rockin' the youth vote

I don't think I've mentioned in my blog that we're expecting Bundle of Joy #2 in September.

I ran across these onesies today and got a total kick out of 'em . They probably wouldn't be as well-received in [our future home of] Boston as they would be in [our permanent home of] Texas, but I think most people with even a smidgen of a sense of humor would chuckle.

Onesies courtesy of CoolConservative and Cafe Press.

two boys, sunshine, and 11 eggs

(Only 11 eggs because I used one for the Belgian waffle mix at breakfast)

Aidan and Grant (my sister's son) spent Saturday together playing in the sprinkler, riding around the yard in Aidan's jeep, and coloring Easter eggs.

If there's anything better than springtime weather in Texas, I haven't come across it in the past 30+ years. Absolutely gorgeous and perfect.

new james avery spring items

Like most girls who grew up in Texas, I've worn James Avery charm bracelets, dangle rings, and crosses my entire life.

Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Kerrville, Texas (smack dab in the middle of the beautifully rustic Texas Hill Country), James Avery, a family-owned business specializing in classic, often Christian-related jewelry designs, continues to be a cornerstone of Texas [small business] commerce.

It's impossible for me to close my eyes and think of my grandmother without seeing the gold James Avery sand dollar or star charm she always wore around her neck. Those particular pieces are still in our family and worn with love.

I remember my daddy's James Avery arrowhead keychain -- he also owns any version of a horned toad that JA makes. ;) And each graduation or special occasion was always met with a James Avery charm. Oh, and college opened up a whole new repertoire of James Avery options --- that's when I started receiving Aggie-related JA jewelry!

But the James Avery crosses are most legendary. Walking into a store and trying to pick one out is a difficult task. Each is beautiful, has individual meaning, and is delicately perfect. I don't know how many I've owned over the years, but each phase of my life seems to have been marked with a different James Avery cross.

And the dangle rings ... oh the dangle rings! So many significant events from my pre-teen and later, teen years seemed to have been accompanied by a pretty box with ribbon and that famous James Avery sticker -- containing a dangle ring, of course.

As I've grown up, my appreciation for James Avery has changed. I love the timelessness of the designs, as well as the focus on family, tradition and the important things in life. They just keep getting better and better.

Today, James Avery has stores all across Texas, as well as in Oklahoma, Georgia, Colorado, and Louisiana.

official eclipse poster

Meh, I'm underwhelmed.

Eclipse opens in theaters June 30, 2010.

crawdaddies + march madness

Beverly drove in for the night to visit with Big A, and we made a pot of crab, shrimp and crawfish for dinner. It's a touch early in the season for crawfish, especially since we've had some late cold snaps, so they're still small. But it was a fun way to spend Ty's last weekend home.

Added to a Texas A&M victory in round one of the NCAA Tourney, and it made for a pretty stellar Friday.

man's work

a banner year for bluebonnets

Due to a very wet fall and winter, the bluebonnet (state flower of Texas) and wildflower display in the Lone Star State this spring is forecasted to be extra-amazing -- the Indian paintbrush and bluebonnets are already popping up.

Experts say to expect a knock-out spring for flowers ... an exceptional season is expected state-wide.

By the end of March, Texas should be awash in the reds, yellows, whites and blues of wildflowers, with the season peaking in mid-April, said Damon Waitt, senior botanist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin.

With rains throughout the fall and winter bringing an end to drought conditions that have persisted in the state since late 2007, Waitt expects exceptional early and late spring wildflowers in many parts of the state.

"That really favors our Texas wildflowers, especially our early spring bloomers," said Waitt, who added that flowers making an early appearance include Indian paintbrush, Drummond phlox and Texas' state flower: the bluebonnet.

my cowpoke

Today was Rodeo Day at Aidan's school. My baby is growing up so fast.

independence day

174 years ago today, the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos by 59 representatives, including Sam Houston, freeing Texas from Mexico.

The weather was frigid and gray that March morning in 1836. Bitter winds forced the Texians to huddle close into their blankets. Four Mexicans signed the declaration on behalf of the Tejanos. With their signatures, these men demonstrated a shared set of values put forth by Thomas Jefferson and the signers of the U.S. Declaration in 1776 - a vision of liberty.

Such was the beginning of a decade of independence unique in the annals of American history.

I'm so proud to be a Texan. I'm proud of my heritage. I'm proud of the fact that family and God come first in this great state. I'm proud that we respect the wide open lands we call home, as well as those who inhabit it.

During a time of much turmoil and political unrest in the U.S., Texans remain loyal to a cause we've held dear for generations -- individual freedom and the spirit of "live and let live."

We don't depend on the government to solve our problems -- we, the people of Texas solve our problems. We keep our budget balanced. Our children are still proud to say the Pledge of Allegiance. We say "yes ma'am" and "no sir." Manners and chivalry aren't offensive. Our heroes wear the uniforms of the armed services. We take care of each other.

These freedoms don't come cheap, yet counting the cost of life without them is too great to measure.

God bless Texas.

hypocrisy at its finest

Last August, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi portrayed the Tea Party movement and its followers as racist, nazi, gun nuts, and chided the groups as being "astroturf" rather than true grass-roots organizations.

"I have some concerns about some of the language being used, because I saw this myself in the late 70s in San Francisco,'' Pelosi said. "This kind of rhetoric was very frightening, and it created a climate where violence took place.

Low and behold, now that the movement has gained a great deal of momentum -- effecting the outcome of elections in some cases --- as well as garnered supporters from all political walks-of-life, good ol' Nancy has decided that she drastically needs to change her tune ... or at least, her public comments. She's now decided that she and the Tea Party movement have "shared views."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has much in common with the Tea Party. The speaker now says she shares views with the movement she dismissed last summer as being “Astroturf” -- her suggestion that the grassroots of the Tea Party were a creation of the Republican Party.

In a “This Week” interview with ABC’s Elizabeth Vargas, Pelosi said, “We share some of the views of the Tea Partiers in terms of the role of special interest in Washington, D.C., as -- it just has to stop. And that's why I've fought the special interest, whether it's on energy, whether it's on health insurance, whether it's on pharmaceuticals and the rest.”

Madam Speaker, YOU are a fraud.