LOTS of this went on over the Memorial Day weekend!

Swim to the ladder.
Repeat.


Gwynie Pie

The Tractor

Memorial Day Saturday William, Colin and Blake set out to go get "the little tractor".
Tractor has been off visiting and it was time to get her back home.

As soon as it was unloaded guess who
??? bolted right out the door and made a beeline .......
Jigsy

He jumped up on the seat and just sat there.
He watched the horse grazing.
And surveyed what little action was going on in town.
Nothing! would convince him to get off that tractor seat.

Doesn't he look like he is just coming
in from plowing the "back 40"?

Funny, funny dog boy.

Gwynie Pie

Keep Calm and Carry On

The night of the party ( 3 weekends ago),
we were hit by an incredible storm. Just as everyone arrived, the bottom fell out.
Claps of thunder.
Buckets of rain.
And I'm pretty sure at one point,
lightning struck in our back yard.
THAT will get your attention.

We all kept our "party" attitudes though
and decided to

...........and we did......Carry On.

Gwynie Pie

Totally random Friday .......

Welcome to Totally Random Friday....
where there is sooooo much to say
and soooo little time to say it...

About a week ago, while eating some lo mein noodles for lunch,
I swallowed the tine off one of these "premium" (i.e.- NOT flimsy stuff) forks.
Yes, accidently. I never even knew it until I looked down and the tine
was gone......down the hatch.
First, I panicked, then I worried.
Now --- pretty sure everything is "okay".
Weirder than weird, huh?

Just a day before that, the car opener/starter on my truck broke.
Turns out not a big deal -- I just have to reach under the dash
and flip a switch each time I start the truck and I'm good to go.
But, until we learned this little trick --- it was a BIG deal.

Then the same day, as my Prince was riding to my rescue,
his car started to severely overheat and had to go to the
car hospital for a scan.
Turns out -- easy fix.

The day before all this action, I lost a filling.
Back side of front tooth.
I've had this filling for 10 years, almost to the day.
And the one before that, I had for 10 years,
almost to the day.
I'm kind of attached to them.
AND -- my dentist 10 years ago,
sweet Dr. Ilene Rees, has
now specialized in orthodontics
and ..............waaaaaaaaaaaah
I have to find someone new.
Is there anything more gut-wrenching
than going to a new dentist???????

Well, probably.....but today.....I don't know
what that would be.......
very bad, yep, yep, very bad.

Oh, I have a big party happening
in a mere 8 hours. And this is just a sample of my house.
Not panicking. Not panicking. Not panicking.

THIS is THE best smellin', deliciously yummy
fragrance ev-er! Yes, it is! I love it so much!

How good is it? Well, it is almost, just almost, as good as
Coppertone. And you know how I feel about
Coppertone.

I am on Day 4 of 9 days off from my job.
I am loving being at home again.
I am in my element. Ahhhhhh.
This is what I love, ya know?

Tomorrow, I am going all by myself on a little road trip for a few days.
Lily Kate is getting a new house (along with her Mama and Daddy).
Yes, they are leaving their sweet log cabin on the lake
for a home in the 'burbs.
A great house in a great neighborhood.

Soooo excited for them.

I'm going to spend the next few days helping pack up and
throw away.
Dana's motto is
"If it doesn't bless your house,
out it goes."
It's a great motto if you want to adopt it
for your own Spring cleaning adventures.

I'm so looking forward to the little "vacation"
and spending time with their family.

Right now though.....
I gotta go get cracka-lackin'

Parrrrrrrrty!

Gwynie Pie

When you are being overtaken by the gray, as I was -- I decided I had exactly two options.

Option 1 -- cut my hair super short and let it grow in my natural color - gray.
So not gonna happen. I just don't look "right" with my hair pixie-like.
Probably cause I am soooo not a pixie, huh?
OR

Option 2 -- fool my gray hair into thinking it's really just the"high-lights".

I have NO problem with gray hair.
And if I could have figured out how to "get there" gracefully, I'd let it go gray in a second.

But honestly, there was nothing graceful about where my hair was going.

So, Saturday, Ronnie and I spent the better part of the afternoon

watching fun tv --- some fun wedding dress shows
and
The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Oh mercy!

........while, Ronnie transformed me into a
strawberry blonde.

I like it!

Thanks Ronnie XOXO

Gwynie Pie

Well.......they didn't work the whole weekend.

Guys just want to have fun.

How to climb a tree

So much has happened over the past 6 weeks since I last posted.
Nothing bad. Just stuff. Life. Work.
Also, I just needed the break to "think".
About stuff. Life. Work.
To kind of reassess.
And to re-prioritize.

I can so easily get life all out of kelter.


Over the weekend, Ronnie, Colin and Jigs were here.

We had a fun weekend.
They helped us do some clean-up and
spruce-up to get ready
for a party this Friday.

The guys grilled for Mother's Day lunch and did yard stuff
while
Ronnie and I spent the better part of Sat. afternoon
watching mindless, but fun tv
while she worked on my hair.

We missed the rest of our family
being here for the weekend.
And so.....since Lily Kate didn't get to see this for herself......
here is Jigsy boy climbing the big tree in our
backyard.

Crazy, silly, fun Jigsy boy.
He's the King of all the world !!!!!!!

And all is fine. Until he wants down.
Then he has to have help.
What a dog !

Hope your weekend was fun-filled and fabulous,

Gwynie Pie

Easter Sunday morning
Colin, Ronnie and Jigsy-boy

Colin and Devin

The Boles -- Blake, Lily Kate and Dana

Just a few pictures from Easter weekend.
Cupcakes made by Dana and
decorated by Pie and Lily Kate.

I had grand plans for this centerpiece with very specific placement
of the yellows and pinks.

Then -- Lily Kate wanted to help stick the flowers in the foam--so this is
her arrangement.

I figured I could always re-arrange them after she went to bed
so they would be just perfect for the table on Sunday.

After she went to bed, however, I looked at the centerpiece
and realized just how perfect it was already....
and I left them exactly the way she fixed them.

I love it!
It makes me happy!

And here's Jigsy-boy after
he was assaulted with cascarones. We went through several dozens
and confetti was dropping off everyone the rest of the day.

Very fun !!!

It's finally here

Wonderful, beautiful Springtime
I am loving the way Spring is springing this year.
But then, I am always pretty crazy about this time of year.

A Sunday afternoon drive around the ranch
shows the "hope" that is in the beginning of every Spring.

"All things made new."

Around here, there are two sure signs that winter
is over --- the mesquite trees leaf out and the scissor-tales show up.

We saw our first scissor-tale yesterday
and the mesquites are just popping out.


I am praying that your week is a blessed one.
This week - between Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday --
my very favorite week of the entire year.

The sacrifice that was made for me (and you) is
breath-takingly amazing.
I don't ever want to take it for granted
or speed past it.
I just want to take it all in.

I read Luke yesterday and will read
John today,
followed by Matthew and Mark
later this week.

I don't think I have ever just sat and read the entire
book of Luke at one time like that.
Such a powerful experience.
One that I would recommend.

I am also working on dressing up the house for
the weekend - all the kids are coming home.
And Pops is dressing up the yard and porches.

I'll be back later in the week with my new Spring-y
home and porch decor pictures.

Happy Wednesday all !

Gwynie Pie

Until further notice.........

Gotta show you my super,duper, fantastic, awesome

birthday gift.......

My family got it for me. TOTAL Surprise !!

I'm studying my manual, playing with the settings,

taking a few pictures.....and I LOVE IT !!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you my sweet family!Last Friday night we went out to dinner with two couples who are some of

our dearest friends --- yet over the past few months/years

we've spent less and less time with them as life

has become busier and crazier for us all.

How DOES that happen???

Anyway, had a delicious dinner at The Wharf,

complete with birthday cheesecake -

soooo good!, then went to one of their homes

for coffee and dessert and visiting.

This sweet little "stash" of fun was given

me by my friends.

Little did Mendi know that I was about to re-do my kitchen

with a 1940's, old-fashioned feel.

The cute towels fit in perfectly.

And Jill gave me the Hobby Lobby card.

Always the right color, size and fit.

Love it! Thanks friends.

We all need to just STOP and smell the...........
a little more often. Just kickin' back and visiting was the best.

My mother always gives each of us $$$$ for birthdays.
That way we can use it for what we need or something
we've really been wanting.

Weeeellllllll -
I've really been wanting my pre-pregnancy waistline
back, but I'm told they don't sell those in stores,
else we'd ALL have one.
Sooooo looks like I'm gonna have to work for it.
With one of these ---
The Abcircle (as seen on TV) is really a very fun
workout. Once I tried it, I was hooked.
AND that's saying something.
I am not easily impressed with forms of exercise.
Found it at Bed, Bath and Beyond
of all places.


Also - found this.....sitting there at Ross
the very last one of it's kind
just waiting patiently for me to find
it, love it and take it home with me.

Funny enough, William and I have been talking a lot lately
about this very sentiment. We don't want to just
celebrate the big occasions of life, but also
celebrate the everyday ones.

This sentiment pretty much summed it all up.
It's become our new motto.
Our words to live by.

"Until further notice,
Celebrate
Everything !!!!"

Gwynie Pie