Dress-up compliments of TJ Maxx

Once a week my daughter and a friend go to horseback riding.  They love this activity and love spending a little time together in the car because we carpool. It is a great set-up for everyone.  Yeah for carpools!!!


Last week it was my turn to drive and I thought I might make a stop by Target to get some office/organizational supplies.  (I really am an office supply nerd, but that's for another post:)


Since I was already not headed straight back from lessons, why not stop by TJ's treat myself to a little purse shopping.


I'm a new TJ Maxx devotee.  That is probably because I'm always the last one to know about great deals and or sales. I have some friends who are major bargain hunters and I aspire to be like them.  However, I often am side-tracked by the new arrivals that are displayed well and really grab you when you first walk in.  Digging through the racks is an exercise in frustration for me.  However, though it has taken a while, but now I can say I am a true fan of TJ's (I just avoid the center area and I'm happy:)


If you've ever shopped the Maxx, you might be familiar with the fact that they have some really great purses, and when I get on a purse kick-lookout!!!  


So the girls and I bee-bopped our way in the store and looked around.  Before I knew it, they had gathered purses, wallets and hats to try on.  It was so sweet and it gained the attention of the ladies in that part of the store.  The ladies admired how cute the girls were!  I can vouch that it was a treat to see them play like this.  They were absolutely precious.


I had to snap a couple of shots with my phone.  

Never let it be said that a girl can have too many accessories!  Also, a side note to Cam's mom,  she likes feathers and animal print.  I hope you have some retirement money stashed away:)

Much love and many laughs,

A

Pet Peeves list

Here is a sampling of my pet peeves.  It is not all-inclusive and I reserve the right to add to it at any time of my choosing.  Please know that I am not in a bad mood:) Also, it should be known that while it is a pet peeves list, it in no way affects my life.  It is simply a list of the quirky things in life that strike me as odd.  Maybe I should have listed it as a "quirky things in life that strike me as odd" list.  Never the less, here it is.....


1.  Catty gossip talk.


2.  Inappropriate information that is passed along as a "prayer request".


3.  Drama and the people who create and thrive on it  (I don't dislike the actual people, just the drama).


4.  Overzealous cosmetic sales people (again, please note that the issue is not with the people, just the aggressive use of cosmetics).


5.  Reproducing celebrities (especially the ones that have one child per relationship to solidify that relationship and show the world their love for each other).


6.  Fussy adults. 


7.  When men don't help with their children.


8.  When people speed up when you're passing them.


9.  How "celeb-utantes"  have to make films, music, clothing lines, and even fragrances (what ever happened to celebs with actual talent and what about the concept less is more?).


10.  How the general public sees anyone who randomly ad libs (usually out of tune) as a truly gifted singer.


11. Cliquey-ness 


12.  When your favorite author gets only releases one book a year and won't even blog about the subject matter.  I mean really, could you please show the fans some love?


12. When people I don't know call me "girl"-especially grown men-it's just weird!  




Well, that's all I can think of for now.  Let me know your list of irksome behaviors  (yes, you can say the use of the work "irksome" is a pet peeve-I won't be offended).  And it bears repeating for my mother that I am not in a bad mood:)


Much love and many laughs,


A

Which way did he go?

Inspired by the last two posts, and thinking about my sweet husband, I thought I might post another cute story about him.


Years ago, my husband's parents had a house on the lake.  It was lovely.  For many years, they let my family use it to gather together and celebrate Christmas.  


It was on a return trip from one of these visits that I noticed a turtle in the road.


I have a soft spot for turtles.  I like their disposition.  Never in a hurry.  Never stressed or anxious.  I even get a kick out of when they hide their faces, but don't close the other end of the shell.  You can see their booties.  They are wrinkled and cute.  They're endearing little buggers.  


Needless to say, when I see one in the road, I'll stop and move it safely to the side.  


That day, my sweetheart and I were traveling a twisty and hilly little section of road that lead back to his parents lake house.  In the middle of the crazy section of the road, I spotted a turtle right in the middle of my lane.  After I gasped, held my breath and passed safely over the turtle, I quickly stopped my vehicle and hustled back out to the road. I picked up the turtle and in that moment had a momentous choice to make.


Where do I deposit the little fella?  You see, on my side side of the road were trailer homes with lots of cars and people, and pebble gravel covering the ground.  On the other side was a lush green area with a shallow lake inlet.  In my mind, the choice was obvious.  I hustled to the other side of the road and deposited the turtle in the patchy grass area right next to the inlet.  


When I got back to the car, my husband said in an extremely frustrated tone, "why did you put him over there"?  "He was almost across the road!"  


You see, the turtle was facing the trailer park with the pebbly gravel.  He had crossed the left lane and was halfway through safely the right lane.  In that moment, my sweet husband sympathized with the poor little guy.  I believe he mumbled under his breath "now he's just going to have to start back over."  


To this day, I wonder what became of that little turtle.  Did he rejoice when he saw the grass and water thinking "sweet!  This is what I was looking for!" "Did his turtle family happily exclaim "Oh good!  I'm so glad you made it.  We were so worried about you.  We thought you might have gotten lost!"  


I like to think the turtle led a nice long life and didn't choose to cross the dangerous road.  I like to think he looks like this today:

 and is thinking, "ahhhhh..... this water feels soooo good!"

But my husband feared that not long after we left him he probably looked like this.....

and then this....

"WOW that HURT!!!"  "That's gonna leave a mark!"

Poor little turtle, too bad J wasn't the one on rescue duty that day.

Much love and many laughs,

A

Oops-I forgot to mention I got these photos off the web.  I don't want anyone to think I took these lovelies myself:)

Happy 41st my sweetie!

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday.  Last year he turned 40. It was a milestone.  I invited several close friends to play golf with him to celebrate.  I sent out invitations.  We got a great response.  40 is a big deal.

J and the kids at the driving range

The guys getting ready to tee off

B rode with Jim Jones

J and the kids

J, B and Denver at dinner

This year, he turns 41 (obviously) and for some reason "those" birthdays are not milestones.  Do you go all out for 11?  Many do for 21, but not "good" Baptists-Har Har.  What about 31?....No?  So needless to say, I didn't know how to make 41 special.  


I don't have a present yet  We got him a Garmin GPS system for Father's Day.  He already has every gadget known to man.  What's a "girl" (and I use that term very loosely) to do?


Then I discovered that our kids have their first day off from school on his birthday.  (They go to a school that has an extended year, so they returned to school in July-ugh!)  Yippee I thought.  We can hang out with my multi-purpose/go-to folks and hit the lake for tubing and skiing.


(For a frame of reference- the multi purpose people are Marc and Billie and the girls.  Marc is J's brother.  His wife is our sister-in-law.  So that covers the family part.  Billie was my friend before we met our husbands.  She is my go-to person.  We talk a lot, car pool, trade kids and rely on each other quite a bit.  She even is a good part of the catalyst that got our kids connected with their "extended school year" school.  Don't tell my son this.  He has considered asking me to home school him in the past:)  Family, friends, first call people = multi purpose people).


Uh oh. J has a busy day that day.  He makes some calls.  Reschedules some stuff.  Works some magic and Ta Da.... it's Happy Birthday Daddy.


Unfortunately, the "Ta Da' was short lived.  It seems some folks don't consider other people's schedules and the afternoon conference call is back on. You would think no one was aware it was his birthday and that we have birthday plans at the lake.  Does no one check the school calendar to see if our kids have a day off from school?  


I guess it was not to be.  Even the forecast calls for rain. 


So Happy Birthday honey!   We love you very much and 41 is special to us!  


By the way, in case I don't have a present in hand, I'm gonna recall the golf excursion of last year and coast off the fumes of that:)  At this point, it's either that or a mani-pedi gift card.  It is the gift that keeps on giving.


Love you!




Much love and many laughs from your beloved:)


A

For the Jane Austen fans....

"The fallout"  

a scene from P & P.

Context:  Darcy botched the marriage proposal to Lizzy.  Truly astonished that she would not jump at the chance to marry him, he inquires as to why she would refuse him.    

Scene:

Darcy:  (stunned and angry)  "And this is your opinion of me!  Thank you for explaining so fully.  But, perhaps these offences might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honest confession of the scruples that had long prevented my forming any serious design ...........Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections?  To congratulate myself on the hope of relations, whose condition in life is so decidedly below my own?"

(internet photo)

Lizzy:  (hopping mad)  "You mistake me Mr. Darcy.  The mode of your declaration merely spared me any concern I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner."  


"You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it." 


"From the beginning, your manners impressed me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others.  "I had not know you a month before I felt you were the last man I could ever marry."

(internet photo)

How is that for a come back?  Now that's what I'm talking about!

Much love and many laughs,


A

A hairy dog and a good fellow!

My husband is a good guy.  The very best.  A softy to the core.  


One example was a time early on in our marriage.  We had acquired two labrador mixed breed dogs.  They were truly the best dogs ever.  Sometimes, he would look into their sleepy eyes and ask me "do you think they're happy?"






Another time was more recently when we moved back into our house after a 10 month (let me pause to collect myself.....) remodel absence. We live on a golf course and therefore can't have a privacy fence.  The only fence we can have is one of those iron ones that doesn't occlude the view. Our other dogs, Molly and Trey, were too big to fit through the fence.  However, Teddy, being a mini goldendoodle, is very small (approximately 30 pounds) and can fit through with no problem at all.  


The fence situation required that we get an invisible fence installed.  While we were at it, we bought four indoor "zappers" for the newly decorated rooms in the house.  They kept him out of the off limits areas.  


Later, never having had limitations put on him before, we did see some passive aggressive behaviors manifest themselves.  When those happened, I simply moved the zappers to those areas so Teddy couldn't take his anger out on the rug:)  


After sequestering him to only about half of the house, my husband looked at him with a distraught heart and said to me, "I just don't want him feeling like he can't go anywhere in the house."  






Which brings me to the most perfect example of all.  Teddy has a wealth of hair. That hair does not shed-yippee.  However, that hair gets matted badly.  One day, I made myself send him to the groomer.  She had to shave him because the mattes were out of control.  I have never liked his haircuts.  It is probably the reason why I put off the grooming in the first place.  However, it had to be done and when we took him home, what once looked like this.......

Now looked like this...................

And when my husband got home from work that day, he saw Teddy and said "Teddy, I like your haircut."


And I looked at him with astonishment and said "you really do"?


And my sweetheart said out of the side of his mouth, "well... what was I supposed to say?"


And that more than anything gives you a true picture of my husband.  Like I said, he is "a softy to the core"  and I'm so glad he's mine:)




Much love and many laughs,


A