Fun weekend in Big D

After the younger daughter was accepted to SMU law school a couple years ago, we discovered this ginormous Christmas store located in Arlington. Last fall we intended to take a look, but never got there. This year we were committed to a visit, so I made the five hour drive to spend the weekend with the law student.

We set out bright and early Saturday morning, making a Target run before heading over to Decorator's Warehouse in Arlington. Boy oh boy, did it live up to the hype. All of the employees were super friendly and helpful. Their themed tree displays were awe-inspiring, even to somebody like me who has collected santas from around the world for 33 years. 

Needless to say, I could have dropped a pretty penny on all of the beautiful holiday decorations. I was especially proud of myself that I escaped with spending a mere $120 in a store that specializes in all things Christmas, which is absolutely the most wonderful (decorating) time of the year. 

After over an hour of oohing and aahing my way through their gorgeous displays, not to mention the ribbon room and naked trees for sale in every shape and size, I'm already plotting a trip back to check out their wares next fall. The law student found a well-reviewed Tex Mex restaurant nearby where we enjoyed a tasty lunch afterwards. Come to find out, the restaurant's founders are San Antonio and San Marcos natives who also devised the first frozen margarita machine. I seriously think this Christmas store and Tex-Mex food outing needs to become an annual October tradition. Maybe we can get the CPA daughter to join us in 2025.

Fall this and that

Well, fall isn't listening and just continues to race past in a blur. Hold on, y'all, it will be wedding time in the blink of an eye. We've enjoyed a couple shots of cool weather this month, but the higher temps always creep back in. I recently noticed this guy on bug patrol at our dining table beneath the pool pavilion, even though flying pests seem to be on the wane lately. Mr. Spider is kinda halloween cool.

I've finally gotten my fill of baking homemade chocolate chip cookies to munch on while we watch Saturday football games on the telly. I swear I was on a roll for over a month, making a batch every weekend. It's rather surprising I've continued to lose a few pounds with fresh baked cookies tempting me.

The husband went on a business trip earlier this fall and returned with a swag box of fancy chocolates from Memphis. Thankfully for my hips, chocolate in concentrated form like that just doesn't tempt my taste buds anymore. Isn't it crazy how your tastes evolve over the course of your life? Things I wouldn't touch in my younger years are now some of my favorite foods. Go figure!

This month I've been intrigued by new and interesting potato chip flavors at our local grocery store, especially the southern and Tex-Mex twists. Both were pretty good, but not so tasty that I'd feel the need to buy them again. It reminded me of how I always marveled at the interesting crisp (UK for potato chips) flavors found in our local Sainsbury's or Tesco when we lived in the 'burbs of London. I recall enjoying the sweet Thai chili, while the duck and hoisin sauce flavor got a hard pass.

October volunteering

To celebrate October, I went with the obvious halloween theme for the girls at the group home where I spend the first Saturday of each month. A lovely woman on our local school board came in to lead the girls in a shrinky dinks arts and craft activity, which they really enjoyed. In addition to snacks, I made a BOO! bag for each of the girls. I think the Bath & Body Works fall scented body sprays and the pumpkin socks were their favorite items. Plus The Nightmare Before Christmas themed ring pops I found. I have no clue why, but they always enjoy a ring pop!

Wedding countdown has commenced

We're less than six weeks from the wedding, and the last of the design decisions have been made for the big event. I spent the day in Austin recently, working with our bride, her planner and a couple of her vendors - the florist and stationer - to nail down final details. I also took my mother-in-law shopping for her wedding shoes. She settled on a lovely pair of low heeled sparklers that caught her eye. That's next on my list, figuring out my shoes and jewelry now that I've finally settled on a dress. I swear this fall is rolling downhill like a snowball, gathering speed, and I need it to slow down so I can enjoy every little thing.

A harvest of acorns

Thanks to the fact that we got some rain over the summer, our resident squirrels and deer are enjoying a decent crop of acorns dropping from the oak trees scattered across our five acres. It just so happens that the biggest acorns are those nearest the house where trees got some extra water from our sprinkler system. That means the deer and squirrels come up closer to the Finn and Pepper fence to enjoy the bounty. The squirrels have a habit of slithering through the goat fencing to get the acorns that have dropped in the dog yard, which makes our watchdogs crazy. 

Both Finn and Pepper have a terrier eye for yard trespassers. Finn in particular will commence to barking the minute he spies a squirrel or deer in the yard or along the fence line. Pepper will usually come over to see what all the commotion is about and then I have two busily baying cairns eager to get out the back door. In the video above, our great squirrel hunters treed a big fat acorn eater right outside the fence. If you look closely in the video, you'll see the squirrel angrily flicking his tail in the tree because he was so rudely run off from his snack. I love how the dogs come loping back to the porch, happy with themselves for a job well done running off their backyard nemesis. 

Beautiful inside & out

My monthly volunteering at a local group home for girls was focused on inner and outer beauty. Our Chicktime leader arranged for a beauty consultant to come in and discuss the benefits of good skincare so that the girl's outside reflects their inside. The girls had a lot of fund learning about how to take care of their skin, which included a clay face mask.

In my role as snack lady, I whipped up some ranch and onion dips. To keep with our pink theme, I even added a little dye to make them pink. The girls gobbled up the chip assortment with dips, as well as the pink cookie cakes and candy I brought along. As always, the leftovers went back to their cabins to enjoy for a snack over the weekend. Next up is our halloween/fall themed day. I've been busy gathering  the items to make BOO! bags for each of the girls, which they always enjoy receiving. It continues to amaze me how simple things like deodorant, socks, a scented chapstick and ring pop puts a smile on their faces. Talk about giving you perspective!

 

It's me, I'm Goldilocks

Goodness gracious, y'all, I have had a humdinger of a time in my search for the perfect mother-of-the-bride dress. I purposely postponed the more serious dress shopping until this summer because I was working to drop the winter blubber. Now that this has been accomplished, I find myself starting to feel pressed for time.

I swear I didn't think this process would be so challenging. Granted, it took me a solid few months of trying on a variety of styles to narrow down what's most flattering on my shape. Then it became all about finding the right dress silhouette in a color that works with the bride's vibe. Easier said than done, it seems. Right color, wrong neckline. Right length, wrong sleeves. Right style, wrong fabric. And thus the dress selection difficulty. At this point, I'm still waiting on a couple custom dresses to arrive from overseas, as well as two I ordered from a boutique (see below). I've got my fingers crossed that at least one of these will be "the one". 

At my age, it's not as if I can throw on any old thing like our daughters can and still look fabulous. There are things like a postmenopausal belly to consider. Don't get me started on batwings. Plus the swan neck that's leaning more turkey wattle with every passing year. And so it goes. At least I'm a couple sizes smaller, so there's a silver lining to my old lady dress dilemma. I've about decided I'm being a total nitpick because these pictures will be enshrined in the family lore, sitting around in beautiful keepsake picture books until I take my last breath. One day I'm sure I'll look back on these pictures and marvel at the fresh(er) face. Maybe our great grandchildren will do the same. At this point, the one thing I do know is I have to make a decision soon so any alterations can be accomplished since I can't show up wearing my comfy old brown chenille bathrobe that the family calls my bear suit. Right?!