Girl's Night Birthday Celebrations ...

My mom's side of the family, of which my cousins are primarily girls (really fun and cute ones at that) always does a girl's birthday dinner for each cousin, aunt or Mama's birthday.  Last night was Britney's birthday celebration.  Before going to dinner we went to a little craft fair for about 20 minutes (yes another one, I know, I may need an intervention) at Stonebriar and then headed over to Cantina Laredo (L.O.V.E.) for some dinner and girly fun time.  I have to say, Britney CLEANED UP with her presents.  I won't go into what she got I will just say that it took all of my rationale and knowledge of ethics not to steal some ... Here is a pic of the birthday girl blowing out her candle (it was actually a sparkler not even a candle, which I thought was much cuter)

Doesn't that look yummy?  Surprisingly I didn't even try it ...

Here is a pic of her and Mama and one of the presents she gave her.  I swear I have the cutest Mama ever ...

There's an inside joke with the cashews.  Thankfully I didn't get those.  Because I would so make myself sick on them.  S.I.C.K.  Believe me, I know from experience.  Once you pop you can't stop.  Mmm mmm cashews.

And here is a pic of all my beautiful family.  I just love the ladies that I've been blessed to call relatives.

From left to right, top to bottom, my cousin Natalie, my cousin (Mike's wife) Joanna, my Silly, me, my momma, my Mama, my cousin Britney and my aunt Belinda.  Funnest girls around.  And I get to know them all my life.  Blessed I tell ya, blessed!

And here is where the margarita starts to kick in ...

My Silly and I (I think more so I than her) decided we should give each other Eskimo kisses ... and stick out our tongues.  I don't know ... but I do know one thing that it's for sure, SILLY!

I'll end with a regular one of my Silly, my mom, me and Jo.  I heart my family.  A lot.  Next birthday celebration is my Silly's!  December 6th, bring on the girly fun!

Things I Don't Do While My Husband Is Out of Town ...

You know how they say "when the cat's away the mice will play"?  Well I won't compare my husband to a cat, because he hates them, but this mouse gets a little lacksadaisical when the ... well when he's gone.  One thing I don't do when he's not home ...

That's right, I leave it like this all week.  To be fair, I don't fully unmake the bed, I just pull up my side, mainly because it makes me feel better about not making the bed and second because our big boy jumps up and sleeps with me when his dad's out of town and I'd rather he be on top of the sheets shedding his white hair than under.  There are a few other things I "leave unattended" when he's out of town, but we'll leave those to the imagination, since I assume he'll read this at some point.  Hey, I have to have SOMETHING to somewhat look forward to when he's out of town.  But believe you me I'd take making the bed three times a day to have him sleeping in it with me every night.  Oh and on a side note, tune into 103.7 Lite FM, it's officially turned into The Christmas Station! 

P.S. - THANK YOU to everyone that came over from Fabulous K's blog and left me sweet comments!  I am so happy to have you, please follow me so I can know who you are and come check out your blogs as well!

P.S.S - Sorry for all the amateur pictures, I take these with my iPhone people.  They come out about as well as our 4 year old digital camera's do.  I am not fancy like a lot of you bloggers and have one of those cameras that has a lense bigger than my head.  Oh but do I ever wish I did ... maybe someday ... :0)  I am not quite sure why this picture came out so off-white/yellowish but I PROMISE the bed is black and white and I PROMISE we just washed those sheets! 

Late Sunday Night Ramblings ...

I can't end a blog title without an exclamation point or a "...".  I've tried.  Several times.  It just looks weird to me.  Therefore you will always get one or the other with me.  Sorry about that.  Well, my love left today again, this time for six nights, seven days.  Off to sunny Orlando, WITHIN walking distance to Epicot's gate I might add ... No?  I'm not jealous?  Why?  I'm an odd-shade of green you say?  My skin just changes color with the clothes I wear.  You know, like some people's eyes do?  I happen to be wearing all green today ... so, what of it?  Anyways, I'm not going say I'm not having a hard time with him being in my literal, happy place.  THE happiest place on earth if you will.  But again, I realize he's not skipping around all day with Mickey (which is what I'd be doing, teaching for work or no teaching for work.  That's probably why no one has ever asked me to be a national instructor ... they'd find me in the Magic Kingdom, inside Cinderella's Castle, having tea with the princesses, and I'd no longer be employed ...) and is actually doing something REALLY cool.  He's been selected to be an instructor for his company.  Let me dote on my husband a bit (he will hate this), this is not something they ask everyone to do.  It's something a lot of the higher-ups have to actually recommend you for ... and he was ... two years in a row.  And I couldn't be more proud of him.  He has such an engaging personality, understanding of how to communicate things to others, things that might not make sense if someone else explained them, and a patience for those who don't catch on the first time (thank GOODNESS ... I mean ... not that I do that ... much ...)  He really enjoyed it the first time he did it and I'm super pumped to hear how this time goes.  Teaching just lights him up.  And what lights him up lights me up.  So I'm fired up for him to be able to teach.  AND, before he left this morning (I was even a wake he's super sneaky!) he left me sticky notes, several around the house, but this one really got me thinking ... 

(I totally got Koda busted for being on the bed, he does this when his dad's out of town ... and his mom doesn't stop him ...)

I don't know if you can tell, but it's on my mirror.  My full length one at that.  I am not sure if he realized what he was doing when he placed it there, but the mirror is one place that I and I think most women don't look at ourselves as Christ looks at us.  We look ourselves as the world views us, and how we think we should look to the world.  We take a critical eye and think "My hips are too big" or "I wish I could lose that 10 lbs, if I could JUST lose that 10 lbs, then I'd be happy with myself" or "If I only was tanner, then I'd feel prettier" and the reality is, we should be looking for a reflection of Christ.  God's Word says "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalms 139:12-14.  How can we question a masterpiece of the Lord?  Every freckle, ever hair, every eyelash, even every curve or lack thereof, HE formed it.  He made it and He knew just what He was doing.  And believe me, I question and pick and criticize myself, probably more than the average woman, several times a day.  But then I remember that I AM so beautiful.  And not just to my husband, but to my Maker.  To my Creator.  And to the King of Kings.  And that, my friends, makes me FEEL beautiful.  Deep down, to the deepest, innermost place of my heart.  And I hope it does you too.  Find your worth in HIM friends.  It's a much better place to look, than in the mirror.  Good night for now, blog world.

The Original Katie Pickering

I went over to my Mamo's house today.  We like to sit and catch up, sometimes play Scrabble and usually, before I leave, she gives me some amazing 50+ year old treasure from their house or a classic story that just brightens my day (and a lot of time my home!)  My Mamo is and was super crafty.  She made vests, scarves, jewelry and all sorts of crafts with the Women's Club when she was a stay at home mom to three kids.  She is and always has been SUCH a classy woman, I am truely honored and humbled to be her name-sake.  So, on that crafty note, a week from today we are going to be doing a FUN craft project together at her house.  Macaroni Christmas Trees!  They will grace my mantle, and probably several other places, this year for Christmas so be looking for pictures of the finished product!  My Mamo, like me, LOVES all things girly and frilly and ruffley.  She has been making these DARLING ruffled-like scarves except they are sewn together at the end, like one big ruffle all around.  She then has big flower pins that she pins onto the ruffle making the most beautiful neck adornment you've ever seen.  The best way to explain it is to show you ...

Is that not the cutest thing ever?  You just wear it with a black shirt/dress/whatever and you have SUCH girly cuteness added to your outfit!  She gave me this one, the flower is actually black and I have another red flower that is interchangeable.  I am pretty sure she is where I get a lot of my need to be crafty from.  I guess my husband now knows who to blame ;0)  While I was there she gave me an old picture of my Papa (who passed about 2 years ago and I miss him like crazy) holding my dad as a baby.  I almost cried when I saw it.  My brother looked SO much like my dad when he was a baby it's unbelievable.  I am not sure what I'm going to do with this picture because it's small and old, but I have an obsession right now with old black and white pictures of family that I am currently working on collecting and figuring out how to display.  After the Lord of course, your family is who has helped shaped you into who you are today.  I am SO blessed to have two wonderful grandmothers left on this earth.  Both of my sweet grandpas (my Papaw and Papa) went on to be with the Lord and since then, everytime I see a little old man I have this compelling urge to hug him.  I miss my grandpa's hugs.  They were the best, most comforting hugs, and when they hugged you it was like no one could ever hurt you.  I look forward to those hugs one day when I see them again, singing and rejoicing with the angels to their glorious Savior.  I know they are happy in His prescence, no more heart disease, no more forgetting things, no more back problems or trouble swallowing.  Just pure joy in the prescence of their Maker.  Soon I'll do a post about my Mama and her sweetest, most giving and loving heart in the world and how she's taught me to love and adore my family.  And how to give to others before we worry about ourselves.  In the meantime I'll leave you with the picture of my Papa and my daddy. 

Precious.  I miss you Papa and Papaw.

Hostess With A Postess ...

Can I just tell you that I have a love/hate relationship with hosting parties?  I LOVE it, get SO excited, love having people at my house, but then the second they get there, I start to sweat profusely, act like a COMPLETE weirdo (seriously Katie, these people are your friends, not the CIA) and don't spend any time talking to ANY of them, except brief, two to three sentence long conversations, until I need to refill my drink or someone elses or put more food out or clean something up or keep my dog (when he's out) from sticking his face in their food/lap/drink/crotch.  And then the evening ends, I FEEL like I've had fun, but I also feel like I'm saying goodbye 10 minutes after I said hello.  Thus making me feel like the WORST HOSTESS EVER and like I might as well just say "Hi, thanks for driving all the way out to my house in Oklahoma (that's where my "South of LBJ Dallas friends" think we live) have some food, here's a drink, maybe I'll have time to talk to you ... on my way to the bathroom ... actually just come in with me, it'll give us extra time."  SHEESH.  So to all you sweet lovelies that came to my house last night, I'm SO SORRY if the four words I said to you were "Hi {insert name here}!" and "Bye {insert name here}!"  I feel like a terrible friend.  And on top of that I took two, yes you read that right, TWO pictures!  I'm really starting to think maybe I am sick ... ?  I hope you all know I LOVE and APPRECIATE you coming!  Don't worry, for the next one (the Christmas one that will be in a month or so) we will all sit in a circle and play telephone ... or do something that makes us all interact.  One huge bonus of my party last night was my sweet friend, Ellen of Elaborations brought my mouse pad she made me!  Isn't this cute ...

I heart it.  A lot.

Another one of the sweet lovelies that attended last night was none other than the miss Fabulous K!  Yes friends, my amazing blog designer.  Kelly brought this A.M.A.Z.I.N.G shoepeg corn dip ... which I'm going to have to make in the very near future.  Because it's sinful and delicious.  Not only did she make my blog and bring an amazing dip, but she also featured me on her Fabulous Friday Feature!  Go check her out if you haven't, which you probably already have.  She has like 852 billion followers.  Go be one of them.  You know you want to.  And if you're reading this because she featured me, welcome to Life in the Fulmer Lane!  I can promise you a silly, fun and fantastically crazy ride!

P.S. - here is Kelly's fabulous dip she made.  I'm pretty sure everything that girl does is fabulous ...

One Week From Today ...

Disclaimer:  My husband will HATE this post ... I'm just warning you sugar.

I will be so excited I won't be able to sit still at my desk!  The reason being is because I get to see this ...

SWOON.  Sorry.  That's right, ONE DAY EARLY ladies!  My MOH (who now can't go, boo) called me frantically from Nordstrom about a month ago with the news that if you spent $50 at Nordstrom BP you got a pass to the PREMIER of New Moon the day before it came out at The Northpark Mall theater!  So what did I do being at work and not having $50 to spend on myself?  I called my mom, BEGGED her to go buy herself a little something pretty and give ME this wonderful perk of her spending!  I really thought it wasn't going to happen ... she was too busy that day to do it and I was pretty sure they were going to be out of them, BUT low and behold when I showed up to meet her at the first of our Craft Fair-A-Thons, she pulled THE LANYARD (yes, I know, oh so dorky, but oh so magical) out of her purse and I swear I almost cried.  ALONG with a Starbucks gift card.  Who has the best momma ever?  That's right.  I do.  So, one week from today, at 9:30 PM I will be feasting my eyes on one of my guiltiest pleasures I openly admit.  And ... I.CAN'T.WAIT.  PLUS one of my bestest friends, Alysia, will now be attending with me.  She took Andrea's lanyard off her hands.  And yes, she's obsessed too.  And we're both Team Edward.  Jake, who?  I mean the kids cute and all but he's no immortal gorgeous vampire ... just sayin'.

Oh holy excitement.  I may even just scream like a 13 year old.  Heaven knows I have already, several times, in my head ...

Craft and Other such Af-FAIRS ...

I was telling my sweet friend Terri about this fun little affair ...

... and thought I'd go ahead and inform my "readers" (not that I have many) of this wonderful shopportunity!  My mom and I go every year, it's a little tradition for us and kind of "our thing".  It is basically a holiday bazaar.  Booth after booth of adorable items, from baby clothes, accesories, blankies, etc. to items for momma or anyone else your heart desires to buy gifts for.  There is jewerly, purses, clothes, shoes, Christmas decor for your house as well as home decor accessories, dip mixes and salsas, bar-b-que sauces and pie mixes.  PLUS the whole time they play Christmas music and have a booth serving Mimosas.  It really makes my heart happy just telling you about it, so go make your heart happy by endulging in the fun that is Neath the Wreath!  It is so girly and so fun, but whatever you do, do NOT I repeat DO NOT, impress this upon your poor husbands.  Go with a girlfriend, mom, sister, etc.  Trust me, they will hate you (and me) for taking them, it is pretty much a kick in the pants for men.  It'd be like you having to spend ALL day at the hunting store ... or man-stuff store ... or something equivalent to that.  Who knows, maybe my mom and I will run into you there!

On another note, my Thanksgiving Girl's Night is TOMORROW night, I have 24 people coming so far and I'd LOVE you to make it 25 if you'd like to attend.  Just let me know and I'll add your email to the Evite, and I'll see those of you there that have already replied yes!!!

PS - if you're reading this, and you heart me, scroll down a bit ... there you go, just a bit more ... that's right ... now click that little "follow" button, and show a sista some love by following my blog.  It makes my day.  Fo' reals.  Thanks lovelies!!!