Kelly Times Two

Here are the top ten reasons why I'm head over heels crazy about today, March 17: 10. Green is my favorite color, Kelly green especially. 9. Our family moved to Texas on March 17, 2000! Ten years ago today. 8. It always reminds me of my cousin, Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day. 7. I wrote an awesome poem in junior high about green for an English class, and got recognition for it, honorable mention in a poetry contest. 6. Since our family moved to another school in a different state, I submitted the same poem for a high school English class, and got an A. 5. Green looks good on me. (And in my opinion, it looks good on everyone.) 4. I whipped up corned beef and cabbage and potatoes for dinner tonight for the first time, starting a brand new tradition! (We were in California at this time, last year during spring break and enjoyed dinner with Aunt Ollie's family--Billie Joe's mom--and she served that menu and I LOVED it.) 3. Even though I'm not much of an ...

Are you kidding me? A triathlon and I have never belonged in the same sentence. It must have been time for something new! (The "BEFORE" race shot, with goggles and swim cap in hand.) What an unforgettable week this was! I actually DID enter my first triathlon, with the goal of simply finishing it. Take note of the emphasis on the word FIRST, because I loved it so much, that you can guarantee that there will be more. It was a blast. Seriously. My friends Lorraine and Robin had trained and signed up to do the event, which was two days ago, on Saturday. Three days beforehand, I heard about it and basically had a spontaneous urge to join them, so I registered. The only partial preparation ahead of time that I had been doing was cycling in the neighborhood here and there on my mountain bike with some other friends. And doing some micro-laps in our backyard pool. Our friend, Dave, was also there. The three of us women appreciated Dave's encouragement and support, as he's ...

Here's a cute little picture of me in kindergarten, 1968. All my life, I've never forgotten this shot below in first grade (1969) when the photog asked me to say "peaches" and he snapped the shot at the "ch" sound. If you're trying to get a kid to smile, don't tell them to say peaches. It's scarred me for life. Mom, what the heck happened to my hair? Did I fix it myself? After all, I was in second grade and very capable. My grandma crocheted that groovy vest for me, but who is responsible for the hack job on my hair? Hello, 1970! Who knows where my third grade picture is. We moved so often, changing schools, that I might have missed picture day. Next is my fourth grade mug shot. I must have sworn off bangs by then. Thank goodness for those plastic barrettes to deal with the in-between length. Notice how every year I wore green? Yeah, it's been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. I don't have an actual school pic of me in f...

(Francie, I listened to your request!) Our yard makeover is complete. Here we have a freshly fluffed bed, with some kind of fern plants and Dianaella plants added. The black mulch makes everything look clean and crisp as well. My car has a flat tire, thanks to Lindsey, who drove it home this way all the way from HEB. Our Bermuda grass was scalped and we added Palisades Zoysia grass. Fred, our salesperson, miscalculated by five pallets how much we would need. Since we paid for it, we resodded our front lawn too. Plus this city easement between our house and our neighbors' home. Plus some of their backyard. Thanks, Fred. Glad we could do our part in beautifying the neighborhood. One of the guys who did the masonry for the pool did so well that I hired him to add this flagstone step to the front porch to replace the boring concrete undersized step that was there before. Six sick shrubs, details below. The fountain is finally working with a bigger horsepowered blower. Kelly had en...

My old, white Kitchen Aid mixer that I've used and abused for fourteen years has been losing its mojo and I've needed a replacement for several months. From the first time I saw this lovely turquoise Kitchen Aid stand mixer, I knew it was the one for me. It didn't make sense though. Black would. Silver would. White would, but not this one . It didn't matter though, because I {IMPRINTED} with it. For months I tried to deny that I was in love. Every time I walked past it in the department stores, we were drawn together instinctively. I'm certain that my aquamarine steel machine felt the same about me. We were meant to be. My new love joined me yesterday for a future filled with whipping up hours of good, tasty fun. Oh yes, I am happy.

FANTASTIC news --we signed a contract with Cody Pools yesterday to build our pool, the design I posted previously on my blog. I am ecstatic, to say the least. We all are. This is our first pool to have and I know we'll enjoy it tremendously. They have estimated that it will take 55 working days from the time they get HOA approval, and the pool should be completed by the end of May. And there will be photos, undoubtedly. More good news --remember when Kelly was voted for as the best speaker and paper presented at a conference he attended last month? He found out there was more to his prize--he also gets to present the same paper at a conference to be held in one of several cities in the next few months, all expenses paid by one of the companies who sponsored the event. These are his choices: Munich Beijing Tokyo San Jose Bangalore He told the contact person that he would let her know his preference, but he knows for sure that it will not be to San Jose. We both agreed that Tokyo ...

We hired a professional to take some pictures of us on a gorgeous Texas evening, on October 13. Gabby , thank you so much for getting some great shots of our family. You are so talented and my kids loved doing it. They decided they like being models! Thanks again.