Coolest Barbie Evah!!!

I came across this Barbie and couldn't wait to show my hubby. I collect retro Barbies and I must have this one. Does anyone remember watching this movie?



I remember spending my summers at my grandparent's house in central California. After spending countless hours swimming in the pool my sister and I would cuddle up on the couch with our Papa and watch The Twilight Zone. One afternoon the movie The Birds came on. It was my first horror flick I ever saw. I was pretty young, my sister and the neighborhood kids were all about 5 years older than me. Everyone had seen The Birds but me. I begged my Papa to see it and told him I was old enough and I wasn't scared. My Papa said alright but he would have to watch it with me.



My Papa loved to play jokes on us and right before one of the attacking scenes he left the room. I was so enthralled with the movie I didn't notice. However, when the shot came of the birds swooping down to attack my Papa threw a wet washcloth and stuck to the side of my face. I nearly jumped out of my skin. To this day I'm terrified of black birds and crows.

What Do You Believe...

This blog has become sort of a online journal for me. It's a way to keep track over the year of events that have played out in our lives. This year has been overwhelming and downright exhausting at times. We've had a lot of things going on but all in all they have been true blessings. My husband started his own consulting business at the beginning of the year. It was something we'd discussed but scary when we actually put it into action. We started with one account and nearly 9 months later I'm pleased to report business is booming. We have clients that we've had to put on hold because we have too much work. That's a good problem to have. I feel extremely blessed considering the state of the economy. We actually have seen our larger competitors shut their doors from lack of business. However, we keep prospering and growing like a weed. My husband just landed another HUGE account. I honestly do not know how he'll be able to take it on. His calendar is bursting at the seams already. I've taken on more and more responsibilities but I think we are going to have to start considering hiring staff soon.


I shared this with a individual who asked me, "do you think this is a good time to hire? You know with the economy and all." To tell you the truth, I wanted to shake that person. I wanted to scream, "stop watching the news and live life!" Oh, I too have seen the news reports on the failing economy but I refuse to be fearful. Not irresponsible but fearful. There is a BIG difference.

Companies are laying people off and establishing hiring freezes due to what the media is reporting. Consumers are not spending money due to what the media is reporting. The Gulf Coast lost millions of dollars in tourism because of what the media is reporting. When did the media have so much power over the way we live our lives? I don't know about you but I put my foot down. I don't go to the media for guidance and provisions. I go to the Almighty God. I'm not going to put my future in the hands of CNN or Fox News. No way! Our nation was founded on faith. If you look back to the Revolutionary War the odds were against us. We were colonies fighting an established country with a large army. But even with the odds stacked up against us George Washington lead us to victory by his faith and perseverance. It's a shame that Americans no longer have the passion we once had. We didn't become a strong nation out of fear so why is everyone all of sudden so scared? Sometimes we have obstacles in life but we can overcome them if we believe we can. I'm not willing to give up because we have a bad economy or place stipulations on what we can achieve.

If you have a desire in your heart and want a better future, a better education, a better career, a better life, etc.. GO AND GET IT!!! Don't allow anyone, especially the media, to convince you otherwise. A lot of people in history have prospered during hard times. The difference is that never quit, believed in themselves, and kept working hard. Your future is what you believe you can do not what the economy allows you. Now excuse me as I step off my soap box and get back to work.

It's Back to School Y'all

I can't believe it's back to school already. On my way home Friday I cut through the back of our neighborhood and found myself smack in the middle of a traffic jam. I was sitting in front of the elementary school vehicles lined the streets and parents holding their children's hands as they made their way to the entrance (open house). We do not have children yet so I was completely caught off guard that black Monday was around the corner. My husband and I refer to it as "Black Monday" because it's horrific trying to commute out of the community to the freeway downtown. Poor hubby, he'll have to get up early in the morning to avoid the rush. Once I got around the group of families pouring into the neighborhood streets I couldn't help but think back to when I was a kid. The first memory that came to mind was when I was about 9 years old. I remember that first day of school vividly. My mom dropped me and my older sister off at school in our family's new Jeep Wagoneer. My sister was listening to the Go's Go's. I jumped from the back seat before my mother could kiss me goodbye. After all, I was 9 years old and didn't need my mom embarrassing me. I wore my jean skirt, purple IZOD shirt, side pony, and a Strawberry Short Cake lunchbox. I grew about 2 inches that summer so I was much taller and felt more mature as I towered over the younger kids. I even convinced my mom to let me wear lip gloss. It was bubblegum flavor. I thought I was too cool for school. What is your first day of school memory?




This was our family car during the 80's. Same color and everything.




I had this exact lunchbox. I carried a lot of PB&J in that little box.


I totally had the Debbie Gibson hair. Sometimes I'd wear it in a side pony.

The only make up a 9 year old girl could get away with. My BFF had the Dr. Pepper one.

I think my sister and I listened to this tape a million times. I knew every beat and lyric by heart.

Summer Countdown

Summer is finally coming to an end. I can't believe how quickly it flew by this year. I heard that school starts next week. We don't have children so I have to rely on the news or hear through the grapevine. In a way I'm sad but on the other hand I'm eager for fall. August has been truly a disgustingly hot month down here in the Bayou City. That's what they call Houston "Bayou City." Texas is pretty much always a warm state but August has about killed me. It's hot when I wake up, it's hot during the day, and it's hot when I try to sleep at night. All this heat makes me sleepy and cranky.

My husband asked me what I would like to do this weekend. I told him I would like to drive down to the coast. It's one of the last weekends of summer and I want to spend it on the beach. At least I can feel the cooler breeze of the Gulf of Mexico. I decided I want to head down to Corpus Christi this weekend. I have a new book that I'm itching to crack open.

What is the one thing you would like to do before the end of summer?

Summer

How are y'all spending your summer?

Mystery Meat

I practically fell out of my chair laughing when I came across this picture because it is very similar to what I saw. It's almost like the artist himself drew this specially for me.

Yesterday I had to run a few errands and it took a bit longer than I thought. I called my husband and told him I was running a tad behind and that dinner would be delayed. All I can say is, OH MY GOODNESS!!! Y'all, I knew something was wrong the minute I opened the door that leads from the garage directly smack into our kitchen. The house was smokey and the kitchen counters were layered with cooking powders and sauces. There stood my husband beaming from ear to ear like a little kid. He had attempted to make dinner.

Now I should be very thankful because I hear a lot of women complain that their husbands don't help enough around the house. However, this was not what I wanted to come home to after a full day on my feet and fighting traffic. It was rather cute how he set the table, silverware completely disorganized, paper napkins from our paper towel rack, and mismatching plastic cups he dug out of the miscellaneous section of my pantry.

I didn't know where to begin so I set my bags on the living room floor because my counters were a complete mess. I smiled and pretended to be happily surprised. Well, I was surprised alright but I couldn't go as to say I was actually happy about what I walked in on. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat and quickly began showing off as though he was filming his own cooking show on the Food Network Channel. At this point I was gritting my teeth as I examined the sorry state of my beloved pots and pans. I didn't know if I should cry, run, or start screaming. Confused by the overwhelming mixed of emotions I stood there in complete silence with a silly grin utterly paralyzed.

Finally, after he explained the mystery meat was teriyaki chicken (his own homemade sauce), I picked up my heirloom silver fork from the charcoaled skillet. Tears were stinging my eyes but I choked them back, "honey, where did you get this fork?" He looked bewildered as to why I was asking such an odd question. He told me he found it in that box I have sitting on the large side table in the dining room. He was referring to my silverware chest that holds all of my antique cutlery on top of our buffet. This fork was part of the collection handed down from my grandmother. I nodded slowly ready to scream my head off but looking at how proud he was over his culenary masterpiece I refrained myself. Instead I told him he had done enough (damage) and asked him to pick out some dinner music while I prepared a salad to go along with dinner.

I scraped the poor pitiful burnt meat (lumps and all) from the skillet. Then tried to fight the rice out of the pot. I slid the serving platter and bowl onto the table. It was a total disaster. Then I looked across the table at my husband eagerly waiting to try his teriyaki chicken. It made me laugh as he wrestled with cutting the first peice. Do you remember Clark Griswold on Christmas Vacation eating that burnt turkey that his sister-in-law made? It was sort of like that. He leaned across the table and asked, "How's yours? It's not too dry is it?" I burst out in laughter and looked at him, "Seriously? Hon, you know how much I love jerky but let's leave that to the professionals." He too giggled and we decided to go out for dinner. Once our waitor delivered our meal I leaned over to my husband and begged him to promise me to stay out of my kitchen when I'm gone.

Surf, Sun, and Fun

Last week my husband and I decided to take a mini retreat and get some down time. We went down to Galveston Island. I don't know why but I've always found the beach relaxing. Just hearing the waves and listening to the seagulls is so calming. It's been so hot lately that it was nice to feel the breeze off of the Gulf of Mexico.

At first I didn't know what to expect considering the oil spill. I've been absolutely heart broken over it. We have dear friends and family back in Louisiana and Mississippi that have told us terrible stories of what they've seen. I'm disgusted and want to cry when I think of all the animals and wetlands that have been destroyed by this negligence. We also saw on the local news that they have found tar balls from the spill washed up on Galveston. At first we weren't going to go but then my husband convinced me that the people in Galveston need our business. It's true, the people and businesses along the Gulf need our support through tourism. We went and had a fabulous time. I had so much fun and the beach was fun. I didn't see any oil. We had a great time.