A Mom's gotta brag.........

Didn't I tell you I had 2 beautiful and smart daughters? Well, here's my oldest, Kristin. I will introduce you to Kathryn in a later post.
Not only beautiful and smart but creative too. She is in her second year of Dental School in Charleston,
at the Medical University of South Carolina.



She has wanted to be a Dentist since she was in high school... and is well on her way.









This weekend she sent us a picture of pumpkins that she and her friend carved... well, being in dental school, her friend Lynn carved a pumpkin with perfect teeth (on the left), my Kristin, on the other hand carved the one on the right.... can you tell what it is ?!? I couldn't until she sent a picture of it lit up.... check this sculpture out! :













A big fan of Star Wars .... the evil Darth Vader! Unreal, isn't it?! mmmm... I wonder where she got her artistic flair from?!? She didn't use any patterns, just looked at a picture of him .





x I'm not sure how this happened, but if you click on this you can see the bagels that she made from scratch... Ummmm







This is Jack... Kristin's friend ,Katie's yorkie.... awww what a cutie!






Here's a painting she made for a friend last fall... I sure would like one of those too..... (hint hint)




We are so proud of our girls... it's great when they come home for the weekend and visit. Here's Kristin relaxing on the porch. Y'all save your dental work , two years from now she'll be opening her practice and would love to see you!

A Kreativ Blogger, moi?! Merci beaucoup...

Thank you Tardevil and Sqawmama for honoring me with this most prized Kreativ Blogger Award.
The rules are:
Acknowledge the person who sent it to you.
Pick 6 people who deserve this award to tag.
List 6 things you value and 6 that you don't:

Okay, here goes.... 6 Things I value (besides my health, family and friends)

1. A good strong cup of coffee in the morning...mmmmm my homemade starbucks

2. Jeans that strech.... (self explanatory, I believe)

3. Puppy kisses from my furbaby, Duchess

4. A good juicy garage sale, early Saturday morning

5. Girls' night out... Bunco, Cards or just going out to Dinner..being goofy.

6. A good loud belly laugh that makes you cry, almost pee your pants, can't stop, can't breathe!

Now for the 6 Things That I Don't Value: ( Besides Prejudice, Selfishness and Close minded people)

1. Weighing in at the doctors' office

2. Paying full price for anything

3. Perfection.... soooooooooo over rated...

4. People that put other people down to make themselves look better

5. Snobs

6. When the clothes you just bought shrink 2 sizes in the wash... (mmm.. should have bought more strechy jeans...DUH)

So now I would like to bestow this award to :

Tricia at Tricia-Triciastreasures.blogspot.com
Mishebe at The crownedcasa.blospot.com
Laurie at BargainhutingwithLaurie.blogspot.com
Sarah at Abeachcottage.typepad.com
Chari at Happytodesign.blogspot.com
Bella at Bella1104.blogspot.com

Have fun , ladies!

+++ DoG Gone-It...Just TOO cute+++

Look at these adorable furbabies, all ready for trick or treatin'
I No candy for me, I'm watching my figure................ I have a splitting headache!
They better have some bacon at this house!
Oh my goodness, too too cute!
Yoda never looked so good.........
This one is my all time favorite... so good , it's scary!
Three heads are better than one?!?
It's a bird , it's a plane, nooooooooooo, it's a poor dog dressed up as SuperMan...LOL
HOPE YOU HAD A CHUCKLE !

For the Love of French Country

Here's a little vintage victorian rocker that I bought through Craig's List... It had seen better days!A little paint, fabric, staples and gimp .... and Voila! I used my favorite French country fabrics and gave it a little , "Je ne sais quoi. (thanks, Bridget for the correct spelling).

Hubby thinks I should sell it (WAAAAAAAAAAAA), but you know how good it looks right here at Rooster Manor! I'll think about it.........

A Little Spanish Girl and a Tall Tree

...So, I was contently watching my favorite show, Project Runway, when I found myself in tears...

What brought me to tears was when one of the designers, Korto, said that she was forced to leave Africa when she was a young girl. She stated what I have felt in the core of my being since I was 6 years old...but never had voiced.. "something dies in you when you're taken away from your homeland".




I have felt this void and death in my soul all my life. You see, I was born in Southern Spain, the youngest of three children. Due to the death of my Mother, all three of us were put in an orphanage when I was four. After 2 years, I was adopted by an American couple... but my brother and sister were not. They were taken out soon after I left, to live with my Father and Stepmother. I was taken to Portugal to live for a year until the paperwork was completed for my adoption. A new country, new language, new home with unfamiliar faces. I felt like my whole family had died... like a fish out of water.

Soon I was flying over the Atlantic Ocean hundreds of miles from my homeland to live in Florida and meet my new parents, live in a new country, learn a new language, once again ... and no familiar faces. I don't mean to sound ungrateful... I was very lucky to be "the chosen one", but at the same time I felt like the biggest loser. Being ripped from my roots was such a painful experience. My new parents were very good to me, and I grew to love them, but nothing could take away that aching that I had for my Father and siblings and my very humble home , so far away. I remember when I first came to the U.S. I would try to find the tallest tree and wish that I could climb to the top of it , so I could try to "see" my home town in Spain.

Well, the years went by and I became entrenched in being the only child and living the American Dream. Am I sorry that this happened to me? Yes... No... I don't know. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if my Mother had not ignored the cut on her leg that ended her life. The grown up part of me realizes that life is unpredictable and at any moment can take a wicked turn. The child in me still mourns the life that I never got to experience as a Spaniard, full of family and rich in culture. What would I be doing right now? Oh, if only we could live in a parallel universe.....
Would I trade my life for the one I never got to experience?....OH, HECK NO !! I have the perfect life right now. I couldn't ask for more. My knight in shining armor to love me and protect me, my two beautiful, loving and intelligent daughters, a home that I would never have dared to dream of... truly blessed beyond belief.... and let's not forget Duchess!

....But there's still that melancholy little girl inside, looking for a tall tree to climb... trying to see my homeland...

*~* cOmE oN a My HoUsE *~*

Hi Friends , WELCOME to my Fall Open House... please come in and stay a while ! Thank you, Kimba at:// httpasoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com for hosting the Fall/Halloween Party. Be sure to stop by her place and visit other beautiful homes!








I don't do much "Halloween" decor, mostly just Fall... but these "Heel Nippers" I adore. They add a touch of whimsy and a smile to my face !




Little "santamaker".....

Thanks so much for coming to my Open House, Y'all come back, now, ya hear?!?