Five Card Stud or Texas Hold-em?

Pretty sure more than half of my fondest memories have been at the poker table. Does that sound like a gambling problem? Not when you play for pretzels when you are 5, then chips of no real monetary value, and then points in a league of awesome people. It's all about the challenge and let's face it, the winning. Our family has always loved all kinds of poker. I have played it for quite a while but the crazed popularity of Texas Hold-em has finally taken hold of my Dad ( thanks to all the televised Wold Series stuff). He asks us to break out the table top and chips a lot now that we have him here with us ( which is so nice to have considering when I was a kid we used pennies). I taught my hubs how to play and he has gotten damn good, but they best pupil was my step kiddo. Awfully satisfying to watch her rake in a huge pot while smirking ear to ear with confidence at the age of 6 and 1/2 against all adults . She crushes now that she has my skills under her belt. When we had "girl time" back before little guy was born, she would beg to learn new games or new tricks to read her opponent better. I could picture her at final table someday next to Annie Duke and The Mouth. I am glad she and I have so much in common and that she has interest in cards. Makes a momma proud when she has friends over and wants to teach them ( not so proud when she wants to win any money they may have on them ).

Lately I have gotten back into the swing of meeting up with the old poker crew. The long baby hiatus didn't erase anything. It's just one of those things you have or you don't ( mainly it's luck and skill in equal parts. If you don't have any luck, stick to crazy 8's). I adore my poker friends for having the same love that I do for the table, and the laughter and the challange of beating 30 people to the win. It is my time away from the house and family all by myself ( in a group of people doing the exact same thing. Escaping for a few hours). Since the whole tournament is winning points in our league it makes it fun. No cut throat nonsense and cranky old geezers. Just fun. And beers. And good company. *sigh* I am really glad to have that particular group because they have known me for a looooong time. Years and years. They were around as my crutch every time I was stressed about work or my Dad or anything really. Just good times and no drama we couldn't laugh off. Makes me wish it was Thursday today.


The 9 yr old has been brainstorming the plans for her new room layout. What colors to use, what "goes" and "clashes", and what furnishings she thinks would be practical yet cool. I am letting her design these things herself because I think it should feel like her space. Not the space we told her she should like because we like it. She originally wanted to paint hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs on one accent wall ( part of what made me think of this chunk after tha last couple paragraphs. I know, strange segue). She ruled out that design based on how limited her color scheme would be. And then thinking about it decided she had had enough blue lately and was "so over blue" and "pink/purple was back in her life". Geeeeez. To be 9 with so many choices. So far she has landed on a layout of a loft bed with a reading lounge beneath it made of bean bags and pillows, more shelves for all her books, artwork in frames instead of full color on the walls and a fluffy pink area rug. Amazing taste I think. The catch is that she has to maintain a clean room to earn the makeover. And I do not mean shoved-under-the-bed-clean. I mean clean. By no stretch am I a neat freak. However, a lazy kid is a lazy kid. And in a messy room it just gets worse. Stifles the imagination too. She has agreed to keep her room clean but not actually met the requirements yet. So the room is waiting. Little does she know that most of what she has picked is already ordered. She just won't see a speck of it until it is earned. Making her work for it will make her appreciate it so much more.


So let's see, updates go like this:

• Dad is doing better
• you'll be able to find GlassCast in Made in Oregon stores soon
  
• the boy is saying Mama all the time now
• a group of us are doing the Shamrock Run
• Seafood and Wine Fest is slated to be an awesome girls trip
  
• new couch
  
• new workshop
• new beer brewing set up
  
• the girl is deemed ready for T.A.G. finally! Yay for nerdy girls! Gotta teach her brains are hot.

Life is good.