23 May 2011

Pretty In Pink

Deep down we all want the fairy tale,
Where dreams and faith prevail.
We can go there any time we wish to break loose,
The fact that we’re grown now isn’t an excuse.
It’s a place where chasing your dreams is never a crime,
If only we could live once upon a time…
 

My baby girl went to her Junior-Senior prom last weekend.

Isn't she purty?

These fab shoes are a comfy alternative to the 5" heels she usually sports.  Something between a tennis shoe and a ballet shoe.  They're pliable and comfortable.  They're sweetly feminine, in a soft pink color.  The bows are satin ribbon of silver with white dots.  Quirky, styling, and unexpected to wear with a satin, beaded gown.  I LOVE.


Groupe d'amateurs de style bal de St Joseph (l'école de Dieu.)




These are Maggie's favorite boys.  She's not only their Auntie, she's their favorite babysitter.


Now, all they need are tuxes!

A little aerobic exercise to get the nerves settled.  



A quick snapshot of Maggie with her little niece Emma. When Emma grows up she wants to be a Princess and live in a pink castle.  I think if she hangs around with Auntie enough it just might happen. They're off to a wishful start.

I think that fairy tales can still come true.  How about you?

Blessings,

Tia





20 May 2011

I'm Bad To The Bone

I'm bad.  Bad to the bone.  

Lest, due to my mushy, Hallmark type posts you all think I'm just a dull, mama, grammy, wifey, sweet hearted type, I'm here to steer you in the right direction. I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me.  I keep up with the best of them.  Just ask any of my friends.  Don't ask any of my friends.

As you can see here, I'm nothing like my posts.  Absolutely not.  I'm wild and insane and I drink and cuss and I ride around pose in the driveway
on fast dangerous biker bikes!

See here?  I have a bottle of beer right there in my hands.  Next thing you know I'll drink it.  Yeah.  I'll probably drink it.  I might drink it.  Okay, I doubt I'll drink it.  After all I'm driving this big, bad bike and all.

What do ya think?  Have I changed your mind?  Do you now have a better picture of the how I really get down/hang-loose/roll?  Just keepin' it real.

P.S.  Thanks for letting me play on your bike David.

Love you more than a cockapoo.  Shoot, I lied again.  I don't love anything more than a cockapoo.

Tia

17 May 2011

I'm Prompted To Write A Love Letter


One of the blogs I read regularly is, "Mama's Losing It".  Over at Mama Kat's, she gives writing prompts for those who might like a little inspiration to post more often. Check out Mama Kat's writing prompts here.  I don't know where this lady gets all her ideas, but she's one creative and hysterically funny blogger.  You've got to go check her site if you're not familiar with her already.  I especially love her vlog's.  This one slays me.  Rudy the Labradoodle  /  Seriously, when I am laughing my head off whilst sitting at my computer someone in my family inevidbly comments, "you must be watching a Mama Kat vlog again."  Yep, and you should too.  It's good for your soul to laugh that hard.    Her most recent vlog is about her movement to stop the word, "Woot."  You gotta love her.  I do, and for the first time, I'm going to use one of her prompts and write a post on it. 
  
 Write a love letter to someone (some thing?) you love.


Dear first daughter and son-in-law,
Thank you for giving me 6 beautiful grandchildren, including this most recent, fat, bald one here.  You're lucky I haven't eaten her yet, she's so delectable.  Can you just taste those cheeks people?

Tara, you are the mom every mom should strive to be.  Patient, loving, kind, self sacrificing and always willing to seek wisdom and grow.  Not only that, you are as beautiful today as the day you were born.  My daughter with the golden curls.  Your mommy loves you.

First you had the good sense to choose for a husband the most awesome, giving man of character, virtue, and strength this side of your dad.  I've said it before and I'll say it again. I couldn't have hand picked a better man for you to be married to. (Note to self:  self, write a thank you note to Jason's parents for raising such an amazing husband for my daughter and father to my grandchildren.) The beautiful thing is, you know how wonderful he is and appreciate him and together you are the strength and example of how to raise great kids every day.

Also, I want to thank you and Jason for the rest of these, my grandchildren.  You've blessed me with riches more valuable than gold.

They are the smartest, funniest, most well behaved and obviously cutest kids on the face of the earth.









Dear second daughter and future son-in-law,
Whoops!  Did I forget to tell y'all that my Katie girl is marrying her beau?  Sorry, it's an html, blogger, technicality issue.  I've written no less than 5 hours worth of post material in the past couple of weeks, all to mysteriously disappear or have major glitches so they didn't publish.  A girl can only power through so much of that nonsense without going in the closet, curling into a fetal position and sucking her thumb  walking away and hoping that Blogger comes to its senses before she just gives up and goes back to old fashioned journaling.  But seriously, I'll definitely keep you updated and write a nice, juicy blog post on these two soon.  They have a whole love story of their own and there's nobody I'd rather share it with than you guys.  We're counting off the days until 12th November when they walk down the isle forever.

Ah...young love

I would be remiss if I didn't properly introduce you to my future son-in-law, even before I write a post on him and my sweet pea and how he's stealing her from me.

1.   He graduated from University of Texas the same week my daughter graduated from University of Dallas.  He loves Texas but he has the good sense and fear respect for the needs of his future mother in law, to bring her darlin' girl back to live by her mommy in San Diego.
2.    He is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico and is, as we speak, looking for a good job out here in California.  Anybody need an educated, good looking, CPA qualified businessman to add to the productivity of their company? He double majored in finance and ummm, something else my daughter tells me is equally important but, right now I just can't take my eyes off that cute bite sized dog. That little tidbit belongs to Justin's mom.  Do you think that means when my daughter and Justin get married, Lola will be my little puppy-in-law?  But I regress.
3.    Justin is a good Catholic boy who understands the value of faith in marriage.  Not only that, his grandfather played tennis in the olympics in his day and Justin followed in his footsteps and played tennis on scholarship in college.  Plus, he mans a mean kayak, is learning to surf, has two cute sisters whom I plan on match-making with equally cute single boys I know - shhh, don't tell them yet.

This is Kate with her future in laws.  Such a precious family we decided to keep them all!  So, did I tell you how cute his sisters' are?  Jennifer is the one in the orange and yellow dress on the left, and Jessica is the sweetie in the bright blue dress second from the right.  Justin's mom is immensely attractive too, so much so that you can barely tell she's not one of Justin's sisters but, I think the smiling gentleman in the middle, her husband the one in the Kaki pants, might have something to say about me match making for her.  Just saying. Anyway, I think our families are going to be a match made in heaven.  I love how their son loves my daughter and how welcoming they have been to her and to us, her rag-tag family unit.

Dear laddie, my boyo, my first born son,
Nobody loves you like I do.  Except God, who was smiling so big on me the day you were born that my heart has been glowing ever since. You are everything a mother could wish for her son to be.  Kind, responsible, filled with love for others, devoted to your family, loyal to your friends, pet lover, dog sitter, best uncle in the universe, and a boy who has turned into a man with the biggest heart I know in just less than 21 years.  You know what you stand for and you are true to yourself and others.  I can't wait to see what else you do with your life.  I know you think I'm joking when I whisper in your ear during every mass when you are home, (pshttttt - Coopie has God been talking to you lately?  Is Our Father calling you?  Better check your Blackberry just in case.)  But, seriously.  I love you Cooper.  Just because you're you.


Dear second son,
It is for you whom I prayed.  "Father, send me the child who needs me the most."  You, a boy so full of energy and contradiction that it wears people out.  So funny and forgiving and fatally handsome that your magnetism leads people to put much faith in you.  What will you do with your life now that you are about to become a man of 18 years?  Who will you become?  I know you will make a difference in this world. One of your best traits is what a hard worker you are.  You have given me grace, patience and hope.  You are the gift I prayed for.  I love you son.

Dear baby girl,
I am apologizing now for the fact that your papa and I will always call you baby.  Your brothers and sisters will always call you baby.  Sorry, you'll always be our baby no matter how grown up you are getting.  Stop it.  Stop it now.  Who am I gonna watch NCSI with when you fly the coop? With nobody here to tell me when to shut my eyes to avoid the gore, I'll be forever banished to the home improvement channel.

 I am in awe of your fashion sense, even though I have to make you take it down a notch now and again. You are the only girl I know who skateboards in high heels and makes it look fun.  You are my girl on a skate board, in heels, and goofy to boot! She's a corker friends.  You really must go read about her because you'll fall in love with her too.

My baby makes an apple pie from scratch that is the best dessert ever.  Anywhere. And she'll make it whenever you ask her.  And we ask her.  A lot.  Just look at the roll around my tummy to see it's true!

Darling girl, you are growing up way too fast.  Please remember who you are and what your parents stand for and stop growing up so fast.  Stay here and be our baby forever and wear your pink ballet/tennis shoes and make your pies, and steal boys hearts but save yours for your mommy and daddy.


Dear Husband,
 Father of our children, love of my life.  What, where, why, who would I be without you?  You have given me everything I've ever wished for.  You've made all my dreams come true.  Such as:

Living life beside me in a cottage by the sea.

You indulge my every whim.  And I have a lot of whims.


You gave me all of these.


 What the heck were you thinking?

I love you because you've been down on your knees beside me praying every time the need be.  We've been through it all and back again.  Together.  You and me.  You make me laugh and cry and I am in awe that you can juggle your life and make it all work.  Beautifully.  Every single day.  

And besides all that
 You have a great butt.

My precious, precious family.  I'm writing this love letter for you because, just in case I don't say it enough - I LOVE YOU.

This love letter has been brought to you by the sacrament of marriage and the graces it provides.  You're welcome.


03 May 2011

Kate Middleton & I Are Just Alike

Kate Middleton, I mean Princess Catherine and I are just alike. Seriously,  
though, she and I both attended her wedding even though I brought my pups.

And just keep reading because I'm going to tell you all the other ways we are just alike, she and I.


First, I'd like to thank my pup Bailey who was so loyal and kind as to get up from her peaceful slumber and watch every moment of the Royal Wedding with me.  Even bribing them with the promise of breakfast at our favorite cafe my persuasive personality couldn't talk my daughter's or husband into sharing the nuptials of Princess Diana's baby son Will's with me.  I watched Diana's wedding 30 years ago and wept for the romance of it all.  I was enraptured when she gave birth to her first son William.  I think I may have sent her a congratulations card.  I grieved when she was killed in that horrific car accident, as though I knew her personally.  Of course I was going to have first row seats at the wedding of her son and his beloved. I'm not only a hopeless romantic, I'm a sentimental sap. 


This one pretended to watch with us but I think he was there in spirit only; what do you think?  Typical male.  It was after all, the middle of the night.

I believe the whole thing started (on the West Coast) @ 3:00 am., but I was up bright eyed and enthusiastically premature ready to watch at midnight.  Obviously, patience isn't my greatest virtue.


 I'm here for ya mom!

"Thanks, Bay's.  I knew I could count on someone you."

Anyway, back to the ways in which I relate to Kate Middleton, now Princess of Wales.  Compare and see.

1.     I'm Irish
        She's... not

2.     She drives a Bentley
        I drive a 12 year old minivan

3.     Over one billion people watched her get married
        Over 100 people watched me get married

4.     She'll never have to make another bed in her life
        I'm making mine in between writing this post

5.     Her complexion is that of an English rose
        I'm trying to fix mine with wrinkle repair cream

6.     Once, as a romantic gesture, Prince William landed his helicopter
        in her garden
        Once, my husband left his emergency break off and landed his truck
        in our neighbor's pool

7.     Catherine looks stunning in a hat
        My head's to fat for a hat

8.     Kate has an impeccable English accent
        I can fake an impeccable English accent

9.     My 3 year old granddaughter sports a Tierra
        Princess Catherine now dons a real tierra

10.   Kate is the princess of her castle
        I've always considered myself been the QUEEN at my house

A-Woooooooooo
I know Bailey - I know.  I guess we're not that alike after all but, a girl can dream can't she?  After all, I did have a front row seat at the wedding.


 Ooh my.


Sniff, Snuffle, Sniff.


Whatever mom.

How about we'll just settle for the fact that she's a commoner and I'm a commoner.  NO?  Not anymore?  Okay then, and I know I'm spot on this one...  I'm old enough to be her mother.  Enough said.

My heartfelt congratulations to Prince William and his Princess Kate.  The pups and I wish you a lifetime of profound joy, good health and, well, I guess the wealth thing is a given.

Also,
An old Irish Blessing:

May God Sleep On Your Pillow
Slainte!

Blessings,

Tia