I haven't been creating as much as I would like, although I did make some cornhusk dolls for Deidra that maybe she'll display for you. Other than that, the last thing I created was in NC, when I made my parents, Slump. Slump is a dumpling of sorts but it's a sweet or pastry type dumpling, simmered in fruit. It tastes like a cobbler. It's even better when it's warm and served with ice cream. I'm also in a slump myself. Too bad it's not a delicious one. I'm one that likes to know what God has in store for me ahead of time and since He's been keeping it a mystery, I'm really in a contemplative mode. I know that there is a possibility that we will be leaving the state of California but where, it remains to be seen. I'm afraid that if we do move, that I will be homesick for California and the familiarity of what I have known all my life. I also fear missing my daughters, my sister and my friends. Yet, I trust that whatever it is that He has in sto...

Sometimes I mix my habits with the traditions. For instance, ever since TV Boo was little, before bedtime, I'd say, "Night Night, Sleep Tight," and she'd say, "Don't let the bedbugs bite" and then we'd finish together with, "See you in the morning light." When she moved out on her own, I realized that I didn't have the chance to say it with her anymore and it's made me sad. I guess I'm going to have to call her and find out what time she's going to go to bed just so that I can say it to her still. Also, I'm traditional in the sense that I always fake kiss my worm before I toss out my line, when fishing. It's almost like a kiss for luck or something. Whenever I drive off, Boo always walks me to my car and then he blows me kisses until I'm out of sight. I blow him kisses too. Another tradition that Baby Boo loves and has picked up is whenever we pray before our meals, Boo always kisses my hand. Now, Baby Boo holds ...

It's been another very busy week but not too busy that I can't share with you all the things that I've learned. 1) I absolutely loved meeting Deidra and H in Santa Ana. We all came from a distance to get there but it was well worth the drive for me. I only wish that we would've had more time to spend together. Deidra is gorgeous and the two of them are such a beautiful couple. I instantly felt that I was in the company of friends. 2) The next day, I packed up and headed out to Vegas with my sister and niece. I learned that Mariah isn't a bad traveling buddy at all. She just needs to not fear the crazy antics of her mom and aunt. 3) People are insane enough to spend $25.00 on tickets to see Village People. Thank God I had a view from my hotel room window because even that was bad enough to send me running for rolaids. Macho men? I think not. 4) Love comes in all shapes and sizes. I couldn't resist taking this couple's picture. They were adorable! 5) I'm l...

I was thinking that there are times when something happens in my life that is hardly believable so I keep it to myself. When I first met Boo, I had one of those experiences. Boo's parents both passed away before I had the opportunity to meet them. I had also never laid eyes on them in photos either. The first week, we were together, I "met" his dad. I was asleep when I dreamed that I was comfortably talking to a man who somewhat resembled Boo. He was soft spoken with friendly eyes. He told me about Boo. I woke up and later, I asked Boo if his dad was soft-spoken with a very gentle spirit. He said that he was. I asked to see a photo of him. He pulled out a picture of his dad and I told him, "I met your dad. That was him that I was talking to last night." About a week later, as we were talking about visitation issues with Baby Boo, I had a dream where this time, I met his mom. Once again, I hadn't seen a picture of her. I felt her love radiating through her sm...

This was Sam's favorite toy that he used to play with. (Notice the past tense.) Don't know what struck him - frustration or exhilaration...only Sam knows. The last few days have been the same for me. I've been thrilled to my toes to meet Deidra face to face. I promise to do a post set aside just for our meeting. It was wonderful beyond words. I've been saddened to tears by the loss of my big brother born from another mother. Growing up, I never had a brother. It was something that my twin sis and I always wished for. He came into our lives as someone that our older sister dated and then, when she moved on, our brother stayed in our lives. Over the years we kept in touch, with him always telling us how much he loved us. We lift our glasses to you, Craig. I was also exhilarated. Although the wedding date was postponed, my twin and my niece stole me away to a girls' weekend in Vegas. It was great seeing Vegas through the eyes of a 13 year old. We stayed up late, laug...

1) I've learned that the support and friendship through my blog friends is unmeasurable. I read and re-read your comments and I was uplifted and filled with hope and peace again. Thank you! 2) Make time for "I" and "Me". After all, there wouldn't be time without you. 3) I turn into a mechanic and lawn maintenance person when I feel pent up frustrations. I was underneath my car yesterday, attempting to "fix" some missing screws. I also dug up some sprinklers, ready to repair. There's just something about playing in the dirt that is calming for me. 4) I love Boo and know that he loves me with every fiber of his being. I need to listen to his feelings more instead of bypassing his thoughts and doing things my way. I am very used to being "in charge" that I often forget that it's not just me but he and I. 5) Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. 6) Dog slobber has got to be on the highest chain of grossness. 7) ...

I wish I could say that this was a joke but it isn't. This time, it isn't me that has the jitters, it's Boo. We talked yesterday, off and on, through my tears and that was the conclusion that has been drawn. Until further notice...there will not be a wedding. Until the timing is right....there will not be a wedding. Wish I would've had further notice to see all of this coming. But I didn't. I don't understand completely and I've asked him to help me to understand. As much as he's tried, my heart still remains broken. Yes, he wants to marry me but after having my broken in a billion pieces, I need to take some time to breathe and seek God's wisdom in all of this. I know of no other way to hang on. He realizes that he stands a chance in losing me. I won't wait until he finally discovers that what he has been waiting for has been here all along. I love him but as the song says, "Love hurts". The pain will dissipate eventually but in the me...

I didn't create as I would've like to but I did find a dress for the wedding. I went to so many stores that by the time I got to Burlington Coat Factory, I was hitting panic. I called Married Boo, almost in tears. "I can't find a dress so I'm not getting married." I could tell she was trying to be sympathetic but she just didn't understand. "I feel like an Oompa Loompa and nothing seems to say, "My wedding dress". She did her best to console me and then hung up to call TV Boo who pitied me so much that she met me at the mall to walk me through my panic attack/hysteria. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything in ivory considering that the winter fashions are now out and the "in style" color is black. I refuse to wear black to my wedding. So, I was back to square one until I went back to online shopping and found something that I really do like. I just hope and pray that it fits me and it gets here in a rush. (Shipping express be...

I woke up and put on a pot of coffee and since Boo is the coffee maker extraordinaire, I think I put way too much coffee in. I am totally wide awake which makes for a very interesting day but a busy one. Ramblings.... Tell me how can 4 inmates escape from a bus and be on the run for hours? This is in my neighborhood, ya'll. The police aren't talking but hey, if they were supposed to be handcuffed and shackled, I think something is pretty fishy. Two of them were caught wearing just their boxers. Another was barricaded in a house. Thankfully, there was no one home at the time. My future husband (I just love the sound of that word...husband) is slowing starting to let his hair down. I was walking out of Walmart singing, "Sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't..." when all of a sudden he quietly finished the song with me. I so wanted to draw a smiley face on a car window that needed washing. Boo stopped me before I could leave my artwork. He said, "Defaci...

My heart is pounding from watching this homemade aircraft flying around with possibly a child inside. I breathed a sigh when I saw a soft landing but then, back to worrying for the little guy who wasn't in the aircraft. My prayers are going out to the family that Falcon is found and is completely safe from harm. ************************************************************************************ 1) I have two wonderful daughters who know how to make their mama proud. They both did a great job as my guest bloggers. I was beaming as I read their posts and all of your comments. 2) The most commonly used phrases while I was in North Carolina were: "Somebody shoot me now!" "This ain't no Disneyland ride" and "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." By the way, folks in North Carolina do not say, "totally cool" so when they hear it, it puts them in a state of shock. 3) Guys totally spark on women who fish in North Carolina. I had two guys spark...

I have to admit that I was a tad bit rattled over the thought of flying to North Carolina so before I left, I signed a will and testament. It went something like, "To whom it may concern, I leave all my worldly possessions to..yada yada and then of course, I had personal messages to everyone, including my three dogs. I figured that if I met my untimely demise, someone would read my "will" and know just how prepared I was. The first part of the flight was the deal maker or breaker. I got a window seat so I was all set to jump out if necessary. My seat mates were a bit strange. The Silent One (the lady sitting next to me) didn't speak at all...even though she sat next to a friendly Texan who introduced hisself immediately. At one point she leaned forward and I just knew she was going to toss her cookies on my shoes but no, I think she was praying. The plane was up in the air in no time and as I looked for soft landings just in case....I saw crop circles. The moment I s...

I'm Back!!! I tell ya, North Carolina is one heckuva a place. I declare! (wish I had a soundbyte so ya'll could hear me talking now). I love, love, love so much about North Carolina. I especially love the accents. My sister and I decided to adopt a few of the well used phrases and expressions so, "I declare" will be used quite a bit here because it really sounds cool to say it. Since it's not Thursday, I've got a special edition of Things I've Learned...This one is "Things I've Learned in North Carolina... 1) I never saw so much pork in the stores in all my days. My sister and I ooed and ahhed over the stuff we'd never ever heard of like scrapple and souse and decided to buy some just to say we tasted it. Sorry but scrapple was nasty and it reminded me of dog food even though, I'm not even sure my dogs would eat it. Souse was interesting...not like hoghead cheese and after reading that there was spleen and liver and a few other organs, I l...

Hello, Hello. TV Boo here! I know, I know... It's Creative Saturday. But I have to be honest, my Saturdays have not been so creative lately. (Unless you count getting creative with some bathroom cleaner in my shower earlier.) My Saturdays usually consist of grocery shopping and catching up on the cleaning I've neglected during the week. Either way, I'm so excited to guest blog for my mom! Maybe I can return to guest blog another Creative Saturday, because I'm going to make it a goal to stop sitting on my butt eating bacon every weekend, and start sewing, baking, or putting my Rosetta Stone to use and finally learning to speak French. Ready for my things I've learned? I must warn you, the fruit has not fallen far from the tree. My mom and I are partners in crime, and she passed her quirkiness onto me. Okay: 1. A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but no sunset is worth trying to take a picture of while going 80 mph on the freeway. It just wasn't worth the truck d...

Hello, Chocolate Covered Daydreams readers! My name is Ev`Yan -- also known here as "Married Boo" -- & I blog over at apricot-tea.com & askapricot.com . Several of you have come to my blog before & have left some lovely comments. So hello again to you! & to the rest I do not know... nice to finally meet you. At this moment, my mom is getting ready to hop on a plane to North Carolina to visit my grandparents, & while she is away, she asked me to do a guest post for her. She lovingly assigned the task of doing the Things I've Learned Thursday post for her. Here's hoping that my things learned are interesting enough to keep you entertained for the duration. ---------------------- 1. I've learned that it's probably not a good idea to discuss plane crashes with a person (my mother) who is on the eve of riding 4 planes, in total, on their journey. 2. I've [finally] learned who Benedict Arnold was, after many references to him in I Love Lucy...

Well, sorta. I'm starting to feel a mixture of excitement mixed with fear. I booked my flight and even chose my seat arrangements beforehand. Being that I use logic most of the time, I chose a seat closest to the wing because: In case the plane does crash into a large body of water, then, I'd have a much better chance of floating on the wing until help arrives. Well, Boo dashed that one when he informed me that the fuselage is on the wings. Meaning...the first thing that comes to my mind first off is a bbq. Okay....that does nothing for my slight fear of flying but I am going to make the most of it. Here's what I'm going to do to entertain myself: A) Count how many people appear nervous and could possibly be threats to air safety. I plan to write in my little tablet the things they eat and do the whole trip. Someone is going to thank me, maybe. B) Sing along with my ipod and then see I can get people sitting next to me, to join in. (Karaoke is a good stress reliever.) C...

I know you'll all think I'm nuts after you see some of the pictures I'm going to show you. Trust me...there are explanations to every single one of them...BUT, that's why I'm forewarning the residents of Cary, NC now...you can leave town while I'm there...I won't mind. This picture speaks volumes. When it says that it's a size 9, don't you think it's supposed to be true to size? I couldn't resist. I immediately had to take a picture of the drawers that were bigger than my head. I think he was taken with me the moment I said hello. My own version of polar bear spa. The spa had just been installed and the heater wasn't working. It was in November!!! Cheap entertainment....throwing snowballs on the roof. I know what you're thinking....no, I hadn't lost it. I was doing a fish autopsy. After having to say goodbye to one of my fish, I was determined to find out the cause of death. So, scalpel ready, I performed the autopsy. Cause of dea...

My Saturday was creatively spent working on a magazine interview that is due pretty soon. But, I still had some time to create with Baby Boo while she was here. Together, we painted and colored and built houses with blocks. I'm looking forward to the weather getting cooler so I can go out and play in the dirt and take pictures of my neighborhood. Did you have a creative Saturday?

I had a list of those things I've learned until I read my daughter, Married Boo's blog post...it's touching and inspiring...and I'm post it here so that you all will see that it's not just about the things I've learned but the things I've taught. Please visit her blog here and tell her that her mommy sent you. Here is the post: the things my mother taught me. (For most of my life, my sister & I were homeschooled by my mother, & many of the things she taught us have everything to do with that. This little write-up is a salute to her creativity & intelligence. Every little thing about me is the product of her brilliance & quirkiness. I pretty much owe it all to her, & I am absolutely grateful to her decision to homeschool me.) ________________________________________________ My mother taught me how to cook. She taught me how to wash, prepare, & fry chicken. She taught me how to catch & de-scale a fish. She taught me how to sauté mu...