Projects

Here are some craft projects I have been working on. I made these for various friends who have had(or going to really soon) babies. I have also been embellishing some of Brooklyn's clothes for a while too, but don't have any pictures of those right now. It is a fun, creative outlet for me to work on these different crafts. I love having little projects to work on and it is fun to come up with different ideas. I haven't sold anything, but maybe someday I will try to do that.

Old shutter that I painted for Brooklyn Picture frame for little baby, Scout
Picture frame for Tucker
Bib made of ribbon and burp cloth
Brooklyn modeling another bib
Box for "stuff"

Menu Monday

We had alot going on this week, so I didn't cook much. Here is what we had.
Cobb Salad, buttered bread
Chicken Scallopine with Linguine Alfredo, garlic bread, salad
Brisket, baked beans, corn bread
Chopped beef sandwiches, corn on the cob, broccoli with cheese

Hanging out

B driving the fire truck at Zilker Brooklyn walking up the playscape. She looks so proud!
Elizabeth liked making music!
Daddy's girl(in her camo)

Last Saturday my sister Kara, her husband Shane, and niece Elizabeth came to visit. We met them at Zilker Park and the kids had a blast playing and running all over the place.We relaxed at the house and ate dinner and watched several different sporting events on t.v.. It was nice to visit and hang out. B and Elizabeth had lots of fun playing together. Shane and Kara got to go to church with us on Sunday, which is a rare occasion since Shane preaches. We went to eat at Mandola's with them, Barry(Shane's dad) and the Heath's. It was crazy but fun. We all got some gelato afterwards-YUM! It is great to have family close.

By the way, Kara and Shane are planting a church in Waco. They have an exciting and wonderful mission God has called them to. God is already doing amazing things to start this new venture.

And, I want to give a shout out- Andrea worked on a book that has been published and it is on the NY Times best seller list. Congratulations Andrea! That is awesome. The book is called Built to Serve by Dan Sanders. Way to go!!

Punkin' Patch

At the Punkin' Patch

Brooklyn hanging out with the pumpkins

Barrett sitting on some pumpkins

We didn't make it to the pumpkin patch in Marble Falls this year, but we went to one near our house instead. Barrett loved looking at all the pumpkins and seeing the different types they had. He had a blast picking out pumpkins for us to take home. Brooklyn liked looking at all the pumpkins too and she kept patting them. She loved the blow up pumpkin the best though!

Picking out some good punkin's

This is a big pumpkin!

Taking our pumpkins to the car- the wheelbarrow ride was fun

Loading the pumpkins in the car

After we got home from the patch, Barrett got to paint one of the pumpkins. He was very excited to do this and painted most of the pumpkin. He said he didn't want any orange to show.

Working on the pumpkin

The masterpiece is finished! We call it the Big Blue Blob!

Menu Tuesday

I was a little under the weather yesterday, so here is the menu for last week.
1. Deviled Chicken and fruits, hashbrown casserole, rolls
2. Greek Shrimp and Feta Penne Pasta, salad, french bread
3.Sweet Chicken Wraps, corn, broccoli
4. Chicken Picata, herb smashed potatoes, salad

San Antonio Zoo

We went to the San Antonio Zoo on Monday with several moms and kids from church. The kids had a blast. It is a really nice zoo and pretty shaded. Barrett loved seeing the elephants the best. Brooklyn seemed to really like the petting zoo where she got to pet the goats. It was a fun day and the kids slept all the way home!

Barrett, Tate, Cooper and HadleyAtosha letting the kids look at the map to decide where to go next.Looking at the leopardHaving fun at the zooTate and Barrett brushing the goat

Brooklyn having fun petting a goat

Brooklyn is tuckered out. Guess its time to leave

Happy 31st birthday to Derek!

Derek turns 31 today. He is an awesome husband. I am so blessed. He loves me and our kids so much. He is so unselfish and takes great care of us. He is my best friend and makes me so happy. So, Happy Birthday Derek. I love you very much! I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you!

Brooklyn turns 14 months

Brooklyn turned 14 months today.She is a joy to our lives. We love our little girl. Here are 14 things about Brooklyn.

1. She has four teeth and one more poking through.

2. She is walking all over the place.

3. Brooklyn loves to eat and can outeat Barrett.

4. She can say several words: ta tu(thank you), cow, go, nack(snack), Ta(Tate), daddy, momma, tee(see), hi, bye-bye

5. Her hair is getting longer. I tried to put it in a pony tail, but it fell out.

6. She loves hugging her stuffed animals.

7. Brooklyn has her first crush- she loves Tate.

8. She has the cutest laugh. And when she gets going, she can't seem to stop.

9. She likes to climb things.

10. She loves to be outside.

11. Brooklyn loves playing with Barrett(most of the time).

12. She is fascinated with the deer mount in Derek's study and likes to touch it(gross!).

13. She gets excited when you turn on the bath water and runs to the tub.

14. She leans her head in when Derek or I try to kiss her. So sweet!

Thomas the Train

In our house, Thomas the Train is a pretty popular guy. On Sunday, we went to see Thomas the Train at the convention center. Barrett had been so excited about this for a few weeks. He had never ridden a train and was anxious to see Thomas, Topham Hat and everyone else. Derek had been sick on Sunday, but was well enough to come with us(which I was very glad about). We got to the convention center and saw Thomas outside. Barrett was freaking out he was so happy. We went inside and B got to play with trains, make a hat with Thomas stamps and another Thomas related activities. There was a really cool Thomas made out of Legos that both kids really liked. The train ride was really neat. Derek and I probably enjoyed it as much as the kids. It was cool to be on such an old train and the kids liked looking out the windows at everything. It was a fun day for our family. Though, this event will pobably just be a one time event.I leave you with some pictures.

Menu Monday

1.Blue Moon Burgers, chile-lime corn, fruit salad
2. Roast with potatoes, carrots and onions, salad, rolls
3. Coconut chicken, basmati rice, green beans
4.Leftover coconut chicken sliced in a green salad, buttered crusty bread

Garage sale

This weekend our CARE group from church had a garage sale to raise money for a charity at our church. Our friends Mat and Beth were nice to let us have it at their house. We had alot of stuff that people contributed to give away. Its amazing all the things we hang on to. We worked in shifts today so that everyone could get involved. We raised $500! I am so amazed and glad that we can give this money to help others. I am blessed to have these friends in my life who are always willing to help and who gave so much so that we could help others. I didn't take any pictures of the actual sale, but here are some pictures of us setting up. Thanks to everyone for helping out!

100

I've been seeing lots of other people come up with 100 things, so I am going to try and do it too. I decided to do it(since I have nothing else I need to be doing and when I have a sore muscle in my neck ). So, here goes...
1. I am married to the most wonderful man!
2. We met when we were in high school(well, I was in high school and he was in jr. high)
3. I am 32 years old
4. I have 2 kids- Barrett and Brooklyn
5. I love to eat pizza, pretzels, and bread
6. I enjoy cooking and coming up with meal ideas
7. I love to bake- cookies, cakes, pies, anything!
8. I love to travel
9. I love traveling to new places
10. I love the beach
11. I enjoy running but, have been very bad about actually doing it recently.
12. I love a bargain.
13. I love getting pedicures.
14. I love getting massages even more.
15. Derek rubs my feet several times a week.
16. I love to take baths.
17. I light candles, have wine, turn on music and read everytime I take a bath(not always with the wine, but the other things for sure)
18. I love to read.
19. I read 1 or 2 books a week.
20. I don't get much else done if I am into a good book
21. I love naps.
22. I want to have a lake house someday.
23. I think it would be such a relaxing home.
24. I do not like to drive.
25. I am not a very good driver and I drive kind of slow.
26. I graduated high school when I was 17.
27. I had surgery on my shoulder when I was 9 months old.
28. I love carmel lattes from Starbucks- hot or iced
29. I was hit by a drunk driver when I was in 2nd grade. I was on my bike and Kara was behind me and saw it happen.
30.I love jewelry
31.I was a cheerleader in jr. high and high school.
32. I transferred colleges my senior year.
33.I love hot weather.
34. I love the warm feeling when you get in a car after it has been parked in the sun for a while.
35.My favorite fruits are strawberries and blackberries
36. I love a really cold Dr. Pepper out of a can
37. I love to eat Mexican food
38. I always have a list of projects to do (or for Derek to do)around the house
39.Derek and I have attended the same church the entire time we've been married.
40.We have moved 4 times since we've been married
41. I lived in the same house since I was 2 until I went to college(my parents still live there)
42. I love to make lists
43. I love crossing things off my list
44.I go to bed earlier than Derek every night
45. I love to sing along to the radio
46. I am not a good singer
47. I would have loved to be a famous singer
48.I love to sing and dance with my kids
49. I like to take pictures
50. I love to go in houses that are being built or model homes
51. I walk around the house when I talk on the phone.
52. I learned to sew a few years ago.
53. I like to workout at the gym when I can.
54. I love to dress up in nice clothes
55. I like to wear shoes with high heels
56. I don't like to eat at chain restaurants when we travel
57. I bite my nails when I am stressed
58. I also eat alot when I am stressed or bored
60. I love to hug and kiss and tickle my kids
61. I love creme brulee
62. I didn't like ice cream when I was young and would eat bananas drenched in carmel syrup
63. I love ice cream now
64. I always get sweet cream with Reese's peanut butter cups, well recently I have been getting Reese's in dark chocolate
65. I am not very good at keeping in touch with people
66.I am the oldest of 4 kids.
67. Kara and I are the same age for 2 weeks each year. We are only 11 1/2 months apart
68. I am glad that I can stay home with my kids
69. When I do go back to work someday, I plan to do something other than teach full time
70. I like to look for good deals on clothes, shoes, etc.
71. I love the book Gone With the Wind
72. I love the movies Grease and Father of the Bride
73. I like making crafts
74. I love living in Austin
75. I love to be outside in warm weather
76. Spring is my favorite time of year
77. I love to get fresh flowers from my honey
78. I have highlights in my hair(which currently need to be redone)
79. My hair got curly after having Brooklyn
80. Derek and I went to Tahiti on our honeymoon
81. It was amazing
82. Both my parents and Derek's live in Houston
83. Derek and I went to the same church growing up
84. I love to snack
85. I eat cereal and ice cream out of a cup instead of a bowl
86. I eat Skittles when I go on road trips
87. I don't like the yellow ones.
88. I taking pictures
89. I used to scrapbook, but haven't since Brooklyn was born
90 I hope to start again sometime
91.I watch General Hospital
92. I would like to get braces
93. I got my first car when I was a senior in college
94. My sister Kellee and I got married on the same day, 5 years apart
95. I love my family
96. I love to hang out on the couch with Derek
97. I want to go to Italy, Australia, Spain and Germany someday
98. Boston, San Francisco and Chicago are my 3 favorite places I have been in the U.S.
99.Sometimes when I am working on a project, I rush through and just want to be done and get sloppy (painting, sewing, etc)
100.I enjoy being a mom and I love my kids
Thats all folks... Congrats to you if you finished the list.

Hello!

Brooklyn is getting to be such a big girl. She has outgrown her bow bands and really has too much hair for them anyways. Not that she has too much hair in general , though. I have tried to clip her bows into her hair and it works ok. Here are pictures of her on the first day I attempted to do her hair with the bow. She is doing her favorite thing- talking on the phone. She loves it! She says "hi" in this sweet little voice. It is so cute! She also says"hello" when she wants you to give her the phone. I wonder if she will keep her love of the phone. Probably so!

Menu from last week

Here is what we had for our dinners last week. Not much cooking because Derek was gone one night and I was gone two nights.
1. Shrimp poboys with remoulade sauce, red beans and rice
I bought Zatarains shrimp fry and fried the shrimp and put them in sub rolls. I used Zatarains red beans and rice box and followed directions. So easy. Everyone like this. I used this recipe for the remoulade.
2. Chicken empanadas, roasted potatoes, green beans, rolls
You can get the empanada recipe and roasted potato recipe here. I used frozen green beans and seasoned them.
3.Pesto and chicken pizza, green salad.
HEB pizza crust in bag and put pesto sauce, grilled chicken, red peepers and onions on it. Topped with cheese and cooked for 25 minutes on 425.
4. Chicken salad on croissants, chips, fruit salad
Same recipe from before and on recipe blog.

Bubble bath fun!

The other night while Derek was out of town hunting, I decided to take the kids for a walk. So, we all get ready and go to load up in the wagon. Little did I know that it was raining. Barrett was bummed, but then I was like "Would you like to play in the rain?'" He thought that sounded like a good idea. He was so excited to run and jump in the puddles and play in the rain. Brooklyn had a fun time too. She crawled around and splashed in the water. After doing that for a while, they were totally soaked. SO, we went in and I let the kids have a bubble bath in my bathtub(this is a very rare occasion). They splashed and had fun together. There was water all over the floor! It was a fun night for us all. Here are some bath pictures.