One day as purely American as ”Thanksgiving Day”.

One day arrives only once a year, but that should come more often, especially in our hearts… this should never be only one day a year.

A day that America recognizes the ‘dependence’ on each other, who get together and have good times, eat and drink along with relatives, who live near and those who come from afar.

And I’m thankful for:

…this beautiful Earth,

…to be able to see the beauty of the sky, much more, going to visit friends, as was the case, going to the home of Norm Kruger and wife;

…for this place that calms me and gives me strength,

…for the animals that I take care and have had the privilege of caring for,

for Mr.Slipper Socks Man, always willing to fix what he can and knows how to fix (and even some things he doesn’t),

…for my daughter, who brings the name of ‘being a mother’ to whole new dimension and will dwell in my heart for all eternity.

Did I mention my husband…? Always loving, understanding …

…for my nephew Carlos Augusto, so young and successful as a teacher, businessman and artist of fashion,

…for my other beloved nephew, Charles Edward, Business Administrator, always happy, loving to all, and his girlfriend Tina.

…for my sister, now much older than the picture, but she I will always look like that to me,

…for my friend Lene, always lively, energetic, generous and inspired! …and her dear mother. I passionately love them both,

…for friends like Norm and Sheryl,

…for you Andrea,

…for my sister-in-law Joanne, her embrace, care for all of us and generousity to all those around her,

…for my mother-in-law, her suggestions for natural healing and homeopathic medicine,

…those who are far and near,

…of course for my son-in-law, Jason, who loves and cares so well for my daughter, and for ALL you my friends.

You all love me no matter how many weeks, months or years pass without having seen each other. Know that the one with the sword in hand is the one responsible for my being here writing. She fought hard for it.

…and for all of you who read this blog, for our lives, experiences and everything that you have done good around this world!

I hope you all had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I love you all.

You can enjoy this beautiful autumn day by picking up the kids and visiting this very famous battleship in America.

It was cristened in 1914, survived two World Wars and Texans are proud of it.

It was also present during the invasion of D-Day and Iwo Jima.

It is permanently moored near the San Jacinto Monument and the battlefield where Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836. It’s also near our house.

Now it is a Nacional Historic Landmark and you can spend all day inside it — you just can’t go up to the third floor. It’s good idea and take a snack, sandwiches or have a picnic in the park which is very beautiful and huge. They have a kiosk in front of the ship where they sell good snacks.

The wind is Ok, but without hair in my face…

Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk and climb lots of stairs. There’s plenty of green to see, and it’s a beautiful place to walk, bike, watch the native ducks, the white heron – but at the end of the day the fierce and hungry texan mosquitoes will love to meet you and leave you anemic if you don’t have repellent on on hand… Do not forget it!

Much bush + Water = mosquitoes.

You can also ride a ferry boat for free and go to the next city. The trip is short, but the sight of the many huge ships passing by through the narrow channel is something amazing! And there’s another park with benches right there, so you can sit back and enjoy it. On this day there was a family with a large tent, making a great smelling barbecue while the kids ran across the lawn and some adults were fishing.

And there is ‘Mr Slipper Socks Man inviting me to leave because they were closing.

Don’t go on Christmas Eve or Christmas day because they are closed. They are open from 10 am to 5 pm. Over 12 years old the price is $10, 12 and under is free. For seniors, the price is $5.

The phone is 281-479-2411 – www.usstexasbb35.com

On this day we did not see everything because we simply didn’t have time.

It seems that it has never been so necessary to econimize as now, and it’s not as much a matter of our wallets as it is a matter of character.

Remember that the amount of money you have has nothing to do with how much you earn. Some people who earn one million dollars a year, may not even have any money now, while others who earn much less, may be doing alright – as it is not so much how much you earn, but how much you spend.

The consumer-minded society we live in has taught us that ‘happiness is having things’ and has failed to teach the opposite. Guess why …???

I’m talking about being economical… not being greedy!

Follow me on my “Frugal Day ‘.

My shopping assistant at Petsmart 

How did that big cat get up there?

He who does not save… suffers

Now something mentioned before, from someone very, very famous, and for me he’s the pinnacle of wisdom:

When I wake up in the morning, I feel that it’s the best time of the 24 that I will face. No matter how sleepy I am, tired, no caffeine, and all those other things that we feel… it is so good to be absolutely sure that during the next few hours, anything can happen! I think it’s exciting… It’s clear that most days nothing different happens, but the possibility that is always there… And I like that sooo much. And, if something bad happens in the morning, it affects the rest of the day and that’s hard to get over.

Some may think my thoughts are kind of silly, but I don’t think they’re are so silly — there is truth to them.

And with that same feeling of total satisfaction and surprise, in a certain way, I discovered the work of this woman genius, named Ann Wood.

There is the super talented woman.

So yesterday, after my daily walk coming back home, I thought, … that after being on the beach, it’s so hard to believe what a materialistic world we live in! There everything is so magical. So magical…

But I even think, I can consider myself successful because ALL that I want is what I need.

But back to Ann Wood… there is nothing to indicate that a caterpillar will be a butterfly, is there? That’s an old one, I know.

Well that’s just what she does! She transforms hairy caterpillars into beautiful butterflies and with an accuracy of detail and genius out of the ordinary! She uses what you would throw in the garbage – all rags and old vintage fabrics.

Simple and adorable.

This is made of Papier Mache’.

I honestly believe that we all have a little ‘genius’ in our original ideas, but in this case, if there is a fine line between genius and madness, this woman has errased it very well!

All recycled, reused ….

I hope that you have enjoyed this. She makes each piece by hand and you can see the process step by step on her blog.

Now she owes me one …

Ann Wood Handmade