If Everyone Was Jumping Off A Cliff...

Didja know y'all are the coolest people in the world...as least in my world. Thanks for laughing with me and my attempt at writing in vernacular.  If I told y'all how much time I put in on that post, you'd think I had lost my mind...and you'd be right!

(If you didn't think I was throwed off before...trust me...you may after reading this post!)

I want to share a dream I had earlier in the week, but before I do I'd like to say I believe God speaks to all of us daily and the way in which He chooses can be different each time, but it's up to us to pay attention and listen. This week I truly believe He chose to give me instructions while I was asleep...maybe so I wouldn't have a chance to  interrupt Him.

I dreamt I was going up a steep, twisting mountain road while riding a tricycle. Suddenly I came to a narrowing in the rocky path where all my wheels couldn't pass safely.  Trying to navigate the narrow road and maneuver a U-turn, I pulled forward until my front tire was just almost off the incline, but not enough for a turn around.  I then swung back with my rear tires, but again found myself unable to turn around without going over the edge.

(Think about trying to get out of a tight parallel parking space and you'll get the general idea!)

 I continued to do this back and forth, semi-circle, tricycular cha-cha repeatedly, getting more and more frustrated and getting no where fast.

As the gravel under my wheels became more rutted from my frantic tries at this forward/reverse exercise in futility, feeling trapped, and sobbing uncontrollably, a voice suddenly spoke loudly saying...

"STAND UP"!

  Whaaa...I can do that?  

As I cautiously stood, peering over the rocky precipice into the abyss below, it occurred to me all I had to do was pick the trike up, turn it around and proceed back down.

WELL DUH!!!

Why had I taken a simple act of common sense and turned it into a epic melodrama of monumental proportions rivaling only that of Wile E. Coyote?

The next morning, this dream was still fresh on my mind...every detail vivid.  That isn't always the case with my dreams, but I believe God was talking to me...(not my subconscious y'all)...God!

Sitting quietly in the first morning light, praying for an answer, I read Debra's latest post and there...it...was.

(I repeat...God talks to us in many ways and chooses people in our lives for that purpose.  Debra is blessed with the ability to share God's word and thankfully always in a way I understand.)<p>

  In everything I do, I tend to get sidetracked, sometimes choosing the wrong fork in the road, sometimes completely straying off the path only to end up in poison ivy.  Sadly...when it comes to making some life choices...Daniel Boone I'm not!

Being easily distracted...(think squirrel)...I start things, but never finish them, but will then proceed to start something else that catches my eye or imagination; running back and forth, back and forth with nothing to show at night's fall.  Unfinished projects, half-decorated rooms, paint color chips scattered about like confetti, and my ta-da lists piling around me until finally...I am overwhelmed and don't know where to even begin digging out.  To fully understand what the problem was, all I had to do was look at my office to see...it's ME!  Seemingly, it looked like I had it together

BUT...

...by looking at the complete picture...clearly I did not!

I tend to look at life as the glass half-full, but my life was actually half-baked!

  (I can't believe I'm showing y'all this.  What would I do if anyone were to actually show up at my door unannounced?  Knock knock...hello...there's a light on, but no one's home!)

I have to take my rose colored glasses off and instead take a hard, painful look at myself.  I have to define my faults and start working on changes within myself.  I have to find what works for me instead of against me.  I can no longer be my own worst enemy and enabler.  While I will still continue to view life as a half-full glass, hopefully I no longer will go off into life half-cocked.

No longer will I continue to allow myself to make mountains out of molehills while drowning in chaos, but rather start thinking about what I am actually capable of committing to and finishing.  I have to set realistic goals and not fret about what others are able to accomplish and I'm not.  Mainly...I've got to stop letting shiny objects detract me from being the total woman that God wants me to be (not what I think the world expects me to be) and start staying focused on His word and His plan for me...just me.  He has a plan and a path for all, but yours may not be mine.  I can't follow yours or it will be boulders, jagged cliffs, and no U-turns all the way up.  In all choices, small or large, trying to follow the wrong path is never smooth, but inevitably full of potholes.

I have to be willing to change and for me...that won't be easy.  I have to have faith God isn't sending me back down the road as punishment, but rather as a do-over...a second chance to get it right...His way!  Sometimes to get the top...we have to start at the bottom again...learning from the mistakes made on the first attempt uphill.  Who knows...I may be like Jill and come tumbling down again, but for now y'all...

I'M STANDING UP!

It may take me a little while, but...

I'll see y'all at the top of the hill.

Look for me willya?

I'll be the one smiling...holding a pail of water...sitting on the tricycle!

BEEP BEEP!

(I'm linking to Rebecca's Studio Sunday.)

Words Jumping Off The Page At Ya!

SweetT just did a post on preparing for The Big Show.  It's just around the corner...my one daffodil told me so!

I really can't add anything to her great tips, but I can give all of y'all a big ol' heads-up on how to blend into the Texas-scape.

I got me a hunch all you out-of-staters are gonna wanna appear to be Texasafied (hey...it ain't braggin' if it's the truth!) and I can't say's I blame you, so besides tellin' ya ta wear boots as much as possible,  I thought it only fittin' I give y'all a little lesson in Tex-glish. 

Each state has a unique way of talking, but in my neck of the woods, we tend to gussy up things...a lot.  I'm pretty sure most of y'all are familiar with some of the expressions we use like "fixinta" and "do what", but there is a whole lotta other sayings we got that can twist up words faster than a Texas tornado.  In an effort to make it a little easier for y'all to cipher what we're sayin'...the rest of this post will be me tawkin' in my native tongue.  Any questions... feel free to ask!  BTW, if any of my Texas peeps have sump'n to add that I may fergit...be my guest in the comment section.

Ever'thang in Texas is bigger includin' the Big Show and the surroundin' fields. If'fn ya don't know yer way 'round, yer liable to be turned ever which-a-ways, feel horn swoggled and git just plain outta sorts with frustration.  I reckon the best advice I cain give ya is ta git real cozy-like with the word "yonder"...'cause in Tex-glish...this one word, all by it's lonesome, cain cover a whole lotta real estate!   

Yonder is one of my fav-O-rite words in the dict'nary.  It's the perfect word fer givin' d'rections at the show.  It can mean comin' or goin'...left or right...up or down, but always with a thumb signal to let ya know which-aways ta light out.  Like say ya wanta know where ya saw a bodacious table and ya've plumb fergot where it was so ya ask around before going ahead on.  Ya may be told it's just over yonder (meaning it's so close if'fn it was a snake...it'da bit ya) or ya may hear it's down yonder (meanin' it's way-cross the field).  If'fn ya hear it's yonder ways, just back-aways, and down the road a piece...ya best high-tail it and start pattin' and bendin'...'cause it's a goodly amount'a time away.  Unless a'course, ya got somebody willin' ta carry ya there...ya best git ta gittin' while the gittin's good 'cause you shore are gonna be bowed up 'cause ya didn't git it in the first place..and it's sold when ya fin'ly find it a'gin! 

Yonder cain be spittin' distance or it cain be clean up ta a mile or better off! (FYI...when asking how fer sump'n is...prepare ta be told in minutes...not miles!) It can be around-ta the back o' the house or it kin be smooth-straight-smack-dab in the middle o' the front room.

(Right 'bout now, I'm picturin' all of y'all starin' at the screen, all whomper jawed and a-wonderin' what the heck...'cause ya cain't make hide nor hair of what I'm yammerin' 'bout.  It's as clear as muddy water...right?  Jist be happy I'm tawkin' in general instead'a by regions of Texas 'cause Oh Mylanta...that'sa whole nuther six posts!)

It really ain't all that hard to tawk Tex-glish...I promise ya up and down.  Just 'member ta make three syllable words two and drag out one syllable words inta two. Drop all yer g's, 'member light bread is Mrs. Baird's, sweet milk is Borden's, and a Coke is all cold drinks...'ceptin' suh-wate-tea! If'fn yer not a-wantin' sugah in yer tea...ya best smile when ya say that...stranger!

 If I ask ya up ta the house fer supper, it don't mean yer the main course...jist the main guest!  Fixin' dinner is me a-cookin' and fixins are what y'all ask if I'll be a-needin'.  Dinner and supper are interchangeable...both meanin' eatin' at night, but dinner and lunch can be served at noon.  Aggervated much?  A conniption fit and a hissy are almost one and the same...jist as long as they are throw'd, pitch'd or had...with a tail throw'd on a hissy fer good measure! (No sense wastin' a good hissy!)

  (Ya cain check yer high-falutin' ways at the door on yer way out if'fn ya don't cotton ta what I'm a-tellin' y'all...it don't make me no never-mind! Jist thought I'd throw that sentence in...had a nice rang ta it!)

If'fn I tell ya ta chunk yer hat over yonder...don't throw it clean out inta the next room.  Same goes if'fn I tell ya ta tump the water outta that there warsh tub.  Jist turn it over and have a sit down...no need ta git on your high horse 'cause it shore beats sittin' on yer heels with spurs on!  Tawkin' 'bout horses...if'fn I tell ya "He's all hat and no horse", I'm here ta tell ya...he ain't got no stay 'bout him.  He's just jaw jackin' and thinks the sun comes up jista hear him crow!     

Now this here ain't a complete list...no sirree bob.  Heck...this is jist the piddlee'o tip of the iceberg...but it's plum purt near as I can get it in one post.  Prob'ly, the best idee would be ta git yerself a Texas-bred shoppin' buddy ta have handy afore you light out inta the fields.  I want y'all ta have a good time while visitin' Texas and I aim ta help in any way I cain.  I'm tickled as all git out that the show is only a few weeks away and that I'm gonna git ta meet up with some folks I've howdied with but ain't shook hands with...yet!

I guess by now y'all are thinking "I swan, but if that woman don't have enough tongue for 10 rows a'teeth" so I guess I'll shut 'er down...fer now.

I gotta lotta rat killin' yet ta do, so I reckon I better mosey on down yonder ta the barn and git to crackin'. Law, but it's all catty wampussed up with the qual'ty merchandise we've been findin' lately and jist chunkin' anywhere and ever'where there's an empty spot.

I shore hope y'all know I'm jist a-joshin' ya and I'll tawk real good again soon...appreshate ya!

Gadagoda!

(DISCLAIMER:  At no point during the writing of this post, was Spellcheck harmed...abused, yes...harmed, no.)

Jumping Jehoshaphat, Leaping Lizards And Sha-Zam!

Just wondering if any of y'all are planning on attending Skip To My Lou's trunk show at W&T's this Friday and Saturday?  I ask because you might really want to try and drop in 'cause you never know who you might run into.

Think I'm woofing you?  People...I got the money shot to prove it!

~Would you look at what came down the road today.~Johnny Rodriquez

PRESENTING...

DA DA-DA DAH-H-H!

(Wait for it!)

THE ONE...

(Are you holding your breath?)

THE ONLY...

(Hang onto your garters ladies!)

CAPTAIN AMERICA!!!

(I KNOW...RIGHT?) 

As he stands majestically, deep in thought in downtown Athens...I can't help but wonder what magnificent ruminations are filling his mind.

Could he be wondering why it's taking so long for the red light to change or what on earth made him think he could get away with wearing white shoes before Easter?

Perhaps he's thinking to himself..."Now where on earth did I leave that shield thingy and did I remember to put on clean underwear before leaving the house like Mama always told me?"

Is it possible he's trying to figure out how to woo Sweetie Pie through the window and upset 'cause he doesn't have a quarter for a kiss...much less a pocket to keep it in?

Maybe he's just confused as to why that crazy woman at Sweet Pea's is calling all her friends on the stapler while screaming like a banshee for him to come and take her away...far, far away from the maddening crowd!

Alas, the mystery remains as to why his sudden appearance in Athens (not to say that Athens isn't THE happening place to be), but rest assured...the folks at Sweet Pea's and W&T's feel so secure knowing he's out there protecting Mom, apple pie Uncle Fletch's burgers, and the American Way!

Now if I were you...I'd plan on being in Athens on February 19th or 20th.  You never know who else may turn up in trendy, hip downtown Athens.  It could be anybody...ya know!

Like maybe, say for instance....

   

(Photo of Narvel Felts courtesy of my long time, dear friend Jodi and the band Off The Record)

Narvel the Marvel!

Or......

OH MYLANTA!

Are y'all thinking what I'm thinking?

'Cause...A-HEM...I'm thinking my honor could use a little avenging right about NOW!!!

What were y'all thinking?

Yeah...I thought so.  Great minds think alike!

Jumping Straight Into My Lover's Arms

~You must remember this,

a kiss is just a kiss,

a sigh is just a sigh~

Today I'm joining Jill over at her Porch Club.  I've told y'all before that the window at W&T's is one of my "front" porches.  I spend so much time there with my rear-end waving at the passing cars...it just seems fitting to include it today with one of my crazy relatives doing the waving for a change!  Remember...here in the South we like to put our eccentric family members out for the whole neighborhood to see...and Sweetie Pie is just like one of the family!

~Let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees~

If there is anything your mama forgot to tell you...just ask Sweetie Pie.  This is one lady-in-red that has been around the block or two...and back!

Me?  I'm just hoping this Valentine to make Cat Daddy so happy...he'll look like the cat that ate the proverbial canary!

~Kiss me twice, once more; thrice, make it four

What a break for heaven's sake

How long has this been goin' on?~

(Times are tough...inflation even tougher, but here at W&T's, a kiss is still just a quarter!)

Whatever you have planned for Valentine's...you can tell me.  I promise not to breathe a word to a soul...cross my heart!

~She had...mmm, mmm...kisses sweeter than wine!~

Are you planning a romantic dinner for two?  If you're stuck for ideas, my Frito chili pie recipe is only a coupla posts back, but only if you're looking for something to heat things up a notch or two!  Just add the house wine of the South and you're good to go!  Best part...less clean-up time...more make-out time!

~Kiss me once, then kiss me twice and kiss me once again.

It's been a long, long time~

I know one thing...it's been a long, long winter!  As much I love Cat Daddy (and I do...a lot), and even though is is the day of L-O-V-E...I'm ready for a minor change!  So much togetherness is challenging.  After all...absence (just not today sweetheart) does make the heart grow fonder!

~My funny Valentine,

sweet comic Valentine

Jill asked for special recipes to be included in this post and I was going to share mine for a favorite around the Casita de Trash...Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake, but then I found THIS !  Katie bar the door...this makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it!  I am so gonna try this 'cause as good as mine is...three layers of cake, sandwiched with ganache and then topped with chocolate pecan frosting (do you see the tiny heart in the frosting?)...OH LAW...this can only be three times better!  Besides...remember what your mama taught you?  The quickest way to a man's heart is always through his stomach and this one is guaranteed not to deliver heartburn or a u-turn...only a come-hither yearn...and maybe, just maybe...a new trick for an old dog to learn! 

Your looks are laughable

I'll say...take a gander at that hat!  She's such a diva!  BTW...blown kisses are on the house!

 Unphotographable

Or at least not by me through a window on a sunny day!

Yet you're my favorite work of art.~

And by that...I mean y'all...every last, lovely one of you!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL MY FAVORITES!

XOXO



Getting A Jump On Spring

Ah spring...when a young man's fancy turns to love!

It's starting to heat up in Texas...and I ain't talking about the weather.

Spring...I know you're hiding in there somewhere!  Come out, come out wherever you are!

AHHH...There you are!

Love is in the air!  Can you feel it...smell it...touch it?

There may be snow on the roof...but there's fire in the furnace!

Jumping Up And Down...Trying To Stay Warm!

Well y'all, here we go again.  A major cold front blew in causing temps to drop 25 degrees in about 3 hours here at the North Texas Pole!  Ya know...I can't help wondering why-oh-why the pounds won't drop that fast off me. Sadly, my frozen front-side (as well as the back-side tundra) is still the same size as when I went to bed last night.  Even sadder...the ice and snow will melt off quickly by Saturday...but not the pounds.  You'd think the extra padding would keep me warm (works for seals...ort,ort) but sadly...no.

All this cold weather has me thinking up creative ways to keep warm.  I've looked at the nursery catalogs while dreaming of spring, drank a bootleg keg of hot Dr Pepper, ate stew out the wazoo and now I'm starting to make googly, calf-eyes at ol' Cat Daddy!  (Here kitty, kitty!)  Desperate times call for desperate measures meaning a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to crank up some heat.  I can't layer on any more clothes 'cause there's nothing left in the closet...except swimsuits and peignoirs from 1985!  (Before y'all say it or even think it...NO!  I know what I've said before, but not even for five minutes.  I'll just remain cold 'cause the alternative would result in a blackout from a temporary lack of oxygen!)

Never fear y'all...Sweet Pea's to the rescue!  Gloria has all kinds of things planned for the rest of this month guaranteed to get your engines and hearts warmed up.

There's a new sheriff, I mean chef in town (town being The Bistro) who is known by the name Blaise and he's straight out of New Orleans.  (How apropos y'all.  Blaze...get it?)  He and Gloria are planning a Valentine's four course dinner to be served on February 11, 12, and 14.  I know this info is coming to you late, but hey...there is still time to make a reservation.  The meal selections are Fab U Lous, but even better are the dessert choices to light an inner fire.  NOW I got y'all's attention!  Ever had Bananas Foster?  (Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!)  How about Bread Pudding? Two Louisiana classics for sure, but the clincher for heating up a really cold night...Chocolate Lava Molten Cake!  I KNOW!  Take me away Fabio...I mean Cat Daddy! So-o-o...if you're looking for something special to celebrate your true love (in my case...the love of food)...here ya go!  Did I mention BYOB? (Bubbly...not boudoir! The cold has me feeling a little frisky...excusez-moi!)  

If that wasn't enough...there's a trunk show coming to Sweet Pea's in February too and not just any ol' trunk show.  Forget Saratoga or steamers...move over Louis Vuitton...people we have Janet Waldrop of Skip To My Lou coming!

Janet will be bringing her one-of-a-kind jewelry (these really are works of art to be hoarded at all costs) on February 18th and 19th.  If you've had the opportunity to see her work before, you know first-hand what I'm talking about.  If you haven't...mark your calendar now! She and they are pretty spectacular!

Each unique piece is presented in Janet's inimitable style.  Her eye for detail is just extraordinary with each piece having a story to tell.  Please make plans to attend...you can thank me later.

One more little bit of newness at Sweet Pea's that's just in time for V-Day.  Allison (of The Flower Girl in Tyler) is now in the house with unique bouquets for your honey...or you!  Signature arrangements with sweetness guaranteed not to increase lb's...only X's and O's!

I find myself having a sudden yen for snow ice cream, so I guess I'll call it a wrap.  Gotta go hunker down (I can't believe I'm using this poor, tired expression...darn weather guys!) for the next two days and try very...VERY... hard not to bury C.D. in the snow!

Ski Jump

 It seems weather folks can make le boo boo.  Where we were supposed to get a dusting of snow and the Houston area 3-6"...Friday morning came and looky-looky.  Yeah...we got at least 7" and Houston...a dusting!  Maybe Mother Nature had a little temporary dyslexia, but we sure didn't need this on top of the ice that hasn't had a chance to melt!

According to the PTB...this is perfect snow for skiing....powdery, not wet.

~Skiing:  I do not participate in any sport with an ambulance at the bottom of the hill.~Erma Bombeck

Yeah Erma...I'm with you on that one.  I would add that I do not participate in any event that results in a wet BEE-hind either...might as well be showering with my clothes on!  I'm more of an apres-ski type of gal myself.  I could really get into the whole roaring fireplace, warm brandy, cute boots, and even cuter ski instructor at the lodge thingy.

Here at the North Texas Tundra, we've had ice for three days and now snow.  To say I'm experiencing cabin fever would be an understatement.  I've been trapped in the Casita de Trash for 4 days with Cat Daddy and before y'all get to thinking "how cozy", let me remind you he is an executive superintendent at his company and is used to bossing around a gang of men.  Guess who he thinks he's been the boss of lately?  Silly boy...but don't y'all go a-worrying 'bout ol' Trash.  I quickly gave him an attitude adjustment and after two days of cleaning out closets, he went in to work on Thursday to get some rest, do payroll, and shout some orders that would actually get obeyed.

Did y'all know that SDS in skiing lingo means snow deprivation syndrome and that yard sale means crashing and scattering equipment?  Let me tell y'all...for me it means shopping deprivation syndrome and I think a good yard sale (the kind we all love) would fix me up PDQ! 

(I wonder if water skis would work on this fine snow!  Can you say shush, shush?)

I guess for the next few days, I'll have to be content with my latest loot and dream of spring!

Anybody besides me dreaming of a picnic outdoors? (~ Hello pic-a-nic basket!~Yogi Bear)  This basket would hold a whole lotta fried chicken!

SQUIRREL ALERT!

Can anybody tell me why restaurants insist on calling it "chicken fried chicken"?  It's chicken that's been coated in eggs, milk, flour and fried.  How exactly does one chicken fry a chicken for gosh sakes beyond this simple formula?  Now chicken fried steak...that's a cow of a whole different color!  It's prepared like fried chicken...hence chicken fried, but a chicken...let's not get all fancy-schmancy and just call it what it is...good ol' mama's FRIED CHICKEN!

(Psst...all you English majors out there.  Would chicken fried chicken be considered an oxymoron?)

This bad boy is 30" long and 20" wide.  I don't think I've ever seen one this ginormous.  This picnic basket is large enough to hold plenty of food for the entire Duggar family plus one!  Law, that's a lot of potato salad and deviled eggs!  Here chick, chick!

There aren't any handles...just canvas straps on each end.  I'm guessing it's 'cause it would take two strapping men to carry it once it's filled!

It has this wonderful little refrigerator section...not that we need that right now.  Heck...I can just stick things outside to keep them cold for the time being...and hope they don't freeze solid!

 

Y'all know I want to paint some rooms in the house...right?  Reckon if I filled this basket up with El Fenix Mexican food, I could entice some of y'all to come help?  Just a thought!

I'm in love with this seltzer bottle and I don't know if I'll be able to part with it when the time comes to do The Big Show.  Love the etching and the glass siphon.  Looks icy doesn't it?  Just like my sidewalk and the looks Cat Daddy got from me the past few days!

Well I don't know about y'all, but I'm tired of the bunny slopes and I'm ready for bunny trails!  Here Easter Bunny, Bunny!

Hey Boo Boo...I'm smarter than the average bear!