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