I'm So Excited

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!

Everyone who has said good morning to me today has followed up with a "how are you?" and I'm all like "its my Friday!!!"  And they are like....you're so lucky!!  And I'm like, "yes I am'!!

It has finally cooled off a bit here so that helps with this funk I've been in. This weekend with girlfriends and shopping in Canton will help too. I have taken off a couple extra days so I will have a 5-day weekend.  I have the vacation time and well, it will be nice to have time to prepare for my trip and then have a day to recoup when I get back.  Bella is excited I will have some days off because that means she gets to be a car rider and mommy can pick her up.  Not so happy I'll be gone for a few days but she will be with her dad so she'll be fine.

I mentioned before that I really don't have anything particular I'm looking for this trip.  I've been kinda looking around the house, on the walls, etc to see where I might want to add something.  I do have some space above the cabinets in the kitchen that I could hang some things.  Its all empty because I really can't decide what to put there and too, some things are just too big.  I dislike that space.  If there is going to be space, then it should be open so I can display things on top of the cabinets.  Otherwise, the cabinets should go all the way to the ceiling. Its wasted space in my humble opinion. This trip will be more of a look and see what I find type deal.  I still want a large clock to hang in the living/dining area.  There was one I saw in Canton last year that I am still kicking myself for not picking up.  I have seen it in the homes of two other bloggers I follow and I am super jealous because it looks great and would be a perfect fit in my home as well.  I have searched for it online and found it but at a price I'm not willing to pay.  Not when I know it was much less in Canton. Maybe I'll find something else this year.  Or maybe, just maybe, one day I will finally walk into Hobby Lobby and buy a damn clock when they are half off and be done with it.  I'm telling you, I can be very indecisive about things and other times, I can make a quick decision.  Weirdo.

It will be fun trip to see what quirky things I find for home or if I find any Christmas gifts along the way. That is a whole other story.  I have two gifts purchased. One of my friends posted a picture of her wrapping gifts on FB the other day.  She has ordered everything online and is just about done. She wraps everything as it comes in so her kids can't see what she's bought.  I'm so jealous.

So there you have it....my excited but jealous and opinionated and somewhat indecisive Wednesday!    

I'm more excited than anything...............

   

Happy Fall Y'all

Today is the first day of Fall!!!!

I saw this on Pinterest the other day....

That pretty much sums me up to a tee.

As I talked about yesterday, I'm just not feeling the season and I have decided its the dadgum weather that's ruining my fun.  I heard a rumor that we just might actually gets some cooler temps next week.  I am going to cross my fingers and toes and hope it does make it this way. I'm ready for scarves and boots, but I don't like being a hot sweaty mess wearing them.  lol!

This n That

Apparently I'm having trouble blogging these days. I really don't have anything newsworthy to report.  This is the only recent picture on my phone...

And that was almost two weeks ago!  I have my niece & nephew's soccer and football schedules saved to my pictures but that's it.  Sad.  I finally put up my fall decor this past weekend.  My apologies to my friend Steffani for giving her such a hard time for not having hers up yet.  In all fairness, I really wasn't giving her a hard time, I was more surprised it wasn't up when she noted it on FB (insert big cheesy smile).

I have to say, with it still being a thousand degrees outside, I just have not been feeling it-LITERALLY!!  I lit my pumpkin candles and thought that might help. Eh, not so much.  I looked around at everything and was just blah.  I don't know what my problem is.  Maybe its the weather. Maybe I'm just tired.  I decided I would probably go ahead and pull out my Halloween decor this weekend, see if adding that to the mix will help.  Maybe then I'll find my other coffee cups that are MIA.  Who knows what I was thinking when I put them up last year.  I'm sure in my head, it was a great idea.  ha!  

Oh hey, here's something newsworthy!!

CANTON IS NEXT WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so ready for that.  I also took an extra couple days of vacation so I will wind up with a 5 day weekend. Hallelujah!!  I was telling the girls that I really don't have any big things on my list this year to look for so I'll just get to kind of look around and see what I find.  We are hoping a cold front will find its way down by next weekend to make it a little cooler.  That would be awesome.   

The truth is, I live for my weekends these days so I can mentally rest.  It is so crazy busy at work during the week that I am plum exhausted by Friday.  Don't even get me started about finding energy in the evenings to do homework, cook, clean up and all those other fun mommy things that have to be done during the week.  Bella's teacher told us at Open House last week that she's not going to punish them if they don't get homework completed for the week, its more for practice.  She's a working mom of a 1st grader so she totally understands getting home from work and just wanted to have a little down time.  Its been hit and miss most of the time.  I cheer out loud when Bella tells me she has done all her homework, mommy just needs to check it.  Its the little things that are huge these days.

A little update on me and honey.  We are still together however, honey is going through a very difficult time right now with some things in his life.  I am still here for him and one of his biggest supporters (right behind his momma).  We talk every few days or every week.  On occasion its daily and that makes me very happy.  His main focus is on himself right now, and that's where it needs to be.  We discussed breaking up but couldn't do it and honestly, didn't want to.  There are days when I think I am absolutely nuts for staying with this man and allowing the separation but things may change tomorrow.  I don't really know.  What I do know is that I'm here supporting him, encouraging him and not giving up on him.  Today I'm totally okay with just that.

Have a good one y'all.

Leo's & the Picnic

With September upon us, we hit the road Labor Day weekend for what has become a mini Popp family reunion at the church picnic every year.  About four years ago, my brother and I decided that since we hadn't been to the church picnic in forever, we would go. When Grandma Berger was alive, we and most of aunts, uncles and cousins would go every year.  After she passed, we all just slowly quit going.  Here we are, all these years later and its turned into a fun family event for us all.

We travel up on Saturday to stay our Great Aunt Marilyn's house in Garwood, which is just a few miles up the road from Nada.  Saturday night has turned into a small evening event at the local bar in Nada, Leo's.

This place has been around since 1948 and has the coldest beer in town, except on the first Sunday in September where the church picnic will have the coldest beer.

Those of us who come in the night before gather at Leo's to have a cold one, watch football and catch up with everyone.  This year Aunt Marilyn decided to have the food at Leo's.  Hot dogs, chips, dips, beer and football!

This is me with my Great Aunts....

Aunt Tina, Aunt Marilyn and Aunt Esther

And this is the gang who came in Saturday to hang out.  Aunt Esther had already left so they missed out on our annual picture taking ceremony.

Sunday is the big day.  Lots of great food, bingo, live auction, games for the kids, family and lots of fun.  This year we had rain to deal with but it didn't let it dampen our spirits.  A couple of showers came through so we would all gather up and head for cover. Once it stopped, we were back to our bleachers.  

This is looking at the area where all the auction items were.  

And this is "our" bleachers.  Haha!  We claim them every year so they technically are ours.  Not sure whats going to happen next since they are building a new hall.  I wish I had taken a picture of the existing hall.  Its very old.  One of the auction items was a painting of the front of the hall with the date it was built to this year.  I can't remember the date now...possibly 1914??  

I played bingo...and won one time.  

This my friends is a piece of a poppy seed roll.  Let me tell you when I tasted my first bite, a thousand memories started swarming through my head.  Ahhhh, that's the best. 

And this is our crew on Sunday.  Daddy and Lena had already left but I think this is everyone else who was there.

Such a fun weekend.  When the second rain shower hit, it was about 5:30 so we decided to hit the road back home.  Bella, Tony and I were all plum tuckered out.  

About the time we hit West Columbia, Tony starts talking about crashing our cousin Patrick's house.  He and his wife Christy built a house out at Bar X Ranch.  We give them hell all the time because they have had "family gatherings" but we have not been invited.  Patrick's brother David was in town and had texted Tony earlier in the day.  We decided to pop in to see if they were still there.  

They were!  Christy was so excited to have there that she had to get a picture...

LtoR:  Me, Patrick, Christy, Tony, David, Veronica (David's wife)

Love these guys so much and love that Patrick and Christy live close to us.  

I took this picture later.  Patrick and David's mom Janet is one of mom's sisters.  Not often you get to spend the day with family from both sides of the family.  This was a blessing and I'm glad we made the stop on our way home.  

September

I truly wish it was "just like that", but I live in Southeast Texas so summer will unfortunately stick with us a little while longer.  That doesn't keep me from getting excited to see the first cool front arrive or keep me from decorating my house with all things Fall (insert big cheesy smile).  All Americana decor will be brought down this weekend and slowly replaced with pumpkins and turkeys, and come October....ghosts and witches!  Pumpkin everything, everywhere!  Oh man do I love this time of year!

Confession time.  I pride myself in being able to wait until September 1st to appreciate all things Fall.  Like pumpkin candles, pumpkin coffee, decorating, lotions, all of it.  Its not really a rule but I try really hard to hold off until September.  I didn't make it this year.  Target put out my pumpkin spice coffee and I couldn't help myself.  I've been indulging for about 2 weeks now.   I also may or may not have used my lotion a couple of times this week as well.  I know, I know, slap my wrist and tell me I'm a horrible person. I have been in a depressed funk lately so I thought I would allow myself these treats as a pick me up. Did it work?  A bit, but I'm still in a funk.  

Its true, I love Autumn.  It makes me happy.  I am hoping the change in months will help with my funky state of mind.  The decor and seeing my Crazy Cousins this weekend in Nada for the church picnic will help as well.  I will tell you these first two weeks of school have been pure hell.  I We have never had this rough a start to the school year as this one.  Chris had a mess with his schedule that consumed us the first week of school and by the third day, Bella was over all things school related.  We got Christopher's schedule squared away.  He's not happy but its what we have to do for now.  Bella is still whining every day so I try to give her something positive to think about in the morning.  Something to look forward to.  And if I'm being honest, the positive outlook is for me as well. Work is super busy and at times very overwhelming.  I have found that I just need to slow down but continue to stay on top of all my work.  I also need to learn how to say "no". I'm always willing to help out other departments but sometimes I have too much on my plate so it's just not doable, and that is okay. 

I am also reminding myself daily that I need to just get over it because truthfully, these are all very little things compared to what my other friends and family have happening in their lives.  

Yes, September is here and I am ready for the cool fronts to blow in nothing but good things.