((( Wednesday Blogger 5.31.06 )))

Challenge:

Special family plans this summer, we all have them.
What are yours?
What are you doing that you consider SPECIAL this summer?
What are you anticipating?

Well I don't know any specific plans yet since we haven't really made any. But I do know that it will involve lots and lots of WATER! We're hoping to get up to the lake most every weekend this year, but usually life has a way of getting in the way. And I think I'll finally give up my nagging for a pool. Years back we had an above ground swimming pool and Keith snivvelled over having to do all the work with it and swore we'd never have another pool. I did finally get him to agree that if I win the lottery and could pay for cabana boys that it would be ok to get one.

So over the weekend an online friend put up a blow up pool in her backyard, I think for the grandkids. I called Keith in to show him a picture of said pool and asked if maybe we could get something like this. He looked and pondered a bit, then sighed and said "I suppose that even with that pool you'll still want the cabana boy won't you?" Gotta love that man! I dream of the day when cabana boys can roam free and there is a pool in every backyard. ;)

Along those lines I went to Kohl's during my lunch hour today and bought a new swimsuit - a bikini!!! BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! I am going to have so much fun saying I have a bikini again. It actually is a shorts bottom and a top, so no belly skin is showing, but it's two pieces and therefore a bikini. :)

New Mercedes!

Nope, I didn't buy a new car. But while out reading blogs yesterday I did find somewhere (sorry I can't remember where to give credit!) that you can download a new Mixed Tape every 10 weeks at the Mercedes-Benz site. I read that it's "coffeehouse jazz" music, but never having been to a real coffeehouse before (I'll go out on a limb here and assume Starbucks doesn't count!) I can't really comment on that. But I did download it last night and listened on the way to work and do like it. This is the kind of music I like to have on in the background at home while we're having dinner or while I'm just relaxing and knitting or cross stitching or such. Cool find!

In glamour news, Lynne' went to her first Mary Kay party on Monday with some friends and had a blast! I'm sure the consultant had a blast as well because my daughter spent some big money. But she looked absolutely gorgeous and now has all the skin care products she'll ever need as well as everything necessary for a night on the town - which is a little disconcerting for me to think about. ;)

I'm down to only 8 rows remaining on the 5 Hour Baby Sweater and know it will be finished tonight. Good thing as tomorrow we cast on for the lace knit along! I'm really excited about this as I love to knit lace and the pattern looks exquisite.

~ Elizabeth

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. - Khalil Gibran

Great 3 Day Weekend!

WOW - what a fabulous 3 day weekend! This is the first time in a very long time that Keith and I didn't go somewhere on a long weekend and it ended up being really nice. Did some cooking, some cleaning, some shopping, some scrapbooking and some knitting - can it possibly be any better than that?

Saturday was our monthly scrapbooking get together and while I only stayed about half the day I still had a great time. Always great to be with friends and I did actually get some cards made and more pages in a "home" album I'm working on. Came home to dinner that I had started in the crockpot that morning - beef burritos (I'll post the recipe at the end) - that was really quite good.

Sunday was church, then Keith and I went to a new to us very large home store here in Dallas - big enough there's even a Starbucks inside! We got lots of redecorating ideas and are starting to narrow down projects for around the house. After leaving there we had lunch and ran some errands together - just a really nice time spent enjoying each other. When we got home we grilled burgers (one of our favorite meals!) and watched the Nascar race together. Very low key day, but just nice.

Sunday I met up with some ladies at the Starbucks in Barnes and Noble for some knitting. No people pictures, but we did get a project sharing picture! This was so fun for me as I already knew and liked 1 of the gals and 2 of the ladies I "knew" from an online group and had never met before, but it felt like we'd known each other forever. Love making connections like that and we all decided that we need to do this more often. Good times....

After getting home Keith and I headed over to James and Loni's apartment to see Vanessa's (Loni's sister) new baby, Amaylie. She was 3 weeks old yesterday and the little toot just did not want to wake up! She did decide she was hungry towards the end of the visit and I got to feed her. What a joy to hold a tiny baby and watch them. You just can't help but marvel at their itty bitty fingernails and toes. :) However, poor James and Loni were both quite afraid of her!

Beef Burritos

Ingredients:*
1 1/2 - 2 lb-London Broil
1 Envelope Taco Seasoning Mix
1 Med White Onion, diced
1 Can Ortega Diced Green Chilies (not drained)
Flour tortillas
sour cream
diced tomatoes
shredded cheese

Put onion in bottom of crock pot, pour Chilies over onion. Rub taco seasoning over both sides of meat and place in crock pot. Cook on high about 5 hours or on low about 8 hours. Remove meat to cutting board, and shred using 2 forks. Return meat to pot and mix with onions, peppers and liquid. Serve in flour tortillas with guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes and cheese.

~ Elizabeth

Each new friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. - Anais Nin

Optimism and Hope

Sometimes in life it's just good to slow down and look around.

Today started the same as all my days do: I took my coffee and my Bible outside in the backyard for my daily reading. After my reading today I became very aware of the world in my backyard. The birds were quite vocal, a beautiful breeze kept me cool and rustled the leaves in the trees and to top it off the cardinals from the nest next door kept landing on the fence for me to watch (the photo is the fence they land on, even though I was unable to catch them in a picture!). It was one of those God moments that I will always treasure and all because I didn't rush right into the house to get ready for church. Taking the time to enjoy the splendor of God's creations that are ordinarily taken for granted.

The sermon at church today was on optimism and hope and we were challenged to think of things that make us hopeful for the future:

• The quiet love that Keith and I share
• James and Loni's marriage
• The birth of Melissa and Vanessa's babies
• The number of young people that were commissioned today at church that will be leaving Tuesday for a mission trip to Kenya
• Butterflies
• The two high school and one college graduate that are in my family
• The freedom of religion and worship that we enjoy
• Walking the dog every morning
• The love and laughter of my friends

I hope to never become so busy in my day to day life that I fail to notice and appreciate the small things. For aren't the small things more often than not what see you through?

~ Elizabeth

"Life is what's happening when you're too busy to notice." - Wayne Muller

TGIF!

How 'bout this yarny goodness? I had a slight meltdown yesterday morning, so during my lunch hour I headed to Woolie Ewe for some R&R. I picked up some JaggerSpun Zephyr in the ruby and suede and had a hard time not petting it all afternoon at work! This is 50% silk and 50% wool and just feels fabulous. One of my online and crossed over to real life knitting groups is starting a KAL (Knit Along) on June 1 for a lace scarf that is simply gorgeous, so one of these colors is destined for that. And as I was on my way to the back of the store for new needles the store owner casually mentioned the new Destiny circs by Lantern Moon. Oh wow....*swoons* Love these needles and I know they will be so pleasurable to work with.

In other craft news - I went to Punch Club Tuesday night and we made Explosion Boxes. I, true to form, am not finished with mine yet, so no pictures. ;) But I do have cropping planned for part of tomorrow, so tonight I'll be packing my stuff and really need to make a couple of cards and get them in the mail.

Last night was another work in the yard night and I think we're almost finished cutting, chipping and shredding. Very tiring, but I think it's just looking so good out there. Once the clean up part is finished we'll hopefully put together some sort of master plan for the backyard so we'll know what to work on. One of my favorite times of the day is having my morning coffee and Bible reading in the backyard and feeling the breeze and listening to the birds sing. I can only imagine how much nicer it will be when the surroundings are even better.

Hard to believe that this is a holiday weekend as I think we'll be sticking around here rather than going out of town. Keith has to work some, so I've made plans each and every day with friends! I'm really looking forward to it and to getting some things done around the house as well.

~ Elizabeth

Having a special friend is a true blessing, and evidence that you, too, are special. - Lynne Gerard

Sandals, Sunglasses and Starbucks

Back from a fantabulous lunch hour! It was good, then bad, then great.

Went to Target for odds and ends and bought the cutest outfit. I got a pair of brown drawstring capri's that might wrinkle too much, so we'll see. Then on around the corner I had to check the shoes - and I lay full blame for this new addiction on my sister-in-law Michele and my friend Dawn!!! :) I got a pair of brown sandals with little kitten heels and there's 3 strips of leather - brown, light brown and a turquoisey blue - they are so FREAKING CUTE!!! Then what's a woman to do but go and get a top that just happens to be turquoisey blue. I will be one stylin' babe when I wear this tomorrow - LOL!

Got the rest of my boring list and headed outside, only to discover that I lost my sunglasses somewhere in the store - sob! I loved these! I've left my name, but I'm not going to hold my breath, so now I have "buy sunglasses" on my new list. :(

So then I drove down the shopping center to Barnes and Noble to get the new issue of Creative Knitting, but they didn't have it. Again, what's a woman to do but visit the Starbucks??? I got the new Bananas & Creme Frappuccino Blended Creme? YUM! It reminds me of a banana shake, but not nearly so heavy.

Good times.....

~ Elizabeth