Day 140 - Thanks!

Thank you gifts for PandaJOY precious teachers!!! Last day of preschool for the year. : (

Day 139 - The Verdict

Day 138 - Domestic Delights

Love my new darling broom!

Day 137 - Gifties!

Right after PandaJOY came to live with us back in February I happily joined with my buddies in what was once MOPS, but now is known by an even cuter name at our church.  Today was the luncheon for the last meeting of the year until all resumes in the fall.  I AH-DORE the chicks at my table and LOVE laughing my head off with them!  This HUGE painted terra cotta pot was a gift to all the participants and the darling earring hanger was made our mentor mom (who is six years older than me...LOL!!!) and she also handmade dangly earrings for each of us at our table.  Everything was topped off with great fajitas and dessert! Great distraction from the reality that PandaPop is at the jury trial for PJ today.

Day 136 - The Park

Every single day PJ asks to go "fwing" at the park. She LOVES it!  This day required jewelry.

Day 135 - Keeping It Simple

Candy and games.

Those are the simple things in life.  

Easy decisions, sugary goodness and laughter.

That's us today.

Tomorrow starts the jury trial for PandaJOY.  God is in control, but the realities that lie before us is that:

1. PJ could be taken away from us and given back to the abusive family from which she was rescued.

2. She could be placed in Permanent Managing Conservatorship meaning that she'd remain in our care as a foster child until she turned 18.  That would entail all the continued visitations, we could not adopt her and she couldn't take our last name.

3. The parental rights would be terminated and we'd be fully able to adopt her and in six months she'd officially be ours.

You do the math on which number we are praying for.  Thanks for your prayers!!!

Day 134 - New is Good

I have had the same black plastic Farberware kitchen utensils since we got married almost 19 years ago. They've been very good to me and are still fine to use, however these very inexpensive, heavy-duty beauties were at IKEA* today for $4.99!  LOVE them!

Day 133 - Friday Nite Grillin'

Grilled burgers and hot dogs on our infrared grill. YUM!  

Infrared grills are just some newer kind of grill that cooks more evenly without tons of charring. 

 Looking forward to many more grilled foods this summer!

Day 132 - Pretty in Pink

Day 131 - Freshly Squeezed Lemonade

Day 130 - A Bit of Company

Bought some canning jars specifically for sipping sweet tea with some dear friends while we cooked up some goodies on our new infrared grill......only they drank water.  Oh well, I loved MY sweet tea out of a jar!

Day 129 - Car Wash

Day 128 - Out of the Mouths of Babes

Happy Mother's Day!

Day 127 - Pose, Please

While I was having a blast with a blue-eyed blond senior girl that made me think of myself back in 1989 giggling in her blue cap & gown for a photo shoot, this little fella would not leave.  So cute!!

Day 126 - AARRGGHHHH Matey!

I took the  photos tonight for our church's preschool mom & son pirate night!

Day 125 - Learning Sequence

Teaching PandaJOY about sequencing, fine motor skills and following directions.  So sweet.

Day 124 - Amber & Cream

This is the heavenly heaven that I raved about a couple of posts ago.  FAGE Greek yogurt and honey.  PandaPop doesn't care for it.  Says it's "too....pungent, strong...WHOA."  I, who could take a spoon and eat rich frosting straight from the container, trans fat & all, LOVE this rich CREAMY good-for-me-goodness!  Each bite of thick creamy tart yogurt with this some-kind-of-wonderful honey they have conveniently in a cute little compartment right beside the yogurt brings me to my knees.  Yes, it's that good to me.

Day 123 - Our New Favorite

Day 122 - Punch

An incredible punch came last night when President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden was finally killed.

Day 121 - Children's Day

Today is Children's Day at our beloved church.  The children's choir sang this morning in both services and will be singing their worship experience program this evening that they've worked on all school year.  The darling water bottles with our church's name on them were given out from PandaPop with Snickers candy bars in them as a fun gift just for being a part of the ministry of our church.  Days like this make children's ministry so fun!

Day 120 - First Engagement Photo Shoot

I will not usually post 365 pics that are from my business photo shoots, but I want this blog to reflect my everyday life.  I'd end up posting nothing but photo shoots, because I have so many photos from them.  However, I had so much fun with this darling couple and I cannot wait to edit the rest of these precious vintage picnic photos!

Day 119 - Coming Along

We all here in the PandaHouse are coming along, day by day with the adjustments to being a family of four.  PandaJOY truly is a delight and comedienne and cuddler and pure joy.  As much as she makes me crazy, she makes me melt and I always end the crazy day with a huge, thankful smile on my tired face.

Day 118 - I Must Have Died Because This Is Too Good To Be True

FAGE

That is really the English version.  FAGE.  You see it written on the carton with Greek lettering.

Not pronounced like PAGE, but rather very Greeky...... /fa yeh/.

Since I am really trying to eat cleaner foods and fill my body with nutrition instead of processed anti-foods (that are so convenient and so easily addictive!!!!) I decided to try Greek yogurt.  It is far superior in health benefits than what we Americans like to call yogurt.  It has a sort of stout bitter twang when eaten plain, but the goodness it does for our bodies is wonderful.  I opened the little cutie-patootie container, mixed that natural strawberry spread in with the Greek yogurt, took my first bite and I about fell out of my seat.  It was so incredibly THICK and CREAMY that I swore I was licking frosting off a cake that I wasn't supposed to.  Not too sweet, but oh-so-incredibly-CREAMY!!!!!

I was pretty euphoric for the duration of the snack.

I'll be buying more Greek yogurt.

Day 117 - Brilliant Idea

Why didn't I think of adding eye-popping-amazingly-rich color to the already simply iridescent beautiful clear bubbles?

Day 116 - Too Pooped to Pop

Poor, poor PandaDoggie has been through the wringer! He slept on my bed today on a down comforter for an hour and a half. Didn't move a muscle the whole time. Probably the most sleep he's gotten since his terrible weekend ordeal. He won't drink any water and keeps puking up his food. He's on pain meds and light sedatives to keep him from being his normal bouncy self hoping he can heal quickly down there. I hope he gets better soon. This just doesn't seem normal.

Day 115 - Pandaleidoscope PIGS

Ever played Pass the Pigs? You're totally missing out on this fun and addicting game! These piggies are about the size of a Hershey's kiss. Fun playing with my little family....even PJ got to roll the pigs!

Day 114 - Happy Easter!

Just like yesterday's pic....this looks so serene and perfect yet holds a different story than what the eye beholds. If only you knew what happened last night. I'll post about it on my regular blog, but it had to do with a major wind and lightning storm, a screaming two year old, scared 8 year old, blood, a panicked trip to the animal ER and me burning my hand. Thank God Jesus lives and this world is only a place we are passing through! Happy Easter!

Day 113 - Dying Easter Eggs

Day 112 - It Is Finished

By His grace, I am alive and free of guilt....forever.

Day 111 - ManCave

PandaJOY and PandaPop hanging out in the ManCave together....for a short while.

Day 110 - End of a Busy Day

Day 109 - Peace

These gorgeous doors are on the front of a beautiful church on the streets of New York City. I took it almost two weeks ago, but I am studying about the peace of Jerusalem right now and I took this pic for PandaPop whose life work is to teach children about the love and peace God gives. It says: "All thy children shall be taught of the LORD and great shall be the peace of thy children"

Day 108 - Good Lit

UPDATE:  A DAY LATER AND A FEW CHAPTERS INTO THIS BOOK AND I HAVE TO PUT IT DOWN FOR THE YUCKY LANGUAGE.  NOT MY CUP O' TEA......NO MATTER IF IT'S A BEST SELLER.

I know, I'm behind the times on this book and I know there's a movie that's been out awhile about it, but I am not one to keep up with current good literature. I love to read, but it has to completely enamore me or else I get bored and forget about the book. I don't read voraciously nor near as super-lightning-fast as PandaPop, but when I get in the mood to read....I want a great book right THEN. I 've heard about this one and Water for Elephants, but that one had a waiting list at the library. We'll see how The Time Traveler's Wife holds my attention.

Day 107 - Sweet Love

OK....this was from yesterday, but it was too cute and I didn't take a pic today. I know, shock & dismay.

Day 106 - Eggstravaganza

Day 105 - Did You See a Tornado, Toto?!!

We drove up to our house with a third of our silver leaf maple in our driveway today from the UNBELIEVABLY crazy winds we are having this year. We are not known for high winds, but I know I have had to postpone several photo shoots due to them. Our tree needed a portion of this branch down so I guess it wanted nature to run its course and not a saw. We "happened" to not be at home with our vehicles in the driveway when this fell. Thank you, Lord for angels of protection.

Day 104 - Here Comes Peter Cotton-Tail

Day 103 - Lost in the Shuffle

Poor Miao. He has gotten so lost in the crazy world we now have. He used to be so much a part of the family and now he just hides from the dog by sleeping upstairs or puts up with PJ "petting" him. Sometimes in the middle of the night I feel his soft warm fur on my face or legs and I know he's okay.

Day 102 - Red

Red is my favorite color. I used to collect these gorgeous antique glassware pieces and one just caught my eye today in a particularly special way as I was walking into my dining room.

Days 97-101 NYC!!

I didn't spend much money on NYC junk, but I had to buy all of the PandaFamily I ♥ NYC shirts. A must! I'll take pics later of both PJ and PG. PG had already gone to school when I snapped this of PJ.

There was toooooooooo much in Central Park for me to easily choose one photo! Central Park was my favorite part of the whole trip! LOVED it!

The famous Times Square was so full of people and just had an electric buzz to the atmosphere. Very fun, but way too crowded for us. We left before it got dark to go do something else.

Every morning we got a voucher from our hotel for Starbucks.  LOVE this pic of my friend.  Looks so New York.

I love this shot that I took right out of my airplane window. Gorgeous skies!!

Day 96 - The Big Apple

Packing right now to leave VERY early in the morning for NYC!!

Day 95 - Ni Hao, Y'all

That's hello in Chinese and you all in Texan.

Day 94 - Baby, Baby, Baby---OHHHHH!

Sportin' my new Bieber look for NYC!! Leaving on Thursday around 4:30 AM for NYC with this Reckless Housewife to celebrate our 40th birthdays (mine: last sept./hers: last dec.). There is no way I could do this on my own, but her hubby flies all over the place for work and racks up air miles and hotel points so we get to fly for free and stay in the Waldorf Astoria.....for free! So pumped about it!

Day 93 - Secret Sitter

This flower is from our front flower bed. I just love snapping pics of God's handiwork in flowers. They are all so gorgeous to me!! It was by total accident that I captured a day in the life of this little guy sitting happily on a petal of this flower. When I loaded the pics to my computer and enlarged it just a bit I noticed something sitting there!!! This flower is all of the size of a half-dollar coin so you can calculate HOW TINY this fella really is!

Amazing little gift that God blessed me with right in my own front yard.

Day 92 - Super Ticked-Off Feathered Friends

Well, I have finally come to my senses apparently and now know why everyone talks about and is addicted to "Angry Birds" on their smart phones! My 8 year old taught me......after SHE put the app on PP's phone. Welcome to the new millenium, PandaMom.

Day 91 - Happy Retirement

Had fun celebrating a lifetime of hard work and dedication for my father-in-law with a surprise retirement party out in the country at PandaPop's parents' awesome land with family and friends!