Our Enchanted Castle

Moving from Cotton-Top Hills has proved to be one of the most difficult moves I have ever made. Leaving the land, our home, and the people was gut wrenching to say the least. Now we find ourselves getting used to an entirely different way of life.
We no longer live on  acreage surrounded by ranchland, but in a gated neighborhood that is situated around a golf course. Neighbors used to come visit on horseback or 4 wheelers, now they zip around on golf carts.
But we live on the water. An oxbow, whose waters overflow into the Brazos. And we have trees that loom over our house that provide glorious shade during this hot, dry summer we are having. And we do have land, half an acre. I shouldn’t stub my nose at that. There are many houses in similar neighborhoods that sit squashed up to the house next door. I can still stand on my back porch and see people, but I’ll get used to it I suppose.
And there is wildlife. For those of you who followed my adventures at Cotton-Top Hills, you know how connected we were to the creatures around us. So I thought I’d introduce you to a few of our new friends.

These are our Whistling Ducks, and yes they do whistle. They like to perch on our fence outside of my shower window. They also will perch in trees, which for a duck, is a little unusual. But they are beautiful and curious little creatures.

Here is the majestic Blue Heron. We have a pair of these that love to fish our shores. They fly down the river early in the morning, long wings stretching silently across the sky.
We also had a pair of hawks nesting across the street. It was fun to watch them hunt for food in the neighborhood. Very different then seeing them soaring over the wide open skies above the canyons looking for gophers. These hawks are masters at navigating the trees and the spaces between the houses.

This fellow guards our moat. WB likes to tell the girls we live in an Enchanted Castle and our alligators guard a treasure buried deep in the water. We have several that vary in size. The largest being a 10 foot momma that is nesting up the way a bit. We are told the park rangers will come transport them back to the Brazos when they get too large. I’m not sure what “too large” measures for an alligator. A six foot one is pretty impressive to me, but I’m told over ten feet seems to put them in the “need to move out of the neighborhood” size.

We also have fish in that moat. The girls have found a new hobby, fishing. They have caught catfish and blue gill and have the best time. Oh, and turtles. Lots of turtles.
There are raccoons, armadillos, and opossums too. One opossum lives in one of our tree trunks by the water. My sister who lives literally down the street has seen deer and a bobcat. Their  house backs up to the water too, but they live closer to some unsettled land.
Oh, and I would be remiss to not add squirrels. We didn’t have those before, not enough trees. And lizards. My children have become the great lizard whisperers. They all have names and at any given moment I could walk outside to find any one of my children with a lizard perched on their hand or shoulder.
So our Enchanted Castle seems to be a wonderful new home for my family. We still ache for what we left behind, but have our eyes open to all the new adventures that surround us. God has set our path, and we shall joyfully continue to walk down it.
What surroundings are you inspired by?

Conquering Fears, Teaching Lessons

We were up by 4:30 AM and loaded in the car for Soph, my 9 year olds, first Triathlon.  She decided to compete a couple of months ago after she got interested in running with her Aunt. Her Aunt just happens to compete in TRI’s and Soph decided she’d like to try it to. She’s been to plenty, as her Dad, Aunt, and Uncle all participate in them, so she knew a little of what to expect.
As it always seems to happen, my children teach me lessons when I least expect them. The blessings they give me are continuous, and this day would prove no different.
First leg of the competition is the swim, 50 meters. Two years ago that swim would have caused me no worries, but that was before the “incident”. Soph was seven and had taken a summer of private swim lessons. She had gone from being afraid of the water to being a fish in the water. Then I put her in a group lesson, so she could be with a friend. She found herself in the deep end of the pool, leg cramp and struggling to keep her head above water. The instructor was unaware, as he was in the shallow end trying to deal with a child that didn’t need to be in that particular class. Someone got to her in a matter of minutes, but by then the fear of the water was back full force.

I watched her wait to enter the pool and I knew this would be her greatest challenge. She had come a long ways, but the fear, it was still there, waiting for the perfect opportunity to take hold. Her first 20 meters were beautiful, she looked strong and then she faltered. She was at the deep end of the pool 5 meters from the wall and she was struggling for breath. She managed to grab the wall and then stopped. Swimmers were catching up with her,tagging the wall and going under the rope to head back for the last 25 meters. The confusion on her face made others think she didn’t know to head back, but her grip on the wall told me otherwise.
I had to crawl on my hands in knees in front of a crowd of spectators to get close enough for her to hear me.
“Soph, you’re doing great. Are you okay?”
When she turned to look at me I knew it was not okay. Her glazed, wide eyed look spoke directly to my momma heart. She was petrified. I watched her frantically look around for a way out.  In that brief instant I thought she was done. I gripped the pebbly surface beneath my fingertips, torn. I wanted to soothe the fear, but I also knew she could do it. We talked it out. I, stretched out as close as I could get to her, offering words of encouragement. Her eyes slowly stopped darting around looking for that escape. “You can do this.” Big brown eyes, stared straight into mine. The glazed looked replaced by determination. In one quick breath she was gone. Head under the rope, up the other side and she was swimming her last 25 meters.

I ran to cheer her on as she got out of the pool and onto her bike. I prayed she was okay. Her steps were quick, but hesitant as she left the water. I told her she was awesome. Her face lit into a smile and she ran to her bike. She flew through the bike course and onto the run. She stopped along the way to offer support to a fellow competitor who was walking. This race was about far more then time for my Soph girl. She finished strong, among loud cheers from her family.

After the race Soph and I were cooling off under a tent when she told me about the water. “I couldn’t catch my breath and I realized I couldn’t stand. I just panicked. Next time I won’t.”
My momma heart soared with pride. She was conquering her fears. She was teaching her momma that no matter how good we get at something the fear is always lurking. And sometimes it takes hold, but that doesn’t mean it has to drag you under. Nope, it just means you hang on, catch your breath, and plunge ahead.
“I think I did good.”
Closing my eyes smiling, “ I think you did awesome.”


Have you conquered any fears recently?

Passion

“What is passion and what does it feel like?” The question came from one of my daughters.

I responded with, “Feeling strongly about something, so strongly that sometimes you get really excited about it.  Or sometimes it makes you blind to the other things around you. And sometimes it just makes you very happy”.

“Excited, like jumping up and down and yelling and screaming ?”

“Sort of like that, yes.”

“Blind like a horse wearing blinders and all he sees is what is in front of him?”

“Exactly.”

“And they very happy is when you are just enjoying every minute and smiling.”

“Sounds good.”

“Do you have passions Mom?”

“Yes.”

“I think I can guess them. Football is the excited kind. Sometimes you jump up and down and yell and scream while watching it, especially  Tech football.”

Laughing, “Okay, you are probably right.”

“Writing. It makes you blind sometimes. You sit on the computer and type and we can be running around screaming or trying to talk to you and all you see is what is in front of you. The computer.”

“Hmmm, you are probably right about that too.”

“And the happy kind. That is easy. You are passionate about  life, especially your family and friends.”

Darn, she’s good. I’m so glad we had that discussion.

What are your passions?

Play Dough Is a Writing Mommas Friend

It’s so very tempting to sit my kids down in front of the television for a movie or to let them play the afternoon away with the Wii, just so I can have a little time for me. Usually, I’m wanting to plot away on my newest writing venture. Sometimes, I just want a little time off  the “mom on the constant go” roller coaster. But, at the same time, I don’t want my kids brains fried from too much television or video games. I want them to know how to entertain themselves and let their imaginations soar at the same time.

I have a box of 24 colors of play dough sitting on our kitchen table. It was a family Christmas gift this last year. I believe it was a 5 dollar after Thanksgiving special I scored early on Black Friday.  And all I can say is it is proving to be as good of a deal as the 5 dollar waffle maker I bought at another Black Friday deal 12 years ago.

One day they started making these creations. I need to point out that Barbie is very popular with the 4 year old and her older sisters play along graciously, most days. I think on this particular day they were looking for a way to kick it up a notch or two.

     

 

They are very fashion savvy.

Next came the sculpting, which you do a lot of with play dough. But they took it a step further and created a story around their scene.

   

They happily told me a story to go along with each creation. Very nice, no brain frying here.

Then as I was bragging to WB about how creative and wonderful our children were he made a suggestion, Claymation. What? I asked. You know let them make movies. Oh yeah, right, Claymation. Why didn’t I think of that? Sweet WB set up the camera on a tripod by our arts and crafts table and the fun began. I need to note here that when WB was home he poured himself into this project. I happily retired to my bedroom, plopped myself down in front of my big window and wrote away.

This is what they have been creating:

Soph’s movie

 

Em’s video

 

Little One’s Worm

I love it! They are having a blast, I am a happy momma doing my thing and no brains are being fried! Play Dough is a writers friend.

How do you keep your kids entertained this summer so you can have some time to do your thing? I’ve got pencil in hand and will be taking notes.

Writing Your Love Story

I’m in the business of writing love stories. I’m also an avid reader of them as well. But I’ve come to realize the love story I enjoy writing the most is my own personal one.

Sometimes, as a writer, I struggle with plots and characters. I get bogged down in the conflict and story arch. All the technical stuff weighs heavily on my fingers as I try to type out the perfect story, the one everyone is dying to read. Struggling with the fact that my writing techniques are far from flawless, I get frustrated and worn down. There are times I have wanted to quit. Times I have walked away from the story. Put it on the shelf to come back to later. I tell myself I’m neglecting too many other things in my life to sit at the computer and write. Sadly, this can be said of my love story with my husband as well.

In my marriage, at times, I have gotten worn down. I have become tired of the constant effort it takes to have a successful union with my husband. I have kids to take care of, dogs to look after, household chores and errands to run. I have put my marriage on the shelf, too busy tending to other things. I’m a busy momma, who can argue with that?

Then there have been times when I have given it everything I thought I had, only to find failure. My husband failed me, I failed myself, or life failed us in some significant way. Failure and quitting, they go hand in hand, right?

Wrong.

Every successful writer talks of the roadblocks and rejection letters that were flung out before them. But they also talk about how the passion for their writing endured. The failures led to more passion, more focus on how to better their writing.  Failures, yes. Quitting, no. This, too, can be said of marriage.

At some point I realized that the failures in my marriage were actually an opportunity.  An opportunity to learn and grow. Sometimes the learning process took much longer than I would have liked. At times the failure had to be repeated several times before my husband and I “got it”. But “got it” we did and the passion was reignited.  Passion for one another and our marriage. 

I’ve learned that many things can be neglected. Laundry, dishes, grocery shopping are just a few on my list. But what can’t be neglected is my love story. Each day is a chance for me to write a new chapter, make each word count. And all you writers know, we count each word dearly!

I’ve been asked by some to share about my marriage. I’m humbled by that request and hope to blog about it once a week, along with my writing and my crazy family life. It’s all part of the story, my love story that is.

What is your biggest obstacle when writing your love story?

The Party Food

First, I have to apologize because I was so busy cooking and
WB was so busy entertaining that I don’t have very many pictures of the food. But, I do have the recipes for those who want to try them out.

The menu for my MIL’s 70th birthday party fell together after we had decided on the flowers and the casual/classy spin we were trying to take on things. Okay that, and the fact it is Texas and July so of course we had to do some sort of spicy meat thing. Let me share a couple of my entertaining secrets. First, look for dishes you can prep or mostly prepare ahead of time. This way you aren’t going crazy in the kitchen as your guests are arriving. Or find dishes that people can help you with. Another secret, I have my family favorite dishes I like to prepare and I have my “go to” cookbooks for entertaining. Two of my favorites are Ree Drummond /The Pioneer Woman’s Cookbook and Rebecca Rather’s Cookbooks.  Both are amazing cooks and both know how to entertain.

The menu for the party was Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork from the Pioneer Woman. It is so very simple to make. Just take a pork shoulder and salt and pepper it. Put it in a Dutch oven. Dump 2 cans Dr.Pepper, 1 can chipotle peppers with adobe sauce, one whole onion wedged and a couple tablespoons brown sugar in with the meat. Put it in the oven at 300 degrees and cook a 6-8 lb. roast for about 6 hours. I love this because anyone can make this, but everyone who tastes it thinks your amazing.

I served Jalapeno-Cilantro slaw with it, just like Ree suggested. You heap the pork and the slaw onto a toasted bun and you have a divine sandwich. I felt the need to explain to my guests just how to put their sandwiches together. They are family,  they are forced to love me and my instructions on eating.

Next up was the One Pot Cajun Potato Salad from Rebecca Rather’s Pastry Queen Party Cookbook. This, too, was super easy. Take a 1 lb. of red potatoes, cut in half if they are larger then a golf ball. Put in a pot of water and bring to a boil until tender. Drain. Add 3/4 cup butter, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir. Add 1/4 cup parsley leaves as garnish.

And it wouldn’t be a southern summer gathering if mason jars weren’t involved. Okay, it might be a southern gathering, but it wouldn’t be as much fun. The Layered Salad in a Jar was my favorites to make. This salad would be perfect for picnics and days at the beach. This also comes from Rebecca Rather.

First, you need pint size mason jars. You fill the first layer with cooked orzo and a little of the dressing.

Next, you layer with a cucumber, green onion, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and cherry tomatoes. The next layer is a mixture of feta cheese and oregano. On top of that add either baby spinach, arugula or a mix of baby greens. Last, sprinkle some toasted pine nuts on top. Drizzle with some of the dressing and screw on the lid.

The dressing is made by mixing 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2/3 cup olive oil, salt and pepper and 1 cup feta cheese.

These can be stored in the fridge for up to 6 hours before and when the guests pick them up all they have to do is shake and eat.

My mom and sister made a fruit salad served in a watermelon basket and we had homemade Pico de Gallo and chips, along with some yummy Sangria. The sangria was a mix of Pioneer Woman’s and my Dad’s additions (specifically, more alcohol).

It was just a wonderful weekend of eating, visiting, and having a good time together. I love weekends like that.

Do you have a recipe you like to make when you have a crowd? I’d love to hear it.

Celebrating A Special Birthday

A couple of weekend ago we had the honor of celebrating WB’s mothers 70th birthday in our new home. All of her sons and their families came in for the celebration, along with a surprise visit from her little brother. We had a wonderful time gathering together as a family. My parents and sister’s family were here as well. I love having people in my home, and I love it even more when I have my entire family under one roof. It just makes me smile and fills my heart with joy.

My mom came over to help me with the flower arrangements. I dream up these ideas and my mom makes them reality. I’ve had very few parties in which my mother was not there working like a crazy woman trying to help me put it all together. My dad is there too, we usually give him the kids to entertain. Couldn’t do it without them. Notice I am wearing white, yellow, and blue. That is important, there will be a quiz later. Okay, not really. NO quizzes today, it’s summer.

My mother-in-laws favorite flowers are carnations and sunflowers, which were fun to work with. I love putting together parties. Sometimes the theme comes from a favorite color, or place. This time the party ideas started with the flowers. I pictured casual fun, but classy too. Really, this describes my MIL perfectly, so it worked. I also pictured bright yellow and dark blue. Which lead me to forcing my parents, my husband and myself to drink lots of wine in blue bottles for weeks before the party.  I needed them for my sunflowers and they indulged, just for me of course.

The flower arrangement on the left came from my MIL’s bank up in Amarillo. I think it’s pretty wonderful costumer service to have your bank remember you and track down where your party is so they can send you flowers. The spirit of the panhandle is alive and well, and I miss it.

The birthday girl, doesn’t look a day over 59 does she?

We had a wonderful time canoeing, playing washers (WB’s dad brought this fun game) , and visiting. It was a wonderful weekend of good times.

The birthday girl and her first canoe ride with WB and Little One.

My beautiful sister-in-law and niece.My other beautiful sister-in-law and her daughter and little one.

Gator sighting. Everyone was waiting. Our little gator made an appearance, but our big momma gator waited until the day after everyone left to show up. Figures, she’s shy.

The whole crew!

In the next post I will tell you about the food. Food is always very important around here. I’ll post the recipes some have asked for too.