Taking a Netflix Break...

Mr. B and I are the masters of binge watching shows. Masters. 11:00 p.m.? Meh, we can squeeze in one more episode. That's a freaking lie, Man. It never fails, the next night, we're both like, "I don't even remember that part of the story line. What happened? Did we sleep through some of that?" The reality is: we're Masters of Netflix UNTIL 11:00. No later. We're old.

So anyway, my first show to binge with him was Breaking Bad. Yes. Walter White. Jesse Pinkman. Crystal Meth. RV cooking lab. Loved it. Then Better Call Saul started on AMC. We've been watching it (like live and stuff, which sucks because you can't jump from season to season in fifteen seconds. Blah.) So after the season finale, we were like, "Hey, let's watch Breaking Bad again." And we did. And honestly, I'd start watching it again. Because even though meth is bad, that show was all kinds of awesome. Here is my absolute favorite scene in the whole series:

Heisenberg - I'm the One Who Knocks

Mr. B actually binge watched it before me. I was busy binge watching The Walking Dead at the time. He was a definite no-go on TWD. (Yeah, he has his faults. He doesn't understand the significance of the zombie apocalypse and a hot, bow and arrow wielding, bad ass, redneck who rides a motorcycle. But whatever.)

Then he started watching Daredevil while I watched Gilmore Girls. I was so hooked on GG that I'd watch on my ipad in the bathtub. I may or may not have sipped on wine. (I totally did.)

Then came Prison Break. Loved it. They lost me for a few epi's in season three or four. I can't remember. But I picked it right back up.

We broke our rule with our most recent show. Judge all you want. But we watched all four seasons of Orange is the New Black. Ummmmmm, it's bad. And there are DEFINITELY some cringe-worthy scenes. But overall, we really liked it. But now we have to wait until 2017 to see season five. Crap. That's what we get for breaking our own rule. Dang it.

So last night, Mr. B was asking what's next.

Wait, what? Do you even know me at all? The Summer Olympics. We watch the olympics. We watch swimming and gymnastics. And occasional other events. He's a no on that, too. I told him to pick up his own show that I'll never watch and we'll meet back up for our TV dates when the olympics are over.

Of course there are random Friends and The Office episode days. Sometimes a girl just needs to laugh.

So that's us, y'all. We Netflix. We are a Netflix family. And I'm not even ashamed to admit it.

But Friday is coming - -

I WILL cry EVERY time a USA athlete gets a gold, the national anthem is played and our flag is raised. I just will. And I can't wait! Squeeeeeeeeeee!

Okay.

I'm in a total funk today. A total post-mother's day funk. Enough of one that I can't even force myself to capitalize the letters.

Yesterday (Mother's Day) was actually nice. Mr. B made my favorite lunch and Cameron made brownies. Justin, well, Justin didn't do anything. But he wasn't in a difficult mood. So that was nice.

I got a new pair of Birkenstocks. I ordered them myself and they were delivered a few weeks ago. I put the box in Mr. B's closet and he handed them to the boys to hand to me yesterday morning. I'm sorry Future Mrs. Brays. I'm trying my best to teach them about days that are important to the special ladies in their life. Mr. B has none of it. He's NOT the sentimental type. At. All. Nobody tells him when to give a gift or celebrate. He does that on his own time table. And he rocks it when I least expect it.

Cameron did let me wear some dolphin necklace thingy he got at AWANA last week. He told me I could borrow it anytime I wanted. He also gave me a foot massage. I do think this was a ploy to stay up later. Which worked.

I didn't nag either of them about their rooms. Which are awful.

This morning they had Moms & Muffins at their school. This seems like a total waste of time and money for secondary students. Cameron insisted I go. So I got up, showered, did my hair and put on make up. He wouldn't get out of bed. So we were late. Justin, fearing he might actually die if he didn't grab a gazillion mini muffins, practically jumped out of the car while I was still parking. Then he was gone. Bye, Son. Cameron fixed his plate. Then I poured him some juice. Then he looked at me like, "Now what?" So I told him to go ahead to his class with his friends. Then I left.

I drove myself straight to Starbucks where I bought myself a Venti White Chocolate Mocha.

I came home and drank it alone.

Then I went back to the boys' rooms to survey the damage.

Gross.

I just shut the doors and walked away. Out of sight, out of mind. I'm not the maid.

Again - - I'm trying Future Mrs. Brays. I'm trying. They're gross. But I promise, it's not my fault. I assure you, the master bedroom would be a disaster if I didn't keep stuff picked up. Do they enjoy the chaos? I know I don't. Clutter makes me crazy!

Now, because I'm the World's Okayest Mom, I'm going to pack a snack for the little twerps and take it to their school. They are going to the movies but it doesn't start until later after school is over. So they will have to wait for a while. And again, being the World's Okayest, I didn't give them much money for the movies. See how far that $6 will get you in the concession stand. Perhaps it will teach them to prioritize. But I will take them a small snack to tie them over. World's Okayest to the rescue.

Don't even get me started on end of the school year projects. My money is on this: any project coming out of this house will suck. We're talking lots 'o suck. Because I refuse to help. I will purchase the necessary supplies. But I will not be doing the project. I'm tired. And I've successfully completed the sixth grade already. No need for me to do that again. Now if he wants to repeat it, that's his business.

Well, I guess I better put my pants back on if I'm going to take them something.

See how okay I am? I'm getting dressed. I'll be wearing clothes. I'm so comfy, y'all. But, I gotta go do my thing and be - - okay.

I need to order this for my van:

Gilmore Girls, Laundry and Rabies

I'm going to attempt to describe my day. Well, I'm going to throw in tidbits of my week while I'm at it. Just to give you some perspective.

So. Here you go.

It's been a very busy couple of months. I'm on the committee planning a marriage conference for this weekend. I've been buried in meetings, group texts, What's App conversations, phone conversations, conference calls, etc. Like real world business type stuff, but with an outcome I can only pray is going to rock faces off of marriages this weekend. I know that Jesus is going to be glorified, y'all. I just know. Because that's what HE does.

I'm going to tell you about the events that have transpired a little out of order. Because that's how my brain works. And it adds some punch.

We've established that I've been busy. No plans after our last meeting tonight. I even got home at a decent hour. I came home to dinner having been already cooked and some left out for me to devour. Which I did. I did the dishes (because I'm a contributor) and it's pretty much the dealio around here. If the mister cooks, I clean up. Props to the cook. The meal was delish. I then promptly disposed of the bra (satan's undergarment), put on my comfy t-shirt and sleep shorts and crawled up into my comfy bed. I needed to binge watch some Gilmore Girls.

Why? Because it has been a day. A week. Long ones at that.

As I sat down in the meeting late this afternoon, this is the text I got from my husband. "I got bit by a dog." And the text included a picture. One does not just reply back with a text. A medical rule follower wife follows that kind of text up with a phone call. I'll spare you the details. The mister was out for his daily walk when, completely unprovoked, an unrestrained yippy dog attacked his leg. And bit him. Hard. Immediate bruising and it broke the skin. Yes, he told the people to restrain their dog or his next kick wouldn't be as kind. No, he did not get their information. Or ask about the dog's shot record. Or anything. He kept walking.

Yeah. Be like me and sit there with you mouth hung open for a while and try to process the rationale there.

I'll wait.

Yeah. BECAUSE IT MAKES ZERO SENSE TO NOT GET INFORMATION FROM THEM. ZERO.

So now I'm in a meeting and I start texting him, begging him to go hunt these people down. Because, you know, RABIES. He was indifferent about it. So I decided that I'm not his mom. Fine. I'm the wife. Go up your life insurance, dude. If that's how you want to play this.

This put me in a mood. Hence the Gilmore Girls. I wanted some girly time with my most favorite dysfunctional mother/daughter duo on television. I had two episodes left in season six and I was determined to finish them. Which I did. And because the finale gave me the sads, I dove right in to season seven. (God bless you, Netflix.) Two more episodes down.

All the dudes in our house (kitties included) and sound asleep. Peaceful. Quiet. My happy place.

That's when I heard the crashing sound.

I jumped up to inspect. Sure enough, Captain Flails His Arms and Legs Whilst Sleeping had knocked his new diffuser over. Yes, I've become the crazy oil lady. I must say though, diffusing lavender is helping the Captain fall asleep. Water on the carpet. Lots of it. So I ran into the boys' bathroom to grab a towel. I cleaned up the mess and decided to add the towel to the laundry since it had the oil in it.

The laundry. Oh dear Lord. The laundry. The laundry fairy forgot about her dang job and just like quit or something.

So now, it's almost 1:00 a.m. and I'm doing laundry. My first load of about four.

Out of sight, out of mind. I forgot to wash my kids clothes. So much winning, y'all. But wait, there's more.

Yesterday, I finally felt like hitting the walking trail again. I had some bad trouble with shin splints the week before and the soreness was finally gone. So I took the one hour break in this weird Texas rain we've been getting and got out to walk. Half way through my first lap, my cell phone rings. It was the school. Crap. I have to take those. No swiping there.

It was the principal. Did I have a moment to discuss a discipline issue? Heh? With the Captain? Really? Him? Not the other one? The Captain indeed. He apparently got "involved" in a scuffle between two other students by trying to get in between them and stop it. His method needed a little fine-tuning and he only made things worse. They were merciful and only made him write a few apology letters. Because it was everyone involved's belief that he was truly trying to do the right thing. He was just doing it the wrong way. At the end of the day, we now have a discipline file at school. Nice.

I desperately need to go to bed. I have a long weekend ahead of me.

But because my mom is asleep at this hour (as most intelligent humans are) I couldn't call her to regale the woes of my day. So this one is for posterity's sake. And for her to read eventually. And, it's a partial attempt to rat the mister out to his mom and see if she will "Mom Him" into finding that dumb dog's owners and get to the bottom of the rabies thing. Assuming she reads this. I'm not a snitch or anything. Snitches get stitches. Others get ongoing rabies treatment, which is worse. So I hope she reads this and goes full-on nag on him. Go get him, Nana!

I swear we are on a comedy show for an alternate universe or something.

I believe I will save the other three loads of laundry for tomorrow morning and I'll knock out a few more episodes of GG while I do that. For now, my bed beckons me. Time to sleep.

Oh - - I almost forgot - - something good did happen today. I won a $5 gift card from our local Starbucks for playing in their Thursday trivia contest. Yay me! And I got my eyelashes touched up by THE amazing Karen Richardson, eyelash extraordinaire! My eyes POP! Thanks, Karen! You are the best!

Goodnight from Bizarro World. Strange things are happening. It's starting to freak me out a little.

*muah*

B

Finish Strong, Teachers!

If you're a teacher - - I'm not calling you out. In fact, I want you to sit back, take a deep breath, and hear what I'm saying. Resist the urge to get defensive and hear me out. Okay. I'm not attacking you. I'm on your side. Just - - listen.

I saw this post on Facebook back in January:

And I was like, "Oh, yes! Preach!"

Because, yes, I've seen several countdown posts. Pictures of numbers on various cakes. Random numbers. Just numbers counting down how many days are left in school.

Again - - I hear you. In fact, I GET you. I know you work in a under-appreciated job. I know you have parents who give you zero support. I know you have very difficult children in your classroom. I know you work early in the morning and late in the evening. I know you spend a lot of your own money to buy things for your classroom. I know.

What I also know is that as a mom of two school aged boys, I'm tired, too. I'm tired of the worksheets that seem like busy work. I'm tired of doing math problems that make my brain feel like it's bleeding out. I'm tired of nagging my son to read another AR book because he "has" to. Not because he wants to. I'm tired of the sound of the alarm in the mornings. I'm tired, too.

We are all tired.

Let's do this together. Let's finish strong. I will do my part at home to encourage my children to do their absolute best. Right up until the last day. Then feel free to post your silly videos about how you are finally free. The halls are empty and you can finish up your paperwork and hit the trails. Go on vacation. Enjoy your time off. I'm sorry you still have to go to occasional workshops in the summer. But I'm glad you have opportunities to stay at the top of your field.

We're still in this though.

I get that MOST of you are busting your butts. And MOST of you really love my/our kids. Thank you for that. 

But the message your countdown sends is that you can't wait to be away from it all. Which makes me think that you would check out today if you could. Please don't. Don't check out. Resist the urge to daydream about sleeping late and spending time reading a great book in a lounger at the pool. I'm trying my best to not check out either. Believe me, the easier option would be to not give three craps about their homework. They'll do good enough to pass to the next grade. No. Just NO! I'm pushing. And I expect you to push, too. Inspire them. Teach them. I would if I could. But it's not my calling. I'm their parent. I'll parent my ass off if you'll teach yours off.

Please stop getting angry when a frustrated parent cringes at your countdown. Quit talking about how much you really love my kids. Prove it. Do the job you were called to do and stop whining. Can we both agree to do that?

Finish strong, teachers. Finish strong, parents. Finish strong, students. We are a team. We are not the enemy.

Thank you for answering the call to teach. It takes a special person to put up with the ridiculous BS and bureaucracy. Hang in there.

Hanging in there, too,

Mama B

Gone, Not Forgotten

Spring Break 2015 is in the books. We had an awesome time. Unfortunately, Mr.B couldn't join us because of work. (Stupid salt mine strikes again.)

The kids, me and Papaw loaded up in his minivan and made the trek to Arizona to visit my brother and his family. If you're driving that far, there are things you must see. Here are a few highlights:

1. Albuquerque, New Mexico - there was a lot more to see here. But we were short on time and had bigger sights to see. I have a feeling that if my dad had known that I was on a mission to see Walter White's home on Breaking Bad, he would have thought I'd been the one doing meth. I was on a Heisenberg mission though.  We made it before dark. It was awesome.

2. Painted Desert/Petrified Forest - I'd seen this as a child and forgot how awesome it is. The Painted Desert is stunning. The Petrified Wood? Meh. But okay. It's part of the trek.

3. The Grand Canyon - Pictures do not do this place justice. At all. It is truly majestic and powerful. The kids were actually impressed. I could have spent a ton more time there with different camera lenses. The kids would have been miserable and the Mr. B didn't let me leave home with the good lenses. (He's a touch protective.) Maybe he and I can go back someday without our kids.

4. Winslow, Arizona - Yep, from the song by the Eagles, "Take It Easy." We stood on the corner. Just like in the song. I'm easily impressed.

5. Route 66 - It's just kind of cool. Tons of kitschy stuff.

6. Gold King Mine & Ghost Town - This is located at the top of a mountain in Jerome, Arizona. It had cool stuff. Lots of old trucks and LOTS of junk, too. One visit is sufficient. It was cool, but I can't imagine I'll ever go back.

7. Organ Pipe Cactus - This stuff is SO cool. There's a lot near Phoenix.

8. Border Patrol Checkpoints - We didn't get stopped. But the van in front of us did. Whew. That would have delayed us.

9. White Sands National Monument - We've been several times before. The kids still love it. In the spring, it rocks. It's not too hot. Warning though, you need to be thoroughly prepared to clean your kids off when you leave.  And no matter how prepared you think you are, you aren't. Never to fear, there's a great car wash in Alamogordo where you can vacuum your vehicle out.

10. Mexican Canyon Train Trestle - First of all, Cloudcroft, NM is one of my favorite places on the planet. It's gorgeous there. The hike to the trestle on the other side is pretty awesome, too. I wish we'd had time for that, too. But it takes time and willing participants. Cam would have. Next time we're out there, I'm totally taking him. 

2030 miles later, we made it home. It was a lot to cram in one week. SO worth it. My only regret is not adding a day to the trip and going down to Tombstone on the way home. I'll save that trip for when Mr. B can join us. We also missed seeing the Texas Rangers at spring training. Which is a total shame given that it's only a couple of miles from my brother's house. Our schedules never jived though. Oh well.

All in all, it was a great trip. Fantastic memories were made and nobody got into a fist fight in the car. In fact, we all got along insanely well. 

Good trip. Good times.

Because of this...

I love me a good blog. And I stumbled on a good one today through another friend. Please go read Becky Melby's blog post that got me. Thanks for pointing her to me, Shelli Littleton! 

The prompt alone intrigued me. So before even reading the entire blog entry, I follow the prompt. And I went with the first thing that came to mind. The prompt simply said, "Because of this..."

Here's what I came up with - -

the idea for the image hit me like a ton of bricks. It's my reality. Not in a pity way. But a blessing way. And as much as junior high is KILLING me right now, I wouldn't change a thing.

Two pictures. Four words.

Because of this...

Beauty in the Scars

I was honored to speak recently at Flourish (our Mom's group at church) about friendship. I was able to share my friend testimony. It was difficult and beautiful at the same time. 

From the loss of Shannon (Yoda) a few years ago to the story of redemption and grace with Renee. In the weeks leading up to speaking, and in the weeks that have followed, I have heard God speak some truth into my life. I am so thankful that I serve a God who loves me in all of my imperfection. 

I still have many broken relationships. Some with friends, former friends, and even family. There are days when my heart physically aches over the brokenness. I fight God over it. I know better than Him. Right? Proverbs speaks a lot about relationships. 

Still consumed by the betrayal of a friend, I sought wisdom in Proverbs this morning. Wow. Such good stuff. Proverbs 2 was where I landed. It felt comforting. 

I believe that God brings us friendship for seasons in our lives. And that there are, indeed, times that come when we have those Kenny Rogers moments. "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run."  

With Shannon, I had no choice. God chose to take her Home. My heart was broken. It's still broken. I miss her every day. So much. Our good-bye is really just a "see you later."

Renee and I were in the process of running. Both of us. Running fast. AWAY from each other. But God had a plan. In HIS plan, we found grace, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, peace and beauty. 

Know this. Walking away from a friendship does not mean you were never a good friend to begin with. Satan is a master of lies and darkness. And where there's darkness, there is no light. I am so thankful for the Light of Jesus and the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. In HIM, I have peace. Through Him, I seek wisdom. Don't listen to Satan's lies. And he seriously lies, y'all. Through half-truths as much as full on lies. Be aware!

I continue to be somewhat guarded. I bear some pretty bad scars from burns that cannot be undone. I am trying hard to let go and let God continue to heal me. To heal that which is broken. To know that it's OKAY to run from toxic relationships. It's not my job to fix anyone. I am not the Savior. 

Let me be clear - I cannot and will not burn any bridges. I will not be the one holding the matches when I walk away. I will walk with integrity and dignity. I will be respectful. I've held the matches before. And I'm not proud of that. Never again.

My passive-aggressive days are over. It's immature and ugly. I refuse to play the manipulation game. 

I'm 45 years old. It's about time I grow up. 

Given my history, through all of the ugly, I wouldn't change anything. Because in the process, the Father has shaped and molded me into the woman He wants me to be. He continues to polish and refine me. I wouldn't trade who He's made me. 

I am a Daughter of the King. 

Blessed by your friendship,

Princess B

Big Change on the Horizon...

...actually, effective immediately.

A few changes with the Mom's the Word column that runs in the San Angelo Standard Times. This won't impact the majority of you guys - - since most of you don't get a hard copy of the paper. Like me. My subscription is online only. I found that those papers just STACK UP on my coffee table. So, in the interest of hugging trees, I cancelled our home delivery. Like - - a long time ago. (You're welcome, trees.) Anyway, the big change: the column will no longer run in the printed version of the paper. I have the sads for a few of the older folk fans I've accumulated. They don't read stuff online. They like to get ink on their fingers. I get that. To each their own. The sad part is not getting to tell them good-bye. It's going to look like we got cancelled.

Which we didn't.

And that brings me to part deux. We will still be online and we will appear more often! That's right, baby. We will be in, at the minimum, every other week. Or more like weekly. But if we get the "itch" to write an extra that applies to current events or when the mood strikes, we can write then, too.

So - - in the end, it's all good. Except for my "ink in the hands fans."

It's a mom column. And honestly, the e-mail feedback I get from readers is mostly from those who are retired and they are high-fiving (because they don't fist bump yet) the heck out of me for getting on to disrespectful kids and the parents who raise them.

Please feel free to spread the word. When you see the sad, lonely, visibly shaken retired teacher who is riddled with grief wondering where the "moms" are, please direct them to the Standard-Times (Go San Angelo) website. I'd be most appreciative.

Seriously though - - I adore the heck out of those ladies. They were so reassuring. And validating.

Rest assured, Mom's the Word is not going away - - just embracing change.

Celebrity Deaths

I don't get particularly wrapped up in the lives of celebrities. So when personal news comes out about them, I don't feel invested enough to let the news consume me. I don't know them. They aren't my friends. Good actor? Maybe. Good artist? Probably. But in the grand scheme of things, it does not phase me. Any premature death is a sad thing. I could get on a soapbox about the insane numbers of babies killed every day and how we should be grieving for them or for who THEY might have been had they been given a chance to just BE. But I rarely cry over celebrities when they die. I might be a little sad. But I don't cry. They're people, y'all. People. 

Last year, I was sad for my former neighbor who lost her husband to cancer. Our family knows them. We interacted with them. I cried for her loss. I'm sad for our friend, who in the past 14 months who has lost both of her parents AND her husband. They are our friends. I cried for them. A lot. I was consumed with grief when another friend lost her youngest son in a tragic accident. There are still days I cry about that one. It is too close to home for me. Parents should never have to grieve the loss of their children. It's out of order. My sweet old girl, Ally the Cat, died last summer. I cried a lot of tears over her. 

Did the world know any of these or care? Some might have. But my world did. They were part of my world. Celebrities in the life of B. They are the ones worthy of my grief and tears. 

So, no, I haven't been listening to David Bowie's music non-stop since his passing. I don't believe I own any. I never saw or read any of the Harry Potter books. So no need to binge watch or read those for nostalgia purposes. I'm sure Alan Rickman was great in those. I know he was an awesome Hans Gruber and Sheriff of Nottingham. I don't feel led to pull those movies out and watch them.  I'm sure their talents will be missed by many. That's fine. To each their own. 

For me? I miss seeing Dave and his monster mug he got filled up at the convenience store every day. I miss him talking to my kids over the fence while they jumped on the trampoline. I miss Joe popping in to see David. I know David still misses one of the best adult friends he's ever had. My heart breaks at the mere thought of JoNell and how she'd give anything to have Alex back. I think about Alex's big goofy grin. I think about my sweet fur baby curled up on my legs seeking warmth for her old, tired body. 

I won't even go there with Shannon. Lord knows I miss her everyday.  Or our special friend Joe Stegall. Or Traci's daddy. 

If these celebrity deaths have impacted you that much, I can't judge you. You grieve however you need to. There's no shame in that. 

Death is a part of life. It happens. And it's hardest on those of us left behind. 

Grief sucks. But the hope I have in Christ sustains me...

Dinner With Friends

It is not often that the Brays dine with friends. I'd venture to say that we almost never do this. We have invited several exchange students over to our home to eat. But rarely do we sit down with another family at meal time.

Tonight was an exception. Some very good friends of ours lost their mother/grandmother over the weekend. It's been a very rough year and the third significant loss for them. Our hearts have been broken, we've cried heavy tears and prayed fervently for God to carry this sweet family through one more trial.

Because I'm a Southerner, one of my first thoughts go to food. We have to take them dinner. So I texted my sweet friend who took on the task of assigning meals to this family and requested that we be put on this list for tonight.

When we spoke on the phone earlier today to discuss other funeral/obituary type stuff, they insisted that we join them for dinner. It wasn't just a polite invite. It was a "from the heart" invite that we simply could not turn down. I accepted the invitation on behalf of my family.

I am SO glad we did. It was a fun time of laughter and smiles. Our boys were, for the most part, on pretty good behavior. They did "boy" things that made our friends giggle. It was so refreshing to see the smiles on their faces and to hear them laugh.

Death is hard, y'all. Not because of no hope. There have been some beautiful reunions in Heaven. And we know that these earthly losses are merely "see you laters." It's just hard on the hearts left behind. We long for one more conversation, one more smile, one more hug, one more...

Please be in prayer for our friends. They're pretty special to us.

Tonight was a good reminder. We need to slow down and have dinner with friends more often. Even on school nights. Life is too short to neglect our friends.

Tonight - - my heart is full.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I'm not particularly sorry to see 2015 go. It was a challenging year for my extended family. It's like the devil took particular interest in attacking us. Hard. Strained relationships that still need mending. I can assure you that family is way up there on the prayer list.

I'm not big on resolutions. I do, however, like the idea of fresh starts. I like the newness of things. And something about moving the calendar ahead a year always seems like a good time to bring on the change. Cliche? Sure. But it works for me.

I have lofty goals. A lot of them revolve around my prayer life and time with Jesus. I don't want to go into that too much. But know that I'm far from perfect. But I'm going to do my dead level best to chase after the heart of Jesus. With all of my heart.

I desperately need to attack my planner. I'm absolutely LOVING using The Happy Planner. I still use Google calendar. But there's something about a physical planner (that I can be creative with) that makes my inner nerd VERY happy.

On a more "worldly" note. We moved into this house in July of 2014. We had no idea how much work the house needed. It's been a loooooooong year and a half. But I'm happy to report that the hard stuff is nearly done. The kitchen is tiled and cabinets are painted. The master bathroom has been tiled and the shower has been re-built. The cabinets in there have been painted as well. The tiling needs to be done around the tub. But hey, the tub still works. So I'm okay with that. It can wait. But knowing Mr. B, it won't wait long. We also have to order a shower door. Then the decorating can begin. A blank canvas. What to do? Hmmmmmm. I've been all over Pinterest.

Mr. B started installing new wood floor in his office space, the living room and our bedroom. I'm loving the dark wood. And it's great to not be on concrete floors anymore. I'm ready for this project to be done so that I can give the floors a good cleaning. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Possibly by tomorrow night. Then baseboards in the WHOLE house.

Oh - - and a new fireplace. There is a hole in the wall where the old one was. We're going all gas and have one picked out. Just add it to the eleventy billion dollars we've spent to far. No big deal. Eeeeeek! All that lacks is ordering, paying for it and having it installed.

At this juncture, I want to stay in this house forever. Never again do I want to live in the midst of a remodel. It's very trying on an already healthy marriage. Mr. B is a machine though. And once we decided on tile and wood, he has worked like a beast to get it done. And get it done right.

When this is all done - - it's going to be gorgeous. I'm very happy.

Loaded baked potato soup is in the crockpot. It's very cold outside (for West Texas) and warm comfort food sounded perfect for this New Year's Day. Tonight it's leftover snack from last night.

I'm working hard on blogging again. Add it to my list of "do-overs." Haha!

Time to hop up and get back to work around here.

Have a blessed 2016. I hope it's awesome for all of you.

<3 p="">B