Grateful

Good morning and Happy Friday to you!!!

Are you as excited as I am to have a three day weekend?  I asked our two granddaughters to spend a night tonight and Saturday night.  I have plans for us to go to the mall, have a slumber party, play games, do crafts, watch movies, cook our dinner together, and depending on the weather, swim.

I am so grateful that they love to come to our home and spend time with us.  They asked their mom if they could stay five or six nights?  :)  They are so precious.  I seriously considered having Mr. W stay over night for the first time.  I think we will wait just a little longer.  :)

Saturday night will be a "girls only" party since Paw Paw will be going to the LSU - Wisconsin game with his best buds.  It should be an interesting game because both teams have a lot of turnover on both sides of the ball and question marks at the quarterback position.

I think the "Keep Calm" is more for the fans watching the game.  ;-)

I hope you have a safe and wonderful weekend.  I can't believe it is almost September.  This year has gone by so fast.  I am very excited for the months ahead.  We have two weddings, decorating for the holidays and our family trip to Disney World and Universal Studios.  We are all so excited!!!  The countdown has begun.

Hope you have a great weekend!!!

Take care,
Debbie

Mother of the Bride Dresses

I discovered T Carolyn when Tiffani and Justin were getting married 10 years ago.  At that time, T Carolyn's was in a much smaller building.  (I love their new look.)  I was so impressed with them, both times.

The minute I walked into the store I was greeted and handed an information card to fill out listing my specific needs.  Once I filled out the card I started looking around the store to see if there was anything I liked.  I had brought a picture of a dress I had seen on their website so I was pretty sure of what I wanted. 

The consultant brought out the outfit I wanted and several others to try on.  They provide you with any special undergarments you may need so you can see exactly how the dress is supposed to fit.  There are no surprises.  They also use large clips to give you an idea of how the dress will look once it is fitted to your body.  

T Carolyn's has a HUGE selection of dresses to choose from with every budget in mind.  They have gorgeous dresses that can be used for pageants, proms, quinceaneras and bridesmaid dresses.  There were some really beautiful flower girl dresses, too.

T Carolyn's will also take care of your alterations for you.

They have beautiful necklaces and earrings.....

....gorgeous shoes and purses.

For Tiffani's wedding I chose a three piece outfit.  A long skirt, a camisole and a jacket.  I also purchased my shoes, purse and jewelry the same day.  It was such a relief to find something I really liked.

Me having fun at the reception...my job was over!!!

Here I am being escorted by my son-in-law Justin.

For Brooke's wedding I chose a short dress with a v in the back.  I had the shawl sewn as if it had sleeves.  This way it didn't slip off as I moved around.  I used the same purse and bracelet from Tiffani's wedding.  

I fell in love with these shoes from www.6pm.com.  They were so comfortable and I got so many compliments.

Here's a fun picture of my sister-in-law Debbie, Brad and I doing a line dance.  She knows how to do all of them!!!  Crazy girl!!!

I highly recommend T Carolyn's if you are in need of a beautiful dress.  You will not be disappointed.

Take care,
Debbie

Making a List and Checking it Twice

I know what you are thinking.  "Here she goes again, talking about Christmas shopping.  Enough already."  :)  Keep in mind that

my goal is for you to have more holiday spirit and less stress when the holidays arrive.

Ready or not......they are coming!!!

I started shopping early for Christmas 25 years ago.  I was pregnant with Brooke and my due date was December 18th (but she decided to come on December 24th!).  I did not want to be fighting traffic, parking and the crowds that far along in my pregnancy.  Have you seen the malls and shopping centers in the Houston area around Christmas time?  It's CRAZY!!!  I know what you're thinking....I can just shop online and not fight the crowds.  Yes, that is true and I do most of my shopping online.

I continue to do my Christmas shopping early so I can have more holiday spirit and less stress.  Repeat after me, more holiday spirit and less stress....more holiday spirit and less stress...more holiday spirit and less stress.  That's right.  Doesn't that sound great?

You can do this, too.  It's easy.  Put on some Christmas music, sit down with a glass of wine (or whatever your choice of beverage may be) and grab a pen and paper (yes, the old fashioned way!).  Think about the people that are important to you in your life.  Those that you want to give a little something to.  It doesn't have to be expensive gifts.  The gifts can be made by you or baked by you.  Starting early gives you an opportunity to put more thought and care in choosing gifts for your loved ones.

Once you have finalized your Christmas list determine what your budget is.  It is so much easier to stick to a budget when you start early and you aren't feeling the pressures of running out of time.  An added perk is you can wrap your gifts early and display them under your tree(s).  Sweet!!!

I have some really close friends that have adopted my philosophy of shopping early and they love it.  They enjoy the holiday spirit so much more.  It is so much easier to remember the "reason for the season" if you are less stressed.

In case you are wondering, both of my daughters start shopping early as I do.  This allows us to enjoy the season fully.  We have time to celebrate the traditions that are really important to us and celebrate the birthdays, too.

Take a moment for yourself.  Imagine a season with more time to enjoy the holidays.

Here's one of my favorite songs of all time......How Great is our God by Promise Keepers.

Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments

2014 Dreambook

On my way home from work yesterday I stopped by the Hallmark Store, near my home, to check out the ornaments for this year.  Every year I buy at least one new ornament for my grandchildren's own personal Christmas trees.  Yes, they have their own Christmas tree in their room and a wreath on their door.  (More on the wreaths later.)

Mr. W is crazy about airplanes.  Any time he hears a plane he starts saying "airplane, airplane" so I bought him this cute little ornament.  This one is the "El Chupacabra" from Disney Planes.

Ms. P is a huge fan of the Disney Princesses so I bought her the "True Love's Kiss" from Sleeping Beauty.

Ms. A is a HUGE fan of all things Star Wars so I bought her "The Rise of Darth Vader" from Star Wars Revenge of the Sith.  It plays the dialogue from the classic scene.  She is going to love it!

And of course, I could not get out of there without picking up a couple of ornaments for my Disney tree.  Here's the "Lights! Camera! Action!" one.

This one is called "Minnie's Perfect Present".

There were some others that "caught my eye" so I am sure I will be back soon!  You can't wait too long to get that special ornament for your loved ones.  They will be gone way before Christmas!!!

Be sure and pick up your own copy of the 2014 Dreambook.  It's a great way to keep track of the ornaments you want to purchase and/or have already purchased.

Take care,
Debbie

Virtual Garage Sale

Have you ever heard of a Virtual Garage Sale?  Until recently I had never heard of one.  Brad (my son-in-law) called one Sunday evening, a couple of weeks ago, to tell me about a Virtual Garage sale he saw on Facebook.  They were selling these two for $50.00 and he wanted to know if I was interested.  I think he already knew the answer before he called.  :)  He said he would offer $40 on my behalf and see if they accepted the offer.  They did and I am so excited to be the proud owners of these animated Disney characters.  Thank you Brad for going to pick them up for me.  I really appreciate it!

 They will make a great addition to my Christmas decorations in my office.

There is a little spot on Mickey's ear that needs to be touched up.

Pluto has a spot on his nose that needs to be touched up.

Here is a clip of them in motion. 

They don't move quite this fast in real life.

Take care,
Debbie

Happy Friday!!!

Whoot Whoot!!!  It's Friday!!!

Do you have any special plans for the weekend?  I plan on getting lots of rest so I can get rid of the allergy/cold I have.  I am feeling much better, just have this really nagging cough.  I am sure I am annoying everyone at work.  Sorry guys!!!

I am hoping to maybe get those curtains made, but if something more fun comes knocking they just might go to the wayside.  Yeah, I'm that easy.  :)

Here are a few shopping websites that I am a huge fan of....you may or may not have heard of them.  The first one is www.6pm.com.  You can get top name brand shoes for a fraction of the regular price.  Zulily is the second one.  You can get some really good prices on all sorts of items (i.e. home, clothing, etc.).  And last but not least is Etsy.  This is an amazing forum where a lot of people sell their goods.  I apologize now if you become addicted.  :)  Really, it's that good.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Debbie

The Little Things

Things were a little crazy for us in the early part of 2013.  We were planning a wedding, a bridal shower and expecting a new addition to our family, Mr. W.  He was born on February 20th.

I wanted to make sure that he was mighty dapper for the wedding so I ordered his outfit from The Best Dressed Child.  I ordered a size 3 months, right.  After all he was going to be 3 months old for the wedding.  Ha!!!  When he was born he weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 20.25 inches long.  

Such a cutie!

We were really concerned that the outfit would not fit him so I returned it and ordered the size 6 months.  Thank goodness I did.  He had a little wiggle room.  :)

Aunt Brooke and Uncle Brad bought him his first pair of boots.

Proud and relieved mama.

Isn't he adorable?

Debbie

Pearland East - We Are So Proud of You

Pearland East was eliminated from the Little League World Series after losing 6-1 to Chicago.  With heads held high, the Pearland East players walked away as the fourth-place team in the United States out of  field of nearly 7,000 teams.  What an accomplishment in itself.

Chicago played a great game.  Their in-field was incredible.  At times, I shook my head and thought "wow, they are only 12 years old...what are they going to be like when they reach high school".  

Walter Maeker III (last pitched in the Southwest Regional) and Bryce Laird (had not pitched in either the World Series or regional) kept Pearland East within striking distance.   Maeker got half of his six strikeouts with runners on second and third.  Had he not been able to do that, Chicago's score would have been much higher.

I have to say how impressed I am with how the coaches handle their players.  In each situation or predicament a team was in, their respective coach gave them a pep talk, reminding them to remember to have fun.  My favorite coach of all, so far, is Coach Dave Belisle from Rhode Island.  If you didn't watch the games, here's his post-game pep talk after Rhode Island lost to Chicago on Monday night.

 Here's his post-game speech, which ended with a group hug:  "Heads up high.  Heads up high.  I've gotta see your eyes, guys.  There's no disappointment in your effort -- in the whole tournament, the whole season.  It's been an incredible journey.  We fought.  Look at the score - 8-7, 12-10 hits.  We came to the last out.  We didn't quit.  That's us!  Boys, that's us!  

The only reason why I'll probably end up shedding a tear is that this is the last time I'm going to coach you guys.  But I'm going to bring back with me, the coaching staff is going to bring back, you guys are going to bring back that no one other team can provide - that's pride.  Pride.

You're going to take that for the rest of your lives, what you provided for the town of Cumberland Americans, this would be the greatest game.

The lessons you guys have learned along the journey, you're never going to forget.  We're going to have some more fun.  We have two more days of fun.  When you walk around this ballpark in the next couple of days, they're going to look and you and say:

"Hey, you guys were awesome!"  Everybody has said "You guys are awesome.  Awesome. Awesome.  Absolutely awesome."

It's okay to cry, because we're not going to play baseball together any more.  But we're going to be friends forever.  Friends forever.  Our Little League careers have ended on the most positive  note that could ever be.  Ok?  Ever be.

There's only going to be one team that's going to walk out of here as World Series champions.  Only one.  We got down to the nitty-gritty.  We're one of the best teams in the world.  Think about that for a second.  In the world!  Right?

So we need to go see our parents, because they are so proud of you.  One more thing.  I want a big hug.  I want everyone to come in here for one big hug.  One big hug, then we're going to go celebrate.  Then we're going to go back home to a big parade.

I love you guys.  I'm gonna love you forever.  You've given me the most precious moment in my athletic and coaching career, and I've been coaching a long time --- a loooong time.  I'm getting to be an old man.  I need memories like this, I need kids like this.  You're all my boys.  You're the boys of summer.

So for the last time, we're gong to yell Americans:  One, two, three -- Americans!"

_________________________________________

What an amazing coach!!!  I hope that I can be lucky enough to inspire at least one person as much as he has inspired the world with his ethics and being.  Hats off to you, Coach Belisle!

Signing off with tears in my eyes,

Debbie

Pearland East Wins Game at Little League World Series

Pearland's pitcher Landon Donley delivers during the first inning of an elimination baseball game against Lynnwood at the Little League World Series tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., Monday, Aug. 18, 2014. Pearland won 11-4. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pearland East Little League plays Great Lakes today at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

Go Pearland!!!  We are so proud of you!!!!

Whoot Whoot Whoot!!!!!!

Take care,

Debbie

Birthday Celebrations

WARNING!!!!  Lots of photos and lots of cuteness!!!

We celebrated Paw Paw's and Mrs. T's birthdays on Saturday.  I wish I had a photo of Mrs. T and her dad but I got distracted with everything going on with the kids.  I don't even have any photos of their gifts.  :)  I am not kidding.  Once the grandkids arrive everything kind of goes to the wayside.  The first thing we do is close all of the doors to all of the rooms in the house to keep Mr. W out of them!  He came out of Paw Paw's office with one of Paw Paw's LSU collectibles.  :)  At least he didn't drop it.

I normally make their favorite cake, yellow butter with milk chocolate icing but the girls made cupcakes (no photo) instead.  We had Paw Paw's favorite iced cookies, brownies with pecans, fresh strawberries, ham and cheese sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls and cupcakes.  We completely forgot to get them to blow out the candles!!!

Paw Paw's favorite cookies

Ms. A jumping into the pool

Ms. P jumping to Uncle Brad

Mr. W had a blast in the pool.  He loves being in the water.

Adorable!

Adorable!  I couldn't resist.

Maw Maw and her "little man"

Uncle Brad and Mr. W

Uncle Brad and Ms. A

Looks like they were ganging up on Uncle Brad

I ordered these frozen pop holders from Disney.  I put fruit punch in them and they love them so much.  Way more than regular popsicles.  I think it's because they have Mickey Mouse on it.  :)

Mr. W sucking on Mickey's ears

Don't you just wonder what he's saying?  Charge?!!!

How cute is this?  Still holding on to Mickey Mouse.

Here's a cute video of him putting his head in the water spout over and over and over.......

I purchased the same camera cover Nelly used at our Swimming with Friends post.  The kids love having their photos taken in the pool.  Totally opposite of on land, right?

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Debbie