FALLelujah!

Yep. It's still 80-plus-degrees here. Yesterday, I wore a long-sleeve shirt in protest. Of course, the only thing that happened was: I got hot. UGH. Though I seriously have zero-trust in our local meteorologists, I'm hoping they're right, and it will at least cool down into the 70s by next week.

Regardless, my pumpkin decor has been up since Labor Day. I've retired all of my "summer attire." We currently have three bags of candy corn in our pantry. And, because I love ALL-THE-PUMPKIN-THINGS so much, this is also the time of year where my husband asks nightly at dinner:

"Does this dish have pumpkin in it?"

LOL. I've been known to sneak pumpkin into pasta dishes and soup. There's no shame in my game.

However, this may come as a shock to some, BUT: I don't particularly like Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Blasphemy, I know. My local coffee shop has an "Autumnal Spice" Latte that is heavenly. But the Starbucks variety? Not my jam. I was discussing this the other day with someone, and they made a DELIGHTFUL suggestion:

Add cinnamon to my coffee grounds before I brew it.

GENIUS, I tell you. I shake maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. It makes my coffee extra cozy. I love it. Y'all must try it soon.

I hope you're loving your October, thus far! This is my happy season.

Happy Fri-YAY!

sweater...no sweater? lawdy...

If you live in Texas or have ever lived in Texas, you know the true meaning of this meme. (And, by the way, it’s not original to me and/or TLC. A fellow Texan and friend of mine posted it on Facebook. So I don’t know who to give credit to for how funny this is to Texans. And, yet, how not funny. You know?)

September? Not an easy month for me and My Sweet Hubby (aka MSH). Although I enjoyed sharing my gratitude for 40 years of marriage to MSH, I was not sorry to see it go. Long story. Let's bypass it. Yes—I don’t like how fast Time zooms by me. But, seriously? I was more than ready for a fresh start with a new month. Sheesh.

October is here! Woo Hoo and Yippee! TLC’s favourite month. Hands (and pumpkin lattes) down. Winky. Wink. We have no plan and/or theme for this month's blogposts. I’ve suggested to TLC that we simply Go with the Flow. See what happens. Throw Caution to the Wind! Inotherwords…PUNT.

Hope Y’all have a Wonderful Week—wherever in this World Y’all are! Be cool. Be kind. Be sweet. Be fair. Be ready for spontaneous and, as of this moment, mysterious posts! (Wow. That sounds almost spooky, right?)

smooch,

ELC

40! in pictures...

Here are My Last Eight (of 40—in honor of our 40^th wedding anniversary) Reasons I Adore My Sweet Hubby (aka MSH)…in pictures!

In this first one he’s with his older sister. They’re 2 and 3. Is he the cutest little boy you’ve ever seen? I mean, seriously. He admits he was a toot. He has the funniest stories—and some of the saddest—about growing up. In Little Rock, Arkansas and Austin, Texas. (TLC literally cannot listen to some of his heartbreaking stories…things he endured…as a small child and on up to his life as a teenager. I admit—they make me cry, too.)

Here he is at the age of 19. He has hair! (He lost it when he was 24…and I’ve never known him any other way. I fell in love with his eyes and his smile and the truly good person that he is. I didn’t need him to have hair!) In this picture, we all are amazed at how much his youngest son—his 4^th of 5 children—looks like him. Each of his five kids has his traits and genes. They are clearly obvious to us all. But this picture? His 4^th son. JJ. Wow.

Our wedding day. We had no money. We had a very small celebration. We had no photographer. Friends brought cameras and shared their pictures with us. Look at how handsome he was! Melted my very heart. (He still does...) It was a memorable day for both of us.

With Little Leighton (aka LL aka Biscuit) on our back patio about five years ago. We’ve had the honor of having LL stay with us more than any of our other six grandchildren. Even Baby Elle. Our five older grands have all lived in Houston and it’s never been easy to see them as much as we would like. Baby Elle, as our youngest grandchild, has not been able to come stay with us at our country casa because of Biscuit’s school schedule. It was hard to decide on a picture with LL and Pa-Pa. I have many. This one has always been one of my favorites. She is tres excited! He's holding on to her so tight to make sure she doesn’t fall.  He's a Protector Extraordinaire. He’s such a wonderful grandfather. The kind of grandfather I wish every child could have.

With MSH’s Best Friend—Buddy Boo Bear—feeding the catfish at our Big Tank. They’re inseparable. Have been since we adopted BBB eight years ago.  They are the most adorable pair.

One of my most fav pictures of MSH. I popped his collar and took the picture because he needed one to enclose with something for his college alumni publication. Still such a handsome man—IMHO. Winky. Wink.

There are a few people on this Earth who don’t know what a SILLY man MSH can be! He is funny, Y’all. Sometimes it’s on purpose. A lot of times? He’s not even meaning to make me (or TLC or LL or Baby Elle or anyone else) laugh. But he does. So much. And so hard. We’d taken LL to an aquarium in Grapevine and I caught MSH at his cRaZiEsT. LL and I giggle every time we come across this one on my phone.

My Sweet Hubby. Every. Single. Day. Of. His. Life. He started reading The Bible seven mornings a week four years ago. Hasn’t missed a day. Not one. When I wake up (which is usually later than him), this is the first thing I see. He makes me proud. He makes me smile. (And, quite frankly, he often makes me feel a bit bad—that I’m not as dedicated a Bible scholar as he’s become. He inspires me to be better.)

We disagree. We misunderstand each other—a lot. We have polar opposite opinions on MANY things. We get discouraged. We get confused. We get angry. Nothing we’ve ever gone through has made either one walk away or out (even if in a heated moment one or both of us insinuates we might). We laugh. We persevere. We do our best to communicate. (That can be a challenge.) We try again. And again. And again. We wake up each day ready to re-commit our loyalty and devotion to each other.

I LOVE MY SWEET HUBBY. With all of my heart and soul.

Thank you for humoring me this month! My wish for you is that you have someone in your life—a spouse, partner, family member, sibling, child, friend—someone that you cherish and trust as much as I cherish and trust This Man.

It’s Fri-Yay! Have a GREAT weekend, Friends Everywhere!

Smooch,

ELC

bytheway: It’s getting cooler here in Texas. This time of the year? What most Texans live for...YIPPEE!!!

a spirit of unity...

This morning, as I read the Bible and all my treasured devotional and prayer books (there are currently six but I’m always looking for more!), I realized I haven’t posted a prayer in a while.

This week has been a rough one. In so many ways and on so many levels. I won’t go into all of the hurdles I’ve tried to jump over, around and/or through. One of the biggest? I had three appointments with the chiropractor. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Friday I was hopeful it was all working. The machines. His treatment. As of this moment, I feel I’m in no better shape than on Wednesday morning when I called and begged to get in ASAP. Sigh. I can’t go back until this coming Wednesday. (Grammy Nanny duty calls East of my casa!) I’ll have three more treatments and then the doctor will help me figure out my next option. Sheesh.

My last post with the final 8 Reasons (for a total of 40) I Cherish My Sweet Hubby will be later in the week and will be a pictorial (Yes. TLC must help her Mama with this…she’s been put on proper notice.)! I think you’ll enjoy my pictures of this handsome, silly, kind, wonderful man I’ve had the privilege of being married to for over 40 years! 40 years and 2 months on October 2^nd, in fact.

On this Sunday afternoon, please allow me to share the prayer that spoke the loudest to my very soul (and bum neck/shoulder) this morning.

From Praying Through the Tough Times, by Lloyd John Ogilvie:

WHEN I AM WEARY

Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him,

The help of my countenance and my God.

PSALM 42:11

Almighty God, reign supreme as sovereign Lord in my life today. Enter my mind and heart and show me the way. May I be given supernatural insight and wisdom to discern Your guidance each step of the way through this challenging day. Break deadlocks with people, enable creative compromises, and inspire a spirit of unity. Overcome the weariness of hard work. Give me a second wind to press on.

When there is nowhere else to turn in my human dilemmas and difficulties, it is time to return to You. When things don’t work out, I must ask You to work out things. When my burdens make me downcast, I cast my burdens on You. If you could create the universe and uphold it with Your providential care, You can solve my most complex problems.

Dear Father, I want to know You so well, trust You so completely, seek Your wisdom so urgently, and receive Your inspiration so intentionally that I will be a person totally available for the influence of Your Spirit. Help me to be just as receptive to Your direction. Alarm me with disquiet in my soul if what I plan is less than Your best. With equal force confirm any conviction that will move forward what You think is best for me. Remind me that You are with me and will guide me. You are Jehovah-Shammah: You will be there!

Amen.

I wish each of you a new week full of hope, happiness, love, laughter, patience, wisdom and kindness.

Biggest Hugs Ever…coming your way through cyberspace…

ELC

p.s.—As we near October, plan to come celebrate All Things Autumn with me and TLC all month long. We’ll try not to be too repetitive or obnoxious. Winky. Wink.