Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Sounds of Summer that I Love 1. The locusts in the trees 2. Water splashing in the pool 3. The windchimes on the backporch 4. My little boy being pushed by my dad on his horse swing, saying giddy-up, and whoa! 5. Baby O making all kinds of noise on the porch 6. The leaves rustling on the trees as a breeze comes through 7. Burgers and steaks sizzling on the grille! 8. The spray of the nozzle as mom waters her thousands of plants! 9. Fireworks bursting in the air, can't wait for that one out at Meme and G's! 10. Ty playing in the sandbox, he vocalizes his every move! Dig Dig, pour pour, sift... etc. 11. The fan humming 12. Red Robins singing on the telephone wire. I have seen a lot of those this week! 13. The slurping of slushees or slurpees, no I don't necessarily enjoy the sound from others but I love to slurp myself!

I see trees of green.....

I see green everywhere compared to the browntown I came from! We are having an absolute blast with Pop and Cita! We went swimming the first day and Ty did good kicking and blowing bubbles! He did not want to come out of the pool for lunch and rest time! Olivia, not so wild about it but we are working on her! Ty has also enjoyed the tire swing that looks lilke a horse that Pop hung out under a big tree as well as the turtle sandbox they got him. He is not going to want to go home!!!!

I of course have already gone to my favorite Arlington spot, Boo Boo's with Holly and Granny and then shopping at Brownstone Village just down the street! I am really missing living in this place right now. We have spent a lot of time out on the backporch just visiting. My parents have a beautiful backyard with all kinds of fun stuff in it. While we sit Ty loads his dumptruck over and over and plays with cars. Liv just rolls around and crawls, yes crawls all over. She started that for the first time last Saturday while I was at Larry and Nell's doing laundry! Heath says he taught her to do so! Our dryer went out and my Suberban had a lot work done on it all in the same week so we are here trying to forget all about the money and stress that went along with that. Well me and the kids anyway.

Trent on the other hand has been playing 52 HOLES A DAY!!!! Do you think he misses me???? He says he does but I kind of wonder! He is preparing for several tournaments.

Today I am going to meet my friend Jay from highschool. He lives in FL now so we don't get to see him just real often. I am still very close to my highschool group of friends and the majority of them still live in the area, with the exception of Jay, Maria in Virginia Beach, and Joel in Houston. Jay has a new, well as of 6 months, girlfriend that we will be meeting whom he says her has never felt the same way about anyone else. I am too excited to hug his neck and to meet this sweet girl. She has to be wonderful if Jay loves her.

Well ta-ta for now. I will post pictures of all our fun later!

Thursday Thirteen for Thelma

This is what I called my great aunt, originally named Thelma Emma Phillips but after marrying her husband Joe, Thelma P. Ater. She was my Nana's sister. My nana, whom I was VERY close to, passed away six months after having a stroke when I was just in sixth grade. My "AA" kind of stepped in and resumed the role of my grandmother until she passed away this past Saturday on June 10th. She was 91 and lived a full life but many were still not ready to lose her. She was not your typical elderly lady. I have so many wonderful memories of her and visits to her house growing up. She lived the last half of her life in Alamogordo, New Mexico. It was always a fun time with her and Joe. They were quite the active and humorous little couple. He passed a few years ago and she just hasn't been the same since. Her health declined but she continued to be active. She got to where she needed some assistance and was able to move in with her grand-daughter Linda who lived just up the mountain in Cloudcroft. They had a very special relationship since Linda was young and I know she is probably going to miss her the most. She has been so blessed to have Thelma on a daily basis. My Dad looked to her as a second mother and is deeply saddened as well. We traveled for the visitation and funeral this week and returned last night. It was so strange going to that town and not being able to visit with her. All the "could've, should've (s) went through my mind. Trent and I kept wanting to plan a trip out there to see her and then he took on more and more responsibility with Sprint and began to travel extensively and it just never happened. I think the last time I actually saw her in person was at my wedding 6 years ago. She was listed in the program as my grandmother. I have talked to her on the phone several times since but wish I could have spent more time in person with her. I dedicate this Thursday Thirteen to her:

Thirteen Wonderful Memories of Thelma Emma Phillips Ater

January 4, 1915- June 10, 2006

1. Her love for The Lord

2. Her love for ALL of her family

3. Always saw the positive in people

4. Her fun and wonderful sense of humor

5. She had such a grace about her.

6. Reuben Sandwhiches

7. The way she loved to watch the hummingbirds drink from the nectar on her back porch.

8. The way she liked turquoise jewelry and wore a beautiful ring on her hand.

9. She nicknamed my Nana, "Doty" because of her being the youngest sister and how their father would "dote" on her.

10. She lost a son to cancer that she never let leave her heart. He continued to always be the most important part of her life other than her Lord. She loved his wife as a daughter and was such an incredible example of a Godly woman.

11. Never missed a birthday or Christmas my whole life, with a super sweet card and always gave me a check with the amount of the year I was turning.

12. Her spoon collection from all the places that she traveled to.

13. Her voice, I can still hear her.

I know that not many of you knew this sweet lady but I hope that I could give you a little glimpse of wonderful she really was. I hope that I can be the type of woman, wife, and mother that she was in many many ways.

Kissable Little Cook!

Liv is now enjoying just about every vegetable, here sweet potatoes in a highchair that was originally mine. She also enjoys kisses from dog !

Thankfully Murray is GREAT with both the kids and loves to 'love on them and snuggle up to them! That Furry Murray is a good dog, most of the time!




The two of them can really ham it up for some pics for Dad! We like to think that Ty is being the "Daddy cook here! He LOVES being the "Took"! He likes to pretend to make things in the kitchen for all of us. Funny, all the little boys in my class would rather play with the dishes and food than the blocks or cars anyday! Such a fun age! I can't wait to be able to make cookies together and let him help for real!


Well two summer projects down and three to go. As you can see, I got the little kitchen painted. I still have the details to do but its 'playable'! I also got the curtains for the bedroom done a few weeks ago with my grandmother-in-law, is that a word? Its Trent's grandmother that I have stolen as my own! Her name is Etie and she and I have lots of fun together! She taught me to sew last year and helped me make the bumper for Olivia's bed, sew on ball fringe to the gingham bedskirt that was Ty's, and I worked my way up to making her curtains for her room on my own. She made my kitchen curtains and the ones in Ty's room before I knew how. She also has made some of the best swaddling blankets for both kids. I am so excited to be able to do that now. We also enjoy bi-monthly dates to Furr's together! One of my favorite places that not too many people will go with me! She is fun to be with and a busy little grandmother. She is has social engagements almost everyday of the week and they travel as a couple quite a bit, I want to be like her when I am her age for so many reasons! Ty calls her granmom and is nuts about her and 'DD'. He is where the Phillips humor all began! They crack me up. He still tries to trick me all the time, the more time I spend with them the more I understand my husband!

13 Favorite Eats

Thirteen Things I like to EAT 1. All time favorite meal, Pot Roast, yes with cooked carrots 2. California and Coppell Rolls 3. Marble Slab- Amaretto Ice Cream with Rasberries and almonds mixed in 4. Chicken Enchiladas with queso, green sauce an Durangos (local) 5. Cheese sticks at Spanky's (local ) 6. Cracker Barrell breakfasts- anything! 7. Meme's buttermilk pies 8. Mom's meatloaf 9. Mom's chicken salad 10. Grandmother's coconut cream pie 11. Kemp's Butter Pecan Ice Cream 12. Sonic Jalepeno Poppers 13. DQ Pecan mudslide

Counting My Blessings

All's well in Phillipsville. A start to a new week and getting in a routine! We had a REAL lazy week last week, but I figure we are due for one after the past year we have had! Have I mentioned how glad I am to have Trent home???? We have so enjoyed each other these last few weeks. We have been bringing Ty in with us when he gets up at 6:15, most of the time-not all, he will fall back asleep as he drinks his morning milk and one of us will get some snuggles in on him. I made curtains for our room with more fun Ballard fabrics, I will post pics later, and it makes it so dark in there when we shut our bathroom doors. We all slept until at least 9 or so everyday last week. We would then go in and wake up Olivia (thank GOD we have at least one sleeping child!) and drink our morning coffee while Ty will play on the back porch or watch the Wiggles. Trent rented five movies last week and we watched one every day! Trent's sister Tina was in town with Shanon and Heath to look for a house so we got to see Heath a bunch! Ty LOVES him and they had a good time together. We even caught a real flick at the theatre. Trent had already taken Ty but he didn't mind seeing it again and I quite enjoyed "Over The Hedge" myself as well as my sister-in-law Emmy!

Speaking of Em, I have a prayer request. She and Tim have been trying to have a baby for two years now. They are now getting help at the fertility specialist we went to and have undergone their second attempt of Artificial Insemination (sp?) a week ago and will find out Tuesday if she is pregnant or not. There are no real complications as to why they should not be able to. Em has had cysts in the past but that is taken care of this time. Its so hard to understand how it happens so easily for some and not for others who want one so bad like this sweet couple. They will be incredible parents and I SO want this for them. If it has taken you a while you know what it feels like to have a bunch of pregnant friends and be sincerely happy for them, but wonder why it is not happening for you. I remember that feeling and did not go near what they have gone through at this point. Could you stop and say a quick prayer for them, it would be greatly appreciated.

I also have a praise. As you know, a couple of weeks ago I had mastitis. It cleared up quickly but not something I want to go through again. Anyhoo.. a few days later I felt a HUGE lump in my opposite breast. Not like any of the blocked ducts I had had in the past. I got them a lot while nursing Ty. It also was not going away with the typical treatment of hot compress and pumping. I had decided if it had not gone down by Sunday I was going in today. I got scared and thought maybe its not a blocked duct at all but could be a lump! If you know me well you know I am a worrier, not my favorite characteristic about me, and I of course started thinking of the worst. I had asked one friend to pray about it and as of this morning it completely dissapeared! Not slowly went away but dissappeared! Amazing. Praise God.

I have another praise as well. My friend Linnea, whom I grew up with and have been friends with since first grade, delivered her second child last Wednesday. His name is Parker Tate Oxley and he weighed 7lbs. 11oz. and is 19-1/2" long! He is perfect and healthy! Can't wait to meet the little miracle later this month. Praise God.

I have a small commercial too. The same friend I asked to pray for me gave me a book for Mother's Day entitled, To Know Him, by Gloria Copeland. Its the highlight of my day to read and I reccommend it to everyone. Short readings that just get you pumped about your relationship with The Lord. Thanks April.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the new week. May God bring many blessings to your lives as well and shine through you in all that you do.

Thirteen Thrilling Things About June

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



1. My husband is home!!

2. Sunny Days at the golf course

3. Movies in the Middle of the Day with Trent and kids

4. Swimming at Meme and G's

5. Going home for two weeks at the end of June

6. Golf Tournament in Marshall with Brian, Amy, and Cale Davis ! WOOHOO!

7. Get to go to Boo Boo's in Arlington! Along with all of my other favorite restraunts in the Ft. Worth Area

8. I get to meet Parker Oxley and Heather's little girl who has yet to be born but will be by the time I get there!

9. Sitting out on the backporch in the evenings and the mornings with family in the wonderful dry heat of where we live! The main thing I love about it.

10. Starting summer projects, painting the little wooden kitchen for kids, hanging pictures, painting little table for my bathroom.

11. Giving fun shower for my wonderful friend Suzanne and her little boy, who will be here in July, Ryder.

12. The arrival of Elise King!!!

13. Tank Tops and Flip Flops from now on baby!!!!!!