In Memory of Patsy Hochman

My dear friend Jennifer's mother was killed by a drunk driver on Monday. Jennifer was one of my roommates in college, our Maid of Honor in our wedding, and we have remained extremely close friends despite the physical distance that separates our homes. I can't remember when I first met Jennifer's mother Patsy, but since that time there were many visits to College Station, trips to Dallas where I would meet Jennifer and her mom out for dinner, and visits to Midland. I can still remember how Patsy would send me care packages in college when she would send them to Jennifer. She was a kind soul, a wonderful mother to Jennifer and Susan, and a new grandmommy to precious baby Hannah Grace. She was focused on others and not on herself. She was genuinely a lovely person, and it is a tragedy that her family will have to go on without her in their lives. Many a tear has been shed this week.

Please keep Jennifer's family in your thoughts and prayers. I know that they appreciate it.

This is a picture that I took of Jennifer and her mom at her wedding. I remember how beautiful Patsy looked that day, and I remember Jennifer telling me about her mom's beautiful brown dress that she would be wearing and how perfectly it went with her wedding colors.

Design Blogs

I am loving these design blogs. The fabrics, furniture, colors, links to interesting sites. I could spend hours digging around some of these blogs!

Tara Frey

Fifi Flowers Design Decor

The Paris Apartment

Girl Meets Glamour

The girls have been found!

Thank you for your prayers! We are so glad that they are safe.

Prayers Please

Phil's cousin Dennis is getting married this weekend, and his fiancee's sister who is the maid of honor in the wedding is missing. She and a friend went out on an overnight hike in Alaska's Denali National Park and they did not return. They have been missing since Friday. Here is the news story. Please pray for their safe return, and for comfort for the families. They are two young women with their whole lives ahead of them and we just want them to be found safe. Their names are Erica Nelson and Abby Flantz. Erica is Dennis's fiancee's sister.

http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/437809.html

Donut Smiley Face

Who wouldn't want to walk in their door from a run in the tejas heat to a donut smiley face and chocolate milk? Thank you Phil! I love you!

What's Blooming of Late

Elephant ears, petunia and marigold, don juan climbing roses, vinca, zinnia, and morning glory and moonflower vines.

I made something!

Finally, I have embraced my sewing machine and made this cute little apron. The fabric is Belle by Amy Butler. This was my first time to sew ruffles and it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I used this tutorial, and went with three tiers to keep it short and sassy.

Art

I've decided that we need some art for the bare walls of our house. I thought I would share a few pretty pieces that I've stumbled across on the net! Hopefully I'll be able to find things locally that won't cost a zillion dollars.

From my favorite site, etsy:

By Shelby Keefe:

David Lacey:

Vacation!

The week before Ben's wedding my dad rented a beach house in Santa Rosa Beach, and we had a fun week of hanging out on the beach, riding our bikes, reading, sleeping in, and just hanging out. My family teases me because I almost never get in the water because I hate being cold, but aside from that, I love the beach. The sound of the waves, the sand between your toes, people watching, shelling peanuts, the smell of sunscreen and watching the planes fly along the coast. I could quite easily be transformed into a beach bum. One of the great things about the area we stayed in was that a bike path ran parallel to the beach road. We had fun riding through the cute towns that were near us, and even discovered a fun little art colony in the town of Seaside.

It was hard to go back to work last week. I'm already wanting to plan our next vacation! Phil has one more week of studying before he takes the second part of the CFA exam so we would love to go somewhere when he won't have to hit the books.