Q and A: The Reveal

I thought I would have received more questions when I opened myself up in the spirit of the weekly challenge.

I'm not questioning why there weren't more. My thought process is there is obviously a reason more were not asked. I don't know what that reason is so I'm gonna just go with flow and answer the ones that were placed before me.

With that being said, in order of receipt,

From Kelly Jene: I've always wondered how you made your header. I love it!

My header is something I made. Literally. It is a couple of scraps I had laying around in my crafty stash I threw together one day. It hangs on my cork board, which is in my kitchen, and serves not only as a pretty visual, but as a daily reminder to believe, to continue to have faith in the midst of everything.

The header is a cropped portion of a picture I took awhile ago representing one of my OCD organizational habits.

From Ace: Where is that lovely black guy? And why were you telling him about sweaters?

Always making it about you aren't you? Said lovely black guy up and moved his butt to the desert heat of Nevada. I was telling YOU about sweaters because I was all kinds of excited we are entering that time of the year when we get to dress in layers and wear sweaters.

A time of the year I believe is in your memory banks only as long as you live in Las Vegas. Should you decide to venture into the vast empty lands of Nevada, as I have, once the sun goes down, maybe you too will get to wear a sweater again. Or you could come see us...just sayin'. We have rain, people who read, and everything else you miss, including me. Ha!

From Steph: Can I get on your Halloween greeting card list?

Absolutely! All you have to do is send me your physical address. Email me at texanatheartus@yahoo.com.

From Steph: My probing question is about your man. I don't know much about him or your history but it seems there is A LOT there. Can you provide a synopsis?

I love how asked for a synopsis. Sounds like something I might say.

The man. Ahh the man. Yes, there is history there but not as much as one might think. The low down is we have known one another for some years now.

We've been friends all this time and continue to be. Past circumstances prevented us from pursuing a mutual interest. We did go on a few dates in the past but I kept him at arms length because some of the stuff I was going through {insert I didn't want to ruin the chance of there being something great and lose the foundation of our relationship, which is the friendship, because I was in the "It's all about me" stage}.

Fast forward to this year. We both went out on a limb and decided to give it a go. We're both busy people, him more so than me currently if you can believe it. He is at a stage in his career I respect. However, it definitely makes it difficult for what we started to develop further.

In order for us not to damage what we have, the brakes were applied. We remain friends with the door being left open for the possibility of there being more in the future should this be what is meant to be.

We continue to talk, to text, and if time allows and we choose, to see one another. The feelings and attraction remain but we're trying to be responsible like minded adults doing the right thing.

From Slick: Is that header new?

The header is new to the blog redesign in July.

From KimmyK: The guy from a year or so ago, the one who magically appears on your doorstep...have you seen him lately? I imagine he still tries to put himself in your life. Not sure why I think that, but...

I have to laugh at this one. Yes, he does magically appear and just this morning sent a text that said something to the effect of "Call when you get a chance".

Your imagination is correct my friend.

From Maricel aka Mars: I have a question for yah. Why are you so cool? Oh and another question. When are we going to Vegas? We need to give Ace some sweets :) He's asking for help :)

I am "so cool" because y'all allow me to be ME.

As for going to Vegas, we do need to plan this trip, especially since he is asking for help. We don't turn our back on the ones we love asking for help do we?

So, um, if y'all want to ask me anymore questions, feel free.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Saturday Brunch

On this classic Pacific Northwest fall day {insert cool, windy, gray, periods of rain}, Brad, Fiwa, and I met for brunch at Fiwa's.

Good times y'all. Good times.

She is such a gracious host and quite the cook y'all. I'm thinking you probably already knew that but I can't let the opportunity pass by without giving credit where credit is due.

The only "present" I could offer the two of them was me. Brad shared homemade peach and blackberry jam with us and Fiwa sent me packing with bubbles, a tiara, razzles, and the rest of the Twilight series.

We laughed. We loved. We ate. We talked, even about some of y'all.

If you ever have the chance to meet a fellow blogger you follow in real life, DO. Heck, we already share our lives with one another so the face to face meeting is simply icing on the cake.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Ace, This is especially for you!

Hot Diggity!

I am glad I re-checked schedules this morning.

My Saturday afternoon plans just changed.

Guess who is televised on FSN at 4:00 PM PST today?

Did I hear you say Texas vs Colorado? Yup! You know now where I will be this afternoon. And even if I don't really match, I tend to wear my Longhorn baseball cap a lot this time of the year. Pride people, pride!

Hook 'Em! Horns, kick some Buffalo butt. Please and thank you.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Darn It!

This is not one of the first things I am supposed to see in my email.

Must resist the urge. Must stay far, far away from the shoes.

I think I can. I think I can....

Peace and Love Peeps.

Rant to the Neighbors

I need a moment.

A moment to rant.

To my downstairs neighbors. To the two couples who live directly below me.

It is NOT acceptable to leave the stacks of yellow pages in front of your door for three weeks mmmkay.

How is it you can continue to enter and exit your home for three weeks and not notice them?

I know you see them. I see them. I know you walk around them. I walk by them.

One of ya did move them on top of each other and out of the way of the walkway but come on! How much more of an effort would it have taken you to pick them up and take them with you to the dumpster like I did a few minutes ago?

I'll tell you how much effort. Not much at all.

I would have preferred to recycle them but I'd had enough of looking at them for the last 20 days.

I'd really hate to see what is lying around in your home.

That is all.

Rant over.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Mo's Music Mix and Weekend Plans

Friday.

Music.

iPod shuffle:

1. Landslide by Dixie Chicks

2. Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews

3. Summertime by Kenny Chesney

4. Don't Stop the Music by Rihanna

5. All Night Long by the The Mary Jane Girls

6. Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It by Dem Franchize Boys

7. Cleaning Out My Closet by Eminem

8. Black Velveteen by Lenny Kravitz

9. Autumn by Paolo Nutini

10. Staple It Together by Jack Johnson

My weekend plans are low key but full of time with some of the peeps, which is ALWAYS a good thing.

Friday: I am home and snug as a bug with the kitties. I'm spending the evening in. I'm going to do some light cleaning and reading.

Saturday: Errands. Brunch with Fiwa and Brad. Possibly doing some window and actual shopping with Mars and some of her family. Dang shame the Texas-Colorado game isn't televised around these parts.

Sunday: The Women with Drea, Fiwa, Mars, and Mel. Shocking to know I won't be glued in front of the TV watching pro ball huh? Sometimes you have to compromise and give a shout out to internet connections on the go to keep up with play by play and the score if desired.

How about you? Whatcha' got going on this fine fall weekend?

OMG

Oh. My. God!

The Trader Joe peeps were speaking the truth last night.

This stuff is da' bomb.

Nah, it is the da' bomb diggity.

Sooooooo goood.

Mac 'n Cheese isn't going to taste the same again.

Go on now. If you have a TJ's near you, pick up some.

I believe you'll be glad you did. Seriously. It's that good.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Tonight

If ya' followed me on twitter earlier you know most of the day was a challenging one for me as I had a colossal headache for majority of the day.

To make matters worse, I did not have a single aspirin, ibuprofen, or Excedrin to be found. Anywhere. I finally got my hands on some (from the bartender's personal stash nonetheless), ingested some caffeine, and can happily say the incessant pounding has dissipated.

I arrived late and left early for Thirsty Thursday.

The group was not the usual crew but it was a happy bunch and good to see the faces I did. A part of me wished I could have stayed longer but I had previously arranged dinner with Mars and Mel.

We went for sushi. Yup, getting that weekly fix in. In addition to being a known regular at the Thirsty Thursday spot, I'm known at Ocean too. The waitress recognized me and when the bill came, I was treated to a favorite customer discount. Nice surprise indeed!

From there we headed over to Trader Joe's. I needed some kitty food. Judging from my basket, I needed a few other items too. Ok, ok. More than a few. I went in for kitty food and walked out with $55.03 worth of goodness.

So what'd I buy? In order of purchase: 2 bottles of pomegranate green tea, a box of garlic Wisecracker crackers, a bottle of Garden Patch low sodium juice, 4 spiced chai tea cans, a can of turkey chili with beans, 15 cans of cat food, mac 'n cheese (frozen and microwave), a jar of pumpkin butter, a loaf of four cheese sourdough bread, and 4 chocolate cupcakes.

Can we talk about Joe's Diner frozen mac 'n cheese for a second? I have not tried it before but when two of the associates tell you it is better than their grandma's, better than their mom's, and is the bomb, how can you not pick up some? That is some seriously endorsed and super hyped mac 'n cheese. My review will soon follow.


Post TJ's Coldstone called. Loudly. After Mel spied the pumpkin ice cream, I just had to do a taste test.

Boy howdy am I glad I did. It was almost exactly like a slice of pumpkin pie. I tried it AND I loved it. So did Mars and Mel. We all three had the same combo. Well, I opted for no whip cream. Can you say yummy?

Good times y'all. Good times.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Oh, don't forget, if you have any questions left you would like to ask, leave a comment. I am posting the q&a Saturday.

Peace and Love Peeps.

PSA: Waiting

I've shared how I check my mail usually only once a week right?

I think I may have shared my mail and bill paying process too. If not, the short version is

1. Check mail
2. Peruse mail
3. Place mail in bin until I feel like getting around to it, which is usually a week or so later

I usually don't wait until the last minute to pay bills. I guess my mind has been on other things and God knew what he was doing when I sat down Sunday night to pay bills. Once I dug to the bottom of the pile, I found an envelope I completely forgot about.

Lo and behold Mo forgot to renew her car tabs. I had a month to do so. But noooooo, I waited until the last day of the month.

Yes, I was one of those people. You know the ones who get the honor of waiting in line. A long line.

To make matters worse I was one of those women.

Yup. There I stood in three inch heels. For at least thirty minutes. With my briefcase at my feet, my purse on my arm, and my nose buried in my cell phone.

Thank goodness for smart phones. I checked email. I twitted. I read a few blogs via google reader. I checked in on the headlines via USA Today and reviewed standings and schedules at espn.com.

Once I made my way to the counter, it was all good. The transaction took me about two minutes tops. I handed her the needed items; here is the form, proof of insurance, drivers license, and cash.

Then I got the eff up out of there. But guess who still hasn't signed the registration or put the new tabs on the license plate?

My PSA is don't wait unless you really have to. Your feet will thank you and you won't lose precious moments of your life to standing in line, even if they were used well.

I gotta go now. I have some peel and stick action to do.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Glimpses

A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Images and commentary for your viewing pleasure and enjoyment.

First up, some of the thank you cards I made and sent out last week. The overall design is the same but each is unique. This tends to happen when you add a distressing element to the mix.

I'd like to take a moment to thank you also. Thank you for stopping by, for being a part of my life in this blogging journey. I'm glad we've found one another.

Wing carcasses are a common sight when the peeps and I watch football. So is the blue cheese and/or ranch dressing dribbles.

Mel made those for our Monday night football watching a few weeks back. They were delicious.

I am craving this right now. Cheesy enchilada goodness. Or is it badness? Fiwa and I split this dish, as well as carne asada, after we went to see Lakeview Terrace two Saturday afternoons ago.

Ace is gonna hate this but I had to!

Fiwa has the dark polish action going on too!

Morning after brunch at Black Bear with Pretty Prince and Kyla before we settled in for Sunday football and laundry a few Sundays ago.
I gave in. Oh yes I did get the biscuits and gravy. Do you think the freshly squeezed OJ offsets the bad the dish ooozed?

Cousins hanging with their Auntie. Isn't this what lazy Sunday fall afternoons are for?

Kyla snoozed a little between games. Mel did work on the computer. Big Suge intently watched the games. I was doing laundry while keeping an eye on the game.

Don't forget if you have a probing question you'd like to ask me leave a comment and next Saturday the answers will be posted. Don't hold back. I challenged you remember?

I'm off to switch gears. I'm hitting the gym before connecting with the man later this evening. We're long overdue for catching up and honestly, I am in a little bit of disbelief we are gonna make it happen.

Peace and Love Peeps.

NOTE: spacing and pictures can be a fine art some days

All I'm Gonna Say...

... is things have a way of working themselves out.

No, I am not going to get deep and philosophical on you but I am going to share a story of how I came to remember this recently.

I was all kinds of excited, when upon calling my local stamping store, I was told they had this in stock and it would be waiting for me at the counter. I already had a design in mind for this year's Halloween greetings so off I went late Saturday afternoon.

Upon my arrival, I spied the stamp. To my dismay, it was tiny. My creative thought vanished in an instant. *poof* As quickly as it had appeared, it was now gone. Don't get me wrong. It is a perfectly good stamp but it isn't perfect for what I had in mind.

I decided to peruse the shelves to see what else was in the store and if anything might catch my eye. I have this thing about using a new stamp each year even though there are perfectly good ones in my stash that could be used in a new design. What can I say? I like to keep it fresh.

When I saw this, I was sold. Another design idea manifested itself in my mind's eye. However, it was not meant to be. They were temporarily sold out. At this point I started to wonder if I wasn't meant to return home and start at square one.

But then it caught my eye. I walked away from it. I came back to it. I walked away again. I came back to it again. I finally decided to go ahead and grab it.

This year's selection is edgy. It has elements appealing to (I hope) both men and women as there will be some cards sent to men only. It is kinda tattooish; {is that even a word?} Let me just say it is completely different than either of the previous choices noted above.

After playing around with the image, accents, color choice, and placement for a few hours over the course of the last 24 hours, I have finally decided on this year's "creation". Some of ya' might be happy to know I am using one of my previous stamps too. A combo of the old and the new.

And I am keeping it simple.

Sometimes the crafty creative flow can be a process but it is a process I thoroughly enjoy. Playing with inks, papers, and when the rubber meets the paper, it's really good for this girl's soul.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #48

Do you have a question you'd like an answer to?

Is there something you've been wanting to ask someone but haven't had the courage or chance to do so?

Has "hmmm, I wonder how she/he does that?' Or "hmmm, how did she/he come to be how they are?"

Well, this is the week I challenge you to ask the question.

In the spirit of doing so, I'm opening it myself up to YOU.

Leave a comment and next Saturday I'll do a post with the answers. Almost everything is fair game.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Grounded....In a Good Way

I was cleaning up my personal email while snacking on some delicious and nutritious mango and pineapple and came across this email from Paolo.

Agent Mo-

1) Your top secret birthday information is safe with me

2) I will check in Thursday and await further details of "Operation Thirsty"

3) Excited for libations

4) Wish Agent Ace were there too

5) Miss you

6) This message will not self destruct

-Agent P

Some background for this is we were corresponding regarding getting together for the God Loves Country outing.

I was in the midst of work and went into what my crew affectionately refers to as business Mo; direct, no nonsense, concise, communication. I flutter between the two frequently.

My email to him prior to the above reply was "Of course you can bring her! My birthday isn't until Saturday.....shhh, keep it on the down low.

Talk w by Thursday to solidify the details. Have a good week."

I'm guessing he recognized I could use a laugh and let his humor come through loud and clear.

It is love and laughter like this from my peeps that keeps me grounded, in check, and makes me feel so very loved and blessed on a daily basis.

Thanks for having my back y'all.

LOVE YOU. MEAN IT.

Sometime soon I am going to do a cast of characters post. I've brought you up to speed on Spanky. I've introduced you to Pacomo. However, I haven't ever done a run down of my family by choice peeps living life with me that I write about here or that are on display in the peep show to your left.

It's long overdue and I'll get to it soon.

For now, I am Audi 5000. I know, I know that was lame but it popped into my mind. I'm gonna' go run a few errands, as I usually do on a Saturday afternoon.

One of which is pick up this year's choice of a Halloween stamp so I can get my craft on later today. It's the perfect day to do so as there is only one college ball game on worth watching in my opinion and tomorrow is a slow pro ball day too.

I'm delaying getting the rest of the Twilight series from Fiwa on purpose. If those books were anywhere near me, I'd have my nose buried in it and would get nothing done. We can't have that can we?

No. We can't.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Mo's Music Mix

This week the shuffle decided to grace us with more old school than new school. I have a feeling most of these songs are gonna' age me...

1. Take Me With U by Prince

2. You're the First, the Last, My Everything by Barry White

3. Let Me Roll by Seal

4. Gimme More by Britney Spears

5. Planet Earth by Duran Duran

6. Jim Dandy by Black Oak Arkansas

7. Beat It by Michael Jackson

8. Fallen by Sarah McLachlan

9. Everyday is a Winding Road by Sheryl Crow

10. Rich Girl by Gwen Stefani feat Eve

For the record, I am still annoyed with Prince. Release the videos dude. Please and thank you.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Fran's Right

"Life is something to do when you can't get to sleep."

I wonder when I will run out of gas today...

Breezy My Arse

I've talked about my love of fall before.

I won't bore you with the details, at least not right now. The reasons are typical. Sights. Sounds. Smells. Activities. Clothes. Food. Colors. Holidays.

Heck, I got all kinds of excited earlier this week when I was able to wear a hoodie at night and it was needed.

I'm even one of those crazy PacNW'ers enjoying the gray skies, the cooler temps, and yes - the rain. There I said it. I don't dread the rain.

What I am not so happy about it is the wind. Don't get me wrong. I like the wind. But when the weather dude says the day is going to be BREEZY, what he really means is hold on for dear life. Wear your hair in a hat or at the very least a ponytail because no matter how hard you try, the gusts will find you.

Wanna guess how I will be wearing my hair today?

Peace and Love Peeps.

Keep an Eye Out

Some of ya' have snail mail coming your way.

Most of the time I check my mail once a week.

Having a locked box allows me the luxury of doing so.

I think my mail carrier secretly curses me out.

I know this isn't necessarily the best thing but hey, it is how I roll.

So if you're like me I wanted to throw it out there, so you can keep an eye out and stuff.

Peace and Love Peeps.

God Loves Country

Who: Paolo, Courtney, and Mo

What: Catch Up Dinner and Drinks, Meet and Greet, Early Birthday Celebration

When: Thursday, September 4, 2008

Where: The Rock

You may be asking yourself why the title of this post is God Loves Country.

Simply put, there we were. Enjoying the amazing weather. Enjoying each other's company. Partaking in some grub and a drink or two while chilling on the patio. Above of us is street level in which traffic was relatively heavy due to the time of the evening we met {insert rush hour}.

Out of nowhere, and from above, blaring for all to enjoy was some country music. Serious country music. The light was long. The music was a tad annoying. We decided right then and there God MUST love country.

You've been introduced to Spanky. Allow me now to add Pacomo to the mix. So far I have not killed him. This is saying something y'all as I do not have the world's greatest green thumb when it comes to house plants.

Every morning Pacomo and I have a little conversation while I am feeding the kitties and making my chai tea latte. It must be the stimulating conversation keeping him alive and kicking. That's my story and I am sticking to it!

Thanks Paolo and Courtney for helping to celebrate my day and for the gift that keeps on giving. No more waiting 6 months before we get together again a'right?

Oh, and a trick Paolo shared with me...when taking pictures with the flash on, place piece of napkin or something similar over the flash on the camera and viola! Doing so adds an instant bit of warmth to the image captured versus being too bright. You can see the outcome of such action in the above picture. Thanks buddy!

Food for the night consisted of appetizers. A glass of wine for Courtney, a beer for Paolo, and a vodka tonic for me.

Yum-o!

Outstanding company. Great food. Good times. Blessings indeed!

Some of the things I live for and am grateful to abundantly have in my life.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Happy Monday and The Upcoming Week

First off, Happy Monday!

Why is it Monday mornings seem to come too quickly and the weekend flies by in a flash?

This week will be more of the same. Busy. Moving at rates comparable to the speed of light. But you know what?
It is all GOOD.

It's life and I am living it. Embracing what is put before me daily and continuing to make time to recharge my internal batteries by spending time with family by choice, in quiet reflection, and ensuring I am getting sleep too. I am also allowing myself permission to say no to things and people that have the potential to take me off course.

I am going to do my best to update and stop by to see you too. I would like to catch up on all the entries I want and need to write about that I have failed to do so in the last few weeks.

I hope you and yours are well too and will hang with me on this ride I call life. The blog title will ring true this week for sure...Mo is on the GO.

Peace and Love Peeps.

Weekly Challenge #47

I struggled with coming up with a weekly challenge this week.

Finally I have decided on one pertaining to our fur babies.

I'm not recommending you take them in for a check up or ensuring they are up to date on their shots.

That'd be way too easy.

This week I am challenging you to clean their bedding, their kennel, their blanket, their kitty litter box...you know the spaces they claim as their own and use on a daily basis.

Peace and Love Peeps.