Tootie Mama Wins

Katie and I went to Hot Springs this afternoon to finish the Oaklawn season and the TV Classic race my tv station sponsors. It was a beautiful drive over and we enjoyed seeing all of the dogwood trees in full bloom. On our sponsor days this year, we have enjoyed box seats right over the paddock. We have been able to see the horses coming out of the paddock right below us while we were shielded by the glass windows. It rained a few times, so having the box seats inside was very nice. The first race of the year that we sponsored was a very very cold day. We go out on the track and present a crystal bowl to the owner of the winning horse. On rainy days the mud was unreal. I've never seen so much mud. The trips out on the track were thrilling, but the cold and the rain made a few of them a little uncomfortable. However, today was a very beautiful day, a little cool, but a great day at the track. It was the perfect day to for a mother-daughter outing.

















Katie giving me those beautiful eyes that are hard to say, "no", to. You can see that our box seats were right on the window. Our good friend Gary Weir allowed us to use his box seats every other Friday for the whole season.


We didn't bet on the horses, we just admired how beautiful they were and picked a few winners. If we had bet on the 3rd race, we would have come home with some cash. I was sure that Tootie Mama was going to win. We watched her come out and she pranced and held her head up like a real beauty. We could see it in the way she held herself. I also liked #5 and #8. The race ended with a 3-5-8 finish. So long as I don't place bets, my horses come in. When I did bet this season, it was merely a donation to Oaklawn. Kate and I still felt like winners when Tootie Mama came in with #5 and #8 on her tail.

When we went out on the track for our sponsored race, I let Katie give the award to the winner. She was so excited. It's amazing to stand by a thoroughbred and realize what a massive and beautiful creature is next to you. We were cheering for "Forever Grace" to win, but she came in 3rd to Show.

After our sponsor race, we hit TJ Maxx and spent two hours looking at everything. It was a large time. We found some great deals for the guest bath. I also bought Katie a pair of rain boots and a wallet that matches her Jessica Simpson purse.

When we got back this evening, we stopped at the Sushi Bar and I agreed to finally give it a chance. Okay, I have to say that California Rolls and Spicy Salmon Rolls are awesome. The Spicy Salmon Rolls are my favorite. It was the perfect end to a girls day out. Once we got home, I did pop a couple of benadryl because my ears felt like they were swelling inside and my chest was getting tight. (Might be allergic to Sushi)....the benadryl helped....make a mental note...Sushi outing must include benadryl.
















I set the crock pot this morning with Pinto Beans (Shane's favorite)....so when he got home, dinner was ready for him. I called him and we discussed how to make corn muffins...he's not a cook, but he made Jiffy corn muffins and enjoyed his evening. His muffins turned out great. He cooked a little muffin mix all over the muffin pan, but nothing a good soak won't fix.

Right now, we are sitting beside each other on the couch and we both have our lap tops. I'm blogging and he has his search engine fired up. His Fox News is on (he's the managing editor at the station)...so we are watching the news. Are we getting old or are we geeks? I'd hate to see a picture of this.

I have pictures to add to this, but once again, Hughes Net is not cooperating. I'll have to add them tomorrow. Something to look forward to, I guess.

DD comes tomorrow....Whoo Hoo!!!!!

The Boxes are Staring Back at Us

(This is Thursday's blog...I had to add my pictures this morning...the storm shut down my Satellite last night)

Every weather person in town promised rain today. I wore my rain boots to work and anticipated the start of the rain and the end to my headache. It's early evening and all I see is a cloudy sky. It's looking a little too dark, so I hope it's not bad weather. We had to hit Sonic Happy Hour for a real coke to try to ease the headache. Happy Hour at Sonic is almost Free it is so cheap. It's exhilarating to order 4 items and pay $3. With budgets being tight, you really get a bang for your buck during happy hour.

Shane is still not feeling well. I brought him home and put him in bed. His blood pressure is really low. He did not eat well today so I made him a snack consisting of toast with peanut butter and a sliced apple with a glass of milk. He is resting now so I will wait to prepare dinner for him.

I am happy to report that our azaleas were not affected by the freeze earlier this week. As you can see they are looking gorgeous in all their glory.

We were greeted at the fence by Bella and Emma. They were so very happy to see us come home. It's great that our four legged children are always happy when we get home. No matter how difficult the day, they will make us laugh out loud. Emma is on guard at the gate to ensure no intruders. (Do you really think she could stop someone from entering the yard?)....well, maybe so...here is a picture of her this evening flying through the air about to knock Bella out cold. LOL!

Bella was feeling the pressure to perform for a photo op, so she is showing off her skills by shaking Katie's hand...notice Emma in the back ground giving Bella a dirty look for showing off.

I was thinking about unpacking the remaining boxes from our move by unloading 2 a day for a couple of weeks. This will ensure that my back will not suffer further injury and I won't become overwhelmed. Here is what it looks like today. I'm going to post my progress so I feel accountable to someone to get the job done. I hope we never have to move again. I'm all for having someone pry my cold dead fingers off the bedpost when I am 99 years old. Taking this picture this evening and looking at it here is all I can deal with...I think I'll turn in myself and let the family dine on leftovers...they are good leftovers, so I am leaving them in good shape.

Everyone press the fast forward button to Friday evening so Easter weekend can start for us on the Square.

Coca Cola Blues

No rest for the weary today. Shane and I and Katie, all had a restless night which made for a long day. When the alarm clock goes off and you realize the headache you were dreaming about is real and that you were not actually asleep...because you remember tossing around in the bed all night...you have the start of a very questionable day at best. Shane caught a ride to work with his boss while I nursed my headache. I won't let him drive since his heart attack because he still has dizzy spells and weakness. I took the route to work that goes by Chick-fil-a and got a large coke. I gave up my favorite drink, coke zero for lent...which also included a list of all things bad for me. But, this morning I knew instantly that the headache I had was not to be reckoned with and a real coke was on the morning agenda.

I confessed to my research and sales assistant that I had a real coke. When she turned and looked at me I could tell she needed one as well. The first thing she said was that today was a bad day. Was it something in the air?? She was drinking a purple gatorade...I knew that it wasn't going to help what was ailing her. When I walked in my office, something went terribly wrong...she shook the gatorade to mix it up and the lid wasn't on it. I need not explain. It was a very pretty jacket.

Challenges kept rolling in until I finally asked her if she wanted to get a coke and a little something for lunch. We ended up at MiMi's, a favorite restaurant of mine. We ordered a comforting lunch with coke on the side. The blues just started drifting away. We also think one of the Baldwin brothers waited on our table. We debated this and almost asked if we could take his picture so we could post it or show it for further opinion. After 3 cokes each, we even ordered one to go, we headed back to the office. My insides starting shaking about 30 minutes later. I thought I was having a seizure inside my body. However, the food, the cokes, the company...really melted away the blues. We also stopped at LifeWay so I could purchase the book for my small group at church. It's Beth Moore's study on "Esther". Esther is my favorite book in the bible, so I am sure I will really enjoy...





















Real Cokes and comfort food...Quiche on a plate & corn chowder for me...plus those refills on the cokes. I recommend this!

Katie ended up going to the doctor, and we all ended up at home by mid afternoon needing naps. I sat in Katie's room for a little while just chit chatting...Texas girls are great at chit chattin'. My eyes got heavy so I laid my head back for a 15 minute power nap....but, every time I was almost asleep Katie would say, "Mom...." and startle me back to reality. After about the third time, I asked why she was so against my power nap plan. She just giggled, which is always a thrill for me.

Since everyone has had tummy problems this week, I made a bland meal of baked chicken and brown rice. Another awesome opportunity to bask in my exceptionally organized kitchen...giving props to the container store for making cooking fun again. I'm still in love with the condiment jar with sea salt. Refer back a few days to the picture I posted earlier in the week.

As the evening has progressed I received phone calls from three of my favorite people...GR3,
P. Pooh and Christena...all live very far away so it is always great to hear from them. So the day is ending on a better note than it started. Shane is tucked away and getting the rest he needs. Katie loved her bland dinner and is studying. The four legged children are asleep. You have no idea what an accomplishment and relief it is to finally see them close their little eyes. We love them, but our little Emma, the yorkie, often has undesirable behavior...i.e....barking when you already have a piercing headache.

I have a photo to post to todays events, but I will have to add it in the morning. Check back around mid morning...it's worth the effort if you have the time... and summarizes the coca cola blues.

Until tomorrow....

Monday Always Sells a Little Crazy

It's the start of a brand new week on the Square. I had to take my lunch break to handle a few personal errands. My car is broken from running over a dead deer in the road. (It was mighty dark outside.) I had to meet the insurance adjuster at the house, so he could take pictures. He scared Linus, our cat. I couldn't find him and finally I saw a furry tail between the washer and the dryer. I pointed my camera straight down behind the washer and this is what I saw.
















Linus behind the washer...crazy cat!

It's crazy weather here. It's cold outside and we are expecting a freeze tonight in Arkansas. Our azaleas are just beginning to bloom. They are my favorite color. I'm worried about the freeze and what it might do to them. Here's a glimpse of 3 of them...they are beautiful and will be magnificent in full bloom if we can stay above freezing.






























I let the dogs outside after I met with the adjuster and they started their patrol of the back yard and fence line immediately. The wind is blowing so hard that little Emma may blow away.





























They were moving pretty fast on patrol, so I only got a shot of Emma's behind.

We are slowly beginning to decorate different areas in our home. We have the coffee, tea and wine area looking pretty sharp. We have the mantle above the fireplace looking sharp....can we please get another clock? Crazy enough...we'll probably buy more clocks. If you notice, you'll see that none of them are on the same time as the others. This reminds me that all that happens is on God's time and not our time...so we really never know what time it is.































On my way back to the office, I was able to hit Sonic Happy Hour, so my Research and Sales Assistant and I enjoyed large sweet teas. Always sweet tea on Mondays.

Katie started her internship at "Head Start" today. It is associated with the med school she wants to attend. She said that she had a great time and really likes the work and is impressed with the program all together.

Shane has had dizzy spells all day. I'm heading over to his office to give him a ride home. I won't allow him to drive so he thinks he's a Momma's Boy. LOL! I promise you, I'm not his Momma. She lives in Las Vegas.

Cooking baked Ziti for dinner.

Bye Bye Monday!

Sleepy Sunday

We spent the day catching up on much needed sleep and relaxation. Shane has been very sick and is continuing to see Doctors after his release from the hospital. We had a moving sale last weekend and I worked for 44 hours without sleep or rest. After a long week at work, the weekend finally arrived and we have made the most of it to recharge our energy. We are looking forward to the week ahead and hope to be feeling great and have a productive week.

Our dogs did their part in entertaining us today....Emma, our yorkie was a bad, bad dog. She spent some very important quiet time in her kennel thinking about her bad behavior. Bella, our black lab was a nervous wreck while Emma was in trouble, so she sat around looking scared with one ear up and one down. It is her goofiest look. Linus had a little tummy ache and expressed himself in ways in which I will not share. Let's just say he needs to hold down his kitty kibble. Yuk! He soothed his tummy by laying on the dryer while it has been running all afternoon. Now that I'm giving it another thought, the dryer may have caused his tummy ache. Maybe it was like a ride at Six Flags and he tossed his cookies when it stopped.

Katie has been working on a research paper all day for school. She and Tad (boyfriend) worked on homework all day. Next month she will complete her Freshmen year at college and move on to Sophomore status. Gee, time flies...during the move, I went through a box of her baby clothes. I'm both excited and gloomy about this time in her life. Our little girl is all grown up and working hard to become a doctor. She is interested in becoming a pediatrician...I told her she may have to consider a field where she can help save my mind.

It's quiet around here. Shane and the 4 legged children have gone to bed.

The most fun thing this weekend was unpacking the cool stuff I bought at the container store on Friday. I think I should have my own cooking show on Food Network since I have this condiment jar with Sea Salt inside. Also, as you can see my kitchen drawers are highly organized with my new expanding bamboo inserts.

Also, we missed Sonic happy hour...slept right through it, but I still got a Route 44 unsweet tea. Shane enjoyed a diet cherry lime-aid. Our house comes with a Sonic just around the corner. We can have Happy Hour everyday. All in all, it was a great weekend.