a picture for your thoughts

I know this is a strange photo.

Do you ever have moments you just don't want to forget?  I have them often and I can't always remember them all, but I try.  I try to stick them somewhere in this busy momma brain so I won't forget.

One memory I will never forget:  Gary, Layla and I moved into our house in Haslet.  We just closed and signed paperwork on our house.  Our very first home purchase.  We watched it being built.  I was sitting in the hallway on the fresh brand new carpet.  Gary was in the playroom that eventually turned to Layla's bedroom.  It was right next door to what was eventually Hayden's room before he was even born.  Dang, that was a mouthful.  I remember like it was yesterday.  I can still see Gary's back.  In shorts of course, because that is Gary.  He was measuring windows for blinds.  I prayed at that moment for Layla, for our family to be and I asked God to bless that house and all who stepped foot into it.  What wonderful memories we made there, but also what hurt we endured there too.  Life isn't perfect, but I will always remember that moment like it was yesterday.  I was a good memory very similar to this picture.

In the above photo Layla is letting me blow dry her hair.  Have you ever wondered when would be the last time you would blow dry your childs hair?  Layla is 11. She is going to middle school next year and she will be able to do her own hair.  I'll cherish every brush stroke, every single time she lets me blow dry her hair.  I don't want it to be the last time.  I'll always remember this moment just like sitting on the carpet of our new house.

Also in the picture I see her lotions.  She loves smelly lotions.  Lotions I never used until high school, but she loves them and saves her money to buy fun lotions.  That's Layla.  I see her cute outfit.  She carefully picked it out to attend a birthday party with friends.  I see her royal blue shirt.  The one that makes her eyes pop!

I see the pink bathroom in this silly little awful rent house.  I will certainly never forget this moment in this bathroom.  I'm thankful for his house, but at the same time I can't stand it.  This house helped us move back to Texas, so while I don't like it, I love it.  I'll always remember the pink bathroom.  The first thing Hayden did in this pink bathroom the day we moved in was barf on the carpet.  Yes, I said carpet in the bathroom.  Who does that?? Who puts carpet in the bathroom?  

Since I mentioned Hayden.  In this picture, I see his water, his lotions and his soap.  He can't take a shower in the local water.  He's allergic to it, so we sponge bathe him with bottled water.  When I look at this picture I see and will never forget this stage of our life.  This chapter in Hayden's life and the way having eczema has affected our entire family.  I will always remember.  We are stronger because if it!

I encourage you to stop and look at a picture now and again. When you do, really look and devour every single detail. Stop and think back to a time in the past you remember.  Think about a good time, or a bad time.  Think about how you learned and how it made you grow.  Every single moment, good or bad shapes our lives and our character.  I will cherish the moment I was blow drying Layla's hair.  I'll remember the little moments, just like I did sitting on the carpet in our first home.

cozy lights, Lily, itchy legs and festive drinks

I love this time of year.  

I love how cozy the house feels all lit up. 

 Lily seems to like Christmas time too. I love that my sweet little pup decided to smile at me for a picture in front of the tree.  She is wrecking my tree without even knowing it.  Our windows are basically from floor to ceiling and she is always looking out the window snooping on people.  Deer have been known to wander the streets and yards of our neighborhood and Lily loves to watch them all at the expense of our blinds and the Christmas tree.  There are pine needles ever.y.where. 

 And as I type this now I think I understand why Hayden's eczema is out of control....pine needles.

After a quick trip to the doc he seems to be better.  His allergies are ok, but his rash is awful. The worst it has ever been.  There is no doubt he is adjusting to this Georgia climate.

Along with the twinkling lights in my home I love the drinks of the season.

I am near a Starbucks again, so I have enjoyed drinking fru-fru coffee again.  Two years without Starbucks was a long time.  I didn't treat myself that often, but knowing I couldn't have it made me want it even more.

I drank the Chestnut Praline Latte and it was good.  It wasn't sweet at all and that to me was refreshing.  I can't do super sweet drinks in my old age. ;)

Champagne is an exception to the sweet drink rule. hahaha!   I tried an Apple Cider mimosa last night and it was so good.  Just pour some champs into a glass and add a splash or two of cider.  I loved it and drinking from a champagne glass is always fun!

first world problems and one year

I am so irritated with my laptop right now.  

I usually use iCloud and have all my photos from my phone uploaded to Picasa and then to private web albums for storage.  I then post blog posts from my laptop.  I can't get my pictures to upload to iCloud and I can't find my memory card for my Canon camera.  I lost it.  In all my years of having a camera I've never lost the card.  I'm so sad because the fall leaves look amazing right now.   I think Lily ate the card, and I'm not following her around for a week to retrieve a memory card.  

Why the whining?  

To me it looks like all my pictures are blurry when I post from my phone.  I don't get it.  It's a real bummer.  I have deleted iCloud and reinstalled it.  I have reinstalled Picasa.  I'm so over this tech business.  

I got a new phone and ended up losing all my contacts because I accidentally deleted iCloud.  SCREAMMMMMM!  Whatever you do, don't get comfortable with something, because before you know it, it will change.  

I WILL get my blogging system back down.  I love my laptop and I don't want to journal from my phone anymore.  I want to edit the pics and make them fun.

I can't take the time to get my computer figured out because every waking moment I am not trying to raise two kids and two dogs I am scanning, email and/or faxing things to Texas for the closing of our house there.  The gosh darn house had substantial water damage and so we've been dealing with the insurance company to get that repaired.  Construction is underway.  Seriously, were talking all new walls, tile, carpet and even kitchen cabinets.  Big time issues going on down there in Tejas.   We are trying to close and be done with it all in November and now the HOA is being all weird about HOA dues.  I am so over this two household business.  It's a pain in my butt.  Once it's all over I am throwing a party, but I'll be to tired to actually follow through do it.   I could write a book about how crappy the whole situation has been.  It's ridiculous.

I've been dealing with this for over a year.  Yes!  We have lived here one year on November 1st!!  It's so exciting.  I look back and think about what an amazing year it has been.  We've met some awesome people and I am so thankful for every single person I have met.  It's been a blast!

Also I am thankful to not be complaining about our first house here anymore.  If you didn't know I hated that house with a purple passion.  It was all in the plan and it made me super thankful for what I have now.  I am finally in a place where I want to stay for awhile.  We don't own this house, but we are making it home and making some pretty fun memories here.  The thought of buying a home right now makes me want to vomit.  I'll just do fun decorative things to make this place OUR home.  I'm so thrilled to decorate for Christmas!

And now I am off to try to figure out my laptop. :-)