Kent and Jenna

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T10:18:00.001-06:00

Hi, my name's Jenna, and I'm an addict ...

2011-02-09T17:14:00.010-06:00

... a chihuahua-card-buying addict.

I have to buy every chihuahua greeting card that I see. It's impossible for me to read a cute chihuahua card and just put it back and walk away.

It must come home with me.

And I'm pretty sure that the greeting card companies are aware of my weakness and prey on me and other animal-lovers.

I've been known to buy the same card two and three times.

So don't be surprised when your birthday or anniversary rolls around, and you get a card from me that looks awfully similar to the ones below ...

Crisis!

2011-02-05T13:38:00.006-06:00

A few nights ago, hubby called me in a panic. I was at a meeting, and he was home.

Kent: "BABE."

Me: "Yeah?" (I was slightly worried, I sensed the urgency in his voice ...)

Kent: "Where are those chocolate truffles?"

Me: "You mean the ones from two Christmases ago? Those are long gone."

Kent: "Darn it."

Me: "Why?"

Kent: "I need some chocolate, and we don't have any."

Me: "Are you going to be OK?"

Kent: "I guess."

So the next day, I went to World Market and surprised him with this:

Wonder how long this will last until we have another "chocolate crisis?"

See the bars with the bacon on them? There are pieces of real Applewood bacon in the dark chocolate. It's actually pretty darn good!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-02T11:14:00.000-06:00

Yummy Recipes - Puerto Rican Beef

2011-02-01T11:49:00.004-06:00

I knew that cold weather was on the way, so I decided to make one of our favorite dishes, because it's warm, hearty and satisfying. I can't get enough of the saltiness of the olives mixed with the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Thanks to Everyday Paleo for this recipe.

Puerto Rican Beef

1 lb grass fed ground beef (lamb works well, too, when you're ready to switch it up)
1 bunch kale, (stems cut away) chopped into small pieces
1 white onion, chopped
1/2 of a green and red bell pepper sliced*
1/2 cup pimento stuffed green olives
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 Tbsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
Pinch of saffron threads (optional)**
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
3 sweet potatoes
1 ripe avocado

In a large skillet brown the ground beef. Add the bell peppers, onions and olive oil and saute until the onions and peppers are tender. Add all of the spices and mix well. Add the kale and green olives, continue cooking stirring often until the kale is tender (about 4-5 minutes). Serve over mashed sweet potatoes and top with sliced avocado.

Enjoy!

*The original recipe calls for 1/2 of a yellow bell pepper, too, but they are usually too pricey for me. Occasionally, I'll come across a sale on red ones, but this recipe is still delicious if you just use green, in which case I would use 1 to 1 1/2 bell peppers.

**I have never used saffron in this recipe, because I don't have any saffron in my spice cabinet. And considering that it's the most expensive spice per ounce in the world, I don't think I'll be getting it any time soon! :)

Hiatus

2011-01-18T18:28:00.005-06:00

Just realized that I've been on a month-long blogger hiatus.

Shame on me.

What can I say, the holiday season left me ....

Tired.

I'll be back soon to catch up on the last month ...

... and I'll have new recipes to share. :)

Priceless Keepsakes

2010-12-14T13:18:00.012-06:00

My grandparents have always been crafty. I look back now and can recall wearing some real fashion disasters that my Nana made for me back in the 80s, but back then I loved them. Nana is the seamstress/painter and my Papoo does incredible woodwork. The little details and intricacies of their work never cease to amaze me. Here are just a few of my treasures from them:

But one of my absolute favorite pieces is this unique take on a traditional Advent calendar. This hung in our house every Christmas for as long as I can remember.

My siblings and I used to fight over who got to hang what on the tree each day. It's quite large (about 3' x 2') and the wood is also quite warped from being stored in the attic for three decades.

I inherited this calendar a few years ago, and each morning on my way into the kitchen, I feel like a kid again as I hang the corresponding day onto the tree. The same anticipation is there, the excitement of counting down the days until Christmas.

This year though, there's also a bit of anxiety that goes along with this cherished piece. The tree seems to be filling up quicker than usual ... only 10 shopping days left? What?!? Seriously, where did the time go?

Batering at its best - the results

2010-12-09T11:27:00.009-06:00

Remember in a previous post when I organized a friend's kitchen in exchange for a granite countertop for my bathroom? Well, I promised to show you the finished product, so here it is ...

I've always wanted a waterfall faucet, so I did some hunting on ebay, and found this one for cheaper than a standard faucet would have been from Home Depot or Lowe's (and a bonus ... shipping was free!).

This little bathroom has gone through a complete metamorphosis. Here's what the countertop looked like when we bought the house ... (kind of like an ugly caterpillar.)

Here's what it looked like a few months ago before we retiled the floors (thanks to the flood), which then led to repainting and replacing the toilet ... (lots of changes happening, chrysalis stage.)

And how the bathroom looks today ... (a beautiful butterfly!)

... I'm thrilled with the results!

Make your own vanilla extract

2010-11-18T10:33:00.002-06:00

It seems like everytime I buy vanilla extract at the grocery store, I am shocked all over again by the high price.

Nevermind that I went through the same sticker-shock just two months prior. It still manages to surprise me everytime.

I stand there in the baking aisle and think, "Really? But it's such a small bottle!"

But I always suck it up and buy it, because what are my other options? I refuse to buy the cheaper "imitation vanilla extract." Only pure vanilla extract will do.

So when Kent emailed me this article recently, I was elated to try it. Here's what you'll need:

Mason Jars - I already had some of these in my kitchen cabinets. I used the smaller ones that hold about 1 ½ cups.

Vodka - Shocker, I know, but I already had this in my kitchen cabinets, too. It doesn't have to be top shelf stuff. Any vodka will do!

Vanilla Beans - Now these I had to special order. There are lots of sources for beans, but I got mine at Beanilla.com. The article provides some insight as to the differences in the types of beans. I went with ones from India.

** The recipe is 3 vanilla beans per cup of vodka. **

1) Use kitchen scissors or a sharp paring knife to cut lengthwise down each vanilla bean, splitting them in half, leaving an inch at the end connected. Since I used the shorter jars, I cut the beans in half short-wise first (that's the opposite of lengthwise, right?), before splitting them in half lengthwise.

2) Put the vanilla beans in a glass jar or bottle with a tight fitting lid. Cover completely with the vodka.

3) Store in a dark, cool place. Give the bottle a good shake every week or so, and in about 8 weeks, you'll have vanilla extract!

Lasts for years. You can keep topping it off with vodka once in a while as you use it. Just remember to give it a good shake.

These just need a cute homemade tag, and ... voila! ... super cute Christmas gifts! Since these won't be quite ready to use by Christmas, I'll just include the date that it will be ready on the tag ... it's the gift that keeps on giving.

I'm looking forward to watching the vanilla change color over time.

So, to recap ... vanilla beans + vodka + time = vanilla extract ... now that's my kind of math!

... especially when I calculate how much money this will save in the long run!

** Note -- although the taller, corked bottle looks really pretty, I quickly switched it out for a mason jar after realizing that the vodka was leaking through the cork when I shook it. A tight-fitting lid is key.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T16:46:00.001-05:00

Monogram Cupcakes

2010-10-10T23:29:00.004-05:00

I recently helped host a bridal shower for a good family friend. I was in charge of cupcakes and wanted to try something that I hadn't done before. I knew that the bride really liked the look of monograms, so I went with that idea.

First, I opened a Word document and found a font that I thought would work well. I typed her and her future husband's monogram, enlarged the text to the size that I needed and printed a sheet. Then I taped the paper to a baking sheet and taped wax paper over that.

I melted mint chocolate wafers and piped them onto the wax paper with a pastry bag and tip. Then they went into the freezer for 10-15 min. to harden. I peeled them off the wax paper and repeated the process until I had enough.

Here's the final product:

I kept them in a tupperware in the freezer until right before they went on top. I was so nervous that they would melt!

The bride-to-be loved them!

I made the cupcake wrappers with pretty paper from Hobby Lobby and the template from here. I baked the cupcakes in regular foil liners, and used double-sided tape to attach the paper.

Yummy Recipes - Turkey Italian Sausage & Kale Soup

2010-09-22T11:32:00.005-05:00

On a dreary, rainy day a couple of weeks ago, I decided to make some homemade soup (I've been making soup more and more lately in hopes that I can force fall to arrive quicker). Again, this recipe comes from my favorite cooking blog For the Love of Cooking, with a slight alteration to make it paleo-friendly. It turned out really tasty, and I can't wait to make it again.

Turkey Italian Sausage & Kale Soup

2 tsp olive oil
4 turkey Italian sausage, removed from casings
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, sliced
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp fennel seed, crushed
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp oregano
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
4 cups of chicken broth
4 cups of beef broth
1 cup of zucchini, julienned (original recipes calls for any type of pasta)
2 1/2 cups of kale, ribs cut away and chopped into small pieces

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage removed from casings, onion and carrots to the pot. Season with spices and sea salt and pepper, to taste. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until the sausage is cooked and the onion and carrots are tender. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and beef broth. Cook for 30 minutes.

Add the zucchini and the kale. Cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes; taste and re-season if necessary. Enjoy!

My mistake, you're not a serial killer after all

2010-09-09T07:12:00.001-05:00

Recently, I was filling up our company Mercedes-Benz with gas in preparation for an airport transfer. I was standing at the pump waiting, when a guy in a black truck pulled up to the pump on the opposite side of mine. I quickly noticed that this wife-beater-wearing, inked-up guy was staring in my direction. Not just the normal quick-glance-to-see-who-is around-you, but long, hard stares.

I started to feel really uncomfortable. It was getting close to dark. I was alone. I left the pump briefly and grabbed my keys out of my purse on the passenger's seat, just in case I needed to push the panic button. Then he started to walk in my direction. My thumb was hovering over the panic button, ready to push at any second. But he kept walking and went inside to pay the cashier.

He came back (a little too quickly), staring my way the whole time. Then, when he was closest to me, he said, "That's a really nice car you have there."

"Oh," I said, "thanks!" and gave him a smile.

Then I felt REALLY foolish. He was staring at the CAR the whole time, not me.

Was I being paranoid? Probably.

Was I stereotyping this poor guy whose many tatts probably included an "I love Mom" tattoo? Perhaps.

I mean, you can't blame the guy, it IS a beautiful car ...

In fact, I get A LOT of compliments on this car. From drive-thru bank tellers to random people at gas stations ~~who might also be serial killers.~~ I always just smile and say "thanks," but I kind of WANT to say, "We only own it because it's a company car. We're not rich, just regular middle-class folks like you. Plus, we bought it used and got a really good deal on it." But I keep my mouth shut, because if I unloaded all of that on a stranger, they would surely look at me like I was crazy.

Nevertheless, I often feel that others are stereotyping me as a rich you-know-what when they see me driving this car. Just like I stereotyped the creepy guy at the gas station who ended up being nice. Hmmm, interesting!

Best of the Wurst

2010-09-07T12:58:00.001-05:00

Imagine my surprise while flipping through my new Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine yesterday (thanks to my mother-in-law for getting me the subscription for my birthday!) when I came across this:

That's right, our small town of New Braunfels made a national magazine! I'm not that surprised, Wurstfest IS the best thing about fall.

We love Wurstfest so much that four years ago, after our wedding getaway from our reception, we stopped by Wurstfest. We spontaneously made the decision to go after driving away and realizing that we weren't done celebrating just yet. We drove up with the cans and streamers still trailing from our car, me still dressed in my wedding dress and Kent still wearing his tux.

When we walked up to the ticket window, the guy said, "That'll be $16."

I looked down at my dress, then help up my hands, shrugged and replied, "No pockets!"

He took a closer look at us and asked, "Did you two really just get married?"

"Sure did!" we answered.

Then he let us in for free, plus gave us about 20 free drink tickets.

It was super crowded as it usually is on the second-to-last-night of the ten-day-salute-to-sausage. Random people were asking to take their picture with us, the drunk people were yelling at us, "Dont do it!!!" and we ran into a few people that we knew.

We made our way to the "big tent" where a band was playing. Someone in charge spotted us, and pulled us up on stage. The lead singer proceeded to announce to the entire audience of a couple thousand people that we had just gotten married, and that the band wanted to play us a special song. So we danced on stage to Elvis' Love Me Tender. In a way, this song now has more meaning to us than the first dance song that we chose for ourselves.

Sadly, we don't have even one photo from our little adventure. I ended up getting the bottom of my wedding dress really dirty. My mom wasn't too happy about that, but we had a blast!

Yummy Recipes - Moo Shu Pork

2010-09-02T21:12:00.003-05:00

Lettuce leaves are a great alternative to taco shells for paleo-eaters! The stuffing possiblities are endless ...

Thanks to Pam over at For the Love of Cooking for this great recipe.

Moo Shu Pork

1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips
3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, more if needed (I used olive oil)
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
8 oz. coleslaw mix (I used broccoli slaw)
3-4 green onions, sliced
Lettuce leaves
Sriracha sauce (optional)

Whisk the hoisin sauce, vinegar, minced garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Add the pork and marinate for 10-30 minutes prior to cooking.

Heat 1/2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the pork and marinade once the pan is hot along with 2-3 Tbsp. of water. Stir-fry until the pork is browned, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a plate then cover with a tin foil tent. Add the additional 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan then add the mushrooms once the pan is hot. Stir-fry the mushrooms until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the coleslaw mix, pork and half of the green onions; stir-fry for an additional 2 minutes. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed. Serve the stir-fry in the lettuce leaves and sprinkle the tops with the remaining green onions and sriracha sauce (optional - only if you like it spicy!). Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-01T12:06:00.001-05:00

Batering at its best

2010-08-26T20:46:00.003-05:00

Remember in a previous post a few months ago when I was wishing for new bathroom counter tops to go with my new flooring? Well, I'm making it happen ... 50% anyway. A friend of mine just happens to install granite counter tops, and he approached me willing to trade my organizing skills in his kitchen for a beautiful, granite counter top. How perfect, right? He's a bachelor, but getting married soon, and he wanted his space organized before his soon-to-be-wife and all of her stuff moved in. His kitchen wasn't bad, just lacking a woman's touch! Here's how I helped:

Pots & Pans Before ..... and ..... Pots and Pans After

Spice Cabinet Before ... and ... Spice Cabinet After

Tupperware Before ... and ... Tupperware After

(He's eventually going to install a Lazy Susan here, but it needed a temporary solution.)

Pantry Before ... and ... Pantry After

Under Sink Before ... and ... Under Sink After

Utensil Drawers Before ... and ... Utensil Drawers After

Dishes Before ... and ... Dishes After

(This isn't a dramatic change, but it's an open front cabinet, so it must look it's best!)

Catch-all Drawer Before ... and ... Catch-all Drawer After

(Just sounds better than "junk drawer," right? Come on, we all have them!)

He was a very happy customer, and his fiancée was even more thrilled. I finished it just in time for his housewarming party. Can't wait to get my granite counter top. Hopefully I'll be posting pics of it in a couple of weeks!

Yummy Recipes - Chocolate Macaroons

2010-08-24T10:49:00.005-05:00

When eating Paleo, dessert can be a real challenge. Occasionally we'll cheat (like on Sunday when I had two cupcakes at church). But at home when we're craving something sweet, we'll either have fruit drizzled with honey, or these guilt-free little treats. I couldn't find unsweetened coconut at my local grocery store, so for a while, I made these with sweetened coconut (not strictly Paleo because of the added sugar). On a recent trip to Central Market, I found the unsweetened kind in the bulk food section, so I loaded up. The textures of the two types of coconut are very different, therefore the finished products came out quite different, but both really good!

Chocolate Macaroons

3 large egg whites
1/3 cup honey
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup almond meal (ground, sweet almonds)

Preheat oven to 350*. Place egg whites in a bowl and beat using an electric beater or food processor until stiff peaks form.

Fold in honey, cocoa powder, walnuts, coconut and almond meal until just combined to minimize the handling of the batter.

Spoon 1-2 Tbsp. of mixture per macaroon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until light brown in color. Cool before serving. Makes about 2 dozen. Enjoy!

Coconut Walnut Macaroons
Same recipe as above, except omit cocoa powder.

Think outside the box hedge

2010-08-20T23:52:00.005-05:00

After many months of neglecting my flower beds and the yard in general, I finally decided to do something about it. I dusted off the garden shears and went to work. I trimmed some limbs and even bought some new plants to spruce up the front beds. I was really on a roll. But eventually I had to face something that I'd been dreading. A real quandary of sorts that left me scratching my head ...

this ...

This, my friends, would be a not-so-pretty box hedge in my backyard that is dead only in the middle, courtesy of the last freeze. Lovely, eh?

So, what would you do with this?

Well, here's what I did ...

... that looks soooo much better, right?
(Insert sarcasm here)

(sigh)

But then I had a green thumb moment and it just came to me.

I now know exactly what I'm going to do with this awkward space, and it's going to be fabulous.

Any guesses? Check back soon for updated pics on what I decided to do!

Order of the Purple Foot

2010-08-17T23:58:00.000-05:00

We got stomped on Sunday. Grape Stomped that is. Every summer Dry Comal Creek Vineyards holds its annual Grape Stomp. We were virgin stompers, so we weren't really sure what to expect. But we were with good friends, and we started drinking before noon, so we knew that it was bound to be a good day.

I was the designated stomper and Kent was the juice collector. His job was also to use a little scrubber brush to keep the screen clean of debris, so that the grape juice could flow freely. It was a true cardio test, let me tell you, because the stomping lasted for a full 10 minutes! Did I mention that we were outside in 100 degree heat?

I tried to hike my skirt up slightly and do my best I Love Lucy impression, but that didn't last too long. As soon as I let go of the rail, I felt like I was going to fall on my arse -- those grapes are slippery little devils!

They weighed our juice after the 10 minutes was up, and we had collected 2,394 grams of grape juice. The weigher-dude said that we were ranked first in our group, but there were still two more groups to go.

We ended up placing third overall! Yeah, we were pretty pumped. Our prize was a bottle of wine and some wine bottle "jewelry." We made friends with a couple sitting at our table that drove up from Houston just for the Stomp, and they ended up getting first place.

Can't wait to "get stomped" again next year!

Look, Mom - no cavities!

2010-08-13T13:24:00.000-05:00

I feel the need to brag a little bit. I had my six-month dental cleaning yesterday and had no cavities. But what's really impressive is that I've NEVER had a cavity. Not one. No fillings either.

Which means that if I can make it to my next cleaning in six months cavity-free, I can proudly claim to have no cavities at age ~~thirty~~, ahem, twenty-nine. I consider that a pretty impressive feat! But do you think cavities are inevitable? I mean, how long can this continue, right?

From age seven to sixteen, I had some kind of metal in my mouth at all times. My teeth were a real train wreck and needed lots of help. I had expanders, retainers (front and bottom), lip bumpers, head gears (oh so attractive) and braces. I still have a permanent bottom retainer today. I guess I adopted good brushing habits from hearing my orthodontist preach to me enough times about how important it is.

However ... I don't floss. Ever. Gross, I know. There's just something about watching food particles fly out of my mouth and stick to my mirror that makes me cringe. I usually floss the morning of my dental cleaning (like I really expect that to fool them?), and when I'm in the chair I vow to the hygienist that I'll do a better job, but by the next day, I'm over it. The hygienists always comment on what beautiful teeth I have, but when they start the dreaded plaque scraping, my sensitive gums bleed and my whole mouth turns into a horror film.

But if I want to shoot for the Guinness World Record of Oldest Person to be Cavity-Free, then I really need to get serious about this whole flossing thing. Kent flosses almost every night and puts me to shame. Should I tape a reminder to my bathroom mirror? Put floss on my pillow every morning so that I can't go to sleep without flossing? How do you hold yourself accountable for things that you HATE doing?

Yummy Recipes - Kale Chips

2010-08-12T13:21:00.003-05:00

If you liked my roasted broccoli recipe (and wow, a lot of you did!), then you'll love these kale chips. This recipe comes from my sister-in-law, Tina. Her three boys beg for these. Like potato chips, you can't stop at just one. These are a low-calorie, nutritious snack. They are great for parties, and always spark conversation. Since we're currently not eating dairy, kale is a great source of calcium.

Kale Chips

1 bunch of organic kale (organic kale is only $.20 more where I shop)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 350*. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale leaves with a salad spinner or paper towels. Drizzle kale leaves with the olive oil (I like to put the leaves in a big bowl, and use my hands to make sure that the oil has coated every piece. 1 Tbsp. will not seem like enough, but it goes a long way. If you use too much, the chips will be mushy and not crispy.)

Spread kale onto cookie sheets in a single layer, making sure not to overlap (this is key), and sprinkle with the sea salt. Depending on the size of the bunch, I often have to bake them in two batches. (I used two cookie sheets for this first batch and one cookie sheet for the second batch.)

Bake until the edges are brown, but not burnt, 12-14 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy! (Notice how much they shrink up during cooking. This makes it very easy for two people to finish off an entire bunch of kale in one sitting. Now that's gulit-free snacking!)

Kent and Leyla betcha can't eat just one!

Insert witty, creative blog title here

2010-08-11T17:30:00.001-05:00

I've been wishing lately that I had given more thought to our blog before I started it almost two years ago. I come across so many blogs with catchy, clever titles .... ours, not so much. I was just so anxious to join the world of bloggers that I just threw a lackluster title up there in order to fill in that required bit of info to complete the set-up process.

And as much as Kent enjoys reading "our" blog, he's not exactly a contributing writer ... so should I transform it more into "my" blog? It doesn't help that I have total blogger's block when I try to think of a creative title. I can't change it yet, because I have yet to come up with a title that I am in love with. But if/when I do, should I take the plunge and make the change?

Help, I'm having a blog-life crisis, and could use some advice!

Caveman Style

2010-08-09T23:45:00.002-05:00

For the last month, Kent and I have been eating "paleo" (abbreviation for Paleolithic diet) or "primal." Paleo is a diet which is inspired by the way in which our ancestors ate. More specifically, it is inspired by our ancestors from the Paleolithic age (approximately 2,600,000 to 10,000 years ago), a.k.a. cavemen.

This means that we have eliminated a lot of foods from our diet in order to increase our overall health. We no longer eat any dairy, grains, legumes, starches or added sugar, and obviously no processed foods of any kind. We DO eat lean meats (grass-fed beef, etc.), fish (preferably wild-caught), eggs (DHA Omega-3 = eggs from chickens that have been fed flax seed, marine algae or fish oil -- not grains), vegetables & fruits (organic when possible) and certain nuts.

This five minute video helps to explain it:

We've both lost some weight (hubby more than me - so typical of men, right?! Actually, he's been to the gym regularly, and I haven't, mainly due to being out of town a lot this past month, but still not a great excuse), and both of us have noticed that our skin appears clearer and healthier looking.

It's been a fun challenge for me to find appropriate paleo substitutes for recipes. Some of my favs are: almond meal (ground almonds) instead of flour, julienned zucchini instead of noodles and smashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes.

So we're both enjoying living as cavemen. However, Kent has yet to club me over the head and drag me to his cave. I guess our "modern" wedding ceremony was good enough for him.

Recipes coming soon!

Yummy Recipes - Best Broccoli ... EVER

2010-07-06T12:17:00.008-05:00

I handed hubby his dinner plate last week along with a disclaimer. I said, "I know the broccoli looks a little burnt, but trust me, it's really delicious." Luckily, hubby is an adventurous eater - there's not much he won't try. He took one bite, his eyes lit up, and he said, "WOW! This is the best broccoli ever." He then proceeded to finish his generous serving of broccoli before even moving on to his main meat course.

I started roasting vegetables about seven months ago when our beloved steamer broke. I used to steam veggies almost every night. I took this as a challenge to get more creative with preparing veggies ~~and I was also being cheap and didn't want to buy a new steamer.~~ So I turned to my favorite recipe blog, For the Love of Cooking, where Pam introduced me to veggie roasting. I roast almost all veggies now. I have adapted her roasted broccoli recipe (which was already delicious), and came up with this:

Roasted Broccoli

2 large bunches of broccoli
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Fresh garlic, minced
Lemon juice (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425*. Line a baking sheet with foil. IF you wash your broccoli first, make sure that you dry it thoroughly. Not everyone thinks it's necessary to wash produce or even meats before cooking in a high temperature oven. In theory, that kind of heat should kill any harmful bacteria. But if it makes you nervous, just dry it obsessively.

Cut the broccoli into florets and place in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Sorry, no exact measurements ... I just eyeball it. If I had to guesstimate, I'd say 4-5 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. each salt and pepper. Make sure the broccoli is coated with oil, but not dripping. Now add about 5 minced garlic cloves evenly.

Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and some of the tips are browned. When done, remove from oven and squeeze a little lemon juice on top, and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese. Sometimes I skip the lemon and cheese, because I'm so anxious to dig in, and it still tastes so yummy.

Broccoli can often get squishy when you cook it. Not this broccoli. It develops an amazing brown crust in some spots. The key is roasting at a high temperature until it caramelizes.

I find myself craving this during the day. I want to throw each little floret in my mouth like popcorn, and just snack on them. If my mom had prepared broccoli this way when we were growing up, I guarantee that there wouldn't have been a struggle at the dinner table. In fact, I would have begged for more!

Try it. You won't be disappointed.

Five years ago today ...

2010-07-04T10:17:00.003-05:00

... Kent proposed. We had gone tubing that day, and sun + water always wears me out, so I took a nap at his apartment afterwards. It was almost dark when Kent woke me up and asked if I still wanted to go to the fireworks show at the park. I did, so we headed out.

He brought a blanket and some sparklers, and we found a nice spot under a big tree. We lit some sparklers while we were waiting for the show to begin. Kent was having some trouble lighting them with the lighter that he'd brought. I told him not to worry about it, but he was persistent! The fireworks display started, and Kent was still messing with the sparklers. I told him that they weren't a big deal and to just enjoy the fireworks with me. He eventually did, but I could tell that he was still annoyed about the sparklers.

When the finale was over, I started packing up our stuff to go, and he said, "Do you want to stay and finish the sparklers?" I was thinking, 'Geez, what is UP with him and these sparklers?!?,' but I said, "OK, sure." We were successful in lighting the remaining sparklers. When my final sparkler burnt out, I turned to look at Kent who still had one burning. At the base of the sparkler, I noticed something shiny. It was a ring! He told me that this was the REAL finale, and asked me to be his wife.

The next year, some friends threw us an engagement party over the July 4th weekend, complete with a personal fireworks show on the lake.

And for our wedding send-off, all of our guests held extra-long sparklers while we ran under them to our getaway car. (Our photographer holds the rights to that photo, darn!)

So today is very special to us! Happy 4th everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-30T11:13:00.004-05:00

Yummy Recipes - Salad Dressing

2010-06-28T14:05:00.008-05:00

I've been cooking up a storm this past week. Making up for lost time I guess. My sweet mom brought Kent and I many dinners during our mini-remodel so that we didn't have to take time out to cook and could just continue working. But after not cooking for so long, I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do. Last week I made: salsa, jalapeno bread, cinnamon rolls, banana pancakes, veggie quiche, oatmeal-peanut butter cookies and salad dressing, in addition to regular dinners. I've been really into making my own salad dressings lately. You just need to have a few staple ingredients on hand, and you can make a wide variety of dressings. Plus it's a great way to avoid preservatives and save money. Here are some of my favs:

Balsamic Vinaigrette
from cooks.com

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3-5 gloves garlic
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Whisk together vinegar, garlic and grated cheese. Gradually add the olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Lemon Garlic
from For the Love of Cooking

6 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp dried oregano

Whisk all ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Taste and re-season if needed. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve. Enjoy.

Fran's Simple Vinaigrette
from For the Love of Cooking

1/2 cup canola oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste (lots of pepper)

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly before tossing on your favorite salad. Enjoy.

Day of the Dads

2010-06-24T07:34:00.001-05:00

Father's Day was so fun. I really enjoy having everyone over to our home. The first time I volunteered our place for a get-together a few years ago, I was nervous about fitting 12+ people in our less than 1500 sq. ft. house, but no one ever seems to mind. Luckily we all like each other and don't mind sitting close! And a big backyard helps, too. We grilled brats and had lots of other yummy food and played ladderball, even though it was scorching out. What a great day!

Down to the Wire

2010-06-23T12:13:00.006-05:00

Whew! We completed our flooring redo with just minutes to spare. Did I mention that we had a deadline of a week and a half, because we were having 13 family members over on Father's Day? Oh yeah, minor detail.

Kent was still grouting the last room less than 24 hours before our get-together, and I was still hauling leftover tile, tools and junk out of the house, oh about two hours before our company was due to arrive. Yikes! But we did it, and we're thrilled with the results. I feel so much more productive in our "new" office, our master closet seems bigger and the new tile in the bathrooms give the rooms a richer look. There's still some minor finishing work to do, like the baseshoe, but the hard part is done. Check it out:

How about those new toilets, huh? They're flush-riffic! (Yes, we realize that we are a little too excited about our new high-efficiency porcelain thrones. It's not normal, but we're OK with that.)

Huge props to my hubby! I'm so lucky to have such a handy guy!

If you give a mouse a cookie ...

2010-06-19T12:33:00.000-05:00

We're in the middle of our mini-remodel, I can't help but think of the children's book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie as we go along. If you haven't heard of it, it goes something like this:

"If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he'll probably ask you for a straw ..." and the requests go on and on.

We started out just wanting to replace our damaged floors. But the tile we picked clashed with the existing paint color in the study and hall bathroom. So I repainted both rooms to match. Now a dresser in the study doesn't go with the newly painted walls as well. So I painted it black. Since we're tiling both bathrooms, the toilets had to be disconnected and removed. Might as well just get new toilets then, right? Now we want new bathroom countertops to go with our new floors and toilets. But our bank account needs a break!

So just remember ... if you give a girl new tile, she's going to want to remodel the whole house.

Help! I'm a hoarder ...

2010-06-17T13:20:00.002-05:00

... not really. Completely the opposite actually. But at the moment our house is probably the closest it will ever be to looking like a hoarder's house (Do you ever watch those shows on A&E and TLC? Disturbing ...).

We got some water in part of our house during last week's storm/flood. The study, hall bath, master closet and master bath were all saturated with water.

So we pulled up and trashed the affected carpets/vinyl tiles and have decided to replace it all with ceramic/porcelain tiles. Thankfully no damage was done to our hardwoods!

This meant that EVERYTHING that was touching the floor in these rooms had to come out and find a temporary home. Our guest bedroom and master bedroom received the brunt of the stuff.

So, our master bedroom which normally looks like this ...

... now looks like this!

Thank goodness that my eyes are closed for the majority of the time that I have to be in this room!

Aren't you just dying to come stay in our spacious guest bedroom?

I know it will all be beautiful and even better than before once it's complete, but for now, this organized person is going slightly insane. And to think that some people live like this (and much worse) ALL THE TIME!

Hugs on Command

2010-05-12T14:05:00.005-05:00

Our dog Leyla may not be the most obedient or know a lot of tricks. She barks at people on walks, and jumps up on company. She's far from perfect. But she does have one specific talent that overshadows her shortcomings ... she can HUG on command. It's a crowd-pleasing talent that makes her even cuter than she already is. I finally caught it on video on Mother's Day. The lighting is not the greatest, plus she blends in with the dark shirt, so I'll try again soon. She loves my brother Ryan, so she had a lot of hugs for him.

Fairy Godmother

2010-04-26T18:58:00.000-05:00

I was in Michigan for Easter weekend, visiting Christine, my best friend since childhood and her two adorable children (and my godchildren), Sophie, 2 1/2 years old and Graham, one month old. Graham's baptismal service was that Saturday evening, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

I hadn't seen Sophie in about a year, so I didn't really expect her to remember me. But that didn't stop us from becoming fast friends. She is the cutest, smartest and most imaginative 2 1/2-year-old that I've ever met. She's very into the Disney princesses, as many little girls are. So when her grandma told her that her godmother was coming to visit in a few days, she asked, "Godmother? Like a fairy godmother, like Cinderella?" (except in her world, it's pronounced "Sister-lella.") She met me at the airport, and as soon as we got to their house, she ran and got her Sister-lella book, flipped to a page of the fairy godmother, and said, "See, it's you!" So the whole weekend I was the fairy godmother, and I did my best to live up to those high expectations.

Her baby brother Graham is the prettiest baby boy ever. He is a very content baby, and I got to snuggle him a lot. Sophie didn't seem jealous of him, in fact, she would often say, "Graham so cute," and "I love baby Graham." They both made me melt!

The most amazing thing happened the morning after I arrived. Sophie had a swimming lesson that morning, and when we got home, we played the matching game and then we started to do a puzzle together. In the middle of doing the puzzle, Sophie all of a sudden sat up and said, "I tired, I go sleep now," and she marched upstairs and put herself down for a nap, right on schedule. This blew me away, and Christine later told me that she does this quite often! How awesome is that? Sophie would also just randomly say things like, "Mommy, I so happy," and when she had a favorite dress on she'd say, "I so pretty," while twirling around. Cute. Cute. Cute. I only wish we didn't live 1500 miles apart, I would love to visit more often.

"I want something to be wrong with me!"

2010-04-14T21:19:00.010-05:00

Daisy's eye is almost completely healed, and we are so happy. After three additional trips back to the vet, more ointment and some inflammation medication, things are looking good. The multiple-times-a-day-treatments should cease completely by the end of the week ... whew! She is acting like her old, happy self again ~~$500 later~~.

Leyla is just glad that Daisy is not getting as much extra attention anymore. Oooo, can you say jealous? Watching her get so jealous reminded me of a similar situation many years ago ... with humans, not animals.

When I was in fourth grade and my brother was in Kindergarten, we both had accidents at recess on the same day. I fell on the hardtop that made up the playground (when I had to go to school at Oak Park Mall for one year due to asbestos at my elementary school). I cut my knee open and had to get five stitches. My brother fell off the monkey bars while imitating the Gibbons that he had seen on his zoo fieldtrip that day and broke his arm.

Both my brother and I were propped up at home later that evening, and people were stopping by with balloons and Get Well cards, our parents were waiting on us hand and foot and everyone was showering us with attention. All of a sudden, my sister, who was five-years-old, started crying. Everyone turned to stare at her, and my mom said, "Honey, what's wrong?" And between sobs my sister said, "I ... I want something to ... to be wrong with mmmeeeeee!"

If Leyla could talk, I have no doubt that's what she would have said, too!

Easter Cupcakes

2010-04-08T06:30:00.000-05:00

Our church recently had a celebration which included a silent auction. I donated, what else, but two-dozen decorated cupcakes made to order. A good family friend ending up being the highest bidder, and she requested her cupcakes for Easter. I thought they turned out pretty cute, especially considering that three out of the five designs were first attempts.

Kent could not guess which animal the above cupcake was supposed to be. What do you think? Is it really not obvious?

Peeps!

I think Easter just might beat Halloween for the sugariest holiday!

Our Little Mexican Martini

2010-04-07T12:43:00.005-05:00

Two Sundays ago we were getting ready to take our pups to a dog park for the first time. Plans quickly changed when Kent noticed that Daisy's left eye was really cloudy. She had been holding her eye shut and pawing at it for a few days prior, but we thought it was just allergies since she is prone to them, and we had been giving her Children's Benadryl per the vet's instructions.

So we rushed to the Emergency Pet Clinic where we waited. And waited. AND WAITED. We were there over three hours. Here we are waiting (sister Leyla was there for moral support):

They stained her eye with iodine and determined it to be an ulcer. We have been giving her a combination of drops, ointment, antibiotics and pain meds ever since, some several times a day. We are hopeful that this treatment will do the trick and that she won't have to have surgery.

She also has to wear this cone collar 24/7 and really hates it. She thinks it's the worst outfit we've bought her yet! We think that she resembles a martini glass, and since she is a chihuahua, she's our little Mexican Martini!

Overall she is being a really good patient, and we are keeping her calm and out of direct light, since her eye is sensitive.

Poor girl, we feel so bad for her!

Bad Neighbors?

2010-03-11T15:11:00.002-06:00

How friendly are you with your neighbors? I always thought that we were "above average" on the friendliness scale. We wave whenever we see them outside, we stop and have the typical lawn/weather chat every now and then, and we even gave Christmas goodies to our neighbors on our immediate left and right.

Yes, I thought that we were good neighbors. Until yesterday when I walked to our group mailboxes a few houses down. On my way back, I stopped to say hello to our neighbor caddy-corner from us who was working in her yard. A few days before, I noticed some orange spray paint on our curb, and saw that she had the same paint on her curb. I asked her if she knew anything about it (she always seems to know everything that happens on our street), and she said that the city was going to re-do our curbs. I didn't feel too out-of-the-loop at this point, because apparently she and her husband were the ones who complained to the city about the curbs being poured wrong initially. They complained enough that the city agreed to re-do them. So, I considered that insider information.

She then informed me that our immediate neighbors to our right are expecting their first child. Oops. Didn't know that either. That bottle of wine with attached spices for mulled wine that I gave them for Christmas probably wasn't a big hit! I think she's almost six months pregnant now ... but she's been hiding under sweaters and coats for the past few months. Eventually I would have noticed ... right?

We continued to chat and she mentioned that her immediate neighbor (our neighbor directly across the street) might cut some of his trees down. He never liked the ornamental pear trees, but his wife had wanted them planted a few years ago. But now that she had passed, he might cut them down. What?!? How could I not know that my neighbor had passed away? And not just recently, a few months ago. Granted, she rarely came outside when she was alive. Almost all of my interactions with them was chatting with the husband about plants and trees (yes, he's elderly). But I still felt really bad. I should have known. I should have taken over food. I should have done something. Maybe I still will. Is it too late? Are we bad neighbors?

Yummy Recipes - Bean and Bacon Soup

2010-03-11T13:56:00.006-06:00

I made my husband's favorite soup last night before we went to see The Flaming Idiots for my birthday. I found this recipe on (surprise!) my favorite recipe blog, For the Love of Cooking.

Bean and Bacon Soup

4 strips of lean bacon (I used turkey bacon)
3 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
3 15 1/2-ounce cans white beans, drained
4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large Dutch oven, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Let cool, chop, and set aside.

Over medium heat, add the carrot, celery and onion to the pan drippings in the Dutch oven and sauté for 7 minutes; add the garlic and sauté for an additional 60 seconds, stirring constantly. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Add 2 cans of beans, bay leaf and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots and celery are soft.
Uncover and remove the bay leaf. Using a potato masher or an immersion blender, partially mash the bean mixture until it thickens slightly. Stir in the last can of beans, parsley and bacon. Taste and re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed. Enjoy.

Cable Guys in Disguise

2010-03-02T18:49:00.003-06:00

Time for another funny story. This one comes via my mom. She just recently moved into our former house that had been a rental house for the past 15+ years. She was super excited to finally get digital cable and a DVR for the first time ever. Not long after everything was hooked up, she started having problems. Her cable would go in and out, and then she would only get a blue screen. A guy came out once to fix it. Then one Friday, I tried to set her DVR for her to record some of her favorite shows, and while I was doing that the cable went out for another time. She called the cable company AGAIN, and they said they would send someone out the next morning at 10 a.m. to look at it.

At 9 a.m. the next morning, her doorbell rings. She opens the door to find two men with clipboards on her doorstep.

Mom: "Oh, you're early, great! Come on in!"

They take one small step inside.

Mom: "Thanks for coming out on a Saturday, I really appreciate it. The T.V.'s right over there." (motions to the T.V. a few yards away)

The two men hesitantly take a couple more small steps into the living room and stop.

Mom: "It's this T.V. right here. Yeah, I've really had a lot of problems with my cable, I sure hope you can fix it."

The two men still haven't moved more than three feet from the door, and my mom is now wondering, why aren't they going over to look at it?

Mom: "Um, you're with the cable company ... right?"

Man #1: "Um, no ma'am, we're with the local fire department, and we were hoping you would help us out today and sign our petition."

At this point, my mom bursts out laughing, and soon the hunky firemen are laughing, too (that's right, she said they were lookers). Then the second firemen chimes in:

"But you know, as firemen we've been known to fix lots of things, so we can take a look at your cable box if you'd like us to!"

... which just makes my mom laugh even harder.

They then proceeded to try and give their pitch as to why they were actually there, but failed miserably because they were laughing so hard. My mom was embarrassed, mainly because they were hunky firemen, but at least she gave them some entertainment on what was sure to be an otherwise very boring day for them. I wasn't there to verify their hunkiness, but I like to imagine that this is what they looked like ...

Remembering ...

2010-02-24T14:52:00.008-06:00

I called my grandpa today to wish him a happy 86th birthday ... 86 years ... pretty impressive, huh? I couldn't help but be reminded of what we were doing on his birthday last year. Burying his son. His son. My uncle. My mom's younger brother. Uncle Randy was admitted to the hospital one month prior for a few complications. Things took a turn for the worse rather quickly, and soon his major organs started to shut down. We lost him on February 19th and buried him on February 24th. Here's how I remember my uncle:

Giveaway Update

2010-02-23T16:01:00.006-06:00

Remember a few months ago when I won the first giveaway that I had ever entered? Jessica was offering free postcards courtesy of UPrinting.com. Well I promised that I would let you guys know what I came up with so ...

... ta-da!! What do you think? It scanned a little grainy, and got cut off on one side, but the actual product looks really great. We liked them so much that we ordered A LOT more, plus another postcard design that features only The Party Bus for the college crowd.

I'm clueless when it comes to Photoshop. This was all done in Publisher, so it was pretty simple to design. Before my next order, I think I'll put thin black borders around the top three photos to make it look better. That's the only thing that bothers me.

I can't say enough good things about UPrinting.com. Their prices are fantastic, the turn-around time is fast and the ordering process is easy. We've ordered so much from them since, that we've received six 16x20 canvas prints absolutely free. Can't wait to get them stretched and hung in the office. Thanks again Jessica and UPrinting.com!

Bulk Buying

2010-02-23T14:31:00.005-06:00

We recently got a Sam's Club membership, mainly for the limo business. My first shopping trip was pretty overwhelming ... that place is HUGE. My dad always used to shop there when we were growing up, but I had never been inside one myself. He used to come home with everything from a 50-pack of snack-sized chip bags to enough toilet paper to last us six months. We don't have that much storage space in our normal-sized house, so at first I wasn't sure if bulk buying was for us. But I was pleasantly surprised. Not everything is ginormous and there are quite a few good deals to be had. They even have one of my favorite wines for $3 cheaper than at HEB. Here is my most recent purchase:

A giant bag of Craisins. Leyla is there to emphasize how big this bag really is! And we will definitely eat all these before they go bad. I put them in my homemade granola, so we go through quite a bit. So exciting ... yea for saving money!

Will You Be Mine?

2010-02-16T11:41:00.005-06:00

I had good intentions on posting this on Valentine's Day, but what can I say, life got in the way. Plus, it took me a while to get in the attic and find this little guy.

What is it, you ask? It's what Kent gave me for our first Valentine's together ten years ago. You squeeze him and he sings "What I Like About You" by The Romantics.

"What I like about you / you hold me tight / tell me I'm the only one wanna come over tonight, yeah."

Now, I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day and we don't celebrate it, but I hung onto this little Valentine mouse for sentimental reasons. I can still remember very clearly when Kent gave it to me. It was a couple of days before Valentine's Day. He picked me up in his black Dodge Stealth in front of my dorm, North Russell Hall, at Baylor University. I got in, gave him a kiss and expected him to start driving, but he didn't. He just sat there, looking at me. I waited a few seconds and then said, "What?" and he just smiled coyly back at me. I could tell that he was hiding something behind his back. Then he said, "I have a question for you." Then I got REALLY nervous, because I was afraid that he was going to ask me to marry him or something crazy. And that would have most certainly been crazy, considering that we had only been dating about three months, and I was only 18. But much to my relief, instead of pulling out a ring box, he pulled out this furry little mouse and asked, "Will you be my Valentine?" Of course, I thought he (Kent, not the mouse) was the cutest thing ever and agreed to be his Valentine. He probably took me to dinner and the whole nine yards on Valentine's Day, too, but I don't remember that ... just this cute little mouse!

Yummy Recipes - Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce over Smashed Sweet Potatoes

2010-02-04T12:51:00.004-06:00

This favorite recipe came from Shape magazine, January 2004. This meal tastes so scrumptious that you won't believe that you're eating only 411 calories per serving!

Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce over Smashed Sweet Potatoes

1 lb. sweet potatoes (2 large), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
1 lb. extra-lean ground sirloin (90-95% lean)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 cup sliced fresh wild mushrooms
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup sherry

To make the smashed potatoes, place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook 8 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 tsp of the olive oil, 1/4 tsp of the salt and 1/4 tsp of the pepper and smash together with a fork until mixture is lumpy.

Meanwhile, to make meatballs, combine remaining salt and pepper with next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Form mixture into 16 2-inch meatballs. Heat remaining 2 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and sauté 5 minutes, until browned.

Add mushrooms and sauté 3 minutes, until tender and releasing juice. Add thyme and stir to coat. Add beef broth and simmer 3 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through.

Dissolve cornstarch in sherry and add to skillet. Simmer 1 minutes, until sauce thickens. Spoon smashed sweet potatoes onto individual plates and top with meatballs. Spoon mushroom sauce over top and serve. Enjoy!

Serves 4

The sea of neverending books

2010-02-03T10:57:00.003-06:00

I'm chairing the Gently Used Book Sale for the Seguin Education Foundation this year. It has been a lot of work, but Saturday is when it pays off. We have thousands upon thousands of books that have been donated by the community. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming! So if you are looking for a deal on some great books and want to help out the kids of Seguin ISD at the same time, come to the sale on Saturday! Here's the 411:

What: SEF Gently Used Book Sale

When: Saturday, February 6th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (There will be an Early Bird Sale Hour from 8 - 9 a.m. with a $5 fee for early admittance.)

Where: Seguin ISD’s Oak Park Mall (next to Handy Andy)

Why: All proceeds benefit the Foundation’s commitment to grants for innovative teaching in the Seguin ISD.

Other things to know: Hardbacks are $2 and paperbacks are $.50 with no limits for the purchaser. At 1:30 p.m. the “Great Book Giveaway” will begin. This is a one-hour event open to teachers and non-profit organizations with a valid ID. All items will be free.

Displays of favorite authors will include: James Patterson, John Grisham, Sandra Brown and more. Other popular categories include: children’s books, cookbooks, how-to and hobby books and VHS tapes (over 40 categories ... this is one organized book sale!).

Here are some hard-working SEF directors sorting and categorizing the sea of neverending books:

Yummy Recipes - Homemade Granola

2010-01-28T14:07:00.005-06:00

Cooking is one of my very favorite things to do. I wasn't interested in cooking at all until just a few years ago. Now I can't get enough of it. I like trying new recipes and anticipating how they will turn out. I like making people happy with food, namely my hubby. I like recipes that look fancy and complicated, but don't have a million ingredients. Some of my cooking rules are, "If the ingredient list is longer than the recipe instructions, I'm not making it!" and "If I don't know immediately where an ingredient is located in the grocery store, I'm not making that recipe!" Also, I prefer to have at least 75% of the ingredients already on hand. Simple. Fresh. Tasty. Healthy. OK, 95% of the recipes I make are healthy ... you gotta indulge sometimes!

Since I love it when friends share their favorite recipes with me, I've decided to start a reoccurring Yummy Recipes post to share with you. Plus, sometimes I really have to rack my brain for something interesting to post, and this will help to fill in the gaps!

My first Yummy Recipes post is a recipe that I found on my favorite recipe blog For the Love of Cooking. Pam always has delicious recipes with beautiful photographs, everything is well-organized and all the recipes are easy to medium difficulty level. I've made countless recipes off her blog, so I'll be giving her credit often! I make Homemade Granola almost every week. My hubby prefers it to the expensive Kashi cereal. We eat it with milk and also mixed in plain or vanilla yogurt.

Homemade Granola

4 cups oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup coconut, shredded
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup apple juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, apple juice and vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly coated. Spread granola onto the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake, stirring every 10 minutes for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Add the cranberries and mix thoroughly.

Store granola in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Enjoy!

Finders Keepers?

2010-01-14T13:29:00.000-06:00

Yesterday something very unexpected happened. The hubby and I were getting ready to go workout. It was yucky and misting out, so I grabbed a sporty, waterproof jacket that I rarely wear (gosh, I wonder why I hardly ever wear it ... oh right, it almost never rains here!). I put my hands in the pockets to straighten them out, and felt something in the right pocket. Intrigued, I pulled it out and it was A FAT WAD OF CASH! Not just a few ones, but fives and tens and twenties! Holy cow! I counted it up and it totaled $145! Woohoo! But wait ... where in the world did this come from? I racked my brain trying to remember the last time I wore that jacket and why I would be carrying SO MUCH cash. I never carry very much cash, let alone $145.

Then more thoughts started to flood my mind. I'm a pretty organized person, and these bills were all mixed up in no order whatsoever, and definitely not all facing the same way as I would have had them. Then the inner dialogue began ... Is this money even mine? Who else's could it be, Jenna? I don't know, did I let someone borrow my jacket? Don't you think you would have noticed $145 missing? I mean, that's a big chunk of change!

I considered this news Facebook-worthy, so I updated my status to let everyone know of my good fortune. Some of the comments were along the lines of, "I love it when that happens!" and "Gosh, I'm happy when it's just $5!" But that's the thing. This NEVER happens to me. Like I said, I'm a pretty organized person. I don't have a habit of leaving things in my pockets. I can honestly say that before this instance, I don't recall ever finding money in my pocket.

So is it mine? More than likely yes, but who knows for sure. Finders keepers, right? You're probably saying, "Geez Jenna, stop over-analyzing the situation and just enjoy your find and go shopping!" And I will end up going shopping ... boring, responsible grocery shopping. But that's OK, because it's still a great way to start off the year. Maybe 2010 will be lucky for me!

Naked!

2010-01-07T08:04:00.000-06:00

Did that post title make you do a double-take?? Now that I have your undivided attention, I have a funny story. About my grandma. And I can tell it to you without worrying if she will be embarrassed, because she's never touched a computer in her life, and will certainly never visit my blog. Plus, I really don't think that she would mind me telling you anyway, because she is one of those great people who have no problem laughing at themselves.

So, my Grammy and my mom were grocery shopping in H.E.B. the other day. My mom was waiting her turn in line at the deli counter with several other shoppers. My Grammy walked about 20 or so feet away to pick up a bag of pita chips. (Please pause for a quick plug for Stacy's Pita Chips ... "They are delicious, try them today!" ~Jenna B.) She was debating on three different flavors ... Parmesan Garlic, Tuscan Herb and Simply Naked. She called over to my mom, "Sharon, which kind do you want?" My mom replied, "I don't care Mom, get whichever kind you want." My Grammy debated for a little while longer and then called back to my mom, "I think I'll just get naked." The deli workers behind the counter, all the shoppers waiting for their cold cuts and probably half of the store turned to stare at the 83-year-young grandma who just announced to them all that she was going to get naked. She then realized what she had said, and burst out laughing. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have been there!

And here's my pretty Grammy ...

Post-It Note Tuesday ... Oh how I've missed you!

2010-01-05T21:22:00.004-06:00

I am returning to Post-It Note Tuesday after a very long hiatus! Hope I remember how. Here goes nothin' ...

Christmas cubed ...

2010-01-04T13:19:00.006-06:00

Three great Christmases again this year! Our route consisted of Seguin, then we hosted at our house, then a few days in Tyler. Some running themes were: a tacky Christmas sweater, a crazy gift exchange and The Tooth Fairy vs. Santa Claus!

"Lions and tigers and monkeys, oh my!" (December baking adventures)

2010-01-02T12:34:00.000-06:00

I baked and decorated a lot of cupcakes in December, but most notably, I had my first paying gig! I've just decorated cupcakes for fun in the past, but a friend offered to pay me to make themed cupcakes for her son's zoo birthday party in early December. Pretty neat, huh? A huge thanks to my mom who helped me decorate them ... it was a big job!

And some ornaments that I made for Christmas ...

She did it!

2010-01-02T11:24:00.003-06:00

The day after we got back from our Lake Tahoe trip, my sister graduated from Texas State with a bachelor of science degree in math (yes math ... yuck!). It was a wonderful, celebratory day shared with lots of family. So proud of you, Kelsey!

Lake Tahoe Trip

2010-01-01T22:10:00.004-06:00

Kent and I took a fabulous, much-needed vacation to South Lake Tahoe in mid-December for a few days as a belated anniversary/early Christmas/hey-you-just-deserve-it trip. The town was beautifully decorated for Christmas and is a picture-perfect place. It was exciting to see snow again after so long ... it's been at least ten years for me! We decided that we wanted more of a relaxing trip than a go-go-go trip, so we didn't ski, but we did snowmobile and, wait for it ..... DOGSLED!! The dog sledding was amazing and something that we will always remember. The dogs were Alaskan Huskies, which aren't as big and fluffy as the Siberian Huskies, which are what most people think of when they picture dog sledding dogs, but Alaskans run faster and have more stamina. They were very friendly and super gung ho about pulling our sled through the snow! They pulled us for seven miles through a picturesque valley. The snowmobiling lasted for about two hours. We went deep into the woods through narrow trails. After traveling for a few miles, the guide stopped our group and asked us to follow him up a fairly steep hill about 30 feet up. There was fresh powder on the hill, too, so with every step our feet would sink a couple of feet down. That extra effort, combined with the steep slope and the thin air, meant that we were huffing and puffing by the time we finally reached the top of the summit. But the panoramic views were absolutely worth it. In fact, we got a great Christmas card pic out of it! We would love to go back someday ... perhaps for more than a visit!

Turkey Cupcakes

2009-12-07T17:47:00.003-06:00

Give a "gobble, gobble" and then gobble them up!

Thanksgiving x 3

2009-12-07T14:10:00.002-06:00

We had three wonderful Thanksgivings again this year! The weekend before Thanksgiving we headed to Tyler for two nights to be with Kent's family. We had fun playing in the leaves with our nephews, and we all enjoyed a boat ride on Sunday. Kent tried his hardest to break his streak of not catching any fish every time we go to Tyler, but to no avail. He's a good sport, though!

My aunt and uncle hosted all of my dad's family on Thanksgiving day in Austin. The weather was perfect ... we sat and chatted around a chiminea and later played Loaded Questions, which was a super fun game. I have a feeling our laughter from the board game often overpowered the football game that the guys were watching, but oh well!

Kent and I hosted my mom's family the day after. We played our traditional game of Yahtzee and RELAXED! We were pretty worn out by the third Thanksgiving.

We are so thankful to have such wonderful family, and are also thankful that so many of them live close enough that we get to see them multiple times a year. Here are some pictures, most of them being from Tyler.

"No photos! No sitting! No breathing! No fun!"

2009-12-07T12:39:00.009-06:00

Long-lost blogger here! Lots to catch up on, so hold on tight, 'cause here we go!

So when we last left off, I was in travel limbo and desperately trying to get to Ecuador for a few business meetings. The airline denied us boarding due to "weight restrictions," which I now believe is a bunch of B.S. I think what really happened is that they overbooked the flight, and because we were traveling via frequent flyer miles, they decided to give our tickets away to a "paying" traveler. I raised my voice, but refrained from screaming, and we reluctantly left the airport to try again for the same flight the next day. Alex, who is fluent in Spanish, had to alter our hotel arrangements and reschedule a meeting thanks to the lovely mishap at the airport.

We arrive at the airport the next day a full FOUR hours before our flight, to allow ourselves plenty of time to handle any other hiccups that may come our way. We get up to the counter, and it's déjà vu. They start talking about weight restrictions again, but this time Alex receives a boarding pass, and I am told that I'm on standby, and must check-in at the gate. So we wait, and wait and wait for someone to come to the counter at the gate. It's now less than an hour before our flight is scheduled to leave, and I still don't know if I have a seat or not. Much to my delight, I receive a boarding pass very quickly and am finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

We had been in the air for about 1.5 hrs. when the captain came on the intercom with an announcement. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I don't want to alarm you, but we are experiencing an electrical problem in the right engine. It's nothing to worry about, but we are going to turn around and go back to Houston and put you on a different plane to Quito just to be safe." SERIOUSLY?!? I must have been slightly delirious by this point, because I remember barely flinching at the news. So another 1.5 hrs. back to Houston, and then we're told that we're too heavy to land, because we still have too much fuel, so we have to fly around Houston for an hour or so to burn off some fuel. Just what Houston needs, more jet fuel in their already polluted air! We finally land back in Houston about four hours after we took off. They got everyone on another plane pretty quickly, and we took off for Quito ... again. It was about 9:45 p.m. the second time we departed Houston, and it's a five hour flight to Quito. Knowing that we had a 9 a.m. meeting the next day, I tried to get some sleep on the plane, but that is never good sleep. Quito is one hour ahead, so we landed at about 4 a.m. and got to our hotel about 5 a.m. I finally got to bed at 6 a.m., and woke up at 7:30 a.m. for our 9 a.m. meeting. Yikes! Needless to say, I was sleep deprived the whole trip, and running on adrenaline the whole time, I think.

We had two meetings on Tuesday and two on Wednesday. Two of the four meetings were almost completely in Spanish, so Alex and I had to go back and forth with the translations. We ended up landing an account at the last meeting, so we were excited about that.

There wasn't much time for sight-seeing, but one of the buyers and her husband graciously took us to the downtown historic district of Quito for dinner and to show us a few of the sights one evening. It was dark, so the pictures aren't the greatest, but at least we got to see something other than office buildings while we were there.

Alex and I were constantly making fun of how strict some things were there. I was scolded for taking pictures at least twice, scolded once for sitting on a curb (in a parking lot, not even on a street!), we were constantly asked to show our IDs, and not only did I have to show my ID when paying for breakfast, but they also asked for my passport! So the running joke was, "No photos! No sitting! No breathing! No fun!"

Eventhough the trip was fast and furious, I really enjoyed Quito. Here are a few photos of my journey:

Travel Update

2009-11-08T21:57:00.003-06:00

I should be in Ecuador right now, but I'm still in Houston, blogging from my hotel. Due to weather issues, they did not allow any more passengers on the plane after "x" number had already checked in. I have a feeling that we barely missed the cut-off. It all sounds ridiculous to me, but whatcha gonna do? Sooo, please pray that tomorrow goes better for us! I know everything happens for a reason, but I'm bummed that this means one less day of fun in Ecuador. :(

Headed to Ecuador

2009-11-07T14:58:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow I'm leaving for my first business trip out of the country! I'm super excited and nervous at the same time. The company that I work part-time for in Houston is sending me to Ecuador for five days to meet with prospective and current clients. Luckily, there is also another employee going with me who is fluent in Spanish to serve as my translator. Thank goodness, because this German girl knows very little español! I learned a few words working at the outlet mall at Ann Taylor for four years, but I don't think pantalones, zapatos and por favor would get me very far in Ecuador. (Although I would probably come home with some great Ecuador fashion items!)

Ecuador (pink on the map) is in the northwest part of South America and borders the Pacific Ocean, Columbia and Peru. The Galapagos Islands are also a part of Ecuador, and I would loooove to visit, but it takes a good day and a half to get there by boat, and I won't have that kind of time. I doubt I'll have much access to the Internet while I'm there, so I'll have some catching up to do in the blogging world when I get back.

Kent and my three year anniversary is on Wednesday, and I don't get home until Thursday. I'm very sad to miss it, but we'll celebrate on the weekend. I'm going to miss my hubby and pets tons! I'm a little nervous to leave them, too. It's not that I don't think Kent is capable, because he is and he definitely pulls his weight around the house, but there are certain tasks that I do everyday, that he just isn't used to doing. So, here are some of the actual post-it notes that I will probably leave around the house to remind hubby (and to make me feel better). It's not Tuesday, so I hope I don't get in trouble with SupahMommy for this!

It Never Hurts to Ask ...

2009-11-06T18:34:00.002-06:00

“It never hurts to ask” has been one of my mantras for a long time. My theory is, "What's the worst that could happen?" And most of the time, the answer is simply that they will say no. Boy did it pay off to ask last night. Literally.

Hubby and I went to Kohl's to check out their selection of luggage. We have been "making do" with some falling apart, semi-working luggage for a while now. I really wanted new luggage before an upcoming trip on Sunday (details to follow in tomorrow's post), and hubby agreed that it was time. There was a BOGO sale going on, but even with that special, I was still a little taken aback by the prices. But we agreed that it was better to spend a little more for higher quality luggage that can take a beating, rather than replace it with average stuff every couple of years. So we pick out one medium and one small-sized suitcase and roll off to checkout.

As we are checking out, I notice some scratches on the backside of one of the handles. I mention this out loud to hubby, and the sales lady hears me as well. But by this point, he had already signed the receipt, so I don't expect her to offer a discount. She says that I can go pick out another one, and I tell her that it was the last one. She then says that we can take them to customer service in the back of the store, and they might be able to give us a discount, but who knows.

So we roll off to the back of the store. On the stroll back, hubby whispers to me, "You ask for a discount, I don't want to." Sticking to my mantra, I agree and we patiently wait in line. Correction ... I'm patiently waiting, but hubby on the other hand is playing with the non-damaged suitcase by spinning it around and around as fast as he can. He was very impressed with the four dual wheels that rotate 360 degrees (they are pretty nifty). He spins it a little too fast and it goes crashing to the ground, loud enough that the two people ahead of us in line turn around to see what the commotion is. I then whisper/hiss to him, "You are NOT helping our case here, they're going to think that we damaged it ourselves! OK, it's our turn."

Teeny Bopper Customer Service Girl: "Can I help you?"

Me: "Hi, we just purchased these suitcases and I noticed that this one is slightly damaged, and it's the last one. Is there anyway we can get a discount?"

Teeny Bopper Customer Service Girl: "Sure. But THEY could have done this for you up front." (shakes her head in disapproval)

Me: "Oh. They must just be lazy. You sure are working hard back here." (crossing my fingers that I'm scoring points with her)

She then starts the return and re-ring process, and it's taking a while, so I tell hubby that I'll be a few feet away looking at shoes. After all, I've just saved us some money, shouldn't I get to spend the savings on some new, cute fall shoes?

I'm still close enough that I can hear them conversing ...

Teeny Bopper Customer Service Girl: "So how much of a discount do you want? 10, 20%?

Hubby: "10% is fine." (My sweet hubby, not wanting to be greedy. I don't blame him, the scratch was barely visible, and you know it would have gotten scratched after it was thrown into the plane the first time anyway.)

Charming Customer Service Girl: "I'll give you 25% off."

Hubby: (Silence) "Uh. OK. Thanks!"

SAAAAWEEEET! Hubby then finds me in the shoe department and relays the conversation to me, adding, "I think she liked me!" I responded with "Awesome!" or something similar, and I guess he was hoping for some jealousy from me and was slightly bummed that I wasn't. I told him that teeny bopper customer service girls are welcome to flirt with him, as long as it means money in our pockets! Especially 25%, holy cow! I told him I'll be cashing in my shoe coupon at a later date. I expected 10% off, and we got 25% off, so I'm pretty sure that means an upgrade to Nine West!

Here's our nifty new Dockers luggage:

We then headed to Papa Murphy's Pizza to take a pizza pie home for a quick dinner. We recently discovered Papa Murphy's. If you haven't been to one before, it's the Subway of pizza joints. You basically build-your-own pizza and then take it home and bake it. It's delicious, and tastes fresher than delivery (and it's cheaper). We order The Cowboy which is a concoction of premium pepperoni, Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, black olives and an herb & cheese blend. So good! It's usually $12.99 for a large, so we went to pay and they tell us the total is $8.50. Are we on a roll, or what?!? We didn't have to ask for that discount, but what a great way to end an already lucky night! Here's a stock photo to get your mouth watering:

So remember ... it never hurts to ask!

Halloween @ Wurstfest

2009-11-05T16:27:00.004-06:00

We did it! We escaped the trick-or-treaters this year, dressed up and went out! Can you guess what we are supposed to be? Anyone?

We are "An Office Affair" ... boss and secretary. Scandalous, I know. But hubby was happy with the minimal amount of dressing up required and the fact that our costumes were almost free! Plus, we got lots of laughs and comments all night.

Kent's costumed turned out really great, but besides my shirt being buttoned wrong, it's hard to tell what else my costume entailed in these pics. I had a pencil, paperclips and rubberbands stuck in my hair, and some post-it notes on my rear end.

Courtney, my college roommate from Baylor, came down to spend the weekend with us! It was soooo good to see her ... it had been a whole three years ... we last saw her at our wedding! She was super excited about Wurstfest, and it was fun to be able to take her, especially since we had a few German classes together at Baylor.

Mmm, pork chops on a stick are soooo yummy!

This guy played a beer bong like an instrument ... priceless.

Courtney also has a blog, and it's hilarious. She just moved back to Texas from Oregon, so go visit her at The Baptist Nun and give her some comment love. Court, you really need to have a post where you explain your Halloween costume, because it still confuses me! ;)

New Uses for Old Things

2009-11-04T00:33:00.000-06:00

Those of you who know me well know that I love to organize. So this article from Real Simple magazine is right up my alley! Some of these ideas are just plain silly, but some are really clever and I plan on using them. Do you have any new uses for old things that you are already implementing? Do share!

(I already use these six-pack holders to transport the dirty champagne glasses from the limos to our house to wash them. A condiment tote is also a great idea!)

I won, I won!

2009-11-02T10:49:00.003-06:00

I won the postcard giveaway from Jessica @ This, That and My Blog!! So excited! I'm working on the design, so I'll let you know what I come up with and how they turn out. Thanks for providing your readers with these awesome giveaways, Jessica!

2009-10-27T22:27:00.004-05:00

Jessica over at This, That and My Blog is hosting some great giveaways! I'm shooting for the 100 free brochures from UPrinting.com. We really need some new brochures for Skyline that show updated pics of the Party Bus, so if I don't win, I'll probably still order from them anyway! I'm also crossing my fingers for the 100 free postcards. Don't you think they'd make great handouts to advertise our limo Christmas Light Tours? I get extra entries for each giveaway for posting this, so wish me luck!

Post-It Note Tuesday

2009-10-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

Time for Post-It Note Tuesday brought to you by SupahMommy!

Trick-or-Treat, smell my ... annoyance ...

2009-10-25T12:23:00.002-05:00

So, it's almost Halloween. I usually stay home and pass out candy, because I like to see all of the cute kids in costume. OK, honestly I usually stay home, because we don't get invited to any parties. There, happy? And since I am stuck at home, I make the best of it and go all out with the front porch decorations, spooky music blaring, GOOD candy, etc. So after all of my efforts, is it too much to ask for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T from the trick-or-treaters? Instead of voicing my complaints to my poor husband this year like I do every year, I thought I would vent to you poor, unsuspecting, blogging souls.

Complaint #1:
Really kiddos, MUST you cut through my flower beds? I know my sidewalk takes a hard right angle, but did trampling over my vincas really save you that much time? And parents, don't just watch ... this would be a great time to teach "respect for other people's property!"

Complaint #2:
OK, listen up, here's how the scene should go down:

You: (ring doorbell. Once will do just fine, three is the max if you are super excited.)

Me: (open door)

You: Trick-or-Treat!!!! (enthusiastically)

Me: Wow, what great costumes! You're such a pretty ballerina, and you're such a funny clown and oooo, scary pirate! (hand out candy) Here ya go, have fun!

You: Thank you!! (enthusiastically)

Not so hard, right? So you'll understand that when I answer the door and you just stare at me and hold your bag out, I'll just stare back at you until you respond appropriately. If I must prompt you, it will be, "Yes, can I help you?" Then if you respond with "Umm, Trick-or-Treat??," I'll say, "Oh, I didn't know why you were here!" And if you fail to thank me after receiving your delicious candy, prepare to hear, "What do you say ... ?" I know, I know, Halloween is supposed to be fun, but they're obviously not learning manners at home, so I feel that it is my civic duty to help these poor kids.

Complaint #3:

If you have facial hair of any kind that is not a part of your costume ... no candy for you.

If you drove yourself to my house to trick-or-treat ... no candy for you.

If you have hickeys ... no candy for you.

If you are trick-or-treating with a 3-month-old ... it's pretty obvious who is going to be eating that candy later, so no candy for you.

So there you have it. The rules are very simple if you would like to trick-or-treat at my house. Call me The Candy Nazi if you must, but I think my complaints are justified. What do you think? Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky this year and actually go to a party and avoid these annoyances all together!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T11:34:00.002-05:00

Post-It Note Tuesday

2009-10-20T10:49:00.005-05:00

Wow, Tuesday again already? You know what that means ... time for post-its! Go to SupahMommy to make your own! C'mon, u know u want 2!

A Weekend of Birthdays

2009-10-19T13:28:00.007-05:00

Kent's 35th birthday was on Friday, which was perfect, because he now has Friday's off from work (he now works Monday-Thursday, usually 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. w/ a 30-min. lunch). We had planned on a sushi dinner with friends, so we headed over to their house around 7 p.m. Little did Kent know that I had arranged for one of our limos to pick us all up! I couldn't think of one single time in the last 18 months since we started our business that Kent actually got to sit IN THE BACK of a limo and just enjoy himself. We've taken limos out a few times for family surprises and get-togethers, but Kent was always the one doing the driving! He was super surprised, and we all enjoyed a bottle of champagne on the way to A-Tan Sushi Bar in N.B.

After dinner it was off to Liberty Bistro for dessert and drinks, where Kent had his all-time favorite dessert, Pot de Crème.

Saturday night was my mom's birthday. The whole fam headed over to McAdoo's in N.B. for some delicious seafood.

The birthday girl!

Yes, there is a story behind this strangely cropped photo. Some members of our party were feeling a bit self-conscious after their large meal, and I was told that I must crop the photo in the appropriate place before posting. :)

It was a great weekend!

Post-It Note Tuesday

2009-10-13T10:43:00.002-05:00

Here's my first edition of Post-It Note Tuesday. I got this fun idea from Jessica over at This, That and My Blog, and she got the idea from a friend who originally got if from SupahMommy! It's a great way to vent passive agressively or just remind yourself to do something. It's kinda hard to stop once you get started though!

2009-10-12T14:11:00.004-05:00

Kent and I have been slaving over our Party Bus for the last two weeks. This past week was torture. Late, LATE nights of laying tile and adding extras to the bus. We were sore and sleep deprived, but we are very pleased with the final product! And the reservations are coming in, so that makes it that much more satisfying. This past weekend I was finally able to play catch-up with laundry, cleaning and cooking. Everything house related had taken a far backseat. Poor Kent told me yesterday that he had to use a hand towel to dry off after his shower the other day, because we were out of clean bath towels! (we have separate bathrooms, so I didn't realize!) Yeah, that's pretty bad! But things are getting back to normal now, and I've finally had the chance to do some fall/Halloween decorating. I LOVE this time of year. Crisp autumn air puts me in such a good mood. Another thing that makes this time of year my favorite is that it's Wurstfest season! I'm so looking forward to the delicious German food, fun and music that is Wurstfest ... just a couple more weeks!

Whitney's Baby Shower

2009-10-12T00:02:00.008-05:00

I co-hosted a baby shower on Saturday with five other lovely ladies. The mom-to-be is my dear friend Whitney. We have known each other since we were babies ourselves, and she was one of my bridesmaids. She is due in about a month. She does not know what she's having (exciting!), so we kept the color scheme neutral.

I could not find a pre-made invitation that suited Whitney's style, so decided to handmake them. She is a fabulous seamstress, baker, artist, etc., and loves antiques, so I thought this fit her well. The assembly process ended up being a much bigger job than I anticipated, so I called in reinforcements, and we knocked out the 35 invites ... thanks Mom and Gail!

My mom made this CUTE diaper cake. What a practical centerpiece!

I made these baby rattle cupcakes. The dots are dark chocolate M&M's with the logo facing down, and the handles are lollipop sticks with a gumdrop stuck on the end.

Playing "Guess How Big Around the Belly Is" with yarn. Whitney's grandmother guessed exactly right!

Whitney and the hostesses.

10-Year High School Reunion

2009-09-29T12:12:00.010-05:00

I had my 10-year reunion this past weekend in Seguin. Sometimes it feels like those 10 years just flew by, and other times it seems so long ago, maybe even longer than 10 years.

The reunion started off at the Matador Homecoming Game. I didn't really watch the game, I was too busy catching up with classmates in the stands, but at least Kent had something to do. I was looking forward to the half-time performance, but they spent the whole time crowning the Homecoming Court. No band, no dance team ... boo. They were there for show only, they just stood there. I honestly don't remember this when I was in school. I swear the Dance Team danced at Homecoming! I was slightly jealous of the Dance Team's new nifty boots. When I was in school, we had to wear white Keds. I would have loved to wear those boots!

We left at half-time since the second half of the reunion started at 9 p.m. at The Ticket in downtown Seguin and it later moved to The Oak. It was cool to see how people looked 10 years later, and find out what they were doing. It's hard to catch up with people in any real way, in a crowded and noisy setting. About 50 people showed up out of a class of 360 or so, and about half of them were people I used to hang out with. A bunch of people I wished had been there weren't, people who I really would like to know how they're doing. But I reconnected with a couple of people who I'll try really hard to keep in touch with. It was so fun to reminisce about high school - so many stories and memories - I had a lot more fun than I expected to have!

Mmm, Cupcakes!

2009-09-16T12:59:00.003-05:00

I haven't done as much baking as I would like recently, but here are my two latest creations.

I was asked to sub for a Bunco group this week, so I brought these along. A few people asked if the dice were real, so I consider that a success! The dice are sugar cubes, and I piped the dots on with black icing. Unfortunately, my Bunco game didn't turn out as great as these cupcakes ... I won the prize for the most snake eyes! But had a blast ... hadn't played Bunco in years.

I made these pink lemonade cupcakes for a friend's birthday who loooooves everything pink. Both the cake and the icing had real pink lemonade mixed in, and they were delicious!

Flooding and Gruene

2009-09-14T23:13:00.007-05:00

We are very thankful for all of the rain that we have been blessed with lately. In fact, we had so much rain at once, that for a while, we had lakefront property! The water got just above the deck, which is a good 18" inches off the ground.

If we only had a boat ...

We had dinner in Gruene on Saturday night at Mozie's with my mom, sis and a bunch of our dearest family friends. Mozie's is a restaurant/bar right across from The Gristmill and Gruene Hall. It's the longest, skinniest building I've ever seen. Kent measured (the engineer part of him couldn't help it) and said it was no more than 12 feet wide. Very cramped quarters, but we didn't care because we were surrounded by people that we like. ;)

My pretty Momma.

Spoiled

2009-09-10T13:16:00.006-05:00

I'm very spoiled. My husband comes home for lunch everyday, and I get to spend time with him. In the middle of the day. For a whole hour. I love that. It makes even the crappiest of days better. The pups like it, too. Here they are doing their best to hold him down so that he doesn't return to work ... all 14 lbs. of them ... combined.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-09T14:21:00.004-05:00

Birthday, BBQ and a Celebrity

2009-08-31T10:33:00.008-05:00

My brother hit the big 2-5 in July, so we gathered up some family and friends and went to The Salt Lick to celebrate. Yes, this happened over a month ago now, but I thought it was still post-worthy. Here are some highlights of the evening. Keep reading to see which celebrity we brushed shoulders with that night!

My sister and I on the looong (but totally worth it!) car ride to The Salt Lick in Driftwood.

Here we are with Kyle Chandler! He was eating with his family, and Kelsey was the brave one who went up to him when they were leaving and asked if we could take his picture. He was super nice and oh so cute. If you don't recognize him immediately, he stars in the TV show Friday Night Lights as the coach. He's also been on Grey's Anatomy, King Kong and a show in the 90s called Early Edition, which I had never seen, but Kent used to watch.

Here's a stalkeresque photo that I snapped from our table earlier in the night, when we were still unsure if it was really him. My zoom works really well!

Kelsey jamming out on Mike's "guitar" which was a plastic container that can be filled with your drink of choice!

We headed over to J's Bistro in San Marcos after dinner for a couple of hours of sing-a-long with the piano.

Happy birthday, Ryan!

Flowers

2009-08-21T11:08:00.004-05:00

Received these "Thanks for all that you do ..." flowers from my darling husband. Aren't they beeeeautiful, and isn't he sweet?!?

New Blog!

2009-08-14T15:58:00.005-05:00

I've now started a blog for Skyline! It's skylinelimo.blogspot.com. Come on over and say hi! Jessica over at This, That & Your Blog is going to do her thing and spice it up for me in the weeks to come ... can't wait! Whew, TWO blogs to keep up with now ... I've got my work cut out for me!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T14:59:00.002-05:00

Yearbook Yourself

2009-07-28T01:31:00.009-05:00

I couldn't sleep, so I got on facebook and found this hilarious site called yearbookyourself.com. You upload your photo, select which year you want, and then can play with the angle, size and even skintone of your pic to make it look more realistic. It's pretty addicting, and I had to catch myself a few times from laughing too loud in fear of waking Kent in the next room! They have it for guys, too. I think I'll do his photos next!

1952

1960

1964

1966 - I definitely could have handled high school in the '60s ... I look darn cute!

1976 - Don't I kinda look like my sister Kelsey in this one?

1980

1984

1986 - Whoops, wrong ethnicity!

1992 - I longed for hair just like this in the 90s!

I thought it was interesting how some hairdos/poses tend to make my expression look different, eventhough it's the exact same pic of me in all of them. Ok, that was fun, but I really have to try to get some sleep now. Have fun playing with your pics!

Father's Day Fun

2009-07-18T02:23:00.005-05:00

I invited the whole gang over to our house to celebrate Father's Day last month ...

I was very happy with how my Father's Day placecards turned out!

The Dads relaxin'!

On the menu was burgers and brats. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my gas grill lit (Kent was out of town), and none of the guys could figure it out either. Kent later told me that there is a special trick to it, but we rolled with it and arranged a charcoal contraption over my fire pit! It ended up being quite fun and reminded me of camping. My cousin Jackson was the official grillmaster.

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home ..."

2009-06-18T20:01:00.005-05:00

I'm packing up Leyla and Daisy and shipping them to Kansas to bring Kent home! They are going UPS ... United Puppy Shipping! Kent has been working on the new Schlitterbahn there for two weeks now, and isn't due back until Wednesday. And he's only coming home then because I'm going on a girls' family coast trip on Thursday, and someone has to be home to take care of things. He'll probably go straight back the day after I get home, so we'll just see each other in passing ... not fun! We (the pets and I) all miss him very much. It's lonely around here without him. Oh, and speaking of the Wizard of Oz reference, I saw Wicked at the Majestic on Sunday with my mom and her Betas group, and it was FABULOUS. See it if you can!

Daisy didn't know what to think of those weird styrofoam peanuts!

Weekend on the Lake

2009-06-04T17:10:00.023-05:00

We had a fabulous weekend on Lake Placid with family! The weather was perfect, and the house that we bartered a limo ride for was a hit. It's a spacious 6 bed/4 bath house with a huge backyard and at least 80+ feet of waterfront. Eric and Grant really liked jumping off the sun deck over the boat dock, over and over and over again. Kyle is still too little to jump, but I bet he'll be ready next year. He enjoyed watching the many boats and jet skiers ride by. Here are some highlights of the weekend:

What a view!

Kyle playing catch with Uncle Kent.

Check out that form!

Eric and Uncle Kent enjoying some R&R.

We took the dogs (of course!), and since they had never been allowed to roam without a fence before, we were a little worried. But they did super, and the couple of times that they started to go into the neighbors' yards, we would just send a kid after them and they came running right back, because kids frighten them! We're not quite sure what their aversion is to short people. They never came close to growling or biting, just ran in the opposite direction or hid under Kent or I! Too funny.

It was hot, so Kent took the pups toobing.

Leyla was extra hot since she wears a black bikini, so she got in to cool off. Kent said her little legs were swimming frantically eventhough he never let go!

Tina and Kyle ridin' the gator.

Kyle knows how to relax!

Kent is extra relaxed!

Yea, bubbles!

Kirk caught a little perch, and Leyla wasn't so sure about it. She was much more interested in a frog that joined us at dinner later that night, and chased it all around.

Nice catfish, Kirk and Eric!

Seriously, how cute are my nephews?!?

The whole gang: me, Kent, Kent's mom Claudia, Kirk's wife Tina, Kent's brother Kirk, Eric, Kyle and Grant.

Hope to do it again next year!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-03T12:04:00.002-05:00

Weekend Plans

2009-05-28T20:34:00.005-05:00

Kent's family is coming to visit tomorrow, and we are renting a house on Lake Placid and relaxing there all weekend! Can't wait! Kent gets back from his Kansas work trip three hours before his family arrives ... pray for no delays like last time! We haven't seen them since Christmas, and they haven't been to N.B. since our wedding ... and little Kyle (3 1/2 yrs.) has never been here, since he was just a baby when we got married. I'm sure I'll have some great pics to post next week!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T11:50:00.004-05:00

Baking Adventures

2009-05-18T00:52:00.009-05:00

So, I made my first trifle recently, and I was so proud of it that I took pictures. We received a trifle dish as a wedding gift 2 1/2 years ago, and I finally got around to using it. Almost too pretty to eat, right? Emphasis on ALMOST! We scarfed it down no problem. Light, fruity desserts like this are my favorite, especially in summer. I will definitely be making a lot more of these!

I am also very into decorating cupcakes right now. I have about four books on just cupcakes, and some of the designs are pretty outrageous and detailed. Here are some fun ones that I've done.

(The kernels are Jelly Bellies and the butter is a smushed lemon Starburst!)

I made these sunflowers for Mother's Day.

Shame on me!

2009-05-16T00:51:00.011-05:00

Yes, I'm alive, and no, I haven't abandoned my blog! It's been ridiculously long since I've blogged, but in my defense, I did have a couple of things working against me. 1) Our computer was having some major issues, and we didn't think it was going to make it, but luckily a friend at Kent's work revived it for us. 2) We "lost" our camera for about a month and a half before we decided to break down and buy a new one. And you know what they say, if you want to find something that you've lost, just buy a replacement ... sure enough, we found our camera about a month later! But that's ok, because we got a better camera for a great deal thanks to Circuit City going out of business, and now we have a "back-up" camera. So ... let's play catch-up!

One day last year, our two-year-old, stainless steel, GE microwave just stopped working. Of course, the warranty is only good for one year, and it was still so new that we didn't want to pay to replace it already, so Kent messed around with it and found that it worked if the front panel hung down from it's wires like this ...

Nice, huh? We were going for the industrial look. So for about a year, I've lived with this ghetto microwave and stood about five feet back whenever I needed to zap something in fear of the radiation that it must be emitting! But a couple of months ago, I reached the end of my rope with it. We did the research and realized it was about the same cost to repair it as it was to replace it. So off to Lowe's we went. Kent forgot what a chore it was to install, but he was a trooper. Check out those muscles!! ;)

And voila, the finished product! So happy to have a functioning and aesthetically pleasing microwave again!! (It's the little things ..)

More to come soon (I promise!). It's late, I'm tired and Kent still isn't home from his Kansas trip. He left Monday morning, and was supposed to come back earlier this evening, but storms caused massive delays. He and the other guys he is traveling with made it to Dallas, but there were no more flights out tonight, so they decided to rent a car and drive home. That will put him home around 4 a.m. ... yikes!

Miscellaneous Christmas stuff and New Year's

2009-01-03T00:01:00.005-06:00

My good friend Jenn was in town for Christmas, so we went to the Huisache for lunch the day after Christmas and did a little shopping. She is 17 weeks pregnant with TWINS, and is the cutest preggo! Can't wait to meet the "twinlees!"

This is an amaryllis that my Aunt Fern gave me at Thanksgiving. It was only about an inch tall then, and look at it now! It bloomed on Christmas Day.

I just thought this picture was funny. Kent caught the pups gnawing on a few puzzle pieces from the cat puzzle (coincidence?) that his mom gave us for Christmas. They still fit, they are just full of teeth marks now. They look so guilty!

We had a low-key New Year's this year for maybe the first time since we've been together (which was fine with us!). We went to our good friends Kevin and Shannon's house, ate yummy lasagna, played games and rang in the new year. Happy 2009!

Daisy giving Leyla a kiss at midnight. They have two dogs and a cat just like us, so we get along well!

Our friends, Kevin and Shannon.

A cozy fire at our house. I'm always so sad when I have to take the Christmas decorations down. :(

Christmas in Seguin with Mom's fam

2009-01-02T23:23:00.013-06:00

On Christmas Eve we had a scrumptious Mexican food dinner, followed by Christmas Eve church service at Faith Lutheran then back to the house to open gifts. We can always count on my grandparents to provide the comedy relief. Between their hard hearing and their generally funny comments, there are always plenty of laughs to go around. Funniest part of the night? When my mom received a memory foam pillow, and my grandmother thought that she could use one, too, to prevent Alzheimer's. Second place? My grandfather watching BET.

Sistas!

The pups giving Papa some love.

The whole gang.

Kids!

Kelsey enjoying one of her gifts!

This is my favorite pic. Kent is holding his flashlight like a lightsaber, and apparently, I'm very serious about making sure my invisible earmuff is still on. Nice shot Kelsey!

Cozy robes for Christmas!

Aaah, the madness! Where's the cleaning fairy when you need her?!

Christmas in Seguin with Dad's fam

2009-01-02T23:19:00.003-06:00

The men's side of the room.

Abby (cousin), Michelle (Matt's g.f.), Matt (cousin), me, Jackson (cousin) and Kent ... in age order!

All the Christmas excitement was just too much for Daisy!

Leyla loves laps!

Molly: "No really, I can see just fine!"

Jackson, Abby, Mom, Aunt Fern and Uncle Johnny

Christmas in Tyler

2009-01-02T22:44:00.014-06:00

The weekend before Christmas we spent in Tyler with Kent's family. It was really cold! We had fun playing games and torturing our nephews by making them wait as long as possible to open their gifts! They were good sports though. All the food was delicious as usual. Hope to see you guys again soon!

Kirk (Kent's older brother) and Kent with Eric (8), Grant (5) and Kyle (3).

Grandma with the boys.

The gang - Kirk, Tina, Kent and I and the boys.

Kyle diligently working on his Cars puzzle. He got a stuffed panda bear for Christmas and named it "Aunt Jenna." How cute is that? ;)

Eric and I built the coolest Lego house. It took forever, but look at it! Eric is really into houses and even built his own "house" in the backyard. We think he will be an architect. I think I had even more fun than him playing with the Legos. I was secretly hoping Santa would bring me a Lego house, too!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T12:32:00.027-06:00

Well, it's almost Christmas, so I thought I should post Thanksgiving now! We had three, count them, THREE great Thanksgivings! The weekend before Thanksgiving we headed to Tyler to be with Kent's family. We had lots of fun playing with our three nephews ages 8, 5 & 3. It's always good to see everyone, and we wish we could get there more often! I could kick myself for not taking any pictures while we were there. The boys are growing so fast.

Then Thanksgiving Day was at my mom's parent's house in Seguin. My grammy had everybody bring their dogs (four pooches total). We stuffed ourselves with delicious food and played Yahtzee all afternoon. Here are some pics:

The fam playing Yahtzee.

Grammy and Leyla winning at Yahtzee.

She wanted Leyla to blow into the cup for good luck!

Daisy and I losing horribly at Yahtzee.

Kent and Ryan feeling the effects of the tryptophan. Aww, cute matching brown shirts!

Then the Saturday after Thanksgiving we went to Austin to have some turkey with my dad's family. My aunt and uncle have a gorgeous place in the hills, and we really enjoyed hanging out by the fire. Again everyone brought their dogs, but this time we had a pack! There was our Leyla and Daisy (chihuahuas), my mom's Molly (cockapoo), Fern & John's Lilly (sheltie) and Jessie (border collie?) and Matt & Michelle's Drake (great dane) and Bella (boxer). There was some tension at times, but for the most part, all the pups got along!

The Broussard gang minus Jackson and plus Michelle.

Mom and Kels

Leyla looking a bit nervous about being so close to Drake! He just wanted to snuggle her, but she wouldn't have it. He's only 37 times her size, I can't imagine why she was nervous!

Staying warm in dad's jacket. It was a chilly day!

The pups really liked my Nana.

We had some good laughs watching Drake, the 185 lb. great dane, chase shadows. It's an obsession of his! Here's a video of him in action.

Two Year Anniversary

2008-11-12T12:36:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was our two year anniversary ... we can't believe it's been that long since our wedding. November marks two years of marriage, but nine years of togetherness! I was in Atlanta on a business trip most of the day, but Kent picked me up from the airport at 6 p.m. and we went to a wonderful Italian restaurant called Valentino's in S.A. Then we went to Coco Lounge (everything is chocolate!) and enjoyed a yummy dessert and chocolate martinis. We hope to go camping soon to celebrate.

Halloween goes to the dogs

2008-11-04T15:15:00.002-06:00

It was just my mom and I and our dogs for Halloween! I dressed up as a pirate, Daisy was an angel and Leyla was a devil. Anyone that knows my dogs knows that this suits their personalities to a tee! Leyla went sans horns ... I managed to get out of the store without them somehow. Daisy was humiliated and froze whenever her costume was on, basically refusing to move! Leyla pranced along as usual and later got a hold of my stuffed parrot when I wasn't looking and ripped the tail feathers off (see what I mean? A little devil!). My mom was a scarecrow and Molly was Wonder Dog! She and Daisy were a big hit with the kids. Leyla, on the other hand, didn't get to enjoy the trick-or-treat fun, because she barked at everyone at the door ... my little 5 lb. guard dog. Kent had to work, and I didn't get a picture of him, but he was a blind limo driver! Here are the highlights of the evening ...

Vegas Trip

2008-10-24T11:55:00.003-05:00

This is my first attempt ever at blogging – so please, bear with me! As unsure as I am about my blogging abilities, I’m excited to do this, because I think it's a great way to keep in touch with friends and family near and far. I'll start with our most recent trip. Kent and I went to Las Vegas October 4th-7th courtesy of our good friends Sadik and Angie Dalal. We went to celebrate Sadik's 30th birthday. They were very generous and flew us first class and put us up in a beautiful room at Planet Hollywood. We ate (a lot!) of amazing food, saw a mindblowing show called LE RÊVE at an aquatheater and, of course, did some gambling. I had been to Vegas once before with my parents for my 21st birthday, but this was Kent's first time. His very first bet ever, in his life, was on his lucky #9 at the roulette table. He bet $5, and he hit it! Talk about beginner's luck, right? It pays 35 to 1, so needless to say, he had an amazing first bet! I convinced him to ride the rollercoaster with me at New York, New York and we screamed like little kids. There is a ton of construction happening on the strip right now, namely the CityCenter which will be a massive resort, casino and convention center. It was an awesome, much needed vacation! Thanks again, Sadik & Angie!