wonderful hostess. I find myself thinking of Portland often, and wanting to get back.</li><li>Festive pals ringing in the Christmas season. It was great to see a bunch of friends at the Nine Flags lighted Chritmas parade. The best part? Watching Rees watch the floats, watching Pat play Santa, watching our very own doll Ruby the whistler go through 2 costume changes, and eating!</li><li>Living vicariously. Thanks to Sonnie for sharing pics of her recent cruise. Her description of the dolphin swin was awesome.</li><li>Winding down the school semester. Even though I've got a lot left to do, the end is in sight!</li></ul>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-79854644902331211232008-11-13T22:15:00.003-06:002008-11-13T22:24:22.699-06:00Thai one on...Today has been a series of ups and downs. This morning I had the great pleasure to talk architecture with a reporter from the Austin-American Statesman working on a story about a building I wrote a National Register nomination for eight years ago. He found my name through my blog so that was cool. Not cool was getting to the confrence 10 minutes early, only to find 1) that almost all of the breakfast food was gone and 2) that both the sessions I was interested in were full. Portland has a strict policy that if a breakout room is full there is no standing room..I ended up coming back to the room and worked on some emails and course stuff. I tried to go to the second session of the morning only to be foiled again.. Full...<br /><br />At 2:00 central I gave a long-distance lecture to my tourism class using a webcam. That worked out pretty well, and I had just enough time to catch lunch at the conference..WRoNG! They were out of lunches when I got there. They were about 50 short.. talk about mutiny. There is nothing so bad as 5o interpreters who are hungry and waiting on food...I finally was able to eat and did actually get to attend a pretty good session over technology and interpretation- using iphones, gps, and ipods to do tours at museums and nature sites.<br /><br />Afterwards I met up with my good pals from High School and got to hang out at their awesome home. The highlight was a fabulous 4 course meal at a rocking Thai place. Pad Thai, Drunken Noodle, Tom Kha soup and spring rolls..yum..plus good company and the most adorable little boys ever..<br /><br />Unfortunately as the evening has worn on, I am working on a raging sore throat and earache..I'm hoping that it will be gone by morning..I've got a bookstore and a whole street full of vintage clothing shops calling my name.Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-44884673219060818762008-11-13T11:02:00.003-06:002008-11-13T11:04:42.557-06:00It's a new dayThe sun is shining, the birds are singing and best of all- I'm going to get to see Kealy this weekend! Woo-HOO!!<br /><br />I had a hard time sleeping last night because I kept thinking of all those books.. just sitting in that enormous bookstore, calling my name. I'm taking a tour of Portland's China town tomorrow, but hopefully I can steal away for a few more hours at Powell's. It must be love...Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-74421714692185754722008-11-12T23:38:00.003-06:002008-11-12T23:49:40.668-06:00PortlandI'm here in Portland, and guess what? It's raining! Last night, after a full day of travel, I wasn't so sure that I was happy to be here. I gave my presentation to a packed room today and I think it went okay. I had a few questions from the audience and no one threw organic tomatos or recycled plastic ware. A few thought on Portland:<br /><br />1) It's beautiful. There are gorgeous trees with leaves every shade of red, orange and yellow.<br /><br />2) It prides itself on its sustainability. I ate dinner at a <a href="http://www.burgerville.com/">Burgerville</a> last night. The menu featured sweet potato fries or regular, organic pumpkin shakes and non-hormone crazed beef..<br /><br />3)People are generally very friendly and pretty talky.<br /><br />Tonight I ate at this crazy restaurant called <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.sushilandusa.com/%22%3ESushiland%3C/a%3E">Sushiland</a>. It had a conveyor belt resplindent with sushi, nigiri, edamame and more. I had a spicy crunchy tuna, miso soup, edamame, a veggie roll and a tempura shrimp roll plus a Black Butte Porter for $11.50. Can you believe it? Next stop was <a href="http://www.powells.com/info/places/burnsideinfo.html">Powell's books</a>. Apparently it is the world's largest independent bookstore. At 68,000 square feet of heaven, I can't imagine anything any bigger. I was there an hour and didn't make it out of the children's section.<br /><br />I'm hoping to catch up with Kealy over the weekend and tomorrow night some friends from high school are taking me out for Thai food. I miss my family - Red Menance, the Snapper, Scotty and of course Jingo too.. as you can see, I'm salving my wounds with GOOD FOOD!Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-48444466532452858752008-11-05T21:02:00.002-06:002008-11-05T22:36:15.130-06:00remembering OctoberI've gotta tell you. I am ready for a change. Not the political kind, although I gotta say that is pretty exciting, but a change from feeling the damp cloud of sadness that came with the month of October this year.<br /><br />At the beginning of the month we lost my mother's sister.. my aunt Bettye. My aunt had been ill since a stoke nearly two years ago. She was ready to go, even though the rest of us weren't ready to let her go. Her death was a surprise to me, though it shouldn't have been. My uncle, who had been her partner for over 44 years, held up remarkably well at her funeral. I offered to write the obituary, but he decided against an obituary. As it turned out, I ended up writing the eulogy, which the minister read verbatim over her grave at the funeral. It wasn't written to be a complete eulogy, and I left out some of the things I remember about my aunt: that she would always kiss our hands, close them and say "lock it up, lock it up" when we would leave their house in Dallas. That she used cameo soap. That she liked to have her feet rubbed. She never had children, and my sister and I were her closest neices to my knowlege.<br /><br />I had been thinking of her, missing her most of the month when we lost our dog Pogo. So many people have sent cards, sent kind thoughts and said comforting words to us. One of the sweetest cards said that "one day we will be able to remember his antics and laugh." I know it is true..we had so many good times with him.<br /><br />So as you can see, I'm ready for a change. I'm ready to get going with November.Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-33157352511714898402008-09-15T11:43:00.003-05:002008-09-15T11:46:59.015-05:00Ike!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TYy4O0DC3LanbHpcMLOxPKMMDk6fa4UrO2VkTtJDwkd7Xe8DN8vKRsXkxsm0uJHYAU4B7PKFeaX5MLm8Re0DngEw0kQxM-Gp658AtPLH9lCFb8S6I1Y82-nHAb4H8xC3wZ8M5NG2hH8/s1600-h/IMG_1448.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TYy4O0DC3LanbHpcMLOxPKMMDk6fa4UrO2VkTtJDwkd7Xe8DN8vKRsXkxsm0uJHYAU4B7PKFeaX5MLm8Re0DngEw0kQxM-Gp658AtPLH9lCFb8S6I1Y82-nHAb4H8xC3wZ8M5NG2hH8/s320/IMG_1448.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246290404957730066" /></a><br /><br />Well, we made it through remarkably well, considering that this image is just about 75 feet from our house. We, unlike so many of our friends and famillies, have power. We were only out of power from 12:30 p.m. on Saturday until about 7:30 p.m. I have no idea how that is possible, but I'll take it. <br /><br />Our neighborhood was hit really hard, with massive trees down everywhere. <a href="http://www.dailysentinel.com">The Daily Sentinel </a>has some good pics of the path of Ike as it made its way through Nac.<br /><br />Last night we had some folks over for an electricity party, and my parents are staying with us. Now for the clean up!Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-80980208028338652042008-09-12T10:40:00.002-05:002008-09-12T10:51:50.528-05:00Hunker down now Y'all...I'm interested in where the term hunker down originates from. I don't recall hearing it much outside of old war movies until we waited out Hurricane Rita last time. Even thought the digital sign at Walgreens' consistently reminds us to by a NOAA weather radio for only $29.99, we still only have our regular old battery operated AM/FM deal. During Rita, we all came into the front living room, turned the radio on and listened as announcers took calls all over East Texas from those who were hunkering down. A typical call went like this..<br /><br />Announcer: "Howdy, you are on KFROG FM. What's it like where you are?"<br />Caller: "Well Sammy Bob, the missus and I are hunkered down here in Broaddus. We're at my Aunt Lil's watching the pine trees snap like toothpicks at a Catfish King"<br /><br />Since NPR had abandoned the airwaves we were stuck with *gasp* E. Texas commercial radio during the duration of Rita..Caller after caller noted how they were "hunkering down".<br /><br />This time around I'm making sure we have all the essentials:<br /><br />batteries - check<br />flashlights -check<br />diapers - check<br />Books 3 & 4 of Twillight - double check<br /><br />I can't think of anything else we'd need to hunker down...Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-73948948233235562532008-08-16T23:43:00.006-05:002008-08-17T02:27:38.742-05:00(really) wish you were here<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2FChaybee92%2Falbumid%2F5235328302717707953%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />Greetings from Anchorage! I'm on day 4 of my 10 or so day trip and I am experiencing something I haven't had since I left Texas.. Quiet! There is a pretty big group of us here, including my major professor and her family, another graduate student and her extended family and a researcher and videographer. All in all it has been pretty good. Here are the <span style="color:#ff9966;">Highlights</span> so far:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Staying at this place in Cooper's Landing, and having a morning hot tub soak next to this unbelieveably blue river.</li><br /><li>Eating well. We haven't eaten out once, but since we have some Taiwanese folks on the trip, they are making some really fantastic dishes. Tonight was a vegetable soup that was really good. I also had a famous Reindeer dog from M.A.'s<a href="http://camera.touchngo.com/mikesdogs.htm"> hotdog stand</a>. Grilled onions, cream cheese, reindeer...what more can I say?</li><br /><li>The scenery. Too bad photos don't do it any justice.</li><br /><li>Rees has had a good time. Today she went with all the kiddos to the <a href="http://www.alaskazoo.org/">Alaska Zoo</a>. She's also hiked on the back of someone up to the rapidly receeding <a href="http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/exit-glacier.htm">Exit Glacier</a>.</li></ul><br />The Lowlights:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Being away from my husband and family</li><br /><li>Having to work, and not being a tourist. Interviewing is hard for me,and I'm a little uncomfrotable approaching people.</li><br /><li>Not being able to hang out in Anchorage, or go on a charter boat out of Seward</li><br /><li>Getting up early and working until midnight or later</li></ul><br /><p>Being away from Rees during the day and missing her adventures<br />Not making the fab joint birthday of Chrissy and Mary</p><br />I'm hoping to post more later...here are some pics from the trip so far.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-8469223746076500882008-07-15T00:08:00.002-05:002008-07-15T00:11:18.300-05:00What does it take...To get outta town?<br /><br />How about -<br />2 wheelchairs<br />1 wheelchair lift<br />1 high chair<br />1 pack n play<br />120 diapers<br />2 coolers<br />1 57 gallon tub full of dry goods<br />4 suitcases<br />2 laptops<br />4 GI joes<br />1 airsoft gun<br />2 dogs<br />1 5x8 U-haul<br /><br />Whew! Good thing we are getting away from it all!Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-55200827582516980612008-07-13T09:30:00.003-05:002008-07-13T09:37:30.110-05:00Week (end) wrap upIt just seems like summer is flying by, and there isn't enough time to swim, sleep and eat watermelon with pals. Make no mistake, I'm trying to make the most of long days and time off.<br />To that end, I'm heading northward to work on some dissertation research today. Colder climes, here I come!<br /><br />Last week I got to meet a new friend who discovered my blog during her re-location to Nac efforts. She and her daughter (and husband, I'm sure, although I didn't get to meet him) are super cool. I hope she'll take part in our renagade crafting sessions. She's already scoped out Morning Glory, got a library card and joined the CSA. What more can I say? Welcome!Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-59299479730509839032008-06-30T20:56:00.002-05:002008-06-30T21:18:42.212-05:00On the first day...Today has been the first full day with just the Runnels' girls. This morning I got Nick shipped off to camp to join Scott, then left Reesie with her new best friend - a ninth grader she met at VBS. I had a few work meetings, came home and dropped the sitter off and Rees and I hit Walgreens.<br /><br />I like Walgreen's, I just wish that<br />1) they weren't <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=127087">enemies of historic preservation</a><br />and<br />2) that they didn't do those buy 2 for $5.99, or 1 for $3.99 deals<br />what a rip. Btw - that link above is just one of the numerous examples of how Walgreen's rips up historic properties, including my beloved <a href="http://www.chowhound.com/topics/519529">Frisco Shop.</a><br /><br />My quest was some candy for my niece in China. Her favorite is M & M's but I knew they wouldn't make it in the summer heat. I settled on candy necklaces --mmm sticky sweetness, and couldn't help but pick out a <a href="http://www.lisafrank.com/">Lisa Frank</a> sticker book (1200 stickers in everyshade of bubblegum pink!) and then a Candyland watercolor book. I also picked up some <a href="http://www.disgruntledhousewife.com/products/dr.pepper.html">Dr. Pepper flavored ice pops</a> for my brother in law. I won't reveal the entire contents of the package to China since my sister reads this blog.. but its goood. REALLL good! The main thing is the bumpo seat which I scored at Goodwill over the weekend.<br /><br />Reesie and I took a trip to the postoffice to mail the package plus 5 letters to Scott and Nick and a package too. They'll be dancing and singing until dinner if I get my way..mrahhhaa...<br />The postal workers were quite enamored of her and she enjoyed the change of scenery. I took her over to her grandpa's for a quick nap and ran to the libray to renew my current read, Barbara Kingsolver's <a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/"><em><strong>Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</strong></em> </a>and to return a big pile that included The Runaway Bunny and <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780007149827/The_Yiddish_Policemens_Union/index.aspx">The Yiddish Policeman's Union</a> by Michael Chabon.<br /><br />That last one was Scott's latest book to finish. Its an alternate history to what might have happened if the Jewish state was set up in Alaska instead of Israel. He liked it I think. All I know is that he woke me up at 2 a.m. last week to tell me that it mentioned Nacogdoches. The dialogue goes something like<br /><br />"Where is Palestine?"<br />"It's about two hours from Nacogdoches"<br /><br />Obviously a play on the Palestine/Palesteen pronunciation.<br /><br />Tonight I ate grilled Salmon and veggies from the CSA with my in-laws. Dessert was fresh raspberries with sour cream and brown sugar. Kroger's got raspberries on sale for $1. Woo hoo! Did I mention I love summer?Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-3298799794575440032008-06-29T22:41:00.002-05:002008-06-29T23:02:10.241-05:00Weekend RecapIt has been one of those wonderful summer weekends. I can't complain about how I spent ANY of my time this weekend. How rare and wonderful!<br /><br />Friday started off by getting jazzed at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">VBS</span> then sprinting off to the Library to give a Blogging 101 workshop for the Teaching Excellence Center. The audience was filled with tenured, senior faculty and friendly faces too! Thanks Chrissy for supporting me. I want to team teach Blogging 202 with Chrissy next time. I got everyone on their way to making a new blog, then ran back to the church to pick up Nick and Rees. Nick had the very strange scent of movie theater popcorn on him. It all made sense when I learned he had been slip n' sliding in popcorn butter, ketchup and chocolate syrup with the rest of the 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> graders. He assured me that he had a shower at the church- I only learned later that it was a shower sans soap. Oh well.<br /><br />We picked up Scott and headed to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lufkin</span> so he could finish up his teaching gig at the Museum of East Texas Art Camp. After we dropped him off, Nick, Rees and I went to the Goodwill. I scored a <a href="http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=208136322&listingid=23990266&dcaid=17902">Baby <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Bumpo</span> </a>seat for $5. Then I took Nick to the Army/Navy store. He was in hog heaven and came away with personalized dog tags and an army issue beret. We still had time to kill, so I suggested Big Lots. Much to our luck, Ruby was pulling in right as we were. She hopped in the car and we headed to the Lunch Box for lunch for her and Rees and a snack for Nick and me. Then we returned to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">BigLots</span> for an hour or so of fabulous discount shopping. I scored a gorgeous package of Mrs. Sullivan's pecan pies and a few other things. We parted ways with Ruby and picked up Scott. Our destination- dinner at <a href="http://www.ufopizzacompany.com/">UFO pizza</a>. I highly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">recommend</span> this Brick oven style pizza place. We had the veggie with artichokes and peppers and also one with meats of many nations. When we got back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Nac</span>, the boys hung out and watched the Dirty Dozen, while I hung out with some gal pals drinking wine and gabbing.<br /><br />Saturday started off great too! I picked up Chrissy for a Farmer's Market expedition and got some wonderful white peaches from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Promiseland</span> orchards. YUM! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">I had</span> a hankering for <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001506fried_green_tomatoes.php">Fried Green tomatoes </a>so we went to Butcher Boys for lunch then ran errands with the family. Saturday night I helped Scott and Nick pack for <a href="http://www.disciplescrossing.org/facs.htm#lodge">camp</a> and organized my recipe box.<br /><br />Today has been good too- I got Scott sent off to camp then hung out with the parents. Rees and I had a nice dinner of leftovers for me and squash, chicken and pasta, and avocado and yogurt for her. She was sleepy early and went off to bed without a bath or change of clothes.<br /><br />Tonight I've been catching up on emails from work, cleaned the kitchen and watched *gasp* the Miss Texas USA pageant. Hopefully this will be the start of a great week!Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-75783582953135812952008-06-27T00:18:00.003-05:002008-06-27T00:30:05.844-05:00V.B.S.This week I have been a crew leader at our church's annual Vacation Bible School. It has been an interesting experience and I've actually learned a lot. Namely that teaching college students is a piece of cake compared to 6, 7, 8 and 9 year olds. Whew! It has been a wild week.<br /><br />The theme for the week was <a href="http://www.groupvbs.com/powerlab/">Power Lab</a>. It's actually been pretty cool. Each day we've done some experiments (today was mentos and diet coke) and then tied it back to a Bible lesson. Each day the kids have learned about being thankful, brave, helpful and so on. We do crafts, sing songs, play games and generally act silly. I drew the line today when one of my 8 year old charges announced that we would ALL be doing the crab walk down the hall way!<br /><br />All in all, its been a great experience. Our church is a Free Summer Lunch site for children, and our VBSers have also participated in the free lunch this week. I think it is great that kids can have access to solid nutrition even though school is out. Today they had watermelon, apple juice, something called pizza sticks and cheese crackers.<br /><br />Next week Scott and Nick leave for a week of church camp. Rees and I will be bachelorette- and I will join the ranks of my pals who have had spouse and partners gone for extended periods this summer. I'm excited for the boys, but I'm sure going to miss them - and their diaper changing skills!Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-56236438087141582542008-06-21T00:27:00.002-05:002008-06-21T00:41:01.132-05:00Two Toed SlothSo I buy this new pair of peep toe sandals. They are super cute, and actually fit my wide feet. Last week, as we are running out the door to a potluck, I decided at the last minute to wear them for the first time. No problem right? Except for the fact that I've put off getting that "beginning of summer" pedicure.<br /><br />So I do what many a time-crunched lady would do... I paint just the 4 little piggies that actually show through the cute peep toe. Crisis averted, and my bright pink toes looked pretty darn cute if I do say so myself.<br /><br />Walk in to the potluck and immediate realize that I am the only one wearing peep toe sandals with bright pink toenail polish. As a matter of fact, I'm the ONLY ONE WEARING SHOES! Apparently this was a "shoes off" affair. Luckily I was ablea to curl my toes, tuck them under my jeans then finally inconpicuously scrape away the majority of the pink polish. I think I got away with it...<br /><br />I've definitely learned my lesson on the old 1-2 paint job.Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-32105384572591315662008-06-17T17:42:00.002-05:002008-06-17T17:56:40.720-05:00(re) connectPart of the beauty of MySpace and Facebook and email and even blogs is that old friends can be "found" or re-discovered or brought up to speed on things happening. Just recently I reconnected with a friend from high school that I hadn't seen or talked to in over 15 years.<br /><br />So I wonder why I'm totally down about a friend who doesn't want to reconnect? Could it be that she was a mentor of mine and more than just a friend when I was an undergrad? Could it be that we shared a lot of fun times at the Texas Association of Museum's annual conference? Could it be that I eventually followed her into architecture school and found my niche in historic preservation?<br /><br />Actually, I think it has something to do with the beautiful red acrylic bowl that is currently holding our farmer's market bounty. She gave it to us for our wedding, and it's been on our counter ever since. I think it was meant for chips and dips, but the flowing organic shape of it is perfect for fruits and veggies.<br /><br />She was the first person that I ever knew who brought a cooler to Central Market and stocked up on fine wine, cheese and bread long after she had left Austin. She was sort of the older sister I never had.<br /><br />I last saw her in November of 2005 at her wedding. It was just perfect and everything was beautiful. We exchanged Christmas cards in 2006 and I sent her one in 2007. Sometime in 2006 we lost touch. I tried to email and even visited her museum on my way out to Guadalupe Mountains but didn't hear anything from her again.<br /><br />Just recently, as I was cleaning out the red bowl, I thought to try to re-connect again. I sent an email and-<br /><br />no response.<br /><br />I'm thinking of sending an old fashioned letter, apologizing for whatever transgression I might have made. Any suggestions??Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-70859528141499135522008-06-12T17:29:00.003-05:002008-06-12T17:36:24.921-05:00(Pizza) Pie ManYou may not know this, but our very own Red Menace is not only a kid-about-town and all around good guy, he is also an award winning chef! Nick placed 1st in the Nacogdoches County Extension's Kid's cooking contest with his Double Blueberry Pizza recipe. He developed the recipe, tested two variations and cooked it to perfection. If you are interested in it I'm sure he'll be willing to share!Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-10946654856138798122008-06-11T18:55:00.004-05:002008-06-11T20:07:50.444-05:00Shhh...don't tell her<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLWeZNO81LpTyNtryj3iJj2qocR9JPQm-QNtxds18gfRJbLxAmwYibZ8HlblFZlzYl4UKL7No5HNWfil1za4YqzwrqFEdBqudApwytasewBryTBZe4EvbZsgxCYnJk7i1_lcwM0DcHFc/s1600-h/phone.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210794286247729842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuLWeZNO81LpTyNtryj3iJj2qocR9JPQm-QNtxds18gfRJbLxAmwYibZ8HlblFZlzYl4UKL7No5HNWfil1za4YqzwrqFEdBqudApwytasewBryTBZe4EvbZsgxCYnJk7i1_lcwM0DcHFc/s320/phone.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />As I have chronicled here, you know that the Snapper is the happy recipient of many wonderful gently used and just plain fab clothes. Dressing her is really a delight- but I seldom get to buy her clothing myself. I'm not complaining - but with 2 grandmas and numerous "aunties" in town - her wardrobe is taken care of.<br /><br />We really haven't bought many toys either- she has a few faves and LOVES books too. She's easily amused by a spoon or even the Kroger circular. But we just couldn't resist picking up the classic Fisher Price chatter telephone for her birthday recently. I know, I know, it isn't for 2 more months, but you don't see these beauties every day. The box says that it was introduced in 1962 as a way to teach children how to use a rotary dial phone. Lucky for us, we actually use a rotary dial phone.<br /><br />The challenge for me is going to be keeping it a secret from a very busy baby. And from buying all the<a href="http://toys.about.com/od/a/fpclassictoys.htm"> "classic" Fisher Price </a>toys BEFORE August!Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079437775458930694.post-51788023151590929082008-06-09T22:52:00.003-05:002008-06-09T23:04:37.775-05:00Good Luck Kitty<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg227Ie4qc4j_tAjGCnm8TNudhOpgMoiEvkWgbIezl9srjZDwT8J9vgrmZ-zyl92x4GbGMjskfbzYNnIXCIeiTwdD4GmQu2lUv9PsICqLcL5uukg7ZPH84gC5NV9QlXHIXIZse1nzam3hU/s1600-h/June+2008+008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg227Ie4qc4j_tAjGCnm8TNudhOpgMoiEvkWgbIezl9srjZDwT8J9vgrmZ-zyl92x4GbGMjskfbzYNnIXCIeiTwdD4GmQu2lUv9PsICqLcL5uukg7ZPH84gC5NV9QlXHIXIZse1nzam3hU/s320/June+2008+008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210097884796436402" /></a><br />I couldn't resist posting this shot of the Snapper, begging her daddy for a bite of Blue Bell's newest flavor, <a href="http://www.bluebell.com/The_Little_Creamery/Press_Releases/press_southern_hospitality.aspx">Southern Hospitality</a>. Of course I wanted it just for the carton, but it is actually pretty good for non-homemade ice cream. It doesn't hold a candle to Kendal's ice cream creations, however.<br /><br />My other motive for posting this pic is to show off my recently finished <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/maneki-neko.shtml">Maneki-Neko </a>onesie that I embroidered for Reesie. I used Sublime Stitching's <a href="http://www.sublimestitching.com/tools.html">t-shirt stabilizer </a>for the first time, which I HIGHLY recommend. It made stitching through jersey so much nicer. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiic9UV-CyuBg1XhTvfjGiN9F8KPcx8HnT6DaCLRhhbD5ZXQHIfButrekTYPrfwdKIKxN4HDzoVLmyRSzIdQ1Ub9i6OLpz8ytsKbnsjPfvge6MtTIGRCwp62BUOVaTgEhNGO7VeZ0OH7wo/s1600-h/June+2008+011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiic9UV-CyuBg1XhTvfjGiN9F8KPcx8HnT6DaCLRhhbD5ZXQHIfButrekTYPrfwdKIKxN4HDzoVLmyRSzIdQ1Ub9i6OLpz8ytsKbnsjPfvge6MtTIGRCwp62BUOVaTgEhNGO7VeZ0OH7wo/s320/June+2008+011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210097903777693058" /></a>Chaybeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09817768657339148306noreply@blogger.com4