My Brightest Gem

Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

This past week both our girls and boys basketball teams made it to the playoffs and both had out of town games scheduled and of course...Mr. and Mrs. Hough NEEDED to be there ;=)! How can I let my kids down? NOT me! So off we went... first stop Corpus Christi... and then we thought... let's stay the weekend! Why not? So luggage in tow... our drama queen included in all of this too. And I must say, what an amazing weekend we had! Our girls lost... but it's ok... it was a great effort. We spent Saturday just "hanging" out. We started our day at Barnes & Noble where Jayda enjoyed storytime, then Chuck E. Cheese for lunch and then BEACH time! I'll let you decide by her look in the following pictures if you think she enjoyed herself?













I'd say she did...

I love this little girl more than words can say. She is my world and I love that we have our 'spare moments' to just 'hangout', I love to see the smiles and hear the giggles. I love how blessed we are. She is 'my brightest gem' and I will continue to let her shine!

Next stop... Laredo... my boys need me too! GOOOO WILDCATS!

Finally got it! It was between the Barnes and Noble Nook or the Amazon Kindle... being the impatient person that I am... I got the Nook because Barnes and Noble was right in front of our hotel and had them in stock and the Kindle would have had to have been shipped to me! Good reason... right? Well, I think it is! HA!

Downloaded The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks... only to probably LOVE it and be disappointed in the movie... as always! Anyway...off to read!

Show Us Your Life-- Beauty Tips & Favorite Products

Anyone that knows me knows I DO NOT have "beauty" tips LOL! I rely on my hair stylist Elida for EVERYTHING! HA! Most recently I added in Leah to make me feel better about myself. And finally, I rely a whole lot on this...



I'd be LOST without my Chi!

Go to Kelly's Korner to find more "Show Us Your Life" blog entries!

Living with 'Holly'...

Yes, Jayda has a bff named Holly. She talks to Holly, plays with Holly, lectures Holly... Holly even joins us for some shopping, dinner and the occasional sporting event... sounds ok, right? Well, the thing is, only Jayda can "see" Holly... HA!! Intersting huh?? After a lot of googling, talking to former professors from my school counseling program and a quick e-mail to her current teacher... I'm OK with Holly! I will admit I worried at first... but now I know I just have a VERY creative child! One of my former professors even pointed out the fact that Holly has bounderies... Jayda doesn't take her to school... LOL!

I am waiting for the arrival of this book:


Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them

By: Marjorie Taylor

I want to learn more about my chid and her amazing imagination! For now, I am going to follow the advice given to me by Jayda's pk-4 teacher... I am going to "enjoy Holly." Afterall, they are only little once!



(LOOK CLOSELY... You just might see HOLLY)! ;=)