A great movie to "get away from it all"!

My birthday fell on MLK day and I had the day off, however, I spent a good deal of it going back and forth to the hospital twice to visit my mother-in-law who's health just doesn't seem to be getting any better. After her procedure that day, she had to lay flat on her back for 5 hours, so my husband whisked me away to a movie and dinner. What a big surprise and a great escape! You'd think that it was more of a chick flick but my husband and I laughed through out the whole movie!! Maybe we're the right age and target group, I don't know, but I love him for sneeking the two of us off to the movies. Have you seen any good movies lately?

The word of the week...........BALANCE.

~Allie

Christmas Memories

After spending the last 11 days helping my husband care for his mother who was in the hospital with atrial fibrulation, we left for my parent's home on Christmas Eve, leaving my mother-in-law in the hands of my husband's siblings. Opening the door into my parent's house after the 3 hour drive in unusually cold and snowy weather, this is what greeted us! Aaaaaaghhhhhh.........it's good to be home!!

We walked into the family room and THIS is what greeted us. A warm, roaring fire. A dog sleeping peacefully by the fire. Christmas presents under a sparkling tree. Christmas music softly playing in the background. Hugs from my parents. Aaaaghhhh......it's good to be home!

After unloading a jam-packed car trunk and getting the dogs to all settle down, we all sat around the fire and enjoyed cocktails and wonderful treats that my mother had prepared. It was great to just sit back and visit. No place to have to be. No place to check in on. Just existing in the here and now. Aaaaghhhh.......I love being home!

It was unseasonably cold, below freezing on the first few days, and the dogs wanted to be in our laps more than ever. These are only a few of the pictures I took of all of the dogs wanting to snuggle. This is my mom with their little, chihuahua mix, Couger. She's about 10 pounds of fierceness, but she loves to snuggle with my mom.

This is my husband with our scottie, Pippen. My two mustached "boys". If my mom's dogs were going to snuggle in someone's lap, so was Pippen! He just doesn't realize that he's not a little 10 pound lap dog.

This is Justa in my lap. She's named Justa because my dad always said that their next dog was going to be named Justa because he wanted my mom to remember that she was Just A Dog. Justa is in love with my dad and he with her!

Now that we're back home, my mother-in-law's health continues to give her trouble. She's back in the hospital for congestive heart failure and they are planning to do an angiogram tomorrow to see what they can do to help her. As we go through these next few days of unknown with her, I keep the warm memories of Christmas at home close.........memories of my happy place.

Hope you have warm memories of the holidays as well.

~Allie

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