how to celebrate fall

make fudge



be beautiful



wear layers



cozy up with hand-made grandma love



pick up your six year old from school
in costume



share a carmeled apple with someone
you love

or eat most of it yourself



count pumkins



put too many chocolate chips
in your muffins



be sweet



have a red crush toast to your health



give yourself allergies



hone your spidy skills with a friend



forest gump a field or two



make a dog pillow

ooohhh Austin, don't you cry for me

If Tom and the girls were fed up with my domestic, maternal and spousal stumblings and they decided to trade me in for one of those hot, mail-order Russian brides, what would I do?

The answer is so clear...trucking.

I'd be a truck driver, or maybe a greyhound bus driver, whatever... as long as it involved the open road.

But luckily, my family adores my faults and my girls are excellent road trippers. So, not only do I get to keep my day job, but I get to take occasional long drives to satisfy the latent trucker in me.

The longing for Austin friends coupled with an unavoidable road trip itch lead us to Austin for a few days. Also Heidi was down in San Marcos (just south of Austin) for a job training week and I've gotten in the habit of following her around, so we really had to head south. I wanted to make sure Heidi had the appropriate amount of fun and I was excited about the fact that her employer had set her up in a posh hotel which we could stay in for free with unlimited Bravo viewing. What better way to celebrate looming economic crisis than a trip on the cheap. I'm sure Heidi regrets inviting Thing 1, 2 & 3 to her quite, tidy hotel but we loved being with her and can't wait to join her for her company retreat in Houston at the end of the month.



The girls and I had breakfast at one of our favorite spots...Magnolia Cafe. This place is cool. The waiters all look like those cool punk kids that work in Urban Outfitters but they aren't snobby and look at you like, "so where is yooour body piercing?....Get out!"

I had a cheese omelet with tasty salsita and a whole wheat buttermilk pancake with pecans baked in and buttery butter melted all over it. Tess had french toast with peanut butter and eggs and Deli had a whole wheat pancake with eggs.

Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!

The best part about Magnolia, not only is it cool and yummy, it's cheap--0ne huge breakfast there and your meals are covered for the day.

friends! friends! friends! friends!

Vienna, Kaleb, Maya, Caleb, Tess, Adelle, Grace, & Chloe



We had a great time being with all our friends. Just as we were getting ready to leave we were sucked in by the National Night Out party at our beloved Brackenridge apartments that we lived in for three years. This was a painful reminder of how life should be. People from all over the world hanging out having tofu hot dogs and chips. There were pony rides, a bounce house and live music on the same stage were we used to do our creative dance performances. I ran into some old friends and neighbors that I haven't seen for years. Some little girls that I used to teach dance to ran up and hugged me and all the sudden I was leaving Austin all over again. I had to call Tom for emotional support. I didn't regain my composure until my friend Nevy picked me up, carried me over to the hot dog tent and fed me.


The car ride home was full of conversations about change.
Tess wailing: "Why did we have to leave Austin? Why, when I get happy, do things have to change?" This led to a comprehensive discussion that included subjects such as, death, divorce, ice cream, fairies, and Florida.


It was nice to come home to Dallas to our wonderful friends here and enjoy a day of tag in the park.


Some things in life are constant, nothing makes you feel as good as...

a nice hair cut and

a sister that has decided (at least for today) you are her best friend.

the deep fat fried texas state fair

Each year around this time Tom and I apply for a small loan so we can take the girls to the Texas State Fair--the only place on earth you can see a 1212 pound pig and then eat your way into a similar condition, all in one expensive day. Although the state fair activities don't rise much above stupid animal tricks, life threatening carny rides, and food limited to something that is either eaten off a stick or triple fried or both, there is something unmissable about it.

This year Heidi and I took the girls and unlike the last year we did not feel compelled to try all things fried. The list of this year's fair food is included at the end of the post so you can know some of the items that tempted us. Keep in mind, this is not a complete list...just a taste.


Heidi and Delberd on the mini roller coaster. Adelle is finally outgrowing some of her vertigo issues that plagued our Walt Disney World trip last January.


I, on the other hand, not only struggled fitting my J-Lo-ness into the kiddie sized molded seats, but also needed Tess to hold my hand on the up-n-drop kid ride.

The corny dogs are the state fair classic (and Adelle's favorite).

Tess loved the climbing wall. After her first attempt she came down and said with a stomp, "I'm not proud of myself!" She gave it another go, and after climbing much higher came down with a big smile. She was pretty intense about the whole thing so I let her try a third climb, after which she admitted she had regained her pride and dignity.

the Pee-Wee Stampede

After the disappointing Pee-Wee Stampede, Tess was fully annoyed with her little sister. The rub just got worst as Adelle decided to star in her own Celtic rock dance. Her dancing landed her a job as the new Red Bull girl for pre-K promotions--we are so proud.

We did get a few people complimenting us on Deli's dancing ability. I was quick to mention that I have two daughters that are great dancers, one chose to sit it out today.

Chicken Fried Bacon – Thick and peppery bacon is seasoned, double-dipped in a special batter and breading and deep-fried. Served with a creamy side of ranch or honey mustard sauce.
Fried Banana Split – A mixture of banana and honey peanut butter is rolled in balls, battered and deep-fried and topped with assorted, delicious fixings, including powdered sugar, caramel and chocolate syrups, chopped peanuts, whipped cream and banana split flavored ice cream bites then fittingly crowned with the traditional cherry
Fernie’s All-American Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich – An American classic with a State Fair twist. Two slices of white bread filled with a blend of American and cheddar cheeses, dipped in an egg and milk batter and lightly coated with panko bread crumbs for extra crispness. Served with a side of shoestring potato sticks, a pickle spear and tomato soup dipping sauce. The All American Meal!
Texas Fried Jelly Belly Beans – Jelly Belly Beans are rolled in funnel cake batter and fried to a crunch. People can share the treat with friends and try to guess the flavors before biting down.

Deep Fried S’mores – Marshmallow cream and chocolate chips are sandwiched between two graham crackers, dipped in a feather-light batter and fried to a golden brown. The campfire-inspired treats are dusted in powdered sugar.
Fried Chocolate Truffles – A silky-smooth, handmade, dark chocolate truffle is rolled in cocoa powder before being battered and deep-fried. The melting chocolate goodness is dusted in cinnamon, sugar and cocoa powder.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Waffle Balls – Plump fresh strawberries covered in a thick chocolate shell are dipped in a sweet, waffle batter and deep-fried. Dusted with powdered sugar and served on a stick.
Fried Pop Rocks Fundae Blast - Ignite your senses with this explosion of Tastes. Fried Ice Cream covered in Hershey’s Syrup and Pop Rocks. Your fuse is a Twizzler rolled in Pop Rocks. While you disarm it, you’ll find an Atomic Fireball inside . . .“Fire in the Bowl”!
Fried Dinner Roll – A savory dinner roll lusciously filled with cream cheese and covered with a sweet batter, placed on a stick and deep fried to perfection.
Fried Cake on a Stick – A delicious, chocolate covered white cake filled with strawberry jelly and cream, dipped in sweet batter and deep fried until golden brown and served on a stick!
Green Bean Fries - Fresh Green Beans lightly battered, deep fried, and served with a side of cucumber ranch dressing for dipping!
“Jalapeno” Deep Fried Gorditas - Jalapeno flavored gordita cooked on the grill and then deep fried, stuffed with beef, chicken, or bean & cheese, and finally topped with lettuce, tomato, guacamole, and cheese
Fried Apple iPie – A warm, delicious crispy fried apple pie with just a hint of cinnamon, is smothered in rich vanilla ice cream and topped with an edible iPod “like” mp3 player and whipped cream. Real working souvenir “ear-bud” earphones complete this tasty iPie experience
Fried Snowballs – Fresh from the fryer! A lightly battered Snowball (cupcake) dusted with powdered sugar!
Fried Honey Bun – A lightly battered Honey Bun, served fresh from the fryer with a light dusting of powdered sugar! .
Mini Chicken Fried Steak Slider - A miniature crispy chicken fried steak patty served on a mini bun with a side of cream gravy
Ignited Moon Pie­ - The Original Moon Pie, lightly battered and deep fried, then gently sprinkled with powdered sugar!
Beefy Fried Queso Bites ­– Queso mixed with taco meat, breaded in a zesty batter and deep fried.
Chick-a-Mole Bites – Guacamole mixed with a taco-flavor shredded chicken and cheddar/Monterey jack cheese, breaded in a zesty batter and deep fried.
Crispy Fried Cantaloupe Pie – Diced cantaloupe seasoned with brown sugar, cinnamon and coconut milk, rolled in a flaky pie pastry, and then deep fried. Topped with powdered sugar and whip cream.

Harold Spencer Budge

October 19, 1931 - September 21, 2008

We are thinking of you and missing you Grandpa.

We love you and Grandma so much!

new old pics

Here are some of my favorite pictures from this last spring and summer that I haven't posted yet.


upward, ever upward


Isn't it fun when you get a glimpse of what your four year old may look like when she's eighty three. (click on the picture for more detail)


soft grandma-made blankets,
bowl full of strawberries,
green leaves and grass...
summer happiness


I have a whole collection of these sleeping pictures. At the end of the day the girls usually end up fighting over whose leg or arm goes where. This argument ends with them on opposite sides of the bed as they settle down to sleep. Yet, when I go into check on them after everything is quiet, I'm most likely to find them some how intertwined.