The Texas Mama

I haven’t blogged since Valentine’s Day. It feels like longer. There was a lot of turmoil and inner conflict going on. Wailing and gnashing of teeth. That sort of thing.

So. Along with our recent move, other things are changing as well. Including this blog. I was about to just let it go. But I realized that I need it.  I have found that I have forgotten a few things. Others are very hazy. Things like my daughter’s infancy. One should never EVER forget these things!

I love the blogging community.  I think I would just feel like a loser if I called myself a part of it yet didn’t have a blog myself. Not that you ARE a loser if you don’t blog, but….

So I will be combining this blog with my also neglected craft blog. I will be giving this blog an overhaul.  And the word ‘blog’ will no longer be part of the url. Yay! That’s pretty much it for now. I’ll set things up here, then start explaining just what has been going on!

Random picture: Frog mask from craft store, meet acrylic paint and Hali and her Mama. The pink dots were all Hali’s idea. She did the basic painting of colors then I went in with a fine paint brush in an attempt to sharpen things up. And make it even MORE girly by adding those ridiculous eyelashes!

It’s that time of winter. Time to dig out the razor. I am pretty sure I had it out in December around our anniversary. I’m also pretty sure it’s been unpacked by now (most of the house is, thank you very much).

Valentine’s Day takes on a whole new connotation when you have kids. Or in our case, a Hali.  Gone are the days of romantic evenings waiting for an hour or more to get into some national chain that calls itself a restaurant.  Gone are the days of greeting the husband in sexy lingerie when he comes home from work.  Gone are the nights of,well, you know what comes next.

No, we are fat married people with a child now. Valentine’s Day usually goes something like this:

-Hali and I make scrumptious deserts to ensure that her parents’ waistlines don’t shrink any.

-Valentine’s Day crafts of many varieties going on to keep Hali happy and entertained while we are on our all day sugar high.

-Make a nice(ish) dinner for the three of us

-Jeremy comes home brandishing gifts for Hali and I. Last year, I got a toaster. I feel it’s safe to assume this year will be better.

-I force kindly ask Jeremy if he would either clean up after dinner or give Hali a bath so that we might have  five minutes after she is asleep and before we fall asleep in which we may celebrate the holiday properly as adults.

-He whines. I whine and glare. He rolls his eyes, grabs Hali and head upstairs.

-Hali finally falls asleep after a whole day of consuming sweets.

-The romantic feeling of the day? Not so much by now.

Pessimistic? Maybe. Realistic? Oh ya. I know I am not alone here.  I suppose when your kids are older things are a bit better. You can probably just lock them in their rooms with a box of matches to keep them busy for the night and only feel marginally bad about it later.  But by then, the husbands have gotten used to not being forced or guilted into being romantic for the one entire night a year where it is actually expected. It’s a lose-lose situation really.

We are moving AGAIN. That’s right. After being in our home, which still feels brand new, for a whopping SIXTEEN months we are moving again.  I counted last week, and this will be my 17th home. Seven of those are in the past 6 years- since we’ve been married. And my dad wasn’t in the military. Neither is my husband.

Jeremy has, however, been making a longish commute every day since last spring when he started managing someone else’s shop instead of his own.  So we’ve decided to move to be closer to the new job. This is fine, because we used to live just down the street from there and we love the area anyways. The area is really an up and coming area- the Target is nearly done and EVERYTHING! Do you pronounce Target by its French pronounciation? You must. Tarsssshay!

Moving is a horrible, horrible thing. I tried to have a garage sale this past weekend. TRIED. It was freaking COLD (well, for Texas it was) and it rained the entire day before. The husband decided he didnt’ want to do it. A friend that was going to do the garage sale with me decided not to. So I canceled. Anyone want a bunch of my old crap fabulous items that are lightly used and some brand new with the tags still on and everything?

Due to a little road trip we made Sunday, I was stuck in a huge lifted deisel truck that makes you down right nausous when you ride in it and try to eat. With Jeremy and Hali. That means listening to the combined sounds of a Dora the Explorer DVD and old time “classic” country music. As a result, two days later I still have a song about underage drinking stuck in my head- “make you wanna say ‘HIIIIDY- HO!’… burns your tummy, don’t ya know…”

Moving involves a LOT more than packing up your stuff and moving it, ya know. There are nail holes and scratches on the walls to be fixed so we get our deposit back. You have to switch all your utilities, change your address with everyone, have your mail forwarded just in case, and set up all the necessaries for the new house.

And I swear, if I get stuck on the phone with one more person with such a strong Indian accent that I can barely understand them at best, I will lose it. I am already THIS close. Woe be unto you who move, for you will inherit the stress of it all. If I hadn’t lost so much hair last summer and if I wasn’t so vain, I would be pulling my hair out.  Well, that and OUCH! Plus, that takes time, and I don’t really have time to stand around and scream as I pull out my long stands.

Cell phone rings. It’s Jeremy:

Charli: HIIII!!!!!

Jeremy: Hey, Honey! Good morning!

Charli: Morning! What’s goin’ on?!

Jeremy: not much… hey I need you to do something for me

Charli: I figured!

Jeremy: how?

Charli: well, you called me, didn’t you?!

Jeremy: yaaa, but…

Charli: oh, sorry. I mean, you called me and it wasn’t at night to tell me you were on your way home so I figured that you wanted me to do something for you.

Jeremy: heeeeyyy!

Charli: so what do you need me to do?

Jeremy: I need you to take some of the cash-

Charli: there’s cash? Cash? Where’s the cash?

Jeremy: You know there’s cash!

Charli: no, I didn’t! If I had known…. well, where is it?

Jeremy: you know where it is

Charli: noooo…

Jeremy: its ***(sorry, but I am so not about to reveal our top secret hiding spot)

Charli: oh, ya. Well, if only I had known that there was cash just laying around, I’d have… uh….bought something….

Jeremy: what? bought what?

Charli: mmmm…. I don’t know.

Jeremy: please go put a thousand of it in our checking account today

Charli: mmmkay

Jeremy: like before 2:00

Charli: alllllriiiiiiight. Guess that means we might have to get out of our pajamas…oh, wait- I can go through the drive through downtown! It’s so coooold, I don’t wanna get out of the car, so that works! (* I just seriously didn’t want to have to get out of my sweat pants and bundle up and risk actually getting cold. It’s southern Texas- I shouldn’t have to get cold, like EVER.)

Jeremy: ah, well, I’m busy, so please just get that done soon

Charli: k! bye!

*** Love you and mushiness that I will spare you followed.



Sometimes I feel that my husband only calls me during the day if he wants something! Also, I hope he recognizes how nice I am- there was plenty of cash hiding in the house and after having been told about it, I DIDN’T SPEND IT! How nice am I? Talk about a frugal wife!

To add to the story, upon arriving at the bank, they took forever. That would be because apparently, one of the one hundred dollar bills was counterfeit! It was peeling apart and everything. The branch manager held it up to the window to showed me. It was that obvious. I was slightly embarrased that I had not noticed it when I counted out the money at home. Twice.

SO of course I freaked out a little, called Jeremy, and told him what was going on. I decided that I needed to go home and get the rest of the cash (that we received from the sale of a truck Jeremy had bought and sold in less than an hour) from the same guy, just to make sure there wasn’t any more.  There wasn’t. So, someone owes us one hundred dollars! I have to say it was extra stressful, because just a few hours before this happened, the guy who gave us the cash and works for my husband was fired!

So much for my first experience with counterfeit money! I swear, even the simplest of tasks becomes an ordeal around here lately!

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
-I lost 35 pounds. Except for right after I had Hali and I lost my pregnancy weight, I’ve never really managed to stick with a diet/exercise plan long enough/effectively enough to actually lose weight.
-I started sewing all KINDS of things- stuff for the house, clothes, purses, bags, etc.
-I became the owner of a Cadillac- I’d never even driven one before.
-I dyed my hair strawberry blond in May. Then black in October. Then deep brown highlights over the black in December. I’ve ALWAYS been blond before this year!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I’ve been making it a point to not really make New Year’s Resolutions lately. I take the beginning of the year to really think about my life and what I can reasonably change that I feel needs changing. But, I am so pleased with this past year, that I believe I am going to make a few resolutions this year, which I will have to write about later.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

A friend of mine had a baby girl this summer.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. Jeremy’s grandma, Janette, passed away back in March, I believe.

5. What countries did you visit?

I didn’t travel farther than the beach this past year.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

I would like to have a pair of size 8 jeans that fit me, because that’s what size I plan on being in 2008!

7.What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I’m not so good with dates, but some general dates/events are:
Jeremy’s grandma’s funeral in March
Hali throwing out the last of her bottles in March
My family coming down to visit me in May/June
Losing weight in May/June
Hali’s first ballet classes in October
Hali potty training in October

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Definitely losing 35 pounds

9. What was your biggest failure?

there are some sort of personal spiritual issues that I would have liked to have made more progress on and if anything I have done worse in 2007 than the year before

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Sure, we had some colds and flu and things like that, I think I pulled/twisted my knee, ankle, and foot a few times, but nothing serious.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My sewing machine. Without a doubt. And we even bought a Cadillac this year. That’s how much I love that sewing machine.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Well, as I think it would be too pompous to say “ME!” I will say that I really REALLY appreciate how great my parents were about us not coming up to see them for Christmas as we had planned. I know they were extremely disappointed (as was I) but they were so nice about it.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Gosh. I’d rather not say, it seems kind of mean, but I think I should just put it out there- I will feel a lot better for the therapeutic qualities that it offers:
It’s the same person, year after year- my mother-in-law. You’d think I would be used to it by now, and for the most part I am, but when she continues to hurt people I love (mainly her own son- poor hubby!) it just makes me sick.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Honestly? Into a failed business. We closed the shop down back in March, I believe, but we lost a lot for several months before that.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Losing 35 pounds. I couldn’t believe it at the time. I was just so proud of myself! I honestly just did not believe that I was strong enough to do it. I get giddy every time I think about it!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

I think there are a few:
Dora the Explorer theme song
anything by Maroon 5 (Hali has discovered her love of that band this year)
Hey There Delilah (again, Hali loved it and was constantly singing it for several months there)
anything by Johnny Cash
anything by Jack Johnson
I Got it From My Mama (my mom thinks the ‘9 times out of 10 she ugly like her mama part waaaay too much)
Will You Go With Me by Josh Turner

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:? a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Happier, Thinner and Richer. WHOOHOOO!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish that I had improved spiritually

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

waiting

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas morning opening presents with Hali and Jeremy, watching Hali enjoy all her new gifts, enjoying time together as a little family- just the three of us, stressing over Jeremy’s parents behavior, then off to their house for dinner and the boredom of waiting until we could leave, go home, relax and have fun.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?

No new loves, just renewed love.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Well, we didn’t even get tv until May of this past year, so I would say that I really enjoy a few all considering:
Dancing With The Stars
LOST
Pushing Daises
Private Practice

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t’t hate this time last year?

uhhh…no?

24. What was the best book you read?

The Last Harry Potter- Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. This may sound lame, but I am a huge fan, and this book was very exciting to me- I’d been looking forward to it for YEARS. I read quite a few other good books in 2007, but I couldn’t even begin to list them all here.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Jack Johnson
Josh Turner
Joshua Radi

26. What did you want and get?

A sewing machine. A potty trained daughter.

27. What did you want and not get?

I wanted to see my family in Idaho, but at least they came here for a few days.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Nacho Libre- I don’t think it came out in 2007, but that’s when I first watched it and it is FREAKING HILARIOUS!

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 24 on the 24th. Jeremy took me to Applebee’s and then to Kirkland’s for a present.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Moving back to Idaho (because Jeremy was able to get a good job there- impossible, I know)!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Baby doll shirts rock! Tunic length shirts are so great!

32. What kept you sane?

Blogging, snuggling with Hali, sewing, talking to my mom on the phone, having a car for most of the year, reading other blogs, internet gazing, book reading, and other nocturnal activities that we shall not mention…

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Gosh, I really can’t chose between Britney, Paris, or Lindsey… HA-HA-FREAKING-HA! I’m not so much with the celebrities and stuff, though I do idolize Martha Stewart a little. Not so much idolize as like to pretend that I am soon to be discovered as the “next Martha” really, though…

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Illegal immigration, which is a HUGE problem here in Texas.

35. Who did you miss?

My family. It’s so hard being so far from them.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

I did make several new internet friends in the blogging community!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.

Believe in yourself!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“Don’t. Stop. BELIEEEEVIN’!”

Inspired by Loralee, (except I changed it a little) here are my favorite quotes from each month of 2007:

January-  I had never heard the term cunnilingus until a few weeks ago. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am familiar with what it means, I had just never heard that particular term for it.

February- Not that the pb&j stain on one floor pillow and the juice stain on the other isn’t considered something akin to stretch marks and sagging boobs“

March- “Ugh. I think I really do need a mind make over. Some one should come in like, with tools ‘n stuff and just have at my brain. I am thinking tiny little gay men. Not like those Umpa Lumpas though- they freak me out.“

April- “I have, at this very moment, Easter eggs dyed by my MIL in my refrigerator“
* I feel that I must add to this that just a few weeks later, my MIL handed my daughter a picture that she colored herself (my MIL, not my daughter) from a coloring book. Yes. She did. I wanted to exaggeratedly and sarcastically exclaim about “what a BIG girl she was!” and “you even stayed in the lines!” but I resisted.

May- I was that happy- no let’s be honest, I was giddy. To be completely honest, I think I was even having an experience. All those towels, hand towels, wash clothes, sheets, pillow cases, blankets, comforters, throws, quilts, afghans, and table clothes lined up, stacked up and grouped together was just, well, kind of a turn on.

June- …and I know that we are both thinking and feeling the same thing. This is family at its best. The sharing of these moments of intense love of your child and of each other. The fulfillment that only we can bring to each other as a family.
 
July- This way Harry can live with me forever and ever. That and I can stroke him gently and tell him it will be okay

August- I couldn’t decide between two- they second is actually a bit long, but gosh, I sure love my own brand of sarcasm lots! They are both from the same entry.

“As much as I love the smell of fresh dog poo in the morning”

“Maybe screaming is just “your thing”.  Is that why the Best Buy guy only stayed over twice? Tell me, what attracted you to him? The way he was able to set up your new tv or whatever reason it was that he was there in the first place? Must have been a “big job” if it took him all night! I bet it was the shorts. That’s it, isn’t it?! Oh, and your son scares my daughter when he rides up to her and growls. Please tell him to stop.  And teach him words.

Shame on you, married neighbor lady next to her- I noticed the Best Buy truck over at your house just days later! Was a discount involved? Did your neighbor give you a coupon or something?”

*** I must also add here, that the neighbor lady mentioned above? The screaming one doing the Best Buy guy? Apparently she is MARRYING The Best Buy Guy! She moved out from across the street and in with him a couple months ago.


September- “I feel like a normal person now. I have always been so self conscious about my sweaty pit stains.“

October- Apparently if you’re not into rhinestones and rainbow colored bias tape around neck and arm holes you are S.O.L. in the black leotard department of our town. * I did, by the way, find a better leotard for her at Academy, by the way.

November- This was a tough one. Although I only wrote a couple of times in November, there is one entry that is just chock full of odd lines, so here are my favorites, and the whole entry is here.

“baby got back AND front!”
“Rrreeeeke Boooob-e”
“Being LDS, I am contractually obligated to love all Osmonds”

December- “I woke up in the middle of the night preforming an exorcism.“

Somehow, I thought that I had posted Halloween pictures here with a whole Halloweenerrific post. I think I did post about Halloween and our costumes, I just did it here. That would be my “craft blog” that I have been keeping so as not to bore all of you with my sewing struggles/accomplishments/outright bragging, Lil’ Booger.

So what happened on Halloween that I had to bring it up now that we are in full Christmas mode? Well, this:



Excuse the messy hair- it was an impromptu photo shoot- Hali grabbed the camera from me and started taking pictures of me while I was sitting on the floor trying to get some pictures of some Christmas crafts we had made.  And also? My nose? Is actually quite petite and cute. I have no idea how this angle made it look so odd.

On Halloween it was black (my hair, not my nose), and has since faded to a deep brown with some black parts.  Black with brown highlights, maybe? Anywhooo, I’ve been blond my entire life and this was a welcome change. I have extremely dark (not to mention BUSHY) eyebrows, and I have always wanted to see what I looked like if my hair and eyebrow color was a little closer.

Hali insisting that I dress up as a black cat along with her was my inspiration. And it was Halloween. The further along in the hair dying process I got the more timid I became. It began resembling that odd hair in a can stuff that idiotic balding men wear instead of just buzz cutting there hair.  But, when it came time to rinse it out (which seriously took FOREVER) I dried it partially and was really liking it. 

Later that night when my husband got home, he had a big surprise.  I was a little nervous he wouldn’t like it. He DID like it.  He looked at it as getting a whole new woman.  He started calling me his girlfriend, Mercedes (for some reason I required a stripper name for my new alter ego- er, changed hair color…) and was doing a LOT of staring and groping. Needless to say, changing your hair color is a GREAT way to spice up a marriage!!!

Here’s a shot that is a bit better:



*** My host is switching servers tomorrow, so this here blog may be down for a day or two. I promise to post soon after Christmas which is in freaking THREE DAYS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!

Click here for embarrasing, (but a cute sexy little elf, if I do say so myself) funny, dancing Elf Charli.

Go Elf yourself or have a snow fight with some. Thanks, Jessica!

Six years ago today. It seems like longer some days. That didn’t come out sounding very nice, did it? It seems like long ago, yet the time seems to go by so quickly. I don’t know how to describe it. 

In 2001 we were married in the Houston temple. I have wonderful memories of that day, dispite some bad news I’d recieved the day before:
 
-Being the center of attention (not something easily done as the oldest child of 6).
-Promising to be with my Jeremy forever.
-Jeremy saying the wrong words.
-Our Explorer with cat food cans attached to the back. Jeremy cutting them off in the Olive Garden parking lot so they wouldn’t cut our new car.
-The funny looks as we walked into The Olive Garden for lunch in our wedding finery.  We were hungry and the reception wasn’t for a few hours!
-Trying to cram my dress in to every chair I sat in.
-My gloved hand giving some friends the bird out the car window as we drove down the freeway.
-EVERYONE honking as us wherever we drove.
-The great music from the jazz band.
-Our delicious cakes.
-Finally sitting down after the reception should have been over to eat a piece of cake and just SIT for the first time in hours.
-Mom telling me that we “could leave, you know” and then realizing how late it was and that we really COULD uh, go and start the honeymoon! But dang, it was a long day- I was EXHAUSTED!
-The mirrored closet right next to the bed in our hotel room…

 For Jeremy:

Thanks for asking me, marrying me, and staying married to me! Best thing we ever did for ourselves.

                                                     
* Oh, my GOSH! I think we were collectively about 75 pounds lighter then!

My poor Hali. It’s not been a great couple of days for her. Last night she woke up crying. She’d been having a nightmare. She dreamed that all of her Christmas presents were gone. Poor girl! She kept saying that she couldn’t find them. I calmed her down and told her it was just a bad dream- a nightmare. 

She still seemed upset so I picked her up and carried her out to the landing at the top of the stairs where she could peer over and see for herself that the presents were still indeed under our Christmas tree downstairs.  I nearly giggled at the relief she surely must have felt as she squinted in the bright light I flicked on overhead so she could verify for herself that her beloved gifts were still in their rightful place under our tree.

I carried her back to bed.  We snuggled for just a moment and she fell back to sleep. Hopefully to more pleasant dreams! In the morning, when I asked her, she told me that the garbage man had taken all her presents away.



Apparently it was a nightmare filled night for our little family.  Jeremy dreamed we were in the middle of a war and were fleeing our home, running through the woods. Hali was screaming for me, but I was running behind her (this sounds right- she would want Mom, but Jeremy is much taller, stronger,and faster than I so he would be carrying her. In his dream he was wishing he had gotten around to building that underground shelter for us.  I am not positive, but I believe I can interpret this dream for him…

I woke up in the middle of the night preforming an exorcism.  How many people can say that? I don’t remember exactly, but an evil spirit was trying to take over someone’s body. How strange are we? And what was wrong with those quesidillas I made for dinner? Seriously?! It must have been all the rain we had last night.

Back to Hali. Thursday was her doctor appointment for what we suspected was a herniated umbilical. We were correct. Her little belly button has always been an outtie, but lately it’s been sticking out quite a bit. Especially when she tightens up her tummy when she gets excited or upset.  It’s not so large that something needs to be done about it, so we will just keep an eye on it and hopefully it won’t get any larger. It doesn’t hurt her or bother her at all, so that’s that.



The day before THAT, Wednesday, was the library’s story time Christmas party and a GOOD day. Hali was not expected to get anywhere near Santa. She seemed quite frightened before he arrived. But he arrived to the sounds of jingle bells and all the kids were so excited.

She quickly realized that Santa wasn’t a bad sort.  He seemed very kind, actually.  Then Hali saw some of the other kids being picked right up by Santa and put on his knee.  She heard them tell Santa what they wanted fro Christmas. I think that’s when it clicked: you have to TELL Santa what you want for Christmas so you get it.  She told me she would “just stand next to him” which is what she did last year. 

When the time came, she ran right up to him, let him pick her up and put her on his lap, and with her head down in shyness, told him she wanted a Dora bicycle with training wheels for Christmas. Then she cheered right up and pointed at the librarian and I who were both demanding “cheese” from her. We both got the same shot. This picture is just so Hali.

I cannot tell you my shock at all this! I actually had to make her wait- she would have ran up there in front of the other waiting kids had I not stopped her.  I didn’t tell her what to ask for or even hint.  Coincidentally, Santa WAS planning on getting just that present for her. In fact, there is already a Dora helmet and knee/elbow pads with her name on them hiding somewhere in the house!