Trying her out!

What a month!

July 2015 was FILLED with goodness!

Thanks to:

My precious sister Susan who worked and played with me as we 

made the move from 1001B/storage to 2606.

(Two of my sweetest memories:  

Her telling me I deserved a new chair instead of trying to

make the old ones work...thanks, Suz. 

And, hearing her precious, nurturing Mimi/teacher voice as she played 

with Sawyer in his room while I rested in the den.)

My dear, forever-friend Mary who flew in 

to help me feather my nest...

and we did!

(Fun memory:  I sneezed, and she said, "Thank you." LOL)

The kind folks at the DOMINION, Chelsea, Cindy, Allison, Trae, & Ned,

who have helped me get settled in.

The guys at the Toyota store who helped me find HOPE.

The Plainsmen movers who moved all the stuff they'd once moved 

from the Sweet 16 House to storage back OUT of storage and over to 2606.

They were patient and kind throughout the process, 

and, of course, they got paid.

But, Susan and I both appreciated their good attitudes as we changed 
our minds, and as they carried out loose toys and odds and ends 

that never really made it into boxes.

Mia & Pa for coming in to keep the boys while Mary was here.

Ed & Virginia for a much-needed weekend time-out in Austin.

Friends who were first to bless my new home:

The Clarks from Athens

Joy, Donna, Pat, & Rita from Lubbock

My sweet Lubbock family:  Zack, Shan & the Boys

And the kindnesses of strangers along the way...

i.e. the nice young man who showed me how to open one of those 

feisty little plastic bags at the vegetable counter.

(Had it been that long since I'd shopped for vegetables?  Yikes!)

And Rolanda, my friend who has supported and coached me 
through my Whole30 experience, 

which would explain my presence at the vegetable section at United.

And the sweet friends who have sent love and encouragement
in the meantime:

Marsha, Marilyn, Debi, Tenna, Rae, Karla, Cheryl

I am so blessed!

(Oh, and somewhere in there, I got crowned!)

Hope Is Here

 Measuring for HOPE

 She fits!

Welcome Home

The Great White HOPE

Baby Banker

On the way home from school, Caleb styled his hair

and called him this!

Paw-Paw Play

 Look where Caleb put this crystal wine stopper...

 and look what we have!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

TaDa for ToDay!

Well, at least it's organized...sort of!

Next big project is

TOYLAND!

(SEE MIDDLE:  HOW IN THE WORLD DID THAT HAPPEN?)

Lots of things are going UP or OUT, so when all is said and done,

I do believe I'll be able to get a car in this garage.

Stay tuned...

 The chair on the left is the first piece of furniture Mother and Daddy 

bought when they got married.

I have plans for it.

Rich and Deb will come for the buffet, mirror and oak file cabinet.

Zack and Shan are taking the white couch.

Anybody want some ART?

How long should I keep IRS records?

That's all for today.

Whew!

Stairmaster

Down There

Nuff Said!

Light Show-Off

"RoAngel"

She came as a house-blessing gift 
when we moved into our Little Riverside House.

She continued her mission on the mantle at the Sweet 16.

And now, she's finding her place here.

Thanks, Ro!

Books in a Bookcase?

 Less stuff...more books.

Aaaaah...

Come in!

Time Out for a Miracle

It's nearly 2:00, and I've been working/playing most of the morning with the

"TREASURES".

Yikes!  

It's a work in progress, and there's no deadline.

BUT,

right in the middle of all of the treasure-hunting, 

something really cool happened, and I don't think it was by accident.

I had been working to fill the shelves on the TV "stand" with "special" pieces.

In the process of trying to adjust the shelves on one side,

the little support screws got stuck, 

and I could NOT for the life of me get them out.

So, one side was finished, 

but the right side now had a great big vertical space, without shelves.

So I measured the great big vertical space: 14" x 28", and went back

 "DOWN THERE"

to see if there were any vertical art pieces that would fit.

AND LO AND BEHOLD!

Look what fit, perfectly...

So I took out the shelf on the left side and put the mate.

Anyway, here's what we've got:

Simplicity reigns!

And now, here's the best part:

These two framed collages were the last "art project" Rob and I did together.

We were spiffing up his office and decided to frame some of his photography 

from our recent travels to create colorful new art for his space.

The top left is Rob's photo from an Irish cemetery.

Middle left is one of his finest pieces of work, taken over in Azle, I think.

Bottom left and right are two of Rob's beautiful autumn pics taken in the Ozarks.

Top and middle right are from our Summer '13 Epcot adventure.

Okay, now you tell me...

kinda miraculous, eh?

Bottom "HAPPY" shelf contains only empty bowls except for the

"Bowl of Goodies" 

for the grandboys, collected over the past five or six years.  

They love to pick through it and remember.

Doesn't take much, does it?

Matthew 6:19

Most of my shelves and bookcases are still empty.

I'm hesitant to fill them until I know what truly "wants" to go there.

There are "treasures", boxes and bins of them, waiting patiently in the garage.

Stuff doesn't care where it is--

admired on a shelf or nestled deep in the corner of a box.

That's because it's just stuff.

However, it becomes more than just stuff when I attach a memory, a story,

a person, an occasion, or an experience to it.

That's when it becomes a "treasure".

So, when I spent three hours in the garage yesterday clearing and cleaning,

it was more than I could do to start picking through the 

"treasure boxes."

These are all the things that sat about my home, on shelves, on furniture, 

in nooks and crannies that made the Sweet 16 home to me.

Everything had a special place, and I had little "altars of gratitude"

(i.e. stuff) throughout our little home.

With every box and bin opening, there was more stuff, 

and I was flooded with feelings.

Interestingly enough, 

they weren't necessarily all the positive feelings that 

I would usually associate with a treasured item.

The feelings were truly flooding my spirit and making me weary.

Hmmmm...

Something tells me that my "treasures" lose their appeal when 

they become merely baggage from the past, heavy, 

though lovely, and intrusive on my present.

My nine months in 1001B showed me how little I need to thrive.

And now it's hard to turn back and reclaim much of

my past life, both literally and figuratively.

So, as Mary suggested, perhaps relationships with our "treasures" 

(or just plain stuff) are like relationships with the people who have 

come and gone in our lives--

some for a season

some for a reason

some for forever, just because they are.

So, as I get ready to go "down there" again, 

I'm trusting that I will know where most of my stuff goes:

to others

to #2606

to keep 

(until another day of discernment).

There is no rush to decide.

But one thing is for sure, 

not everything has a place in this new season of mine.

And that is okay.

Welcome Home

Blessing of the House

(Amazing where those "PawPaws" show up!)

Morning Light

Comes with mountains!

I spent the afternoon with Ivan Ponce de Leon, Pace Bixler, 

Steve Glenn Campbell, and (ho-hum) Jordan Pointon.

They held my hand while they leased me my new Camry. 

(And I know that those two things are probably oxymoronic.)

Anyway, I had done my homework and talked to several reliable sources,

so I feel very confident in my decision at the end of the day.

I texted Zack that I was excited, but in a

"logical, left-brain way."

Now to get 1/2 the garage cleared out so she has a home.

I think I shall call her "Hope", 

as in 
"The Great White Hope".

Happy Reunion!

Lynn, Darlene & Abby came through town on their way back from Denver.

Darlene and I enjoyed lots of visiting time over dinner last night.

This morning we all met for breakfast and it was 

WONDERFUL!

We have been life-long friends, and it's so good to reconnect.

Sweet friends!

Here are Abby and Darlene at last year's Thirty-One Conference.

Abby is a very successful, relationship-building consultant.

www.mythirtyone.com/AV31

Here's Abby and her "Pedro" at this years conference in Denver.

And this is Abby with her spry and spunky grandmother of 95.

Now you see where Abby gets her spunk!

And a lovely reminder of their visit...

On His Rocker

Look at those beautifully refinished rockers on Mia & Pa's new porch, 

along with that interesting Texas star iron art that Rob 

picked up some years ago at a yard sale.

We bought those rockers when we were finishing the deck on Elmwood.

They rocked us for years right there, 

and then they rocked us on the front porch of the "Little Riverside House."

They continued to rock us at the Sweet 16, both on the patio

and in our bedroom as we rocked sweet baby Sawyer.

Now, after months in storage, they have been REDEEMED!

Rock on, Mia & Pa...Rock on!

Fun Times!

This was the photo on the chest in the guestroom where I stayed
at Ed & Virginia's this weekend.

As I recall, we had just finished dinner at some cool restaurant at the West End

and were leaving for a James Taylor concert.

(circa 2000?)

Some of our very best "Rob-and-Sarah Times" were spent with Ed and Virginia.

I am so grateful to have them in my life.

We often talked about Rob this weekend and all agreed that he was

somehow still present in our love and laughter.

We miss him.

Austin Highlights

Just got back from three wonderful days with Ed & Virginia.

During that time, 

we did our best to help keep Austin weird...

 Our waiter at brunch Friday morning at the Kerbey Lane Cafe was certainly

doing his part.  Wish I'd gotten a pic of "Motman".

We spent the morning at Laguna Gloria.

 "Looking Up" 

by Thomas Friedman, Stainless Steel

 and looking out at this beautiful lookout point on the grounds of Laguna Gloria.

 Sad "Miffy" has water spurting out of his eyes.  

I should NOT be smiling. : ( 

 Ed, looking up at Mount Bonnell

 Last of the 212 steps up and down Mount Bonnell

 A special treat of BIG waters at Sonic (ladies only) and then

a Shopping Spree at HEB

 We said NO to those 

 and YES to this!

 Virginia guides us in the preparation of "Salmon in Parchment"

Ready (and labeled) for the oven.

They were delicious!

Sunday morning in Wimberly...

The Wandering Text