Tiny Drops of Hope

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I ran to snap this picture after a brief bit of ran the other day.  We are in a D4 level drought.  They’re calling it an exceptional drought.  Exceptional has such positive connotations, I would call it a devastating drought.

We have had a shade over 1″ of rain in 2009.  Everything is dying, brown and crisp.  Wildfires are claiming land and taxing our resources.  Every highway rimmed with large stretches of blackened, scorched earth.  The grasses so dry they cut you to walk on them, if they don’t crumble like dust beneath your feet first.

Taking pictures of your kids in fields of blue & white bluebonnets is a Texas tradition, you almost aren’t considered a real Texan if your photo albums and walls don’t have pictures of happy children amongst the fields of emerald green and royal blue.  This year, there are no bluebonnets.  The droughts have robbed us of the colors, scents and traditions of years before.

Boat ramps are closing, lake levels dropping and thousands of acres disappearing in hot blazes, leaving charred, scarred earth and shattered lives behind.

These tiny little drops of hope glisten like diamonds in the sun and I hope they aren’t the last that I capture, I pray that there are millions more coming soon.

I Don’t Like Ike

I had this whole post planned for today. It was all about how excited I am to go have a chick flick night with my friend on Friday. I never get to see the movies in the theater. The last one I saw in a theater was Transformers.

I have two tickets to go see The Women on Friday night with a good friend of mine. There was gonna be makeup, and non mommy clothes, straightened hair, possibly heels and most likely a drink or two at a place without kids meals and sippy cups.

I was gonna tell y’all about how excited I am for the movie and all the wonderful things that Dove is doing to empower women and young girls.

But you know what I’m doing instead? Boarding up my windows, packing bags, getting all of our important papers together and preparing to evacuate.

Why? Because Ike is a bastard and he’s headed straight for us. Yes, I know I live in a Coastal Community, thank you very much. But still, until you see the satellite showing those huge winds and giant massive big ass storm system headed straight for you. It’s not real.
Until you get 10 calls in a row from your husband demanding that you leave so he can be at Peace and do his job without stressing over your safety and the safety of your kids.
It. is. not. real.

It is now real. Mandatory evacuations are set for Thursday. Voluntary start today and tomorrow.

I choose tomorrow because I don’t drive in the dark. Don’t like it.

I pray to God that Ike moves, that he doesn’t continue this direct course towards Corpus and the surrounding areas, but if Ike does hit here. I pray for the safety of all left behind, my husband included.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a home, I have insurance, I have family to flee to. I am a stay at home mom, I have the freedom and flexibility to leave when I wish. I am lucky.

If you are in his path, you have my prayers, for all in Cuba and Haiti, my heart goes out to you.

*If you are not in Ike’s path and want to go see The Women, head over to Dove and enter to win a pair for yourself.

*side note* my son just stuck a piece of bacon into my Diet Dr Pepper. I think that’s his way of trying to lay claim to it, I guess I should be glad he’s not a dog.
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On the lighter side. The new Blissfully Domestic is up and running and I am a contributor for the Blissfully Delish section.

And one of my recipes is being featured there this afternoon! Pop on over and say Hi. There are some amazing women contributing to this magazine and there’s a little bit of something for everyone.
So while I’m running around packing and boarding up windows, you go drool over my food and all the other amazing things over there.

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They Slide, They Bounce and She Speaks: Haiku Friday

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A bouncing Monkey
little feet slipping, sliding
Toddler nirvana

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIKQ8vRigBk&hl=en&fs=1]

In College Station there’s this fabulous place called ‘The Bounce’. It is 12,500 square feet of Bounce Houses and Inflatable Slides and Rock Walls. In other words, kid Heaven. If you happen to be in that area… Monkey and Princess and I give it a HUGE thumbs up!

Now that you’ve watched my kids at play, why don’t you pop over and take the parenting quiz on the Savvy Source Widget. It’s sponsored by Leapfrog and it is pretty interesting. Come on, you know you want to!

I don’t think that’s actually my voice. I swear in my head it sounds different. Let’s call it cheap Kodak camera distortion, K?

To join in the 5-7-5 party go visit the fabulous Jennifer or the wonderful Christina

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