Mothers are Magnificent !

We had a lovely Mother's Day celebration with the family. My generation hosted the event & we prepared all of the food, organized the activities, etc. We had plenty of food. Ribs, Chicken, Sausage, Dirty Rice, Baked Beans, Mac & Cheese, Potato Salad, Garden Salad, Banana Pudding and Strawberry Cake.

What a spread !

The infamous Kiddie Table

When me and my cousins get together it's like a doggone daycare, LOL. We set up a craft table in the garage for the kids to keep them entertained. They made jewelry  and other trinkets as gifts for all of the mothers.

I will wear it always :)

Getting my bracelet put on my wrist that my youngest niece made for me at the craft table.

My oldest niece Savannah helped me out in the back bedroom putting together some fresh flower arrangements for all of the mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. We made 15 of them. She was sooo excited to help me with this & she really did a phenomenal job assisting me. They came out lovely.

Tying on the Ribbon 

Finished Product 

We did a surprise presentation of the flowers to all of the mothers, aunts and grandmothers to the song by Boyz 2 Men, "Mama". We had all of the littlest kids present the flowers to each person.  I know it sounds really cheesy, but they loved it ! And so did the kids :)

Alexandra & her Grandma

Nicholas and his Granny 

The Matriarch in the house

My cousin telling the truth  ! LOL

After presenting them with their flowers and the gifts we bought for them and the gifts the kids made for them, we then had an impromptu session where myself and various cousins stood up before the group to sing our mother's praises and talked about the sacrifices they have made for us and how much we appreciate them for it. By the time we were finished, there was not a dry eye in the house !

I have a friend & fellow blogger TIH who just lost her MIL right before Mother's Day, when I spoke with her in the days before the funeral, she wished us traveling grace and told me to hug my mother extra tight and that is exactly what I did !

You know how they always say at funerals, you should give the flowers to people while they are living ? Well we just want to always take the opportunity to honor our mothers in their presence for as long as we are blessed to have them.

All in all it was a wonderful Mother's Day with the family.


How did you celebrate Mother's Day ?


Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?

Beautifully Complex 

Thankful: Day 14 A Mother's Wisdom

A few years ago, after I bought this house, I was talking to my mom about my utility bills. My budget was kind of tight at the time and I was looking for ways to reduce my living expenses and save some money. During the cooler months, it just seemed to take a lot to heat up the house. I would run the heat for what seemed like forever and it would still be so drafty around here and I would need a blanket just to be comfortable. I have a home office, a spare bedroom, and a large family/formal dining area, in addition to the kitchen and the Master Bedroom. I was running the central heat constantly and it just seemed like it would never really get warm in here, even with the fireplace, but the utility bills said something else.

My mom suggested that I routinely keep all the doors closed to the rooms that I wasn't currently occupying and go to Home De.pot and get a small electric space heater to use.  She emphasized that she wanted me to get the electric kind so that she would not have to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning. All I can say is thank God for mothers and all of their wisdom ! That little conversation has saved me so much money on utility bills over the last few years. I have gone back and looked at my old bills versus what I was paying afterward and it is a  HUGE difference.  I have paid for that space heater, 10 times over in the monetary savings for sure.

It is very portable and  lightweight so I can easily move it from room to room. It has a remote with a timer on it and it is so small that you don't even really notice it, and some people don't even know what it is when its off, and sitting in the corner.  Typically, there are only a few times a year when my house is fully occupied with multiple people in multiple rooms and that is during the Spring and Summer when my nieces are here. During the cold months, I usually come home and spend some time in the kitchen, then move to the office to use the computer for an hour or two, then move to the living area or bedroom to read or watch TV for a few hours before going to sleep. So basically, I really only need to heat the room that I am occupying vs. the whole dang house. 

I used it again for the first time this season last night while watching movies with Mr. Mixologist and I must say we were quite comfortable and cozy. So today I am thankful for the money saving tips, and the care and concern of my mother and most of all her wisdom that is available to me whenever I need it. 

What are you thankful for today ?

Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?

Beautifully Complex

Reflections on Family

I have had a fun filled two weeks with my nieces and nephews,  but I can honestly say they have worn me out ! LOL I try to make their trips to Houston full of activities and to be honest sometimes I may overdo it, but I just feel like I am missing out on so much of their development since we don't live close, so I really concentrate on "making memories" and they seem to enjoy it. This is the same crew that comes for Spring Break each year. I only have one sister (my biological father does have other kids but I didn't grow up with them and don't know them very well). We grew up close with our cousins, because our mothers were extremely close. My sister has 3 kids and two of my cousins send their daughters too, so I end up having six kids ranging in ages of 3 to 16. Now I can say the oldest one, my cousins daughter is a great help, without her assistance with washing and combing heads,  fixing plates, I don't know if I could make it some days. My sister's oldest Savannah who is almost 10 is also a huge help especially with her 3yr old brother, plus she is a bit of a busy body, and wants to be involved in everything, which sometimes works in my favor when I need her ! LOL

My family arrived the day after my birthday to bring the kids to Houston, and  all the parents stayed over the weekend before heading back home. It was so funny, my cousins 5 yr old Alexandra, must have thought her parents were just going to drop her off and keep it moving cause we were having breakfast on Saturday and she looked at her dad and said "so when are y'all leaving ?"  LMAO we cracked up, and her dad said, "why do you ask ?" and she said, " I was just wondering cause I'm on vacation !" LOL We were dying laughing ! 

For the most part, I let them get away with a lot, staying up late, sleeping in, snacking just being kids, but they are at the age where all of their personalities are becoming so developed and there are some conflicts that arise, some arguing, etc. which I know is just natural kids stuff. It's funny to listen to them when they think no one is paying attention. Listening to how they resolve conflict, how they brag, even tell tall tales trying to impress one another, and even how they try to manipulate me like I don't see them coming a mile away ! LOL

It rained quite a bit over these past weeks, so a lot of the outdoor activities I planned got rained out, like Kemah Boardwalk (ooh their feelings were hurt !), but we did get to go the Aquarium Downtown and Itz for Olivia's 8th Birthday as well as roller skating and painting and a couple of movies. We had to move it indoors for the most part but still managed to have some fun. 

Now I know I have said this before, but it bears repeating. Every time these children come here, turn my life upside down and then leave me to myself, I have a renewed respect for the daily time, attention, work,  and commitment to nurturing that full time mother's put in day after day. I mean mad respect. As a single person who lives alone with only me to be responsible for on a daily basis, I can easily see what an full-time... or I should say overtime job motherhood is in a very real way. Not to mention the emotional aspect of being a constant encourager, answering the craziest questions, having to discipline, etc. Then, getting those kids dressed for church on Sunday after cooking breakfast and combing hair was enough to have me spent and as soon as service was over, it was time to feed them yet again. ! Ooh wee.

One of the things that definitely adds to my work load is the swimming. I am definitely a water baby. Me and my sister both have been swimming since were were 7 & 8. I love the fact that these kids love the water and are not afraid of it at all just like us. The younger ones see that the older ones can swim and want to keep up with them so they are doing their best to learn too. The only thing is all these kids have lots of hair, and you have to take great care to insure that the chlorine gets out.  So some days when I just did not have it in me to do the full on  hair production yet again, I had to say no, but most days I would just suck it up, because I can vividly remember and still know of the joy that swimming brings ! We have a community pool in my Subdivision a few blocks away, but last summer, the crew managed to charm my neighbor across the street who has a huge two story house with a pool and jacuzzi in the back. She invited them last year to come over any time and again this year when she saw they had arrived, gave us the same open invitation, which we accepted several times these past two weeks.  Since we are traveling tomorrow, while we were out today, I let them  get her a gift card and a thank you card. They were so excited to get back home, write their own personal messages in the card and run it over to her house ! LOL

So tomorrow is the final day. I have been washing and packing all evening, getting the snacks for the road trip ready, and preparing myself for the long ride. Although, I will have help with that. Mr. Mixologist will be driving us back tomorrow. He has been a big help as well, even took them to Imaginations to paint while I went to the Salon to get my hair done and a pedicure ! Huge points. He grilled for us last week and also treated us to a movie and these kids are working their way into his heart ! LOL.  When he wasn't around they were asking about him.... his status.... his ETA ! LOL .  Mr. Mixologist  did make my birthday special, he cooked dinner for me, gave a beautiful card, and did not disappoint when he presented me with great seats to this Concert. When my family got here two weeks ago, we had a little belated happy hour for my birthday here at the house, and he worked really hard, serving up his famous libations to which they were much appreciative. So all in all my birthday was great ! 

**ahem**

Yes, Mr. Mixologist is going home to meet the family :) I am a little excited, yet nervous. Don't really know why, but feel silly that it matters so much. Hope it goes well.... I know that it's going to be OK,  but I am still anxious. I guess since it has been along time since any body mattered this much, I just want it to go well... on both ends. I don't want to put too much pressure on the situation but truthfully, when you live far away, usually you only bring  significant people around your folks. Maybe in some small way, I am worried that taking this step too soon might jinx it & then as soon as I say it, that sounds silly LOL, but I am being honest. My parents & aunts,uncle and other cousins are anxious to meet him and I guess just curious, and very excited that things are working well for us, so they want to get a look at him! LOL My cousins gave good reports from two weeks ago. Best believe I heard about that. So anyway wish me luck. I am sure that I am anxious for nothing.

How has your summer been ?

Created any special memories ?

Comments or Observations ?

Beautifully Complex