Side Seat Drivers BEWARE!!!!

My dear fellow side seat drivers, our titles are in jeopardy! My MIL got her son a cute little "GPS for Dummies" as part of his christmas and gave it to him Thursday. Oh how cute, I thought, just what he needs. Little did I know that this GPS "thing" was also another side seat driver.

We leave his parents house Thursday afternoon to head to my Mom's and he is so excited about his new "toy" that he just about drives us off the road several times trying to install it & turn it on. Finally he gets it all set up & we're driving along when out of nowhere we hear "You're exceeding the speed limit". Hmm, well that reminder is a good thing for him. Then as we got into town it starts going off, annoying I might add; in 3 tenths of a mile turn left. I turned to him & said "That's MY job!"

"I have ONE LOUSY JOB ON THIS SHIP. It's stupid but I'm going to do it!" I started saying while he's laughing so hard he can't drive straight. Wait, he can't drive straight not laughing either! So anyway, IMHO a GPS system is just another side seat driver who I guess according to Men is allowed to tell them how to drive while we get to sit there annoyed that we no longer have anything to do in the car anymore! I'm seriously thinking about throwing it out the window the next time we're on a trip or banning it from being on.

Never Forgetting

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Several years ago I partcipated in blogging event that remembered those lost on 9/11. As I do every year since, I pull that passage forward as I will never forget Allan Shwartzstein. He's the gentleman I blogged about. Not a day goes by that I still don't think about Allan, his family & all the others we lost on that horrible day 7 years ago today. Obviously others have forgotten because several ppl were asking why the flags were flying low today. I know life goes on, I know you can't & shouldn't hang onto the past but somethings shouldn't be forgotten. All those innocent people that lost their lives on that day shouldn't be forgotten. We've moved past mourning them, but we shouldn't move past remembering them or celebrating the lives they had. At the same time, we should never forget our troops who are still over there fighting. Even if we don't agree with them being there; they are still there needing our support & prayers. This Texas Mom will NEVER forget the people lost on 9/11 or the Troops fighting to ensure our freedom & our rights. God Bless the fallen, our troops & America!
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We will honor them by remembering their lives,
and not by remembering their murderers.
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I Remember Allan Shwartzstein
World Trade Center ~ Tower 1


There's not much on the internet about Allan Abraham Shwartzstein, 37. He wasn't famous, just a face in the crowd of thousands ~ an unknown to you & I. But to his family & friends he was a bright start that faded out too soon & now a hero to us all.

Allan was best known as a husband to Amy, father to Matthew & Jessica, a brother, a son & a friend. He was named after an uncle who died in Israel in 1948. He was a simple man who preferred ratty t-shirts & worn out shorts to the suits & ties he wore to work. After 15 years on Wall Street, he still wore the watch he had received for his bar mitzvah. According to those that knew him, he was genuine, what you see is what you got. He didn't worry about his appearance or what came out of his mouth. When I look at his photo I can imagine that he told it like it was.

In March of 2001, Allan had joined Cantor Fitzgerald as a managing director and partner & his office was located in Tower 1 on the 104 floor. His wife Amy said that Allan was just the kind of guy that would put others in front of his own needs and he was probably busy helping others when the towers were hit instead of thinking of his own safety. He was an avid tennis player and skier and an amateur guitar player. According to his younger brother, Michael, he was a humble & down to earth guy. He had a quality about him that made others feel really good.

Every day we encounter countless people, people we never smile at or greet. We are too absorbed in our own lives. One thing I have learned in researching Allan is that life is too short. We never know what could happen next in our lives. I imagine on the morning of September 11, 2001 started out like any day for the people in New York. Their commute to work was like the day before. The ride up the elevator filled with conversations while people on the street pushed past one another in silence. I can only imagine how the rest of the morning went as I sat safely in my home thousands of miles away. Since September 11, 2001 I've become aware that a simple smile from a passerbyer can change my day. Whose life can we touch by suddenly becoming more aware of those around us & taking a few seconds to call out a greeting? I wish I had known Allan. I'm sure those in his life were blessed beyond blessed to have counted him as family or friend. I will never forget you Allan Schwartzstein and I will continue to pray for you, your family and to all those we lost.

We're 6!!

So our little man turned 6 last week. We went to his favorite resturant "The Rain Forest Cafe". We surprised him a volcano dessert complete with sparkler & waiters singing happy birthday. Needless to say he was thrilled with the attention. We also did an evening trip to Six Flags, riding all the rides he wanted to ride. Saturday we had some friends over & had the whole cake/ice cream & finally his gifts. By Saturday night we were all partied out!

We're now counting down to our first day of school. 12 days to go!! Col-Cr & Neo-Pa are both excited. Pac-Cr isn't sure what to think really. We've been reading his favorite book "How does a dinosaur go to school" hoping it will help him. Wee-School was a nightmare but I kinda look to his teacher for that, she was older & didn't really have a high level of patience. There is one K teacher I'm really hoping we get, she's been there since Col-Cr was in K & he really needs a firm, keeps to her own rules teacher. Please cross your fingers for us. I've been told the older two were very much like he was at this age but memory has dulled alot & I don't recall them being like this. I'm majorly stressed out!

Home Projects

This is what our patio looked like last summer before this spring/summer's high winds ripped it apart. :-(
This is our new gazebo we got from the Academy & Xachr beginning work on the patio expansion.

Here is the patio expansion.....

Here is the finished project.


Side view from walkway.....
Evening view with our solar tiki torches & rope light. :-)


This is about the only thing I love about summer, the BBQ'ing on the weekends, the evenings stretched out on the lounge chairs watching the kids play in the pool. *HEAVEN*

1 more year to go & he'll be a teenager!!!!!

Goodness gracious how time flies! Hard to believe just 12 years ago this shaggy headed boy was born!

I had big plans on making him an ice cream cake for his birthday; nothing as fancy as Neo-Pa's ladybug cake but still something special. Needless to say it's been YEARS since I used the Betty Crocker Bake n Fill cake pans & I know I put the instructions somewhere but I couldn't find them. Silly me, I put the cake still in the pan in the freezer while I waited for Xachr to bring home Col-Cr's fav ice cream without popping it out of the pan first. Next morning I couldn't get it out & while soaking it in hot water in the sink I tipped it & of course it got soggy. So Albertson's Bakery to the rescue!! Xachr picked this out all by himself. (He was so proud too) Of course Col-Cr thought it was a HOOT as he just loves hamburgers; meat, cheese & ketchup only please!

Here he is blowing out 12 pink candles (I could have sworn I had a #2 somewhere but nope just pink candles good thing he's such a good sport). As always I offer him $200 or a bday party & he took the cash. With football & band on his agenda for the school year he wanted a cell phone so that's what he got with his $. To help pay his monthly fee of $30 he is mowing our yard & doing his chores without complaint. (yeah I'm still waiting on that last one) But the house phone has sure been quieter, Erin drove me nuts during the school year!

He took the rest of his $ and got his ear pierced. Yep hard to imagine me letting any son of mine do that & grow his hair out too. (Go Me!) I just itch to get the clippers after him but I'm doing my best to allow him some freedom to express himself. However I draw the line at hair any longer than this. Thankfully the new student dress code will help me in that area. (Yeah don't get me going on that topic!!)

Going Out The In

Every Saturday morning Xchar & I do our grocery shopping. Col-Cr babysits so our trip to Wally-World is less tramatic. Each time we go, during any time of the day, we have to stand & wait to go IN through the ENTERANCE. Why you ask? Because people are too wrapped up, lazy or just don't know how to read & they stream OUT of the ENTERANCE like little ants taking their finds back to their queen.

I'm not a bold female. I typically hold my tongue & opinion to 97% of the peopleI know. Just easier for me to bite it than tell them what I really think. However I've been spending too much time with Xchar & his rubbing off on me. Now when we go to ENTER ANY STORE & people are going OUT the IN I polietly point out that there is an ENTERANCE & AN EXIT & would the please learn to read which door they should be going out of! Yeah I get a few remarks back but I hold my head high & savor my victory. ONLY to see Xchar trying to go out the in every darn time. Now him; I don't have to be so polite too & he dutifully swerves & uses the right door.

I guess my vent today is to just point out to my few readers that the next time you go to a store PLEASE use the right door!

How Cliche!

So Xachr & I have been doing ALOT of yard work this spring. We extended the front flowerbed a good few feet as you see here in the picture. This past weekend I planted fiber optic grass. Those are the 3 green lumps you see around the rock. Now what you don't see clearly is the pink flamingo. Xachr had left me alone in my flowerbed to run an errand & when he returned I planted "Pinkie". Needless to say he was NOT impressed with me putting it in the front yard. I told him there was no reason to hide it in the backyard since it wasn't a cheesy plastic flamingo but a artsy wire one with a pretty pink & green gazing ball HE had picked out as the belly.

"How cliche" he said. I really started to get upset cause it's not like it's a garden gnome. You can barely see "Pinkie" from the street much less even in this up close picture. Xachr just thinks it should be hidden in the backyard & not the front. What do you think? Are flamingos over done in landscapes around the world? And what decor do you have out for your neighbors to see?
I have seen a few neighbors WAY over do it but I think I've done a good job to keep it light & clutter free.



Also this year I decided to plant a tree in our front yard. Xachr has been fighting about this since we moved. However we get the evening sun smack in the kitchen windows there & it gets mighty hot in the summer. I picked a lovely Cleveland Select Pear but the wild spring weather we've been having has me worried. Most of the little limbs have been blown off. We had to stake it into the ground as the high winds had it tilting. I really hope it's going to make it.

So what spring clean up have you been doing around your home? Over the next few weeks we hope to get the patio in the backyard redone & ready. When we aren't having all those windy wild weather, it's been down right GORGEOUS & we're all beyond ready to sit under the awning with our supper & relax.