Ho Ho Ho for Hannah Ro

Ho Ho Ho





Hannah playing "Guitar" like her bear's purse.

Hannah, being all matchy-matchy with her bear--and they didn't even PLAN it! ha!

Hannah Bear is one happy little girl. She got a Hannah Montana bear for Christmas. It's the first (and probably last) time we went to Build-A-Bear. I resisted as long as possible, mostly because of the $$ cost and also because once you start down that road, it can be hard to stop (commercialism, buying what's popular, etc.)

Thanks to the generosity of family and good ole mom and dad, she is now the proud "mom" of the Hannah Montana Bear. It does seem custom-fit to her likes, I have to admit. It's white with purple trim (nose, portions of inner ear, etc.), and the name Hannah Montana, I guess it was just meant to be.

It's so funny, because one of our nicknames for our Hannah is Hannah Bear. So now we have two Hannah Bears in the family.

The clothes are, of course, extra for the bear at the store. But I know where the bargains are. I went to Target the same night we welcomed HB and bought, from the $1 bin, a little pink onesie that said, "Beary Christmas." And of course some pink socks. So now the bear has some pajamas. You should have seen our girlie's eyes when I told her that her bear had a Christmas present to "open!" I think I won a mommy award for that (which is good, because I snapped at my darling daughter when shopping earlier in the day and I supposed the beary pj's might make up for that.)

We took both Hannah Bears to church today (of course), with both decked out in purple dresses. Where, do you ask, did the bear's dress come from? Why, Hannah's "baby memories" box, of course! Then a crocheted sweater from a beloved family member (Grammy or Grandma W.?) sealed the look.

I'm a bit flummoxed on whether I've reached a new realm in motherhood--that is, buying clothes for a stuffed animal! Or scrounging around in 8-year-old storage trunks! I guess I'll just not make a habit of it! ha! And I wonder why I never seem to get caught up on my own life's To Do list. Maybe that's the thing: this IS my life list. Hannah. Mother/Daughter Moments. Memories. Love. Something to think about.

TSW

Winter Berries photo

Winter berries on a not-so-wintery day in Texas (December 2008)

Williams holidays, never a dull moment!

A very unflattering photo of me (ha!), looking extremely cultured with my "bib," eating a carrot. Mom and sis look great and Hannah looks her usual silly self, with a sucker in her mouth. Extremely messy, uh, excuse me, lived in house in the background.













Lots of love between these gals! Hannah, me, Mom

Well, we have sure had quite a week-and-a-half! On the same day my sister arrived, my dad began having chest pains and went to the hospital. He decided to have the surgery the next day, to have a chest stint put in (angiogram?), but the doctors found that he had the heart of a 20-year-old and clear arteries! What wonderful news. On the bad side, we still don't know what's causing his chest pains--it's stumped the doctors and my extremely brilliant physician assistant sister!

Anyway, things settled down after a couple of days and we were able to enjoy a nice full weekend of family, food and fun. My sis and I even got in some nice shopping together!

I think the bond between my sister and Hannah is so sweet. They have similar personalities that love practical jokes, laughing and have a general joie de vivre! It's so great to see them having fun together.

A little birdie told me

Happy Birthday card

10 Reasons I Love Creating Art

You know you love creating ART when:

10. You wipe off the kitchen table very carefully after a meal, not because of impressive housekeeping habits, but because you want the surface clean for the next session with glitter, glue, and scissors.

9. You hurry through your meal so you can get back to creating.

8. Your heart beats a little faster at the sight of well-made, handcrafted items.

7. You spend hours at the bookstore, poring over the latest magazines and art journals until you have read every single issue currently on the newsstands, and must wait not-so-patiently! for the next month's issues to appear.

6. You get so caught up in the process of creating, you forget to (fill in the blank): go to bed, eat, leave for an appointment, make important phone calls, blog, etc.

5. The words "doodle," "hue" and "monochromatic" fill you with JOY.

4. You'd (almost) rather shop for art supplies than for clothes.

3. You daydream about colors, patterned paper, swirls, twirls, palettes, and all things art in general.

2. The fake gems on the derriere of your jeans start to fall off, you pick them off the floor with excitement, and begin plotting how you will use the "gem" or rhinestone in your next creation.

And the number 1 reason you know you love creating art is (drum roll please):

1. When your hubby and wee one are driving home to be with mommy, and he asks her what does she think mommy will be doing when we get home, her simple, one-word answer says it all:

CRAFTING.

Conversations with my McHannah

John often takes Hannah to McDonald's so she can "burn off the energy," while he can still log on to a wireless connection/hotspot. They don't eat much there (much to the chagrin of management, I'm sure), just a little fruit 'n yogurt. But I didn't realize, until the following conversation, just how much fast food venues have become a part of our routine:

Tricia, out and about with her girlie: "Hey Hannah, let's go out to eat."
Hannah, gleeful about any time spent with mommy: "Ok! Are we going to McDonald's?"
Tricia: "No, baby, we're going someplace better than that! Someplace special."
Hannah, after a brief pause and a quick smile brightening her face: "Hey, I know! What about Burger King!"

Oh my. Note to self: provide daughter with more of a variety in culture and dining. :)

Hannah Bear Woes

How. Tiger Lily here. Peeking around tree.
Love purple feather in hair. Love having
true Native American blood on mother's side.


Hannah bear has been going through some third-grade trials and, of course, that makes this Mama Bear want to growl.

Alas, we have reached the "Let's start a club" scenario, or another way to say it is: "let's find a way to exclude others and bring them to tears by acting petty and unkind." It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that this is her Best Friend, or at least she was last year.


I shall, for purposes of protecting the (innocent?), call her "M" and the other girl will be "V." Well, last year Hannah and M were oh such dear friends. Then a new girl, V, enters the picture. Warning bells sounded in Mama Bear's heart, but she wanted to believe the best, and not say what she was thinking "Can three girls REALLY get along and not leave anyone out?"

Apparently so, at first. But the last few weeks, Hannah has been talking more and more about M just kind of ignoring what Hannah wants to do and play, that M had PROMISED (don't ever think a promise isn't important to an 8-year-old) that they would play a very special game at recess. Well, M ditched Hannah for someone else and it's been downhill since. Now that wouldn't be so bad, just the simple fact of them playing different games, or things, at recess. But now M and V are playing something called "Popular Girls." Well, as the name suggests, you can imagine what that is all about. They are acting all 'tweeny' or teenagerish, like they are all of a sudden too cool for ANYTHING. And Hannah, still happy-go-lucky, and still a regular 8-year-old kid, is wondering "What in the world?"


I will never forget the day we talked about it at length, two weeks ago, on the way home from school. After she described the situation, she looked at me full in the face and said, "Mommy, I don't want to be mean. I don't want to leave anyone out, the way they do in that game. I just want to be me."

I wanted to cry right then, because I KNOW how she feels, felt it to the max, when I was little. I always felt like I marched to the beat of a different drummer, especially when there was ugliness and unkind actions on the playground or in the gym. I never knew what to do about it. I just knew I felt so lonely. She continued, "I want to be nice, like Jesus wants us to be. And I want to play kid things--I'm not ready to be all grown up-like yet."

I'm not either, Baby. Oh, my precious girl, hang in there. I asked her if she wanted to try to work it out for herself, or if she would accept some suggestions/advice from her dear old ma. She swished/pointed her finger back and forth between us and said, "You and me, Mommy, you and me!"

So I told her that what might help is to not cry each time they run off and ignore her. And to act like she is perfectly fine (even if she's not on the inside). I told her it's okay if she can't pretend she's not hurt, for a few days; but that, if she feels the heartache lessening somewhat, to go ahead and just act like she's fine and dandy. And then those girls might actually say, "Hey, where's Hannah? I wonder if she wants to play with us?" I told her that even if they do, they've proved they're fairweather friends and not to rejoice TOO much if that happens, but to just act cool. Also, I reminded her she has a ton of very nice kids in her class who would be more than happy to play with her.

It's difficult, because she's always been the much-loved, adored friend. Everybody loves her and wants to be near her. So this has probably been a shock to her system. But you know what? I'm glad that she came to me and told me about it. I am also a little, uh, what's the word, "glad" that she will learn what it's like to feel left out so that she will not be tempted to do that to others, even in the future. And that people will continue to disappoint, even "dear" friends. But not her Friend in heaven.

But we both prayed and invited Jesus in on the matter. And then we went shopping! ha! (We happened to be in the Big Lots parking lot when the rush of information came forth.) Anyway, I've tried to spend more time with her and assured her of our love, and how much we care about her, and love to be with her, and inspire confidence in her, of who she is, that she's doing the right thing to not be swayed into being unkind or exclusive. But it sure takes a lot out of a parent. Worth it, though. Sooooo worth it.

Latest note on the school situation: the other night I asked her how it's been going. She said that those girls said to her, after she had played it all "cool," "Hey, Hannah, aren't you going to come play with us?? Come on, we want you!" She grinned up at me, and said, "Hey, Mommie! I just realized your advice worked. Wow, you are a good advice-giver."

Awww, music to my ears--and contentment from seeing my girlie smile again.

How do you like my hair? card

Adorable "I love puppies" card

I like this 1950s image of the girl holding the puppies. Looks very American, apple pie, wholesome. . . Lots of swirls and pretty patterned paper makes for a very colorful card!

Kokopelli dancers

The dancer image is stamped into air drying clay with black ink, and creates a 3-d look with the embellishment. Pretty ribbon highlights the red hues in the patterned paper.

Peeking around the pillar card

You must have been a beautiful baby (tra-la-la) card

Note the tiny crown sticker on top of the baby's head. Know what it's from? I bought one of those kid manicure sets in the $1 bin at Target, which had a ton of stickers (and are usually priced at about 3.99 at craft stores! Craft-way robbery!) Anyhoo, that's where the little crown is from. Cute, cute, I say!

Dream Believe Inspire card

A card I made using my own maternal grandmother's picture

Pink Collage card

Between the bales, Oklahoma series

Williams family update

Not much new going on here. Just getting ready for all the holiday hustle and bustle, plus trying to find decent parking at the malls already! ha!

Hannah's still enjoying third grade and as much as she learned in second grade, I think she's learning triple that amount in third! It's so much fun to see her learn and grow. I love to hear about her schooldays. I always ask her "what was your most favorite part of the day?" Of course, she doesn't really need any prompting! She's happy to share what's on her mind, for which I'm glad.

John's semester at SWAU (where he teaches two classes) is winding down. He's not on schedule to teach this coming spring, but is actually taking on even more responsibility with his job at Dogster. We will miss that SWAU extra paycheck, but I know God will provide our needs.

We've really had to claim His promises of meeting our needs, especially this fall. We've taken a financial seminar, Financial Peace University, with Dave Ramsey, and learned a lot about our finances and budgeting and being honest about what we can truly afford and not. We weren't crazy spenders before, but we used credit cards like other people.

Now we are totally off credit cards. Still will be paying off a couple of balances for credit cards for a bit, but feel better to be on a cash-only basis. Much more simple, and God-based as well. Took me 34 years to get there, but better late than never. And John and I have drawn closer to each other as a couple AND to God in learning to lean on Him each day for our "daily bread."

I guess that's all for now. TW

Meant to post in THIS blog! News about my dad and other stuff...

The first picture is one I took of Hannah at the mall. She bought some girly stuff with her money. The second photo is one John took of Hannah, with her bear all dressed up and no place to go! ha! And notice her hair--we got it cut last week. She was inspired by a friend of hers at school and wanted her hair a shorter length. I imagine her daddy's glad it's still "sort of" long. :)

Thought I'd give an update on my daddy's health... and the entire Williams clan.

Daddy's out of the hospital; he actually went home last weekend. I spent a couple of nights at mom's and dad's, both out of concern for them AND to obtain a little R and R. Sometimes I just need to get away.

I know Daddy didn't get much rest in the hospital, so I was really glad he could go home. I am so grateful he's okay. I'm hoping we can all help him stay on top of things and make sure his health gets back on track. The reason the doctor's let him come home is because they had done another scan or two and did NOT see any more blood clots in his legs, or groin area. I'm very thankful for that! Thank you to my family and friends for your care and concern. I can't imagine life without my loving parents and I was very stressed out about Daddy's health.

Things are about the same for John, Hannah and me. I started on making some Christmas cards. I don't know how many I'll actually make this year, but I'll keep going until I run out of steam. I hope to at least send out a Christmas letter and photo of Hannah anyway. :)

I've been struggling again somewhat with some anxiety and depression issues; I think I have just felt like so many things keep coming up and we haven't been able to keep our heads above water in some respects. From my mom's health issues this summer, to some other extended family problems, to our tire and rim being stolen, to financial strains (but with the help of the seminar we're going to, we feel hopeful) to my daddy's latest hospital stay, it just seems it's one thing or another.

But, on the other hand, I'm grateful that we have a verrrry happy marriage and good parent/child relationship. Not many people can say that and I pray I never take it for granted.

All for now.

Tricia

Golden girl Hannah

Not exactly one of my works of art. . . more like God's. Isn't she lovely.

Need prayers for my Dad

I got this email from my mom today, about my daddy, and would appreciate your prayers:

For several Jerry has been having pains in his chest about the middle of the day. Of course he works 3 days a week at Wal-Mart and stands for 8 hrs at a time with a few breaks and lunch break. He began to get worried, and he did mention it to me but somehow I didn't pick up on how bad the pain was from the way he said it. Anyway, last night he told me he might try to go to the ER at Harris Methodist hospital downtown because a friend had had a good experience there.

We got the name of the lady cardiologist this friend had used and called and she wasn't in today. Anyway......Jerry just called from the E.R. He has a clot in the left lung. They are getting ready to do a MRI of groin, both legs and heart. Also, shots in the stomach. He will be admitted of course. He's right now just on a gurney in the hallway of the trauma area.

Tricia

A Rainy Day in a Pink Universe (Photo collage)

I created this photo collage using one of my photos as a background, and the image of a little girl holding an umbrella. Everything is all girly, all pink, just like my daughter's room. I think lots of little girls secretly wish God had made the world pink and purple (I shudder to think! ha!).

One of my favorite bloggers creates absolutely amazing photo collages, with the same photo software I occasionally use, Paint Shop Pro. You can see her work at www.desertphotography.blogspot.com.

Hope you enjoy!

TW

Hand Stitched Snails on Leaves

Update on Tricia and family

Here's a picture of our whole family taken when Pam (my sis) visited.

Wow, has it really been so long since I've posted on my blog? I'll get right to it:

For those of you who have asked if we were hit by the hurricane recently here in DFW, the answer is no, we're fine. I mean, sure, we received our share of rain, rain, and more rain, but we were unscathed compared to our sister city, Houston, as well as Galveston.

We were married in a small town near Houston and honeymooned there as well. Mom and Dad used to live in Houston and we would visit them often, as well as Galveston. So we watched the newscasts--with horror--feature all the places we used to visit. There was an especially pretty neighborhood where the houses were on "stilts," and John told me they are ALL gone! Just wiped out completely!

On a different note: a week ago Friday I had an appointment with Evelyn Miller, executive vice president of the Dallas Morning News. She and I had a "coffee meet," which is to say it was a less formal appointment, in the heart of downtown. It was very exciting, to say the least. I had written an article about her for a Dallas magazine this past summer; she liked my writing, and we agreed to meet up to discuss possible freelance writing opportunities for the newspaper.

Anyway, we talked for nearly two hours! I was glad I had taken some time to write up some potential freelance article ideas for us to look over while we talked. In short, she agreed to recommend me to two or three editorial directors of various departments at the paper, for which I'm very grateful.

Now, it wouldn't be a normal post if I didn't include some Hannah updates. She has such a wonderful sense of humor and likes to tell jokes. Here are some she thought of, all on her own (or at least I've never heard them) when we were telling jokes to each other. I'll even throw in one I made up!:

Hannah's jokes:

Q: What did the human say after he crossed the road?
A: "Have you seen a chicken?"

Q: What did the human say after he crossed the road?
A: "May I have a chicken nugget please?"

Q: What did the mommy say after she crossed the road?
A: "Hey wait up, my child, I'm not as young as I used to be!"

My joke:

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To be with the handsome rooster!

Guess that's it for now. Oh! I thought of one more thing: We were getting ready to go to church and when we got out to our car, we realized the tire AND rim had been stolen! We were pretty discouraged, at first, but were encouraged to discover our insurance covers theft 100%. Thank God!

All for now,

TW

Definition of Beauty card

Kiva at Pecos Ruins National Park

This is a kiva, or "ceremonial pit," used by Native Americans for various rituals and ceremonies. I took this photo when I visited Santa Fe in the fall of 2005.

It was after that visit to NM that my photography really took off. I couldn't get enough of it. I wish I had more time to devote to it, but raising my Hannah and loving my John come first.

So glad my sister is here!

My sister is visiting us here in Texas. I'm so glad she's able to be here. And I'm also very proud of her: She graduated this past Sunday from a VERY grueling two years of Physician's Assistant school! She even was awarded high honors for doing so well in her classes and rotations, an award given to only five class members.

Mom and Dad and I have been "sharing" our time with her. I'm so aggravated that I've spent a lot of time being sick, felt like a truck ran over me, the last two days, but I'm feeling better tonight and hoping maybe she and I can shop or just hang out tomorrow. Poor Hannah's not gotten to spend *any* time with her Auntie Pam, whom she loves very much.

We're watching an I Love Lucy episode. Hannah's been enjoying them so much; she gets such a belly laugh over Lucy's antics.

Reflections of Days Gone By

Another Hannah doosie

Last night I was helping Hannah put some clothes away (or rather, encouraging *her* to do it). She said, "Mommy, I don't have anything to hang this shirt on."

Sure enough, for whatever reason, she was all out of hangers.

Hannah continued, "I gotta get some more hangovers, don't I?"

ha!

She got a funny look on her face, like she knew that wasn't quite right, but couldn't remember what the real word was.

Wanna know the scary thing? I didn't even bat an eye when she said "hangover," I guess I just knew what she was trying to say. But it didn't sound wrong to me at first. Who, me? Tired?

:)

Tricia

Majestic II

This photo is for sale, as are many others, at my etsy store. Follow this link: patriciapix.etsy.com. Enjoy!

Of Mice and Mushrooms hand stitched card

Birdie thanks

Handstitched airplane card (very detailed)

Hannah conversations

Hannah, bowing like a princess (her idea). No idea why she has such a serious look on her face, except that maybe she was concentrating very hard!

A couple of funny Hannah conversations:

Tricia: Hannah, you're the best!

Hannah: No I'm not, Mommy! GOD is!

Tricia: Oh, yes, that's right, God's the best.

Hannah, looking thoughtful: But I'm second!

Tricia: That's right, sweetheart! You (family) comes after God.

Hannah: And Daddy's third.

Tricia, quick to respond: No, sweetie, you and daddy are equal.

Hannah, looking reluctant to give up second place: Well, okaaay.

***

Hannah tried on her new school uniform jumper. She wanted one all year last year, but at $40 each, we just couldn't justify one, at least not so soon after such an expensive move (from KY to Texas). That's not including the blouse that goes underneath the jumper.

She was so happy to show off her new dress to her daddy. John was appropriately impressed and told her she looked wonderful. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "You look like a million bucks!"

Very seriously, Hannah replied, "Thank you, daddy, but I only look like 59 dollars!" She didn't understand why John and I broke out into an extreme case of chuckles!

We were 'Singing in the Rain'

A couple of weeks ago, I came home from being out and about. I'd gotten some pretty rough news earlier in the day and was feeling pretty down. To top it off, I couldn't even pull into our apartment complex because of the flooding that surrounded the driveway. So I pulled into a nearby parking lot and walked home. I was wearing sandals and decided to just take them off and walk in my bare feet.

When I got home, soaked to the skin, I decided to "make some memories" and invited Hannah to join me in splashing in some puddles! What great fun we had, and even got John to take some pictures! I wanted that day to end on a positive note, if possible, and I made one little girlie verrrrry happy!

All for now!

Tricia

Tree Stump at Sunset (Arlington, TX)

10th Anniversary Fun!

John and I celebrated our 10th anniversary this past Friday. It's hard to believe it's been 10 years; I feel very blessed to have had such a happy marriage the entire time. That's worth it's weight in gold!

John and I took a little trip to get away; we realized how long it'd been since we'd stayed in any "nicer" hotels, even La Quinta (still not too fancy), because we realized just how much they've gone up in price! I guess we travel so little. . . but still, we had fun. We didn't do anything extravagant. Simply getting away was an extravagance for us, while a good friend watched Hannah. We did visit Cowtown (Fort Worth), but it was so hot, we didn't stay too long. We just walked around a while, shopped in a really neat store, tried on cowboy hats (at least I did), and had a relaxing time. For the most part, we just enjoyed the hotel, though. We read and played games and napped and watched TV. It was so fun to watch John relax! I have just as much fun seeing *him* have a nice time as I do when I'm just chilling.

We're watching a very rousing Rangers/Yankees ballgame right now. Our girlie is sleeping (we hope!) and we're having fun just hanging out together.

To read more, or my earlier blogs, read www.thequietlife-peaceseeker.blogspot.com

love,
Tricia

Check out my art blog: www.turtleonalog.blogspot.com

Flowers near Cove Lake in Tennessee

Texas wildflowers (in color)

John's birthday fun (photos)

Egret

Here's my first stitched card; I created my first pattern. Not perfect, but pretty. TW

Beach card

Here's a fun beach card:

To see more of my art, check out my art blog:

www.turtleonalog.blogspot.com

Beach card