Paul and Debbie get a pool

We've been having serious discussions lately about whether to get a pool built.  We hadn't always been sure that we wanted to stay in this house and thought about moving to another house.  One that already has a pool.

But, lately we've also had these feelings that we really like this house and feel comfortable here.  Yes it does need a little updating here and there and some new flooring, but it's still a great house.

The last couple of years, Paul and I have made good use of our time off on the 4th of July and really enjoyed a REAL day off.  Last year, we built this on the 4th:

 

The year before that, we enjoyed our 4th of July off enjoying this fabulous oasis!

Well this year, we planned early.  We decided to find a small pool that we could float around in and enjoy without spending a lot of money.  My thrifty husband found a pool at the local sporting goods store and it was very reasonably priced at $115.   Not only is it great for recreational use, it's also good for that crappy skin stuff I have to deal with.  So this was how we spent our Sunday morning:

First you gotta lay everything out and figure out your game plan

 

 

Then you need to trim the trees because you realize it's blocking those good sun tan rays

 

 

Can't believe how easy it was to snap this thing together

 

Ready for the water

 

 

And it's really HOT out here.....can't wait until it's ready for us to get in it!

 

 

This next shot is taken from Paul's brand new 20th century phone.  I'm including it so he can see that he was successful in snapping and sending me the picture!

 

 

And when the temperature looks like this:

 

 

It's really time for this:

 

 

 

It might not be much, but to me......it's the best pool in the world.

  I'm sure we will really be having a great 4th of July this year!

 

 

Talking with the children

You think that the relationship with your children when they are babies are the best.....but little do you know, it's when they grow up that it takes on the most meaning.

They grow up and your whole relationship changes.  The conversations that you have with them is amazing. 

I just got off the phone after spending 1 hour talking with the youngest child.  Now that he's moved away, it's fun to catch up and hear the things that he's doing at work and the life he now lives.  It's weird to not be a part of his day to day any longer when he lived here, but fun to hear all about what's going on with him.

I have the opportunity to see the oldest a couple of times a week.  He is always so willing to help us out and do things around this place that we don't have time to do.  He's quiet, thoughtful, and very meticulous about updating or repairing the things we need done.  Seriously, I don't know how I could repaint a room without his help.   I still enjoy having him over for dinner when I'm making something that I know he can't say no to.

I love these guys......I am glad that they are my children.  I am glad that I have had the opportunity to be the major influencer in their lives and have made so many wonderful memories for them to last their lifetime.

I am so glad I have the opportunity to be their mother!

We can dance if we want to

Well I'm going to tell you straight off that the title has nothing to do with this post.

I just have that silly song in my head -- so it sounded like something I should use for an interesting title.  Now that you've seen it.....you're going to start having that song run through your head now too.

This post is about how incredibly lucky I am to have my life.  No, I'm not mega rich nor mega successful.  But one thing I do have is a fabulous person to share my life with, two boys that still think I'm great, parents that I can still talk to on the phone, a sister who seriously just makes our times together hilariously funny, and a relatively successful business that provides us with the things that we need in life.

That business also provides us the opportunity to just take off for a day (sometimes) and do something spur of the moment.  Although, we're not gonna count how many days in a row we worked long days to get to this point.

That spur of the momentness occurred yesterday.  We had sort of alotted some time out of the week and we knew we wanted to go do something.....just had no specific plans in place.

After hearing that wonderful husband of mine picking at my ear for a week about seeing Cheap Trick....we hopped in the car and headed for Austin.  Bought the concert tickets online before we headed out the door and booked the hotel in the car on the way. 

Took a leisurely drive to Austin and stopped for lunch along the way.  Went to the concert and had a GREAT time and then stopped for a feast to eat in our hotel (bologna, cheese, beer, pretzels....haha!). 

The hotel we stayed at was a converted apartment complex, so we had a one-bedroom apartment complete with a kitchen filled with supplies, refrigerator, and microwave.  Located in a nice quiet neighborhood.....it was a great place to stay!

We stayed up late watching a movie and eating our feast and didn't get up until 10am.  How nice it was to just leisurely get up and not have any stress about having to be anywhere in a hurry.

The drive back was filled with lots of business planning, a lunch at a small cafe in a tiny town, and memories of what a great time we have with each other.  Really.....isn't that what your life should really be about and not all the fancy possessions?

Now.....just to torture you.....

"We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine"

Cooking with Chiles

Since we had brought home 3 bags full of frozen green chiles from New Mexico, it was time to start working on using them up.

First recipe was to try a Green Chile Chicken Salad.

The ingredients were chicken, cilantro, green chiles, shallots, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, and lime juice.

Holy cow......it was delicious!  We loved it, although it was a tad spicy.  Paul put his on jalapeno bread and I put mine on a bed of fresh spinach.  Threw on some kettle fried chips and it was a fabulous summer meal!  The eldest child came by today and finished it off in a couple of sandwiches and declared that it was delicious!

Seriously, some of the food I eat these days I NEVER in a million years would think I'd ever eat it.  Sometimes it's really amazing as you grow older and bolder.  Just wish the spicy stuff didn't mess with my stomach like it does.......that's the bad part of getting old.

I think the next green chile creation will be a green chile stew, which I hope will duplicate the one that we ate in Santa Fe.  Details to follow, cause I know how interested you really are in all of this!

Not much to say, but hey.....it's 3 days in a row!

Ok.....we're on a roll here.  I've managed to squeak a little time away and get a little writing in.  In this case, the writing is going to sound like just a bunch of random thoughts.  That's the way my brain is today.....random thoughts.  Kind of relaxing in a way and gives my mind some time to rest.

I've actually made a little time lately and tried to do some of my creative tasks I have to do. 

For instance, I just put together another photo book.  This one chronicles our trip to D.C earlier this year.  I really need to make another one, because I still have a bunch of random trips and memories that I want to put together......it's just a little time consuming.

The last time I had done one was of a random group of trips and it's dated 2010, so as you can see I really need to get busy.

Good news from this last week is record sales at both stores!  Funny thing, both the stores last record week was June 3 of last year and both stores broke their records again in the same week.  Guess those school orders at the end of the year really do make a difference!  We made over 500 pizzas between the two stores and add that with all the swim team orders.......it makes a good start to the summer.

Today will be filled with the ordinary.....bills to pay, PZ e-mail to send out, and still catching up on the tax stuff (but I do see the end in sight!!!), and trying to make the house a little presentable.  I have an assistant starting on Monday (she has no idea what she's in for).  We'll have to see how this works out.  I really don't like anyone here with me all day when I'm trying to work and I love the peace and solitude that comes with being home by myself.  In fact, I haven't even turned on the talk radio yet today and am enjoying the quiet of my house.

Wow, I'm sounding more and more like an old lady every day!

The last day is always the saddest day :-(

Day 4 in fabulous Albuquerque. 

We kinda had made plans to run into the city and see a quick museum......but we'd already done a whirlwind trip and were moving kind of slow that morning.

Most IMPORTANT item was that we had to be at the airport by 1:30 to catch our flight home (that was the saddest part).

So the last morning was spent running some errands and getting ready for the trip home.  Like......having to find something at Aaron's that we could borrow because we had bought too many souvenirs in Santa Fe and we didn't want them to go in the suitcase home because they would have been broken (and because there was no room).

First stop of the day was to get beef jerky.  Aaron recommended a place that made green chile beef jerky and he said it was the best he'd ever had.  I personally didn't care much for the green chile flavor, but I did love the peppered.....so we bought a half pound and Aaron bought a bunch for himself and our next stop was the grocery store.

We picked up the necessary supplies for tacos, as Aaron decided he was making us a taco lunch before we left.  He had some special seasonings for the meat and he did not disappoint.  What a GREAT lunch we had before we headed to the airport.

But of course, all good things must come to and end and soon enough it was time for us to head to the airport and head back to our real life.  It also was sad to leave my youngest child.....but we knew that we'd be seeing him again in a couple of months.

Of course, American Airlines did not disappoint us and after the fiasco we had going to Albuquerque with our broken plane in Dallas, we had an extra hour added to our trip home by a longer than planned layover in Dallas (our connecting flight was delayed because of thunderstorms).  We spent the time at an Irish Pub enjoying a beer and playing on our electronic devices.

A quick stop to Pizza Zone on our way home to make a pizza for our late dinner....and it was off to bed and dream about all the fun that we had recently enjoyed.

Next trip........Tucson!

The moment you've been waiting for:

.....day 3 of our fabulous Mother's Day weekend!

This day was going to be spent sightseeing.  It was also giving Aaron a chance to visit some of the interesting sights of Albuquerque.

First stop was Old Town Albuquerque. 

I borrowed this picture from the internet, because after driving around for awhile looking at it.....we made the decision to skip it.  It was really quaint and filled with lots of adobe shops, but after spending the day before in Santa Fe......we really didn't need to buy any more souvenirs!

Down the road we went and we came upon the Albuquerque Museum of Natural History.  I have to honestly say that this was the BEST Museum of Natural History I have ever seen.  It kept us entertained for a couple of hours!

After the Museum, we needed a quick lunch before we took off for our next destination.  Aaron has found a great restaurant that he liked and recommended it to Paul......who was on board to check it out.

Not sure if they remember what they ordered.....but they did enjoy the view!

Next stop was the Tinkertown Museum.  This (by far) was the most unusual place we've ever visited.  Filled with wood carvings and mini dioramas tucked way back in the middle of the mountains.....it is definitely a "must see" when you visit Albuquerque.

 

(they always have to accomodate me and pose for pictures, so sometimes

 I just take them when they're not looking!)

But, they are always good to take a picture when I ask them!

We even found an old Sherwin Williams sign in the middle of this funky place!

Next stop on the Albuquerque Town Tour as the Nuclear Science Museum.  This place was something that Aaron had expressed an interest in seeing....and Paul and I weren't too sure that this was something we'd be interested in.  I have to say......it was very interesting and I really did enjoy it.

Aaron and I had the opportunity to see how fast you had to pedal to generate electricity.  (By the looks of my picture, I should have stayed on the bike and produced enough electricity for the city of Houston!)

 

We enjoyed the museum more than we had anticipated.  And of course, we took advantage of the photo opportunity outside where they had some airplanes on display.

Next stop was Sandia Peak, so back through the mountains to the other side.  We took the tram to the top of the mountain and what a beautiful place it was!  Our plan was to get there just before sunset so that we could see it in the daylight, the sunset, and the night time view.  I'm so glad that we did it that way......it was gorgeous!  WARNING:  There is going to be lots of pictures posted here.  It was just so beautiful......I couldn't help it.

 

 

The tram we took at the top of Sandia Peak

 

 

Love this scenery behind us!

 

 

After hanging out taking pictures from the fabulous view from the top, we ate dinner at the top of the mountain at the High Finance Restaurant.  They certainly named it right......but we did enjoy our feast, the beers, and the chance to just sit, talk and enjoy the view from our table!

 

 

The last item on our agenda for the night was to spend the rest of our evening at the Sandia Peak Casino.  How convenient.......right at the end of the road from the tram station!

The boys played poker and I played slots until the wee hours of the morning.  Finally, it was time to call it a day and head for Aaron's place and get a good nights sleep.  It was a fabulous last night in Albuquerque.

One small task finally accomplished

Paul and I found ourselves together this morning without any emergency things that just had to get done.

Since we had a rather late evening, we were moving kind of slowly this morning and just enjoying the quiet time at home.

We made the decision to run to Lowe's and get something for lunch.

We finally got the right nails so that we could hang this up.

 I think it looks pretty spectacular on the front of my house and every time I see it, it will remind me of our trip to Santa Fe.

In fact, I'm pretty proud of the way the front of our house has been looking lately.  The bushes are starting to fill in now.  I still need to get that darn porch swing hung up.  I really want to use it!

Now that I've seen this picture, though......it looks like the pine needles need to be cleaned up out of the flower bed and the grass might need a little mowing.  And I still have a couple of bare spots in the lawn that I've been working hard to get filled in.

But even though there is still a million things to do, it's still my "home sweet home"

Life is life

These days are filled with catching up.  Every day is an adventure and full of so many things to do. 

I still need to post Day 3 & 4 of the New Mexico trip (I have not forgotten).  Just can't seem to justyify taking the time to do it.

Busy weekend coming up.  My summer helper will be starting in a week and boy do I have LOTS of things for her to do.  Maybe I could get her to clean my house too (lol).

Of course, we are always having to deal with some drama of one form or another with employees.  Big decisions are needing to be made in regards to managers, moving one store, closing another store, and getting some new ovens.  Don't like the heaviness I feel on my shoulders when these types of things are looming over heads.  We both already have an enormous amount of things that just need to be done on a regular basis and these extra things just throw a little more fun in the mix!

Well, guess it's finally time to start my work day.  I've discovered that I love to lay in bed in the mornings and watch the Today show.  It's a fun and lighthearted way to start the day.  It also gives me the opportunity to see the sights of New York City and hope that we'll get to go back for a visit soon.