CAKE!!!

As long as I'm on this "sugar" theme, I want to also mention my neice, Cara Packard. She makes and decorates the most gorgeous cakes.....well, some are gorgeous, some are cute & fun and some actually take your breath away!! (I wish I had a picture of the cake she did of the New York City skyline, it was unbelievable!!)The only down side is, she also lives in NYC....bummer for us, but great for her. She appears to be having a blast living there and has become very successful. We love her alot and are so proud of her for striking out on her own so far from home. But, if you are ever in NYC and find yourself in need of a special cake, well, Caras your girl. You can see her "stuff" @ http://caralinncakes.com/ She's a very talented girl. Way to go "Cawa", we LOVE you!!

COOKIES!!!

My friend Becky has started a "side business" of making & decorating the most beautiful cookies. She has always been very talented and creative, and now she is using those gifts to bless people with delicious cookies. You can see her "stuff" @ http://texascookiejar.blogspot.com, and if you need cookies for any occasion, I highly reccommend her. Way to go Bek!

Father's Day 2008

.....or should I say Father's Weekend. We celebrated both Saturday and Sunday, but Lon totally deserves it. He is the bestest Daddy around. Saturday, Lazy Boy delivered a new "Big Man's Recliner".....granted, I can never top last years gift--the Tiernan Son of Brisket smoker--I didn't even try. However, the huge recliner is definitely second. We had a BMR a few years ago, which he loved, but when it wore out, we cheaped out and replaced it w/ a "regular" recliner, and not a very good one. We always fought over who had to sit in it. It was sooo uncomfortable and cheaply made. So, this year, I spent the big bucks and got the good one. It is so comfy to take naps in, thats how big it is, I can just curl up in it. Love it!! Then on Sunday, we surprised Lon with a chiminea. He has been wanting one for the patio, when he is smoking (meat) and it is cold. So, he got 2 gifts, like I said, totally worth it. Another great Father's Day, but always a little bittersweet as I remember those who have lost their fathers in the last year and the fact that Lon's dad is no longer with us. We miss him alot, especially now that Barrett is playing baseball. It would be so cool to have Grandpa there in the stands watching #22. But, we had a great lunch with my parents....PeiWei, and we gave my Dad a gift card for gas. How sad is that? Anyway, it was a great weekend and I am so thankful to be blessed with a wonderful husband, who happens to also be the greatest Daddy, and also have my own father around for my kids to grow up with.

Proud moments

Both Barrett and Gracen had great years this year. Every year has been pretty good, but this one was exceptional. Both of them got commended on all their "dreaded" TAKS tests and both made the honor roll the entire year. Then, a few days before school was out, I got a call from the counselor @ deZavala telling me that both my kids were getting "big" awards this year, so I needed to be sure and attend the Awards Ceremony. Which I always do, but they usually don't get recognized that much except for attendance and honor roll, so I was expecting this year to be about the same. She wouldn't tell me what the awards were, just that they were major awards and that we both needed to be there. I was really glad Barrett would be getting an award this year. It seems like the last few years, he manages to get in trouble right at the very end of the year, so he doesn't get an award. (Not anything major, just enough not to get an award. For instance, last year, one of his friends was "sagging" and Barrett decided it would be funny to pull his pants down. Even though it was kind of funny, his principal didn't think so. So...no award for Barrett last year) Anyway, for 7th & 8th grade there are 2 major awards that are teacher nominated based on character, grades, participation etc, etc: 1)Way of the Wolf 2) Leader of the Pack (the wolf is our mascot, so everything has a wolf theme) Well, Gracen got Way of the Wolf for 7th grade! She was so surprised, the look on her face was priceless! and Barrett got Leader of the Pack for 8th grade and also was a nominee for the Lamar Lively award. It was so fun to watch them, because neither one of them knew they were getting anything. Lon & I were so proud, especially when the teachers told us that their selections were unanimous. The principal told us "We don't take these awards lightly, and for one family to receive the 2 biggest awards, well, that is a big deal." I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bragging too much, like I said, usually my kids don't get many awards. In athletics, they are both good, but not studs, so the athletic awards always go to others. In academics, they both make excellent grades, especially Gracen, so they usually get the honor roll awards, but that about it. And artistically, like singing or acting, well, not gonna happen. Not much musical talent in this family! So, it was a good night in the Packard family.

Freshman orientation?????

OK...the last day of school was pretty emotional for me, it being Barrett's last day of middle school. I literally just sat there and bawled. His first day of 1st grade @ Woodlands is tattooed on my memory. I remember us walking in together, his little hand in mine. This was his second new school in 2 years. He went to Kindergarten @ Paramount Terrace, then we built our house out here, so he started first grade @ Woodlands. Naturally, he was a little scared, but he was so brave, walking right in and making his first friend, Cooper Jones. I cried that day too. I freely admit to being an emotional wreck when it comes to my kid's "firsts" & "lasts". I know it is a cliche, but where did the time go? The other day when he got in the car on his last day @ dZ and he saw me crying, he laughed at me & said 'Oh Mama, don't cry, it'll be OK' as he patted me on the shoulder. We then went to Blue Sky and had a great lunch together to celebrate the last day of school. (Gracen had gone to a swimming party) Then a few days ago, I open the mail and there is a flyer for Freshman Orientation @ Tascosa! That about took me to my knees! Just seeing it in print, there's a certainty about it...it really is here. But I'm not the only one struggling. Lon is realizing that he is coaching his last baseball games this weekend. We formed the "Mudcats" 6yrs ago when the boys were just 8 and now that time is coming to a close and I think it is going to be harder for old Dad than he imagined. It will be so weird not to be the Mudcats anymore. Lots of memories.

So excited.....

I am sooo excited!! Tonight is the premiere of the new season of The Next Food Network Star. This is the 3rd season Gracen & I have watched it and we're hooked. Last season, we were so sad when Rory (from Vega) lost. She so deserved to win and the girl that did win, does not even have a show anymore, she decided TV was not for her. The winner from 2 seasons ago was Guy Fieri, we love him. He has such a fun personality. We never miss Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. Well, the shows coming on, gotta go watch.

OK, I'm not too impressed with this years "stars". The girl from Dallas is freaky looking, very Star Trekish. And Cory, the so-called comedian, was eliminated. She needed to be, she looked angry. I hope Star Trek is the next to go, she's really annoying. As a matter of fact, so is Suzy Fogelson, one of the judges, with her squinty eyes and fake sincerity, talking about "bringing your A-game".....Can we please lose that phrase????

Gracen & I like Shane, Nipa & Kevin. The judges thought Nipa was over confident, which she probably was, but it takes a lot of that to win. So, we'll see.