*tap tap* Is this thing on?

I shouldn't be surprised that it's been over a month since my last blog post.  I was mad at life.  Really mad at life.  I was determined to be miserably unhappy and wallow in my self-pity.  Clearly that approach wasn't successful.  I'm not that person who sees the glass as half empty.  I'm not.  Who was that alter-ego that controlled my thoughts and emotions over the past month? I don't know and I don't want to find out.  Good bye and good riddance.  Let's move forward.

Life is blessing to be cherished.  I'm going to go with that.

What a difference one year makes.

Last year we were sitting in a house with no HHG, sleeping on air mattresses, watching Netflix on laptops and Nooks and eating on plasticware.  We had just moved to Texas from Hawaii.  It was a culture shock.  It was a temperature shock.  A year a later and we're almost back to that same position.

I'm scared.  I am downright terrified.  I can't put one coherent thought together.  I can't eat.  I want to sleep every moment of the day. Logically, I know that we'll get through this but this is a painful process.  I need a moment to think and I'm running out of moments.

What's the right thing to do? I don't know.  Mr. Lovebug and I will figure this out together though, right? That's what I keep telling myself.

The future.

I am afraid of the future.  No matter how much I've planned for the moment, it never seems to go the way that I planned it.  I am not ready for the reality of what it means. There are many changes ahead for our family.  I am afraid that I will not be able to navigate such a big change that happens so quickly after the last one.  The last change was a doozy and this change will be no different.

Fear.  Fear of moving ahead.  Fear of staying behind.  Fear of making the wrong decision.  Fear of making the right decision too quickly.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear of failing to move forward.  Fear of staying where I am, and stagnant.

I know that the faith of a mustard seed will move mountains.  Yes.  I know this.  Feeling my faith after my faith has been shattered is a healing process for me.

I must move on... To heal.  To grow.  Sometimes that means embracing the unknown and trusting in the plan.  This is going to be a bumpy ride!

Wordless Wednesday.

I did it. I created a recipe!

I love cooking. Yes.  It's true.  I wouldn't have admitted that four years ago.  I've certainly come far! That being said, I'm afraid to create my own recipes.  I like to find recipes and use that as a base for the food I'm going to make.  I've never been adventurous enough to go into the pantry/freezer to say "OH! I know exactly what I'd like to do with this!" Yesterday I took a leap of faith and trusted myself enough to try something completely different.

The result was... A success? I guess.  I mean, it was edible.  I'd definitely make it again. Of course I would tweak it a bit as per the suggestions of my lovebugs.  But, it's something.  And I am ever so proud of myself for doing it.  I don't know that I'll be doing it again any time soon, LOL.

That's my proud moment of the weekend.  It's just been a whirlwind of chores since the road trip and I'm thankful for a Monday to catch up on the chores that I neglected over the weekend.

Mini Road-Trip!

On Thursday, we made another whirlwind road trip to Dallas.  We left around 0900, making a stop at Shipley Do-Nuts for our road trip tradition: sausage and cheese kolaches and donuts! The kolaches were simply delicious and probably my favorite item at Shipley. We packed snacks and lunch foods so that we could save money along the way but we always budget in a stop at Shipley.  You've got to enjoy the fun little things; it puts a smile into our day.

Best kolaches EVAR!

After the fiasco of the June road trip to Dallas, we opted to use the Austin toll road to bypass I35 traffic in Austin.  This proved to be the best decision of the day.  It shaved off a small chunk of time but the stress level was at a minimum which made the extra miles and money worth it.  Admittedly there is not much to see along the toll road so finding some good road tunes is a must.

80s pop? Yes, please.

Nothing to see here... Except corn that is dry and brown.

The car shade is broken, so a makeshift fort will have to hide Lola from the sun.

Yummy watermelon for an after lunch snack. Perfect.

Skyfall? YES! My second favorite Bond theme!

We arrived in Dallas just after 1400 and we weren't going to be able to check into our hotel until 1500.  Hubby decided to talk to them to see if they would be willing to let us check in early because it was an extended stay place.  Not only did they let us check in early, they had to move us to a smaller room which we got for less than the original room would have cost us. We settled into the room and headed down to the pool for a quick swim before meeting some friends at The Tilted Kilt.  We came back to the room after a quick trip to Target for some necessities and attempted to get Lola to bed.  Not only were we trying to get her calmed down enough to sleep, we had to feed the three-week-old puppies that we are fostering.  It was not an easy feat but we accomplished it!

Road trips are exhausting.

Sisters. :) 

Friday morning I went to the airport alone so that the others could sleep.  I arrived early and had plenty of time to spare because the plane was slightly delayed due to weather.  A lovebug arrived and we headed back to the hotel to get the others and head back to SATX.  Mass mayhem! We loaded up and were on our way! Nodding heads and snores filled the first half of the trip.  We stopped for lunch and to feed the puppies.  We arrived home around 1700 and all were in bed before 2100.  What a whirlwind trip.  

So exhausted!

The weekend has been spent cleaning and doing laundry.  The week will bring room organizing.  It's nice to have my lovebug home.  I am so thankful of the time that she spends in MN.  It's so good for the two of them.

I'll be spending the week finalizing school and menu plans.  Yikes! Exciting times.

Move on. Letting go. Keep moving forward.

I'd like to say that when issues come up that are from my past, I let go of them easily.  It's not the same with certain issues from Mr. Lovebug's past.  It's nothing new.  I can't change it.  Why do I feel the need to remind him of his mistakes every time that it comes up?

Good advice that I like to share with my kiddos.  Why can't I extend that sentiment to myself? What happens today doesn't define me.  It's just a snapshot of a day in my life.  Put it in the book and leave it there.  MOVE ON.  Let it be a small reminder to keep moving forward.

Through my flaws, I find beauty.  I am who I was meant to be.  It flaw is so carefully stitched together.  I am a masterpiece.  There is nobody else quite like me.  

And, this.  It really is important to move on.  Let it go.  KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

All that has happened in my thirty-five years of life has made me the person that I am.  I am not perfect.  I get angry.  I get sad.  I say mean things out of frustration.  I can't let the past stop me from moving forward. Letting go and forgiving... easy to say yet hard to do.  May this be a constant, gentle reminder to KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Courage: The small voice that says "Try again tomorrow."

Another day.  I'm awake.  I'm alive.  That's the best that I can hope for.  This summer has been somewhat more difficult for me than last summer.  Last summer was busy, filled with PCS preparation.  This summer, while still busy, has been hard on me emotionally.  I thought that saying good bye to my friends in HI was going to be the most difficult thing that I've had to do in a long time.  I was wrong.  Living with the reality of what it means to be here has been harder than I could have imagined.

I need to make changes in my life.  Food. Exercise. Social interaction.  I need to change my outlook on the situation.  I need to cultivate my relationship with my husband.  We have struggled quite a bit this year and our relationship is bruised but not broken.  We can heal.  We will heal.  It's not going to be instantaneous.  It'll take work.  It'll take time.  We're worth it.

So, everyday that I wake up and I'm alive is a successful day.  And sometimes, at the end of the day, you just have to say "I'll try again tomorrow."

Summer in Texas. HOT HOT HOT

In my thirty-five years of life, I have lived in six states: MN, WA, NC, CO, HI and TX. I have experienced several different weather elements.  MN has unbearable winters because of the cold and unbearable summers because of the humidity.  WA has mild winters and even milder summers but lots of rain.  NC has a mild winters with little snow and somewhat cooler temperatures and summers that bring heat, humidity and bugs that together are moderately annoying but manageable.  I spent only late summer/early fall in CO and have no complaints about the weather in any way.  HI is a near perfect 80 degrees in every season and the only changes you really notice is the rain that comes more often during the rainy season which is October-April. TX winters have vastly different temperatures from day to day and while it doesn't snow, it certainly gets cold enough to and the summers have had the warmest temperatures that I have ever encountered, reaching the triple digits.

It's safe to say that summer in Texas is HOT HOT HOT.  There isn't a problem with humidity which I am thankful for but the heat does get unbearable.  Yesterday it was a high of 97 and I've got the AC set to 75 during the day but it felt like the AC was running all day.  I'm trying to save some money on the heating and cooling bill but I don't think that the AC running all day is helping the cause at all. Not only is hot, there aquifer level is low so this means very little relief from running through a sprinkler.  Some of my fondest childhood memories involve running through the sprinkler.  I'd love it if my children could experience the same happy memories.

Summertime is grilling season.  Unfortunately, we left our grill behind in the last PCS.  We didn't think that it would make the trip across the ocean because of the condition that it was in.  While we were living in HI, we used the grill almost daily.  I miss it.  There is something wonderful about the taste of charred chicken.  I don't enjoy standing over the stove in the summertime because it feels much hotter. That being said, I've found my kitchen mojo again and started to get creative with the meals again.  It feels good.  I love that I have had more successes with new recipes than not lately.  I feel a sense of direction again.  It's pulling me out of the funk.  I just wish that it wasn't so hot!

The point of this rambling post is that we may be put in circumstances or places that we don't necessarily want to be.  How you handle them is up to you.  If you want to be miserable about the situation, be miserable.  But, in the end all you will be is miserable.  Is it worth it? Maybe.  Maybe not.  I know that I was (and still am, at times) madder than heck about being "stuck" in Texas.  I didn't want to enjoy myself.  I didn't want to have FUN.  I was unhappy about leaving my "framily" in HI.  I was angry about orders changing at the last minute.  I was angry about all the crap that transpired as a result of us moving here.  So, I wallowed in my misery.  And, I still do form time to time.  Then I realized that just because nothing can change for a few years, I can absolutely change my outlook on it.  That's what I'm doing.  Slowly but surely I am finding my motivation, inspiration and mojo.  I don't have to like it here but I do have to live here.

I'll be sharing some of the recent recipes on the blog in the upcoming days.  Thank you to those that are reading this blog.  It means a lot to me.  It's not much, but, it's a spot where I can release a lot of what I'm feeling.  Life is messy and I'm no exception.

Foto Friday.

Let's re-cap the past week in pictures.

Fourth of July snuggles with my littlest lovebug.

Sauce for the "fireworks" sausage!

Week five summer read!

Manicure Monday! OPI: Pussy Galore + NYC Starry Silver Glitter

Dinner and beer! Paulaner Munchen Hefe-weizen and baked chicken taquitos.

Summer is in full swing!

Life has been crazy busy this week with the arrival of C.  We enjoyed some time with T-rav before he had to head back to work.  I'm prepping for school in the upcoming weeks and I've been consumed by psychology lectures.  Lola has been playing hard!

We went to the Bussey Flea Market off of I-35 on Saturday.  It was HUGE.  I think that I liked it more than I like Trader's Village.  I feel like Trader's Village is TOO big and there is a lot of "commercialized" items that didn't necessarily interest me.  At the Bussey Flea Market, I found more vintage items and personal stuff and I didn't feel forced to buy anything.  We found a Belle dress, Cinderella dress and tea set for Lola.  After the flea market, we headed downtown so our friend could find some souvenirs.

After walking around for an hour or so, we decided that we were hungry.  The Riverwalk is not lacking restaurants but sometimes it is difficult to come to a decision that everyone agrees with.  We ended up walking to Mi Tierra.  It felt like it was a long walk to get there, but I think that's because we were all hungry, hot and tired.  Mi Tierra has THE BEST homemade flour tortillas that I have ever tasted.  I mean, they were delicious clouds of tortilla. I wanted to take some home with me. After dinner we had to make the walk back to the parking garage to get the car and it went much quicker.  We dropped off our buddy and headed home and went straight to bed.  Pretty much. It was a good time.

Now it's just been go, go, go with random summer things to keep us busy.  I'm exhausted and we aren't even out of the month of June, yet!

Mini road trip to Austin

On Tuesday we had to drive up to Austin to pick up C lovebug who will be spending six weeks of her summer with us.  Traffic on I-35 can be a bear and the rain was in the distance so we decided to leave early to allow us plenty of time to get up there to find the airport and relax before her flight came in.

The traffic was fairly light; we hit the bulk of traffic around the airport and on the I-35 S headed home.  We arrived with plenty of time so I googled "things to do in Austin." On the first page were a lot of trails, the University of Texas-Austin (hook 'em horns!) and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  We opted for the LBJWC.  I plugged the directions into Apple Maps and we were led in the most roundabout way to get there.  It's no surprise that I have a love/hate relationship with my phone and its gpsing capabilities, or lack thereof. When we arrived, Lo was fast asleep and hadn't been asleep for very long.  We thought that she'd be cranky but she was rather happy to be outside and walking around!

We went to the entrance to pay the admission fee and found out that it was free for us because Mr. Lovebug is active duty Air Force and LBJWC was participating in the Blue Star Museums program running from May 27 through September 2, offering free admission to military members and their families.  Lo couldn't wait to get started on the "tour." It's a self-guided tour and there are lots of flowers and trees to see.  There is also a building, The Children's Little House in which the little ones can play and learn.  Lo found a pot with sand and a shovel in it; she immediately picked up the shovel to start digging.  I think that was her favorite part.  We had two hours to spare but to fully enjoy the LBJWC, I'd give it a full day.  There is so much to see and do.  Another favorite spot for Lo was the insectary; she loved seeing the caterpillars!

After double-checking the itinerary, we found that C's flight was coming in an hour earlier than we thought so we cut the visit to LBJWC short and trekked over to the airport. Parking was a mess and it was quite a walk to the terminal.  Just as we entered the terminal, she called us to let us know that her plane had landed.  Whew! Made it just in time! We picked up her bag and headed home with a stop to Sonic for happy hour.

It was a wonderful trip to Austin and we are excited to plan another visit!

Summer shuffle

The last few weeks of May were busy with end of school year/summer shuffle prep.  Testing, recognition ceremony, field trips, and school programs. OH MY! It was a whirlwind and there was a lot going on.  I mean, there was hardly a moment to breathe.  STAAR results came out and A. lovebug scored as well as were anticipating.  I find that she has so much test anxiety that I'm not as concerned with her test scores as I am about her daily work scores. Her daily work scores tell me so much more.  She ended the school year on the A Honor Roll and I am so proud of her!  She has had a rough year and she continued to thrive in spite of everything. She is an amazing girl. AND she promoted to fifth grade which she worked really hard for.  I'm glad that the school year is over and the summer vacation has begun.

Summertime brings the "summer shuffle" where we send one child off to the other parent and the other children come in to spend the summer down here.  We had to drove A to Dallas so she could fly out from there. We stayed at a hotel for the night and enjoyed breakfast at The Original Pancake House.  We arrived at the airport four hours early and A started her anxious pacing and worrying that she wasn't going to make it to the gate on time but it all worked out okay in the end! We met up with friends of Mr. Lovebug and had dinner and drinks at the Meddlesome Moth.  It was a bit fancier than we were expecting and not really kid friendly but it was nice to get together and chat.  It was the first time that I had met this particular friend.

The drive back to San Antonio was much quicker than the drive up to Dallas.  We arrived home just before 1 AM.  We were all tired and spent the day resting.  Now it's just hanging out and doing our thing until we go up to Austin to pick the other child.  Ahhhh, bless the summer shuffle and the opportunity to spend time together.

The summer will be busy but we'll have plenty of time for R & R.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Anticipation

The promotion to Msgt list comes out this week.  This is Mr. Lovebug's first year testing for it so he is skeptical that he made the list.  I'd like to think positively.  This promotion would be a good step in his career and he could ride that out until retirement.  If he doesn't make it, he could test again next year but he risks hitting high year tenure.

All of these things are important when making decisions about retirement, the future and financial planning.  I'll be on pins and needles until the list comes out.  I am proud of him, no matter what.  He is diligent, loyal and focused.

Picnic with my lovebugs

Yesterday we took a day trip to the Guadalupe River; we had a picnic lunch.  It was a lovely day of exploring.  I snapped a few pictures but as many as I usually do.  It was nice to get out and about!

Dinner dash

I've lost the kitchen mojo.  It's no secret that cooking and I have had a rocky relationship.  I had no desire to learn how to cook as a young girl.  My early twenties consisted of quick boxed meals.  I'm sure that my first husband would tell you that he did 95% of the cooking; he'd be right. When I became a single mother, I thought that it would be prudent to learn some kitchen skills so that my daughter wouldn't starve.  It was still fairly basic, but, it was something.

Fast forward to August 2008.  I met my husband and he showed me how to enjoy cooking.  Since then, spending time together in the kitchen is soothing.  We'll open a beer or a bottle of wine and work together on a new recipe.  It's therapeutic.  We share the trials and triumphs of the day.  We laugh at the silly things the other does.  We dance.

Even though I've come a long way with my skills, there are times when I have nothing prepared.  Call it being in a slump, I just have no desire to cook.  Maybe it's the weather? I don't know.  I do know that I am hit with the dinner slump more often than not lately.  On days like that I have to do what's called the dinner dash.  Find something that will defrost quickly and find a recipe that will be a crowd pleaser.

Last night's dinner dash resulted in Crispy Onion Chicken and Golden Parmesan Roasted potatoes.  The bulk of the prep was spent defrosting the chicken.  Normally I'd pull it out in the morning and let it defrost during the day and cook it in the evening.  Clearly that didn't happen yesterday.  I didn't let that stop my mojo from happening.  And, I'm glad that I didn't.  Dinner was a success! Even my toddler enjoyed it.

I'll call this a DINNER SUCCESS.  Thank you very much.

Budget-minded, craft-oriented and F3 adventures

It's no secret that we were not financially prepared for the PCS from HI to TX.  Of course, there is a lot that I could have done in hindsight but it doesn't serve any purpose for me to berate myself over the coulda/shoulda/woulda. With that, I think that I might change the focus of this blog to budgeting and fitting forced family fun into that budget.  F3 should not have to suffer because the money coming in is less than it was.

I've realized that I let the stress overwhelm me to the point that I just can't find a solution.  That's not who I am.  I am stronger than that. I can get through this "dry" period and be stronger for it.  I can teach my children the value of a dollar.

So, with that, I'm going to be sharing recipes, crafts and F3 activities that our blended family has done/will do together.  Also be on the look-out for "Cooking with Princess Cranky Pants" video segments.

35.

In honor of my upcoming birthday and celebrating 35 years of life, I'll share 35 things about me. This may be difficult.  I don't know that I will be able to finish them all.

1. I am the middle child of five.

2. I am an Aries, though I fit the characteristics of a Taurus far more often.

3. My favorite color is pink.  It used to be purple and I'm starting to lean toward blue as a favorite.

4. I am my father's daughter.  I think that I am the female version of him.  I miss him a lot.

5. I have had three pregnancies that lead to two live births.

6. I am afraid of elevators and avoid them if at all possible.

7. I have the same aversion to grates on city sidewalks.

8. My favorite food of all time is mashed potatoes.  I could eat mashed potatoes with almost anything.

9. I had severe hearing loss as an infant/toddler.  This was corrected by an adenoidectomy at age 2.

10. I don't like chocolate and will consume it very rarely and in extreme circumstances.

11. I've been married twice. God-willing, this will be my last marriage.

12. I have lived in six different states: MN, WA, NC, CO, HI and TX.

13. I have one sister and three brothers.
14. Red Velvet Cake is one of the only chocolate cakes I will eat.
15. My favorite cake is angel food cake.
16. Escalators are evil and I try to avoid them if I can.
17. I have three girls and one boy.
18. I am predominantly left-handed but I write with my right hand.
19. I have had my driver's license for 19 years.
20. I have never broken a bone.
21. I disliked beer until I moved to SATX.
22. I won't drink "cheap" beer and I prefer a hefeweisen.
23. Spending time in my kitchen is cathartic for me.
24. I didn't know how to cook/bake very well until I met my current husband. We love to cook together.  It's a way for us to reconnect at the end of the day.
25. I am 5'2" which means that I am only about 2" taller than my nine-year-old.
26. I am a reality TV junkie.  I can't help it.
27. I bought my first "brand new" vehicle last year.
28. I am a loyal Apple user.
29. My last pregnancy was not a pleasant experience and it lead to the decision that we were done having children.  I am sad about that from time to time.
30. My favorite number is 4.
31. Mayo is my condiment of choice and I will have mayo as a side for a lot of things.
32. I love to read and have been known to read 20 books in two weeks.
33. After living in a warmer climate for so long, I think it would be difficult to go back to cooler weather.
34. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.
35. I love being a mom even though I'm not very good at it.

If it wasn't so funny, I'd cry.

Last week was an emotional week for me.  I was mad, sad, angry, frustrated, elated, happy, unhappy and several other emotions that I can't name.  It was rough.  It wasn't just hard on me, it was hard on my family.  I realize that I'm a bear to live with if I'm being an emotional wreck. I'd like to stop the cycle.

On Thursday, my anger escalated into sheer silliness.  I started an argument with my husband about LAUNDRY of all things.  And, I don't mean that it was about who does it, how it's done, blah blah blah.  I mean that I picked a fight about where the baskets are located and when the laundry should be put away.  Common sense type stuff.  And in the midst of yelling and crying, I burst out into laughter because I realized how ridiculous I sounded.  What? Who argues about laundry???

Laundry was the small issue.  There was something deeper down that is the root of my angst.  I know this, I just don't know exactly what it is.  I've got a lot of issues that I'm thinking about and I can't seem to put them neatly in their boxes where they belong.  I'm trying and I know that I'll get it eventually.  It just seems like this is a process that is going to take forever.  I'll need a lot of patience and love from my family.  Together we'll work this out.

For now, I will keep plugging away and trying not to pick fights about laundry.

Hello, April!

I am so glad that it is finally April! I believe that a new month, no matter which month it is, brings new growth.  It's like having a reset button every 28, 30 or 31 days.  This month is a very busy birthday month for us.  I guess that I need to brush the dust off of my craft crates! Our budget for birthday gifts is low this year, so, it's going to be a homemade year.

We had a busy last week of March.  My mom came to visit and we took her on a brief tour of San Antonio.  We couldn't get everything done that we wanted to so the rest will have to wait until she comes for another visit.

Now it's time to play catch up.  With everything.  I'd like to start with a nap.

Wordless Wednesday

Monday's Musings...

1. The weekend is never long enough.  There is always something left undone.  And, it was Spring Break last week so technically I shouldn't have anything left to do because I had all week to do it.  There are no words.

2. Mornings have been difficult for me since the pregnancy.  I can't explain it, but, I feel tired  in the morning and it sets the tone for the day.  It's generally my favorite time of day because I get a moment to myself so I can start the day properly.  I'm not a happy person if I don't get that quiet time.  I really need to make a change so that I can make my mornings happier.

3. Even SuperMoms feel overwhelmed.  We can't do everything perfectly. It's a pipe dream, but, the reality is that we do the best that we can with the resources we have.  That's what makes us SuperMom.

4. I can't get through an episode of Grey's Anatomy without crying.  I've tried.  It's pointless to try anymore. It's okay; it doesn't stop me from watching it.

5. I'm glad that Lo's weekend nap strike didn't carry over to the week.  That would have been bad.

6. I'm feeling hopeful today.  That's all. And that's the best thing that I can hope for.

Lazy day Thursdays

It's been Spring Break this week and we are enjoying it! Princess Cranky Pants was battling a cold at the beginning of the week and I was battling something unknown.  Lola was being a spitfire and I just didn't have the energy to chase after her.

It's been a lazy week, but, it is a much needed lazy week.  It gives us time to get well without taking away from school time.  We've watched movies, taken naps, done manicures and anything else that strikes our fancy.

I love these moments!

Operation Date Nights 2013

As part of my 2013 resolutions, I vowed to have at least one date night per month with my husband.  When TSgt Lovebug and I got married in 2009, we were already a pre-made family.  He brought two kiddos into the marriage and I brought one.  It can be a struggle to find "alone" time when you're starting off with kidlets.  You forget that you need to keep your relationship alive and that before you were parents you were YOU.  Don't forget that.

I can count on two hands how many times the husband and I have had a date night in the last four years.  Is it a sad reality? Yes.  Yes it is.  It is a sad reality that we let the stress of life stop us from rekindling US or cultivating US.  I'm going to change that. That is why I've resolved to bring back date nights! And, I'm doing this with the help of Pinterest.

We've had two dates since Christmas.  The Hobbit at Alamo Drafthouse and dinner at Two-Step.  I know that it's not much, and that we're already in March but it is a start and that is what matters.

I'm off to scour Pinterest for inexpensive date night ideas.  There is a plethora of information out there.  Finding ways to reconnect won't be difficult.  Following through is the toughest aspect of this.  We can do this.  We WILL do this.  For us.  For our children.

Keepin' it Real.

Life has been crazy busy, crazy stressful and super emotional lately.  We decided that it would be good to have a "forced family fun" weekend.  F3 stopped awhile back and it wasn't intentional.  It seems that we just became happy with the status quo and somehow wallowing in our sadness and self pity.  What a shame.

Saturday we futzed around town, running a few errands.  We stopped at PetSmart and Wal-Mart. I am not a huge fan of Wal-Mart but I was in search of tea lights and the package I needed was there.  Normally I would go out of my way to go somewhere else.  It's not that the prices are bad, it's just mass mayhem every time that we go and I get overwhelmed.  It's not good.

That evening, we rented Frankenweenie from Redbox and had a fried chicken dinner.  It wasn't healthy, but it was tasty!  We all enjoyed Frankenweenie.  It wasn't as good as Hotel Transylvania, but, it was good.  We prepped for bed and I don't think that anyone stayed awake much longer than that.

We received word that my brother and sister-in-law became the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl! She was born at 2357 and weighed 7 lbs 11.5 oz and was 18 inches long.  She is a welcome addition to the family.  Her two older brothers are going to take care of her for sure.  With her birth, Lo is no longer the youngest grandchild and this also means that my mother is Grandma to nine girls and three boys! How fun!

Sunday brought daylight-saving-time.  This is the first time since 2008 that I've had to spring forward and I did NOT like it.  It seems to have zapped all of the energy out of me.  We had a moderately lazy morning and decided to have a little bit of adventure downtown.  We had tickets for the riverboat tour that we purchased not long after we arrived in San Antonio and just had not had the time to use them.  The weather was perfect for it on Sunday.  We loaded the girls into the car and drove downtown.

We had a wonderful day walking along the riverwalk and taking in all of the history and architecture.  We had a wonderful tour and ended the adventure with ice cream for ICE CREAM DAY which is another tradition that fell by the wayside when we got here.

It was a great day and a great reminder that no matter what life throws at you, you gotta keep it real.  If you let life overwhelm you, you'll never get anything but sadness and heartache. And that is NEVER worth it.

We needed a day like this for our family to reconnect.

I'll leave it with some pictures.