Last week I had a break from school and went to Sheridan to spend it with my mema. We had the greatest time together, and man were we busy! We sewed, cooked, cleaned out closets, took buttons off of a mound of clothes as tall as mema, drove all over Texas looking for a sewing machine repair shop, voted, and the list goes on. But definitely the most labor intensive and time consuming part was going through mema's closet. She sort of tricked me into doing it in her sweet little way of asking, and instead of taking one hour as she projected, it took 6. And that doesn't include the additional 4 hours it took to take the buttons off of the clothes that she wanted to give away but couldn't stand to part with the beautiful buttons. But it was worth every penny. I can't even explain how happy she was to have gone through her closet. She had clothes in there from the 1970s that she's just been holding on to in case she might get the urge to wear them again some day. And let me tell you, they may be old and out of style, but they still look darn good. She taught me her secret to setting the color. You just have to add a cup of vinegar to each load, and it keeps your clothes looking like new for 30+ years. One of the many things I love about hanging out with mema is learning these sorts of tricks that she has. I was pretty spoiled as a child, and while it was awesome, I didn't really learn all the things about cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc. I've learned how to get by with all that on my own, but mema has really helped me with all the extra stuff that makes all the difference, like the vinegar and many, many more.

My friend Leila and her husband Ty had a little girl on January 8. Her name is Emma Noel Harrington, and she is incredibly adorable. Leila and Ty live in San Marcos, and now that I'm only fifteen minutes away, I am a frequent visitor of the Harrington household. I visit at least once/week, and I am addicted to little Emma. And Leila's pretty fun too. Her mom came from Argentina to visit when Emma was born, and she just can't bring herself to leave.

Last weekend Carl and I went to Sheridan and Hallettsville for the weekend. Friday night we stayed at Mema's house along with Aunt Gayle. Gayle was doing the master cleanse while we were there, and she inspired me to do the same. I've had allergies all my life, but recently(about 4 months ago) they started manifesting as swollen, red, dry eyelids. Its been so frustrating for me because some days I wake up with eyes so swollen it looks like I got punched in the face. The swelling became particularly bad last weekend, so I decided to buck up and try the cleanse. And here I am, miserable yet feeling great and without swollen or red eyelids, on day three. I'm miserable because you can't eat, but I feel great because you can't eat. As crazy as this may sound, my mind feels clearer than ever. I am totally peaceful and feel like I can work through all my thoughts with a clear and rational mind and not become angered or irritated over crazy things. And most importantly, my eyes look great! This is the first time in I don't know how long that the skin surrounding my eyes is the same color as the rest of my face. I still have a little swelling, but its very miniscule. I plan to go for 7 days, and believe me, I could never do it without Carl. He is so encouraging and keeps me straight. He even goes to another room to eat. He's so great.
And for those of you who don't know, the master cleanse consists of water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. The combination of those ingredients is very detoxifying and gives you all the energy and nutrients you need to make it through the day.
I always like to put upt photos when I post, so here are some of all my adorable sisters.

Carl and I went to my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Stacy's house last night for dinner. Stace made the most wonderful chicken parmigiana and some pasta dishes. While we were having dinner, we started talking about the trip that Carl and I took to La Ticla in May, and I realized that I never put up a photo of the famous Catrina. She's been around for quite a while, and anyone who's ever step foot on Ticla sand knows her. You just can't stop looking at her. When we were there, she didn't surface for about 3 days, and I was becoming concerned that maybe she had passed away. I asked some of the local kids if she was still around, they said she was. So I waited patiently untl finally, there she was. And what a beauty.

And when I said famous, I really meant it. Everyone loves Catrina so much that the town store started making and selling bumper stickers almost identical to the photo above but with an orange dog that says her name and La Ticla underneath it. And I have one.