Happy Birthday, Mary Grace!

Our last baby celebrated her last year in the single digits this week.  She's just like her mama, so of course we headed to the beach...

Happy 9th birthday!

We love you so much and hope you had the best day!

My Baby Boy Is 15!

This sweet boy, my fourth born son, Daniel, turned 15 last week.

I don’t know if I’m ok with that!

He’s the last of my boys to grow up.

I can still remember the smell of his little bald head.

His love of Legos was legendary.

So quiet, so kindhearted, and ALWAYS 

thinks of others before himself.

He tolerates me even though I know I drive him nuts sometimes.

So what did this guy want for his birthday?

“To eat all the shrimp in Galveston!”

So that’s what we did...with a little side trip to Moody Gardens. 

And a surprise meet and greet with Pete Rose!

        Because this boy literally eats and breathes BASEBALL!

It has been the greatest honor of my life to be your mom. You are a precious treasure that I have been entrusted with and I will never be the same. So hoping you had the happiest of birthdays, and while I don’t wish you’d stop growing up...

I just wish you’d slow down a little.

Love,
MOM

26 Years and Counting

I love the beach!

Like, REALLY love the beach!

But I haven't touched my toes to the sand in about three years because of my bum foot and subsequent surgery.

This year, Doug took me to a beautiful resort in Galveston that was right on the beach for our 26th year anniversary.

That ice cold water on my feet and sand between my toes never felt so good!

There's a saying that goes,

The cure for anything is SALT WATER ~

tears, sweat, or the sea.

And I believe this with all my heart...

and a little fried coconut shrimp and gumbo doesn't hurt either!

We ate seafood for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We watched the sunrise over the Gulf, 

sipped coffee on the balcony, 

and took in the sunshine and salt air.

It was the cure all I needed.

I think I'll keep this guy around another 26 years!

A Captive Audience

My Daniel is number four out of my five children.  

I'll admit it, he sometimes gets lost in the mix.  

He is quiet, reserved, and never voices his opinions out loud.  That's what happens when you have three loud-mouthed older brothers with big personalities...you keep quiet and just play along!

Since the beginning of this year, Danny has started playing baseball with Kyle's (#2 son) former team.  It is a wonderful Christian Homeschooling league that plays private schools in the Houston area.  It's a struggle and a little over an hour to get there each week, so that's why we go to practice/games at least three times a week!  But my boy loves baseball so much, so I make the time.

And for a couple of hours a week, I have a captive audience.

It's our time (and I hope one day he'll see it, too) for us to have deep and meaningful conversations.  Some days we solve all the problems of the world...and some days, it's just fart jokes.

He opens up because there are no brothers around to give him a hard time. 

 We listen to music, talk about the game, 

we eat out at the places HE gets to pick, 

and sometimes it's quiet... that's ok, too.  

Being 13 is hard, and I'm so grateful he wants to 

put down his phone and talk to me. 

 He lets me be part of his world for the time it takes 

for that car ride.  I often wonder if he is the captive in the audience, or am I?  

Because I realize now, more than ever,

one day there will be no one left to take to practice.

Baseball Mom Survival Bag

Baseball season is in FULL SWING
(haha, no pun intended!).

We find ourselves on the road a lot this time of year and I thought I'd share a handy tip that will keep you prepared because let's face it, we all leave the house in a hurry, and most days I'm lucky if my six year old leaves with matching shoes!

Pack your bag with these essentials and leave it in your vehicle.  
I put my stuff in a small backpack, that way I just sling it over my shoulder and we're off!

    Wipes                       Hand Sanitizer

Flushable wipes       Sun Screen

Kleenex                     Bug Spray

          Bandaids                 Pepto Tabs or Tums

Powder                  Chapstick

              Benadryl                 Antibiotic Ointment

Ibuprofen                     Snacks

Just add chairs, baseball equipment, and a case of water 

and we are off for a day of baseball.

All bases are covered.

(haha, pun intended!)

And if you're wondering, my son is the one in the iron mask.

#ThrowYouOutEveryTime

Weekend Getaway

This weekend, Doug and I did something we haven't done

 since our honeymoon.

We took a trip away for the weekend by ourselves!

This past weekend was Doug's birthday AND my high school reunion so we made a weekend getaway out of it and headed to 

Ft. Worth, without any children.

The FIRST time in 23 years of marriage!

We had dinner and strolled hand-in-hand down 

the streets of the Stockyards.

We ate at our favorite:  In-N-Out Burger.

We toured my Alma Matter.

(For more on that story, click HERE)

And we partied like rock stars at my reunion after party.

Well, maybe not exactly like rock stars...

probably more like middle aged parents of five 

who like to be in bed by 11pm.

But you get the drift!

It was awesome and I'm really looking forward 

to next year's high school reunion,

It will be my 30th!

Hard to believe, I KNOW!

 

Sorry I've been M.I.A.

My goodness it's been a minute since I've last visited this space!

The Creamers have been on a whirlwind since spring began with Ryan moving away from home, two of the boys playing baseball in two different cities, JP's art classes and shows, and little Mary Grace's dance lessons.  I was also working five days a week to get us to Florida for the Homeschool World Series and family vacation!

Here are the highlights:

Pensacola Beach

 The Homeschool World Series

Kyle's last game as a Senior

DISNEYWORLD!

JP's recent art show entries.

He took 1st, 2nd, AND 3rd in his division!

Mary Grace's dance recital.

Yep, she's the one in the middle...in tears.

Danny's team won the league championship

Now we are on to the All Star games!

I look forward to getting back here more often because I have so many new projects, the garden is in full swing, and the kids have been doing lots of interesting things.

Pop in again soon!

"Recovering" and Crafting

Usually, on Mondays, I recover from my work weekends. 

And when I say "recover" I mean catch up on laundry, clean the house that the kids wrecked, and stock the empty fridge.

But THIS past Monday we packed up our beach chairs and snacks and headed down to Matagorda Beach for the day.

I did nothing but sip iced tea and dig my toes into the sand.

The kids played in the freezing water, painted seascapes, 

collected shells...

and dug three feet deep holes in the sand!

There wasn't a soul around for miles.

Just us and the sound of the waves crashing.

Now that's what I call "recovery!"

We came home with lots of treasures that day.

I have a shell wind chime that Doug bought me in Galveston last year.  I absolutely love it and thought that I could create my own version. 

 It couldn't be more simple!

All you need are your shells, driftwood, a drill with a small bit, 

and some fishing line.

Just drill holes in your shells, thread and knot them along the fishing line, and tie your strands off on a large piece of drift wood.

I added glass beads for a bit of color and sparkle.

And when the wind blows, the sound takes me right back 

to our spot on the beach!
I'm thinking "Matagorda Mondays"
might just become a thing, y'all!

Scenes from a very merry Creamer Christmas...

And wishing you a happy, healthy, 

and prosperous new year!

JoAnn's BIG Adventure!

This country girl took off to Dallas for a weekend...

no husband, no kids, 

no looking back!

My "BIG" adventure!  Get it?

The purpose of my trip was to see a Broadway show of Pippin and reunite with my dear high school English/Drama teacher. 
I also had the added perk of meeting up with the lovely ladies pictured above. We all went to high school together, but it wasn't your typical high school experience...

Here's a little fun fact about me, I'm an orphan.  

I don't know if anyone uses that term anymore, but I grew up without parents.  My mother died when I was three and my daddy died when I was eleven.  I was placed in the guardianship of my dear aunt and uncle.  They loved me VERY much, but were up in years and really didn't want to start over with a young child.  They found a wonderful place for me to live called, 

The Masonic Home & School of Texas.

Campus of The Masonic Home &School of Texas

"The Home" as we like to call it, was a place of refuge for hundreds of kids over the years.  Everyone there had a story, and none of those stories were good.  We all came from broken homes, and sometimes we, ourselves, were broken.

But at The Masonic Home & School of Texas, we had a HOME.  

I felt more at home there than anywhere else on earth.  

Chapel 

God placed some mighty wonderful people there 

to take care of us all.

My old room is now an office.

And the other kids that were at The Home with me,

well, they're more like family.

We were together year round.  We lived in dorms together, ate together, went to school, played sports, got in trouble, and yes, sometimes fought like cats and dogs together!

The dinning hall

 I look back on my time there now with such emotion and love, but at the time I was there I absolutely hated it!  

On my graduation day, I vowed NEVER to come back!

And I didn't for 28 years.

Masonic Home high school

But with my dear teacher's invitation, I ventured back.

I'm so glad I did, and I wish I had done it sooner!

I thought it would be weird seeing them again, but it wasn't.  We picked right up where we left off and being with them was comfortable and easy.

  

Touring The Home again, not so much!

It was very emotional and sometimes overwhelming.

  

 It now belongs to a wonderful group called, All Church Home, and they are continuing the same work as the Masons in caring for abandoned and troubled children. 

Now for the rest of the story...

Dinner and drinks!

My sweet former teacher is now part of the theater guild in Dallas.

They provide support for the touring companies, like feeding them lunch in between shows on the weekends.  We got to help out with that and meet the cast (who are all AMAZING, by the way!!)

Mr. Colley and the cast of Pippin

I also got a brush with celebrity,

that petite lady in the white robe towards the back of the room is Adrienne Barbeau!

I served her fruit salad,

so yeah, I'm kind of a big deal

and this is my lame attempt at a "selfie" with her!

We finished off the weekend with this incredible show!

If you have a chance to see it while it's touring, you MUST.  As a matter of fact, it's coming to Houston in October and Doug promised to take me to see it again...soooo excited to share that with him!

On the long five hour drive home I had lots of time to reflect over the weekend, it was very emotional for me.  Seeing my childhood home, visiting with people who I consider family, and finally seeing Pippin...a play about a young man who is struggling to find the purpose of his life.  Pippin finds that in being ordinary, he becomes extraordinary.  

I never pursued my love of acting. 
 I just became a wife, mother, and nurse...nothing special.

But sometimes, the most ordinary things can be made extraordinary...by doing them with the right people.

Thank you for teaching me yet another lesson, Mr. Colley!

"Rivers belong where they can ramble,

Eagles belong where they can fly.

I've got to be

where my spirit can run free!

Gotta find my corner of the sky..."

~Corner of the sky, PIPPIN