Funny Kid Quotes

As we were driving home from school today, Ava was gazing out the window and suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa!  I thought I saw a mountain lion!  But it was just a cow."  

Then several hours later, after talking on the phone to her Dad (who is in California right now) she turned to me and asked, "Mom?  Can I have one of these phones in my room?"  Ummmm.....that would be a big NO!  Oh, I can already see her as a teenager, talking for hours on the phone, closed up in her room.  *sigh*  Speaking of Ava as a teenager, wow, I think she looks so grown up in the picture below...

Until next time...

Project 365 Days 30-36

Day 30/365 - January 30

The fog was so cool this morning...we are high enough here in flat Texas that sometimes, the fog doesn't get all the way up to our house - it lays low in the 'valleys' that surround our little 'mountain'.  You could see out in this pasture the line where it began.  It looked very ethereal in person...

Day 31/365 - January 31

This is a hawk that hangs out around my barn.  I really like him because he loves to eat mice and snakes - the only two animals around here that I allow to be killed (or, as we like to say in Texas,  the only two 'varmits' I allow to be killed around here).  I don't know what kind of hawk he is - anyone have any ideas?  But he likes to sit on the electrical wire that runs over my muck pile and I often see him searching the pile for food.  He's not very scared of me and lets me walk right underneath him while he sits there (which is how I got this picture).  The weird thing about the picture is that it was a grey, cloudy day so when I zoomed in to get him up close, I lost all background and reference so it looks like I cut and pasted him out of a different picture.  He's so cool - I need to think of a name for him...

Day 32/365 - February 1

This day will live in infamy in my world as the first day of the worst cold and snow I've lived through and North Texas has seen in over 30 years.  The cold front blew in while it was raining overnight and turned all the rain to ice.  Then snow fell.  About 5 inches of it.  (Which is 7 less than last year but it was MUCH colder than last year.)  The snow doesn't look that thick in the picture because the cold front brought 40+ mph winds that blew it everywhere (nothing in some spots, big drifts in others).  And I know, some of you are saying "inches!"  What are you complaining about!  We deal with much worse up north!  And I know that, but remember, I may have Midwest roots, but I'm a California girl at heart and this is hard for me to take!  I took this picture as the sun was setting that evening.  Again, what a beautiful sky!  It looks so warm and peaceful, like I cut and pasted it in from a tropical picture - but I didn't!  I love the contrast of the cold, dark snowy foreground and the warm, wispy colors of the sky...

Day 33/365 - February 2

This is my trusty Kubota.  Jason and I agree that this was the best money we ever spent.  We use it for SO much around here that nothing else can do.  Today (and the rest of the week) it was my best friend in this sub-freezing temps as it carried the four 5+ gallon buckets of water I had to fill in the house and take up to the barn several times a day to water the horses.  Everything was frozen and I didn't get water back to the barn for another three days.  It was hard enough lifting and loading those heavy buckets - I think I would have fallen over dead if I'd had to haul them up to the barn myself too!

Day 34/365 - February 3

This picture was actually taken on the 1st, the day the storm rolled in but I wanted to memorialize it here so that in another 6 months when I'm complaining about the heat, I can pull it up and remember the agony of this frigid week!

Day 35/365 - February 4

Ahhhh yes!  The night the pipe froze - or unfroze!  I took this picture shortly after midnight on the 4th.  We had been awakened about 30 minutes before to the sound of a fire hose being turned on in the kitchen.  A pipe broke in the ceiling right in front of the table and came gushing out of the register, the can lights, the moulding/pillar on the right and the pocket door/door frame on the far left of the picture.  It's almost a week later and now the ceiling is down, fans are running 24/7 and my kitchen is taped off in plastic.  Southern Florida or Southern California is sounding good about now...

Day 36/365 - February 5

Tommy had been locked up in his stall for about 5 days when I let him out finally.  It still wasn't dry (which is bad for his feet) but I felt so bad - he was MISERABLE in that stall all day.  I knew he'd have a lot of energy to unload so I had my camera on hand.  He ran all over for awhile before he whipped the herd up and had them galloping across the pastures with him.  That's Ginger and Ruby in the front, Tommy then Magic (my two racing thoroughbreds!) and Prince and Tinkerbell bringing up the rear.  I think Butters was off eating somewhere (of course), Belle is still on stall rest, and Star thought it best to stay out of the fray and rest in the stall ;-)

Until next time...

Project 365 Days 23-29

Day 23/365 - January 23

This is Mi-Wah, the friendliest of our three cats.  He's named after my mother-in-law's hairdresser in order to go along with Mi-Tai 2, who was our calico cat that disappeared.  Mi-Tai 2 was named after the first Mi-Tai calico cat, who was also my mother-in-law's.  Mai-Tai the first was named after the wife of a client of my father-in-law's.  Make sense?

Day 24/365 - January 24

We've been trying to get Tinkerbell some more exercise because she's getting a little pudgy.  So, after school, Ava took her out to lunge her.  Ava is wearing the medal she got for competing in the UIL competition at school.  More on that later!

Day 25/365 - January 25

Many of my pictures this week are fillers - and this is one of them.  Every Wednesday I have Bible Study and Amelia and I usually grab lunch at Panera afterwards.  On this day, however, we rebelled and had lunch at Corner Bakery. Corner Bakery is also right next to Gymboree so we did some shopping as well!

Day 26/365 - January 26

Speaking of Bible Study, this is a great verse someone shared this week.  I had to find it on my iphone app and take a picture - I've already been using it!

Day 27/365 - January 27

I found this great car wash/car detailing place in Decatur.  I can get a full car wash with power washing the undercarriage and hand drying for $15!  I'm addicted!  Especially in the winter, I hate to wash my car but I want a clean car.  So they have a new customer!!

Day 28/365 - January 28

Another Fun Run at Ava's school!  The Fun Run is when they invite parents and siblings to come and run during your child's PE class to help them earn laps.  Each lap goes toward earning a little foot charm your child collects throughout the year and is supposed to be an incentive for them to run and get some exercise!  So Amelia and I braved this brisk morning to help Ava earn her "feet".  My only regret is that we arrived early to the track so I parked, turned off the car, and let Amelia watch Kai Lan on the car's video player.  I was quite surprised when we left to go home to find that my car would not start as the video had drained the battery after playing for 30 minutes straight!  Lesson learned!

Day 29/365 - January 29

Here are my three lovely, fluffy, fat cats.  They love to play with the orange twine that straps my hay bales together.  You'd think they learn it's not really alive.  But they just can't help themselves!

Until next time...

Free Download

For the entire month of February, ChristianAudio.com is offering Russell Moore's book "Adopted for Life" free!

Here's some info about the book:


The gospel of Jesus Christ—the good news that through Jesus we have been adopted as sons and daughters into God’s family—means that Christians ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans in North America and around the world.

Moore does not shy away from this call in Adopted for Life, a popular-level, practical manifesto for Christians to adopt children and to help equip other Christian families to do the same. He shows that adoption is not just about couples who want children—or who want more children. It is about an entire culture within the church, a culture that sees adoption as part of the Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.


I've downloaded mine - and can't wait to listen!  

Project 365 Days 16-22

Day 16/365 - January 16

Can't remember why we didn't get into church this Sunday morning, but on days when we can't, it is so great to be able to watch the service live on the web.  That's our pastor, Tom Pennington.  A great preacher and leader of our church!

Day 17/365 - January 17

Maybe I should just make a book of our sunrises and sunsets instead of boring y'all with them but come on!  Those colors are unreal!  Just gorgeous - they almost look neon...

Day 18/365 - January 18

Here Amelia is eating one of those Lunchable cracker, meat and cheese prepackaged meals.  She absolutely loves them.  She wants one everyday for lunch.  I know they're not the best thing for her but besides chicken nuggets, its hard to get this girl to eat meat!  So, I usually indulge her so she gets some kind of meat in her system, processed though it be!

Day 19/365 - January 19

Lesson time again for Ava.  She and Tinkerbell did quite well this lesson and it was fun playing with my camera.  Denise is an awesome teacher and keeps Ava interested and wanting to learn more.

Day 20/365 - January 20

My first try at a night shot.  The moon was SO bright and big.  I thought it came out pretty well considering I didn't use a tripod.  I like how you can see some stars (or planes?) up in the upper sky.  That glow of lights off to the right is the far off big city of Fort Worth.

Day 21/365 - January 21

I'm calling this one "Like Father, Like Daughter."  Jason got an iPad for Christmas and he absolutely loves it.  Sometimes, when Amelia sees him on it, she grabs her Leapster (now inherited from Ava since Ava got a DSi for Christmas) and joins him on the couch for some quiet, geeky electronic time.

Day 22/365 - January 22

Tommy had a nice 3-4 week time off during the holidays so I was pretty excited how well he was jumping on this, our first day back under saddle.  Please ignore the large umbrella visor on my helmet.  I use it on sunny days (and every day during the summer) because it really gives much better shade on your face to protect it and helps you see where you are going easier (no bright sun glaring into your eyes).  However, it looks rather dorky and I usually take it off for photos.  

Until next time...

Project 365 Days 9-15

Day 9/365 - January 9

Oh yes.  Snow showers appeared and this fruitcake couldn't wait to get outside and play in the cold wind and sleet/snow.  Doesn't she look relaxed just basking in the snow pelting her face? 

Day 10/365 - January 10

I actually took this picture the week before but needed a filler for today!  Ava had just finished a nice ride on Tinkerbell and we decided to try the antlers on her!  She posed quite nicely for her photo!

Day 11/365 - January 11

This little girl had her ears pierced for her 8th birthday.  She was just 3 days shy of getting to take the studs out when an infection appeared.  Her little studs got lost in the swelling of her lobes so we swapped out her studs for my studs.  No, they are not real diamonds.  But she thinks they are!

Day 12/365 - January 12

Ever feel cornered?  Like you've got no where to run?  ;-)  Sorry for the annoying glare in the bottom right corner.  I was taking this picture through the window (for obvious reasons).  I don't think that little guy had much of a chance.  Though my cats did play with him for quite awhile, I don't think he ever got away.

Day 13/365 - January 13

Fiery sunrise.  It was absolutely beautiful!

Day 14/365 - January 14

Simple, sweet Clementine.  I am so addicted to these right now.  I mean seriously addicted.  If they came pre-peeled and in a bowl, I'd be popping them like potato chips.

Day 15/365 - January 15

It's tough being a princess all day.

Until next time...