Day 273 - Photo Shoot

Day 272 - Pumpkins!!!

It's finally here!!!!......well, almost.  Our temps are still quite hot, but there's hope on the horizon with them going down tomorrow and looking a bit more fall-ish.  If you call high 85 fall-ish.  I'd rather have 59 as a high for the day. That's coming soon, I'm sure of it.

Day 271 - A Day at a Time

This adoption process is taking forever.  Painstakingly.....FOREVER.  With each passing day, our little family (dare I say...of four) becomes stronger and more of who we were created to be.

Day 270 - Birthday To Do List

PandaGirl has always had very planned out theme parties for her birthday, but this year we are opting for just a friend to come for a sleepover so PG made out the agenda for the evening.  LOVE this!!

Day 269 - Breathtaking Nature

Quickly snapped this while on a photo shoot.

Day 268 - Mwahcuhmoley

How PandaJOY pronounces guacamole. Darling, huh?

Day 267 - 20,000 Strong

Journey*, Foreigner* and Night Ranger* Concert!!!!

Day 266 - First Day of Fall!!!

Day 265 - Sushi.....from Target*

This was part of PandaPop's and PandaGirl's dinner tonight.....from Target*.  They said it was good. Hmmmm.

Day 264 - Curly Q's

Hopefully, before PandaJOY is 18 years old you'll get to see her beautiful, breath-taking eyes.

Day 263 - Freebies!

Are you familiar with Scentsy*?  I have used it for awhile and have even used some knock-off brands (not near as good!!!), but the other day I had a party with my friend from church who sells it and it turned out GREAT! I think there were a whopping TWO people who could actually attend, but several people ordered through the catalog and I ended up with $81.00 of FREE stuff! Yes.....EIGHTY ONE DOLLARS! Every single one of those scent bars in the picture were FREE along with my AMAZINGLY yummy perfume stick called Satin Sheets that makes me keep sniffing my own wrists every few minutes like a weirdo.  I also got THREE full size warmers for 50% off.  If you want to know any more about it just mention it in the comments and my friend would be happy to send you to her website!  Right now my house smells like Honey Pear Cider*. Yum.

Day 262 - Math Games

PandaGirl is a super great reader and loves to create stories.  She is not so great at learning those much-needed math facts.....that she should already know.  We are trying to help her not hate math, but so far she's kinda on the road to hating math. : (

Day 261 - Brown Toes & Bubbles

Day 260 - Love This Author

New read that I picked up at our church library.  Haven't started it yet and don't know when I'll have the time to read, but I'm carving out some time because I have found that I really like Angela Hunt.

Day 259 - Just Semantics?

Being the mother of two adopted children (well....almost two!) I have struggles with the word adoption being used so flippantly for various reasons.  This no-longer-needed textbook is a good example of how to NOT use the word.

Day 258 - Doesn't Get Any Better Than This Man

Day 257 - Staff Wife Fun

I adore my church, love the staff that PandaPop serves with and I LOVE the staff wives.  We all get along great and love to serve alongside our hubbies, but rarely get the chance to all be together in the same place, at the same time and able to actually talk.  The last time we met all together was a year ago August.  We recently just added two more to our bonded group so our oh-so-beloved pastor's wife invited us all over for lunch today and, true to form......she had a darling craft for us to do.  Christmas organization cutie-patootie file folders!!

Day 256 - Diggin' It

Day 255 - Clips Galore

I'm sure all families with girls have gazillions of clips.....sometimes found in the oddest places.

Day 254 - Driven Insane

This is what the foster system has done to us.  We are taking it one.day.at.a.time, sweet Jesus.

Day 253 - Jammer Time

I never thought I'd say that I attended a flat track roller derby bout.  I have now attended a flat track roller derby bout. I also have a new set of lingo to use.

And I actually had a great time!! I have to admit that I was reluctant and only going to support and love on my friend.  As a kid, watching the women's roller derby scared me to death with those women being so mean to each other.  That was the vision I had in my head still along with the fact that the general attitude of the sport is IN YOUR FACE, I'M GONNA KILL YOU, EAT THIS, DIE $*@%#$@, ripped up fish net stockings, lots of tattoos and a darker genre that I'm just not fond of (though I do want a tat!!).  Actually seeing it in action and understanding the objective of the sport made it all really fun and I am so proud of my friend for DOING IT and living one of her dreams.

Everyone has a name that's a play on words or twists names to make them.....more.....uhm...dark.  Her name is Reckless Housewife.  She's had that as her blog name for a long time and it was a perfect fit to be her derby name when the opportunity arose last spring.

Yes, her actual number is 867-5309.  Very funny.

Anyone in my generation can't help but singing 86753-OH-9eee-ine...Jenny, I've got your number....

Day 252 - A Dry & Weary Land

This is our front flower bed. I've posted pics before of beautiful, lush greens and vivid flowers.

This drought we are in can be quite depressing, especially to someone who LOVES to savor every ounce of the lush green and colorful foliage so much.  We went to a nursery yesterday to find new ideas for our backyard landscaping project and even all the plants there were just droopy and sad and dry. The expert there told us that the prediction for the next TWO summers here are supposed to be as bad if not worse than this past summer with the horrid temperatures.  That is not the way to perk up one's day.  Just a firm reminder that our circumstances do not determine our joy and that we are NOT HOME YET.

This is yucky here, but far, far worse are all the wildfires in Texas that are raging and ruining people's lives.

Lord, please send rain.

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. 

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,

 in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

Day 251 - Suds & Gloves

Day 250 - Just a Little Nuzzle

Day 249 - Birthday Roses from My Man

Day 248 - FALL Came to Our House!!

After a miserable summer with most every day being over 105 degrees.....FALL came to our house this morning with a wonderfully cool breeze of 70 degrees!!!!! Happy Birthday present to me! We know it's just a teaser and that more hot is to come throughout September, but OH what a much needed and appreciated relief.  PP and I sat out back with our precious doggie, the best coffee ever and penciled down some fresh ideas for our backyard....all while feeling the cool breeze.  I may have even been wearing my Baylor Bear hoodie. Maybe.

Day 247 - My 41st Birthday

Day 246 - Christmas Prep

Yet another cute idea I got from Pinterest** for a darling advent calendar!! I have finished it and will save that pic for Christmas time.  I even pulled out my old sewing machine to tack down the little card holders.  It got my creative bug all wiggly again!

Day 245 - Long Legs

Day 244 - 100% Real

While are trying to eat cleaner and make much healthier choices along with portion control we are also enjoying not being so legalistic with "eat this, DON'T eat that" blah, blah, blah.  If I count my calories and make sure that I don't go crazy then for me......REAL creamer is worth it in my coffee.  I am sick of yuck coffee at home by trying so many different ways to flavor it with artificial junk.  These are REAL creamers and the calories aren't that high.  Yum.