My Son

I miss my son Vinny.  He has been so busy this summer as a political intern in Washington DC.  He should be coming back to Texas during early August to go back to school at the University of Texas in Austin.  He sent me this picture a few days ago and I'm so happy to see him relaxing. He has been working a lot since this is election time.  I'm glad that he is following his passion of service and leadership.  I love my son and wish him blessing and happiness.  I'm a proud mom!!!

 

Single Mom’s Guide to Surviving an Empty Nest

The heartbreak of separation. The longing for contact. The brief flights of manic optimism about the future. A love affair gone awry?   No, worse – sending your child off to college for the first time. Here, one woman's solution. 

By Emily Listfield

 

• When your daughter looks at you with great amusement and asks if you plan on becoming a cat lady, grow indignant and remind her that last time you checked, you actually had a career, a social life, hobbies.

 

• Retire to bedroom and close door. Panic about sorry state of career and social life. Admit that you have never had a single hobby.

• Consider applying for a sabbatical – a year in Paris, Rome, Vienna. You’re a free agent now, why not? Remember at last minute that you are not, in fact, a professor.

• Go to sleep at 9:30pm because there is no one home to make fun of you for it. Plus, for the first time you do not have to stay up till 1am wondering how and when said daughter will be getting home.

• Wake up at 1am anyway. Refrain from texting daughter asking where she is. But stay up all night worrying, statistics on teen drinking dancing through your head.

• Date younger men.

• Date older men.

• Listen to podcast on Buddhism and decide to detach from all want and desire instead. Practice living in the moment. Give up and admit that would take serious prescription drugs. Make a note to call psycho-pharmacologist.

• Decide to make plans instead: Tennis lessons, wine-tasting classes, lectures at the Y, theater tickets, foreign language immersion. Quickly realize that the only person more over-scheduled than you is an Upper East Side toddler.

• Rejoice that you no longer have to cook a healthy dinner every night. Eat chocolate fudge brownie ice cream in bed while watching re-runs of Law and Order. Wash it down with red wine and feel virtuous that you are getting your anti-oxidants.

• Face cold hard fact that if this continues you will weigh 500 pounds. Vow to eat more healthily. Buy a plethora of locally-grown fruits, vegetables and antibiotic-free lean white meat. Forget that you are only feeding one. Throw half of it out a week later.

• Log on to daughter’s college website where there is a live webcam trained on the quad that makes anyone walking by appear to be a worker ant. Wonder if one of those ants is your daughter. When someone at work catches you at this for the, oh, fifteenth time, explain that you are doing wild life research. Make a note to close office door before sixteenth time.

• Get a life.

Ryan Lochte - GOLD

Saltillo Tunic

I love this tunic.  The colors are bold and passionate.  It is the perfect blouse for a western senorita.  The silver and turquoise accessories are the perfect companion.  Its gorgeous, comfortable, and unique.

Spicy stripes! Silky viscose in Southwest shades with easy fit, elastic neckline to wear on or off-shoulder and full, three-quarter sleeves with elastic cuffs. Dry clean. Vintage Collection. Imported.

Crow’s Nest

Next Food Network Star - JUSTIN WARNER

Winner of the Next Food Network Star!!! Justin Warner, 27, a self-taught cook, is chef-owner of a hip Brooklyn, N.Y., restaurant that he built from the ground up. Justin began working in restaurants at just 13 years old and his approach to food reflects his personality: edgy, intense, passionate and witty. Congratulations Justin & Team Alton Brown.   

http://www.foodnetwork.com/justin-warner/index.html 

Eat for the Body you Want

It happened many months ago.... I was sitting in my living room when my chest started hurting.  Thank God it wasn't a heart attack but it was an eye opener.  It was a stress pressure that made my breathing difficult. That is when I decided to take care of my health.  On January 27th I decided that I needed to lose weight and start exercising.  I was unsure what to do, how to eat, or what diet to follow.  A friend gave me the book Prevention and Reverse Heart Disease.  It was the foundation that I needed to change my eating lifestyle.  I have learned to eat healthier by doing different menu plans to keep me interested.  I try not to give people advise because everyone is different. I just try to live healthy and happy.  I'm proud to say that as of today I'm 43 pounds lighter.  I'm looking forward to reaching 50 pounds.  I hope to celebrate the big milestone!

Coulee Creek Designs

 

Coulee Creek Designs

I love the jewelry at Coulee Creek Designs.  The designer is Melanie Luger, of the Mandan/Hidatsa tribe which originates from the upper Missouri river located in North Dakota.  Her jewelry is stunningly gorgeous and bold.  I LOVE IT.  The necklaces will definitely make any outfit standout.  Her designs are all about big and colorful, with the color turquoise being the leader of the pack.  Colorful jewelry is one of the hottest trends and has been a popular staple of western wear.  I'm from Texas and we Go Big or Go Home. 

Photo Gallery

 

All you need is love...And a Dog

 

 

Fish Tacos - Ole!

Combine grilled fish, fresh lime juice, sliced red cabbage, and a simple, spicy sauce (combine ½ cup mayo, ½ cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons Mexican or taco seasoning blend, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, and 1 chopped and seeded jalepeño). ¡Ole!

Fitness and Faithfulness

 

Women Super Heroes

Within each woman is a super hero.  She can be the goddess of her palace or the queen of her office.  She is the fierce activist and the confident leader.  She is married, single, divorced, or in an exclusive relationship.  She has kids to raise, aging parents to tend to, and charities to give to.  She is motivated to make a difference and people look up to her.  She is tender, genuine, and vulnerable.  She knows how to appreciate a good man and makes him the king of her heart. She chooses her friends wisely and values honesty.  She multi-tasks through out the day but at night she will give her mate all of her attention.  She prays in a constant conversation with God as if she is talking with her best friend.  She has the wisdom to appreciate life and a child-like laughter when she is having fun.  She may trip and stumble, be she is graceful in getting up.  She eats well, lives healthy, and strives for self awareness every day.  She is you, she is me, she is us.  She is a super hero. 

Country Farmhouse

Jamey Berger and Dan DiPaolo's 1883 house displays collections, antiques, and Early American furniture characterize in a gorgeous farmhouse in Burlington, Wisconsin.   

In the kitchen, a frieze of folk-art tin crows watches over a fruit sign found in southern Indiana and an unabashedly modern Kenmore Elite stove (DiPaolo loves its double oven).

Yellow Cabinet with Red Wing bowls is obsession of Berger's since he inherited his first from his grandmother — sit atop a cupboard, with original paint, acquired at a local antiques show.

I Wait Patiently

 

  

Georgetown - DC Cupcakes

We just returned from an exciting trip to Washington DC.  It was an amazing opportunity to tour the museums, parks, and monuments.   It was a valuable learning opportunity and experience that I will never forget.  It was a trip of a lifetime with several of my family members. The 4th of July fireworks show at the Washington Memorial were breathtaking.  After several patriotic days of touring the capital, we took in a relaxing mid-day trip to Georgetown on the last day.  We had to try Georgetown DC Cupcakes.  The lines to enter the bakery usually very long but we quickly got in mid-morning.   By early afternoon the lines were long and temperature was hot, hot, hot.  My daughter loved it, as you can see in the pictures.   (More pictures of my DC trip to come throughout the week.)