Little Texas Love Nest

Seasons of Change

2011-10-24T16:23:00.000-05:00

In One Year,

April 2010 – I started looking for a job

June 10 – We went on vacation to North Carolina for Allie’s wedding

July - Brian joined the Coast Guard Reserves

July 31 - We moved in with my in-laws

August 4 - We found out we were expecting our first child

August 15 - I started a new job teaching high school Algebra

August 31 – Brian left for boot camp

October 12 – I totaled my car

October 28 – Went to New Jersey because Brian graduated boot camp

November 6 – I bought a new car

November 16 – We found out we were expecting a boy

November 19 – I had emergency surgery to remove my appendix

December – We started looking for a house to buy in Austin

January – We started looking for a house to buy in New Braunfels

January – 15 We went hiking in the Guadalupe Mountains

February 5 – We closed on a house in New Braunfels

February 26 – We moved into our new house

February 28 – Brian started a new job in San Antonio

March 20 – We thought we were going to have to move to Virginia in May (called off)

March 22 – I was put on bed rest

April 12 – William was due

April 15 – William was born

August 15 – I went back to work

On the Holes-Rahe scale, we were through the roof. Many of these life changes were unwanted on my part and my sense of security was threadbare. It is only with the firm foundation of faith and family that I stayed sane at all, but Brian would tell you that I wasn’t a very happy person or probably much fun to be around. Thankfully, we are now moving past this season of rapidfire changes and it’s been more than a year since many of the topsy-turvies occurred. Sure life is still stressful, but it’s a predictable stress and I’m much more content with it.

What does life look like now? I’m the mother of a 6 month old teething, babbling, crawling bundle of love. I teach math to high school freshmen every other day and stay home the other days which gives me the time to participate in activities I enjoy. I’m married to a wonderful man who is much happier in his current job than he was at his old one and has enough projects to keep him busy for the next 10 years. I am so glad that I live in New Braunfels and not weirdo Austin, and that I have a strong support network and group of friends that live here too. God willing, William will be the only one changing at hyperspeed for quite a while and we will stay put for some time, you know, unless another baby comes our way.

Fun at Home

2011-08-29T08:54:00.003-05:00

I just spent the last ten minutes in the midst of the most fun procession I've been a part of. It consisted of me marching through my home holding Will rear facing so he could watch the dogs and Sandy, my clingy but loyal Labrador following behind. She matched us step for step all around the house as I sung "We're following the leader, the leader, the leader..." a la Peter Pan. I never told her to come, mind you, that's just what she does. Eddie, the Jack Russell joined in as it suited him then would run off to check out something more interesting. Will thought the whole thing was fabulous what with the ride, the show, and mommy's melody. We went around and around the dining table, upstairs then down, in and out of bedrooms, touring our house.

Sure, I've got a few things on a to-do list for the day, and that activity wasn't one of them, but there's nothing I'd rather be doing than going through life (or the library) with my little family here at home. (I do wish Brian were here to join in, but alas, at least one of us has to work full time.) I just wanted to record this moment, because it's not something that's going to make the baby book, I won't put it on Will's milestone calendar, but it is a great example of the joy I'm finding in this stage of his life.

Saturday Morning Scene

2011-07-09T12:06:00.002-05:00

This is Will sleeping with abandon until it almost wasn't Saturday morning anymore! I was getting so bored that I contemplated waking him up so I would have someone to play with but I refrained. He did finally wake up about 30 minutes ago and is sitting with me listening to 90's radio on Pandora and admiring pictures of himself. Normally Brian and I would sit on the deck and drink coffee and capitalize on our baby's late sleeping habits, but he is in Corpus for his drill weekend, then drill two-weeks starts tomorrow. I'll be heading down there to join him then.

Does anyone know if it's possible to blog from an iPad? I haven't figured out how yet and that's all I'll have available to me for a while.

Our 4th of July weekend in pictures

2011-07-08T16:01:00.006-05:00

Grammy and Gramps came in town

we hung out at the lakehouse

we watched the parade downtown

anyone can make a "float"

We watched the boat parade from the dock. Megan and James rode in it

We rode on the boat and went tubing

We were having so much fun we decided to skip the Riverwalk and just go to dinner in town. Then we decided to skip dinner in town to have bbq at the lake. So the anniversary wasn't celebrated in the traditional sense, but we enjoyed each others company very much and we did exchange gifts. I got an iPad!

Happy Anniversary, my love!

2011-07-04T11:40:00.004-05:00

I've spent the two best years of my life married to my wonderful husband! 4th of July 2009 was the day that we created our family and I couldn't be happier with the life we lead. The fireworks you see tonight are for us, don't you know?

Happy 11 Week Birthday

2011-07-01T18:58:00.003-05:00

For Will's birthday this week, I made a tri-berry trifle out of angel food cake, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. I asked for suggestions on Facebook and my sweet cousin Janice recommended it in celebration of 4th of July. It was super easy and I might make another one to take over to the lake house on Monday. I got some other suggestions that I'll be making in coming weeks. Here's how it turned out.

And here's part of how he spent his day- cooing.

Since I forgot to blog about them the last couple weeks, I made a devils food cake for his 9th week and a pineapple upside down cake for his 10th.

7 Quick Takes

2011-07-01T09:05:00.002-05:00

~1~

The blueberry soup I made on Wednesday for dinner sort of flopped even though my husband and our guest said they really enjoyed it. The leftovers, however, made an excellent cocktail last night blended with rum and Sun Drop soda. I might make another batch just for the drinks.

~2~

I'm not at all ready to leave Will for "date night" and certainly not over night yet. The fact that people keep insisting they be allowed to babysit soon is starting to piss me off. It's like they want to spend time with my baby but want me to gtfo.

~3~

I am slowly and surely becoming "greener" and "crunchier." It seems to follow easily from wanting a natural start for my son. Whatever efforts we undertake in that area or changes we implement I can swear on my mother's life it will stop short of using family cloth. I draw the line way short of laundering my husband's you know what.

~4~

I'm thinking about getting this monogrammed jon jon in her wedding colors for Will to wear to my cousin's wedding. Wouldn't that be darling? But the fact that I spent sooo much money and wasted energy ordering my bridesmaid dress makes me want to throw a $3 onesie on him and call it good. I said I was going to write a separate post to tell you about that experience and I did, but didn't post it because it was one big whine fest. Being blogging-style girls though, I imagine a lot of you have probably done a good bit of online shopping. Have you ever had to call to confirm an order you placed and paid for online? After receiving an email confirmation for a phone order, have you ever had to print it, sign it and fax it back? No? Me neither until I dealt with this dress company. Plus I had to spend $40 rush shipping because I didn't follow those directions right the first time and the dress will only get here about 2 weeks sooner than it would have, still almost 3 months. Ok, apparently I wrote the whine fest after all, but it's much better in a quick take I think than a whole devoted post.

~5~

These are our plans for this weekend:

Friday- finally go to the free dance class I've been wanting to go to for weeks and haven't been able to.

Saturday - take a trip to the farmer's market, more for entertainment than actual shopping this time. Have dinner somewhere on the Riverwalk and spend the night at the Drury Plaza there for our 2 year anniversary (which is actually on Monday) Yes, Will is coming with us. No you can't babysit.

Sunday - meet my mom and dad at Mass and hang out with them. Maybe play at the river, I hope!

Monday - watch the 4th of July parade in town, then go to the lake house to watch the boat parade. Grill and play with Brian's family and my parents. Celebrate our freedom. Make up times that Will needs to eat just so I can get some hold time in with him away from all the baby-hungry loved ones.

~6~

I desperately want an iPad. I was just about ready to talk myself into deciding it was too expensive and I shouldn't get one when my husband said he thinks "it's necessary" especially for the 2 weeks we'll be in Corpus with no tv or internet. So now it looks like I really will get one! Sure, I'll likely just use it to play games and maybe read books, but I'm excited that I'll be current with technology for once!

~7~

I'm super sad that my bestie moved to North Carolina to stay. I know I wouldn't have actually seen her anyway since she lived in Denton before this, but knowing that she's that far away makes me miss her like crazy. I wish we were back in the days when a quick bike ride was the only thing that separated us. Chatting a long time yesterday helped, but I want to start planning when we can take a trip up there so we can meet each others babies! Her's is coming in October!

Family Photos

2011-06-30T12:20:00.012-05:00

I mentioned that our friends the McNabbs came to town this weekend and that we had a great time with them! I can't wait to meet their little boy Pierce who is due in September. Jared McNabb has a photography business and offered to take pictures of William as a baby gift to us. We were so glad to accept and we spent a good part of the weekend taking pictures of our little boy and then of the whole family. None of us is particularly photogenic. Brian and I found that out about ourselves when taking engagement pictures and confirmed it during wedding, and then maternity pictures. William has been known to smile beautifully right up until a camera is held up and then make as dull of face as possible. He did that for Jared too unfortunately, but he was so much better than any other photographer we've worked with at helping us look natural in front of the camera and waiting for us to make just the right face before taking his shot. I was very comfortable posing and had so much fun with it. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the baby shoot and from our family shoot.

I'm having the hardest time trying to pick which pictures I want to print to display in our home, but I'm pretty sure that last one will be our Christmas card this year.

Please go check out the rest of the pictures on his blog www.jaredmcnabbphoto.com/blog. If you're looking for a photographer I strongly recommend Jared! He's located in Houston but he and Erin love to travel.

What a lovely day

2011-06-29T17:33:00.006-05:00

Will and I have been enjoying a particularly nice day today!

It started out with our sweet friends Brooke, Maggie and Clare coming over to play. They had a good time. I am really looking forward to the day when Will can actually play and interact with me or with other kids. I think it will be so fun. For today though Will and Clare chilled on the activity gym while Maggie enjoyed exploring the dog water and my lazy susan. Can you see the dry mustard she has in the picture of the three of them? Brooke agreed to look after Will during the days that I'm teaching next year, which I couldn't be more thrilled about. He's going to be in such good hands!

By the time they left, it was nap time so William caught some zz's while I made the blueberry soup for dinner and Mommy and Grammy chatted. I also got to talk to Neely for the first time in a while. I just wish she had happier news. I love you, lady! You have so many "real" friends who are here for you.

After that we made a quick stop by the florist to pick up some "welcome baby" bouquets. We had not one, but two new friends born at the same hospital. We took a trip up to meet them and congratulate their families. Barrett James and Rhett Archer are the most darling little boys born since my own. They are normal baby size, 7 lbs 8 oz and 6 lbs 10 oz respectively, but they seem so teeny tiny in comparison to William. I never got to see him all fragile like that. Their mommies are doing really well too. Here is me, Laurel and Rhett. Barrett was eating so I didn't get to take a picture with him.

From the hospital, we went over to the church to say a Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Of course we prayed for a healthy start for these little boys, but also a prayer for Pope Benedict because today is his 60 anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Today is also the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul so that made our little chapel the perfect place to pray today. Will did so great letting me get through the whole prayer. I was prepared to stop one decade in if need be, but he held strong.

We're home now and will stay put the rest of the evening I assume, but we will have company here. Brian's college roommate, Cain, has a new job at Valero where Brian works too. He'll have to move closer to San Antonio (he lives in Austin now) but he's staying with us while he finds a place. We've been enjoying his stay for a few days so far.

One last thing that has made today great is that I got to see the sneak peek of the pictures Jared took of Will this weekend. You can check out the sneak peek too on his blog, but when I see the rest I'll post some here. This is my favorite one so far.

I hope you're having a great day too!

Humongo-Baby

2011-06-28T08:53:00.006-05:00

I love my ~~little~~ big butterball of a baby! I definitely had not prepared myself to have such a hefty boy though! When I was born I weighted 5 lbs 7 oz and was 20 inches long. I was a super skinny baby for quite a long time and never had the chubby cheeks or thigh rolls that are so delicious on babies. Brian on the other hand was quite a chunk apparently but our boy beats him.

William weighed 9 lbs 9 oz at birth and was 22 inches long. That's big, but he just keeps getting bigger! At his 2 month appointment we learned that he was 25 inches long which puts him in the 95th percentile and weighed 17 lbs 1 oz placing him in the 99th percentile for weight. I'll be darned if he hasn't gained another pound since then!

They say you can't possibly overfeed a breastfed baby and that he'll go through a stretch where he doesn't gain any weight once he becomes more active, but I do have my doubts. I've built up some muscles holding him all day but it's tough unless he's sitting on my lap or riding in a carrier.

On a side note, don't you just love his shades?

Here are a few pictures from our weekend. We had our good friends Erin and Jared in town. They are expecting their first baby in September. We took the boat out and went swimming at the lake. Jared is a photographer and took a whole bunch of wonderful pictures of Will and of our family, so there will be much more beautiful pictures coming soon.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-06-27T16:52:00.002-05:00

Monday: Hazelnut quinoa stuffed peppers, watermelon. Ice cream sundaes with the group after dinner.

Tuesday: Sausage and Grits Meatloaf, mushrooms, and kale

Wednesday: Fried egg sandwiches and blueberry soup (not this recipe but similar)

Thursday: Cincinnati style chili over spaghetti, cooked carrots

Friday: Spanish cod on rice, cucumber salad

Saturday: Fried chicken, pinto beans and mixed greens

I felt a little conflicted grocery shopping today because I've been trying to buy more organic and natural foods for my family, but I was also buying the fixings for ice cream sundaes which we're going to have when we host our friends for the Monday night group this evening. I had organic soups, eggs, tons of produce, etc, then Hershey's, Smucker's and Nesquick syrups, sprinkles, and marachino cherries. Is there such a thing as organic sprinkles?

Anyone who has worn a baby in public seems to know what kind of attention that draws. It's a trade off, I have both hands free and know that Will is comfy and safe, but every other person wants to stop and talk about the carrier, how big he is, and what he's doing in there. I love that so many people think I have a cute baby, but I have a limited amount of shopping time before he wants to nurse again and I've got to this this ice cream in the freezer! I try to get out quick with an "aw thanks" and a big smile, but I'm going to have to get craftier if I really want to make haste.

Cake 8- Banana Crumb Cake

2011-06-10T21:31:00.003-05:00

Today Willie turned 8 weeks old! I can't believe how quickly time is passing. If it were the middle of the school year I would have been going back to work which is incomprehensible to me. I couldn't leave this little buddy if I wanted to!

In celebration I made Christy Jordan's Banana Crumb Cake. It wasn't the first time I've made it, in fact I think I'm developing a reputation for making and sharing it, but really all my best recipes come from her. The reason I made it today is because we are going out of town on Sunday, Brian to Aruba, Will me and my mom to the Valley. I wanted to bring cake to my grandpa when he gets to meet his great grandson for the first time and this recipe makes two 8x8s or two loaf pans. I made an 8x8 for us and a loaf to bring down to family. The other reason is that Brian's work threw a shower for us this week and sent us home with a huge chocolate cake that we've been eating on since. There's an awful lot of cake around here but I couldn't break my plan so soon.

This is a perfect way to use up too ripe bananas and goes great with coffee as a breakfast cake, but makes a fine dessert too!

The flood of 2010

2011-06-09T14:25:00.006-05:00

A year ago today the Guadalupe river, which we lived across the street from then and now, rose from 4 to 29 feet in a matter of an hour and a half. It was just a few days after Neely and Chad had come to visit and we had tubed the river and swam and boated in Lake Dunlap. Both would be closed for most of the rest of the summer. Our house didn't get any water in it but I was home alone to watch the waters rise closer and closer. There were only a few inches that kept our front door step out of the water. Many people did lose their homes, boat houses, RVs, and one man lost his life.

Living in this town, you often hear people refer to the flood of '98 when just about all of New Braunfels was under water, including the house we live in now. I wonder if people will speak about the flood of 2010 in the same way, or maybe not since it wasn't the worst we've had, and there is always the chance that it will happen again. It seems that no matter where you live there is a chance of some disaster or the other befalling unsuspecting residents. It makes you sensitive to those who have been hit recently, by tornados, wild fires, earthquakes, hurricanes that will land this summer. God promised not to wipe out the earth with a flood again, but when it is your own family and your own home in danger, it probably doesn't feel very different.

St. William of York, pray for us

2011-06-08T18:37:00.002-05:00

Today, June 8th, is the feast day of William's namesake, St. William of York. I had forgotten to celebrate, but thankfully a dear friend reminded me. So today I am thankful for the example of the archbishop of York and will ask him to intercede for my son.

St. William, you never took your eyes off of Christ and his will for you. You devoted yourself to a life of prayer and mortification and you showed forgiveness and love to those who had before been in opposition to your election. Please help us follow your example of perseverence and forgiveness so that we may forgive our transgressors and always persevere in the Lord's will. Amen.

Learn more about him and other Catholic saints here.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-06-06T13:19:00.003-05:00

Monday: Crispy eggplant with mushroom marinara over orzo, with sauteed beet greens

Tuesday: the Ham and Tomato Pie I didn't actually end up making last week, blueberry and cantaloupe fruit salad

Wednesday: chicken enchiladas from my new cook book! pinto beans

Thursday: Pork roast, roasted beets, new potatoes

Friday: corn and crab chowder

Weekend Recap

2011-06-06T11:51:00.008-05:00

Friday morning Will and I joined three other mamas for some play time with their babies. Will mostly watches at this point, but it's nice to know he will have so many friends built-in as our friends' children to start off with. We talked about getting together more regularly which I hope will happen as I thoroughly enjoy their company, but sadly I'm worried my house won't be a good place to play. The littlest babies would be happy here, but we don't have the big baby toys to keep the older ones entertained. They would be terribly disappointed by the toy selection.

Unfortunately a good chunk of our playtime was carved out by annoying phone calls back and forth with Perfect Bridal. I was going to pause the recap here and tell you the story of the dress, but on second thought, I'm just going to put it in a separate post.

Friday evening I had every good intention of going to my first real dance class in 9 years (that's excluding the semester of ballet I took in college for credit)! A local ballet studio offers free dance classes every Friday evening in a different dance style each week and the first was jazz. I was pumped. I told my mom and my friends I was going, I invited another friend who loves and misses dance like I do to go with me (she ended up not being able to). I dug out my jazz shoes and some suitable dance clothes and check and double checked with Brian to be sure he was going to be able to watch Will for an hour and a half. It would be the first time I left him since a botched trip to Kohl's early on. Off I went, only to arrive at the studio and realize I had all the details right except that the first class of the summer is June 10th not June 3rd. Not to waste my freedom, I stopped on the way home and got my eyebrows waxed and a 10 minute chair massage at my nail salon. I'm planning the do-over for this Friday.

Saturday morning brought a trip to the farmer's market here in town. We go every week that we can because it feels like not just food shopping, but a date and entertainment as well. That's how we justify the slightly higher prices on produce. We ended up getting a pretty good selection of fruits and veggies as well as some honey, some grass-fed, hormone free, yada yada beef and the best tortilla chips (fried in coconut oil) I've ever had in my life. It was the trial run for our new stroller, and I was very pleased. I had wanted an alternative to the Bob Revolution that I could take shopping and on neighborhood walks that was less bulky than the Bob. I compared several brands and decided on the Inglesina Swift who's primary advantage ended up being the color. I love this green!

Will was very comfy and the handles are tall enough that even Brian could push it easily.

We went grocery shopping to fill out the rest of the menu at HEB. I was so glad that Brian was with us. Mainly because it's so much easier to shop with an extra hand, but also because he got to see first-hand how often we get stopped to talk about the baby, the sweet comments and the stupid ones.

We spent the rest of the day doing little projects around the house. Will and I were Daddy's assistants in the shop.

Sunday I was late to Mass because I ended up having to feed Will in the parking lot before coming in during the Homily. Apparently Will was cute enough to make up for it, everyone around us fussed over him. We relaxed hard core, and managed to eat every meal outdoors. Brian BBQed a chuck roast with a super yummy espresso rub on it for dinner. Will kept me entertained in the meantime. He learned to roll over from front to back yesterday! Here's the proof.

I hope you had a weekend as nice as mine!

Cake 7- Pioneer Woman's Pig Cake

2011-06-03T17:12:00.004-05:00

On William's due date I made him a strawberry cake that I was hoping would be a birthday cake. When he turned 1 week old on Good Friday (no one around here was very good at being penitent) I made a Duncan Hines chocolate box cake that happened to be in my cupboard. I had a terrible fever and a one week old so that's about all I could muster up. At that point though I had an idea, or maybe Brian suggested it, why don't we have cake every week for William's birthday, all year. Great idea! 52 cakes!

There's a chance that I'll give up at some point, or miss a couple weeks. There's a good chance that my son will be pretty upset with me when I'm limiting his sweets when he's 5 or 6 and he finds out that there was a cake every Friday for his first year t

hat he didn't even get to eat. But there's a great chance that I will enjoy celebrating my son as he grows this first year, and that my husband will appreciate having cake in the house all the time.

Here's what we've had so far:

Due date: Strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting - delicious!

1 Week: Duncan Hines chocolate with chocolate can frosting

2 Weeks: Blackberry Coconut Cake - it was supposed to be raspberries but blackberries were on sale. it was a little dry, but looked beautiful under my cake dome.

3 Weeks: Aunt Sue's Orange Juice Cake - by far one of the best cakes I've ever had. I want it again already. Made in a bundt.

4 Weeks: Chocolate Pistachio Cake - I hated it. It was like eating unsweetened cocoa powder- dry and bitter- even after I added a chocolate glaze. My recommendation would be to use less pure dark chocolate even though that's the who

le point. Brian and his cousin loved it though.

5 Weeks: Lemonade Layer Cake - it came from a Junior League cookbook and I can't find the same recipe online. I cheated and made it 13x9 so I could travel with it. It was excellent!

6 Weeks: Store bought white cake with whipped icing for Will'

s Baptism. I don't think it's cheating since I was hosting a brunch for 30 people.

That brings us to Week 7. Happy birthday William!! I just finished making Pioneer Woman's Pig Cake. It is so sweet and moist and almost refreshing. I love the whipped topping. Her's is beautiful, be sure to click over and check out the pictures. Here's mine.

Will this morning

2011-06-02T11:46:00.003-05:00

Is he just the cutest baby you've ever seen (except yours of course)? I love having a little boy to play with! There was more smiling and batting of the giraffe than I could capture on video, but you get the idea. He'll be 7 weeks old tomorrow.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-05-17T10:12:00.002-05:00

I reserve the right to call it that no matter what day I post it.

Monday: Santa Fe Soup for our Monday night group. Watermelon, Candy Cookie Cups. We hosted this week. Everyone liked the soup a lot and it made a nice big pot of it, so I figured I share the recipe in case anyone else needs something easy and inexpensive to feed a crowd.

originally published in Food for Thought by the Junior League of Birmingham, AL

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey) browned with an onion.

Add in 2 packets of taco seasoning and 2 packets of ranch dressing mix

Here come the cans! Dump in, without draining:

a can of black beans

a can of pinto beans

a can of kidney beans

a can of Rotel style tomatoes with chiles

a can of tomato wedges. (that's what the recipe says but I've never seen a can of tomato wedges so I just used a can of diced tomatoes without chiles)

2 cans of white corn (I used mixed white and yellow because it was on sale for $.46, it was prettier that way)

simmer for 2 hours. Add a couple cups of water as it gets thicker.

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, avacado, tortilla chips or any combination thereof

Tuesday: Fried fresh trout (Brian went fishing this weekend), cole slaw, steamed baby yellow squash

Wednesday: Pasta with peas, panzanella salad (we usually do vegetarian on Fridays, or sometimes Mondays, but the ingredients I need to use up will work better to do it Wednesday this week)

Thursday: Basil burgers, grilled corn on the cob, sweet potato chips

Friday we're heading in to Sugar Land to see my family and introduce Will to some friends there!

It's OK

2011-04-11T17:18:00.004-05:00

It's ok to clean under your finger nails with a potato scrubber. Or an earring post. Whatever.

It's ok to tell your dog 10 times in a row to stop eating the ashes out of the bbq pit but to not stand up and empty them out so he doesn't keep doing it.

It's ok to feel just a little sad that you're having a boy rather than a girl every time you see adorable hairbows for sale. (as long as you're thrilled about it the rest of the time)

It's ok to have an enormous stockpile of greeting cards that you bought with the best of intentions even though they may never get sent, at least to their originally intended recipients.

It's ok to try to slip in coupons that you know are expired or two for the same product just to see if the store will take them. It's not stealing. Or maybe it is, I've been feeling a little guilty for this lately.

It's ok to spend whole days watching marathons of House, or Law and Order SVU, or Top Chef, or Little Miss Perfect.

It's ok to make up or embellish pregnancy aches and pains so your husband will keep massaging.

It's ok to throw away perfectly good lightbulbs because you just can't store that many of them. How did we get that many lightbulbs anyway?

It's ok to take the free eye exam at WalMart just to hear them say your vision is perfect, again.

It's ok to categorically like all songs with a whistling part in them and dislike all songs that include the lyrics "for you and for me" or refer to one's generation.

And just for good measure, this song is ok too!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-11T13:58:00.004-05:00

Shopping and cooking are on my no-can-do list of bed rest restrictions (along with travel, sex and cleaning), which came as bummers since those are kind of the highlights of my day! So for the last few weeks I've had to plan meals that are quick and easy for Brian to make when he gets home from work, with a little help from me because I'm not that good at following instructions. Most of the meals I've picked are coming from the Simple and Delicious cookbook put out by Taste of Home. I love how they organize the meals and time each of the recipes. None of them are over 30 minutes. Sides are based almost solely on what we found at the farmers' market on Saturday. So here's what we're having (it's running Saturday to Friday even though I'm posting on Monday):

Saturday: Uglies, roasted broccoli greens, and mashed potatoes.

Did you know you could use the broccoli leaves? I didn't until a nice farmer sold us some. They were delicious! Less bitter than collards, and really simple to make with this roasting recipe. Different than the usual sauteeing I do with pretty much all other greens.

The filling for the uglies would have been better divided among 10 biscuits rather than 8. There was some left after I stuffed as much as I could into the biscuit cups that I had to eat with a spoon. Oh, the sacrifice!

Sunday: Chicken Tikka Masala (sort of), taboule from the box, naan, and sliced radishes and vinegar. The radishes were Easter egg radishes, a mix of pink, red, purple, white and yellow. So pretty!

The reason I say sort of about the Tikka Masala is that we bought a premade batch of it from a guy at the farmers market that was intended to be a dip, but I used it as a marinade then followed these instructions for sesame chicken to bake it and serve over rice.

Monday: Tuna Burgers with mustard greens and chips

Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs, zucchini boats

I already made the meatballs with what was left of the ground beef after the uglies on Saturday

Wednesday: beer marinated Chicken tacos with super spicy Brianmade salsa to hurry Will along if he's not here yet, and canned beans

Friday: Pine Nut Crusted Red Snapper, spinach and rice

Come on, baby!

2011-04-11T09:29:00.002-05:00

This certainly hasn't been a pregnancy blog, but inspired by Allie's weekly postings, I thought I might should do one of my own before it's over. For the last few weeks I've been thinking everything I do is the last time I'm going to do it before the baby gets here. Saturday I went to the Farmer's Market, again thinking it's the last time. Yesterday was the third week in a row I thought I would be going to Mass for the last time before baby gets here. Let's hope I was right and that this is the last Monday before baby gets here. The good news though is that this means so far my doctor has decided baby and I are healthy enough to carry on in pregnancy rather than inducing. That was a real possibility because of high blood pressure, but as of now he says that I am fine to continue to 41 weeks (yikes!) as long as nothing changes. Tomorrow is my e.d.d. and I know only 5% of babies are actually born on their due dates, but lets offer a prayer that this little boy is!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 40 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +25 lbs

Is your nursery done? basically. I need to hang his quilt and post the decal of his name on the wall. Also my parents ordered us a glider that hasn't come yet. So actually I guess the nursery isn't done, but we don't really plan on having him in there much anyway, at least at first.

What is your favorite piece of baby gear that you've purchased? I'm really excited to try out the Baby K'Tan carrier I got us.

Which stroller did you buy? My parents gave us a Bob Revolution jogging stroller. I'd also like to pick up a smaller umbrella stroller for shopping trips, etc. I couldn't believe there wasn't a single stroller at the consignment store when I went but I have my eyes peeled.

How many inches around is that bump? I don't know in terms of inches, but out of curiousity I played the toilet paper game alone at home just to see. I insisted that we not play it at either of my showers because honestly how fun is measuring your body under the scrutiny of all your family and friends under any circumstances? But fyi, it took 11 squares of toilet paper to wrap around my belly at the belly button. Incidentally, that is still about half a square too short to wrap around my hips at the widest point. Even 9 months pregnant, I'm pear shaped!

Are you getting nervous? Yes, a little. I was confident when we were planning a home birth with a midwife that I knew would be calm and comfortable. Knowing now that I'll be giving birth in the hospital I'm worried about the chance for interventions I don't want and just that the environment is going to be tense and disruptive. I'm not nervous that anything is actually going to go wrong, surprisingly. I have faith that we'll both come through healthy and strong on the other side.

Have you dropped yet? yes, that boy is fully snuggled into my pelvis.

Lost your plug? I think that's what it was...

Are you still working/how long will you work? No, I've been on bed rest for the last few weeks. About 20 hours a day are spent laying on my left side.

How do you feel in general? bored, achy, and oh so ready to hold my baby in my arms

What are you getting the most excited about? I can't wait for us to be a family of 3!

The Accent Vlog

2011-04-02T15:56:00.003-05:00

I vlogged!! I'm hit or miss, I get that. I miss you guys, really, I do! But there are no long apologies or best laid plans to return to blogging this time. I'd love to update you, especially since the baby is coming any day now, but right now I am just dropping in to share this vlog about accents. You should think about doing it too! If you want to follow along or do the Accent Vlog yourself, here are the words/questions: Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught, Coffee, Daughter. What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house? What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball? What is the bubbly carbonated drink called? What do you call gym shoes? What do you say to address a group of people? What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs? What do you call your grandparents? What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket? What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining? What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

The latest game of tag

2010-10-15T14:23:00.005-05:00

So my best friend ever, Allie-Mac-Fallie, tagged me last week to answer the 8 questions she made up and then tag 8 people answer the ones I'll write. I'm not in the habit of letting this girl down, at least when I can help it, so that tag, along with her regular nagging ever since I abandoned my blog early this summer were the final impetus in bringing me back. Wives, don't nag your husbands, but apparently nagging your bff is acceptable and effective. I think she missed my presence here the very most, closely followed by my other bestie, Neely, and my New York grandparents! Hi Guys!

So, here we go...

1. What is the best vacation you have ever taken/ favorite vacation spot?

Quite honestly, I think it was the road trip my parents, Brian and I took to North Carolina for Allie and Karl's wedding this summer followed by a week on the Outer Banks. We stopped in Mobile, AL on the way to Charlotte, attended the most fabulous and fun wedding of our dear friends, then headed out to Hatteras Island where we stayed in a condo on the beach and toured light houses. One was a national park, that's why I got to cross that off my list. Then on the way back we stopped in Savannah, GA (where the baby was created!!!) and Hammond, LA. It was a trip I'll never forget, and definitely eased my mind about all that driving! We've always flown everywhere, but really the driving is not that bad. I did find out that Texas has some of the ugliest interstates in the south though, followed by anywhere within 50 miles of a casino. I wish I had the pictures here, maybe I'll make a slideshow later.

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be/why? (Money isn't an object)

In one of the big beautiful antique houses in New Braunfels, maybe on the banks of the river as long as it's the non-flooding side. I felt completely at home in New Braunfels and was sorry as hell to have to leave. I would be totally satisfied to live and die there. Unfortunately, even though Brian loved NB, he feels the draw to return to the coast one day soon, so that's probably what we'll do.

3. What is your "go-to" outfit? or your favorite outfit (pictures?)?

I have a new favorite I think I'm going to get a ton of use out of this Fall. I've only worn it twice so far including out with Neely when she was here last weekend, but there's some belly growing room in it, and I wear it with leggings and cute red flats. Very comfy!

4. What are you most thankful for in your life?

I can't help but thank God for my Husband and our baby in the same breath 100+ times a day! I'm so blessed by them! I hope I never forget that. I'm also thankful that He's been leading my steps even when I was a less than obedient follower, because I can see now that's exactly what was happening.

5. What is one piece of advice you would give other women?

Don't follow so much advice. Do what your conscience/heart/gut says more often than what other people say.

6. What is one thing you plan to accomplish before the end of this year?

I have a list a mile long to accomplish this week! I get a little frightened by thoughts of the end of the year right around the corner. I'd like to say something about finding a house to buy but that will actually happen early next year. So hmm... how about fit in a camping trip later this Fall. That would be lots of fun, and quite an accomplishment too.

7. What is your favorite purchase you have made in the past month?

My new Southern Plate cookbook!! It's fabulous and you need your own copy. But not you, Allie, you're already getting one. I actually pre-ordered them this April but they came in this month and I just treasure it already.

8. Do you save money for things? What are you saving for? If not, what would you like to save you money up for?

Yes, I try to save up. We are definitely saving right now, for a house, for the baby, for Brian a new truck, for a trip to Colorado next year and maybe one to Florida too.

Here are my questions:

1. What is your favorite holiday and how do you celebrate it?

2. Who was your favorite teacher, why?

3. What should your parents have named you besides your real name?

4. What do you hope will be different about next year than this one?

5. What is a lesson you have learned from an ex?

6. Do you have a specific moment that you realized you're an adult now?

7. What is a skill you wish you had?

8. What makes you feel beautiful?

I'm tagging:

Janice (in the hopes it will bring her back to blogging like it did me!)

And you of course!

A Cure for the Common Cold

2010-10-15T11:50:00.002-05:00

Hint: There isn't one!

This is how a cold works. Maybe it’s a little different for you but it’s always the same for me. It always amazes me how surprised some people act about colds though and how there are still so many widely believed myths about them. Here to set the record straight, at least from my point of view, is an accounting of the cold I’m getting over right now and every one I’ve every had before.

Day 1: My throat hurts. I try to make excuses for it besides getting sick, like maybe I sang too loud in the car yesterday. By nightfall this excuse is wearing thin.

Day 2: My throat is hurting super bad. I’m wondering if it’s strep this time, because sometimes it is. Start taking mega doses of Vitamin C (anyone remember that song?) and drinking hot tea and chicken bouillon.

Day 3: Throat still hurts, but a whole lot less and now I have a sinus headache, which proves that it’s not strep and the cold will continue per usual. Voice gets hoarse as the day goes on, and I can’t smell anything.

Someone (probably the mother of the person you caught the cold from) says "oh it’s this weather we’re having." It’s not the weather. Weather doesn’t have germs. Weather has nothing to do with it. And besides the “weather we’ve been having” is perfectly ideal chamber of commerce weather. That’s not it. It’s germs, specifically a virus.

Day 4: No one wants me around them. I wake up the house coughing, and there’s a growing pile of Kleenex on the floor near my bed. I’ve probably been throwing up from all the mucus that’s drained down there. TMI, I know.

Someone suggests that it’s probably allergies. It’s not allergies.

Someone else suggests that maybe it’s more than a cold and I should go to a doc in the box. I should not go to a doc in the box. If he was a decent doctor he would say “it’s a cold. Here’s an expectorant to help your body clear out the mucus which is what it’s already trying to do with all the coughing. Drink lots of fluids.” But I’m pregnant and couldn’t take the expectorant anyway and I already know about the fluids thing. Unfortunately, there are a lot of less than decent doctors out there who would say instead “here’s an antibiotic (worthless against a virus which is what a cold is) and a cough suppressant (exactly the opposite of what I need right now).”

Day 5: My cough will continue, drier now, but it has mostly done its job already. It’s always the worst in the morning, but it’ll get better as the day goes on. My nose is chapped, my lips are chapped, my hands are dried out from all the GermX, and I still can’t smell very well. But the good news is the cold is pretty much done! Even though I still sound gross, I’m starting to feel fine. This is where I am today, and that’s pretty good news.

I've been a little busy lately...

2010-10-13T11:55:00.003-05:00

So you might have realized I basically took the whole summer off of blogging and we're now a good way into fall and I've been silent. I'm sorry about that. I kept wanting to come back to blogging, really I did, but each time I put it off it seemed even more and more overwhelming to come back to.
I have some big stuff to talk about! I may have missed the window for talking about our one year anniversary and the incredible vacation to NC this summer. But I definitely owe you at least a recap about how I have a job now! Brian's been gone for the last 7 weeks at boot camp. How we moved in with his parents in Austin and are starting the search for a house. And last but not least, how we're expecting a baby in April! That's right, there's an egg in this nest. I think it might take a whole week of straight up writing to get all that on screen so I'm going to just ease back in I think. I've been missing you all!
Here's an update on my 30 before 30 list to kick off my reentry into blog world.
1. ~~Become a mom~~
2. Buy a house
3. Leave the continent
4. Bring a neighbor something I baked
5. Plant a tree
6. Read 10 more books on the College Board List
7. Be a Maid of Honor
8. Ride in a hot air balloon
9. ~~Throw a baby shower~~
10. Get my concealed handgun license
11. Join a gym
12. ~~Watch Gone With Wind~~
13. take ballet again
14. Join the Junior League
15. Host a theme party
16. Wear something I sewed myself
17. Learn to play golf
18. Have a 6 month savings account
19. Get a job I ~~love~~like
20. Find a dentist I trust
21. ~~Meet a blog friend IRL~~
22. Go strawberry picking
23. Make over a piece of furniture
24. Own a Corgi
25. ~~Visit a national park~~
26. Print our wedding album
27. Attend my 10 year High School reunion
28. Go on a mission trip
29. Get season tickets for the Aggies
30. Attend the the Republican State Convention

I think I lost a few followers while I was gone. Sad, but completely understandable, so if you do drop by could you let me know in the comments? I'd like to know also which blogs I need to hurry back to visit!

What's better than fresh laundry?

2010-07-02T16:02:00.004-05:00

It seems like fresh laundry shows up on a lot of people's lists of things that make them happy. I think at least a hundred of my facebook friends have that listed as one of their interests. I get it. Really, I do. It's one of the simple things; seeing it hanging on a line, the smell of it coming out of the dryer, the coziness of fresh towels. My husband is one of these people that loves fresh laundry, especially the smell. Whenever we see a display of scented candles, that's always the one he opens and inhales first. I just can't get on board with a love of laundry though. While I concede that a basket of fresh laundry beats a hamper of the dirty stuff handily, it just doesn't turn me on the way it seems to do for most people. You know what I think would be really swell? If I could forgo the laundry altogether and just have a closet of new clothes every time. Yeah, that would be way better I think.

30 Before 30 List

2010-06-22T14:49:00.002-05:00

I created this list just before my 26th birthday. I do believe that four years is sufficient to complete these items. I intentionally made some of them very easy or ones that I knew I would be completing soon, but there are others that I don't have any plans for yet. A month into this year and I already have two done. I'll most likely link back to this list as I complete them and give updates every so often. I admit that I read several other people's 30 before 30 lists and was influenced to include a few of the items from them. That's ok I think. Maybe my list will inspire you to try something too? It was a great exercise to just narrow down the things that I wanted to do. I encourage you to try it!

1. Become a mom

2. Buy a house

3. Leave the continent

4. Bring a neighbor something I baked

5. Plant a tree

6. Read 10 more books on the College Board List

7. Be a Maid of Honor

8. Ride in a hot air balloon

9. Throw a baby shower

10. Get my concealed handgun license

11. Join a gym

12. ~~Watch Gone With Wind~~

13. take ballet again

14. Join the Junior League

15. Host a theme party

16. Wear something I sewed myself

17. Learn to play golf

18. Have a 6 month savings account

19. Get a job I love

20. Find a dentist I trust

21. ~~Meet a blog friend IRL~~

22. Go strawberry picking

23. Make over a piece of furniture

24. Own a Corgi

25. Visit a national park

26. Print our wedding album

27. Attend my 10 year High School reunion

28. Go on a mission trip

29. Get season tickets for the Aggies

30. Attend the the Republican State Convention

one other thing I did! Learned how to strike through text. It's like this with whatever the text is that you want crossed out in the middle of > these <

I'm ALIVE!

2010-06-22T14:15:00.003-05:00

I've been catching some serious flack for abandoning my blog the way I did! I had no idea I'd be away for so long. If you were wondering where I was and if I'd ever be back, I'm very sorry I left you dangling like that. If you hadn't even realized I was gone, you might just keep that to yourself. So what was I doing while I wasn't writing?

Well, my computer fritzed out during a lightning storm and I was without one for almost a week!
Then we had a super awesome weekend with our new friends, Neely and Chad. Go read Neely's recap, she summed it up great!
Then all of the sudden a huge flood happened and I didn't dare turn on the replacement computer for fear it would get struck too. I spent a day or two checking on damage. No water got in our house, we were very lucky!
After that I went to South Padre with Brian because he was a groomsman in his friend's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and a terrific long party weekend. Sadly, the secondary reason for going down there was that my grandfather was very ill and in the hospital so I spent a lot of time visiting with him and wondering if it might be the last chance. He's doing quite a bit better now and is at home healing.
I spent the following week and searching desperately for teaching jobs. The whole submit an online application and wait for them to call you thing was not working out. No, not at all. So I had to get aggressive about it and show up on school steps. That really wasn't working so well either because it's so late in the game.
Then last weekend I went up to Denton to help host a Bridal shower for my best friend Allie! It was a success and I loved meeting more of her friends and getting to spend a weekend with such a wonderful couple!
These last couple days have been mighty frustrating because it's back on the job hunt. A principal in Jazzercize gear who actually told me at the door to the school "you are not coming in here" made me cry, but she said sorry later. As of today, however, things are looking way up! There might be a job in the works for me and I'll let you know more when I know more.

So you see, I haven't exactly been idle lately. I have a pretty busy rest of the summer remaining but I don't plan on disappearing again. I really do hope you won't hold it against me and will keep reading! I had to clear out my Google Reader because there were over 1000 unread posts (I think it was actually over 2000), but I'll get right back to reading and commenting on your posts now.

By the way, I think I left off right as I was about to announce a giveaway winner. The competition was lacking- only 5 people entered. Maybe yall didn't think the prize was as good as I did? But without further ado, the winner is....... Brittany Garcia! She'll be getting her Southern Belle t-shirt soon!

Just a few little things

2010-05-31T18:32:00.002-05:00

No menu today because Brian is going back to Amarillo again! Ugh!
Three people participated in Sing Along Sunday yesterday and one more tried. Hey, that's an improvement!
I had a lovely birthday and a fun weekend. I'll tell a little more about it soon but I was awful about taking pictures.
4 more days until this girl comes to visit!!
Sleep over with Stefanie tomorrow, yay, then brunch! And whoa, she posted again! Check it out, the girl is hilarious!
I'm giving away a Southern Belle tshirt to a lucky reader and only 4 have entered so far. Go enter!

Sing-Along Sunday

2010-05-30T07:52:00.003-05:00

Good morning! I hope your weekend is going great, it's a long one! We're having a wonderful time here.

It's time for Sing-Along Sunday again! I'm going to post a couple of songs that I'm thinking about and throw up a Linky down below. Then you pick a song or two that you have stuck in your head this morning or one you'd like to share, and post it on your own blog, the comments if you don't have one. Already have a recent song post? Feel free to use that one. Just enter the url for the specific post into the Linky so we can all come visit.

Sing-Along Sunday is kind of like this. Singing alone in the shower or the car is nice. Singing your favorite song with your best friend is really cool. But singing along with a whole church/bar/concert hall full of people can be amazing. So really, the more the merrier. All genres are welcome. I hope you'll sing along!

First one is from the band we saw last night, Emory Quinn. We've seen them about 5 times now. The video is at Sam's Burger Joint in San Antonio which we've seen them at before, but last night was at Gruene Hall.

This next song I'm posting as a Memorial Day tribute to all the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces especially those who died in service to it. I'm not a huge Toby Keith fan, but this song gets to me.

Fuming Fridays

2010-05-28T10:10:00.002-05:00

My most awesomest blog friend, Neely, is hosting Fuming Fridays again today! If you have anything you'd like to complain/rant/b*tch about, now is your chance! I have just a few little things.

First thing I saw when I woke up this morning, on my birthday, was a big ugly roach on the wall across from us. I had to wake Brian up and get him to kill it. I hadn't seen one in the house since last Summer and I guess they're coming back again. G-ross!
My bestie, Allie, and her hubby were supposed to come visit and play this weekend, but Karl's dummy boss is making him work and so I don't get to play with my friends. Major bummer!
Brian and I already fought this morning and about something stupider than stupid, a hypothetical ice chest rack (yes, seriously) on a hypothetical FJ Cruiser. We honestly can not have a conversation about cars without it turning into an argument. How ridiculous, right? We worked it out and hopefully it'll be different next time.
I had to move all the furniture out from the rooms it belongs in and stuff it into the guest room so I could have the carpets and couches cleaned on Wednesday. The carpet is dry now but everything is still in there. I sat on one chair that did not get cleaned for the last couple days. Now we have to drag it all back out because three generations of Brian's family may be in that room this weekend, since our other guests won't be.
The only bakery in town refused to make a pink cake for me. They insisted that the only two flavors they have are chocolate and vanilla and wouldn't even consider putting food coloring in there. I hope the icing is pretty at least!

ok, yep, I feel a little better now. Go link up like me! It's the cool thing to do.

And also enter my giveaway. Otherwise, Neely wins by default.

Happy Birthday Giveaway

2010-05-28T09:07:00.005-05:00

Today is my birthday! I'm 26 years old. Pretty exciting, huh? I'm getting ready for a fun weekend even though I'm not sure what all we'll do. I've already gotten three birthday gifts today. I figured this year, why not share the fun! So I'm offering a giveaway of one of my favorite things to wear, a Southern Belle t-shirt. I have two of these, and I've given one as a gift.

I have this one that says "Charm is deceptive and Beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be Praised. - Proverbs 31:30" I couldn't find the exact one online so this is a picture of mine straight out of the washer ;)

I also have this one on a green t-shirt. It's still in the store. It says "Advice is like cooking... you should try some before giving anyone else a taste!"
You can find these shirts at www.Southernbellestore.com. They have sweet messages, sassy ones, religious ones, state pride shirts (but not Texas!) and they're all bright and cute. You don't even have to be Southern to enjoy them but they do all have the flower logo with Southern Belle on the front breast. They include a free sticker and free shipping with every order so you should definitely check them out for yourself or a gift!

So here's how to enter the giveaway:

1. Go here and choose your favorite shirt.

2. Leave a comment telling me which one you picked. You can tell me happy birthday too, if you want.

3. For an extra entry, blog or tweet about the giveaway @ErinSea. Leave a separate comment letting me know that you did. You can follow me on twitter if you want to, but I'm warning you my tweets are rather rare and are pretty boring.

4. After the Memorial Day weekend, on Tuesday, I'll draw a winner and announce it here.

5. I'll send you a gift card to cover any shirt you pick.

Good luck!, I hope you win!

Cutest Dog Contest

2010-05-27T17:54:00.010-05:00

Don't you think this little character should win?

My Last Day as 25

2010-05-27T14:04:00.009-05:00

25 has been an excellent year and tomorrow I'll try out 26! As a little bit of a celebration of a great year, I thought I'd share how I started it as well as 25 things I did during it.

Brian took me to breakfast at the Root Cellar Cafe. I don't remember what I ordered, but I do remember these waffles a la mode for dessert! What a way to start the day, right? Then we went for a walk along the San Marcos River. It was where Brian asked me to marry him too (not that day)!

My birthday present was Jack Rogers sandals. We had celebrated with my parents the weekend before since we were in town for a Memorial Day picnic/wedding shower. They gave me my phone.

After Brian had to leave for work, Stefanie came over to the lake house and we ran errands and layed out. We hung out last night and it was great to catch up despite truly awful service at the River Pub.

That evening we went to my favorite restaurant, Liberty Bistro, for dessert and wine. I call a lot of restaurants my favorite, don't I? Just goes to show you how much I love food I guess!

So you know quite a bit more about the rest of my year already, particularly the 2nd half, but here's a summary of some of the things I did this year. I'm working on a 30 before 30 list that I'll get started on tomorrow!

25 Things I experienced at 25 (many for the first time)

1. Married the love of my life

2. Sang karaoke

3. had a couples massage

4. went deep sea fishing

5. hosted Thanksgiving

6. played XBox

7. played bocce

8. made a toast

9. planted a garden

10. made a house a home

11. mowed grass

12. taught Life Teen

13. went to Mexico

14. got certified to teach math and science

15. paid taxes

16. joined NBRW

17. changed my name

18. got my first (2) pair of shoes over $100

19. saw Willie Nelson

20. bought a bike

21. climbed a rock

22. went to the rodeo

23. made a new friend

24. visited New York family

25. started a blog

Notice that I didn't get to put met Laura Bush on the list. Once I got directions to the place I realized there was no way I could make it before the check-in time so I stayed home instead and did enjoy my evening. Thank you to those of you with advice! My last day at 25 has been observed with a physical at the docs office, some cleaning and watching Gone With the Wind. I have a really yummy meal planned for when Brian gets home and then we're going down the street to a meet and greet for our congressional candidate, Bryan Underwood. All in all, a nice day. The birthday and weekend plans are still a little up in the air, but you'll hear about it after it happens!

Check back tomorrow, because I won't be the only one to be getting presents!

Say BEETS!

2010-05-26T15:29:00.004-05:00

Little bit of a garden update here. The peas are finished and the okra is setting up to get going. There are about 60 green tomatoes of different varieties working on ripening, and more swiss chard than I can eat! But the exciting news is that the beets are just about ready! I just pulled these two out but there are at least 2 more that are pretty much ready too, but who can eat four beets in one day? Besides, Brian is going to want in on this treat! The others need a little more time I think, but I hear they're tastiest when they're young.

So, the question is what to do with them? I've only ever had steamed or boiled beets that I know of but I came across these other recipes in my Google Reader. Any sound good to you?

Beet Chips

Beet Pink Pancakes

Eggs dyed with beets - maybe a little too late in the season

Beet Greens Soup

Beet Salad

ok it's looking like the possibilities are endless! I do know for sure that I want to try the greens too this time. I've never had them before. I'm not sure if I'll fix them just like other greens or try that soup recipe. Maybe both before the season is over.

What do you think about beets? Love them? Hate them? Have a favorite way of fixing them? I've gotta say the pink pee pee might be my favorite!

And I'll go ahead and leave you with this gem. Anyone remember that?

Wedding Wednesdays - 2 for 1 special

2010-05-26T13:44:00.003-05:00

I've been slacking on the Wedding Wednesday posts lately, but today I'm going to round up the last two weeks. This week the theme is groomsmen gifts. Brian picked these out all on his own and I've got to admit, they were quite well received. He ordered monogrammed 24oz beer mugs for each of his groomsmen and ushers. I don't remember where he got them, but they looked a lot like these. He also gave them their Brooks Brothers bow ties cummerbunds and argyle socks but I'm not sure any of those boys counted those as gifts. They sure do look spiffy though, huh?

The mugs were quite the hit and I don't think I saw any of them running low all night. The unforseen benefit to liquoring up those boys early on was that they really helped get the dance floor going. See Taylor in action below. His wedding is in South Padre in just over 2 weeks. Brian is a groomsman and he may be able to return the favor.

Now last week I missed posting about Wedding Wednesday and the theme was reception dinner. I've got to tell you my single favorite day of wedding planning (yes, even better than picking out my dress) was the menu selection day. And my poor poor hubby was travelling for work that week, as his now, and missed out big time! I did have my mom and dad there helping me and it was pretty great!

When we first started planning the wedding I wanted the reception to be at a local restaurant called Palmer's because it was my favorite in town and they have the best pecan crusted chicken you've ever tasted! My plan was to serve that there, but the guest list grew and it grew and we grew right out of that restaurant and ended up looking at a bunch of other places before ultimately choosing the San Marcos Convention Center that was just being built. We booked the wedding before they even had a chef so we were agreeing to tentative prices and menus. As it turned out the chef they ended up getting was excellent and very willing to work with us to make a meal that we wanted and promised to give pecan crusted chicken a try.

So the tasting started out with our signature cocktail. They brought out some seriously delicious drinks! My dad, who doesn't drink at all, was making fast work of these even. We decided on a poinsettia which is champagne and cranberry because we could use that for the toasts and cut down on extra champagne costs. We renamed it Explosion of Love (go ahead, laugh it up) because that's what I'd been calling the whole party. Plus it was beautiful sparkly red with a cherry in the bottom, perfect for 4th of July! It helped decorate the tables for me.

Next we tried hors d'oeuvres and decided on mushroom caps stuffed with herbed Italian sausage, roasted bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeños, and a spicy shrimp skewer. Delicious! I'm glad I got to try them then because they were all pretty much gone by the time we got there. I guess that's the whole point of the cocktail hour.

The salad we chose was fabulous although the only thing I remember about it is that it had goat cheese and pink (raspberry) salad dressing. There were also herbed rolls to go with.

Finally we tried several delicious main courses including beef medallions, shrimp, snapper, tortilla chicken and pecan crusted chicken. You know I went with my favorite! In the setting we had with a plated meal and about 200 guests the coordinator assured me that it was best to go with just one option rather than trying to get everyone to choose. We didn't have any vegetarians or allergics in the group so that worked. We also chose cilantro rice and haricot verts with julienned veggies.

All night long people were telling me it was the best wedding food they had ever had and I'd have to agree. Brian refused to get up and mingle until he had cleaned his plate (I did too) then we at another whole plate after the party up in our honeymoon suite. It was that good, and I didn't have to worry about fitting in a dress anymore!

I didn't make menu cards for the tables since they didn't really have a choice anyway so I'll print one out here:

Menu

Passed hors d'oeuvres

Mushroom cap stuffed with herbed Italian sausage

Jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon

Spicy jumbo shrimp on a skewer

Salad

Mixed field greens with pecans, goat cheese, strawberries and berry dressing

herbed rolls with butter

Main Course

Pecan crusted chicken breast in a chipotle cream sauce

with a side of cilantro rice

and haricot verts with julienned mixed vegetables

On our anniversary, which is coming right up, we plan on going to Mass at the church we were married at. That's a given, since it falls on a Sunday and we go there anyway. Then going back to that hotel and having dinner and spending the night. We might even get to reexperience one of my favorite honeymoon moments in their spa, the couple's massage. I can't wait!!

I have a conundrum

2010-05-25T12:32:00.002-05:00

I can't decide what to do this evening. I have two real options and I'd love your help in deciding what to do.

Option 1: Hurry home after school, feed the dogs, then turn around and head into Austin to see LAURA BUSH speak about her new memoir Spoken from the Heart.

Pros:

It's Laura Bush and I admire her greatly and have heard that she's an excellent speaker from other people who have gone to her readings.
I would get a copy of her book. Signed if I'm fast enough.
I would be doing exciting things even when Brian isn't here.

Cons:

Tickets are $35 and I don't have one yet, so I'd have to figure that out.
My dogs wouldn't be getting my attention.
I'd be rushing around all afternoon and that's not usually fun.
I'd be alone.

Option 2: Go home and relax. Take the dogs on a walk. Pick up all the furniture so the carpets can get cleaned tomorrow. Eat a nutritious dinner. Blog. Make phone calls. Watch Glee and Dancing With the Stars.

Pros:

I would be relaxed and not rushing which is great. And there's something very pleasant about being home alone every now and then.
Those are all things that need to get done anyway.
The rest of my week might run more smoothly if I spent some time this evening getting organized.

Cons:

I might not be responsible about my evening in and end up just watching tv and eating cereal out of the box.
How is this different than what I do most days? Not exactly carpe diem.
I'd miss an opportunity (even if it might not be once in a lifetime) to gain wisdom from a good woman.

I really might go with the plan that gets the most votes over the next few hours since I can't seem to decide on my own. So please comment and let me know what you would do, or what I should do, if they're different.

Summer Reading List

2010-05-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

Booking Mama is hosting a Summer reading challenge to read the 18 books recommended on Entertainment Weekly's list of new Summer reads. Not letting my brain rot is always one of my goals so I figured I would join in and read along!

She's set different levels of completion and it just so happens that if you read 4-6 of the books you achieve the rank of Guppy. Something yall don't know about me is that my nickname from my parents is Guppy so that's where I'm setting my sights - 6 books. I know there will be other books that aren't on the list that I will want to read and I'm guaranteed to not be drawn to them all so I figure this is a reasonable goal. I might reevaluate mid-summer and see if I can raise the bar.

I'll keep you updated with what I'm reading and what I think of it. Head on over here to join in the fun.

Come Holy Spirit

2010-05-23T20:12:00.003-05:00

Happy Pentecost! It's the end of Easter now, but God never leaves us alone but sends the gift of the Holy Spirit to be with us always.

From here. This is framed on our mantel.

Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,

they were all in one place together.

And suddenly there came from the sky

a noise like a strong driving wind,

and it filled the entire house in which they were.

Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,

which parted and came to rest on each one of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

and began to speak in different tongues,

as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven

staying in Jerusalem.

At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,

but they were confused

because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,

“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?

Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?

We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,

inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,

Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,

Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,

as well as travelers from Rome,

both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,

yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues

of the mighty acts of God.”

Sing-Along Sunday

2010-05-22T17:11:00.002-05:00

It's time again for another round of Sing-Along Sunday. I'd love to see a few more people participate, but you're probably busy having too much fun this weekend to think about it, right? I know I am!

I am posting a karaoke favorite (at least in these parts) that's taking a particularly sad tone this week. You see, hubby will be in Amarillo for a work trip by tomorrow morning and gone until Thursday with the possibility of being gone till Friday, my birthday. So here's the ever handsome George Straight. enjoy!

I'd be even sadder if it weren't for the sheer volume of fun we've been having this weekend! I can't wait to tell you all about it tomorrow. Also get ready for some birthday posts this week.

Now, if you'd be a doll, head on over to YouTube (or any other music hosting place) pick out your favorite song, or any one that's on your mind today and post it on your blog. You can post it in the comments if you don't have one. Then come back here and use the nifty linky tool below to link up to your post. That way we can all sing along with you today!

Fuming Fridays

2010-05-21T15:58:00.008-05:00

I'm fuming because this is the house where flowers come to die. Our veggie garden is doing just fine but every attempt we've made at flowers has been an utter failure. Everything is shaded in our yard except the one spot on the side where the veggies went in. It upsets me because I actually do care a lot about gardening and making the house pretty. Our house has ZERO curb appeal on it's own and I thought for sure a rose bed would brighten things up. Our neighbors have knockout roses that look pretty much like this. They grow like this all over the place

what happened when we spent $150 and a couple days trying to get roses? This:

Exhibit B is our dweeby looking oleanders that came with the place. Partially thriving, partially dead as a door nail

Exhibit C: This plant used to be a Pinta. It was bright and beautiful when it came but it may have been left in the cold.

Since this is the first house I've really attempted much gardening I'm going to blame it on the place and not us. My parents have a gorgeous yard, Brian's parents have. We ought to be able to do this. I think I'm going to try once more with some Summer hardy flowers in the new bed that's fixin to be empty and if that doesn't work I quit until we move! Because this pitiful plant routine has me fuming!

What I Wore Wednesday

2010-05-19T07:05:00.010-05:00

I love seeing all of the outfits posted by Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy and her readers that link up each week. So after reading last Wednesday I decided I would participate this week by taking a picture of what I wore each day.

I do my best every day to not look like a frump, but I don't have the stellar fashion sense and creativity that I know some of yall do. I'm also realizing just how bad my photography skills are. I don't think I can blame it entirely on the camera. Anyway here is what I wore.

Wednesday:

Home and errands

Tank - Target

Skirt - Gap

Sandals - Nine West

Necklace - J.Crew

Thursday:

Subbed high school geometry

Tee - Madewell

Skirt - J.Crew

Sandals - Target

Necklace - Maurice's

I forgot to take a picture Friday.

I was subbing high school English and I looked really cute!

I'll have to wear that outfit again.

Saturday:

Wore this outfit for just a little while to run errands.

Cardigan - J.Crew

Tank - J.Crew

Skirt - J.Crew

Sandals - PayLess

Then changed into grub clothes to help B in the garage.

Then into this outfit:

Birthday party (birthday girl not pictured, that's my friend Kim)

Jacket - Ann Taylor Loft

Dress - Old Navy

Shoes - Ross

Necklace - Hawaii

Sunday:

Housework, errands,

I added capri length tights for Mass in the evening

Dress - Old Navy

Sandals - Banana Republic

tights (not pictured) - Target

Monday:

Cooking and housework, Republican Women meeting

Shirt - J.Crew

Belt - Target

Skirt - Target

Shoes - DSW

Tuesday:

Subbing middle school history, Roll out at J.Crew

Dress - J.Crew

Sandals - Payless

Any outfits I should definitely not wear again? Any recommendations on the picture taking? You should post your outfits next week. It's kind of fun and hopefully it'll help me remember not to wear the same thing to the same place in a row.

Top 2 Tuesday - Bucket List

2010-05-18T06:17:00.003-05:00

Taylor is hosting Top 2 Tuesday again this week and the theme is two things you'd want to do before you die. I'm thinking about starting a list of things to do before I'm 30 a la 30 Before 30 List now that I'm entering my late 20s (and facing my own mortality, ha) so this is just a start.

1. Tour the Holy Land. I want to walk where Jesus walked and "experience the miracles where they happend." I'm want to go with a guided group so I can really know what I'm looking at, but I just think that would be a trip fo a lifetime.

2. Get caught up in a flash mob. I really don't even care whether I'm in on the act (if you're organizing one, I'll totally learn the dance!) or if I'm one of the lucky passerby in the right place at the right time. I would totally geek out! I'd better start hanging out on college campuses and in train stations. That seems to be where they happen. There's tons of videos but this one is from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Not sure why I can't get it to embed.

A Super Simple Treat

2010-05-17T16:54:00.009-05:00

Hey guys! I'm probably a little more excited than I should be that I get to share this with you but I link up to other people's recipes so often and I very rarely post any originals. This one is from my friend Kim. She just told me about it less than a week ago but I knew I wanted to try it right away so I made them yesterday. It's the easiest thing ever, and even though you probably don't need it, I'm going to post my very first tutorial on how to make these little treats. I don't know a name for them, maybe you can think of one?

First, get your oven going. It doesn't really matter what temp. I put it at 350 but if you have something else cooking in there anyway that temp will be fine too.

Ok, here's what you'll need

You're only limited in how many of these you can make by the smallest bag of something you have. I don't know why I bought such a chintzy bag of pecans, that's what I ran out of first.

Lay out your pretzels on a baking sheet. Unwrap the Rolos and set one up on top of each pretzel. Keep in mind that if you enlist the help of your husband in unwrapping the Rolos, about half of them are going to go missing before they make it on their pretzel. Pop those in the oven for just about 5 minutes. You'll be able to see the chocolate getting soft but you don't want to let them get fully melty.
While they're still hot press a pecan half into the Rolo like a thumbprint and it'll squish out a little over the pretzel. This picture is really just so you can see my pretty diamond.

Then all you have to do is let them cool on your counter for an hour or two or faster in the fridge. Wait till the chocolate hardens up again before you take them off the baking sheet. It's less messy that way. We've been just snacking on them but I think they would go really well in a cookie sampler tin come Christmas. Salty, sweet, nutty, chewy, crispy, you're going to love them!!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-05-17T16:34:00.002-05:00

Monday- I'm going to my NBRW meeting, but Brian is being taken care of. I thawed out some gumbo I made a while back for him and made fresh corn bread.

Tuesday - Slow Cooker rotisserie chicken, Baked beans (my crockpots will be doing all the work all day because I have no time to cook tomorrow. Subbing, then J.Crew) and broccoli orange salad. Notice how often I use Beth's recipes. She has such great recipes, I haven't tried a bad one yet!

Wednesday - This is going to be another no time to cook day so I'm just fixing boxed red beans and rice with venison sausage and steamed zucchini.

Thursday - Mongolian beef over brown rice and steamed edamame. Edamame is a take-out favorite of mine and oh so healthy! I never used to have it at home until I realized how cheap a frozen bag of it is and so easy to steam up. You should definitely give it a try if you haven't before.

Friday - Omelets with whatever leftover veggies we have by then, hashbrowns and grapefruit.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cobbler is for dessert every night until it's gone. I made it with blueberry pie filling and it's delicious!! I followed her recipe but used reduced fat everything and Splenda instead of sugar and it came out perfectly. Probably still bad for us, but not nearly like it could have been!

Getting to Know You

2010-05-16T17:23:00.004-05:00

1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....? My wedding dress. I'm trying to sell it, but no luck yet.

2. Have you ever played a team sport? Swim team for a few years and a thoroughly unsuccessful stint on a boys soccer team in 2nd grade.

3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be? I'd be one of those really fancy beetles like with the horn and iridescent exoskeleton.

4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned?your chest. I don't want splotchy damaged skin there later.

5. Are you happy? incredibly so!

6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them? I don't mind abbreviations at all. I use a ton!

7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere?I love where I live! There are other places I could love just as much maybe, but no, I couldn't live just anywhere.

8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full? I have a really sensitive tummy and if I eat just one bite too many I have to throw up, but I'm much better now about reading the signals that I'm done and ignoring anyone trying to tell me I should try to finish this or just take one more bite of that.

Sing-Along Sunday - feels like Summer to me!

2010-05-16T13:30:00.003-05:00

Sorry I got this up so late. I hope you'll play along by posting the song (or three) that make you feel like Summer. I'm holding back any that are about Summer specifically for a later edition. But these just have that feel for me, you know? What songs sing Summer for you?

It was tough not to put 10 up here. I'd better get to work on a playlist. I can't wait to hear what you're singing now that Summer is (almost) here! Go ahead and link up to your post.

Oh, Olan Mills

2010-05-15T13:40:00.003-05:00

Presenting our first Olan Mills church directory portrait together! Why do I feel like this singular picture just aged us 10 years? In another 20 we'll be ready to be featured among the greatness of this blog. Anyone else follow Sexy People? I love it- hilarious! What do you think? You should have seen some of the other shots!

Six Senses Saturday

2010-05-15T13:09:00.003-05:00

I'm linking up with Julia of The World is My Oyster again! You should too!

***

Right Now I'm...

Tasting:

A pimento cheese and whole wheat bread sandwich and coke.

Smelling:

Ammonia.

Brian is cleaning the garage and I just helped by cleaning one shelf.

I'll help some more right after this.

Seeing:

A much more beautiful sight in the garage to my right.

And 2 cars in there!! WHOO!

Hearing:

Eddie barking. There must be a squirrel out there.

Touching:

My hair. I'm thinking about cutting it short. It's getting on my nerves.

Feeling:

Hopeful. I just got an ovulation test kit and we'll see how that goes.

Lots more peeing in cups this month.

What are your senses doing today?

***
Have a great weekend!

I'll be doing a Sing-Along Sunday post tomorrow. Join in to post a song that reminds you of Summer!

Fuming Fridays

2010-05-14T18:36:00.002-05:00

This Friday, I'm fuming about TV writers. Sometimes they can be so dumb, you know? I'm not even really talking about the time they went on strike for a whole freaking season, the deadbeats! But when they are working, sometimes they do the dumbest things! I just found out from Neely that something awful happened on Private Practice last night that isn't at all how I would have the show go. And who is responsible for putting Preston in a mustache for a few weeks? Every time I watched Desperate Housewives I vomited a little. G-ross! Thank heaven it's shaved now.

Also, my favorite show in the whole world for like 3 years, Weeds, has gone to pot (pun-intended)! What used to be a hilariously snarky show about a drug dealing soccer mom has just gone off the deep end (totally lousy show) and become about this sleazy chick who is in way over her head with slimeballs. I don't even want to watch next season. And how many times have you shouted at the tv or wanted to cry because your favorite characters end up with the wrong guy?

There are so many shows that are cancelled way too soon (Jericho, Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me) and others that just drag on for WAY TOO LONG (Lost, Prison Break, South Park, American Idol). Sorry if those are your faves, it's just my opinion. I am sure I have zero talent as a TV show writer, but quite often I feel like I could do a much better job.

So that's my rant today! Glad to have that off my chest!

My Life According to Queen!

2010-05-14T16:12:00.002-05:00

Neely tagged me to play this game today and I'm only too happy to play along! It's certainly been long enough since I blogged last, and it's high time I got back on the bandwagon.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick Your Artist
Queen (Second and third choices were Regina Spektor and Willie Nelson)

Are you a male or female:
Sweet Lady

Describe yourself:
Fat Bottomed Girls

How do you feel:
Get Down, Make Love

Describe where you currently live:
Is this the World We Created...

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Seven Seas of Rhye

Your favorite form of transportation:
Spread Your Wings

Your best friend is:
You're My Best Friend

You and your best friends are:
Doing All Right

What's the weather like:
Rain Must Fall

What's your favorite time?
Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

If your life was a tv show, what would it be called:
Somebody to Love

What is life to you:
The Miracle

Your last relationship:
Loser in the End

My significant other:

Love of my Life

Your fear:
The Invisible Man

What is the best advice you have to give:
Hang On in There

Thought for the Day:
Don't Stop Me Now

How I would like to die:
Sheer Heart Attack

My soul's present condition:
My Life Has Been Saved

My motto:
If You Can't Beat Them

I'm Tagging:

And YOU!! If you'd like to play along, grab it and let me know you did!!

Sing-Along Sunday Mother's Day Edition

2010-05-09T07:49:00.004-05:00

Happy Sunday! And Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are moms and your mommas too. Today I thought it would be nice for anyone who decides to link up and play along this week to post a song that reminds you of your mom or maybe her favorite song rather than any one that's running through your head.

Today I'll be going in to San Antonio to be with Brian's mom and his Granny and they are great women. I'm so happy to have them as second moms to me now. I'll be missing my mom but I can't wait to get to see her again. The rest of this post is for her!

For my mom, I'm playing You'll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins.

Is this song cheesy? You bet! But if you can't be cheesy on Mother's Day, when can you? The reason I chose it though is because it was my solo song in high school dance team. Pretty weak connection to Mother's Day, right? But every time I hear it I don't think about performing it in competition, I think about my mom watching me to practice and helping to choreograph it. I think of the many many hours she spent driving me to and from Dolls events and practice, supporting me in my love for dance that she also had. She pushed me to do my best in everything I was involved in, and it was quite a lot! She loved me through a lot of the pain and frustration I went through during those high school and middle school tough years even if we fought sometimes.

I think about things before that too, like how she took me to every single fun, educational thing you could take kids to within a hundred miles of our house. She taught my Sunday School class for years and took the mother's day out group on field trips galore! She played with my dolls with me and gave all of them voices, and a personality that they retain today. She walked with me and our dog Mandy to school every day in addition to walks along the bayou, walks to the park, walks in nature ares. Lots of walking with that woman, still is! I was such a well loved child! Even though I desperately wanted brothers and sisters my mom (and dad) loved me and paid so much attention to me and were so involved in my life that looking back I'm not sure it would have worked to have more kids around!

I also think about now. How my mom and I laugh when we say things in unison because we do, all the time. How whenever I call the first thing she asks is "are you ok" because she has that silly alarm ring tone set for me. I'm becoming more and more like her and I'm so glad about that! I love our relationship now. We have so much fun when she comes to visit, and she encourages me in my marriage and gives me advice but respects my opinions too.

Today I want to repay a compliment that she gave me before. Mom, even if you weren't my mom I would want to be your friend. You are that special to me. I love you so much! Happy Mother's Day!

If you have a mom you want to post a song for, please go ahead and link up! And have a very happy Mother's Day!

Try not to point and laugh!

2010-05-08T13:30:00.004-05:00

My poor little guy has a hot spot that he needs some help overcoming! I took him to the vet yesterday for the larger spot on his back and they shaved him and gave him a cortisone shot and some spray we can put on it twice a day. He was so embarrassed he hid his little head in my belly and would barely accept treats from the vet. Then this morning, he had already created the second spot right above his tail. That's when we decided the cone of shame was necessary. Poor thing! I learned that white dogs, and especially Jack Russell Terriers have very sensitive skin and a flea bite, or allergic reaction can set them off on a spot pretty quickly.

Six Senses Saturday

2010-05-08T10:46:00.003-05:00

***

Right Now I'm...

Tasting:

Sweet tea and a pack of

Lance whole grain with cheddar cheese crackers.

Smelling:

The dryer going - so fresh, so clean!

Does anyone else have their computer in the laundry room?

I'd love to think I'm not the only one on this.

Seeing:

A rather dreary day forming.

Today was supposed to be a floating day, or at least a sailing day

but it's in the 60s after a week of 90s.

Hearing:

I Just Want to Make Love To You - Etta James

I just read about stereomood.com from my new Real Simple magazine.

I love it! I'm on the Spring Cleaning play list right now for a little inspiration.

Touching:

My smooth legs! I've been using the Jergen's lotion with the gradual tanner

that's supposed to put a hold on stubble. I think it's working.

Feeling:

Rather peaceful know I have the house to myself for a while.

Brian just headed out to help a friend with his boat.

What are your senses doing today?

Head over to The World is My Oyster with Julia and play along today!

Then play with me tomorrow for Sing Along Sunday for a special Mother's Day edition.

Fuming Fridays

2010-05-07T11:24:00.002-05:00

The funk from yesterday has lifted, but I'll go ahead and fume about it anyway. I hate PMS! It makes every little bad thing seems 100 times worse than it is and puts a haze over the happy things. But what really sucks about PMS is that I was so hoping to have "crazy pregnant lady" mood swings by now, not "that time of the month" mood swings.

On a much more serious note, a student of mine from my last teaching assignment died over the weekend and I found out about it on Wednesday. I've been praying about it and dwelling on it, but not talking about it much. If you would, please pray for her and her family. She was a junior in high school and a handful in class, but so funny, and a good friend to her peers. She fell from a golf cart and hit her head. It's so hard to make sense out of the death of a young person. Only God can sort it out and bring healing the people closest to her.

Well, if you have something to fume about or get off your chest. Head on over to Neely's place and join in the conversation. Just click the button above!

Thursday 5

2010-05-06T13:01:00.002-05:00

Post 5 things that have made you

Happy

Thrilled

Jubilant

Ecstatic

Elated

I haven't needed this exercise so much in quite some time! The truth is, I don't feel happy, jubilant, etc right now. I feel rather down in the dumps and lethargic right now. No one thing is causing it, but that's just how it is today. I'm sorry I haven't been commenting on everyone's blogs, I didn't have any nice words ready, but hopefully things will turn around tomorrow and I have been reading, just so you know. So in an effort to bring about a change in attitude, I'm posting happy thoughts anyway.

1. I heard a new bird song I didn't recognize in the backyard. I couldn't see the bird, but it was really beautiful and hopefully he'll come around again.

2. Brian got the Coast Guard job he was hoping they would create for him in Port Aransas and found out a date that basic training would begin, August 30th. That brings his departure into the realm of reality, but eases the uncertainty. I'm so very happy for him.

3. I'm wearing a newish green and white stripe summer dress and I feel very pretty in it!

4. There's a party this weekend, hosted by Brian's uncle for the moms in his family. Even though I'll miss my own mom very much for Mother's Day, it will be fun to celebrate with these new mothers I've married into.

5. We had so much fun at Wein and Saengerfest last weekend, jubilation even! And we picked up a really great bottle of wine there which I plan to suggest opening this evening.

Wishful Wednesday - languages

2010-05-05T19:09:00.002-05:00

'I wish' .... I was fluent in another language in addition to English, and it would be Spanish or Hungarian!

Spanish would certainly be the most reasonable language to choose. I do live in Tejas after all! At one point in high school I was actually quite good at Spanish, just too timid to use it outside of school. Thus, my fluency dropped to the minimum and I've tried briefly a few times since then to get it back. During our honeymoon in Mexico Brian and I often spoke Spanish to each other and to the waiters and staff at the resort. I think they compliment you out of service much more than any real speaking talent we showed. It was fun to be known as Sra. Jork the first week of my life as Mrs. York. Often for memory's sake Brian and I will immitate the hosts at our favorite restaurant. Their welcome went just like this each time we visited "Hola Meester and Meesus Jork. Welcome to Yo-Yos (Jo-Jos). Enyoy!"

If there were any other language I would like to be able to speak it would be Hungarian, or Magyar. My godparents are Hungarian and were a wonderful part of my upbringing. They came here as adults so they spoke the language and had many Hungarian friends who I had the pleasure of meeting. My Godmama was also a really good cook and would make lots of Hungarian dishes which I loved! They taught me a few words in Hungarian that I remember. Unfortunately they aren't the most useful ones as I learned primarily on dog walks we would take together. Good luck communicating with someone of another culture when all you can do is command them to sit and heel! I also know the word for delicious (finom) which actually does come in handy. They have since moved back to Hungary and I miss them often. Maybe we'll be able to visit some day.

Square Foot Gardening Update 3

2010-05-04T17:05:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone, as Erin mentioned to you all, I was going to write a guest post about our garden last week; well, it’s late, but here it is. Quite a bit has been going on over the past 2 or months since you all first got an update on the garden. We’ve weathered a freeze, replanted those that didn’t, eaten our share of fresh sugar snap peas, radishes and strawberries, and are waiting in eager anticipation of the tomatoes that set fruit over the past 2 weeks.

We’ll start with the successes. The sugar snap peas have just taken off up the trellis, with the assistance of the twine supports that my industrious wife added; the original trellis supports were just too large for them to wrap their tendrils around, and now they’re a good 4 feet tall. The peas were planted in mid-January, and we’ve had many, many snacks of sugar snap peas while standing by the garden as the neighbors drove by, as well as a large side dish with a homemade peanut dipping sauce. They are more peas ripening as we speak, but with the recent 90 degree temp., the leaves are fading to yellow, and the plants are on the brink of burning up in the heat. The radishes, beets, carrots and swiss chard have all done wonderfully; we had swiss chard for dinner last night, and should be able to have it every week for the next 3 months at the rate it’s going; I’m convinced it’s the most under-appreciated leafy green. There has not yet been a beet or carrot harvest, but they are beginning to crown at the surface, so it won’t be long. The radishes have taken off like a weed, and have a very mild flavor and good crisp.
The herbs have thrived in the recent rains and sunshine we’ve had this month, with the cilantro being about 3 feet tall (nothing makes a salsa like fresh homegrown cilantro), and the parsley spreading out and up everywhere. The basil did not fare as well in the late season freeze we had in February, and has had its growth stunted (it’s getting there though). The okra has sprouted from seed, and will be 5 feet tall by the time the next garden post comes around, the cucumbers are starting to shoot tendrils, and the Kentucky Wonder Beans are covered in flower buds. The strawberry plant is in a pot next to the garden, and produces little strawberries, that are sweet and juicy; if we can get to them before the birds (I can’t blame them though). The cabbage is taking its sweet time, and I may have more news about it in November; if we ever needed cabbage this summer or fall, we’ll be on our way to HEB.

We had a relatively late season freeze at the end of February that snuck up on us, which left the gardens uncovered for the 29 degree night. That’s all it took though, the bell peppers, jalapeños, banana peppers, cucumbers, squash and green beans all had to be re-planted. The tomatoes were cut down pretty good by the freeze, but the core weathered the storm, and we will be harvesting beginning this month. We have 5 varieties of tomatoes growing which should satisfy all of our tomato needs, from snacking, to fried green tomatoes, to burgers on the grill. We have Roma, Roma Grape, Beefsteak (1 lb tomatoes!), Early Girl & Solar Fire (TX heat and drought resistant). All of the tomatoes are thriving, with little tomatoes everywhere.

I’ve learned quite a bit from growing the garden this season, mostly, to listen to experience. My 90 year old Grandpa has been gardening and growing in the Central Texas area for the past 75-80 years, and the one bit of advice he gave me was that you can expect a freeze in the area up until Easter; I didn’t listen and planted the warm season plants in February anyway, and had to replant after the freeze got them. Secondly, Square Foot Gardening is the only way to go. Its low maintenance, low watering and the plants thrive.

Top 2 Tuesday - Splurges

2010-05-04T10:47:00.003-05:00

1. Pedicures- I used to think this was normal and everyone splurged on pedicures, but now all my friends seem to do their own nails- weird! I go every other week and get mine done and I love it! Here they are as of yesterday.

2. Eating out - we don't eat out that often any more, but when we do we go pretty big. I know you can totally keep the price down by not getting drinks or splitting a meal, but I don't like that. We get drinks, appetizers sometimes, pretty much whatever I want on the menu, and every now and then dessert too! Yummo!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-05-03T06:55:00.004-05:00

Monday: Date Night - maybe a movie, maybe dinner at Huisache Grill?

Tuesday: French Dip au jus, Cilantro-jalapeno slaw, chips. This meal came from Cowboy Boots and Baby Booties

Wednesday: Jalapeño-Lime Halibut on the grill with veggie skewers and rice, and margaritas. the recipe is for Grouper and it's in the current Southern Living magazine. The whole grilling section they put in there this month looks amazing! We'll probably try another one next week. The chicken and BBQ sauce was inspired from there too, but I'm using Christy Jordan's recipes.

Thursday: Grilled Chicken with white BBQ sauce, sweet potato fries, squash casserole

Friday: BLT sandwiches, chilled peach jalapeno soup (Brook Peterson's recipe!).

I didn't realized till I typed it all out that the theme of the week is jalapeños. It must be that I'm getting ready for Cinco de Mayo!

I also just had to show you the cake I made this weekend! I would totally recommend it. Delicious, and not that difficult, especially if you have a hubby that's happy to do the measuring.

Trisha Yearwood's Key Lime Cake

CAKE 1 3-oz package lime-flavore

d gelatin

1⅓ cups granulated sugar

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

5 large eggs, slightly beaten

1½ cups vegetable oil

¾ cup orange juice

1 Tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup Key lime juice (from about 25 small Key limes or 4 large regular limes) ½ cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch-round cake pans.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the gelatin, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to mix well. Add the eggs, oil, orange juice, lemon juice, and vanilla. Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Test for doneness by lightly touching the tops of the layers or inserting a toothpick. Cool the layers in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto racks.

3. While the layers are still hot, mix the lime juice and confectioners' sugar and pour it over the layers on the racks. You can pierce the layers with a fork to allow the glaze to soak in better. Allow the layers to cool completely as you prepare the icing.

CREAM CHEESE ICING

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, room temperature 1 (1-lb) box confectioners' sugar

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is smooth and easy to spread. Spread the icing between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake.

She says the frosting is optional and you can just leave it with the glaze, but I'm telling you it's not. The frosting is scrumptions, go ahead and put it on there.

ok so Trisha Yearwood probably has better counter tops than me and I'm sure she's neater with the icing, but otherwise they're pretty much the same, right?

Sing-Along Sunday

2010-05-02T07:02:00.003-05:00

Happy Day!! I hope your weekends are going great! It's Sing-Along Sunday again and I hope you'll join me in posting a song that you love or are listening to now so that we can all sing along together.

This fist one I got from my kids at school. They did an oral interpretation project with song lyrics and this song came up at least twice every class period. I hadn't heard it before but now I think I know all the words. It really is a good one. The video has a full minute intro, fyi.

Brian's request this week is the intro to the Wonder Years. Joe Cocker's With a Little Help from my Friends. I never watched the show, but it sure is a good song, huh!

This version might help if you don't know the words already, haha

I hope a lot of you will play along this week! If you want to use YouTube there's a little embed button so you can get the link to copy and paste on your page. You could also just give the link to the song wherever you find it! Then come back here and add your post to the Linky below! I look forward to singing along with you!

My Hubby is gonna be a Coastie!

2010-05-01T07:12:00.002-05:00

Well, it's high time I got to talk about what's been going on around here. When Brian first started talking about joining the Coast Guard we kept it between us and God because nothing was sure yet. When it got more and more of a reality we talked with our parents and a few friends, but we've come to the jumping off point. He has recently been qualified to join and join he's going to do. 99.9% sure. I admit, when this conversation began I was pretty dang stressed out because joining as an officer in the Coast Guard full time would mean relocation every year, a huge pay cut, and 2 years of him on a ship, away from me. But as we talked about things together and he talked about things with a recruiter a much better decision was reached that he would enter as an enlisted Coast Guard Reservist. This way he'll get to do a lot more of what he's wanting to do like speed around on boats with guns and a lot less of what he's bored about in his current job, sit behind a desk.

This last week he passed 2 of the final hurdles for enlisting which were the ASVAB test and the military physical. I'm going to take a minute here to brag about how smart my husband is! He scored in the 97th percentile on that test which is taken by members of every branch of the military and I couldn't be prouder of him. His scores there and his education mean that he will be eligible for pretty much any training or position that he should choose. His heart is set on Boatswain's Mate (say "Bosun's Mate") which are the people who drive the boats under 65 ft.

Here's a little inspirational (to people like my husband) video. Please turn your sound down or off, I can't endorse this music.

This will bring about some changes around here. He'll be gone for 8 weeks hopefully starting in September for basic training, then another 12 for Boatswain's mate training. Then he would serve one weekend every month for the next six years out of a Texas base.

Here are what I perceive Brian's reasons for joining to be, in order:

5. Have something exciting to do on weekends

4. Catch bad guys

3. Serve our country

2. Get experience for a future career in marine industry

1. Ride around on big boats with guns

Although I'm just a fraction as excited as my husband is about this new endeavor, I do think it will be a great one for him and for our family. I'm very proud of him for taking this step and I look forward to seeing him thrive in this setting as I think he's perfectly suited to it. It's going to suck to have him gone though, huh? I hate it when he's out for a week for work, totally not sure how 3 months is going to look, but we're tough. Have any advice for us? I'll pass any comments along to him as well.

Six Senses Saturday

2010-05-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

I'm linking up this week with Julia from The World is My Oyster

***

Right Now I'm...

Tasting:

The whole wheat pancakes topped with plain yogurt and honey breakfast that Brian made us.

Smelling:

My dog, Sandy's head.

I love that smell!

Seeing:

the sun peeking through the trees across the street. It's going to be a beautiful day!

Hearing:

Homegrown Gardening show on the radio. They're talking about natural ways to eliminate weeds.

Touching:

My Southern Living magazine. I'll be including a few recipes from the new issue this week.

Feeling:

pumped about Wein and Saengerfest in town today! I'm going to get to see, touch, taste, smell and hear wonderful things all day!!

Fuming Fridays

2010-04-30T19:57:00.002-05:00

It's Friday and I'm fuming! I'm not really. That's why it's taken me till 8:00 to think of something to post that irritates me enough to give it this title. But I thought of something.

I think it sucks that people talking about politics feel the need to refer to their opponents as Hitler or Nazis. Hitler was horrible, evil, no-good, very bad. Your opponent may be bad too, but it seems like the Hitler comparison is watered down a little more every time it's used erroneously. People said that about Bush and they're saying it about Obama and both references are absolutely stupid! I'm much more inclined to think mean thoughts about Obama, but isn't it enough to say that he's a radical leftist that's making decisions that will irreparably harm America as we know it. That he doesn't see America as a remarkable place with a unique history, tradition, morality and standard, but merely sees us as one among many and more guilty than we are praise-worthy. That he disregards the values so many Americans hold dear like family, industriousness, innovation, and faith. You know, about half of the country would feel exactly opposite that I do, but why use language comparing politicians to dictators that have been dead for decades and speak about the present? It doesn't help anyone's argument to say those things and well, it pretty much makes me fume when I hear them.

Maybe next week I'll complain about traffic or something passive like that, but like Neely said, rant and release, and I feel a good deal better now!

Do you shop at Target?

2010-04-29T15:15:00.004-05:00

Of course you do! Who doesn't? Well my awesome friend Neely (who's coming to visit in 35 days!) is hosting a giveaway for a $25 gift card to Target! How cool is that? I'm letting you know about this giveaway because I care about you and I want you to have a chance to win, but ultimately because I want more chances to win. Head on over there and say that I sent you and I'll get more entries too! Click on the cute Target pup to be taken straight to the giveaway!
Good luck!! I hope one of us gets it! By the way, she's hosting Fuming Fridays tomorrow and I'll be posting along, will you?

my high school made the news .. and it's not good

2010-04-28T17:04:00.003-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Yep, that's where I went to school. I can't believe this is happening there, well, maybe I can, but if there, then everywhere, I'd bet. It seems like such a contrast from what I see every day subbing the kids I have. They drive me crazy sometimes but what I love about them is how accepting they all are of each other. They see differences differently than we did just 10 years ago I think and appreciate each other for who they are. I've been quite inspired by it.

So, what do you think/know about cyber bullying? Has it happened to anyone you know?

Wishful Wednesday

2010-04-28T08:48:00.001-05:00

'I wish' .... I could go back and spend one day working at a job from my youth, and it would be as a graduate research assistant!

This isn't exactly from my youth because I didn't work as a teenager, but it is a job I'll never really get to go back to. I was in grad school for a year and a half before I did student teaching and for the first two semesters I had the good fortune to have a job working for my professor as a research assistant. (The third semester I was a teaching assistant and had my own undergrad community health class.) I was paid out of grant money and received the same stipend no matter how many hours I worked. Most weeks it worked out to about $25 an hour. Seriously, can you beat that? It was the cushiest job ever and I loved it. I had an office with a fellow GA and we set our own hours, with whatever breaks to walk around campus or go to lunch that we wanted and the rest of the time that we were in the office we could pretty much just take care of homework unless there was real work to be done. The main project we were doing was research for an evaluation of abstinence education programs which I found really fascinating. My boss encouraged me to pursue my own research and gave me every opportunity for professional development possible. Maybe I'll get to be a professor myself someday and have the same great set up!

Weekend Recap

2010-04-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

This was one of the fullest weekends we've had in quite some time. It makes up for last weekend when all I did was take that dumb test. (Still waiting for my results.) Here's how it went down this weekend.

Friday

We saw the man, the legend, Willie Nelson! It was our first time to go to a Wilie Nelson concert and we loved it! Ray Wiley Hubbard opened and was fantastic too! It was at the coolest venue around here, Whitewater Amphitheater, where the stage backs right up to the Guadalupe River, really beautiful. We met a biker guy right in front of us who has been coming to see him since he was a kid. We had a blast!

Saturday

Funny thing about making plans, sometimes you plan things on top of each other that maybe shouldn't go. Like when we committed to a trip to climb Enchanted Rock which included being at the church at 6:30 am after having the kind of fun pictured above. This was easily as good of a time though, and that's saying a lot. We went with 17 youth and adults from the church and caravanned to the park. After a good bit of waiting around we started hiking, which turned into climbing, which turned into hopping from rock to rock. The wind was ridiculous, it was blowing at least 30 with gusts over 40 the whole time we were there, but check out the views!

This first one isn't my picture, it's much more beautiful in the Spring, but I wanted you to see a view of the whole boulder.
We made it to the top then the wind blew that hat right off my head. They chased it down and caught it for me though. After a pig-out picnic lunch, we headed back through Fredricksburg, making a stop to do a little shopping. The adults headed straight to the winery for a tasting which was delicious. I almost bought a quilt while we were there, but passed it up and decided to keep looking. I did get a new cookbook though and really enjoyed checking out all the other fun shops they have in this cool little town. I forgot to take pictures, sorry, but here's a gratuitus bluebonnet picture that Brian took.
The cute part is that as our hike was finishing up we made plans with another couple to go have drinks and appetizers at this really great cajun restaurant in town then go see Slaid Cleaves at the Phoenix Saloon (first bar to serve women in New Braunfels, they had to go around back). Once they got home the other couple decided they just weren't up to it and we decided we'd still go after a "little nap." We laid down at about 5:45 and woke up at 1:15 am and wondered what happend. We'll have to catch Slaid next time he comes in town.

Sunday
Very well rested, we went to the early Mass then headed over to Home Depot to pick up some replacement pepper plants for our garden and some paint. You're in for a treat because Brian is going to be guest posting an update for our garden soon. I'll be telling you more about the plans I have for our dining room, but for now, we spent the rest of the day Sunday taking it

from this

to this

There you have it. I hope your weekend was as good as ours!

Top 2 Tuesdays - Reasons I like Summer

2010-04-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

Hey cool! I'ts my cool friend Neely's topic this week! And it's a good one!

1. Floating

2. Sailing

Menu Plan Monday

2010-04-26T08:27:00.000-05:00

Monday - Sausage on whole wheat hoagies with peppers and spiced mayo, with one of those Green Giant steamer mixes of veggies.

Tuesday - Brian is gone in San Antonio so I'm getting Chick-Fil-A.

Wednesday - Coriander and Honey Glazed Venison Chops. I got the recipe from my new 100 Venison Recipes cookbook so I can keep using up that meat in the deep freeze. I bet you could use pork chops just as well. stuffing, sugar snap peas from the garden.

Thursday - They're hosting a dinner for all the catechists at church so that's taken care of.

Friday - mussels in garlic butter sauce over pasta, Italian bread, Olive Garden salad.

Sing-Along Sunday

2010-04-25T09:09:00.000-05:00

It's another beautiful Sunday here! I hope you're having a great weekend like we are! I'd love to have another round of Sing-Along Sunday so if there's a song in your heart or one on repeat in your head, please post it and link up so we can all sing along with you.

I'm posting a Willie Nelson favorite because we got to see him on Friday and it was fabulous. Expect more details in a weekend recap tomorrow. This is the video from the actual concert we were at and as always, it was his opening song.

One more for today, I'm posting How Bizarre because several of you seemed to have the same fun memories that I do attached to it when I mentioned it on Friday.

I can't wait to hear what you're listening to this morning!

The Answers to the Questions part 2

2010-04-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

I apologize for taking quite so long to get these questions finished! I enjoyed answering them just as much as the first set. Hope you enjoy getting to know me even better!

Derrick Flannigan said Who's the first person you want to meet when you get to Heaven?
Besides the obvious? I'm there to see God, end of story! But I would also like to get to know my guardian angel on another level. I pray with her so often, I'd love to see her and find out what she's been doing for me specifically.

Sara Lang said what's the worst piece of advice you've ever been given?
I love Lauren's How To series on her blog, The Little Things We Do. But I made the stupid choice to follow this post, How To Turn Dirty Hair into Pretty Hair and it was one of the worst ideas ever. I spent a little too long that morning checking the blog roll so by the time I read that post, skipping a shower and blowdry sounded like a really great idea. I made the braid like it explains (which was so cute and I've worn again in clean hair) but after about an hour I looked disgusting. And I had to stay that way, with stringy, greasy hair until 5:00 when I got home. It probably worked for somebody, but it was terrible advice for me. I need to wash it every single morning from now on.

Miss Muddy Paws said What's the most embarrassing moment you've ever had?
A few months ago I was wearing these very cute but poorly designed low heeled shoes from Nine West. They have kind of a tapered knob heel which make them comfortable but more flattering than flats. After work I went to HEB and picked up one of those little hand baskets and started filling it up in produce. As I start walking to the bakery department I must have been a little off balance with my basket and stepped on the edge of the heel of my shoe and totally slid out. I landed flat in the middle of a crowded grocery store and all the food went bouncing out of my basket. Strawberries went rolling across the floor in all directions and everyone gasped and kept asking if I was ok. I picked myself back up gathered my stuff, except the strawberries and hurried off to a central aisle where fewer people would see me. I slipped again by the cereal but not quite such an epic fall. You'll think I'm out of my mind when I tell you I still wear those shoes, but they're cute, you know?

Phone Home Designs by ET said...
Question: Did that Lilly dress I sent you fit well? Have you worn it yet?
Yes, it fit great! You see, Emily sent me a darling Lilly Pulitzer shift dress that she had gotten with her superior bargain shopping skills. I wore it several times last Spring/Summer and plan to get a good bit of wear out of it again this year just as soon as my hips fit again.

And my real question: What's your first sewing project?
In high school my little sister on the dance team taught me a tiny bit how to sew. We made adorable pillow cases in the school colors with ribbon and trim. Since then though, I haven't really sewn anything. I'm planning on making curtains kind of like this only small for my dining room soon. You can be sure you'll hear about it.

allie-mac-fallie said what is the MOST important thing about wedding planning that I should know??
My advice for any other bride would be to make sure that you're planning for your marriage and not just your wedding! How you relate to your husband and the foundation that you build for your life together is so much more important than the flowers, DJ, menu etc. Since this is Allie, my bestie, and I already admire her for her marriage to Karl, I'll save that advice. I know her priorities are in the right place! So for you, Allie, I say tell your bridesmaids what to do. I love helping!

Peggy said My question: You say in your About Me that you try to live out your faith. What practical ways do you do so?
Faith plays an important role in every aspect of my life which makes it hard to list out ways, but I think that's good. Lets see, I try to pray about everything, often. I frequent the sacraments. I make it a point to see the good in others because of who their creator is. I say I'm sorry when I need to and forgive others when I need to. I look to faith to determine who to vote for, how to spend my money, what media I'll consume, clothes I'll wear. The caveat is that I do all of this very imperfectly and it's only through grace that I succeed at all.

Carrie said What is something not many people know about you?
Not many people know that I have scoliosis. Sort of a random thing, but it's true. The school nurse detected it in one of those mass screenings and I had to wear a brace for about a year. It was pretty much the worst year of my life, but I got through it. Hopefully it won't ever get bad enough that I'll need surgery, but that was a possibility.

Laura PARING DOWN said looking at your cute Maui pink bike photos, you seem to live in the country. Tell us a little more about where you live.
I love where we live! It's the most country that Brian or I have ever lived in, but it gets a lot more rural than us too. I was used to the suburbs in a master plan community where all the houses are pretty but almost just alike. It's a different kind of neighborhood here, but our neighbors are really friendly. We live on the edge of town across the street from a lake. Behind our house is a really pretty cattle ranch that showed up in my bike riding pics. We live on a half acre which is nice because we can spread out a bit and have a garden.

Mom said What is that Damask pattern? Is it an antique and from what country?
That's from my mom commenting on the background of my blog layout and being silly. I got the layout from Shabby Blogs which is made in America. Mine is called Damask Don't Tell. I'm thinking about having one designed though. Do you think I should? Who did you use to design your layout?

4 a lifetime of loving you said what is your favourite flower and why?
My favorite flower is a Peony. I love the frilly feminine look and the shades of pink they come in. I planted some bulbs this year, but we just don't have the weather to grow them, it was a fail. I also love Stock, Ranunculus, Snapdragons, and others.

Alissa said Okay, if you could live anywhere where would you live and why?The Garcia's said If you could live anywhere aside from where you live now where would it be?
These two were almost the same question but it's good that Brittany followed up Alissa's with "aside from where you live now," because I would have said right here! I always want to live in Texas either the hill country or the coast would be my top picks. If I ever couldn't live in Texas though, in a strange hypothetical world, I would look to the Carolinas because of the culture, scenery, weather. I think I'd be happy there too.

The question and answer posts are done for now, but I'd be happy to respond to any questions you put in the comments any time! I love hearing from you!

Fill in the Blank Friday - the music one

2010-04-23T06:08:00.000-05:00

1. One song that always takes me back to my youth is How Bizarre by OMC. It reminds me of being a goofy middle schooler running around the golf course and getting dropped off at the mall .

2. My first concert ever was Jars of Clay at Christian Day or whatever it was at Astroworld I went with one of my best friends, Yvonne and her oldest brother. I felt really really cool .

3. If I could create my dream music festival I'd want these bands to be there: Randy Rogers Band, Blue October, Regina Spektor, Peter Gabriel, Alabama, Imogen Heap, Modest Mouse, Black Eyed Peas. Yeah, so go ahead and start putting that together for me, k thanks .

4. The best make-out/"boot knocking" song ever is I'm getting annoyed because I can't think of the really good one I heard a couple days ago. I was in the car and getting in the mood just because of this song! It was on Bob FM so I know it was old, but I'll edit if I think of it later .

5. The best concert I've ever been to was Modest Mouse, at the Backyard in Austin. Man Man opened and at the end it started pouring, there was so much energy in the audience. I just loved it! I happened to see it televised on a local Austin channel a year later and it was about as good the second time .

6. A memorable musical moment for me was My first boyfriend in 6th grade broke up with me at the ice skating rink because he asked me if I liked Oasis and I didn't really know but I said I did. I guess he didn't? The fact that I told his friends were idiots might have played into that too. They were 6th grade boys, of course they were idiots .

7. The song on my iPod that's getting the most play these days is I'm the silly girl with no iPod, but I just refound my Spoon cd and that's been getting a lot of play on the way too and from work .

Thursday 5

2010-04-22T05:56:00.001-05:00

These are the things that have made me

Happy

Giddy

Grateful

Joyful

Gleeful

Head on over to MannLand5 and link up yours!

1. Brian's home! Yall already knew I was excited about that though didn't you?

2. The Black-Eyed Susans that are popping up along our road to replace the fading bluebonnets.

3. I'm seeing Willie Nelson tomorrow! At this place!

4. Only 7 more days of teaching speech. Then looking for something for next year. The kids are going nuts and so am I.

5. 1200 thread count sheets that swallow you up. So luxurious!

My Man is HOME!!

2010-04-21T20:18:00.000-05:00

Nothing is fun when he's not here! This weekend he was in College Station and this week till now he's been in Clear Lake, but now he's back! And in celebration, I'm going to post the survey about your man that I saw bouncing all over the blogosphere the last couple weeks that I filled out and never published till now!

The Game of Tag about your Man:

Who is your man? Brian Patrick York

How long have you been together? it'll be 4 years this summer

This is the day we met on the river with his best man, Ryan.

How long did you date? We dated 2 years before we got engaged

How old is your man? 25. He's younger than me by a summer.

Who eats more? Hubs, and I'm so jealous about it! I could easily eat as much as him, but it wouldn't be pretty!
One of our first meals I made in the new house. Tilapia iwth peppers and olives and all kinds of good stuff. It was delicious!

Who said "I love you" first? Apparently I got this wrong on my last survey, I said it first. But I was right about it being at the pool of my old condo.

Who is taller? He is at 6'4". Height has always been one of my main requirements becuase I'm not exactly short at 5'8".

Who sings better? We're probably equally not-that-talented but I get mad at him when he sings ugly on purpose! He's really good at making up songs and singing them to me.

Who is smarter? That's me. Of course he knows about a lot of things that I don't, but I had to laugh when he asked me to remind him about the rules of subtraction.

Whose temper is worse? His for sure. He takes after his grandpa. I never met him, but whenever Brian gets huffy and starts throwing his hat and kicking curbs his family says oh he's just like Wop.

Who does the laundry? I do it more, but he helps pretty often.

Who takes out the garbage? He does. Big job since we're driving to the other side of the lake for pick up.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do in this house, but he always sleeps closer to the door, so sometimes that's the left and sometimes that's the right.

Who pays the bills? He's good at that.

Who is better with the computer? He's better at it but I use it way more! Hi blog friends!

Who mows the lawn? Hubs, I touched the lawnmower for the first time in my life last weekend and went about 4 passes on the sideyard. I don't plan on continuing. I'd rather pay someone, but he says no way no how, so he does it himself.

Who cooks dinner? I do, unless its on the grill. Brian is great with the grill!
He's pretty proud of that apron, don't make fun of him. It says Texas Homeland Security, Fighting Terrorism since 1835 and has the Texas Rangers.

Who drives when you are together? He does almost every time.

Who pays when you go out? Always him. We have the same card so it's not like it matters but that's just how we do it.

Who is most stubborn? Him, and that's really saying something because I'm pretty stubborn myself!

Whose parents do you see the most? His because they live so much closer. We'll be seeing a lot more of them now that it's lake season too.

Who asked who out? I'm not sure that ever really happened with us because of how we met and then were together 24/7 right away.

Who proposed? He did! July 3, 2008 on the San Marcos River, with my family dog Maggie as a witness.

Moments after we got engaged. Wouldn't it be nice if I had been wearing something besides a Guy Harvey t-shirt and a ponytail?

Who wears the pants in the family? He does. I love his legs, but I'd rather not see them in my skirts!

I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about the man I love! Now I'm going out to sit on the patio with him and drink a beer! Have a great night!

Animal Babies

2010-04-20T12:59:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about this documentary from National Geographic "Extrodinary Animals in the Womb"? I hadn't until I saw Danielle Bean's post at Faith & Family, but wow!! I'm in awe of the complexity of these pre-born lives of animals and couldn't resist sharing them with you. There are more!

Top 2 Tuesdays- Items Under $15

2010-04-20T06:47:00.000-05:00

Items under $15 could describe most of what's in my house. I'm all about the bargain and get lots of stuff cheap or on sale for about this price point. I'll be playing along today though and post two of my top items.

1. I could have easily featured this last week under favorite beauty products but forgot about it. It is the makeup I use every day! Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer. I swear my skin eats makeup, most people think I'm not wearing any an hour after I put it on no matter what kind I use. So I figure this is a pretty healthy thing to feed it if that's what's going to happen anyway. Has retinol, which is totally yummy for your skin, SPF 20 and a light tint that helps correct blotchiness but doesn't cover up your freckles. I use some mineral powder and concealer on top if I need to correct anything else. I got my mom started on this make up too and she loves it! It would be great for you natural girls too that prefer not to wear anything.

2. Market flowers. I'm just talking about the cheapy plastic wrapped flowers you can pick up while you're grocery shopping at HEB. The run about $6 for the simple, single variety bundle, $15 for a pretty seasonal mix. I'd love to have more opulent bouquets filling my house, but who has the money? Not us. But an extra $15 on the grocery bill can really brighten up your house and make it welcoming and warm. Here's some tulips Brian surprised me with a couple weeks ago. This is when they were already a couple days old and starting to get leggy. They started out even prettier.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-04-19T17:36:00.000-05:00

This weekend when I was working out a meal plan, I forgot that Brian was going to be gone the first couple of days, and he must have forgotten too, because he didn't say anything when I ran it by him or when I went to the grocery store and came back and told him what I got. So now I have way too much food, but I'll go ahead and make it anyway probably!

Monday:Cream Cheese Chicken served over brown rice, roasted cherry tomatoes

Tuesday: Crisped Brown Rice (leftover) with beef, vegetables and eggs. It's Martha Stewart's version of Korean Bibimbop from the current Martha Stewart Living magazine. I can't find it online. With fruit.

Wednesday: Brian will be back!!! BBQ venison and cabbage wraps, Bush's grillin beans, grapefruit

Thursday: Jerk Pork Chops with orange marmalade, asparagus, grilled corn on the cob

Friday: Again from Martha Stewart this month. It's the featured company's coming meal. Mango and radish salad w/ lime dressing, rice with peas and cilantro, garlic-jalapeño shrimp, caramel custards. We're hoping to have Brian's cousin and her husband over for dinner.

I've got a little story for ya

2010-04-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

Acutally I have three stories for you.

The first, I promised to you on Saturday. About why I was worried about getting glass in my feet. Brian went out of town on Friday evening for his sister, Megan's Aggie Ring dunking party. I hear they had a wonderful time even though her's got dunked in punch instead of beer. I guess that's ok, mine has never been dunked in anything. That's not the point of the story though. About 20 minutes after Brian left I had just put the dogs outside with their dinner and I was in watching dvred tv. I hear a huge crash of glass breaking and my instant thought was "oh no, what did the dogs knock over?" I thought it would be one of our bowls or something that might have been left outside. I was not prepared for the amount of glass I saw. There were a million shards of glass large and small stretching across our whole covered patio. It took a second to realize what it was that had been broken. We have a ceiling fan out there that was going and apparently had wiggled itself free of the glass globe covering the light. Interesting fact, in our little 1500 square foot house we have 10 ceiling fans. It's pretty incredible but makes the house quite comfortable in the summer combined with all the shade from the pecans. I called Brian and whined about the glass then spent the next hour+ cleaning up broken glass. It was made a lot tougher by the rocky patio. If you come over to our place for the next couple months, be sure to keep your shoes on. I might have spread a little into the house on accident too. I just hope the dogs don't get glass splinters in their sweet little pads. I'm keeping them inside as much as possible.

The second story explains why I didn't tell you that story sooner and also why I didn't host a Sing-Along Sunday like I meant to. I tried to turn the computer on yesterday morning but even though I could hear it running, nothing was coming up on the monitor. I played around a bit and rebooted, but nothing. We happen to have an extra monitor from my old computer so I switched them out, but it was the same. Again, I called Brian to whine and he told me it must be the video card that's out. I started planning instantly to replace the computer, or maybe my laptop first which doesn't work, and Brian was agreeable with it. Luckily, but also sadly, my husband suddenly remembered late last night that he had a spare video card from about 6 years ago when he changed them out for gaming just lying around and was able to install it in a matter of minutes. So here I am, back on the computer, but I'm going to have a much harder time making the case that I need a new Mac Book now.

Third story is to say thank you to those of you who wished me well on the test and offered up prayers. I went into it pretty sure I was going to fail, but coming out, I'm much more confident that I passed. I thought I was going to be taking a computer based test like the last 2 I've taken, but when I got there I found out it was paper and pencil. The test was supposed to start at 2:00 but the website insisted that we arrive no later than 1:30. I got there at 1:15 and sat in a hallway with about 39 other wannabe teachers till almost 2:10. Then began the 20 minute process of letting everyone into the testing room. one. by. one. From there it took about 45 minutes to read the directions, rules and procedures and pass out the booklets at a snail's pace. The test didn't start until after 3:15 and by then I had pulled all my fingernails out and really had to go to the bathroom. We were allowed 5 hours total and I start making plans to die by papercut/bladder explosion if I was still in there at 8:00 taking the same damn test. Thankfully, I spent 2 hours working on it and checking my answers and was ready to leave, pretty sure that I passed. I'll feel like a real horse's butt if I failed after all. I won't know for 4 weeks though since it was paper and pencil rather than the computer where I would have known by tomorrow. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

I hope everyone's week starts off well today! Mine is going to be pretty sad because Brian is back out of town, this time for work until Wednesday. I have an NBRW luncheon today though and Bible Study this evening and it's back to work tomorrow. Menu plan and questions part 2 to come later today or tomorrow!

Six Senses Saturday

2010-04-17T06:58:00.001-05:00

Julia, at the World is My Oyster has started a new Saturday meme. To help her out, and avoid studying for a few more minutes, I'm going to play along, you should too! I will be hosting Sing Along Sunday tomorrow, so if you've got a song on your mind, post it and link it up tomorrow.

***

Right now I'm...

Tasting:

Coffee with Peppermint Mocha Coffee Mate creamer in it, and a large handful of pistachios.

Don't tell me I'm the only one that's ok with pistachios for breakfast.

I'll have a whole wheat English muffin after if it makes you feel better.

Smelling:

The coffee just got done brewing and I put in a pretty gardenia brick in my Scentsy.

Seeing:

A 626 page review of math and science.

It's overwhelming me.

Hearing:

The garage radio that runs continuously on the Americana station.

This song is playing right now. Allison Krauss was my main competition.

I'm pretty sure if hubs had the chance to marry her he would have dropped me. :)

Touching:

The cute personalized note pad Melissa gave me in my swap package.

I'm making a list of all the fun things I'm going to do after this test.

I'm also wearing shoes, weird for me at home, and hoping not to get glass splinters.

Story to come later.

Feeling:

That familiar procrastination feeling that tells me I have 6 hours left to study which is all the time in the world combined with OMG I'm going to fail, why the heck didn't I try to start this earlier, ugh it's just so much stuff!!

I've missed that since college.

***

And since I've referred to it a few times in this post I ought to go ahead and let you know that what I should be doing right now is preparing myself to take the Mathematics/Science TExES exam for teacher certification. It's for 4-8 grades, but all the way up to Calculus and Physics and such are on the test. If I had taken it as a senior in high school it would have been a no-brainer, but we're a few years past that and I haven't had to multiply vectors one single time since then. The test is at 2:00, say a prayer for me if you think about it. Thanks!

I need a little shopping help, yall

2010-04-16T11:22:00.000-05:00

We need new covers for our bed, either a duvet cover or comforter or quilt. I don't have a preference yet. I hope to get a new set for my birthday or maybe before, in May. The comforter we have now is new, we got it when we got married, but we went low bid with that one and even though it started out really pretty, it's failing fast. I was torn between this print and one from Pottery Barn that was named botanical something or other, but now I can't find it.

We ended up going with the one from Pottery Barn but instead of buying the duvet cover which looked high quality we purchased the last comforter in the Pottery Barn Outlet which was on display. It was like $25, I couldn't resist. We've been using it for 9 months now and already it has punctures from dog toenails and it's looking faded and dingy even though I've washed it only a few times.

So, I'm coming to you to help me find ideas for a new set. Care to do a little shopping around with me? Or at least suggest stores I could look at? I know I have seen many beautiful examples that I would be thrilled to have in pictures, but they're never there when you need them, you know?

Here's what I'm looking for:

Colors in the greens, blues or natural families, but I don't rule out something a little brighter. I say no to dark brown though, as well as orange, black and purple.
Probably in a print,maybe floral, botanical again, paisley, toile, whatever
Able to withstand 110 lbs of dogs playing on it and not tear or look dirty right away
Machine washable. See above.
$200 or less for the comforter, hopefully for the whole set-shams, skirt, etc
Easy to accessorize

Think you can help me? I would love you for it, and I'll let you all know when we decide.

5 Question Friday

2010-04-16T10:45:00.001-05:00

I know, another meme, but it's one I haven't done before, so here goes!

1. What words do you use on your blog/online that you don't use in real life?
I don't really think I use any words on my blog that I don't in real life. I don't usually refer to Brian as hubster, or hubby in real life, but that's about it. It's more likely that I use words in real life that I don't include on my blog.

2. Do you still write checks?
Only for rent and tithing now, but I only wrote checks up until about a year ago. I only embraced the debit card last spring.

3. Who was your favorite President and why?
Reagan, Bush, Polk. JK about Polk, I don't really know anything about him.

4. Are you a yeller?
I am, and I really wish I weren't. I was just saying yesterday that I think yelling is a form of violence and I don't want to do it. I've tried to commit to not yelling anymore, but when I get frustrated I think that's the only way I can get heard.

5. Have you ever dumpster dived?
Nope. I have taken a couple things in really good condition off of curbs that were meant for trash. But actually hop into the dumpster, I don't think I could do that.

Happy Thursday Thoughts

2010-04-15T12:23:00.000-05:00

Join in the joy... post 5 things that make you

Happy
Giddy
Grateful
Joyful
Elated
Appreciative

Then link up at MannLand5!

1. I've been moving more and munching less and I've lost 2 lbs. Going for 15 more!
2. My bloggy bestie, Neely, is coming for a weekend in June! That and lots of other fun things will be happening over the next couple months and I have happy anticipation about it all!
3. We got to have swiss chard out of the garden with dinner last night! It was even more delicious knowing we grew it ourselves!
4. My hubby has been discerning God's will and has made a decision concerning his employment. I'm proud to be led by him when he is led by God! I'll tell you about what's happening when I can.
5. The ceiling fan in our bedroom is getting fixed today so hopefully I won't be hot tonight for the first time in a month or so!

Top 2 Tuesdays - Beauty Secrets

2010-04-13T11:52:00.000-05:00

"Don't make fun of my beauty regimen." Say it like a vampire, then crack up for the next 10 minutes. Yeah, that was an inside joke with two of my best friends in middle school. It works if you say it like you're from Wisconsin or New Jersey too. No offense you guys. So Taylor has asked us to share two beauty secrets. Don't you just love reading about those in magazines? I'm hoping to get some good ideas from the participants today.

1. Pond's Cold Cream. Yall this isn't even a secret. Your mother, great aunt and grandmother all have probably used it. There's a good chance even your great-grandmother used it. And there's a good reason this oldie but goodie is still around. I use this about half the time at night to take my make up off, wash my face and moisturize all at the same time. Just rub it in and let it set a minutes then use a warm wet wash cloth to wipe off, a cotton ball for your eyes is gentler. The other half of the time I use exfoliating scrub instead, but my skin always feels nourished and glowy after using Ponds. It's cheap too!

2. Salmon makes you beautiful! Eating salmon or certain other fish makes you beautiful. Sure in the long run, what with the good fat and all the nutrients and such, but also immediately. Eat salmon right before you take pictures or on a date and you're instantly prettier, you complexion evens out, you get that pretty glow, and you look thinner too! Ok so the adjustment is minor, but I really do think I can tell the difference before and after fish, and it's delicious! Speaking of which, we are eating salmon this evening, check back for the menu plan shortly.

Discontinued beauty secret by request of the hubster: put a slice of garlic on a pimple. There are antibiotic properties in it that kill the yucky bacteria causing the problem and also dries it up some and reduces redness over night. My cousin taught me this trick and I've used it with a pretty good success rate! Keep it away from your eyes though, that burns. It beats picking and squeezing though!

The downside- your husband isn't going to want to kiss you so get that stinky stuff off your face! Spending the night alone anyway? Go for it!

Almost a week recap!

2010-04-12T06:29:00.001-05:00

Please excuse the slight blogging slump I've been experiencing here at LTLN (i'm thinking about embracing the acronym, what do you think?) I plan to hop back on the bandwagon right away with a recap here and a menu and top 2 tuesday coming soon. I'll also get around to answering the rest of your questions this week- they're good ones!

I know I never did an Easter recap, but I'll just let you know that it was a wonderful, blessed weekend! Brian and I headed into Sugar Land to see my parents and we really enjoyed our time together. The highlight of the weekend for me was taking all four dogs (our two and their two) to the luxurious dog park where they ran around and played like this and then some. This video takes place in my parents backyard.

Wednesday

Here's Brian with the idgit dog of the bunch. Isn't he a cutie!?

And here we are joined by our dinner guest, my long time great friend, Majid. We went to middle and high school together and he's one of my funniest and most loyal friends. He lives in New York City now where he works for The Metropolitan Opera doing all kinds of fantastic techie sorts of things. He was only able to visit us for an evening but it was great to have him. I made pan fried catfish, homemade mac n cheese and sweet and sour green beans and pushed the carbonara to today. By special request I also made these cookies. After dinner we went over to Landa Park and walked around by the springs and on the trails. It was a lovely visit.

Thursday

I taught just like usual but we had a special day for the simple fact that it was "One Day Without Shoes" hosted by Tom's Shoes to raise awareness of people who don't have shoes. It was against the rules for the kids to go barefoot at school but there was a bit of drama about kids feeling like the needed to ignore the consequences and "stand up for what they believe in" by going barefoot anyway. We had a discussion about the difference between running around barefoot at school because it's fun and really defending a cause despite personal sacrifice. We also explored other things they could do that might actually make a difference for causes they believe in besides showing off their new Easter socks.

Thursday evening was quite busy! Fun too though! We attended a dinner reception for new members of the New Braunfels Republican Women. It was at the beautiful home on the river of one of the officers and I had a great time meeting fellow new members and learning about how to become more involved in the group. Immediately after the dinner Brian and I headed into San Marcos to Cheatham Street Warehouse where we saw the Brandon Rhyder concert. Brian had called in that morning and won free tickets from our favorite Americana station. I tried to take a picture of us, but it came out really blurry. Here's the band instead.

Friday

I had a hard time all day believe it was Friday but by evening I was too wiped out to do anything of any consequence. Instead we went grocery shopping and watched tv. It was nice.

Saturday

We worked out like Whoa on Saturday! I forgot quite how out of shape I really am and did two challenging work-out videos strength and cardio and then took a two mile walk with the dogs. I know to some of you that's nothing, but my body is still complaining about it.

We got to go out to the lake and enjoy our non-leaking (yay!) sailboat! I even got a bit of a sunburn. I love that Spring is in full force! The wind was pretty heavy and it was a great day on the water. After sailing we went to the Lucky Sailor Oyster Bar that's right next to the marina. It looks like I might have a summer job there! We indulged in oysters, fish, margaritas - delish! I had Brian take my picture from this angle so you could see my braid. I thought it was really cute.

And my handsome hubby relaxing while we were tied up to the moorings.
Sunday

Ignoring sore muscles, we went to the track and ran (Brian)/ walked and jogged (me) a couple miles. The rest of the day we mostly stuck around the house and enjoyed each other's company. It was my turn to teach at Life Teen after Mass and the theme was on the 7th and 10th Commandments, social justice and meeting others needs for material goods while avoiding greed and gluttony ourselves. Tough subject for me, but such a good one to be reminded of. Having just come out of Lent, I'm reminded of the virtue of living simply and keeping life clutter free to make room for God and providing for others.

I hope that you had a terrific weekend like I did and that your week has started off beautifully!

The Answers to the Questions part 1

2010-04-07T10:45:00.000-05:00

During the giveaway a couple weeks ago, I asked you to leave a comment asking anything. Yall have some good questions! I'm happy to answer them all and will start with the first half here.

Neely asks what is your favorite thing about blogging?
I read blogs for years before I started my own. I often read bloggers gush about how much their readers mean to them and how therapeutic blogging had been for them. I never could have guessed that I would start to feel those things so quickly, only a couple months after I started this blog o’mine. I love getting to think through my thoughts enough to compose them into a post, getting to know my readers and form real relationships with some of them, and add a little something to this community of bloggers. The thing I like the very best though is the comments, selfish as that is. It makes my day when readers take a minute to share their thoughts about something I wrote or say hi!

Erin says what's the weirdest thing about you? whether it be a habit, something physical, or something someone else thinks is weird about you..is that a weird question? haha.
No, that’s not a weird question and I’m going to answer it with something not that many people know. The weirdest thing about me is that I bite the tips of my hair off on the sides. I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid and despite trying many times to quit, I’ve never successfully done so. I learned recently that this kind of habit is called trichophagia. It’s a compulsion similar to trichotillomania which is pulling hair out. I’ve never had any negative symptoms from it probably because the way I do it I’m only biting tiny pieces of hair off at a time but that’s why the sides of my hair are always shorter (mouth length) than the back and curling it every day like I do helps blend the difference. That’s pretty darn weird, huh? I hope we can still be friends!

Marla.z asks do you have any pets, and if so, please share what you love about them? If not, would you like to get a pet?
I have two dogs, a Jack Russell Terrier named Eddie that we got from the San Antonio Defense League and a yellow Labrador Retriever named Sandy who was Brian’s family’s dog but she now lives with us. I can’t imagine life without dogs. They’re not babies to us, but they are such an important part of our family. I talked about them here a little tongue-in-cheek but most of the time they really are delightful. Sandy follows me around the house and is such great company. She’s really vocal too and sounds like a mama bear most of the time. My favorite thing about Eddie is the way he cuddles when he’s tired at night and in the mornings when I’m on the computer he’ll come over to me and put his front paws on me and ask to be picked up. I’m happy to oblige and spend some time with my boy!

Juggling Thoughts said what was your wedding like!? And El wanted to know what my favorite part of it was.
You can refer to my Wedding Wednesdays series that Juggling Thoughts hosts to hear some more about details, but overall, my wedding day was blissful! It was absolutely the happiest day of my life thus far and everything I hoped it could be. In planning, I was aiming for an event that was traditional, elegant and focused on the sacrament of the day.

Brittany EL said What is your favorite part of Texas?
Is all of it an acceptable answer? I love the Hill Country, Central Texas, Houston, and the coast. If I ever make it out to West Texas I will probably like it too. I’m ok with writing off anything north of Dallas as Oklahoma though. I did not enjoy my trip to Lubbock one bit. No offense if any of you live there.

laurenchapman said What is one meal you would cook weekly if you could?
I never cook the same stuff so I doubt I’d like to make any single recipe every week, but if I could I’d make a big ol’ Southern Sunday supper every week including biscuits, lots of sides, sweet tea and a pie. Why don’t I? Because there are just two of us and neither of our waists needs that kind of feasting on a regular basis.

Tales from the Williamson's Trails said If you could go anywhere where would it be?
I would love to take a vacation in Greece! Everything I’ve read or looked at make it seem so wonderful!

Semi-Slacker Mom said How long did you & your hubby date before marriage. How did you meet?
When we were both students at A&M we went on separate river trips one weekend in July 2006. I went with all girls, he was with all guys. One of the girls in my group went to high school with him and the guys in his group and while we were on our way to New Braunfels they coordinated hooking our groups up to bar-b-q at the lake house they were staying out. It’s just down the street from where his parents now have a house and across the lake from where we live now. We had a wonderful trip together and ended up falling in love by the next morning! We dated for 2 years (with a small break in the middle there) then got engaged on July 3rd 2008, and were married a year and a day later on July 4th 2009. Here's our wedding website and our story is included there.

suburban prep said When in doubt what is your go to meal to cook for dinner? And Similarly, The Ratpack said What are your "go-to" recipes for times when you entertain someone important, like your in-laws?
This question comes from Sarah, my sweet friend from College who was on that fateful trip that Brian and I met. She can vouch for my story! Like I mentioned above, I hardly every make the same thing twice. Almost every time I cook I’m trying something new, usually with great results, sometimes with lousy ones. If I need something fool-proof I’m likely to borrow a “go-to” from my mom or a friend. I’m sure over the years this will change.

Sarah's other question is What College Station restaurant do you miss most? Mine is Laynes...oh those chicken fingers!
I can’t pick just one, but I’ll give my top three!
Cheddars- I miss the spinach artichoke dip, key west chicken and shrimp, and the Cabo-Wabo rita!
Blue Baker – yummy yummy sandwiches, breads, pizzas!
Fitzwilly’s – where else can you get that perfect of a cheese burger, homestyle fries and a beer for $4?

Southern Belle Mama said Where is your favorite place to shop?
That’s a nice, simple answer! J.Crew is my hands-down favorite place to shop!

Diana said what is the sweetest thing that hubby of yours has done for you lately?
He does sweet stuff practically every day! He brought home tulips, surprised me with an Icee, mopped the kitchen while I slept in, helped me get ready for company this morning, packs my lunch! I couldn’t ask for a better hubby!

Top 2 Tuesdays - Magazines

2010-04-06T09:53:00.000-05:00

1. Southern Living! I was so excited when my Aunt Nancy got me a subscription to this magazine. My first issue came a week ago but I had been buying them individually for a long time. I love the recipes, garden tips, travel ideas, house plans, pretty much everything. I always daydream about a more genteel life when I read.

2. Real Simple is my second favorite and I love it for a lot of the same reasons, the recipes, organization ideas, little fixes I can make in my house or life to make things easier. It has a totally different feel to it though and it can be so calming because of the layout and simple design and photography. Very relaxing!
I can tend to be a bit of a magazine fiend though. I also often read Martha Stewart Living, Glamour, Good Housekeeping, Faith and Family, Townhall, and more!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-04-05T10:46:00.000-05:00

Monday: Date night! Making chicken bacon ranch pizza together at home, planting some knockout roses in the front beds and catching up on the DVR shows we missed last week!

Tuesday: Senegalese Lemon Soup made with leftover Easter ham and bean salad

Wednesday: Pasta Carbonara and salad

Thursday: I'll be at a new members dinner for New Braunfels Republican Women. I'll probably pick up Jason's Deli or something for Brian.

Friday: Shrimp over coconut rice from Sweet Tea in Seattle

Saturday: Steak and twice baked potatoes with whichever veggies are left over by then

Five Happy Thoughts on Thursday

2010-04-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

This is a new blog carnival to come out of MannLand5. I love it because it focuses on the joyous and cheerful side of things which is wonderful to do even as we enter the Triduum. I was going to do a quick takes post anyway of some of these things so I might as well do it here and share the love with everyone else participating. The idea is to list 5 things that this week have made you happy, grateful, joyful, elated or appreciative. I think you should give it a try too.

1. Thursday mornings at school are my favorite because a group of kids with a guitar, a drum and songsheets meet out in the hall before school and sing praise and worship music. Their voices waft down the hallways and I can hum along in my classroom while I'm setting up for the day.

2. We turned off the tv on Sunday and are leaving it off until Easter. We wanted a quiet, semi-unplugged (hello, I'm still on the comp) Holy Week and it's been everything we had hoped for. We've had lots of time in the evenings for walks, bike rides, good conversation etc and I feel much more fulfilled that I would if my DVR were empty.

3. My sweet, sweet husband surprised me with an Icee the other day because I had been frustrated at school. It really hit the spot!

4. I've been on a roll with the April Fools pranks! I never was one to pull them before but this year it's been really fun for me. I fooled Brian, my mom, all my classes. Lets see who else I can get before the day is over. I was going to trick you guys into thinking I was shutting down my blog but the fear that no one would care much prevented it! haha. I'd love to hear about your pranks.

5. This weekend represents the pinnacle of my faith! Today we celebrate the suffering servant and institution of the Eucharist, tomorrow will be the day my savior dies for me and Sunday I know he will rise again as I will on the last day. If that doesn't make one happy, elated, joyful, grateful and appreciative, I don't know what does!!

I am so uncool

2010-03-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

Do you ever walk around all confident thinking you look great only to glance in a mirror and find out it's all gone awry and you're a mess? That's me today. I'm wearing my cute tan and white seersucker dress with a Jacki Cardi on top and a funky belt on the outside of my sweater like all the mannequins do. My hair is doing what I asked it to, my shoes are current. I'm making a point to really tailor today's lesson about job applications and resumes to the kids and show them I know how it is to be applying for a first job and to colleges. But today these high schoolers are my mirror and as it turns out I'm not coming across at all like I thought I was.

Kid 1: Are you a mom?
I'm thinking that's a reasonable question and respond that no I don't have any kids yet.
Kid 1: Oh, cuz you seem really momish.

Kid 2: You remind me of someone.
Oh yeah? Who do I remind you of?
Kid 2: Mary Poppins. I don't really know what it is but you seem like Mary Poppins a lot.
Kid 3: Oh yeah I totally see that too, but it's ok because I like that movie.
Seriously? What about me says Mary Poppins to you?
Kid 4: I can't figure it out, but it's definitely there.

Couldn't someone, someday say I remind them of Maggie Gyllenhaal, Zooey Deschanel, Julianne Hough, anybody but a mom and Mary Poppins? Geez! I guess there's no sense filling my head with silly ideas like that.
No, Erin, you are not cute and put together, you are not cool.

Spring Mantel

2010-03-31T07:16:00.001-05:00

I've been waiting to post a picture of our mantel all decorated for Spring and now seems like as good of time as any. It's changed just a little bit because I've added a couple of specifically Easter items, but this is probably how it will stay until May or so. The framed item is Galatians 5:22-23 that I bought the PDF for from here .

Do yall remember how uncrafty I told you I was? Well this Y is about the level of project I can actually accomplish. And it's ok if the back looks like that. I have quite a bit of that fabric left over and am trying to figure out something I can do with it to carry it throughout our living room a bit. Linking up to this party:

Wedding Wednesday-Centerpieces

2010-03-31T06:56:00.000-05:00

Before my wedding I had started to collect milk glass and I knew I wanted to gather up enough pieces to make centerpieces at my wedding. Most of it I got off of ebay and some from this famous wedding blogger that she had used at her own wedding. I wanted lush, frilly, English garden style flowers and that's exactly what I got! My flowers are my favorite part of my wedding, besides the getting married to my love part. This was my inspiration picture that I showed to my super-awesome floral designer, Erin McLarty of Eden's Echo. She did an awesome job recreating it with the flowers that could survive Texas in July. She blogged about my wedding here. I went to the studio where she was working and we had a trial that came out like this.Gorgeous right? I'm talking about the flowers of course, not me. I look like a mess! The plan was to have three different types of centerpieces one would be a single large arrangement with several votive candles surrounding it. The second would be a cluster of three smaller arrangements in varying heights with fewer votives. And the third would be a big heap of flowers in kind of a ring around a pillar candle. I used navy overlays from a different vendor and the mirror circles that came with the hotel. Following are a few shots that show the centerpieces in action. While we mingle and such.I wish I had more clear pictures of the flowers like this one because they really were stunning and exactly what I hoped for. Also appearing in the tablescapes are the table numbers on cards I bought on clearance from Boatman Geller and had my maid of honor write the table numbers on in her calligraphy.

This is one of the mound with candle examples.
And this one is the cluster example.

I love those Bells of Ireland shining there! That what the altar flowers were mostly except that they didn't make it to the altar and instead we had all those carnations and daisies provided by the church you've seen in all of my other wedding pictures.

It looks like my guests were enjoying themselves, no? What do you think about my centerpieces?

And the Winner is...

2010-03-30T18:30:00.000-05:00

Carrie

from Mizell Mayhem!

Congratulations to you! I hope you love your new bowls and cookbook!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered! There were 27 contestants who all asked excellent questions. I'll be working on the answers for a post coming soon. After making a list of everyone who entered I had my trusty husband (who's an auditor, so you know he follows the rules) use Random.org to pick. Lucky number 22 is the winner. I had fun with my first giveaway but you can sure it won't be the last. And I just want to say again how happy I am to have each of my readers. I look forward to getting to know all of you better.

I've emailed Carrie and I'll be sending that package out as soon as possible.

Top 2 Tuesdays - Truly Random Facts

2010-03-30T11:09:00.000-05:00

In order that these top 2 random facts about myself could truly be random, I went ahead and made a list of 20 random facts then used the random number generator to pick out two. Here's what I ended up with:

5. My childhood lovey was a Pink Panther stuffed animal named Pinky.
My uncle gave him to me before I was born (I think) but he only became my favorite when I lost Pooky my clown. He has a really weak neck and despite several "surgeries" where my mom restuffed it and stitched him back up, his head hangs down. My friends would shake it or throw him and I was super defensive of him. I still love Pinky but he says at home with my parents.

12. I don't have an iPod.
My first MP3 player was given to me by a good friend but it wasn't an iPod. It wore out and I got an iPod nano but I never used it. This Fall I sold it in our garage sale. I want an iPhone but probably will never get another iPod.

So there you have it! If you're a new visitor from Top 2 Tuesdays please enter my giveaway. It ends today when I get home from school and do the "drawing." I'll announce the winner tonight! Good luck to all who entered.

Giveaway reminder!

2010-03-29T14:17:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is the last day to enter my giveaway for a set of 3 Liberty of London prep bowls and Peace Meals cookbook from the Junior League of Houston! If you haven't left a comment on that post yet, go do it now! If you have, tell a friend or sit back, cross your fingers and hope for the best! I look forward to announcing the winner on Wednesday!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

Monday: Penne della Palma, salad, Fig Newtons for dessert
this was supposed to be our Palm Sunday (also called Fig Sunday sometimes) meal but we got invited out to eat last night so it's pushed to today.
Tuesday: Cheesy Taco Puffs Ours will be made with venison. I can't tell you how eager I am to get that meat out of the deep freeze, Spanish rice, mango
Wednesday: Italian Chicken and Potatoes with apples
Thursday: this is our not-even-close-to-authentic-but-at-least-I-thought-about-it Passover meal. Lamb chops, couscous from a box, steamed spinach, and the first three radishes from our garden!
Friday: fasting for Good Friday but we'll have a small meal of pintos (without the hamhock) and cornbread

Sing-Along Sunday

2010-03-28T08:18:00.000-05:00

Here's the songs running through my head this Sunday morning. When I posted a few a couple weeks ago, Mary Beth at Live. Laugh. Make Something. suggested adding a MckLinky so everyone could actually sing along. I think that's a great idea, so if you want to post any music that's on your mind today, go right on ahead and link up (if I set it up right). I'd love to listen to what you're listening to! Have a blessed Palm Sunday!

This one is by request of the hubs. I like it too!

I got it!

2010-03-27T15:28:00.001-05:00

Remember this? Well, I got what I wanted! Brian and I got each other bikes for Easter and I couldn't be happier about them!