Piece by Peace Scrappers at Crossroads Retreat Center

Terry about to enjoy a piece of coconut pie with 4 inch meringue

Paula has a piece of coconut pie too.

Judy has chocolate and I have Preacher Pie

Texas Ware that I found at the antique mall for Katie

This weekend was the annual scrapbook retreat.  I am very blessed to be a part of a group from my home church.  My parents moved from my hometown when I graduated from high school.  So I have been away for a long, long time but they let me join them once a month in their scrap group.  It is called Piece by Peace.  This is the third year we have gone away for a weekend scrap retreat.  This time we went to the Crossroads Retreat Center.  We had a little excitement when a tornado was spotted close by.  There were 9 people in our group and a group of 18 women in another house on the property.  If we had to move to safety, it would have been 30 people in the same small room.  I was praying the tornado would just move on by and it did. 

I have known four of the girls for almost 50 years.  They have not gotten older, they have gotten better.  Terry, Paula, Judy and I made a stop in Canton and had lunch at a tea room on the square.  When we saw the dessert list on the sign outside, we were in.  I had a delicious quiche, and strawberry spinach salad.  Then for dessert was some fabulous pie.  We went in a little antique mall and I found some Texas Ware for my daughter.  She has been wanting some.  If you don't know what it is, it is the plastic dishes from the 60's.  It is also called Mel-mac.  It looks like it is old, and I would not put in the microwave or dishwasher.  But, I do like the aqua color. 

The retreat center was set in a secluded, woodsy area.  The gardens and ornamental plants were very overgrown and badly in need of a trim.  The cabin where we stayed had the unmistakable smell of mold.  There was no way to hide it.  There was insect activity in the cabin, but I did sleep really well. There was no hairdryer in the bathroom.  I did not bring one and my hair was scary. 

However,the scrapping area was great.  We had long tables and good chairs.  One for each person.   There was a living area and a dining area.  If you needed a break from scrapping, you could go sit on the couch.  Everything was on ground level, so there were no stairs for me to go and up and down.  I was very happy about that.   The large room also had the kitchen, a bathroom and a room for a massage.  The owners kept coming in the scrap building  and turning off lights.  It made me crazy.  To a scrapper, light is very important.  We were paying a good price to use the electricity. We played a fun scavenger hunt game and Terry and I won!  We really over thought the clues and it paid off because we won.  We had 4 fabulous make and takes. 

The time went by so quickly.  I  loved every minute.  I am so blessed to be a part of this group.  I am already looking forward to next year.  I don't know if we will go back to this location or try another, but as long as my gal pals are with me, it will be fabulous. 

I missed my husband and pups but it made coming home so much sweeter. 

I feel it coming --- Fall

The Dallas Arboretum Fall gardens. It was beautiful!

Photo spot in the pumpkin village.

I love this picture of the Joe pet.

A gourd house. My daddy would have loved this for sure!
He would have been checking it out
to see how it was constructed and he would have
thumped all the gourds.

There is a pepper plant in the pot and beautiful gourds scattered all around.
I loved it.

October is finally here. I have been looking forward to this month since summer. I have several exciting things going this month.

First of all, October 1 was our 10th anniversary. We took the day off from work and went to the Dallas Arboretum. We had been talking about going for years and never had made it over. There were over 40,000 pumpkins and gourds on site. There was a pumpkin village that was the most perfect photo opportunity. There were preschoolers there with their moms and cameras. After the Arboretum, we had dinner at the Salt Grass and shared a slice of cheesecake. It was a fun day.

There is a new scrapbooking studio that just opened near me. It is called The Little Blue House in Keller. It truly is a little blue house. My scrappy buddies and I met there last night for a crop. We had a room all to ourselves and we each had our own table. It was so fun. We laughed and laughed. We are planning to go back next month. There is a new scrappy buddy who just moved to town that we hope she can join us next time. Miss Tracy is the owner and she and Susan are the most creative people I know. It is a wonderful place. If you live in the mid-cities area you have to check it out.

The next October event is something I don't know if I am excited about or not. It is my 35th high school reunion on October 16. It is at the Uptown theater where I went regularly for the Saturday matinee shows when I was a child. It has been refurbished and has community theater, art shows and reunions. I am looking forward to seeing old friends but 35 years is really old!

Then October 22 -24 is our annual scrapbook retreat with my hometown church scrappy friends. I love this so much. We are going to a new retreat location this year. It is called Crossroads. It is so fun just to get away and create and enjoy the company of my lifelong friends. I am so blessed.

And finally on October 31 I am hoping two little goblins will come visit me. I invited Jordan and Brylan over for Halloween. Their parents were invited too! Jordan has been to our house for Halloween for the past three years. I don't know what his costume is this year but he will certainly be the cutest spook in the neighborhood. It will be Brylan's first Halloween. He will be smiling and happy in any costume. He is such a happy baby.

I hope you are feeling cooler temperatures and seeing the beauty of fall where you live. It is truly my favorite time of year. I think I will make a run to the garden center today for some mums and pansies. I can feel it in the air.

Happy Fall y'all!

Love,
Linda

Little visitors

Time out.

Papa and Brylan

Stubbs move over and give me some room. I am watching the baseball game.

Hey Stubbs, over here, it's me Brylan.

Getting to know you.

1. 

Getting to know all about you.

We had two little visitors yesterday. Jordan and Brylan came over for a while. Oh, and their parents too. That Jordan was so funny. He kept calling Ellie a fire truck and Stubbie a dump truck. I will admit that Stubbie is good at backing up and dumping. Jordan was very certain they were trucks and not dogs.

Brylan is a very happy little fellow. He smiles and smiles. Oh, and he sleeps about 10 -11 hours a night without waking up. I can't imagine a six month old baby sleeping that long. It never happened with my children. He is the tiniest little fellow. It is like he is a little angel.

Stubbie loves children. He wanted to be Jordan's best bud. Jordan had a few different ideas on how to show friendship but over all he liked Stubbie too. There was one brief time out but Stubbie was very forgiving.

Lizzie, Rog and Mamou met us at Chili's for supper. Jordan loves to eat. He put catchup on his pineapple. He could be the next Food Network star.

I am looking forward to seeing Jordan and Brylan's Halloween costumes. Jordan was Cookie Monster last year.

I had a great time scrapping on Saturday. I love the monthly scrap with my friends in my old neighborhood. It was a great weekend. I need a day to recover.

I posted a few pictures that Jordan and I took of their visit.

I am going to spend more time with my blog

I have been reading other people's blogs and am motivated to spend more time on my own. There are people who I know from the scrapbooking world that I love to read their new postings. Then there are blogs that I don't know the person, but feel like I do. There are so many creative people out there who share their talents on their blogs.

I think blogging is good for you. It is just like journaling. I never kept a journal or a diary, but I had lots of thoughts running around in my head. It is very cathartic for me. Yes, I dusted off the dictionary that I purchased from Half Price books and made sure that was the right word.

My blog is very plain and I need to learn how to spruce it up and use the options properly. It will be fun. I am working on some scraping stuff that I think I may post here too. Plus there are all those adorable pictures of my Stubbie. He is so photogenic.

OK, that may be my big project for the weekend. Right now though, I am heading for the shower and then a pedicure. I think going anywhere near a clothing store this tax free weekend is a bad idea.

Smooches to all!

Linda

What A Friend We Have In Jesus

I realize that I have neglected my blog. I truly do enjoy posting here, but I guess I haven't had much to say lately.

I am having hip replacement surgery. The thought of part of my bone being sawed off is very disturbing to me. I told my primary care doctor that and she was sure that the surgeon would let me have it if I wanted it. I guess that was her way of saying that I was being a little silly about the situation.

I have watched countless videos on youtube about hip replacement. I saw a full length actual surgery on ORLIVE.com. They have videos of all types of surgeries. It is very addictive. There is a youtube video on how to get in and out of a car, step into a bathtub, and exercises to do after the surgery, and several video diaries from people who have had the surgery.

My sweet daddy had hip replacement surgery. He also had his knee replaced on the opposite side. His hip surgery was a painful failure. I have diagnosed the problem, now that I have my youtube degree, as the cement that was to attach the stem of the prosthesis to his femur, failed and it was rubbing his bone. He said it hurt every time he stood up because he could feel it scraping. Daddy never mentioned having a revision to his surgery, but they do in cases of a failure, such as his. He decided to tough it out, he had a very high pain tolerance. I don't want to have to make a decision to live in pain for the rest of my life or have a revision. But, Daddy's surgery was a long time ago. I think it was about 20 years ago. My surgeon said he will not use cement. There is some fancy finish on the stem that encourages the bone to grow to it and cement is not used.

I was told that I am the first patient on surgery day. I am concerned that I will be overly anxious that morning. Anxiety will make my blood pressure go up. I don't want that to happen. So, my first priority will be for them to put me to sleep. There is no anxiety in sleeping!

I have stopped taking my anti-inflammatory medicine and it is painful. Extra strength Tylenol is my new drug of choice. Anti-inflammatory meds make your blood thin and they want you to stop 2 weeks before surgery. Then for 2 weeks after surgery I will take injections twice a day to thin my blood. Go figure! I hope that after the surgery, I will not need anti-inflammatory meds.

I purchased a cane that folds up. I have it leaning against the wall by my bed. I may have to use it soon. My daddy and granddaddy both walked with a cane. Actually they both used the same wooden cane. (Not at the same time.) It had a cow's head carved into it. They looked very paternal with the cane. They were both really old when they started using the cane. I have a very, very vivid memory of my granddaddy sitting in the porch swing at my Aunt Chris' house and pushing off on the swing with the cane and whistling "What A Friend We Have In Jesus". Granddaddy also would hook the dog's collar with the crook of the cane and pull her over to him so he could scratch her. Thinking of my granddaddy makes me feel like everything is right with the world. He would save the mini rolls of LifeSavers that he got from the bank for us when I was a little girl. Sometimes they would be completely soggy from the humidity in his old farm house, but it was the greatest present ever. He also saved the metal flags that came in the Shredded Wheat box. They were in these little wax paper envelopes. I guess Granddaddy had arthritis. He died around 1965, so I don't believe he would have had the option of joint replacement.

I am going to training in Colorado on Wednesday. I am taking my cane. I have been looking forward to this training for a long time. It snowed in Colorado last weekend. Cold weather will make my hip hurt. I hope it will be warm next week in Colorado.

I do my pre-op on Monday after I return from my training. I work part of day on Tuesday, then go to the dentist to get a crown set and my teeth cleaned on Tuesday, then Wednesday at 7:15 a.m. will be my surgery. Recovery is 4 - 6 weeks. I hope to be able to return to work after 4 weeks since I do sit at a desk. Rehabilitation will take about 6 months total until I am better than ever.

What A Friend We Have In Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer

Love you guys!

Nawlins' yall!

Creme Brule

Crab Cake Platter with Creole Crawfish Sauce

I dreamed of a Shrimp Poboy this good!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Floor show

Oceana Bar and Grill

Bananas Foster Ice Cream Cake

Jambalaya

Bourbon Street buildings

Bourbon Street

Front lobby fountain

Mardi Gras arrangement

Hallway

Elegant

Classic New Orleans

Royal Sonesta Hotel

Last week I attended a week long training for work. It was the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. NITA is a wonderful program for attorneys. I hope to take another class sometime this year. The course was Basic Trial Skills.

There were 40 people in the class. I agonized over whether I would be the oldest person in the course. But, after I got there, it did not matter. The majority of the people were new attorneys like me. Some had been attorneys for a long time, but wanted to sharpen their skills.

We had fabulous instructors. This was a working course. I went to class from 8:30 to 6:00 everyday and then usually had about 2 hours of homework each night. I learned so much. The last part of the week, we had a trial. They brought in jurors to hear our case. My partner, Paul and I, won our case! My first jury trial. We also got to hear the jury deliberate which is very unusual. I am so glad I had the opportunity to participate in this training.

The training was in New Orleans at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street. If you watched the Saints and Vikings play football last week, you probably saw Bourbon Street right outside my hotel. I lived in New Orleans for six years and am familiar with the party spirit of the city. But, I did know what a celebration was until last Sunday night. That city was jubilant. It was a dozen Mardi Gras parades rolled into one. I am very happy for the city.

I was able to enjoy some great food. Food is my favorite part of New Orleans. I ate several times across the street from the hotel at the Oceana Bar and Grill. The service was outstanding. I sat at the window and was able to people watch. That is always fun in New Orleans. The hotel also had great food and service.

While I was there the NFL decided they owned the phrase "Who Dat". I found it funny that people in New Orleans have been saying Who Dat for years, but let the Saints go to the Super Bowl and the NFL gets all greedy. I understand the NFL has crawfished some on their original land grab. Better that than be boiled in a bubbling pot of imitation NFL t-shirts! Who dat say gonna beat them Saints. You have to have lived there to get it!

I took pictures of some of food I enjoyed. I have a new Android phone that takes great pictures. I did not get a picture of the silver statue of liberty man or the mardi gras man on stilts, but, I like the pictures I took.

Geaux Saints!

On the offensive

Last year around this time, I wrote about my friend Cindy who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I found out about her diagnosis just after I had posted about having had my annual mammogram and was complaining how much it I hated it and how much it hurt. I will return again this month for my annual check. I will be sure to take some Tylenol before my appointment.

I am happy to say that Cindy has finished her chemo and her hair has grown back long enough for her to color it. She looks fabulous. She has been so positive through the entire process. I never heard her complain about anything. I wish I had that kind of strength.

Another friend Kathy, got a great report from her doctor last month that she was cancer free. She had started chemo for breast cancer just a little before my friend Cindy. Kathy's mom, Betty, was diagnosed last month with breast cancer. Betty is the sweetest person in the entire world. She truly never complains. I pray that her treatment will go quickly and that she will not have any complications.

Last week my friend Lisa, told me she was diagnosed in September with breast cancer. She will start her chemo on Tuesday. She has a plan to be cancer free in at least ten years. What a great warrior she is. She has planned her attack and set a goal.

It feels like an epidemic. We need to take a pro-active approach. Self breast exams and yearly mammograms are two of the most important things we can do. If you have a relative who has had, it seems to run in families. Every female in my step daughters maternal family has died of breast cancer. Their paternal grandmother, the mother-in-law I never met, also died of breast cancer. In my family there is very little cancer, but that does not mean I should not be on the alert.

I am thankful for my health. I am thankful that I have medical insurance that offers me the opportunity to have a mammogram that is paid for. I am praying for Lisa, Betty, and Kathy as they continue to manage their treatment and followup. God please give them strength and keep them healthy. God, make us always thankful for the blessing of our health.