The New June

Baby K!

2012-01-23T14:43:00.000-06:00

Baby K is coming July 28, 2012. We are so excited and I'm happy to get to blog about it. I'm going to regularly blog to keep family and friends updated on all things Baby K. We found out we were pregnant when I was only 3 1/2 weeks. I went to the grocery store and was grossed out by the smell of rotisserie chicken which I was planning on having for dinner. I also felt a little light headed so I thought I would just test....and immediately I saw two pink lines. I wasn't sure how dark the line had to be so I did a google image search (crazy). I called Rob and Mom and Daniel I wanted to call everyone I was so excited. We told his family the next weekend and just kept the secret til 13 weeks. This is where we are now. I've been really sick everyday. I'm hoping that part goes away soon. Fingers crossed.

^ 8weeks

^12 weeks

How far along: 13 weeks and 2 days

Size of baby: lemon 3 1/2 inches

Maternity clothes: Still in regular clothes.

Cravings: fruit (any kind), root beer

Symptoms: Nausea everyday and sleepiness

Movement: Baby K is wiggling all around in there, but I won't be able to feel it for several more weeks.

Gender Prediction: I think girl. I have the same symptoms and cravings my mom had with me. We will know for sure February 29th.

Milestones: Made it to the 2nd Trimester! We got to hear the heart beat for the first time. We had seen it on ultrasounds, but that was our first time to hear it. It was 163 bpm.

2011 in Review

2012-01-09T12:54:00.000-06:00

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
I went to LA for the first time and joined Junior League.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I made a reading goal. I was to read 30 books and I read 67. I'm going to make the goal a little higher this year and also come up with other ones.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Our friend Anne gave birth to sweet Brady in December.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, one of Rob's best friends died last year of cancer. It was terrible.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just the U.S., Hawaii (Maui, my favorite vacation EVER!), California(Wine!) and Nevada (Vegas, Baby!)
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you didn't have in 2011?
A more organized house (Need to get on it)

7. What dates from 2011 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
I'm not great with dates so none
8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
My book reading goal.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not keeping up my exercise program.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not any more than usual. I got a bunch of sinus infections but that is par for the course.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Every year it's always travel-related things: plane tickets, hotel rooms, nice dinners in new towns. I never regret the trips I take or the memories I make on them.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husbands. He is incredible and talks me down when I'm being crazy and irrational which lets face it is a lot of the time.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I have a family member that makes me want to down vodka....leave it at that.
14. Where did most your money go?
Bills. Travel.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our Trip to Hawaii. It was amazing! There were whales, pools, parrots and views. I can't wait to go back.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Probably any song by Adele.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier: yes
Thinner: same
Richer:same
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Gone to bed earlier
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
worry and stress

20. How did you spend Christmas?
We had a nice day at home with my moms family. We did Christmas Eve with Rob's mom and brother.
21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
No, I was already in love. :) I am in love with Vampire Diaries right now...AMAZING!
22. What was your favorite TV program?
A few: American Restoration, Boardwalk Empire, Homeland,Vampire Diaries.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
24. What was the best book you read?
Water for Elephants
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Musicians on YouTube. There are some very talented people out there.
26. What did you want and get?
I wanted to travel and get a buffet for the dining room and I got those!
27. What did you want and not get?
haha more traveling? Just kidding....I'm very lucky!
28. What was your favorite film of 2011?
This is terrible but I don't even recall a movie I liked that much....yikes
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30 in September. We did dinner and bowling because all my close friends are prego.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Lottery jackpot. :)
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2011?
Casual unless going to events where I actually make an effort. All my girls in league are so fashionable like fur vests and stuff. I need to do better.
32. What kept you sane?
Rob, My Mother, Gianna, Sarah, Jill, Pintrest
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
It's annoying that gay marriage is even an issue. Just let them marry the end. I don't get the arguing.

34. Who did you miss? My friends that live out of town.
35. Who was the best new person you met?
All of my League girls. They rock!
36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
Patience is a good thing.
37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“Day after Day I continue to be, me oh me…that's all I can be.” Ginuwine “Same Ol' G”***
I hope your year was happy and I hope that 2012 is filled with many blessings for you and me.

Things I love...Pocket Mop!

2011-11-07T18:58:00.000-06:00

Ok so I bought this little Pocket Mop on a recommendation of a twitter friend. I love this little thing. I use regular water and it steam cleans all our tile floors. I sweep first then I use the mop. It comes with 3 mop covers that are machine washable and it also comes with a triangle shaped mop head. My floor is now so clean you can eat off of it (like Griff's). I highly recommend you check it out. I love that it completely sanitizes the floor. I'm going to definitely start blogging more I miss it.

Quilting!

2011-09-01T12:38:00.000-05:00

So I was looking at quilting blogs when I took the intro to quilting class and I fell in love with this pattern. I'm probably going to also use it for a baby quilt for an old college friend. I made rob and I both lap quilts though these are bigger than lap sized and smaller than twin. We plan to use them to snuggle in while we watch tv or movies. Obviously mine is the green/purple and Rob's is the orange/aqua. The pictures are of the front and back.

Things I love- Birchbox

2011-08-23T12:51:00.000-05:00

If you don't know what Birchbox is, it is a monthly subscription service where you pay $10 a month and get deluxe beauty samples. I have gotten some full sized products in mine too. The value is always worth at least $10 and sometimes it is worth much more. It makes a great gift. I gave Gi it for her birthday and she loves it. I took some pictures of a few of my Birchbox. It is fun to get something in the mail every month. I might start posting what I got every month in my birchbox.

My weekend...

2011-07-19T13:22:00.001-05:00

Got a pedicure with Sarah this weekend and they used a polish called Mrs. Robinson. I love it. I was google searching the name and polish and I found it! She's pretty and she is on the way to my house. In other news we got a dining room table from crate and barrel. It is a pedestal table with a leaf to seat 6. It came in two pieces so I guess we have our night planned out. I'm trying to find a Buffet that I like but every one that I like is crazy expensive.Making my favorite grilled chicken tonight for dinner. It is from cooking light so you know it isn't bad for you. It is very yummy and I just use my grill pan to cook it. If you haven't found a marinade for chicken that you like try this one.

Chicken Marinade

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Throw it all in a ziploc bag and marinate at least 4 hours.

What's been going on?

2011-05-18T14:30:00.004-05:00

We had my mom's side over for Mother's Day. We have pretty much stopped having gatherings at my grandmothers house because she is in her 80's and shouldn't have to clean or cook. I really enjoy having people over and it gives me a reason to clean my house. My mom made a delicious pork roast, cucumber salad and banana cream pie. I made my crock pot bacon green beans, corn casserole and key lime pie. Have you had corn casserole? Well I hadn't before my mother in law introduced me and YUM! I found a recipe for it online. I doubled the recipe and made a pan of plain and then added some chopped sliced jalapenos and sharp cheddar to one. Needless to say, the jalapeno cheese was the one that disappeared first. A year ago I found an amazing recipe for key lime pie and now it is all I will use. I use rubber gloves and a garlic press to squeeze my little key limes. Monday I went to the information session for the Junior League of Collin County(formerly Plano they had a name change). I'm really excited! This sort of thing is right up my alley. I've always been a "joiner" and I just love to be in groups with other women and volunteering. I only know one person in the group but she is awesome and I look forward to getting to know her better.Tonight Sarah and I are taking a quilting class. I've wanted to make a quilt forever but it doesn't look easy. This class is at CityCraft and it is a 3 Wednesday in a row class. I'll post pictures of my completed quilt in a few weeks.

Corn Casserole
6-8 servings
1 can kernel corn, drained
1 can cream corn
1 pkg of Jiffy
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick of butter, melted
optional
1-11/2 cup sharp cheddar
jar of jalapenos (as many as you want, chopped)

Preheat oven to 350
Stir everything together in a large bowl. Pour into 9x13 greased casserole dish. Bake 45 minutes until golden brown on top. Serve warm.

Key Lime Pie
8 servings
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust or you can make your own
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup key lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Preheat oven to 350.
Stir all ingredients together and dump into crust. Bake 5-8 minutes until tiny pinhole bubbles are on surface of pie. Do not brown. Chill before serving. Serve with lime slices and whipped cream.

Story Time - Hunger Games Trilogy

2011-03-24T14:20:00.002-05:00

First of all this is a series in the young adult section of the book store, though I know many adults who have read it and loved it. This is a very addictive series. I read 3 books in 3 days while in Maui. If you don't have time to read then don't start these books because you will want to read them quickly. That said, these books aren't for everyone. If you hate violence or death this series may not be for you. Quick synopsis: The trilogy takes place in the future. The USA has been destroyed; in its place is Panem, which consists of thirteen districts and a Capitol city. Before the series begins, the districts revolt against the Capitol and are defeated; the thirteenth is completely obliterated. As retribution for their crimes, each district is now required to send a boy and girl, called tributes, to participate in the annual Hunger Games.There is only one winner of the games. The characters are very well developed and you feel you know each of them which makes it harder when some die. The last book Mockingjay was my favorite. I know some were upset in the direction of the book. It wasn't all about who is Katniss going to end up with. The last book doesn't tie everything up in a bow. She does give you a conclusion that suits the story. I was very pleased with the ending. I am glad she didn't go the route many wanted(there are plenty of teen romance books out). This is a great series for book clubs or to read and discuss with your friends or family. I found the series to be very memorable and one of my favorites.

Favorite Lunch!

2011-03-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

If you know me you know sandwiches are probably one of my favorite foods. This is not a sandwich. I really do like salads and not just because I'm trying to lose a few er more than a few pounds. This salad is awesome in flavor. I would honestly pick having this for lunch over anything else right now. Even my favorite #8 from Great Outdoors. If you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor and grab one. The spicy dressing totally makes the salad. Don't forget to order it with spicy dressing. I haven't tried the others because this one is so good. I wish I could purchase this dressing but unfortunately I haven't found one or even a recipe for a spicy dressing that is..well spicy. Hope you are having a great day!

Guest Room Update!

2011-03-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

So our guest room was not much to look at. There was an elliptical and a bed with bedding that was Rob's in college. So it was definitely time for an update. I found some bedding I really liked at Target of all places. I freaking love this store. It is Dwell for Target. I like that it's a quilt and reversible. I think I want to get a matching throw pillow just to add a little more. Rob mounted a television to the wall so we could watch while working out. I love the guest room now. Now we just need some art in here or something. Here are some pictures...

Etsy Find- LuLu Bug Jewelry

2011-03-11T15:27:00.001-06:00

Love these necklaces! They are filled with colored concrete and are so cute. This has been an etsy favorite for a while. Check out these precious designs.

Best Drugstore Mascara

2011-03-01T12:09:00.004-06:00

I love mascara and this is probably because I have tiny little lashes. Of course, Rob has really long ones....isn't that the way it always is. I have tried both high and low end ones and I would never waste money buying a high end one. There are dupes for almost every high end mascara. My favorites are:

1. Maybelline One by One- My favorite right now. This one just hit drugstores. It makes my lashes look super long and not clumpy. It has a rubber brush that bends but no so much as to hit your eyebrow....hate when this happens.

2. Maybelline The Falsies- This one gives a doll eye effect that you either love or hate meaning it is a really dramatic look. It doesn't fan out the lashes but clumps them into little spikes. I like the look but it doesn't look like your wearing false eyelashes. The formula is a little bit wet so it does have a tendency to get everywhere. It works better if you leave it open 10 minutes and let the formula dry out a bit.

3. L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes- This one actually does make you have fuller looking lashes. It doesn't get clumpy either even with several coats. It is a good volumizer mascara.

4. Maybelline Great Lash BIG- I have been using Great lash in the pink tube forever so I tried the new version with the big brush. This mascara is an exact dupe for Benefit Bad Gal which I also have as a free gift from Sephora. The wand is a little scary since it is the size of your eye though. It works well but can get clumpy with several coats.

5. Maybelline Lash Discovery- This is a small regular bristled brush. This is an Awesome mascara for doing the bottom lashes. I know it sounds crazy to have one for just the bottom lashes but this one doesn't transfer under your eye during the day. It is also easier to maneuver since the brush is tiny.

Catching Up!

2011-02-17T20:02:00.001-06:00

So I know this post is WAY overdue. We had an incredible time in Hawaii. I love Maui! I want to go back. It was so beautiful. We only planned 3 things because the majority of the time was spent reading by the pool/ocean. We went to the Old Lahaina Luau and it was amazing. Rob really liked the pulled pork. I did not go see them uncover the pig because then I wouldn't eat it. We sat with some interesting people. We sat with a Chinese diplomat. She was pretty good at English and her daughter spoke it well but her husband didn't seem to know any. She was telling us that her daughter takes English at school and also has a private American tutor. We also were sitting by a couple from Alaska. They don't like Sarah Palin....at all. They live where "the bridge to nowhere" is. We also sat with an elderly lady from Minnesota who kept our attention by telling us about the weird food she eats....while we were eating. The lady eats raccoon and looked at us like we are weirdos because we haven't tried it. The hula dancing was amazing. The never ending alcoholic drinks also made the luau fun. We went whale watching towards the middle of our trip. They were so beautiful and playful. One of them kept leaping out of the water and his mom lifted her whole head out of the water to look at us. We went to lunch one day and saw a while just off shore. We went to Warren and Annabelle's at the recommendation of an old high school friend. I wasn't so sure about it when we got there and it smelled like a hospital. Sure enough we go in and we are the youngest people in there by 30-40 years. Annabelle is a ghost and plays the piano. We thought this was kind of lame just because we have seen a player piano before. We promptly got some drinks once we were seated. We had gone to Bubba Gump's for dinner because I read the food they serve isn't the best. After an hour or so of the ghost playing the piano we were sent to the extremely cold auditorium. The magic show itself wasn't bad. Rob figured out a few of his tricks. We were asked to be in the show and we declined. I'm so glad we did. All the guy does is make fun of the people in the show. I wouldn't do the magic show again. I would do whale watching and the luau again. Most of our time in Maui was spent reading on our Kindle's and playing in the pool. The Westin was a great hotel and they have by far the best pool. We will definitely stay there again.

You need these shoes....

2011-02-07T14:51:00.000-06:00

These are the perfect shoes for summer! They are so cute on! These are from Target so they are reasonably priced as well. They come in white, black, brown, pewter and gold. I would go half a size down also because they were huge. I did a full size down because of my tiny ankles. I will be rocking these all summer.

Book Worm!

2011-01-22T19:30:00.000-06:00

Ever since receiving my kindle for Christmas, I have been racing through books. I'm trying to decide what book I will read next. So far I've read the 2 I listed in a previous post as well as The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Pride and Prejudice. I'm working on reading the Complete collection of Sherlock Holmes. I love these books. I like how creative they are and each short story or adventure is wrapped up in another way. He doesn't always catch the bad guy and sometimes doesn't know why every little thing happened. I like these a lot. Rob has been reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and really likes it as well. Plus side it is free on the kindle. I love getting the free books. There are many classics that I haven't read. We are leaving to go to Hawaii on Tuesday and I have Chelsea Handler's new book for a beachy read.

Meal Planning!

2011-01-18T15:11:00.002-06:00

Do you do this? I'm trying to do this. My only problem with it is I sometimes don't feel like eating whatever it is on the calendar for that day so I switch them up. For example, tonight we are having the stovetop fajitas instead so I'll just switch everything around. It keeps me from going back and forth to the grocery store. I found this website online with free downloads for weekly meal planning. I find it super helpful..maybe you will too. I take it to the store with me since it is already blocked out into sections so I'm not running all around the store. This blogger has some great recipes as well as Food Lush or Our Best Bites which I use most often (if I'm not using a cookbook). Happy meal planning!

Stovetop Chicken Fajitas

2011-01-18T14:41:00.001-06:00

I have this cookbook called America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook and I love it! It has calorie information for all the recipes. I've tried a few and we have really enjoyed them. Our favorite has been Stove Top Chicken Fajitas. The recipe calls for orange juice but I didn't have any and I used lime juice and it was fantastic. These didn't need cheese or toppings at all they were good alone.

Stovetop Chicken Fajitas
serves 4 (I cut the recipe in half for us)

2tsp canola oil(I used grapeseed)
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
salt and pepper
4 boneless skinless breasts, cut in half lengthwise(I do this instead of pounding them)
1/2 cup orange juice ( I used limes but I'm sure either are great)
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced canned chipotle chile in adobo(I add a little more)
1tsp yellow mustard
8 whole wheat flour tortillas, warmed

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Combine orange juice, cilantro, Worcestershire, garlic, and chipotles in the skillet. Add chicken and bring to simmer over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken over and over in liquid until chicken is cooked, 10-12 minutes longer.

3. Transfer chicken to plate and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Continue to simmer sauce over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, 5 minutes.

4. Off the heat stir in mustard and shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with onions and peppers in warm tortillas.

2 fajitas per serving: Cal 550 Fat 11g Sat Fat 1g Chol 100mg Carb 57g Protein 49 Fiber 7g Sodium 670mg

Reading!

2011-01-04T22:14:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I got some really great presents this year. My wonderful mom got me a 6.5 qt slow cooker that has already been used and loved, as well as a super cool camera bag. My husband got me a Canon Rebel camera that I am still figuring out how to use. My awesome mother in law got me a Kindle which I love. I knew I would like it but let me tell you I LOVE this thing. I've read 2 books on it so far. The first being Sh*t My Dad Says....hilarious. The quotes are worth reading. The second book I read on my kindle is Water for Elephants which you have probably heard of if you've seen the previews of the movie coming out with Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. This book is awesome. I really loved it. It is the kind of book you can read more than once. The book revolves around a depression era circus. The author did a bunch of research to make sure it is historically accurate. I will definitely see the movie but I'm sure the book is better. I was so into this book that it was read in 3 days and that is with doing family stuff etc. I think I'm going to read the Hunger Games Series next. I've heard great things. I'm trying to think of a good number of books to read this year as a goal 20? What are you reading? Any books you would recommend?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T01:15:00.000-06:00

This year we are having everyone over to our house Christmas day....I'm so excited! I'm making mashed potatoes, stuffing, bacon green beans and strawberry rhubarb pie. Today we made the potatoes the pie and the cornbread for the stuffing. So today started off well til I cut myself with the potato peeler....again. Every time I peel potatoes this happens. I'm fine with knives...I don't understand how I can't master a peeler. It was a bad cut like almost lost the tip of my finger bad. I'm not good with blood at all. Even just having blood taken gets me light-headed. I'm fine now and Rob has volunteered to peel potatoes from now on. Here are some Christmas pictures and the pie made with the fun pie cutters from Williams Sonoma.Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you and your family have a wonderful blessed day.

My Christmas Playlist!

2010-11-30T22:55:00.000-06:00

I'm really into holiday music. You should hear our Halloween collection but Christmas music is the best. I love modern Christmas music as well as the classics. These are the best songs and the best versions... according to me...ha! Kick back and sip on some hot cocoa and listen to these awesome songs.

1. Jingle Bell Rock — Bobby Helms
2. Baby, It’s Cold Outside — Dean Martin
3. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town — Bruce Springsteen
4. Run Run Rudolph- Lynyrd Skynyrd
5. Silent Night — Faith Hill
6. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
7. Santa Baby — Eartha Kitt
8. Carol Of The Bells — John Williams
9. Jingle Bells — Perry Como
10. Frosty the Snowman — Ella Fitzgerald
11. Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer — Dr. Elmo
12. Feliz Navidad — Jose Feliciano
13. A Holly Jolly Christmas — Burl Ives
14. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow — Dean Martin
15. All I Want for Christmas is You — Mariah Carey
16. Deck the Halls — Bing Crosby
17. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree — Brenda Lee
18. Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer — Burl Ives
19. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch — Thurl Ravenscroft
20. Please Come Home For Christmas — Jon Bon Jovi
21. Last Christmas —Wham
22. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas — Frank Sinatra
23. The River - Robert Downey Jr. (LOVE)
24. Christmas Don't Be Late - Chipmunks
25. Little Saint Nick - Beach Boys
26. Christmas - U2
27. The Most Wonderful Time of The Year - Johnny Mathis
28. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
29. Blue Christmas - Elvis
30. Happy Christmas - John Lennon

Awesome Makeup!

2010-11-17T02:12:00.000-06:00

My favorite makeup for now....

1. Naked Palette by Urban Decay- Love this palette it has 12 eye shadows and all of them are super wearable. They are all neutral and really easy to use for everyday and to make smokey for night. It comes with a mini primer potion(eye primer) and double ended eye pencil. These are pretty hard to find because they are amazing but they should be back in stock soon as they are a permanent palette.

2. Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer- I don't have tattoos but man does this stuff cover dark circles. I mean serious coverage. I love it.

3. Maybelline Define a lash Mascara- It is a lengthener mascara and isn't clumpy and goopy. I've found that I like this a lot better than lash blast which is more of a thickener.

4. Urban Decay Primer Potion- This eye primer is awesome and keeps shadow on all day. There is a one from Sally's that is similar and it is Palladio herbal eye shadow primer and it is cheaper.

5. Aveeno Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF30- They have two shades fair to light(me) and medium but no dark shades which is a bummer. This is great and light with surprisingly good coverage. I have really dry/sensitive skin and this is great for me.

New Fridge

2010-11-03T22:17:00.003-05:00

So we bought the new fridge October 18th but just got it today. We chose the Consumer Reports best buy. Our freezer quit working almost a month ago. I haven't had ice til today. I love the bottom freezer french door fridges. Ours also has the purified water so its nice for my water bottle. I'm thrilled to have the new one. I can't wait to buy some frozen pizza. ;) Also, it's lame that all of our GE appliances are breaking and they are only 4 years old . Won't buy GE ever again.

Canton!

2010-10-31T00:18:00.001-05:00

My mom and I went to Canton today and we found some cute stuff. I ended up getting this swarovski crystal cross. The guy who sold me the cross said "You from Lubbock?" Apparently the guy thought all Tech fans were from Lubbock( I was wearing a Tech shirt). Funny that most alumni live in Dallas. He then went on a rant about Leach. I just let him rant then he said Tuberville will be great which I agree. I asked him where he's from and of course it's Austin. He said he wasn't really a UT fan til he moved there. My mom and I got away from this conversation as fast as possible. I also purchased this window pane photo holder. My plan is to use my lucky bluebird art etsy prints and hang it above the pantry. Oh and what is the deal with the fleur de lis bling hats? Also, I have a major problem with people on scooters just because they don't want to walk. Seriously walk it will help you get healthy(end rant). Excuse the OK magazine in the pics. I have a subscription don't let that fact make you think any less of me.

What's Cookin'?

2010-10-22T13:53:00.001-05:00

Rob's birthday was October first and his favorite food is crab cakes. We both LOVE crab cakes. I have been trying several recipes over the last few years but I found a favorite. We both love The Cheesecake Factory. They have a fantastic appetizer that is mini crab cakes....as well as the Chicken Madeira which rocks my world, but that is another story for another time. I found this recipe and this tastes exactly like the ones from the restaurant. We like our crab cakes to be heavy on crab, moist and light on fillers. The remoulade sauce is yummy too. Here's the recipe for both.....mmmm.

Cheesecake Factory Crab Cake Recipe

1/2 lb lump crabmeat
3 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs (such as Progresso)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced green onions (green part only)
2 tablespoons minced red bell peppers
1/2 beaten egg
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
vegetable oil

Measure all the ingredients for the crab cakes-- except the panko and vegetable oil-- into a large bowl. Use a spatula to carefully fold the ingredients together. Avoid over-stirring

Use your hands or a spoon to fill six cups of a clean muffin tin with equal amounts of the crab mixture. Press down a bit on each crab cake so that the top is flat but don't press too hard.

Cover the muffin tin with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for a couple hours to help the cakes stay together when they're browned in the oil. (I didn't do this and they were still fine and held together but I think its a good idea to chill them)

After the crab cakes have chilled through, heat up about 1/4-inch of vegetable oil in large skillet over medium/low heat. Fill a shallow bowl with the panko breadcrumbs.

Gently roll each crab cake around in the panko breadcrumbs. Each crab cake should be wearing a light coating of panko.

Test the oil by dropping a pinch of panko into the pan. It should sizzle.

Sauté the crab cakes in the hot oil for 1 1/2 to 3 minutes on each side or until the cakes are golden brown.
Drain crab cakes on paper towels or a rack very briefly, then serve them up hot with the remoulade sauce alongside in a little dish.

Makes 6 small crab cakes.

Comments:

Be careful not to stir the crab too much into the other ingredients. Best to fold the mixture gently with a spatula to combine everything. You want the big chunks of tasty crab to stay together as big chunks of tasty crab. I buy Jumbo Lump and it is wonderful!

Remoulade Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
2 teaspoons milk
1 1/4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon minced celery
1 teaspoon minced white onion
1 teaspoon minced green bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt

Mix together and then chill. (I used horseradish mustard so I just used that instead of adding extra horseradish) Was very yummy!

Favorite YouTubers- Betty's Kitchen

2010-10-21T13:13:00.001-05:00

So I always find funny or cool you tube channels. I thought I would share one every so often. Here's the first one. Betty's Kitchen Betty is a retired college professor and she posts recipe videos. I've only made 2 of her recipes but I love the videos. She does field trip videos around Kentucky and watching them really makes me want to visit. The Makers Mark video was great. I would love to go and dip my own bottle in the wax. She makes mostly southern foods and she tries to use low fat or cal ingredients which is a plus. The first video is the Makers Mark field trip and the second is a recipe I really want to try.

Texas State Fair!

2010-10-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

I love going to the fair. I'm not gonna lie, I mainly go for the Fletchers Corny Dogs but they do have fun things to see. They had a petting zoo for kids, dog and pig races. We had the usual corny dog smothered in mustard and then we tried the fried Frito pie. It was pretty good but I prefer regular Frito pie. They have awards for everything from jam to quilts. When Dan and I were young we always liked to go see the butter sculpture. They use spoiled butter to make a sculpture and this year it was UT vs OU players. One year they had Elvis and that was by far my favorite. The quilt I photographed is one of the more intricate ones.We had a blast.

Texas Rangers!

2010-10-06T21:50:00.002-05:00

My grandfather on my Mom's side was a huge baseball fan and a big time Rangers fan. He died a few years ago but he would be thrilled to see them today. He always wanted to talk about the Rangers. Somehow rooting for them and going to games makes me feel close to my Opa. I bought a shirt which is big because I've lived in Dallas my whole life and been to numerous Rangers games but I have never had a shirt. I hope they can do it this year. Either way, I'm so happy that they are finally going in the right direction. I hope I look like Alyssa Milano in my new shirt ;) Go Rangers! Throwing up my Claw!

Pictures I've been meaning to post

2010-10-04T14:14:00.001-05:00

From my birthday weekend. We of course lost to UT but we had a great weekend anyways. Our football team is kind of in a tail spin right now and hopefully we can get it together for the Baylor game. I got my brother to pose in a bunch of pics with me. We had fun. Dan is going to the Baylor game with a friend. I hope we can win this one.....

What's Cookin'?

2010-09-30T12:27:00.002-05:00

I made these yummy sandwiches this week. I love it because it is a crock pot meal and really easy to dump everything in and let it cook all day. I used a almost three pound roast and it made a ton of meat. So much that I gave my grandmother and Andy the leftovers. It tastes so much like the french dips I've had at restaurants. This is one of Rob's favorite if not his favorite sandwich so I will make this for him next week since he's been out of town this week. The broiler makes the bread all crispy and then you dip it in the broth and it is so yum! I used smaller buns for portion control instead of hoagie rolls and I found the smaller portion to be right for me. I also used 25% less fat provolone and it tasted fab. Try it you will love it!

French Dip Sandwiches
by OurBestBites.com

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.
Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

Girly Weekend

2010-09-26T22:04:00.000-05:00

So I spent this weekend hanging out with some of my favorite people Sarah and Gianna. Sarah and I went to La Madeline and got the sampler....my favorite. I had baked potato soup, strawberries romanoff and caesar salad. It was perfect girly food. I really need to figure out how to make strawberries romanoff. I think if I were to choose my last meal strawberries romanoff would definitely be in there. We saw the angsty teen flick Easy A. I liked it. It was a fun movie. Today Gianna picked me up and we went to Jason's Deli. I love that place. I wish they would put one close to us. We saw You Again, the movie with Kristen Bell and Jamie Lee Curtis. I really liked it. I love Kristen Bell and I saw in one of my gossip rags that she's willing to put up the money for a Veronica Mars movie. I would love that. The show was fun like my other fav's Buffy and My So Called Life. We have to get together for a wine bar night.....love you girls you are the best!

Reunion

2010-09-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

So I'm slightly freaking out about my high school reunion. High school wasn't a bad time for me like it was for some people but I'll admit to dreading seeing a few of those people. I just got my invite in the mail and it is a two day deal. The first day they want to all go to the homecoming game together and then meet up at fox and hound. The second day we're meeting at the firewheel golf club. Problem: I don't know what to wear to either of these events or if I want to do one or both of these. One of my best friends from high school, Chasity called to let me know she's coming from California to go to the reunion. So I'm going but what to wear? All my close high school friends are going so I'm kind of excited and kind of ugh. I'm thinking the first night will be more casual with the football game and all so I was thinking jeans and a cute top but I saw on Jennie's blog that she's wearing a dress and heels. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Have you had a reunion? What did you wear?

Inspired!

2010-09-22T12:34:00.001-05:00

This blog is amazing. Marisa decided to use 365 dollars and make a new outfit for every day of the year. I love it. It is really neat to see what these dresses started as and what she made them into. You should definitely check it out. Totally makes me want to go thrifting...and get better at sewing ;). Here she is on the Nate Berkus show. ..Her blog is http://www.newdressaday.com

Fun Birthday Weekend!

2010-09-15T21:40:00.001-05:00

So we are headed to Lubbock this weekend for the Tech-UT game. Tuberville and I have the same birthday...this Saturday. Hopefully it will bring good luck. Rob, Daniel and I all have great memories of Lubbock and going to school there. Griffin will be taken care of by my mom. He loves her as much as he loves me. I've upped my running to 4 miles a day and will try to up it to 5 next week. I've been cooking with more veggies lately. I have also been buying unsweetened apple sauce, which I add cinnamon to. We got a new dishwasher after ours broke a while back. Lowes is still calling to see how the installation went....ugh I mean seriously. It went fine quit calling us. We will probably never buy appliances from them again. Speaking of appliances, our fridge quit dispensing ice and water. It just stopped one day. I looked it up online and apparently this is common with GE's. Methinks the next appliance purchase will be new fridge. Well move the current one to the garage. I'm hoping we can pull off a win this weekend! Wreck Em Tech!

College Football Time!

2010-08-31T15:05:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited for the season to start. I'm not really a fan of most other sports so I've been looking forward to this since the end of last season. This has been a crazy off season for us Red Raiders and I'm hoping we can pull it together and do well this year. Tommy Tuberville has changed our whole program. Leach was funny and odd and now we have a real coach who goes to alumni events and raises donations. I'm thrilled that we have Tommy at Texas Tech and I can't wait to see what he will do with our program. My mom, Daniel and I will be at the game versus SMU this Sunday. I got this fun trench coat for our games later this fall. I love it.

What's Cookin'?

2010-08-25T22:05:00.003-05:00

We had this for dinner tonight and it turned out to be yummy. It is 350 calories per serving and it makes 8 servings. I used those little metal containers and filled two of them and I'm taking the other to my Oma tomorrow. I will definitely be making this one again.

Baked Ziti
Biggest Loser Cookbook

Olive oil spray
1 (14 1/2-ounce) box fiber-enriched ziti or penne rigate (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1 (15-ounce) container fat-free ricotta cheese
2 large egg whites
8 ounces (4 cups) finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
3 1/2 cups low-fat, low-sodium, marinara sauce
2 tablespoons grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly mist a 13" x 9" x 2" ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray.

Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish.

Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce.

Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve!

Per Serving: 350 calories, 22 g Protein, 57 g Carbs, 6 g Fat (3g Sat), 8 g Fiber, 429 mg Sodium

True Blood

2010-08-17T21:12:00.002-05:00

Do you watch it? If you have HBO you should definitely check it out. I've read the books and they are also amazing. I think I'll read all the books again. I love the show and the books. It seems like the season has gone so fast. There are 3 episodes left in the season and the rest are on demand. My favorite characters are Eric, Alcide and Pam. My favorite Pam line is in the video below.

Shoe Storage

2010-08-10T12:48:00.000-05:00

I went to The Container Store with my mom this past weekend. I was wearing my Beatles shirt, jeans and flip flops. I wasn't wearing makeup because I didn't feel like it. A lady asks us if she can help us followed by "Are you ready for school to start?" I realized this lady thought I was an incoming freshman in college. I'm sure one day this will be flattering but for now it is annoying. My mom thought it was so funny. I was looking for shoe storage solutions and I found this shoe tree. It holds 18 pairs and I need at least one more of these but it really does the job. It is weighted on the bottom so it won't fall over. It also take up very little room in the closet.

I'm cleanin' out my closet...

2010-08-06T00:51:00.010-05:00

So I cleaned my closet...which means I threw out some of my stuff...a bunch of Rob's stuff and made more room for my stuff. I organized our clothes by type and size. It's all very OCD. Hopefully now I'll stay on top of our laundry and immediately hang it up or fold it. Luckily we have a good sized closet. The shoe area is organized, but I need some shelves or something to stack them. I found some shoes I'd forgotten about...woo hoo! I'm in love with my industrial sized laundry hamper. Whenever I wheel it to the laundry room I feel like a hotel maid..but I like it. Note: there are even more shoes to the right that aren't photographed. I need a lot more shoe storage(not to mention the shoes I still haven't gotten from my mom's house). The Griffin picture is in because he's adorable.

Quotes...

2010-08-03T23:16:00.003-05:00

Football Dance and Drapes

2010-08-03T19:46:00.004-05:00

We got our Texas Tech season tickets. So exciting! I can't wait to go to the games. My mom and I are going to see the So You Think You Can Dance tour when it comes to Dallas. So I have some fun exciting things to look forward to. The working out is still going great. I picked up some new books. I got the Sookie Stackhouse books which are the basis for the show True Blood. True Blood is one of my favorite shows. I also got the first book in The Vampire Diaries series. I'm going a little vampire crazy right now but I love reading these books. I started Club Dead last night and am almost done. I like these books a lot. We put up my drapes or curtains (is there a difference?) this weekend. It was a little stressful for Rob. Glad they are up though....I feel better now....that's what really matters right? After he was finished he said "if you had any doubt that I love you you shouldn't anymore." Um...thanks...

I'm loving this Texas shaped cheese board...

2010-07-30T13:56:00.005-05:00

This combines three of my favorite things: cheese, maps, and bamboo. You can also personalize by requesting where your heart or star is. This would also be a lovely gift. I must own this.... The shop has other states as well. If they dont have your state they will do a custom listing for you. The link is, of course, Etsy....they have everything.
aheirloom Etsy Shop

Etsy Finds

2010-07-27T14:10:00.007-05:00

Beau and Stella Jewelry

I love this shop. I really like little understated necklaces for everyday. I love Jennifer Anistons necklace in The Break Up with the little gold leaf. Well these are in the same vein as that. I got the gold horseshoe necklace for our anniversary. I love it. The second picture is the New Orleans Crescent City necklace. I love it and it would be very special to anyone who has roots there or just an affinity for the city. The third necklace down is the beach day one. I love the hammered disk. Really I love anything hammered because of all the surfaces reflecting light. I tried to get hammered flatware when we were registering but no one liked it but me. The last necklace I like because the tiny drops can symbolize anything or anyone. I only have the horseshoe necklace but I love it and I highly recommend this shop.

Now We're Cookin'

2010-07-23T16:50:00.006-05:00

So I made this polenta a couple of weeks ago and it turned out fantastic. It was the first polenta I had ever made and the second I've even tasted. We went to Craft Dallas for Daniel's birthday and ordered polenta. It wasn't very good and this is a Top Chef judge. Rob said mine is better. It was a wonderful compliment and I agree. His tasted like lumpy grits and polenta is supposed to have a mashed potato like texture. You should totally make this for someone special really soon. It goes wonderfully with steak or really any kind of meat. This is a wonderful recipe for polenta that I adapted from one I found to suit our tastes.

CREAMY CHEESY POLENTA

1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal (I used the polenta box I found at central market)
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Butter
4 oz Queso Fresco (In the cheese section, it comes in 5 oz and 12oz sizes)

1. Bring 4 1/2 cups water to a boil

2. Add cornmeal in thin stream while whisking to avoid lumps

3. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, adding salt and extra tablespoons of water as needed

4. When polenta is done, stir in butter and queso fresco(it is crumbly like goat cheese). Check seasonings and add salt to taste.

So You Think You Can Dance

2010-07-21T13:22:00.013-05:00

Is one of my favorite shows. It really makes me want to take some dance classes which I intend to do. If you aren't watching this show you are missing out. These are some of my favorite dances. It is on tonight so be sure to watch. My favorite of all the seasons is Jeanine Mason the season 5 winner. She is performing a solo in the last video. She is incredible.

Spark People

2010-07-16T00:45:00.003-05:00

For me the food I eat is the most important factor for weight loss. My mom found a website called Spark People and I use it mostly to document my workouts and my nutrition. The website lets you monitor everything from steps to miles and water to vegetables. I have found it really useful and maybe you will too. I've found if I write down what I eat, I'm less likely to overeat. They also have inspirational stories of people that have used the site and these are just regular people. I've still got more to go but I feel like I'm off to a good start.

Workout songs

2010-07-14T17:32:00.003-05:00

So as of today I've dropped 20lbs. So freaking happy. I still have more to go though. I've been trying to think of good workout songs. Let me know if you have any songs I should download. I'm always on the lookout for more workout songs. My favorites as of now are...

1. Anything GaGa I have Telephone, Just Dance and Poker Face

2. Britney Boys, I love Rock N Roll, Slave 4 U

3.Justin Timberlake SexyBack

4. Black Eyed Peas My humps

5. C&C Music Factory Gonna Make You Sweat

6. Cake The Distance

7. Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar On Me

8. Guns N Roses Welcome to the Jungle

9. Snoop Dogg Drop it Like its Hot

10. Flo Rida Right Round and Low

11. Salt N Pepa Push It

12. Drowning Pool Bodies

Fun Nail Polish

2010-06-28T14:09:00.004-05:00

I love opi nail polish but I found this new shrek collection and it is adorable. I got the purple, blue and green. I haven't tried the green yet. I'm wearing and blue on my toes and the purple is greatness. I always try to do fun colors on my toes. Yay for summer.

Have you heard of a Vuvuzela?

2010-06-25T23:38:00.004-05:00

Sure you have...these are the annoying horn things the south Africans are using to annoy everyone. These are long plastic horns that play what can only be described as a swarm of bees. They are terrible. I didn't realize what that humming was at first but after a few minutes it gets really annoying much less 90 something minutes. We muted a game to avoid the horn but would up falling asleep. I really think these should not be allowed. I can't imagine how loud it is in person. All the teams have been complaining and I don't blame them. I'll be watching the game tomorrow and avoiding the hum of vuvuzelas at all costs. Go USA!

Etsy Finds- Kailo Chic

2010-06-19T20:33:00.004-05:00

So I recently grabbed a wallet from a store called Kailo Chic and it is really neat. It has a really small profile and holds cash and lots of cards. She also has coin purses, pocket mirrors, sunglass cases and other fun things. Just from looking at her etsy it looks like people get the pocket mirrors as bridesmaid gifts. I love my wallet and I get comments on it all the time. They are also really reasonably priced and come in a bunch of fun fabrics. I got the one below but look at her site for more fun colors. http://www.etsy.com/shop/kailochic

Things I Love - PopChips

2010-06-16T15:44:00.007-05:00

I don't know if you have heard of these but they are greatness. They aren't baked or fried they are pressurized to make this popped potato chip. They have no trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol or preservatives. I grabbed them on a whim while on the hunt for some cheddar popcorn for Rob. I have read about these in magazines and man did they live up to their reputation. I have only tried the barbecue but I also bought the salt and vinegar. They are available at whole foods, target and online of course. You can eat 20 of them seriously....20 for 120 calories. The overall texture of the chips is airy and crispy at the same time. When you bite into the chips, they are not greasy but very crisp and full of flavor. They definitely outdo your typical “diet” chip. I give PopChips 2 thumbs up and would recommend them to anyone.
http://www.popchips.com

Now We're Cookin'

2010-06-09T12:45:00.005-05:00

PIZZA!

Pizza Dough

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for rising
1 1/4 tsp instant yeast (Rapid Rise works great)
4 1/2 cups of bread flour or more as needed
1 1/2 tsp salt

To make by hand combine 1 3/4 cups cold water, oil and yeast. Stir in a cup of flour at a time until the dough is sticky and too stiff to stir. Turn dough on to floured surface. Knead adding more flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth and elastic(snaps back into shape when you stretch it), about 5 minutes. Dough will remain slightly sticky don't overdo the flour. I followed these directions but used my mixer and dough hook.

Cut dough into 6 equal pieces and form each into a ball. This is the point where you freeze some for later. I just formed into balls and put in individual freezer bags. Now for the ones you want to use right away. Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil into a 13x9 baking dish. Place each ball into the dish and coat with oil, leaving space between them. Cover with plastic wrap. Let dough stand at room temperature until they double in size 1 1/2 hours. Place dough on floured surface and deflate it and shape again with more flour if needed and let relax and now its ready for pizza.

*defrost dough in refrigerator for at least 12 hours before using then put it in the baking dish with the oil to rise.

Fun Toppings
I mixed a minced garlic clove with a plum tomato seeded and some olive oil and smeared it on and put some fresh mozzarella and some pecorino shaved on with basil after I pulled it out.

Turkey Pepperoni- if you love pepperoni you will love this stuff it tastes the same except not a ton of calories.

Low fat Italian sausage is good also

Good cheese really makes a difference.

Everyone should have pizza night....YUM and really easy though you must get a pizza stone.

Pizza, Couch and Sunscreen

2010-06-08T16:23:00.007-05:00

So we had pizza last night. I used a recipe from a low calorie cookbook. The dough recipe made 6 balls and each ball is a 10ish inch pizza. I got a cheap pizza stone from target. I bought fresh mozzarella and I had a seeded plum tomato mixed with olive oil and a clove of garlic with mozzarella and some pecorino shaved on top. It was so yummy. Oh yeah and I put some basil leaves on mine after taking it out. I love fresh pizza nothing beats it. I totally love all things Italian. Rob's pizza had marinara with mozzarella and turkey pepperoni. I think we'll make pizza a weekly thing. It was so much fun and the pizzas only took 8 minutes to cook. I froze the 4 other pizza dough balls for later. Today our couch was delivered. I love it. I got some fun throw pillows from Pier 1 to accessorize it. The suede makes it photograph funny. I promise it doesn't look funny in person. I finally used my Sephora gift cards and took a chance on ordering Josie Maran Sunscreen. I love it. It is such a great product. I am always looking out for sunscreens because I'm pasty white and not down with skin cancer. If I'm at the beach or the pool I use the crazy high SPF 70 stuff but everyday I use this great SPF 40 cream. It is completely natural and doesn't have parabens or sulfates. It is super lightweight and not greasy at all, and I love the light scent. It contains argan oil which is supposed to reverse sun damage. I highly recommend it.

Drapes???

2010-06-03T22:58:00.006-05:00

So we are officially having the new couch delivered on Tuesday. I've been looking at drapes online. I'm almost set on some silk ones for the living room. I'm trying to decide between Lemongrass which is a light green or Greenhouse which is a darker richer green. For the kitchen I'm thinking of some green and off white ones from Ballard designs. What do you think?

Summer Swimsuits

2010-05-29T23:02:00.006-05:00

So is it just me or is anyone else LOVING the retro swimsuits..... my fave is the first one...I ordered the second and the fourth one. All of these are available at Dillards. Looking at swimsuits is great motivation.

Sewing Classes

2010-05-26T22:35:00.007-05:00

So last night I had my first official sewing class. I took a class at City Craft in Dallas. If you haven't been and you love pretty fabric or would like to get into sewing I recommend them. I loved the class. It was fun and the other girls were also fun. They went over all the basics of sewing and you could make either a makeup brush roll or an apron. I went home with directions for both but made the makeup brush roll. I made an extra for Gigi. I signed up for the Get Sewing too class at City Craft. In that class you learn how to make an oilcloth tote. I'm so ready for my next class. Tonight I cut out the fabric to make my Amy Butler swing bag. I completed it tonight with a little help from my mom who is amazing at sewing.

The BEST queso dip EVER....

2010-05-24T15:26:00.004-05:00

This dip is delicious! You should so try it!

Recipe courtesy of Courtney King Thompson

1 lb ground beef (I used the Lauras 96% lean)
1 lb sausage (I used reduced fat Jimmy Dean)
1 cup chopped onion
1 package ready to serve Spanish rice (Uncle Ben's Ready Rice)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can refried beans (I used fat free)
1 lb velveeta cubed

Cook beef and sausage together. Drain fat. add onions and cook till soft. Cook rice according to package directions. In a crock pot combine meat, rice, beans, velveeta and enchilada sauce. Cook for 1-1.5 hours till melted. Serve with Scoops!

Adorable Shoes and Maui

2010-05-23T20:07:00.005-05:00

So we booked our trip to Maui.....so excited! We are going February of next year. We bought a Frommers guide to Maui and an old high school friend messaged me with some great ideas for what to do there. We are going during whale season so I'm really excited to see whales and snorkel. In other news we get our couch this week or early next week. This weekend I went to Crate and Barrel outlet and got an adorable throw on sale for the couch. I love it. It's like jewelry for the couch and not another Griffin blanket. Seriously this dog takes over all of our blankets. Tonight I made red beans and rice for the first time. When I was in college my roomies would make red beans and rice and it was fantastic. I love it and decided to make it for Rob and I. It turned out pretty good. Rob had poker night last night and had all the guys over. I got home 11ish and it was great to see everyone. I made cookies and 2 dips. One dip was a major hit. A friend from high school gave me a fabulous recipe for a queso style Mexican slow cooker dip. It was almost completely gone. I see that I will be making a lot of this dip in my future. Also I found these shoes online....these would be great in Maui.

YUM!

2010-05-11T00:40:00.002-05:00

So I'm officially back on an exercise routine. My mom heard something about Demi Moore drinking coconut water after a workout for hydration so we decided to try it. We tried a few kinds and the water tasted kinda "earthy."Tonight we tried one with a splash of pineapple juice and it is fantastic. YUM! I highly recommend. I will be getting a bunch when I get a chance to go to the store. The coconut water has no fat and it harvested before the coconut reaches maturity. It also has tons of potassium which is great for regulating blood pressure and especially because it helps people with thyroid problems like me. It is also great for hangovers...or so say the people at Whole Foods.

Possible new sofa

2010-05-05T15:43:00.003-05:00

So we have several people over at a time so we need seating. I'm also thinking about getting a fun accent chair to add to the room. What do you think? We haven't really decided on colors yet though.

Sewing Projects.

2010-04-30T22:33:00.006-05:00

Last weekend I made this apron. I got it from a Amy Butler pattern with fabric I got on sale. Tonight I made the little gathered clutch. I'm going to use it more like a wallet in my purse. I've never used zippers before but it wasn't too bad. I'm making my mom a Mother's Day gift so I'll post that after I give it to her. We had a date night tonight and went to Fireside Pies. It was very yummy. We will definitely be going back. We are currently watching American Pie 2 on Starz...it has been forever.

My Sewing Machine

2010-04-24T11:40:00.006-05:00

I am now the proud owner of this sewing machine. I decided to spend a little more and get a better sewing machine. Everyone I spoke to, including my friend Jeaux recommended a Janome so I decided to get one. I went through the manual practicing everything and I've got it down...I think.

I started slow...with an easy project. I made these clip on the back of your headrest cloth trash bags for the car. I got the pattern out of my book One Yard Wonders. I made the purple one first then the flowery one. By the way my tree rose is blooming like crazy. These are Pope John Paul II roses. I am working on an apron now on my sewing machine.

Currently...

2010-04-18T15:19:00.003-05:00

Current Book: Eat, Pray Love

Current Playlist: GaGa and Taylor Swift....cause I'm cool like that

Current Shame: My flower bed....awful I refuse to even take a picture to post to show you how bad it is.... should be good next week though

Current Color: Greys and Purples. I have this nail polish called Metro Chic from OPI for Sephora and it is such a great color....not "springy" though.

Current Drink: Water

Current Foods: Healthy simple foods. I've made Cashew Chicken, Arroz con Pollo, Spaghetti, Chicken and mustard sauce.

Current Favorite Show: Loving Vampire Diaries....I know I know but I really like it. It is starting to get good.

Current Wishlist: New Couch... we have very little seating in our enormous living room.

Current Needs: Husband to be back from England...ugh!

Current Triumphs: Completed 2 projects on my new Janome Sewing Machine....

Current Bane of my Existence: Flower Beds....rob is going to clean them out then I'll plant some pretty flowers. They won't be neglected much longer.

Current Project: Organizing our closet and I'm actually really excited about it.

Current Link: Listography- Life in lists. I LOVE lists. I love the feeling of crossing something off a list. It is so satisfying. Here's mine, in case you want to see how crazy organized I am. http://listography.com/thenewjune

These are a few of my favorite things...

2010-04-16T17:46:00.007-05:00

My favorite kitchen items....

1. Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart dutch oven. LOVE IT! This is my favorite kitchen item. I use it all the time and I love the lemongrass color. It is very easy to clean and doesn't rust easily. You just have to make sure to dry off around the rim really well. I have done everything from fry in it to using it to make a big pot of chili. I got mine with money my uncle gave us for the wedding. They are expensive but they last forever.

2. Kitchen Aid mixer. These are really well made and last forever. I use it for all my baking.

3. OXO Mixing Bowls. Love the colors and love the rubber on the bottom so they don't budge when you're mixing. The spout is very handy also. I use these all the time. Great mixing bowls.

4. Wustof Classic Asian knife set. These along with a serrated knife are pretty much the ones I use most. Rob got these from his aunt and never used them. I use them all the time. It is important to have good knives.

5. Cutting Boards. They are fun colors and flexible so they are easy to wash. I also have a wooden cutting board but I use these more often. The rubber on the bottom holds the board down and keeps it from sliding around. I like that there are different ones for meats and veggies.

Sewing Machine

2010-04-08T16:01:00.005-05:00

So this weekend I'm going to go buy a sewing machine. I went with the budget category winner from consumer reports. Do you sew or have a sewing machine? I learned how to sew from my mom when I was really young. She made almost all of my Halloween Costumes. I would like to make some curtains for my kitchen and dining area. I am just getting back in to the sewing thing. I can knit and crochet also. I would love to knit a blanket. I think that sewing is becoming a lost art sort of and it is great to see people doing it again. My buddy Sarah introduced me to a place called City Craft. This place is like fabric heaven. Seriously, great bright pretty fabrics. I don't know if you have been into Hancock's lately but the fabric selection is...lets just say uninspiring. I'm so excited to start making projects. I started reading Eat Prey Love and I LOVE it so far. I've also been making meals out of my Everyday Food : Great Food Fast. I like it a lot so far I've made the chicken with mustard cream sauce, Best Beef Burger, Molten Chocolate Cakes and a Vinaigrette and tonight I'm thinking of trying the Cashew Chicken. We have been having a spinach salad with almost every meal. I just throw some vinaigrette on top and ta da.

Fabulous Find- Tablevogue

2010-04-07T11:05:00.005-05:00

This is a great solution for all purpose tables. We have a card table and we also have a 6 foot long fold out table I got from walmart while in college. This website makes tailored table covers for both sizes. They look fantastic. They aren't very expensive either. Great solution for holiday time with not enough seating or just for parties.

TableVogue

Cracks me up so funny

2010-04-02T15:08:00.001-05:00

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-what-women-sound-like-to-men/

Etsy Finds- The Wheatfield

2010-03-30T22:50:00.002-05:00

Love her stuff. The sunshine sign is going in my little girls room when I get pregnant and if I have a girl :) Seriously her stuff is amazing.

The Wheatfield

Gives Me Hope

2010-03-30T15:39:00.001-05:00

This might be the most uplifting website I've ever seen. Reading these stories make you feel good.

http://www.givesmehope.com/

Things/People you probably love but I don't

2010-03-29T16:20:00.003-05:00

Totally stole this from jennie but here goes.

Jerry Seinfeld didn't like the show and the way he speaks annoys me but he's fine on marriage ref
Dave Matthews Band
John Mayer
Skinny Jeans and Leggings (I have yet to see someone they look good on and that includes models.)
Sushi (Gave it a shot but hated it I like all my food cooked thoroughly)
George Clooney
Licorice or anything flavored like it like anise or fennel
Robert Pattinson (I'm sorry he's creepy looking)
Text messages like this : Cu2mOrRoW
Glee (really tried to like it)
Sandra Lee
Gin
Myspace
Star Wars
Quentin Tarantino Movies
Parents Cars with the stick figures and kids names on the back window (hello sex offenders)
Chocolate cake
Sweet Potatoes
Soccer

Jamie Oliver

2010-03-27T22:57:00.002-05:00

OK so I finally saw this show...it's available online. It was a great show and I applaud his efforts. I remember the school cafeteria and thank goodness I made my lunch. Most of that stuff is disgusting. I have never tried any of Jamie's recipes but I might as well start. Great Show!

The Shred Day 1

2010-03-23T23:02:00.004-05:00

So I started Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. Day one was akin to torture....ok not really but almost. I'm sore....really sore but that's good right? Really not looking forward to day 2 of the shred but it can only get easier. We had a good healthy dinner. I made scarpetta's fresh tomato sauce and pasta and a salad of baby spinach and arugula with a light vinaigrette. So YUM! It was a meatless meal and I'm trying to incorporate more of those into our routine. We had some fruit mix of strawberries, melon and grapes and it was pretty good also. Yay for eating healthy!

Things I Love

2010-03-23T14:46:00.002-05:00

Love this tea! So yummy! I usually buy the Organic kind but couldn't find a picture of it. The honey adds just the right amount of sweetness and the mint is fantastic. I love mint....hello mojitos but that's for another post...

.

My Favorite Recipe Sites

2010-03-16T15:30:00.005-05:00

As you may or may not know I LOVE cooking and baking for that matter. I am so glad to be back and so ready to cook. So here are my favorite cooking sites. I say sites because they aren't all blogs. Please feel free to post yours so I can check them out. Enjoy!

1. http://www.allrecipes.com/ My mom introduced me to this one. I have made tons of recipes from here. There are some great ones. I love the benihana like salad dressing and the restaurant style spinach dip. Also its great because they are rated and you can read the comments to make the dish even better.

2. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking I have her cookbook and follow her blog and she is fantastic. Her food is not always healthy but man is it good. The onion straws are great as are her mashed potatoes. Her lasagna is the best I've ever had.....try it.

3. http://www.ourbestbites.com/ I am so making the mint brownies the next time I go to a friends hosue. The hot corn dip is on my next things to try. I recently found this site and it has tons of recipes i'm dying to try.

4. http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/ This blog is run by a great family with some awesome recipes. Five sisters who post their favorite family recipes. I'm so excited to try a bunch of these.

5. http://www.smittenkitchen.com/ I use this blog mainly for baking ideas. I've made her rhubarb crumble and it was so yummy.

6. http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/ Recently found this one and looking forward to trying some of these recipes.

7. http://www.marthastewart.com/everyday-food I listen to everyday food on XM pretty often and they have some great and healthy dinner ideas to use what you already have at home.

8. http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com/ There are many German recipes which of course I love.

9. http://www.homewithmandy.com/ This is a blog from Mandy from Austin who is a great cook and loves throwing parties. Some good party ideas.

10. http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/ I've made a few of her recipes and they are good. Check her out for good tex mex recipes.

11. http://steamykitchen.com/ She has some great asian food recipes. I made her italian spaghetti sauce and it was magic....seriously. YUM!

Yay for Spring...sorta

2010-03-15T13:10:00.002-05:00

My allergies are terrible year round but it seems as though its worse in the springtime. I am excited for my roses to start blooming again. I would like to start an herb garden this year. I'm thinking Basil, Mint, Parsley, Thyme and Oregano. I found the cutest little herb markers to put in the garden on etsy of course...LOVE. I went to the doctor today as I've been feeling icky since my last day in London. I'm on antibiotics and hopefully good now. I can't wait to cook again. I've missed it. I've found some great recipes on cooking light's website that I can't wait to try. The best part about spring is my mommas birthday is the first official day of spring March 20th.

London Part 3

2010-03-12T07:54:00.002-06:00

Wednesday we went to Abbey Road. We didn't exactly know which way to go once we got there but turns out our instinct worked. We found Abbey Road Studios which is where the Beatles recorded the famous album. There was a ton of graffiti all over the outside gate. We got some good pictures of it but I can't get them off until we get home. After this we went to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was beautiful. The churches in England along with the English countryside are some of the more beautiful things that I have ever seen. St. Paul's has these awesome mosaic tiled roofs. There was also gold everywhere. There is a section for the Americans that lost their lives in World War II. In this area there is a giant book in which all the names of those lost was placed. We went down to the crypt which holds lots of British military and memorials. Thursday we went on a tour to Stonehenge and the ancient roman city of Bath. Stone henge was neat. My hair was flying and it was so freezing we thought we would never feel our faces again. There were tons of sheep near Stonehenge. The sheep were so cute. I got bunches of pictures of them as well and some neat gifts. Then we boarded the "luxury coach" which really was the tightest most cramped I have EVER been in a vehicle. Seriously this van made airplane seats seem roomy. We were in this sucker for 3 hours also. Bath was neat they still have the hot springs baths that were supposed to cure leprosy. We wandered around the town for a while and got some fun stuff. Every building in bath must be built with a special limestone. All the buildings looked old and brownish. The countryside view on the way out was magnificent. It was just like a painting. Our tour guide seemed to know as much as I did about the places we were going. He handed out a sheet of paper on the way and just read off of it when we got to the sites. I felt bad for our poor driver as he was stuck dealing with this fool and doing all the actual work. Our guide was on his laptop the whole time. The first stop on our way back he was like alright see ya. Also this guy passed out some flyers to go to Paris and stuff with this tour company...are you kidding. I'm glad we saw those sites I would just recommend a different company. I can't imagine his tour to Paris...."well this is where french people live and that's the Eiffel tower...alright I'm off to have a smoke." Today we have just done a bit of shopping. Turns our there are some really cool skincare products only available in Europe. I did a little research on my makeup site www.makeupalley.com and asked them for advice on which products to get. They also rate products so I found this extremely helpful. Tonight we are going to try a pub....a gastropub yeah it sounds disgusting but it means a pub that has really good food. Tomorrow morning we leave London and arrive back in Dallas. We've had such a great time here and I'm so blessed to have been able to see all this. That said I can't wait to see my Griffers.

London Part 2

2010-03-10T03:49:00.003-06:00

So we ended up going to the Tower of London on Monday. We got there before it opened as we were told because it is a heavily visited landmark. We were all over this castle. There were castle walks and narrow spiral staircases every which way. I took a bunch of pictures of the cool weapons and stuff for my brother. My favorite part was seeing the crown jewels which are housed there. A-MAY-ZING! There were no pictures aloud in this area but I'll find some online to post. I haven't seen that many emeralds in my life it was awesome not to mention the scepter and the awesome Imperial Crown of State with an enormous diamond called the second star of Africa which was cut from the famous cullinan diamond which was the largest diamond ever mined. We saw London bridge or the Tower Bridge. It wasn't falling down though.....haha .....mom joke I know. We went to dinner at the Texas Embassy which is near the location of the only Texas Embassy there ever was. They have tex mexish food...it wasn't good though. I mean who wants crunchy enchiladas.
Yesterday we went and saw Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Big Ben is just a giant clock tower so we saw it then moved on. We toured the Abbey which was awesome and so much cooler than we thought. Lots of famous people are buried here or have a stone of remembrance here. You pay to get in then they offer free audio guide voiced by Jeremy Irons. We both really enjoyed it and then lit some candles and said some quick prayers as we left. Last night we saw Wicked which was awesome. I sat near a guy who is from Indiana but is going to school at Brighton. He loves the show and has seen it 6 times. He had little bit of a British accent for a guy from Indiana but I guess that is to be expected when you're around it all the time. Look at Madonna.

London....So Far

2010-03-08T07:16:00.003-06:00

So we were on the tube back home and I was thinking I'm going to forget all that I want to blog about. So my first day here we went to the British Museum. It was neat they had several items from Rome which Rob liked. I thought all the neat carved stones from the Parthenon were awesome. I was a little out of it while there because I only slept an hour and a half on the plane. There was an Indian lady sitting in the middle seat of 5 and I was on the end. She decided to lay across the empty seats with her feet right next to me. If you know me you know I Hate feet.I finally somehow managed to sleep a bit. So after our trip to the museum we came to the hotel and I was begging Rob to let me sleep. This is funny because I hate sleeping but I was exhausted. I finally went to bed like 4ish. On to the next day. I woke up at 3 am from all my sleep and of course checked facebook to see what everyones doing. We went to Harrods in the morning which was a mad house. Seriously we couldn't afford much in that place. There is a very strange statue of the late Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed dancing with a dove or something and a giant book you can sign. It was a little strange and all I could think was Diana wouldn't have liked that. On our way out we stopped at H&M and I've never been to one. I bought this sweater and a neat shimmery scarf. On a side note EVERYONE here wears scarves and not the warm kind the fashionable kind. Several people still wear skirts and dresses and its 36 degrees here. Then we rode the tube to Piccadilly Circus to look around. We went into some neat shops but nothing to amazing. We saw that Covent Garden was a stop on the train we were on and we thought why not knock something else off the to do list. We looked around some of the cute shops. We saw a gold robot dude like the silver one from eurotrip but mimes kind of freak me out. We watched these two guys make huge vats of paella. The English call it Pie-Ella. It looked to be pretty popular but we had just eaten at a yummy place called Pizza Hut...the restaurant. It was some of the best food we have had so far. We got some crepes(my favorite) I got nutella and banana and rob got strawberry and milky bar. His was better. We then left and went back to the train station which has no stairs and you have to get on a giant elevator or lift which holds 30-40 people. People just cram into these things pushing and shoving. Its like a stampede. We will not be going to Covent Garden again. I'll write about today when we get back from the Texas Embassy.

Off to England

2010-03-03T23:38:00.004-06:00

I'll post pics and write about it when we get back.

Fun Quotes

2010-03-02T20:09:00.006-06:00

Etsy Find-Lucky Bluebird Art

2010-03-02T12:00:00.007-06:00

I got these prints. I think they are fun and bright and I like the little birds. I special ordered in the purple but she told me she can do any color. I'm also going to get some of the pear stuff as a play on my old last name. My kitchen is really dark so I've brightened it up by using color. It is spring green and purple. I'm going to hang these 3 8X10 prints above my pantry. I love them. Now just to find frames....grr. I also got the one at the end for the bathroom. My bathroom is slightly darker than baby blue. She has some cute prints for babys rooms also for all you baby making people ;). She's great check her stuff out. http://www.etsy.com/shop/LuckyBluebirdArt

Olympics...

2010-02-24T00:47:00.004-06:00

make me HIGHLY emotional. The night before last they had a story about Kevin Pearce who has brain trauma from attempting a difficult snowboard move in training. I was bawling. I feel so terrible for his family. Hopefully he will just keep getting better. Then tonight there was a story about the Canadian ice skater whose mom had a heart attack and died a few days ago. I don't know how she got out there and skated. She is very brave as I would be in pieces if that happened to me. I love that you hear about people not necessarily from America who have come such a long way and given up so much to accomplish their dreams. These people are amazing and they should be cheered and honored and I'm in awe of their dedication. It should be noted that it is awesome that both America and Germany are at the top of the medal count. I go for USA first then Germany.

"You sound like you're from London"

2010-02-16T13:55:00.007-06:00

Ha! I love that line from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. My amazing husband outdid himself this year. For Valentines Day I got Godiva chocolate covered strawberries, tulips and tickets to see Wicked. I didn't notice that the Wicked tickets weren't for the show coming up here in Dallas. After some prodding to look at it closer, I noticed there were pound symbols. Wicked is one of my favorite musicals. You know I can't pick just one. Rob is going there for work but I obviously thought I would be staying at home with our sweet and lovable beagle. Well he has to go and work for 2 weeks and then he's taking a week off of work so I can meet him in London and vacation. So I've taken some advice from the movie Eurotrip and looked through Frommer's guide to London. It looks like there will be no shortage of things to do there. I'm so excited as this will be my second trip out of the United States. The first trip was to St. Lucia for our honeymoon. I'm so excited and planning our trip day by day. I'm a planner and I've heard that if you are doing a trip like this, it is the only way to go. I want to make sure we see all the things we want to see.
I want to give a shout out to my friend Nikki. I just want you to know how genuinely happy I am for you. You could not have picked a better guy to spend the rest of your life with. He is so amazing and you guys are so cute together. I'm so glad you found a guy deserving of you. I can't wait to thumb dance at your wedding!

Snow Day!

2010-02-14T22:21:00.003-06:00

This was my Griffin's first time in the snow! He was unsure about it at first. He ventured out into the snow when I got in it. He would eat some then run around and roll in it some more. I set a bowl out to make snow ice cream and it was pretty tasty. Who would think there would be 12 1/2 inches of snow in Dallas?!? We loved it!

Random

2010-02-14T22:15:00.005-06:00

So Christmas came and went and I forgot to post the cookies my mom and I made. We made the classic German spritz cookies. We gave them for gifts.

Virginia Jamestown Settlement Pictures

2010-02-14T22:07:00.003-06:00

Virginia Part 1

2010-02-02T16:49:00.018-06:00

So Rob was sent to Virginia for work and we had a few miles saved up so I flew out to see him. I've never been to Virginia before...come to think of it Virginia is now the farthest North that I've ever been. I met him at the airport and it was a little rainy when I got there but no colder than Dallas has been the past few weeks. We went to see Williamsburg and I loved it! It is the cutest little town and all the homes were built during the 18 century. The people that work there are dressed in colonial gear that they make in the little town. We went through the town and saw the Milliner and Tailor, several shops, Public Gaol(how they spelled it back in the day), Apothecary(Pharmacy), Magazine(weapons store), Shoe Shop and Courthouse. It was so cute. The people we great at explaining how things used to be and what they used as compared to what we use today. For example when we went to the Apothecary shop they would put tobacco on any kind of rash...she said not to do that today obviously because the tobacco now is full of chemicals. The gaol was neat as they said Blackbeard was kept in the high security portion of the house. The gaol was basically the gaolers house and it had cells built in. Blackbeard was kept in full arm and leg restraints as he had escaped before. The toilets were just holes cut in wood and look like stairs and they have passthroughs to get the prisoners food. The magazine was pretty neat as well. They kept all the heavy things like cannon balls and bullets on the bottom floor and up at the top they kept all sorts of bayonets and small pistols that of course used flint. The Milliner and Tailor shop was neat because they make all the women who work in Williamsburg's dresses. The lady said when a baby turns one they make them start wearing the corset type undergarment to get them used to it and walking strait. I can't imagine. It looked very uncomfortable but the dresses were big and poofy and totally Gone With the Windesque. My great grandfather made shoes in Germany so I thought going to visit the Shoe shop was really neat. They used buckles to hold the leather straps so the shoes didn't fall off or just wore slippers. The slippers reminded me of something we wore for jazz class. We went to the Williamsburg Market Place and got a sandwich from The Cheese Shop. I highly recommend going if you are ever in the area. They have a special house dressing you can choose to put on your sandwich its mayo and Dijon and something i can't quite place but VERY delicious. We went there twice and I got the turkey and cheese. Apparently the kids that go to school at William and Mary in Williamsburg go there and get the ends of the bread and eat it with the house dressing. I loved the school it was great. I got a William and Mary shirt I liked it there so much. I would totally be fine if my kid wanted to go to school there. It is the second oldest school in the U.S. after Harvard. Alumnus are such greats as Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Tyler, Henry Clay, 16 signers of the Declaration of Independence, Glen Close and John Stewart. I ended up getting my brother a leather beer mug with wax inside and my mom a handmade wooden spatula. I love Williamsburg and can't wait to go back and see more. I'll post about the rest of my trip tomorrow. here are some pics.

Hello 2010!

2010-01-12T19:45:00.004-06:00

Welcome to my first post of the new year. It's been forever, sorry. I know you were probably panicked and worried. By panicked and worried I mean not worried at all and loving the holidays with your family. We were lucky in that this holiday season was pretty painless. I ended up getting the jewelry cleaner I had been eyeing from Brookstone. I highly recommend. Rob got me a Netbook and its fun to use and fits in my purse. I got my wine rack that is from our registry that we didn't get. I also got my clarisonic and am enjoying the baby soft skin it gives me. This year will be a good one. I'm so looking forward to all the positive things that are happening to my friends this year. I'm so happy for ya'll. It is going to be a very blessed year.

Griffin's Dreidel

2009-12-21T23:23:00.007-06:00

Griffin just got his first Christmas present. Yes I give my dog Christmas presents....I thought I would share some pics. We got him a dreidel. I love the dreidel song it plays. We are not jewish but I love jews....very strange I know. I'll post a long update tomorrow. I hope everyone is having a happy holiday.

2009-11-19T14:22:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thanksgiving....

2009-11-17T11:33:00.002-06:00

So my surgery was a success and they got all that junk out. I'm still recovering. It will take about 6 weeks to fully heal. I'm so excited for Thanksgiving. We are headed to my Uncle Karl's farm in East Texas. Last year we did his family so our plan is to switch off every year. I am supposed to bring something and I haven't decided what just yet. It will either be a pumpkin pie or roasted garlic mashed potatoes. At his house they are all about the sweet potatoes and to be honest I have never been a fan. My favorite Thanksgiving food is stuffing... yum. I was perusing the Internet trying to find possible sides when I came upon like 50 different kinds of stuffing. I had no idea there was such a wide variety. Ours is your typical half cornbread half white bread stuffing that most people make in the south. There is definitely no fruit mixed in or sausage. I tried the kind with sausage at Central Market and it was tasty but not like what I'm used to.
I've been working on my Christmas list so I'm not stuck trying to do this last minute.
A few items....

1. Bradford Wine Rack from Pottery Barn
2. Central Market Cooking Classes
3. Clarisonic Skin Brush(had a facial with this and it was the best thing ever!)
4.Gift Cards to Pottery Barn, DSW, Crate and Barrel and Sephora
5. Subscription to Real Simple(my favorite magazine...great tips and recipes.)
6. Magazine Basket
7. Art off Etsy for the house

Surgery...

2009-11-03T13:33:00.003-06:00

So as most of you know I'm having surgery on Thursday. I've had a sinus infection for over a year that is drug resistant. I also have a cyst in my right maxillary sinus. My sinuses are 90% blocked which means I have to have surgery to get all that stuff out. They are also fixing my deviated septum so my nose will be strait. I'm nervous. I haven't had surgery since I was really young and had my appendix out. I go tomorrow for pre op. I'm praying that everything goes well with surgery. I'll try to take fun post surgery pics.

Like/Don't Like

2009-11-01T21:49:00.004-06:00

I LIKE

monogrammed things

hand written notes

personalized stationary

food and recipe blogs/shows/magazines/books

post-its

lists

organization....just organized my jewelry in a hanging organizer and got some under bed storage boxes

thunder storms

cooking/baking

playing with Griffin

playing board games and card games with Rob

ETSY and all of my favorites on my list....

people watching

sweet tea

homemade lemonade

I DON'T LIKE

Clowns

Mimes

People who remind you that they are smarter than you...gee thanks

Liars....this is a big one

humidity

that I care what people think

my sinuses....should get significantly better after Thursday..well worse before it gets better but eventually better... I hope

mushrooms

Chinese food

Happy Halloween !

2009-10-31T18:23:00.002-05:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday. We shot this when he was just a puppy... gotta love The Adams Family. I hope you have a great Halloween.

Griffin's game face....

2009-10-22T16:45:00.005-05:00

My mom, Dan and I are headed to Lubbock for the Aggie game. I'm so excited to go to Lubbock. I haven't been since Dan's graduation. Our stadium is also opening the expansion for the first time for this game so its cool. I have ordered some fun Red and Black jewelry from etsy for the game but it hasn't come in yet....bummer. I don't know what to pack because Texas weather is so crazy. We went to Dave and Busters a year ago and got Griffin a Reveille to play with and tear up. We've kept it from him till now.... Hopefully this is what will take place on game day....

Picture Post...

2009-10-06T13:31:00.005-05:00

You say it's your birthday....

2009-10-01T00:17:00.005-05:00

So we celebrated my birthday on September 18th. We went out to dinner at Kirby's and had delicious steaks. We celebrated with my family by going out to eat at The Melting Pot. I had never been before. Funny though we had the worst waiter....I've never had a waiter that talked you out of a wine tasting or a type of wine you like. He was convinced that I did not like sweet wines even when I told him I do....so strange. He basically talked my mother and I out of getting a wine tasting and told us what to order. It was bizarre. I guess at some point he realized he was acting inappropriately and then asked if we were celebrating anything. We told him it was my birthday....he asked what I was doing later...and what movies I had seen recently. We were just ready to get out of there. Note for next time...just get the teriyaki and the turtle fondue...YUM!

For my birthday Rob got me a beautiful new kitchen table with a bench and four chairs...exactly what I wanted. It was a bit of a pain to put together but Rob and my brother are troopers. Rob accidentally hit his head on the old glass light fixture. He was so mad that he was ready to get rid of the ugly thing. My mom bought me a new light fixture for over the table. We haven't installed it yet and we are probably going to have Rob's brother help us put it up as he knows what he is doing and we REALLY don't want a light fixture falling on us while we are eating dinner....or playing Guess Who? Yeah we have that game and it's just as much fun now as it was when we were kids. These are some pictures of the table and fixture but I will post the actual table tomorrow and the fixture once we get it up.

Rainy days...and tv

2009-09-15T12:27:00.004-05:00

So we caught the season finale of True Blood....the only show Rob and I both enjoy. We really liked it for the most part. I can't wait for next season. The office starts up this week....so excited and then How I Met Your Mother starts again next week. Yay for good shows. It has been raining here for over a week. I love the rain but it's getting old. Ants are now invading peoples houses to get away from the rain. Thank goodness that hasn't happened to us yet.
I went to the allergist yesterday because after having oh at least 20 sinus infections in my lifetime I realize what they are right away. They took x-rays of them and I have the same darn infection I had a year ago and it just never went away. He gave me some strong stuff so hopefully this works. Only bad thing is it makes my tummy hurt. We'll see how it goes.Oh and my fantasy football won week 1....so excited Go Team "Favre from Good."

September 11th

2009-09-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

I'm a Sophomore and excited that my 21st birthday is only a week away. This would be my one and only ever surprise birthday party. I headed to my 8:00 class and return to flip on the news as I always did and do whenever I'm at home. I hear Jeaux and Gianna getting ready for their classes of the day. I see the first plane hit. What? This was so confusing and of course, like everyone else I thought it was an accident. Then the second hit. I saw plumes of smoke and huge balls of fire. I call Jeaux and Gianna to come into my room and we all pile on my bed. They didn't go to class. By the time the plane crashed in Pennsylvania we were all in tears of disbelief. We called our parents and anyone we could think of. It was such a scary time. It turned out that I had a distant relative at the pentagon but he was unharmed.
Say a prayer today for those whose lives were irrevocably changed by 9/11. Hold tight to the ones you love and never, ever forget the things we so often take for granted. God bless America.

Currently....

2009-09-03T13:50:00.008-05:00

Surveys usually drive me nuts. They are normally comprised of, I don’t know, THE DUMBEST QUESTIONS EVER, not to mention all the typos and misspellings after being passed around so many times. I found this particular survey on someone’s blog awhile back, and actually liked it, so I thought I’d save it for a rainy day. Well, it didn’t rain very much today, but I am running a little dry on creativity, so here you go. Enjoy.

Current Book(s): Reading: Julie & Julia by Julie Powell.

Current Playlist: The Pandora Radio station I created and am trying to perfect.

Current Color: Metro Chic by OPI for Sephora(not my hand)
Current Drink: Water...boring

Current Food: Red Bull.....who needs food

Current Favorite Show: True Blood.....Love this show! I get past Anna Paquins terrible southern accent.

Current Wishlist: New Kitchen Table, New Couch, Light fixtures and a stand of some sort for my growing collection of cookbooks.

Current Needs: A good workout

Current Triumphs: Cooking French Food from mastering the art of french cooking

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: The city of Wylie for changing my street name out of nowhere....so now people have the wrong address for me and no not just a few people hundreds of people(wedding)

Current Celebrity Crush: Amy Adams. She's great!

Current Indulgence: Thinking about getting a pedicure soon – I have gone from never getting them to not ever wanting to paint my own toenails again.

Current #1 Blessing: My husband who loves me unconditionally and in spite of my (thousands of) neuroses. He is my rock; he keeps me sane. He’s pretty easy on the eyes, too.

Current Slang or Saying: Wreck Em Tech

Current Outfit: Tech Shirt, Jeans and flops

Current Excitement: College Football

Current Mood: Sickly.....stupid sinuses

Current Link: I daily visit: Twitter, yahoo, Facebook, etsy and a veritable plethora of blogs.

Happy Weekend!

College Football Starts Tonight!

2009-09-03T11:54:00.004-05:00

I'm so excited.....I mean I like watching the rangers and everything but nothing is as good as college football. We are going to the Baylor game at Jerryworld in November so thats exciting. I think Indiana, North Texas and the Carolinas are playing tonight. I'm not a huge fan of any of these teams I'm just excited to get my football. As for Tech this season will be good or it could be really bad. I don't really know where we stand. I wanna give a shout out to Jill and Mark. I'm so happy for you guys. I can't wait to find out if lil Wimmer will be a girl or a boy.

Side note.....name change has officially taken place. I applied for the new drivers license and Social Security card. I kept my middle name and dropped the Perry. The lady at the Social Security office pronounced the new name wrong.....still not used to correcting people.....yup a lifetime of this folks.