Alligator spotting

John and I braved the Easter Sunday queues and headed down to Brazos Bend State Park

for a little bit of alligator spotting.

And we weren't disappointed.

There were some that, thankfully, were on the opposite bank.

and some that were right under the jetty.

There were babies (approx 2 years old) hiding well out of the way of the BIG monsters.

Some that were trying to hide (and failing miserably)

and some that had guests.

There was a Northern Green Frog

which apparently is a delicacy for the adult Broad Banded Water Snake.

This one, luckily for the frog, was a juvenile.

It's also the first snake I've seen since moving here in 2014.

There was my favourite bird of the day.

The Great Egret.

 Click on the photo to see his/her eye colour.

and a few photo opportunities when we were grateful for the big lens on the camera.

Although I think John still got too close at times.

There were a lot of people around it was easy to forget that although they were lying quietly,

they were still wild animals capable of inflicting great harm.

Brazos is such a great place to visit.  But it's so much nicer when half

 of Houston aren't there for Easter Sunday.

We're going back in a few weeks.

John wants to see the big 12 footer up close and personal!!

Two Step Heaven

We met up with friends on Saturday night and went to Mo's Place.

The company was great

The band was excellent.

I can really recommend The Chris Brade Band.

and even Hubby had a good time.

But he didn't dance.

Despite both Johns having a good time they decided that the boys would go to the Sports Bar next time and the girls could go to Mo's for two stepping, line dancing mayhem.

Aaaahhhhh!!

Hubby and I spent a lovely half hour cuddling this cuties

in Petco.  They had been brought in for adoption by a local charity.

PUPs - Prevent Unwanted Pets

They are about 7 weeks old

and a cross between a Pit Bull and a Chow.

Sadly we aren't allowed pets as part of our rental agreement

so couldn't take one home.

But it is nice to get cuddles in every now and again.

New work mates

These are some of the ladies I now work with.

They are all really nice and very helpful with my mountain of questions.

I like the school and the kids.  The staff are all really nice.
I just wish I wasn't stuck in an office all by myself for most of the day.
I'm used to sharing an office with other people.
It gets kind of lonely some times.

Spring Break

Last week was Spring Break here in my part of Texas.

I had a whole week to catch up with line dancing.

To meet friends for coffee.

To do a bit of Spring Cleaning

I may have gone a bit too far at one point!!

But I was happy with the result.

I booked flights to Phoenix to go with the villa that's been booked for a week in July.

I sent Happy Mail back to the UK.

I tackled the ironing pile and went out for coffee and to the pictures with hubby.

All in all a very productive week,  But such a short week.

Still it's only 11 weeks until the summer holidays.

♥♥♥

Memorandum Monday

It's the first time I've joined in with this this year.

It's hosted by the lovely Sian over at From High in the Sky.

Share something that your learnt over the weekend.

Here's what I found out.....

Vogue magazine is a waste of money.

I got to page 60 something in one magazine and 232, Yes! 232 in another

before I even got to the Letter from the Editor page.

It's all adverts and a complete waste of paper.

It may look like a big bumper edition but what it really is a pile adverts for clothing and accessories that the typical woman in the street couldn't afford.

There were one or two articles and a few pages about home decor and not a lot else.

Thankfully I managed to get these free as there is no way I would ever pay for them.

Earning his keep

The Teenager was out earning his keep yesterday.

It was just a little bit dusty!!

Friends.....

It amazes me that you can have friends around the world 

that you have never met. 

You have never me them but they know just how to make you feel better when something heartbreaking happens.

This past two weeks I have had several cards from friends and family.

I've also had cards from people I don't know.

Mary-Lou from Patio Postcards sent me a lovely card that said

"Liz:  wanting to be sure you get some happy mail.  There is no magic to be used as you navigate this uncharted journey of losing your mum.  Those of us that have made the journey before can only be the lighthouse to aid you so you don't get lost.  Thinking of you"

I also got a card from one of Mum's penfriends, Bobbi in Wisconsin that had a Lighthouse of the front.  It said

"Her first letter to me was from April 1977.  Many years of friendly letters I enjoyed about her and all the family.  I shall miss hearing from her.  Please give my sympathy to David and Ruth's families also."

Two lighthouses in the same week to guide us through the years.

Thank you ladies for your caring thoughts for me and my family.

I'm not sure why.....

A strange thing happens on my phone when I check my e-mails and I'm not sure why.

Mum's name appears when certain people leave a post on my blog.

It's such a strange feeling seeing mum's name sitting there looking at me.

I had to look twice when I saw it last week.

It's strange but kind of comforting too.

♥♥♥

A new project

Hubby can't sit still.  He has to be doing something.

Today we took a trip to our favourite garden center

(along with half of Katy) and look what I saw..............

Oh how I would love one of these for the garden.

How cute are those chickens?

or these?

Hubby very casually said " I could make one of those".

and guess what?  Yep I challenged him to make me one.

He also said he could make me a Mail box, some toadstools 

and a wire tree with coloured beads on it like this one.

And he said these would be easy to make if I wanted a bird table!!

looks like he might be busy in the next few months :0)

Dusty Stash

Very little scrapbooking has been done here in the last few months.

My stash is getting dustier by the day.

I did manage to give my paper trimmer a day out though and 

took it to work to cut up some "Bingo Cards" for a staff training session next week.

♥ It's the small things that keep me happy ♥

Mail

It was always nice to go across to the mail box and find a "proper" letter in it.

Mum had sent soooooooo many letters, cards and postcards in the last 18 months

that it makes my sad to think that there will be 

no more letters in her lovely handwriting.

Unlike me, Mum always hand wrote her letters.

I'll admit to having tears in my eyes when I saw this pile of letters next to my desk.

Today I went to collect the mail and after having not picked it up for two days this is what I found.

1.  A huge pile of leaflets for discounts off goods and shopping coupons.

2.  Two bills.

3.  A letter re taking out Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance!

4.  A leaflet for 15% off a DIY store.

5.  A leaflet from our medical insurance company.

6.  $500 to me if I change banks.

7.  A letter telling me, as a valued customer, I can upgrade the TV package.

8.  Two bank statements.  One for me and one for the Teenager.

9.  One pay slip - John.

10.  Two pre-approved credit cards. (if I really want one).

11.  One pre-paid visa for $100 if I activate a Verizon wireless tablet or smartphone.

12.  $250 bonus if I swap electric companies.

13.  Information re John's work credit card.

14. A 25% off at Palais Royal leaflet.

15.  Two letter from the bank in the UK (even though we've told them we are paperless).

16.  A catalogue from Boden.

I miss those letters and will for a long time to come.

♥♥♥

Smile

I have the best friend ever.

She sent me this card to brighten my day.

All it said inside was

"............for when you are not having so good a day!"

It really made me smile.

Two sweet things

On my last trip back to the UK I came across

two very sweet things.

Firstly was my Cousin D's wee girl.

Little Miss A.

Isn't she just the cutest wee thing?

and secondly were ice buns!!

Now that might sound strange but they are the sweet treat

mum always bought for the Teenager when he visited.

It didn't matter if he was 8 or 18 he always loved his ice buns.

And his Granny.