Breakfast Cupcakes and Birthday Wishes

Today is my birthday. My 35^th. Friends have asked me if I have any plans for my special day. “Oops, was I supposed to plan something?...well hubby and I might go to Galveston Saturday”. Somehow, I don’t think that’s what they meant? So no, there are no party hats or anything like that this year or any year now that I think about it. My birthday falls less than a month after my daughter’s birthday, three days before Father’s Day, one week before my niece’s birthday and two weeks before my step-daughter’s birthday. June is a financial catastrophe as far as birthday plans go. Maybe I should start celebrating my birthday in April. Sounds like something to consider!! hehe

My puppy must have known that it was my birthday because he decided to give me a gift this morning. While I was sleeping he started to lick my shirt so when I woke up, I had a huge wet spot on my back. When I say huge, I mean huge. It was larger than my hand. I’m convinced that those were love licks and that this must have been his birthday present to me….birthday love...not sure if it was for me or for my shirt but nonetheless, I accepted it.

So, this morning, sitting in my usual spot (potty time), I started checking my ‘crack’berry to find a text message from my brother from the night before (5 minutes before midnight) wishing me a happy birthday. Then, I check ‘crack’book and I noticed that my birthday messages had already started. Some people I know very well and others, not so much…but they were taking the 5 seconds out of their day to wish me a happy birthday and truthfully, I felt special because of it. It’s amazing what technology has given us. Some of these people were old friends reconnected, some I barely remember, and others are people that I have met through friends or family. How amazing is that? I decide that I am determined to personally thank each and every person that sends me a birthday wish. If they can take the time, so can I.

Now, I might not have anything big planned for my birthday but there is one thing I knew I was going to do. There is a cupcake place here in Houston called Crave https://www.cravecupcakes.com/. I LOVE their cupcakes. Well, just a few days ago (I think by divine timing) I received an email saying that they had breakfast cupcakes available now. I knew then that there was a birthday breakfast cupcake in my future. (By the way, I love that they actually call them breakfast cupcakes. Most muffins are actually just glorified cupcakes anyways) So, I headed to Crave this morning and got my “cake flavored” Birthday Breakfast Cupcake and a coffee to go. My cupcake was topped with cinnamon sugar and was absolutely lovely. I was pleased with my selection and because it’s my birthday I didn’t have to count ‘not one’ CALORIE! Even better!!!

I thank God for giving me one more year …here’s hoping for many more years to check my ‘crack’berry, receive love licks from my puppy, and eat cupcakes!

‘til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: There’s always time for friends and cupcakes!

Morning Honey

Today, after 9 years, I am still able to get my morning honey. This honey is not the kind you buy in the store. It's even more sweet and much more special. I'm sure you want to know what this morning honey is. Well, read on and you'll see...

From the time Adrianna was 3 months old until she was 5, it was just the two of us. It was very hard and maybe one day I will go into those details, but not today. Today I want to focus on the positive.

Sometimes, I am amazed at how different the same person can be. Adrianna is a perfect example. She has always had a “sweet stubbornness” about her. Adrianna has always been kind and caring but when she wants to be stubborn, she’s an expert at that as well. I remember when she was about 1 and in her crib, she cried for 45 minutes straight. Not cried like ‘mommy, I want to be in the room with you so please come get me’ but cried like ‘someone just cut off my big toe and if you don’t come get me I’m calling CPS’. I had a choice to make so I went in her room. I knew she wasn’t hungry because she had just eaten. So I checked her diaper – all good and checked her forehead – no temperature. So this was it. This was that moment that my dad warned me about. That moment when I was going to be so exhausted and she was going to be so persistent. It would have been much easier for me to just pick her up and put her in the bed with me and I knew that is what she wanted me to do. But I also knew that if I gave in, she would etch this night in her memory and try me each and every time. So, I walked out and shut the door behind me. She squealed loudly as if to say “OH, I KNOW SHE DIDN’T JUST LEAVE ME IN HERE, WHERE’S THE PHONE????”. I walked into my room and tried to sleep. I couldn’t do it. It was so loud, deafening loud. So I picked up my pillows and walked into my closet. I shut the door; laid on the floor, put one pillow below my head and one pillow over. She cried forever (or at least it seemed like forever) and I stayed in my closet until she gave up and passed out.

So, I know I said I was focusing on the positive but you needed to know that to know this. The next morning, just as I always did, I went into her room and took her from her crib. I brought her in the bed with me. When she woke up, she looked at me so sweetly with the kindest eyes. It was like last night never happened. You see, she was always like this in the morning and it was my favorite part of the day. I looked forward to it and it kept me going.

As she got older, she moved into her big girl bed. Instead of taking her out of her room and into mine, I would just go and lay down with her right before she woke up. It was the part of the day that I needed so that I would know that we were going to be ok, even with it being just the two of us. I called it - time with my ‘morning honey’. She was my morning honey because she was simply sweet.

And to this day, if I need a little sweetness in my life, I know I can go to her – right before she wakes up. I can lay down with her and put my face on her pillow. She will open her eyes, sleepily and slowly, and when she sees me there will be a small half smile. She’ll close her eyes and the next time they open, they will fix on mine and I will know. I will know that I’ve gotten exactly what I came in the room for; that I’ve just received my morning honey.

‘til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: Enjoy life's sweet moments.

Don't buy your 9 year old a harmonica....

Sounds like one of those common sense statements, doesn’t it? Ha!!

The little one and I were in Old Navy the other day and as I was checking out, she was looking at the section of knick knack toys that are in the front. You know the ones, those that are strategically placed so that you can see all bright and shiny things under $10 that you can add to your bill before you actually make it to a cashier.

So she starts to run up to me, as if she’s found gold, and says “Ooooh, mommy , can you buy this for me and I’ll pay you back with my birthday money”. I looked down and it was a dreaded pink harmonica. How did I know that it was a 'dreaded' harmonica? Call it mother's intuition, but I knew. I caved in though. I mean since she has birthday money and was willing to pay for it herself I thought – who am I to get in the way of a ‘birthday’ gift. So I agreed.

Well people, that night, she wouldn't put the darn thing down. UUGGGGHHHH!!! Where’s the peace? It wasn't in our apartment, that's for sure. Needless to say – the 'dreaded' harmonica will be disappearing at some point. But until that day, we will be suffering in ‘non-silence’.

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: When you know better, you know better.

Why not Walk?

This past Saturday, Brian decided he was going to leave us girls and go to a meeting for his fraternity. I say …”Good Riddance and Be Gone! “ He has lived here almost 4 years and hasn’t been to one meeting yet. I was glad he was going. I told Adrianna that we would do something together, just us girls.

Now, let me back up a bit. We are a two car family. Well, I mean we have two vehicles that take us places, but only one of them can really be considered a well running machine. Brian’s car is ‘special’ to say the least. The air conditioner works in the winter and the heat seems to work EXTREMELY well in the summer. But, when it’s summertime, and you sit in the car and turn on the a/c, it’s like sitting in a sauna and having someone blow hot air on you. We are well aware that we need a new vehicle. With me student teaching, it wasn’t the right time to buy one and quite frankly, we love only having one car note.

Now, while student teaching, I decided to simplify everything. This included my purse. I got a small over the shoulder purse/wallet/thingy and decided that I didn’t need all that crap that I usually carry around with me. I had my wallet, lip gloss and cell phone. The only problem was fitting my keys in this small purse/wallet/thingy. So I decided I would finally get rid of all the keys that I didn’t need. Well, you guessed it, Brian’s car key ended up in a bag somewhere in my closet, which we will refer to as the black hole.

I never drive Brian’s car. In fact, I avoid it like the plague. I mean there is really no reason for me to drive it. It smells like a man car, the air doesn’t work and it’s brown. Plus, I think some of the steering wheel is deteriorating. I feel wheel residue on my hands whenever I have to drive it.

So back to my original story…Saturday Brian goes to his meeting and decides he wants to take the car with the a/c. This is totally fine and understandable. I tell him that Adrianna and I were going to stay close by and that we could manage in his car. Well, about 10 minutes after he left I realized that I don’t have his key on my key ring and I don’t know where the other key is. So, what’s a girl to do? Do I spend an hour in the black hole looking for the key and hoping I come out with a key (and alive)? Or do I just cancel our plans all together. It is now 6:30 and I’m stuck. I tell Adrianna the situation – that we don’t have a key to the car. And then she said it…”Why don’t we just walk?” EXCUSE ME LITTLE ONE!!! I know you’re 9 and all but you really have no idea what you are asking me to do. You want me to walk to grab some dinner? We have fried chicken in the fridge and not just any fried chicken. Popeye’s fried chicken with red beans and rice. YUM!!

I was not sure what I should do. I didn’t feel like walking anywhere but I didn’t want her to think that we had to rely on cars to get around and that exercise was bad. So, I grabbed my little purse/wallet/thingy, we put on our tennis shoes and we walked…to Chick-Fil-A. We had a pleasant meal accompanied by great conversation. It took us 40 minutes to get there and knowing that we needed to get back home before dark, we decided not to stay out too long. Now, here’s where it gets fun…on the way back Adrianna (my precious daughter who claims to love me) decided she wanted to…wait for it….wait for it….RUN!!! Yep, she wanted to run. So I had to give in, because once again…exercise is good. Say it with me everyone “EXERCISE IS GOOD”. We would run from this tree to that tree and then walk. Interval training, here I come. All I could think though was ‘How dare she sneak actual exercise in to our girls night.’

All in all it wasn’t too bad though. So much so that the next morning we all (Brian included) walked to have breakfast in the same area. It’s about a 3.5 mile roundtrip and adds an additional hour onto the trip (it would take 10 minutes total if we were driving) but the family time you get out of it is priceless. It’s also not too bad for the environment. I pointed this out to Adrianna and she said that by us taking care of the environment, it made God happy. I guess because it’s God’s planet to begin with. Can’t beat that.

‘til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: Inconvenience is sometimes exactly what you need.

THE BEST DAY EVER!!

May 11, 2001 - I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was 2 weeks away from Adrianna's due date (May 25­­­th)­­­­­. It was a Friday and I was already on maternity leave. I decided to go and visit my dad at work across town. I lived in Katy, TX and my dad worked at Worthing High School in Houston.

So - off to Worthing I went. I surprised my dad as I waddled into his school. I had been feeling a little different all morning, without getting too graphic - let's just say I was visiting the restroom often. Anyways, while talking to my dad, I found out that one of my cousins was graduating from college that morning. My dad had planned to go and invited me to come with him. I decided, sure...the doctors told me to walk. This will give me a chance to get some walking in. (Not to mention that I also REALLY love this cousin and was excited to see him graduate)

So - off to the stadium we went. I explain to my dad that we need to sit somewhere with easy access to the restroom. I was so glad we did. i think I ended up visiting it several times during the ceremony. What in the heck was wrong with me? Now, I know what you are thinking - why didn't you call the doctor, Emily? Well see, here's the funny part. I'd called the doctor many MANY times during my pregnancy only to hear "This is normal...you are fine". So, by golly, I wasn't going to call for this. I wasn't in any pain so all was ok. I was certain that this was just a normal part of pregnancy. After graduation, I was hungry of course so we decided to go to Luby's.

So - off to Luby's we went. YAY! Chocolate pie - here I come. I LOVE chocolate pie. As we walk in, one of the workers there asked me when I was due and I told her.. "Two weeks from today". She said "Oh, you haven't even dropped yet, it may be a while." Argh, people and their predictions!! I was SO tired of people doing this. Despite this, my dad and I had a wonderful lunch. We told stories and laughed. We talked about the baby and how excited and scared I was. As always, I totally enjoyed my chocolate pie. It really hit the spot. Oh, and the restrooms were clean so all was well. It was time to head back home though. I needed to rest a bit.

So - off to Katy I went. On the way back home I stopped by to visit my coworkers at Enterprise and to visit the restroom (mostly to visit the restroom). As I was sitting there, my manger asked me...."So, you dilated yet?" LOL....SERIOUSLY! I said..."only 1 centimeter". He said "You haven't even dropped yet...some people go past their due date....you have plenty of time". I was really like - UGH people, STOP TRYING TO PREDICT MY DUE DATE!!! Irritated, I decided it was time to go home. I wasn't too far so I knew I could make it without making any more stops.

So - off to the house I went. I got there and of course rushed in to go to the restroom. I really thought that something wasn't right (DUH) so I decided to give in and call the doctor. I didn't care if they thought I was crazy AGAIN. I mean really, it wouldn't have been the first (or last) time. So, while sitting there - yes, on the toilet - I called them. Guess what they told me...YEP...My WATER BROKE!!! What???

So - off to the hospital I went. I ended up having an emergency c-section because when they put the monitor on Adri her line was flat....lines aren't supposed to be flat it seems. They said she wasn't getting enough oxygen so they wanted to go ahead and take her. I still was only 1 cm dilated, but it was time nonetheless. So, on May 11, 2001 Adrianna entered this world.

This was, by far, the greatest day of my life.

So today - May 11, 2010 - I wish my precious Adrianna Grace a Happy 9th Birthday. You dramatically came into the world and have been bringing drama into it ever since. I can't imagine my world without you in it.

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: Sometimes it's the real thing.

Run Emily, Run!!!

I wanna be a runner. I see the runners out there with their reflective shoes, ipods strapped to their arms, and short nike running shorts. (You know, the shorts with the undies sewn in) I tried some on once. They made my hip/butt area look like a hot air balloon. This is probably a result of me NOT being a runner.

Anyways - I watch these "runners" effortlessly jog down the street; their legs at a comfortable stride, keeping in rhythm to whatever tune they are listening to. They look like they are at such peace, like they have such purpose. They look like their minds are clear and that somehow they are becoming one with the pavement. I love it. It's so....motivating to..um...watch.

I admire their dedication. I REALLY do. So much so that I want to be like them. I want to wake up early in the morning and start on my daily jog. Heck, at this point, I'd settle for lacing up my running shoes in the evening after work. The time of day doesn't really matter, I just want to be like them. I want to be a runner.

I remember trying it once. While running, I'd often start to wonder why they, unlike myself, didn't look like they are about to pass out? Why was I panting, red in the face while my legs felt like spaghetti noodles? (not strong 'uncooked' noodles, but limp 'overcooked', could mash them with a spoon and feed them to someone without teeth noodles)

I can remember being on the treadmill, jogging for a whole minute and looking down to realize, that I was wrong and that I hadn't been running for the 15 minutes that I thought I had. So, what did I do? I kept running, adding a little more time each day. Eventually I got up to 40 minutes. I was extremely pleased. So pleased, that I didn't do it again. And even with my accomplishment, I still looked at the person next to me that had been running an hour and a half and looked like they just started. When I turned to get off the treadmill, after my 40 minutes, I mistakenly looked in the mirror. I looked like a truck ran over me in the gym, or maybe like I lost footing on the treadmill and slipped off to fall on the floor. Whatever the case, it wasn't pretty and I certainly didn't have that peaceful, just found clarity, look.

Oh well, such is life. I will get back on the running horse one day. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not.

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: Each journey starts with one step; but you have to keep stepping.

Happy Dance

Well Wednesday wasn't such a grand day for my dog Chase. He went to the vet to get"de-manned" if you will. Yes, there will not be any baby mama drama in this household-well not because of Chase anyways.

So, here's a pic of my poor pup...

Yes - that's a cone - around his head. The vet said that we needed to get one so that he wouldn't reach around and try to pull out his stitches. I tell you, he looks pitifully sad. I feel so sorry for him. Not only did he lose his manhood, he has to walk around looking like a dog clown for the next week, possibly longer. I tried to tell him he had on a "pretty necklace" and Adrianna reminded me that he was a boy. I guess the necklace thing doesn't work then.

So, I know you wonder what all of this has to do with my happy dance. Well, I'm getting to that. Be patient and read on...

Now, I'm not really a "dancer" dancer. I am not without rhythm but I don't go dancing every weekend either. I do, however, tend to act silly and dance around my house. There's nothing like having a horrible day and coming home to do the happy dance. I know what you are asking yourself...will she post a video of herself doing the happy dance on this blog? HA!! Not going to happen. I will, however, post a video that I like to "happy dance" to. It's Harry Connick Jr.'s "Come By Me". It's such a fun song. My feet just start moving and my hips start a swayin' everytime it comes on. I get a little jitterbug-ish move going with my finger pointing above my head and I have a grand ole time. Yes, I said "grand ole". (I'm southern, it's ok) Now granted, this is NOT the dance to do in public, but it is fun.

So, here's the video to my happy dance song.

So, Chase... I dedicate this song to you. I know you can't dance now and that it's been a rough couple of days. You probably feel like you're not "all there" and that "something" is missing. (even if you can't put your finger-or paw-on what it is) But trust me, it will be ok. When that time comes, and you are ready to dance, the song will be ready to play. I will loan you my "happy dance song" and you never know...I may even dance with ya.

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: You don't have to be happy to do the "Happy Dance". Find a song that makes your heart smile and just go for it!!

TAKS-titude Continued?

Well, it's one day before TAKS-so that means PRACTICE-PRACTICE-PRACTICE!!! Needless to say, after yesterday, I was concerned that it would be anything but a pleasant experience.

As I was walking towards the school to pick her up, I was ready. Ready for WHATEVER she had up her sleeve today. I had my game face on and was going to stand my ground. There would be no discussion, no pleading, and definitely no compromising. Not today...not this time. I am MOM and I will reign victorious.

The time has arrived, I see Adrianna from a distance so I leaned against the wall with all the Sunnyside that I had left in me, crossed my arms to show that I meant business. She hesitated, still far enough from me that I could only see the outline of her. I couldn't make out any of her features, much less see her facial expression. She was walking slower than usual and I knew I was in for it.

But wait, what was she doing? Is she....... gaining speed? Is that a jog I see? IT IS!!! She is running towards me. I can now see her face and there is a grin. I hear the familiar "Mommyeeeeeee". So far so good, but I'm still in my "tough-guy" stance. And then, before I could start into my TAKS speech...she says "I'm ready for TAKS TEAM" (which is what we call ourselves) and gives me a high five that she probably faked but it looked genuine....and with that, I was pleased.

So how did it go? It went well. She did six packets (about 10 questions each). I let her take a 15 minute break after the first three. She is working on taking her time, which I like because she usually rushes. It seems to be paying off too. So far - the TAKS-titude is nowhere to be found. What a difference a day makes!!! After calculating all 6 Chapter reviews she made 88 %. I couldn't be happier with her effort. Now we just have to translate this success on the test tomorrow. I am hoping for the best.

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: Be prepared for all possible outcomes. Sometimes it's good to expect the unexpected.

TAKS-titude

Typically Adrianna is a pretty easy going girl. Quite active, but still – easy going. She doesn’t give me too much trouble (most of the time). However, she does fall short sometimes in the motivation department. Not really in the – “I need to take out the dog” department but mostly in the “It’s time to clean the room or do homework” department. Anything that seems like work to her can present itself as an issue at times. Like most of us, her motivation isn’t always where it needs to be. In fact, sometimes, I feel a hint of laziness. Ok, who am I kidding – it’s not a hint – it’s a bold, in your face, “Here I am”, dose of laziness.

Well, it seems that we are having a little attitude while we prepare for the TAKS test this week. I’m calling it a TAKS-titude…and I don’t like it. I mean, do I get it? Yes. I completely understand why she wouldn’t want to give up part of her Sunday doing extra practice.

However, here’s my issue. This weekend has already been filled with slumber parties, sleepovers, and school carnivals. It was so full that this Sunday is our first opportunity to work on anything, and now we are exhausted and I need her to focus? WHAT WAS I THINKING?

The agreement was there, in full force, at the beginning of the weekend.

Me: Ok, you have a busy weekend but we still need to get TAKS practice in.

Her: Ok

Me: So when I pick you up on Sunday, I need you to be ready to work and I need you to have a good attitude.

Her: Ok.

Me: So, we agree? Good attitude it is?

Her: Yes. Sunday I’ll have a good attitude and will work extra hard.

HA! – Let me say this again – HA! HA! HA! I mean, I do realize that she is still 8 (almost 9) but I ask the question again – WHAT WAS I THINKING? Like really? After two days of staying up late, swimming, running around outside at a carnival, I expect her to be 100% and ready to work? Really? REALLY?

So, who’s really at fault here? (Don’t answer that)

‘til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: NO FUN TIL TAKS IS DONE!!

Payday Mishap

Ok - so, we figured out what went wrong. I apparently hadn't been entered back into our system at work. All is well now and I should be getting my check on Tuesday! Woohoo!

Wait....Isn't it Payday?

So today's paycheck was very important. I mean EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. I'm not sure that I have ever looked forward to a paycheck quite as much as I was looking forward to this one. You see, I took a leave of absence from work recently. I am an aspiring teacher and I needed to student teach for 12 weeks (without pay...FUN) in order to get my certification.

Here's something you should know about me. I pay close attention to my bank account. I check my account daily and I have it set up that I get an email when I receive any direct deposits. In fact, I was super excited that after a couple of months, I would be receiving one of those emails sometime during the night. FINALLY!

Anyways, at about 4:30 this morning I was having my daily "potty/banking session" (you can get some of your best banking business done there) and UH OH... I noticed that I hadn't received (you guessed it) THE email. You know, my first email letting me know that I was once again being paid for my services. I was totally looking forward to it and quite frankly, we needed it. Worried that dissecting it too much would keep me awake, I tried to convince myself that, the email system must have been delayed. So off I went, back to bed and GUESS WHAT?? I couldn't go back to sleep. So what did I do? I did what everyone would do at 4:30 in the morning, I checked my account. I won't tell you how much was in there but it was not pretty. In fact...it was pretty darn ugly.

So, it seems that that today is not MY payday. The rest of my department's, yes, but not mine. Now, I will tell you that this saddens me. I mean, it really does. At this point, I'm not really sure why I didn't get paid but I must not have been reinstated in the system once I returned to work. Our corporate office is in Vegas so they aren't quite in yet. I will be sure to let ya'll know as soon as I find out. So this one, my friends, is an entry that is TO BE CONTINUED...

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: Ask yourself "Is there anything that I can personally do to change my situation?" If your answer is "No" might as well just let it go. **If you can't change your situation - change your attitude about your situation.**

First Blog....oh and Happy Earth Day!!!

First of all…I am not a writer. Not at all so please don’t judge. I say this though – if Rachel Ray (a non-chef) can end up with a cooking show, I certainly can put some thoughts down in a blog. I mean they are MY THOUGHTS right?? How wrong can they be? (Don’t answer that) Plus, I’m the one that tells my daughter that she can do anything; all she has to do is try. So, this is me – trying.

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE! That’s right….its the 40^th anniversary of this celebration. This is a day for renewal and appreciation.

Here’s my take on Earth Day….the Earth was given to us by God. We are to be stewards and caretakers of this planet. While I am not so naive to believe that we will all get to the point where we are completely “green”, I do believe that it’s worth a try for us all to make small steps towards this goal. Do I recycle? No. Do I eat organic food? Sometimes. Is it always locally grown? Not exactly. Some days are better than others. I “try” to use my refillable water bottle instead of plastic bottles. Sometimes I even remember to bring my reusable grocery bags into the grocery store before I enter the check out line. J The idea is not to be perfect all of the time. The idea is to make decisions on occasion that are good for our environment. I say – pick one thing that you know that you can do. Maybe it’s purchasing a Brita Filter for your water instead of buying the 24 pack of bottled water. Who knows? But pick something. Find something that you and your family can work with and implement today. When you’ve got that down – add something else. That’s the best advice I can give you.

'til next time,

Emily