Girls' Getaway!

I have been having blogging pains....always thinking of the next thing I want to blog about...I start to type, then cringe when I know I want to add pictures (is it just me or is downloading pictures a hassle and a half for anyone else?).   So I still have much I want to post and share, but right now, it's Friday and I need to pack for a road trip with some dear sweet family friends. 

I love a girls' getaway but I am a sap because I know I will miss my family.   There will be 11 of us for the "Just Us Girls Sharing" weekend ( I had to slip that in there because last week on the Today Show morning show, I saw a jolly group of ladies with this club's name acronym on their shirts....and I just thought it was kinda of funny and cute).  We will be touring our lovely Texas Hill Country area through spots like Fredericksburg, Comfort, Rocksprings, Vanderpool and the Three Sisters Scenic drive....all with a tea time stop and a BBQ stop, of course. 

It is very probable that I will blog about it....and possibly cringe a bit as I try to post all the photos I am sure to be taking.  Here's hoping y'all have a lovely weekend and we all catch up when I get back.   Happy trails.

In Christ,

A miracle

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I have asked of Him."

1 Samuel 1:27

Today my "baby" is 4.  Can I officially call her a baby?...I  can still pick her up and cradle her in my arms.  ?....No?... I guess not because when I do this she giggles and comments, "Momma, you are holding me like a baby!"....I ask, "Is that okay?"...she smiles and says, "O'course!".  She is a miracle. 


A rare Feb. 2010 snow, our pasture

Much like my two step-daughters are a miracle.  Like my marriage is a miracle to me.  Let me back track to say that I don't just call anything a miracle, but I also see the miraculous in maybe some everyday things.  You see, I can still remember by biggest hopes even as a young teen were to be married, have a large family, and live on a farm.  


Helpin' daddy on the farm

I do now live on a farm, and I was thoroughly single until I met my husband to be (blind date set up by my sister--which is a pretty cool story by itself)....I mean the miracle here was that he was my first boyfriend ever...and I was 29!  On our second date I told him how I so desired to have about 6 kiddos, and without a missing a beat (even as a divorced, single-father of two precious toddlers) he said, "Well we have two, four to go." 

Sara and Sophia in footy pajamas, winter 2008

Sophia and Anna, she's one year old

Then after we got married we started praying, trying and hoping for our third (my first biologically).  For nearly two years and some testing (we both checked out fine) we kept hoping and hoping.  I will be honest to say there were a lot of tears on my part...especially at a certain time of the month. 


Westminster Abbey, August 2009

Then, I so particularly remember one Sunday in January of 2006....we were at our favorite brunch place after church and I was a week "late" (even though I have always been, let's say "irregular")and I felt elated.  I remember as we waited for our order I looked at David and said, "Um, I think we are pregnant."  He sweetly smiled and said, "Yep, I think we are." somehow knowingly.  A week after that I went to my OB/GYN and it was official, Sophia was on the way, after months and months....our miracle.

Sisters+Cousins=Happy times, Christmas 2008

October came and Sophia was born....joy of joys for us all!...but my body took the pregnancy as a stress (and I'd only gained 19 pounds) and Lupus set in.  As I am regularly checked on by my doctors and I am on medication to maintain my symptoms (mostly affecting my skin and particularly my hands), I feel fine, but have found out that the Lupus may complicate us getting pregnant again.  If, Lord willing, I do get pregnant, it may exacerbate my symptoms, but thankfully should not affect the womb.  But for these last 3 and some years of praying and hoping we have not had our joyous news again. 


"What are you doing Sophia?", I ask....she says, "I am a fashion model, reading"

Every child is a miracle.   But, I count the privilege of carrying a healthy child dearly as a miracle too.  And seeing Sophia as she grows each step of the way is miraculous to me indeed.  I enjoy the little person she is with her own personality, her likes, dislikes and foibles.  So, here's to my joy and miracle: four things (plus)

Sophia turns 2

1. She loves gingerbread cake (her description for both gingerbread and chocolate cake)
2. When it is time to nap or she is tired she tells us, "I think I need to chill now"


Sophia in Seville, Spain (June 2008)

3. Instead of saying something she says, "sum-ping"
4. Lately when she says her prayers she adds, "I pray for my big red dog (we don't own one, she is praying for her fave cartoon character, Clifford), and a tractor", so for her party we made a Clifford cake, and yep, she got a tractor....look at her go (and grow).


She's a country girl

PLUS:  the other day when she rummaged through her hefty stash of dress up clothes (thanks to her big sisters) she put on the barbie bride dress and said, "look momma, it is my wedding.".   I told her that yes, it is a wedding dress and asked, "Do you know what a wedding is?"...she said, "a birthday party."  I told her that when she gets bigger and meets a man after God's own heart and they love each other, she would marry him and be with him like I am with daddy, and they would have their own home and maybe she would have babies of her own.......She furrowed her brow and looked quite serious and said, "I don't want to have my birthday and get bigger and be married, momma.  I want to stay little and always be with you." Gulp, words to a mom-of-a-toddler ears.... I told her, "Of course you will be with us for a long time still", as I hugged her.  Then, no lie, she grasped my face in her two little hands and said, "Momma I love you so much, always." Double gulp... I love her to the moon and back.   

She mommy's Barnes & Noble buddy too!
We love you pill!

In Christ,

I'm BA-AAACK!!!

Praise the Lord!!!! Thank you to my dear blog friends for sticking it out with me and checking in.  It means so much because for the last two months my modem has been ailing and I so dearly missed my bloggy buddies and getting in touch with anyone via e-mail (I live in the boonies/sticks).  I finally stopped being stubborn and called my Internet provider (we can only get it satellite out here) and waited and waited (over three days with about a total of 4 hours phone waiting time) and voila...the problem was a on-the-fritz-modem.  I was completely offline for the last week, and today the modem (covered by warranty!!) arrived and little ol' me was so eager, I connected it myself. 

Here I be, ready to read, blog (thoughts on fall acomin', Harry Potter, and baking), and surf the web....but now it is Homecoming week for the girls (mum making, much chauffeuring, and general busyness) and my little girl at home is turning 4!!!  I will blog all, ready or not. 

Summer? Where did you go?

Here are our lovely school age girls ready for the first day back to school. Anna ready for.....HIGH SCHOOL!!! Yikes-o-rama, I said high school.

And our second oldest, ever so ready for 7th grade, goodness me.

Officially our summer is over and though I have kept busy, where did it go? After David injured his left foot, bloggy time was to a minimum. He still did a lot of engineering work, but was at home for a month (worked via computer) and needed quite a bit of help for a while, understandably. I can now thankfully report that after a few scares (infection and mobilitywise) he can bear weight on the foot without crutches or medical boot and his toe is looking closer to normal. Praise the Lord!

We fully intended a low key family vacation (camping in the New Mexico mountains, near where my David grew up) this year, but canceled at the last minute as we found out that Anna's summer was shortened by her new volleyball schedule. She is an involved high schooler, whose school schedule will now take over the whole of August for the next few years.

Here is a brief (I will try) recap of our summer's doings:

How much wet family fun can you have for $35?

Well my week-before-school-was-out-purchase of this water slide (not truly made for bigger than 10 year olds) was worth it even though we only got 3 uses out of it before some mondo super jumps from the kiddos over the height and weight limit broke its seams and caused some holes I could not repair.  A couple of weekends we had my sister's kids out to also test it's limits....good clean fun was had by all.

Sophia, and her cousins, Sam and Katie enjoy some cool treats

 But I was thankful as it made for some close to home cheap family fun (I would have spent more on this gang in three trips at our local water park). And I got to hang out with my mom and mom-in-law. I am blessed with these two loving ladies in my life...thus we casually celebrated Memorial Day weekend.

PAR-TAY!!!! Sara turned 12 in May but in order to have our group of family and friends at the right time PLUS a huge water slide, we partied in June.

Where's the party people?

Oh, here's the party!

Tho' we did a lot pre-party planning, it is funny how my shindigs still turn in to a haphazard affair. No pretty picture Martha Stewart-y results for me, no way. But bellies were fed, treats were abundant, guests hung out comfortably, fun was had and above all, Sara was thoroughly pleased with the day and my sand castle cake came out close enough to picture pretty and was quickly devoured.

Sara in some kinda birthday getup with the cake

Fourth of July weekend. We traveled to the Texas coast with Lou (David's mom) to celebrate with extended family from David side. Now talk about hot. Yes, I have lived in Texas all my life but humidity plus heat are still tough to deal with. Sorry for the whining...anyway, David hobbled around, show and telling with his injury, Sophia and I swam, we ate and ate and ate, and I chatted up some delightful new family acquaintances.

Sophia meets a talkative new cousin, Addison..note David in the background telling his toe tale to Uncle Bob

We left the next day and day tripped it in San Antonio (one of my fave Texas cities). The riverwalk is typically a must visit on my list, but day two of travel for David was proving difficult, so we walked through the Spanish Governor's Palace preserved in downtown SA (hearkens back to the 1700s).

Sophia's conquistador stance

Lou and Sophia take in the pretty courtyard

David camps out near the well

We chilled at our hotel, watching the fireworks in air conditioning from our 20th floor window. The next morning we headed back home but not before David treated me, Sophia and we introduced Lou to our favorite SA breakfast/brunch spot. The Guenther House. The former mansion home to the Pioneer Flour Mills family from the 1860s.  It now houses a charming and friendly breakfast/lunch spot on the river.

I could only finish off one of those monster-sized, yet delicious biscuits

Here's my biscuit and sausage breakfast, and Lou decided on a taste testing of the generous servings of homemade pastries.

Yums! I can't recommend this place enough if you ever have a hankering for a tasty brunch near downtown SA.

For most of July we kept to home (after the holiday weekend David's toe flared up for a couple of weeks during which he visited about 5 different specialists).

Anna turned 14! in July and we promised her the guest room as her OWN room. Her gift was outfitting her space with some new items and I thought that called for a trip to IKEA.

No, Waco is not so hip, we traveled to Round Rock, TX

I enjoy this place far too much. But I am pleased to say our most typically indecisive of kids found all that she needed to make the space her own......
like this, for reading contendedly...

and this lovely print...

and this fun groovy colorful shag rug.

All displaying her sweetly feminine taste.

Last weekend my sister and I had my MIL (mom in law), our families, my aunt, cousins and their kids (all from out of town) over to my house to celebrate my mom's 6? birthday.

As I do, I was scattered here there and everywhere, and only took a couple of not great photos of some great ladies. My mom is doing well but of course she still misses Pete as we all do. There was so much laughter this evening though, as my mom is at such ease with her sister and family all around.

My mom and aunt Beta, kids in background playing Wii

Now here we are staring a busy school fall schedule in the face and I want a vacation. But I will hold out hope for some type of family fun trip in the spring, as we are about to get more bustling on the ranch and I am sure Christmas will be around the corner soon enough. I hope to be a better bloggy friend and catch up with anyone that stops by for a chat. I will get the coffee on....talk to you later.

IN CHRIST,

Frenchy is having another giveaway and party...

I have posted a link on her blog about our last day in Paris (back in June of '08).  I do have to confess that I am seriously nostalgic about this lovely trip.  Here's hoping we will be able to travel abroad again.  Frenchy's blog is choc-full of good crafty ideas and her love of homemaking, family, and her French roots is evident.  I hope to be back to blogging soon.  This summer has had a few unexpected challenges/turns but we are all thankfully doing fine and simply getting busy as school comes on.  Happy summer to my dear bloggy buddies and I do get encouraged reading y'all's posts and thoughts.  Keep them coming.

Irish Finale (Aug. 17, 2009) Finally!

Well I started this telling of our August 2009, 7 day London/Dublin trip a respectable couple of weeks after it happened and now 9 months later I am tying up its loose ends.  Thank you, if you have been reading along (at all) and excuse me for this indulgence of re-living a delightful, maybe all too jam packed family journey.  Here goes....

"Up and at'em people" this was our last day.  And what was the breakfast of champions that got us ready to face the city-filled day?  Voila....

The wonderfully provided FULL IRISH BREAKFAST by the B&B. 

Our B&B was very basic, but close to one of Dublin's main thoroughfares, O'Connell St., and that along with it's helpful staff and generous (heart stopping) breakfasts included, made it a plus for our stay.  I liked eavesdropping and hearing the mostly non-Irish accents of the customers surrounding us (Italian, German, Czech, and yes, also American) in the mornings, typically reviewing the plans of the day and looking much like us...tourists.  Lou (mother-in-law, MIL)generally chatted along with one of the other lodgers each morning, and after breakfast would have a tale to tell of who she'd just met and I would marvel at her powers of conversation and how easily people would divulge so much in just meeting her. 

On our last day I just wanted us to take things as they came.  Did I have an agenda?....well, of course!....but I hoped that we would tromp along and happen upon a place, some music wafting from within a family friendly pub, or find a charming spot to linger.  But by golly, I know I am being repetitious, a family of six, ages 2-62, that is a bit travel weary, does not a spontaneous happy group make.  I laid out some suggestions for our day and not counting Sophia (2yo), 4 blank faces stared back at me, saying "whatever".  AHHHHH! The dreaded "whatever" of vacation travel is on equal terms with "Are we there yet?" and "How long is this going to be?". 

First order of the day: SHOPPING.  Lou and the girls perked up and we hit a popular touristy souvenir shop that seems to be on almost every other corner of Dublin: Carrolls. We happily, and easily found Irish trinkets with the right amount of local flavor and fun for family back home and once done we were ready to walk across the River Liffey on Ha'Penny bridge to check out some more shopping on Grafton street.

I thoroughly enjoyed walking through Temple Bar again, along old cobblestone roads and pedestrian walkways to Grafton street (again, no buses for us). 

Once we arrived I realized that our group was hungry AGAIN.  The shops and eateries around us were a bit out of our budget.  As I pondered where to direct us next, I heard the beautiful strains of the violin being played nearby and lead my family to its source.  A young violinist, and a few other musicians were playing and drawing a small crowd.  I paused to enjoy how the dreamy music fit my delight in being in Dublin and having this lovely day. 
Then a tap on my shoulder....
SARA: "What are we doing now?" 
ME: "Well, we are looking at this cool shopping area and listening to this neat music..dontcha think?" 
SARA:" I guess, but where are we going to eat?"
ME: "Well, we will find a place. Don't you want to look around here some?" 
SARA: " Can we go eat first?" 
So guess what we did?

We had an even lovelier walk BACK to the Temple Bar area to Gallagher's Boxty House (recommended by both our B&B manager and Rick Steves)...(oh, how I wanted to stop every few moments and peek into the interesting and whimsical local shops....but people were hungry!). 

After this longish walk, I was even hungry and the restaurant was very inviting with its timbered pub-like interior and long tables and benches. 

We ordered the obligatory Boxty, a savory potato pancake that is folded, taco-like around the filling of your choice (mostly meaty) with a gravy/sauce accompaniment,

ummm...this was so much tastier than it looks, I promise

and David and I each enjoyed an Irish pint of Murphys. 

Uh, and Lou enjoyed two (hehe just kidding LouLou).

Anna caught in the act of savoring her Irish soda bread....yums.

I know, we are awful parents.

The lunch was a triumph of Irish cuisine again, and the family was ready to join in a historical walking tour that covered Dublin's world renowned Trinity College down to Dublin Castle.

Trinity College

Once the group was assembled outside the main college entrance with our professor-ly Irish tour guide, we set off.....ah, and the rest is a blur.

Sophia and I walking into Dublin Castle

I remember a pretty day, the guide's wonderful Irish accent telling of times of struggle/oppression for the hardy Irish, mass immigration to the hope of America, and rebuilding. 

I love history people, but watching a 2 year old, and plain ol' tiredness set in and the man might as well been Charlie Brown's teacher..wha,wha, wha, wa, wha, wha.  And the girls were so good, but I am sure if I would mention "historical walking tour" to them now, they would start glazing over. 

So this was the state of us after the 2 hour tour as we hoofed it back to the bed and breakfast.  And then another dreaded decision....where to eat?...da, dum!   I remained silent.  I had trooped this group up, down and all around and I guess I just acted out by keeping shut.  The response....10 sad minutes of a suggestion and general moodiness and silence.  I did not want to pull out the guide book again, and I knew Lou and her still sore ankle would not want to deal with walking 20 minutes out of our way to a new eating spot and then possibly having to get on another dreaded bus (she dreaded them, not us). 

So guess where the family of 6, long in the tooth, decision weary American tourists decide to eat?.....Mickey D's naturally.  But oddly, our family, who probably eats at Mc Donald's back in the states about once a year was comforted by the familiar as we sat on the second level section of Mc Donald's overlooking O'Connell St.   

Then Lou, who I would have bet was mentally noting to herself "I will never travel with David and Jenny, AGAIN", offered a somewhat upbeat perspective, "You know, when we got to London, all I could think was it was so crowded, loud and busy....but after being here in Dublin, I realize that the Tube was actually really helpful, and London was surprisingly clean.  And in Ireland I am not as impressed with Dublin as I would hope to be, with the dirty streets and smell of people smoking everywhere, but the Irish countryside is gorgeous, the people are so friendly that I would come back." 

I was thankful that she shared something positive that caused us all to reflect a bit and give thanks.  We had safely, healthfully (mostly), sanely (yeah, I will stand by that), and with all our original luggage (minus some toilettries) traveled as a family of 6 from Dallas, London, Ireland and were happily ready to head back home.

Chillin' at the B&B

We tucked in early-ish, packed and got ready for our early and lengthy 2 connecting flights back home.  Honestly, we came home grouchy and ready for separate activities of home, work and school (remember this was last Aug. 2009)....but just the other day two things occurred...

1. Anna was staring out the window of the truck on the way home (at our pitifully dry, yellowed Texas landscape) and piped up that "I would love to go back to Ireland and just tour all the countryside again."  ME, "Sounds great, I hope we all get to do that again"

2. Lou, talking about hopes to travel again said, "You know, if I was able to travel overseas again, I think y'all's style of traveling is most like mine.  We should all do it again."  All I have to say to that is thank you Lou, and Wow. 

Peace out