Images of Christmas Past.......

It's just two weeks until Christmas and everything is still in my garage. No tree is up, no Santas from around the world are on the fireplace mantel, and no reindeer ears have been put on the dog!

I've just been trying to learn to live with my new job and without my Cupcake Princess. Maybe next weekend, when school is out and the Cupcake comes home from college, we'll FINALLY decorate for Christmas.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy decorated trees in lovely shops. I took these photos last winter in some cute shops in Salado, Texas.......a lovely artist town in central Texas. Hoping that you are further ahead than me this holiday season..........

Warm hugs,

~Allie

Stepping away from work for a moment......

This past Sunday, I decided to just step away from any kind of work.....house work, school work, etc. and just enjoy the day as it unfolded. The weather was still warm, in the mid 70's, and the sun came out every once in a while. I took the camera on a little walk with me around my house........stopping to smell the roses....no the mums.....and look what I found. Bees hard at work!

Berries on the front bushes are beginning to turn red......colors of the holiday soon to be here.

And the sweetest Scottie ever.......who just wanted to play. Simple pleasures sure to be missed if one doesn't slow down every once in a while. Hope you have an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the world around you this week.

~Allie

The second 6 weeks is over. I am one sleepy, new assistant principal but we're having lots of fun. Everyone had their "red carpet" photo taken with their "award" for being an "award winning staff". Looking forward to the Thanksgiving break. Happy November to everyone!
~Allie

What? October is almost over?

So my last post was made back in August? Holy Cow!!! My new position as Assistant Principal has been keeping me quite busy, but it's been wonderful as well. Two weekends ago, I went to the Dallas Gem and Jewelry show and bought some cool pieces and some beads. Last weekend, I actually had time, no......actually MADE time to sit down and put together this necklace. It has kind of an Ed Hardy look to it.
With the Cupcake Princess off at college (only 45 minutes away!), Big Daddy and I have been having Sunday brunches and going to movies with good friends. Lots of fun! Have been up to see the Cupcake Princess twice armed with snack bags and warmer sweaters, as fall is slowing arriving in the Dallas area. College seems to be agreeing with her. But I do hate saying goodbye to her. It just seems like she should be getting in the car and coming home with me........hmmmmmm.........

I haven't even been carrying my camera around with me. Have got to get back into the habit of that. I've been running with my "nose close to the ground", just trying to stay afloat everyday at my new school. Time to stop and smell the roses a little bit I think........AND......time to visit all of my favorite blog sights, too!!!

Happy Autumn!!!!
~Allie

Time marches on....

August.....a time to get ready to go back to school. This year, it was also a time to finally pick up that Master's degree. It was a whirlwind weekend driving to Beaumont, Texas on Friday night, graduation ceremonies beginning at 9:30 the following morning, and then another 4 hour drive back to my parents house at the lake. The following day, we drove another 3 hours back to Dallas.

Back home just in time to meet the new staff I joined at a new school as their new Assistant Principal. A weeks worth of meetings, trainings, and preparations, ending with Howdy Night........a meet the teacher night with the leadership team cooking and serving hot dogs to everyone after they met their new teachers. Thank goodness for the "cold front".....it only got up to about 92 degrees on Friday!!

And now, today..........it was time for this little "lion cub"........

to say goodbye to all of her friends.............

And move into her dorm! The place was swarming with incoming freshman!!! Five hours later, her room was set, we had met her roommate, had taken a drive around the town, ate a late lunch, and then.......

.....time to say goodbye. It was a quiet drive home. And now, my heart feels heavy and the house seems different without her energy. A growing time for all of us..........

~Allie

A new chapter begins......

This past week, I've been working with my new principal and Instructional Leadership Team. We've been feverishly working on getting plans together for when all of the teachers return in the next two weeks and then for Howdy Night. Being new to this building, being new to the position of Assistant Principal, and knowing no one until two weeks ago, I was a little anxious but we finished out the week at South Fork and had a great day. This photo was taken by one of the tac houses behind the big, white house at South Fork. (We never saw J.R. Ewing though!)

So now I have WAY too many chores to attend to this weekend. However, I'll keep dreaming of earlier days this summer spent looking at the lake and eating ice cream treats that my dad made for us. Opa LOVES himself some ice cream!!

And so does Pippen!!

Hugs........

~Allie

Celebrating BIG TIME!!

Yahoooooo! I passed the principal's certification exam!!

Now the only thing left is to go pick up my master's diploma at graduation next month.

I start my new job as Assistant Principal next week......an exciting new chapter in my life is about to begin. Gotta hang on tight.....it's sure to be a roller coaster of a ride!!

Happy Monday!

~Allie

http://www.freefoto.com/imagelink/?ffid=11-07-58&s=s

Summertime.......

Finally, a real get-away! It has been the busiest of summers. Other than getting to sleep late and stay up late, it's almost felt like it wasn't summer vacation time. We headed to central Texas to visit my parents on the lake. This picture is from last year, but it sums up the relaxing time we had!

Another hot day, 103 degrees +.......a perfect time to have lunch on the house boat in the center of the lake! My husband LOVES being on the water as much as I do.

My dad has been an army tanker all of his life, but he sure mans his big housboat as if he was a "navy boy". He looks happy, doesn't he? He's the best host on land and on "sea"!

It was too hot to cook and we had a house full of people.....dinner at the Dead Fish Grill was an awesome idea! The frozen margaritas were DELICIOUS!!

And we ended the night playing Rock Band 2......lots of fun for ALL the ages. The youngsters got a good laugh when the adults gave it a try. You're never too old to play!!! Hope you're having a chance to play, too. :D

~Allie

Celebrate America! Happy July 4th!!

Hurray!

The Cupcake Princess has been gone for the past 2 weeks, celebrating her graduation from high school at Disney World. She comes home tonight!! I can't wait to see her!! I'm glad she had a wonderful trip with her friend, but I'm looking forward to spending some mommy/daughter time with her before she goes off to college next month.

~Allie

If you're happy and you know it......

Wow! What a week! I've been studying to take the Texas Certification Exam for principals this Saturday...staying focused, making a plan on how to handle the 110 question exam. And then the phone rings. My school district just promoted me to assistant principal in an elementary school about 15 minutes from my home!! You'd think that would be incentive to get back to studying.......but NO! The phone's been ringing with congratulations as the announcement went out on the district website and I've been answering emails all day! This is SO exciting!

I went to my "new" school on Wednesday and met my new principal and toured the school. It's going to be a great place to work! This evening, they've invited me to a Hail and Farewell get together at our favorite neighborhood mexican restaurant. I'll have an opportunity to meet some of the people I'll be working with.

WOW! Two years of sticking with the Master's Degree program is about to pay off. There's a lot of new learning ahead for me this fall, but I'm SO excited to give it my best!!!

Never give up on your dreams......they CAN come true!!

~Allie

phot from google image search http://www.bestofbreedgifts.co.uk/scottish-terrier-art-print-happy-meter-from-barko-p-266.html

Cupcakes!

Are these some awesome cupcakes or what?!! My local Kroger made two dozen of these for our graduation party for my daughter. The icing was a mixture of butter cream and whipped cream. They were OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS and beautiful, too!! And best of all, they were $5.99 a dozen. Such little things bring such big joy! What little thing brings you joy?

~Allie

Senior Dedication 2009

An afternoon of celebrating all of the accomplishments of the seniors. I'm so proud of you, Cupcake!! This Sunday's graduation will be a big day for everyone!!

The joy of being 18!

18 with a lifetime of adventures ahead of them..........these are faces of pure joy. Happy Birthday, cupcake. I'm glad it was a wonderful weekend with lots of good memories to keep with you always. I love you.
~Mom

Summer is coming!

An extra day off from school.....Memorial Day. A laid back kind of day. The neighborhood smells like EVERYONE is grilling! Big Daddy grilled some bratwursts and hot dogs today......boy did they smell great!! I think the neighbors on either side of us were cooking ribs all day.....yum!! Now that the weather is so delightful, there will be much more grilling around our house.....portabella mushrooms, hamburgers, shrimp, shish-ka-bob, chicken, fresh vegetables....mmmmmmm. Just bought some sweet corn on the cob today and the tomatoes are starting to ripen.....watermelon....ooooh I just love summer produce!!!

And now, we have 8 more days of school with the students and then summer REALLY begins. Today made me realize that I am READY for summer break. While it will be a somewhat busy summer, at least it will be a nice change of pace.....and more opportunities to head back to the lake.

Random thoughts, yes.......the signs of summer's arrival has addled my brain! What do you love about summer?

Enjoy the here and now......

~Allie

Something that makes me smile......

My Cupcake Princess.......how can it be that she turns 18 this Friday?

~Allie

Happy Mother's Day!

This sweet face is my mother as a little girl. She loved to dance, she loved music, she loved to fish, and she LOVED her big brothers.

In the mid 1950's, she married my dad. He and his family had been back-door neighbors since the two of them were in 6th grade, but they never dated until after college. Her mother made her wedding dress. Isn't it beautiful?!!They spent their first anniversary in Berlin, Germany as that was where my father had been assigned with the military. Mom was the perfect wife and mother. She made a home that was warm and inviting. She gave lots of dinner parties and was a fabulous cook. She sewed many beautiful dresses for me as I grew up, to include my awesome prom dress from a Nina Ricci Vogue pattern. She and dad made me and my brother feel like we were special and encouraged us in the many things that we tried to accomplish, to include soccer, softball, t-ball, band, choir, football, cheerleading and twirling.

Now she has a wonderful home in Central Texas that is just a piece of paradise. Everyone loves to come "home" to Oma's house because when you're there, you feel like you're special. The grandkids love to visit their Oma because it is the land of no "no's". There's a never ending supply of ice cream and you can swim any time that you want to.

This is the reason that I get to celebrate Mother's Day. My cupcake. She turns 18 in two weeks and has turned into a beautiful, bright, sweet, and articulate young lady. It will be fun to watch her future unfold in these next four years as she heads off to college.

Wishing you and yours a lovely Mother's Day full of love and fond memories.

~Allie

Prince Pippen's Birthday!

Ok.....I know I'm a little crazy about my scotty, but he sure is sweet and he always makes me smile! Today is his third birthday and I'll be making him something special for dinner tonight. Pippen has requested something made with chicken. Last year he got Chicken Parmigana......he appreciates good Italian food. :D I know I'm not the only one crazy about their dog or dogs. So give it up....what crazy things do you do for your pet?

Cheers!

~Allie

Random thoughts.....

What a busy month! Seems there's been hardly any time to spend on my site. I sneak in a few visits to some of my favorite sights but that's about it. The local Kroger has been making some awesome cupcakes lately. I should have taken a picture of the cupcake tree when it was still full on Easter Eve. Just LOVE this cupcake tree! It was a Christmas gift from my team mates at school.

Have been spending time with friends and family. Work at school is at full speed as our kids are beginning to take state exams to meet No Child Left Behind expectations. My 87 year old mother-in-law had colon surgery and my husband and I have been there for her through her recovery. How do you tell an 87 year old that she shouldn't be driving anymore? That's her on the right, in the red, and my sweet mother sitting to the left of her. This photo was taken in January of this year.

Colored eggs with good friends. Julie's parents came down from Kansas and added to the egg coloring party.

Big Daddy is lots of fun on Easter Eve. Just one big kid!!

High school graduation is but 6 weeks away for the Cupcake Princess. The social calendar is spinning in a frenzy. She turns 18 in a month as well. Geeeezzzzz!

This appears to be more of a journal entry than an interesting blog post. Creativity has taken a vacation for while I guess.

Looking forward to summer break in June......
~Allie

Good Friday.....a much needed day off!

My friend, Maria, took this lovely photo at the Dallas Arboretum. Spring has certainly sprung in Texas!

Spring is a time for rebirth, new beginnings, and sunny days. Kinda feels like that is going on in our household as well. This sweet, little, cupcake princess.........

Has turned into this high school senior. Graduation is just around the corner and then she leaves for college in four months! A new beginning for all of us!!
I just found out that my interview was good enough to put me in the assistant principal job pool for my school district. Next fall, I may be an assitant principal........holy cow!!! Never DREAMED that would ever happen. And it probably means I will have to leave the school I've been at for 8 years. I work with SUCH a great group of people!!
With spring, however, the days get closer to summer break. I'm looking forward to that! More time to spend on my blog and finally getting some time this summer to do "creative" things, not just college work.

Wishing you and yours a delightful Easter weekend. May the sun shine where you are today.

~Allie