Hope at Trudys,
Joy at 4510 Bull Creek,
Cherish at DWR,
and Love along with a proposal

on the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge

on a beautiful, sunny Austin day.

Birthday Weasels

my list for today

1. the women in my family and our time together.


2. my cozy cuddly dogs who love my without condition


3. prosperity that comes my way through hard work and effort, and some with ease


4. my honda and the good gas mileage it gets


5. a good pair of jeans and the way i feel when i wear them


6. bubble baths


7. a warm cup of coffee in the morning


8. that my computer works


9. my sweet bill and his love


10. blythe carlin and her smile

pile on more dogs

colorado

macaroni and cheese

this is my all time favorite food. i had more of it than water as a child, and i to this day consume my fair share. no, i don't think you understand how much i love macaroni and cheese. while i had a marriage that didn't make it 3 years, i did, in 2001, have an amazing wedding....and on the menu-- macaroni and cheese. there i was in a poofy white wedding gown with a huge plate of mac and cheese and a glass of champagne. i may have lost the marriage but i still have the china and the affinity for the cheesiest, creamy dish.


i did, one time, try to make it from scratch. i researched and finally decided on a recipe from OPRAH thinking surely hers would be delish. long story short-- i don't try to cook it any more. i just taste the mac that others have prepared.


i consider myself a connoisseur of the delicious golden cheesy pasta and try it any time it is on the menu where i am dining. some of my favorite places that serve it are moonshine grill, boston market, and my neighbor down the street makes a pretty good bowl of homemade mac and cheese. but all this is to say, that yesterday, i found what i think may be the pinnacle of mac and cheese goodness at this place.

yes....quality seafood market in north austin now has my favorite bowl of macaroni and cheese. guess who else loves mac and cheese? manthie girl.....i think i will take her to the pot of gold at the end of the macaroni rainbow this weekend! peace out and may you find an endless supply of your favorite comfort food.

haulin' buns

seen at IH35 and Ben White

school nights smell

tomorrow is the first day of school. summer break is over and bill and the kids have to go back now. i really have no change in my routine, except that won't be the only one up early in the morning for the next 9 months.

i love school nights. there is something about the early shut down, the end of day organization and prep for tomorrow...reminds me of something in my childhood. after a bath that would wash away the excitement of a small girls day, i would pajama-up and then meet mom in the kitchen. she had a towel laid out on the counter and another to couch my head and neck. then she would wash my hair gently in the kitchen sink. of course the shampoo was followed by a "set." there in front of her tv, while we watched some show, she would dipdy-do and pin curl my long, long, blonde hair.
i can smell the clean. i can smell the evening time. i can see the green gel and feel the soft touch of my mothers hands in my hair....and somewhere else in the room, 3 other clean and pajamaed siblings.
as an adult, with so much to do, think about, & with all the media bombardment and over-stimulation, i'm thankful for a little moment that brings me back to the smell of school nights.

argh- today is one of those days I miss the boat. 95 degrees and sunny...screaming for a day on the lake with a cooler of cold beer and good friends. I sold it to a family from Houston in May. they say that is the best day of a boat owners life. No kidding...I cried like a baby when they drove off with it. Was the right thing to do for the time being...and someday, I will have another boat- pay cash for it...and the time to use it.

drink the kool aid

i am proud to say i work for keller williams. i found this blog today and had to chuckle..... read it and then come back here.
http://sanramon.wordpress.com/2006/11/07/exposed-keller-williams-profit-sharing-plan/
mega camp is this week here in austin.

it is amazing how these conferences can re-motivate, inspire and educate me. best part is... i get to take it back to my agents and support them. i now coach agents on real estate systems and even more important-- mental mindset. i see it every week: the power of a positive mental attitude. as you think, so shall you be they say. somehow this law of attraction is true. just ask jem if money comes in the mail? in fact -ask len and eillene if money comes in the mail (their insurance company wrote and said, we've been over charging you. we are sorry and oh by the way....here is 30k.
i appreciate that i work for a company, and with people, that care about peoples lives and spirits, about their families, and their businesses.
i appreciate that i work for a company that shares its profits with me- money comes to my mail box every month and i didn't earn it..and the same is available for anyone who works with kw. want to know more... come to http://www.allisoncrow.net/KW%20Careers

pass the kool aid, please

dog love to the extreme?

read this article in my "self" mag last night and could completely relate. sometimes it feels almost silly how much i love these silly dogs. bill has been walking hank almost daily this summer because he feels sorry for him. good for the dog, even better for bill. it has made me melt for him even more.

hank is such an amazing dog and complete punk at the same time. beautiful, soft, aloof, cuddly but only with his butt and not his face. hank is an agility dog, believe it or not...yes jumps, ramps, tubes, chutes...he's the king. he got there by being the aforementioned PUNK. after the big D and I don't mean dallas, "henry pink ears" suddenly became dog aggressive. 7 series of various training and agility classes, 2 home visits and one AKG canine citizen award later...hank is almost completely obedient and in most instances pretty decent with other dogs when properly introduced. just don't bring your pooches to our fence line where hank feels the completely uncontrollable urge to show how tough he is (HA)

did i mention he is afraid of the romote control? and cats.

next up....a little about lulu and daisy mae

the crumber

i took the kids and bill to eddie v's for his birthday. it is always so fun to indulge the kids (and bill for that matter).....
food and service that are both just delicious. manthie and i took bill last year, and at one point she said, "it isn't as fancy as it was last year." i realized this was because the waiter had not yet come by between courses with the "crumber."
well, thank god, he did finally come by and all was well and right in the world. and to top it off, manthie has her very own crumber now.

link to hello kitty has no mouth

this is not only hilarious but also well written....

gotta love fiona and hello kitty...and my sister for being such a good mommy.

HELLO KITTY HAS NO MOUTH

good old fashioned swimming hole

yesterday afternoon i sat grinning from ear to ear. for bill's birthday, we took the kids to cypress valley canopy tours and for an over night stay in the tree house there called the lofthaven. we arrived and did a zip line canopy tour through the cypress trees along the creek. this place has a low impact footprint and runs entirely from on-site solar, water, and wind provided energy. in our world of work, tv, computers blah blah blah, it was nice to unplug and get back to adventure and nature.
in the pic you can see the lake behind this platform we are on. well, here is where the ginning came in. since we were overnight guests and there is only ONE treehouse, we were all alone. (the owners live on site but we didn't see them at all after the businenss closed down for the day). the kids wanted to take an evening swim, so we went down to the swimming hole. they had a zip line in to water, and a rope swing. simple swimming fun. no floaties, no diving toys, no fancy suits...just good old fashioned fun at the swimming hole with our family.

if you haven't allowed yourself to get away from the hustle and bustle...go find a swimming hole, get down to your skivvies and swim a while. rope swing from a tree = added bonus.

....through the air with the greatest of ease

i took flying lessons this morning. this was one of the all-time best experiences i've had. four years instructing on high ropes courses had nothing on this. maybe it is because i'm older now, my body doesn't feel as athletic, or this simply takes more effort....but i can't wait to do this again (...already trying to figure out how I can go again before they leave town)...

more pics....