Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts

Reagan's 4th Birthday {Real Party}

I know I've been MIA lately... well, maybe make that MWNA - missing with no action! Some of you may know that I started a small boutique design business earlier this year and it has just absolutely taken off lately. I have been devoting a lot of time to my business and therefore, I began to neglect my blog. About a month ago I announced that I'd be focusing more on my business than this blog. I will keep the blog, because there will always be days like today when I have something I want to share with you! They just may not always be close together!!  Please make sure you visit me at Posh Peony Creative Designs - I'm really building a portfolio and I'm available for just about any design work you need!

Today, I finally have my own party to share with you! Without further ado... I present Reagan's 4th Birthday!  All photos were taken by our FABULOUS friends at Captured by Jason Photography!  Many, many, many thanks to Jason & Kristin Merritt for helping us preserve and cherish this day!!


I chose a Rainbow theme for Reagan's birthday for a few reasons... the first one was the tablecloth!  I found it on Pinterest via Hip Hooray.  I fell in love with it and decided I wanted to put my sewing skills to the test, and boy was it a test!  More on that below...  The next reason I chose the rainbow theme was the sheer availability of color.  How much more color can you get than rainbow?!  The options were endless...



The dessert table was the main focus with 36" balloons providing the backdrop, although my red balloon wasn't filled to capacity and was very gimpy!  It was the only thing I could complain about, so for tha I'm grateful!  I made a cake, cupcakes, cake balls, cake push pops and rainbow jello (well, my husband made that!) and then we also had M&M's and rainbow Twizzlers.  I think my fave were the push pops!  The dessert table also featured 7 pictures of Reagan in glittered frames.

The cake was all white cake with buttercream icing, more info about the cake below, because as you can guess it was not just white!  The cupcakes were mixed - some rainbow chip and some were white cake dyed rainbow and layered.  The push pops were rainbow chip mini cupcakes with rainbow colored icing and nonpareils.  The cake balls were made from white cake, golden Oreos and buttercream coated in almond bark.  I'd originally planned to layer the Jello, but after much consideration I decided to serve each flavor individually.  I like the way it turned out, but did you know Jello melts in 100° Texas heat?!  Yeah, it was quickly Jello soup!  I designed and printed buffet cards for the dessert table as well.



The first truly original idea I came up with was a drink bar.  Thanks to Pinterest, it wasn't long before I realized it was not as original idea as I'd thought!!  Don't you hate that?!  I served seven different flavors of Kool-Aid - cherry, orange, lemonade, limeade, berry, watermelon kiwi and grape.  You can't actually buy 7 colors, you can buy 6 so I bought an invisible one (watermelon kiwi) and dyed it indigo!  It worked!  I also had paper straws (not pictured) so you could mix and match your rainbow!  The cherry and berry were big hits, the lemonade was not, haha!



I had a lot of ideas about decor, but I knew I could easily go overboard and I really wanted the focal point of the decor to fall on the tablecloth, so I used some honeycomb balls to give some height to the decor.  I also painted and glittered Reagan's name to place on the entertainment center.  We placed balloons all through the house and outside, but again that 100° Texas heat causes balloons to pop almost immediately when they head out of the house.  We had balloons popping ALL day!  I also knew I wanted to make a tulle wreath, and I did this one differently than my last (found here).  I used all seven colors and I LOVE how this wreath turned out!!  It stayed on my door until Halloween!  The day before the party I also made some time to create a small garden flag using materials I had on hand.  It turned out to be very cute!

I sent the kiddos home with gable boxes that had crayon rolls (making 20 at one time is a TASK for sure!), pencils and rainbow colored bubbles inside, and I somehow did not ever get a picture of any of that!



Back to the cake... as I'm sure you guessed, it was layered with the rainbow inside!  All seven colors... I will say - it was MUCH easier to make this cake than the layered cupcakes, go figure, right?!  Reagan LOVED it!!!



Ahhh... the tablecloth!!  This took me WEEKS... and by the time it was said and done I'd used 3360" x 6" of colored fabric and then ruffled it by hand since the ruffler foot I purchased for my sewing machine was the wrong foot.  I was so pleased with the outcome of this tablecloth and I can't wait to find more reasons to use it!!!  It was a true test of will... and something I will cherish forever!  Am I a nerd?!



Needless to say, a fun time was had by all...!  My precious princess turned 4 and she was able to spend an amazingly colorful day with all her friends and family!  Thanks so much to all who came and made her day that much more special.  We are all so blessed!!

Vendors:

Cupcake Social - nonpareils, cupcake liners (mini & standard)
Love to Party - rainbow candles
Little Yume - paper straws
AOC Welding Supply - amazingly priced helium for my oversized balloons!
Factory Direct Party - small cups and spoons (Jello)
American Balloon Factory - 36" balloons (great prices!)

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I'm baaaaaaaack!!!

Hello blogville... I've missed you!!

What started off as slow blogging quickly turned into no blogging... and I don't really know exactly why!! I started to have a much harder time figuring out what to blog about and couple that with school being out for the summer and it just wasn't a recipe for blogging success.

BUT! I'm back... I've got some recipes to share (2 lined up) and I'll be sharing a Back to School party soon as well.

During my hiatus my little one spent an entire week at her grandparents house and my husband and I enjoyed a lovely staycation - we ate out every single day *fatties* and did some housework and painting. We painted our master bathroom Woodland, which you would think would have an earthy brown tone... but it is extremely burnt orange. In Texas the two most major universities are UT and A&M - my husbands entire family roots for A&M, as do we... they are maroon. UT on the other hand is burnt orange... so... it wasn't exactly the color we were going for!! BUT... surprising as it may be, we really like it!

We gave my husband a Kindle for Father's Day and he and I have been competing over who can read books more quickly and finding several books to read together. In the past few weeks I've read the new Steve Berry novel "The Jefferson Key," the new James Rollins Sigma Force novel "The Devil Colony," Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants" and James Pattersons "Worst Case." I love reading... and I LOVE the Kindle app on my cell phone. Of course my phone is half the size or less than the real Kindle, but it is backlit and easy to hold. I love reading on it. I'm waiting to start a new book until my husband finishes his... I beat him reading the Sigma Force novel... he's so slow!! :0)

I'm fortunate enough to live in the same city as a really wonderful party planner, Joanne of Oh Goodie! Designs and last week she and I lunched at a great Mexican restaurant in northern San Antonio. We talked parties, traded secrets (more hers than mine, LOL) and she really helped light the fire under my rear to get back into blogging.

When I started this blog... it was all about things that could help me organize my home and make my life more financially efficient. As the year progressed, I found myself less in touch with the reasons I started the blog and more in touch with party planning, crafting and cooking. I've just recently broken into the world of party planning although I've loved the idea of planning parties forever. I have found myself really wondering where my blog is headed... especially in the world of parties. There are party planners, like Joanne, who conceptualize and plan your party - from the icing on the cupcakes to the stamps on your invitations and everything in between. There are party stylists, such as Anders Ruff (make sure you check out their amazing new website) and Shindig Parties to Go who create ready to go printable party packages and give you amazing inspiration on how to throw your own party. Then there are party professionals who create gorgeous tablescapes and provide you with great eye candy for a particular theme... these photo collages are simply gorgeous and include props and people but sometimes aren't actual REAL parties. So you begin to fantasize about these great parties and putting them together, but they may not be realistic for the everyday person. There is a whole huge, dynamic party world out there and I often find myself wondering where I fit into that. And in that reflection, I have found this: I am a party lover... I love parties. I love planning. I love creating. But I love bringing things to my readers that they may not see elsewhere. I love sharing what wonderful ladies like Joanne and Amanda create. I love showing you that there is this party world that you may or may not know about. I have so many readers who didn't know this world existed and I love knowing that I ushered them to their new fave party planner. So, I'm going to continue to showcase the work of others - giving ALL CREDIT due them. And when I have a chance to showcase my own work, I'll do that too. And for now... I'll label myself a party lover.

I really enjoy the inspiration boards, although they are A LOT of work - I really pour hours of research into them. I try hard to pick and choose items from many different places and I try to pick things that the everyday mom can recreate. I also really love doing Top 10's - Top 10 party themes, Top 10 party must have's... etc. And not that this has anything to do with parties... but I also love sharing recipes!! Well, sometimes that does have something to do with parties... haha!

So... I'm going to try a new approach. I'm going to try to theme my days. I may add extra things some days, but I'd like to bring you a new post every day - it's my goal to blog every week day at least. I've not decided which topics will fall on which days, but I'm hoping to find a groove soon.

So - here's to parties... to gorgeous parties, to wonderful party planners, to amazing party ideas and to recipes (LOL). There will still be craft DIY's along the way and organization tips that I implement myself. I'm not going to completely forget my starting point, but I'm also trying to make sure I reinvent myself and this blog I love so much.

So... hugs to all - and happy reading!! I'm about to blow up your feed!! :0)

Oh, do you follow me on Facebook?? You should!! FOLLOW ME

It sure is a MIGGY life!

When you're reading my blog... do you ever wonder "How do you say that name?!"

My last name, Muegge... is pronounced like "Miggy." Imagine saying piggy, jiggy, figgy (as in pudding), biggie (as in "it's no...") - got it?!

So... It's a MIGGY Life :0)

When Kyle and I started dating, we'd known each other a while, but I never knew his last name. When he told me "Muegge" (again, think Miggy), I said - because I'm just THAT cool, ha! - "Like the plane?! The Russian MiG?!" I'm still not sure why that popped into my mind, but it did. It's a good thing he didn't think I was a total dork!!

I often joke that with a name like Sharla, which nobody ever spells or says correctly either, I was lucky to have my maiden name - Kelly. As a teen and in my early 20's when I would give people my name for a waiting list or an order... I always said "Kelly." It was SO much easier than sitting there spelling my name 2-3 times for one person who would inevitable still write it incorrectly. When I go to a restaurant and tell them Sharla and then hear hem call "Charlotte," I've learned to just say "Yep! That's me...!" So now, I'm pretty much always Charlotte Myujah, Charla (with the hard 'Ch') Moo-egg, Sharia Moo-gee or so other crazy variation of my not-all-that-crazy name. Now, I just use Kyle's name everywhere! "I need a table for 3, my name is Kyle!" :0)

When we win raffles at picnics for Kyle's work or otherwise have people who don't know us try to call our name out, we hear "Kyle Mmmm... Mmmm... ummm, Mmmm... hmmm... Kyle?!" Yep :0) That's us!

It was so important for me, when picking baby names, that we name our daughter (or son) something that would allow them to be an individual but also not plague them their whole life with "Can you spell that AGAIN?!" Poor Reagan will always have to defend her last name, so hopefully people won't have many problems with her first name. Although you'd be surprised the ways I've had people spell Reagan.

So, that's that... It's definitely a Miggy life with THAT name!

It's a Muegge Easter!

Oh my, we had the MOST amazing long weekend! My in-laws were all here this weekend from Friday to today and we partied it up Muegge style, for sure!

Friday afternoon we hit up the ol' What?! A.... buuuurger! for lunch. Sorry to type it all out that way, long story... Anyway - it's a family fave! Then we took Reagan to Disney on Ice - Toy Story 3 thanks to super cool Uncle Aaron.

Uncle Aaron and Reagan outside the Alamodome.


Us - Aaron (who took the pic) waiting for the show to start.


Before the show started Reagan had a Woody Doll, a t-shirt, a a coloring book, a sno cone in a Buzz cup, lemonade and popcorn! No... she isn't spoiled... ha! The show was amazing and our seats were perfect. Reagan loved it and was so excited to see all the characters. After the show was over, we headed up to New Braunfels and had a lovely dinner at Mamacita's. Dos Equis fully dressed... enough said!

My in-laws brought a blow up mattress with them and Nana and Reagan slept on the mattress in Reagan's room. Let's just say, there was Nana... followed immediately by Reagan and then about 7/8ths of the bed left, ha!

Saturday we hung out around the house all day. We set the sprinkler up under the trampoline and went crazy jumping in it and playing with water balloons and water guns! SOOO much fun... I love being a kid with my kid!

So much fun jumping on a wet trampoline... we all had a blast!


Then we cracked oh, hmmm... about 250 cascarones.... oy! We dyed about 40 hard boiled eggs and then hit the Pinata from Uncle A. Pizza Hut for dinner and prep work for Easter lunch were the rest of my day!

Easter eggs!


This morning we headed to church a little early, but not at sunrise!

The Muegge clan! We had to wake Reagan up and get her dressed, so she was so tired.
And I had flat hair! Eh, what do you do?!


When we got home, we found the Easter Bunny had paid our home a visit!! Let the hunting commence...!!

Gorgeous girl hunting eggs.


My daddy joined us for lunch at our house but my mom wasn't able to make the trip up and we missed her a ton but it was so great to see my dad!

Sometimes wedding gifts are exactly what you needed! LOL
Fresh fruit salad with fresh whipped cream.


Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing
The carrot cake was boxed, I don't like it but I wanted to make them and wasn't about to shred carrots to make them from scratch, haha! The cream cheese icing recipe I'll post :0) It's perfect - not too sweet, but definitely delish.


Deviled eggs... I keep it simple and they are to DIE for. I made almost 40 of them and there are about 5 left right now! So yummy and garnished with fresh dill and sliced kosher pickles. Love to put jalapeno on them too but I didn't have any!


We finished out the day with a LOVELY much needed nap and some outside play.

Easter was lovely and sharing Easter and it's meaning with my daughter and our family was wonderful. Reagan is really starting to learn and understand the reason for all of our seasons!

Hope you and yours had a very blessed Easter holiday. He is risen indeed!

We're Home!

Well, we are home from a short vacation with Nana in Houston, Texas. Each year my hubby heads to Ft. Worth, Texas to watch the boys go round and round at Texas Speedway! Kyle, his dad and brother headed out to Ft. Worth early Friday morning to hit up both the Sprint Cup and the Nationwide races. And each year, Nana, Reagan and I have a girls weekend as well. We've spent the last few years shopping, but once Reagan hit 2, that wasn't so much fun anymore!! This year, we decided we'd head out to H-town and try to find some kid friendly things to do.

Thursday evening, we got into Victoria around 9:30PM so of course with all the unpacking and seeing Nana and PawPaw for the first time in weeks, Reagan was up until around midnight (groan... ha!). The boys woke up at 5AM to get ready and head out and wouldn't you know... Reagan woke up then as well! Oy... But, I figured that she would fall asleep in the car since it's about a 2 hour trip to Houston. Nana and I packed up and we hit the road around 9AM. In between Victoria and Houston is this WONDERFUL meat market/convenience store/gas station/restaurant/a little bit of magic... called Praseks. It is the most amazing little piece of Heaven in this world!! Well, on Highway 59 anyway, LOL. We got some Piglets (mini pigs in blankets), Reagan wanted an apple turnover (which she hated, haha) and some turkey jerky. Ever had turkey jerky?? AHHHHHHHH... I could it eat it ALL day, EVERY day!! And it's healthy - dried out turkey... but lovely flavors. So good! Reagan loved it!! We finished our drive to Houston, sans nap and made it to the zoo around 11:30. We loved the Houston Zoo. The zoo here in San Antonio is wonderful but very different from the Houston Zoo. I must say, there are WAY more species of animals and more of each animal there. They have like 6-8 giraffes, including a baby while the giraffe here in SA died over a year ago (RIP Daisy) and we still don't have another giraffe. They have a red panda, ummmm.... hello! ADORABLE! Also, they have a really neat Sea Lion exhibit and they do a short Sea Lion show, similar to the dolphin show at TSA for my Corpus mommy friends. The zoo is SO large and spread out with a reptile house, an aquarium and a children's section with a carousel, petting zoo, play area and more. It was lovely. And, if you have a zoo membership elsewhere you can use it at the Houston Zoo to get in free or discounted (depending on your mother zoo). SA Zoo gets 1/2 off. Another great aspect about the zoo is that it offers SO many sitting areas and shaded walkways which is absolutely lovely in Texas heat. We spent about 5 hours at the zoo and then headed to our hotel to check in.

Have you ever tried to drive in Houston in 5 o'clock traffic on a Friday afternoon?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... The 5.8 mile drive took us around 1 1/2 hours. Yup... you saw that correctly... 90 minutes for less than 6 miles. Reagan did pass out in the car once we left the zoo, so the traffic was really a blessing in disguise, since it gave her more of a chance to nap. We realized after we missed the exit where we wanted to go eat we probably should have eaten and then gone to the hotel, so we checked in and headed straight back into the traffic to eat at the Rainforest Cafe in the Galleria. The drive back was easy peasy :0)

We took Reagan inside the RC here on the Riverwalk once, but we didn't eat there. We sat in between the elephants and the gorillas and she LOVED it! She was so excited about everything and since it's also right by the ice rink, she loved watching the kids skate as well.

We finally made it back to the hotel around 7 and got settled in. Of course there was only a shower and no tub, so bathing Reagan was hilarious! We brought her DVD player in but it doesn't live long on the battery, so after 15 minutes all we had was the TV. We finally hit lights out around 9. Reagan originally said she wanted to sleep in Nana's bed, but then crawled into my bed. I asked her to scoot over so I could get in and she told me "No, this is my bed, you sleep on the floor!" TOOT!! She finally got in the bed with Nana and after the lights were out about 5 minutes she said "OK... I ready to go home now!" LOL I guess she thought we'd just hang out there and then go back to Nana's!

Saturday morning we had breakfast in the hotel, drove to Conroe to shop at Sam Moon's and then hit the Downtown Aquarium. We were expecting a full size aquarium similar to TSA in Corpus, although maybe not as large since that one is state funded... no... this is a restaurant with some aquatic exhibits and at the end... a large white lion den! Don't get me wrong, it was interesting and Reagan loved it... but for the money, I wouldn't go again. We also rode the train ride that goes through the shark tank which was a little freaky... and the carousel about 3 times! Reagan loved it, that's what counts, right?! Reagan loved petting the sting rays and we spent quite a bit of time there. I was really proud of her, she usually goes in strong and then gets scared and won't do it! But yesterday, she really let go and enjoyed it.

We left the Aquarium around 3 or so and headed back to Victoria. We stopped to let Reagan play at Chick-fil-A and eat and then on the road again. I fully expected a nap again, and again... no nap! We got to Vtown just in time to freshen up and then hit the door running to our cousin's dance team exhibition. Reagan sat through all 3 hours of the recital and loved it... that's my girl! We had such a great weekend with Nana and ended it with some of our fave girls!

Kyle took our big camera with him to the races, so I only had our point and click. I didn't take many pictures but Reagan took a ton, LOL...

So, I'm behind this week on meal planning, gardening and my blog challenge. I will catch up tomorrow, what else are Monday's for?!

Also - we're so close to the giveaway!! We currently have 120 "Likes" on our Facebook page and when we get to 150 I will announce the info for the giveaway. It's a LOVELY headband from Bella Rose Hair Accessories. Check our Facebook page (link to the right) to see pictures of the beautiful headband.

Kyle and I will be kidless this weekend, Reagan is headed back to Victoria to spend the weekend with Nana and PawPaw and go to a company picnic with them. We are really looking forward to the weekend and having some alone time!! Now we have to figure out what to do?! :0)

Hope you all had lovely weekends... watch out for a plethora of posts tomorrow!

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 1

I ran across a blog today and they were on Day 16 of a 30 Day Blog Challenge. I have a brand new blog, with brand new readers and I've made some brand new friends, and this seemed like something I'd love to do, so I'm doing it!!

Here's what you can expect each day:

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite TV shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

My name is Sharla Lynn Muegge, my maiden name is Kelly. I grew up in Corpus Christi and have only lived there and where I live now, just outside of San Antonio. I am very happily married to Kyle, going on 5 years and we have a precious baby girl name Reagan Lynn who is 3 1/2.

Here is a current picture:

And here are my 15 facts... although I just wrote 7 the other day, so this will REALLY be hard!!

1. I gave my daughter my middle name... not just because it is my middle name but because it is my father's middle name. And it's a rockin' middle name!

2. My favorite movie is Steel Magnolias. Always and forever, ha!

3. The only time I left the USA, it was to go to a Mexican border town. I rode a mechanical bull but wouldn't drink the water!

4. I started high school at the age of 13 because I have a late birthday. If my daughter were 13 and going into high school I think I'd have a heart attack.

5. I have never liked my name, I accept it these days, but don't like it. When I was 15 I tried to change my name to Carlee and when my teachers would call me by that name I'd never answer, ha!

6. When I was in high school, I made the three best friends that anybody could ever have... and they are still my best friends to this day. Two of them I stay in very close contact with, thanks to Facebook I can stay in better contact with the third and when the four of us get together, although we've changed immensely, we are the same people we always were and that is so refreshing.

7. I've only ever had one employer. I worked there for 7 years and I nowhere else.

8. I'm obsessed with fabric.

9. I grew up by the gulf but I hate the beach: I'm afraid of the water, hate the sand and it makes me feel dirty.

10. I have a lot of favorite songs, but I think my fave all time song is "Don't Stop Believing."

11. I hate typical 80's movies and music. Especially all the John Hughes films and Michael Jackson.

12. I'm a choir geek :0) Still!

13. My biggest dream in life is to have a maid.

14. I secretly wish I was a mom in the 60's - it looks like it was so much easier back then! Wonder if I would have smoked?! HAHA

15. I tried to smoke a cigarette one time in my life, hated it and never touched them again.

OK, tomorrow is all about my blog. Some of these won't be very long posts, LOL.

So Much To Do and So Little Time!

So much to do!! Oh my... I have so many things that I really want and need to do. I really need to get both my recipe box and cleaning chores box done. I still haven't made my room by room to-do list and then there are various crafts and projects I need to start.

I am going to start selling something new through my ETSY account... and I'm hoping to have a big release this week or next. I'm really excited about this, I've searched all around ETSY and I've found nothing else like it... so stay tuned for that! *meep* I'm going to try to have it available through my blog as well.

I still haven't started Reagan's Easter shirt or hairbow, and that's already 3 weeks from now... losing time on that one! I also just got the ribbon to make some hairbows for a friend from church, so I will be doing that tomorrow. Hopefully getting into the craft room will help motivate me further! I have her shirt all planned, just need to actually make it.

And all of that is on top of getting on top of my weekly to-do list AND going out of town Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon.

So, you may notice a decrease in posts this week - not sure how much I'll post while I'm gone. Reagan, Nana and I are headed to make some trouble in Houston! Should be fun!!

Off to work on one project NOW!

Reflections...

A friend of mine recently posted on her own blog about an experience that was very personal and very near her heart. An experience she struggled with internally and externally, one that led to many months of discussions between her husband and herself and eventually led her to seek the advice of a very trusted and dear friend. She mentioned in her post that she also struggled with writing about this experience, but was ultimately persuaded by her husband when he said:
"Hopefully every woman that reads it can be helped in some way. Because don’t ALL of you have to deal with this?"
The topic? Mean Girls... You can read Caryn's entire post here.

We've all had experiences with women/girls we label as "mean girls." And, to be totally honest, I'm positive at some point (maybe many points) in my life, I myself have been labeled as such, by somebody. I would like to think that those times are more few and far between as I age, as I become an adult... and I know at the end of the day, I can tell you each and every person whose feelings I've hurt along the way of this path I call my life. I try, very hard... to apologize for my actions when I know they've been hurtful. Sometimes, it can take me months or years to acknowledge my part in the situation. I may hold on to the thought, for a long time, that I was an innocent bystander in the problem - but after weeks and months of reflection and inflection, I can usually figure out my exact contribution.

I am by NO means a perfect person. Also, I am by NO means a perfect Christian. And I don't live my life in a way that alludes I may be either of those. To me, the admittance that I'm neither of those is the first step to living my life in a more reflective, religious and positive way.

Caryn also makes a very important and resounding comment in her post about Christians:
"I have come to dislike the term “Christians” anyway. Too often it is easier to find a “Christian” who is a bold-faced embarrassment to Christ than someone who strives to honor him. I choose to use the term “Christ-like”. Christ-like is what “Christian” means but seems to be a more potent description."
I found this comment really sat with me, long after I read the post. It was something I laid awake and pondered last night and still more today as I contemplated this post of my own. I often find weaknesses in my faith, and I'm by no means devout. In the past years, mainly my married years, I've found a much more comfortable zone in my faith and I do aspire to live a more Godly life. I find the more I learn about Christ and my religion, the less I question it. And, truthfully, the older Reagan gets, the more I strive to teach her that life should be a path in harmony with a much higher power - a walk in faith with our Father. I do struggle internally with many of the characteristics Caryn listed as Mean Girl qualities, or shall I say, flaws... gossip, insecurity, self-seeking, jealous... and no doubt many a family member would call me a drama queen! But, I have come to think the most important thing you can do, when you see these qualities in your own life, is to admit your faults to yourself, to those you cast your faults upon and most importantly to open your heart to God and allow Him further into your life that He may move your heart past these attributes.

I can say, that I try hard - very hard - not to cast my own insecurities onto others. There have been two situations in my life where I really tried to restrain and DID restrain, only to be fully blamed for the problem at hand - and you wanna talk about pain?! When you've really been cast in the worst light and taken a fall for those you deeply care about... that hurt is almost unbearable. When you hold your tongue in the hopes that it may better serve others and are still pointed out as the "mean girl" in the situation... it's just a desperate feeling of betrayal, heart break and a million second guesses. You begin to wonder if your silence is really helping you or hurting you. If you got out there and told your side of the story - would you been seen as more of a gossip or would people see the light of what happened? And if they did "see the light" would they be any better for it? Would they not then be partaking in "mean girl" characteristics themselves (along with me) of gossip and slander in my quest to shed white light? So, holding your tongue is your ONLY option, no matter what may come, because in the end you know that you are straight with yourself, with your heart and with the Lord. I must add in both these situations, my heart was opened and lifted to the Lord and knowledge truly came to light. All parties have forgiven and been forgiven and I am stronger and happier from the outcome of all circumstances. And in my case, I've earned back and given back a deeper and more profound friendship than I knew beforehand. And Caryn also notes this portion of the experience, when she says:
"So instead you must leave your innate defensiveness on the sidelines, check your heart and ask God to show you if you’ve said or done something wrong. If you haven’t, it might be best not to ask the MG. Attention seekers thrive on this sort of thing. Just leave it alone. Stay away. Know your true friends. Don’t waste time, energy or tears on someone who is baselessly hurtful. If you are truly faultless, your character can withstand the test of time as you wait for your reputation to be restored in the eyes of those who listened to the MG. When they see that you do not exhibit any of the characteristics they’ve been told then your silence on the issue and lack of negativity about others will speak volumes."
I think Caryn hit the nail on the head. At the end of the day, when the behavior is not repeated by you, or is repeated by the other, true colors come flying through.

Caryn's faith is at such a high level, one that I would like to achieve in my life - along with her husband and mutual friends of ours. I truly believe that she holds her heart up for the Lord each and every day and allows Him to direct her heart and mind in a most intimate and devoted way. I pray that I can let the Lord into my heart more and more everyday, that I can devote more time to prayer and more of my thoughts to God. I pray that I may know the full effects of His presence in my life sooner rather than later. Every time I respond in a way that I know is not Christ-like, I open myself largely to Him in the hopes that I can find peace with my actions, that I may make restitution for the hurts I cause and that I may be a bigger and more faithful person in the wake of my missteps.

What I take most from Caryn's post is the knowledge that I'm not the only one affected by Mean Girls, but also the total admittance that in my life I have played that part, and hurt somebody, like Caryn hurt. I'm not sure that you can reverse the actions you've displayed, but I do know that if you are truly sorry, seek forgiveness and strive to not display those qualities that forgiveness will be given where forgiveness is due - and that forgiveness by Him will not be given if it is not due.

As Lutherans, Kyle and I were required (for lack of a better word) to fulfill a certain amount of hours of learning and relationship searching with the Pastor that married us. A large difference in the Lutheran and Catholic faiths is the atonement of sins. Catholics must go to confession, confess before the Priest and God what they've sinned and are then given instructions for the path of forgiveness. Lutherans are asked to reflect internally and during service our sins are absolved jointly. One would assume that by merely attending service your sins are atoned, but I do not believe this to be true. While working with Pastor Thomas, he made a very important statement that has stuck with me to this day. When you sin, you mustn't just reveal your sin to the Lord, for He already knows... you must first reveal your sin to those whom you've sinned against and then... and only then... can your sins be atoned. He also made the point, that this doesn't mean you can sin against man just to admit your sins and then also be atoned, over and over. There must be more than admittance... there must also be learning and growing.

Caryn, you've reminded me and set my heart back on a path I fear I've wavered from. I thank you deeply for that and admire you not only for your willingness to share your personal feelings and experiences but for showing a sinner a truer path on which to walk... one that is more Christ-like. Your words will sit with me a LONG time.

There aren't many Sundays on which we sing this song, but there are many days in which I sing this song, today is one of those days:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19
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Movie Review: Gnomeo & Juliet

Gnomeo & Juliet


OK, can we say... ca-yute!! OMGosh... it was adorable! So funny, so hip and totally written on an adult level but completely appropriate for children of any age. My daughter LOVED it, my husband LOVED it and I, you guessed it... LOVED it!! I knew there was some connection to the film and Elton John, but I didn't realize he produced it. And all the songs were Elton originals - some you recognize and some new.

And, let's face it - who doesn't love a gnome?! Well, actually I know some people who don't, but for the rest of us, this is a wonderful family film that I know my family will buy the instant it is on DVD. We've never had a gnome in our gardens, but maybe we will now!

This movie was so well written - think the humor (especially adult) of Shrek, without the inappropriate language. There were some lines that I know were just way above Reagan's head, especially in their true context but she laughed and laughed - just as we laughed and laughed - so the line was funny on every level.

I must say - we did miss probably the first 5 minutes of the film - wreck on I35 = late to movie we were already running a tad bit behind for. We got in the theater about 12 minutes after the start time, I figured there'd be 15 minutes of trailers and we'd miss nothing, but we missed enough to not even see the opening credits.

The movie follows the plight of the red gnome family the Redbricks (the Capulets, for all intents and purposes) and the blue gnome family the Blueberrys (as you can guess, the Montagues). As I said, we missed the first few minutes, but Juliet is the daughter of Lord Redbrick who has an eternal feud with Lady Blueberry, Gnomeo's mother. The two meet during an escape from their boring lives and the doomed romance begins. Both are supported by their loving besties, Nanette the frog for Juliet and Shroom the mushroom dog for Gnomeo. They begin a secret love affair that does end in disaster (although not really scary or too violent for little eyes) but not a deadly disaster. Lovely ending with ABSOLUTELY GREAT music all throughout.

If you're in need of a family outing, a cute date with the hubs, or even just a silly pick-me-up - this is the movie for you.

Notable Cast:
Gnomeo - James McAvoy (of Atonement fame)
Juliet - Emily Blunt (of all kinds of fame!)
Lord Redbrick - Michael Caine (cue Alfred, the Batman butler)
Lady Blueberry - Maggie Smith (more Ya-Ya than Harry Potter)

Oh, and let me not forget...
Fawn the deer - Ozzy!!
Terrafirminator V.O. - Hulk Hogan

Great casting!! There are many other greats who gave their voices to this movie, but these stuck out for me.

So, what are you waiting for?! Go get your movie on!!

"Shroom, let's go kick some grass!" -Gnomeo
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Fire! Fire!

*** I started writing this within 24 hours of the fire. It's being posted after that time mainly because I was in serious need of sleep!!! ***

I think I am still trying to calm down from my evening last night. I'm not kidding... 24 hours later and I'm still feeling like it was dream.

Reagan took a LATE nap last night and didn't wake up until about 6:30 - but Kyle and I were so engrossed in other things going on that we just let her sleep. So, we had already decided to let her stay up later than normal - we just had no idea that it would be WAY later than we planned on! We made a late dinner and put Reagan in bed around 8:45. We both were exhausted and came downstairs to lay on the couch. We'd been down here probably 3 minutes... seriously no more than that when there was knocking on our BACK door!!! Talk about freaking you out right then and there - we don't have the kind of house that people usually come to the back door. Luckily we knew it could only be one person - our neighbor Adam. But we had no idea why he'd be knocking on our BACK door?! Kyle answers the door and Adam says "Hey, you might want to get some water going on your fence and the back of your yard, the house behind us is on FIRE!!!!" Kyle starts to head out and I ask him what Adam had said, he tells me about the fire behind us and we both head outside to see flames at least 15ft in the air - RIGHT BEHIND OUR FENCE!!!! I can not explain the panic that ensued after this...

Let me go backwards a little and explain the house behind us... When we chose this lot, we did so because it was at the edge of the neighborhood - there would be no new homes behind us and the land back there is not large enough or in an appropriate location for any type of business development. And those concerns are only valid IF the lady who owns the land agrees to sell it, which she has adamantly refused to do - and on good authority we know she's been offered quite a hefty deal for it, and still refused. So, the lady owns the 8 acres behind us (although she does not currently live there, the trailer was vacant) and it is sandwiched between three different neighborhoods and there is not an actual road leading onto the property - only a caliche road. So, yes eventually we COULD have homes in our backyard, but in the foreseeable future, none. Or at least the foreseeable future before last night...

Here is a picture that shows you where we live in comparison to the trailer:


Here is another view from our bedroom window...

This picture gives you a better idea of the proximity - the weed in the middle of nowhere just a little to the right of center is about where our fenceline is. Just beyond the telephone pole is the trailer. Not only did the trailer catch fire, but so did all the land around it.

So, it's about 9:15 at this point... Kyle and I step out to the massive flames behind our home and luckily... before the panic set in, I was able to talk (coherently) and realize the police needed to be contacted. Luckily, our neighbor Melissa (Adam's wife) had already called. I decided to call again, because we have problems with emergency response where we live. The city of Schertz thinks we belong to Cibolo, the City of Cibolo thinks we belong to New Braunfels, the city of New Braunfels thinks we belong to Guadalupe County... on and on and on.... I wanted to be sure somebody was responding to us. I call 911, the dispatcher answers "911 - Are you calling about a fire?" "Yes." "We have reports of a fire on Maxfli, we are trying to respond to it, but we don't know how to get there." Genius, I think... pure genius. First, the fire itself is not on Maxfli... it's behind us. So, I start to explain to her how to get to the fire. She then SHUSHED me and said "Thank you, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye." Yes, 5 times. Ummm.... hello?! REALLY?! You shush me and then patronize me like I could not hear the other four times you said bye?! Completely unprofessional. I more than understand that your job is highly important. I also understand that you may be the only person available to answer emergency calls. I further understand that it's never wise to keep a dispatcher on the phone too long. HOWEVER... if I am trying to HELP you, send me to somebody who does have the time to listen to me. Also... do not act like I'm worthless. Thank you.

Once I get off the phone, I realize the fire is just absolutely gigantic. I mean, if I though it was big before, it's huge now. Truly. Unfortunately, at this point, with panic starting to set in - we didn't think to grab the camera and take pictures. We do have some pictures of the fire after the firefighters had been battling it a while.

Panic is a nasty, scary and unwanted feeling in any situation. It just grips you and turns everything upside down, even more so than it already is. Panic has the ability to produce absolutely irrational responses and drains any and all ability to make appropriate decisions. Panic is what I experience when I realize I can't find my daughter on the playground but I KNOW she is there. Panic is what I experience when I see the total at the grocery store go over $100. Panic is what I experience when Kyle doesn't start to brake the exact instant I think he should. So, you see... panic... in it's mildest form is something I basically experience daily. OK, well not daily... but often. Last night?? That was like super panic! That was panic on massive amounts of steroids AND crack. That was like panic... well - I think you get the picture, yeah??

So... long story, short... I panicked. Massively. I immediately started screaming about leaving the house. I couldn't imagine a scenario in which I could stay in the house one more second. The fire was still blazing. When you walked outside, you felt the heat radiating. You smelled the smoke and could feel the ruin in your bones - deep in your bones, it's a feeling I've never felt - total destruction - and rapid... so rapid. While I'm freaking out - and almost hyperventilating, might I add (do you see how bad this was?! how self-destructive I was to myself?! ugh...) my husband... my "I will stand and save this hallowed ground or I will die!" husband... was extremely concerned with watering the yard and fence. Do you see where this gets nasty?? I'm begging him to leave with me, he's standing solid on his thought that the ground and fence must be wet. Not so great. This will be a more important point later - and not one that says who was right and who was wrong (although, hello - save your life before your house)! But, not passing any judgment... house is insured, wife and child are not. But seriously, who is to say who is right and who is wrong?! *cough* me *cough*

There are no emergency responders responding. It's been about 20 minutes since I called, almost 30 since Melissa called. Melissa and I head out front to see if we can find or help the police/firefighters. As we walk out, here comes a cop. We run into the street waving our arms for him to stop. Now, let's analyze this. This is a cop car I am talking about. 1 cop. 1 car. 2 women frantically flagging you down in front of two homes that have fire immediately behind them. Wouldn't your "I need to help these people" instinct kick in? He speeds past us - to the end of the street - only to realize he can't get through to the fire from there and turn around and speed right by us again. Then the second cop car... same thing. I'm running down the street at this point. Third cop car at least stops at the end of the street. I'm still running down the hill, and I hear a neighbor telling him he must go back to caliche road. He is out of his car and walking towards the fire, trying to figure out how to get a firetruck where a firetruck cannot go. Not a single officer stopped to listen to us. Now, I realize as an officer, you probably encounter numerous idiots. However, sometimes you need to give the general public the benefit of the doubt and listen to us. I'm not mad at all cops - this is just in this situation - but yes, I'm furious at the people who responded last night. Especially the police. But that's another story... Finally, I head home, running back up the hill.

I get back in the house, completely winded. Kyle tells me to go get Reagan. Oh, yes! Hello! My child, who at this point is trying to fall asleep, in her bed, UPSTAIRS! Reagan is upstairs, I am downstairs. I need to get her near me. Let me say... the fire is large. It is large and totally in charge - that's the scary thing about fire - it's one of the few non-living (some could argue the living title) objects that is in total control while it is on earth. You've heard of controlled fires? Yeah, nobody is ever actually in control of fire. You may know how to handle fire, how to deal with fire, how to put out a fire... but there is no true way to know how to control fire because when there is fire - the fire is in control. So, this huge fire is raging away. THANK THE SWEET LORD BABY JESUS that the wind was blowing the fire and smoke parallel to our house. Had the winds shifted at ANY time, the fire would have been on top of us in a heartbeat, maybe sooner. And while I poke fun and use a movie quote... in all seriousness, you can't imagine the amount of times I've praised God for the wind last night. I really didn't want Reagan to be upstairs and have to try to get her from her room and get back downstairs and out of the house in the case that the winds did shift and it became imperative that we leave the house. I run up the stairs, yelling at Reagan "Baby, get up, get out of bed, run to your door, meet me at the door baby!" I walk in her room, and she is lying in bed - staring at me! "Momma? You want me to get out of bed?!" "Yes child! Get out of bed! There is a fire, we need to leave the house!" So much for not alarming the children... :/ We get back downstairs, it's about 9:35. I am begging Kyle to leave the house with me, he's insisting the fence needs to be watered, I'm beyond panicked. Time to get the big guns out... time to call my mom.

Most moms can tell when their child doesn't sound right on the phone. Some mothers can sense this before they even say hello. Other moms can tell just by the way the phone rings. It just rings differently when your child is in trouble, doesn't it?! No?? Yeah, it does.... My mom, I think... knows by the way I breathe. As I lay into what is happening, I'm hysterical. I'm crying, I'm shaking, I'm still winded from running up and down the hill and then up and down the stairs... My poor daughter asks me "Momma, is my jumpoline going to be on fire?" *screech!* My world comes to an absolute halt. What am I doing?! Thankfully, she is calm. Resolute, even in her fear that her beloved trampoline may not make it to see daylight. I am able to calm myself at this point. I realize that this hysteria benefits nobody and begin to assure her, in what I'm positive is a lie, that her jumpoline (as she calls it) will be perfectly untouched and we will jump on it tomorrow. As we watch the fire, I realize there are still no responders actually near the fire. It's about 9:50 now - 30 minutes after I called 911 and at least 35-40 minutes after Melissa called and the first lights begin to appear behind the fence. 35-40 minute response time for an under 10 minute drive. I'm furious.

At this point, I feel relief. Somebody is here to help. No matter what anger I feel towards them for not responding sooner, for not listening when we tried to help... that doesn't matter - just put the fire out. Reagan and I spent our time between watching the fire from the windows and watching it from the front yard. At least 100 neighbors were gathered in the yards across the street. That is eerie... when you realize that these people want to be comfortably close to the fire and they're not near your home... when you walk out and they all look at you as if to say, "I'm so glad that's not me." It took about an hour for the fire to extinguish. They were able to put the fire out on the ground rather quickly but then couldn't get the fire in the house out. They had to allow the house to burn itself down, collapse and then they were able to put the fire out.

Now, let me point out one more large problem I have... my husband and Adam were out in the back and Adam was even on the other side of the fence some. Not a single officer or fireman asked them ANYTHING. They didn't ask if they knew how it started, heard anything, saw anything suspicious. And afterward, did they speak to us? Nope. Not a word. I thought, maybe they'd come by the next day after work hours to interview some of us who might have information about how it started?? Nope. Of course, none of us really know anything - but Adam can give a better timeline. He was watering his yard and heard a pop - didn't think much of it at the time. But that's something, isn't it?! I don't know... nothing about the response gave me the warm and fuzzies. That's for sure.

Once the fire was out, they all began to pack up and head out. Reagan got to watch the firemen load up the hoses and leave and for her, that was really cool! We finally were able to put her back in bed around 10:45. In all, the ordeal lasted around 2 hours, but man... it felt like at least 6 hours!! I wasn't sure I'd be able to sleep. What if the ground sparks up again? But, when we went to our room, around midnight, there was still a fire marshal truck outside and that made me feel a little more secure. I did sleep, but oh my! When I woke up, I was still just as jittery as I was the night before. It will take some time to get over it, I suppose.

Earlier, we went for a walk - back there - to see the damage first hand. It was sad... so scorched. I'm just so grateful nobody was living there. But that leaves me to wonder, what happened? In this day and age, when you hear "vacant home" and "fire" in the same sentence, you think meth lab... but I'm sure this wasn't the case. There would be more signs of a crime scene... and this has no tape. Maybe it was her gas line? Maybe it was electrical? I'm not sure if I'll ever know, but I will try to find out.

Here are some pictures of the fire - again, these are after the firefighters were here, so the fire in these pictures is about half (or less) than the original size.


This was taken with Kyle's cell phone, so the quality is not very good. He was standing on Reagan's trampoline further back in the yard. This was after the firemen had been fighting it about 40 minutes.

This was taken from the end of the street by a neighbor. This is the area the police couldn't get through - the posts and all... The bright line just beyond the telephone pole is our fence.


So... back to the point I made earlier about leaving vs. staying and who is right and who is wrong.... I'm not sure what the best thing is to do in that situation. I tend to err on the side of caution at all times. I'd much rather be safe than be sorry. After it was over and Kyle and I began to talk about the emotions we were dealing with, and how much they differed, I realized we really need to make an emergency plan. And *aha!* perfect place to put this plan...?! My new Home Organization Binder!!!!!! Right?! Genius!

I know it is suggested that you have an emergency plan in place and that you begin to educate your children as soon as they can comprehend this. So, our new task as a family is to develop a plan for fire, bad weather, and other various forms of emergency. In Corpus, we dealt a lot with hurricanes, and you think being this far inland we'd be immune to a hurricane, but you'd be SO surprised at how bad the weather gets here with a hurricane coming in from the gulf. And here, we're prone to tornadoes much more than in Corpus, and hurricanes love to spawn a tornado. So, it's still very important that we have a Hurricane Preparedness plan. And you know... every emergency is different - there is no format by which they follow, no blueprint from which they build. But, if we can have some concrete plans that we made in a rational light, then it will help to minimize the panic and keep our family out of harms way.

Do you have an emergency plan in place for your family?

What does it look like?

Do you have emergency supplies on hand, in case?

Where do you go to learn the most you can about how to protect yourself in the event of a disaster?

What items would you take with you if you had to evacuate your home and were unsure if the structure would survive?

These are all questions Kyle and I need to answer and prepare for. And we need to find ways to help Reagan learn how to deal as well.

I know this post was seriously long... but I wanted to write out my story about the fire, mostly for future reference and for memory. The most important aspect of this experience is what we take from it - what we walk away from it with. For me, I walk away knowing that we are safe and in the hands of God. That my family has been untouched and unharmed and that we REALLY need to have a better grasp on reality next time around. Hopefully, there will never be a next time - but the only thing in life that is predictable is the fact that life is completely unpredictable. So... I'd rather plan for the worst and live the best than plan for the best and not have a clue what to do in the worst. This was a big reality check for me. I wouldn't say I almost died, or anything of the sort - but I will say that the experience opened my eyes to the things I've left undone - most notably the fact that my family does not have a plan. We need a plan. You got a plan? No...?? Get one! I'll help - I'll upload ours after we make it.

Thanks for reading if you did stick it out to the end, haha! All I can say now is... wow, what a night!

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