update

I have been meaning to update this for awhile but never had a quiet moment but today is different- my mom has Cade and my husband is asleep. So just a quick update before I have to be Mama or Wifey again.

Travis and I have BIG news........ we saved $200 by switching electric providers. Reliant was killing our budget the past few months so we made the decision to drop them and go with a company that would cut our bill nearly in half. And it did. Our nearly $400 bill went down to $190 for the months of JULY and AUGUST. I can't wait to see what next month will be..... (well. I take that back. I really can wait). powertochoose.org

Julie called today and announced that she just had her 4th little boy- Nathan Thomas (although she hasn't decided for sure on the name). He was 7.7lbs with red hair. I don't know how she does it with 4 boys! She's amazing!

Today would have been my Papa's 88th birthday. He was an amazing man. I'll never forget they way he smiled, or the way he talked. The way he would laugh at Grumpy Old Men or how he would say, "Sure is Good." From when I was just a little girl to when I was an adult he would always beat me in the first hand of dominoes only to let me somehow win the next time.....and he always knew which dominoes you had in your hand...he loved that game. Thanks to him I have happily beat Travis several times! Thank you for the memories Papa. I love you and miss you.

Cade is doing great. I think he has hit a growth spurt over the last few weeks- his appetite is growing he can't seem to get enough to eat! His vocabulary is huge as is his imagination these days. He is really into puzzles, books and blocks. He loves saying "S-T-O-P, STOP" at every stop sign he sees. He knows all of his uppercase letters and can count to 13- and then jumbles up the rest of the numbers to 20. He is constantly saying or doing something that takes you by surprise. He is absolutely growing up WAY too fast. This past week we met Cade's teachers. He loves them already. He keeps telling me that miss G and miss J have ears and hair.... I think he's going to have another wonderful year at ELP.

Tomorrow is mama day- well for a short 2 hours so I can get my haircut and run a few errands. So thankful that Travis can watch Cade so I can get my hair done. Sunday is church at Northside Christian Church. This will be our second time there. Last week we enjoy the service- similar to Fellowship but much, much, much smaller. It's nice.....so we shall see if it's a fit!

Travis recently got his HAM radio license. He has been fooling around with it for a month or so. My dad is also an operator- builds his own equipment and talks to people from all over. Pretty neat hobby for both.

That's all for now......

row, row, row your boat

Travis' friend Pete came down from Alaska and stayed with us last night. He is actually on a month long road trip- traveling all over the Western states in his jeep. We decided to dine in and have chicken enchiladas with a frozen margaritas- he claims he has never had one of those. But he also claimed he stopped drinking...... 45 minutes ago. For dessert we served good ol' BlueBell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and cherry cobbler. He pretty much loved it.

Afterwards we were sitting around visiting and I got this GREAT idea to go up to The Woodlands and take the water taxi around Lake Woodlands (I'm guessing that's the name of the body of water around the mall). We loaded up and made our way down to the water. We boarded the boat and took off.... at a snails pace.

While on the "tour" I learned that deepest part of the lake is between 4-5 feet. Which is great information to know in case the boat should ever sink while on it....which I guess would never happen because I'm pretty sure the boat is taller than 5ft. Hmmm. So remember if it tips or sinks just get out of the boat, try not to panic, and simiply stand up.

The tour takes between 35-45 minutes. However, you are able to board on and off at certain points of the tour. We stayed put but next time I want to kill some time I might jump off at one of the many restaurants that over look the waterway. There is also this awesome water/splash pad for the kids just behind the new wine bar Crush. It also has a fountain similar to the one at Bellagio in Vegas where the water dances to music. I think there is a water show every 10 minutes.

Another bit of info the Capitan mentioned to the passengers was that the Anadarko building is the tallest structure between here and Dallas.....uhhh, isn't that pretty much obvious since there aren't any other major cities between here and there... it had a huge WOW factor on the boat.

After our tour we strolled around the waterway and found the water park and let Cade play for a bit. He loved that water jumped from place to place and that it changed colors. He was squealing with excitment!

After that water park we headed home and had our nightly run in with bedtime and then were up bright and early. Pete head out mid morning to Austin. He is supposed to visit the UT tower, the Capitol, Salt Lick, Hey! Cupcake, and Cabella's before heading to his next destination. He should have a great time seeing those sites.... after all it is Austin!

Anyway, it was a fun night. I'm glad we did something we normally wouldn't have done...and look at all of that useful knowledge we learned just by going down the stream.

10 on Tuesday

1. I love the song Big Green Tractor by Jason Aldean. It reminds me of the days when Travis and I were dating and spending every other week up at the farm. Now those days are limited to every few months but it nice to remember the days when things were just the two of us.

2. Cade is cutting his two year old molars and giving us (mostly me) a hard time about it. I have the bite marks to prove it and a bruise on my nose from him throwing things. I hope these teeth come in quickly and my sweet boy returns.

3. My neighbor is teaching me how to sew some really cute toddler dresses. She's planning on showing her collection at a craft show in September. She wants me to put my frames in.... hmmm that's a lot of painting but I think I'm going to do it.embellishedframes.blogspot.com

4. Naptime was over way to fast today.

5. My back is doing better. My nerves are better. I still feel a little twinge every now and then but I'm doing much better than I was a week ago. We shall see what the dr says next week. I go for my yearly check up this week and I'm hoping for a good check up there as well.

6. Travis built us a pergola. It looks great and the best part about is that we now have shade on the back porch.

7. 5-8 weeks before the baby boom hits Spring!

8. Cade is living in his VBS shirt. I wash it everyday. He wants to eat. sleep. play in it...everyday. The only thrill he gets from me washing it is throwing it in the washer... which he confuses with the dishwasher. hah.

9. My Grandma said the following while we were at her house last week- The cows coming home mean that it's going to rain..... not because they want food....

10. Is going to plan a night out on the town with my hubby- Perry's sounds good to me.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Yesterday I had my follow-up with Dr. Yezak. My MRI on my spine came back normal. I'm on a two week observation to see if I need more testing. Not sure what is going on with my nerves but I am praying that I get better and that things will get back to good. Please pray with me.

2. Tomorrow Cade and I are going to ride up to Gigi's house with my parents. I hope it doesn't take forever to get to Fredericksburg. I think it'll be good to get out of Spring and spend some time with family and of course on Main Street. :0)

3. I am slacking off on my sewing projects. I really want to finish my pillow cases for our chair in our front room... and then I want to make a pillowcase dress for my niece Payton and a hooter hider for a friend's shower in two weeks.

4. Travis and I went up to the farm this weekend. It was a lot fun. The cousins got a chance to play and feed the cows by hand.... eeeww. I guess I can't really say it's gross since I used to do that as a kid....I just don't remember them smelling as bad.

5. I missed out on the Starbucks pastry give away. I LOVE, loVE, LovE their scones. Oh well. I didn't need the extra calories anyway.

6. Kristyn has me wanting to go pick berries at our local farmers market and bake something delicious. Muffins are my fav!

7. August is going to be here in no time- which means school is starting again. Can't wait to see the green again.

8. We started landscaping our front yard. Travis and his dad dug up small, medium and HUGE boulders for our front bed. Now we need to take out the boxwoods and plant two cypress trees to frame our front window and then fill in the rest with native Texas plants. I can't wait to see the finished product.

9. Travis is also going to build us a pergola for our back porch. We have NO shade at all during the day until about 6 o'clock. So this will definitely provide some sort of cover for us. I think we're also going to add some boulders out there and then some more climbing flowers.

10. Don't forget to pray!

coupons

So for the past few months I haven't had any interest in couponing.... I was doing really well last year but just got burned out from the cutting, the searching, and calculating deals...it's pretty time consuming if you're really out to get a good deal. Well, I'm not sure what has motivated me to start up again....maybe it was my husband saying you'd better start cutting out coupons again after I came home with a $100+ grocery bill... or maybe it was Julie who called me a few weeks ago to tell me she got a bunch of things from CVS for FREE.... and you have to love FREE stuff.

So here I am with the Kroger ad, scissors, and scratch paper. I have my ten items (mega items buy 10 participating "mega items" and get $5 off instantly) and coupons to match. Should be able to get the following for about $7.

1 JIF 1.49
2 Dora Yogurt 1.99 ( 2, $1 off coupons)
2 pkgs cheese (block kind cheaper, fresher and I can freeze it) 1.49
1 cologate 1.99 (minus $1 off coupon)
2 Kraft dressing 1.19
2 cream cheese .99

$14.80 total - $5= $9.80 - $3 coupons=$6.80

So if that's not inspiring I don't know what is... ;)

With it being hurricane season it's never to early to start stock piling on things like peanut butter, soups, waters.... BTW Kroger has a great deal on water too.... I might calculate another deal including that.

If you need more inspiration go to hotcouponworld.com the people on that site are out for the best deal everywhere (Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS....and so on)

In other money saving news- Travis and I lucked out this past weekend. His buddy Walter called and said that his dad's restaurant business went under and that he had a bunch a meat that he needed to find a home for. Travis drove over with his cooler...and let's just say we won't be buying beef or pork for the next several months!

The meat was given to us whole so we had to take it to a local butcher to have cut and packaged for storing purposes. The butcher was telling Travis that certain pieces of meat we had brought in sold for $10 -$22/lb. Both our jaws dropped when we heard that!

So I guess if you are in need of nice hearty dinner, come on over...just bring a side or two!

In a nutshell

Last week the whole family went down to Port Aransas to get a taste of the sweet life. We drove in Tuesday and met up with my parents. We unloaded and headed to the beach. Cade took to it pretty quick. I was a tad bit worried that he wouldn't like it because he doesn't really like large bodies of water (for instance the baby pool...or at least the one at Amanda's house. It took forever for him to warm up to it) and then there is the whole water in the eyes and needing a towel for any droplet that comes close to coming in contact with his face.... But we had no issues with salt water...He wanted to go in and stay in the water! Stephanie and her family joined us late Wednesday night. Maxie and Cade were pretty much joined at the hip! He LOVES his Nini and Noni!

While we were visiting we drove out and toured the Southern Living Idea house, which will be featured in the August edition of Southern Living Magazine. (yay, I'm a subscriber). This house was amazing...it can sleep 15, has 2 master suites (I'll take the one on the second floor) and a connecting guest house. I think it sold for 1.8 million....and we're moving there tomorrow! Here is link with multiple videos so you can see it for yourself. Check out the kitchen and the sliding yellow barn door in the upper master suite..... niiiiiiice.

On Thursday night we were finally able to catch some wind and fly our kites Grandad bought for us kids..... Travis dug a fire pit and we roasted marshmallows and made smores....soooo gooey and good! Definitely something i'll remember when I'm 80. We never did things like that when I was a kid.... so fun! Definitely want to do things like that with Cade!

We headed home on Friday morning and made a stop at Prasek's Hillje Smokehouse.... great chopped beef sandwiches, dried jerky and homemade sweets!

Saturday we met up with Travis' brother and his family to celebrate Payton's 1st birthday. I hope to have a few pictures to post of the 3 cousins. Preston is now 4 and is full of energy and really cute-- and I'm pretty sure he LOVES his little sister.

Saturday was also Susan's baby shower! She's due in just a few weeks with twin boys! We are so happy for her and her husband. They are on their way to having everything ready to go!

In other news- Cade is really talking up a storm! He is so animated and expressive. He lights up when he has someones full attention. Everything is a "big, bad something another." He loves "grapes and ketchup" or at least saying that he does.... and he loves watching the first 5 minutes of Monsters INC over and over again. His 2nd year molars are coming in... which probably explains the temper tantrums and biting down on anything with a cushion. He is doing pretty well with his big boy bed. We're still running back and forth a few times before he settles in for the night but other than that- he sleeps through most nights and wakes up around 7 each day....sometimes we are lucky and he'll sleep a litte longer in our room.... but not always.

Well that's all for now...time to write in my "real" journal..... nighty night!

pictures from JUNE

This summer I decided to take a sewing class- here are few of my projects I've completed.

my red pillow- clearance fabric- designer look.
Cade's room is being transformed into a COWBOY room

two of three totes I've made

Earlier this month we went to Austin/SA for some fun. We went to the SA Zoo with Maxie.

Maxie and Cade crossing creek

Maxie and a hairy thing

Travis and Cade looking at ??

Auntie Tara and Maxie after the train ride around the very exciting SA park....(BORING)

TOT

1. Sewing is going great. I've sewed two pillow cases- one in a vintage cowboy print for Cade's room and one in a raw silk..... I'm really proud of how they both turned out. Tomorrow I'm going to my second lesson and starting my tote bag project.

2. Thinking about going back to work...it will most likely happen next year but I'm ready to get back into teaching and putting more green in the bank. A friend from JL has a job share position- where she works 3 days on week and 2 the next. It seems like the perfect fit for me. Travis could watch Cade Monday and Tuesday and my parents could maybe watch him one day....and then I would be home the rest of the week...... very ideal and it would be 3x more than I make now.... so I'm thinking about it.

3. I got my haircut above my shoulders. It's super cute and easy to style. I would post pictures but I can't find my camera charger.

4. Wishes the Bachelorette would be on everyday not just once a week..... I want to know who Gillian picks. I'd pick Jake or Kipton....and there is one other one I like.....can't remember his name.

5. Going to start taking Cade to the gym with me. I think it'll be good for both of us. He'll get to play with other kids and I'll be able to work out. Travis is trying to get in touch with a trainer in Conroe....but so far we haven't been able to reach her. His mom is using her and seems to like the program. If I don't get a trainer I'm going to look into getting a workout buddy....I asked a few friends but they aren't sure they are ready to commit.....I know I'm ready- I just need to be pushed out the door.

6. The past two nights Cade has crawled in bed with us....tonight if it happens again I'm going to put him back in his bed. There just isn't enough room for the 4 of us (lucy is a tosser as is Cade).
I'm not sure why he's waking up.... he had been doing so great in his bed since we converted it over!

7. I'm wishing we could afford landscaping. Our house would really benefit from some kind of barrier around the bushes out front. I have so many ideas for it but there just isn't any money for that sort of thing right now. I also want a covered patio and some kind of playground equipment in the backyard. Sam and Charlie have a homemade one with ramp, slide and sandbox.... Travis is supposed to get Charlie to give him and estimate on materials and then we can come up with a design. Cade would love to have one and so would I.... The porch would definitely be an up sale whenever we decide to move.

8. Is wondering when my Junior League assignment is going to start. I'm ready to get back into it. I miss it!

9. A clean house feels good.

10. Thinking about making a trip out to Hobby Lobby to get some more fabric. Maybe I'll stop by Krissy's and check in on her.

So Sew

SEW-I signed up and completed my first sewing lesson. I've had my machine for several years and I just never got the hang of it and I basically packed it away... occasionally I watched Travis pull it down from the top shelf and sew a patch or an extra strap on his duty clothes but other than that it just sat there on the shelf covered up and forgotten.

Well that all changed when I visited Sam's house the other day. She excitedly pulls me into her nursery and shows me her latest project-- her handmade diaper bag and diaper holder. I knew she could sew but these were the cutest things I've seen her make! Then she walks me over to the office where she pulls open a drawer full of fabric and shows me what else she's been working on..... I was so inspired by her that I googled a teacher that night and signed up for lessons.

My first lesson was this past Wednesday. We went over all of the parts of the sewing machine, practiced a few different stitches first on paper then on fabric and then I was quizzed over everything I had learned. I am supposed to be making a tote bag at my next class....hopefully I'm ready for that. Sounds pretty advanced but I'm excited because I get to go pick out fabric and I have something to look forward to each week during the month of June.

10 on Thursday

1. This past weekend we traveled to Austin to visit friends and family. On Saturday Donny and Taylor tied the knot in Lockhart. The wedding was sweet and simple- just what they wanted. After the wedding we met up at Baby A's for ritas and queso then headed to Magnolia grill for dinner. We met some great friends of Donny and Taylor... I hope we can all get together another time!

2. On Sunday we made a trip to the San Antonio zoo. I have mixed feelings about it. Yes it's a really nice zoo but it was hard to navigate through and there weren't any vendor stands selling drinks, the lion area was STINKY- and it's not stroller/wheelchair friendly. I think Cade's favorite exhibit was the hippopotamus (when he says it, it's like the longest word ever.....hippomoctomus- or something like that)... Maxie seemed to have fun. She was most excited about getting an Icy.

3. Cade is identifying numbers 2 and 5.... I think the iPod touch has a lot to do with that skill. I downloaded a toddler game that goes over letters, shapes, and numbers.....when he turns it on a voice asks him to touch a number or a certain letter.... I can't believe how smart he is... he surprises us everyday.

4. The U on the laptop is now working and we are now able to take the laptop into multiple rooms without having to have it plugged in and charging. We shipped the laptop off last week to get repaired while it was still under a warranty and it arrived yesterday all shiny and new. I'm not kidding I thought we had a new one....the screen didn't have tiny finger prints everywhere and the keyboard was crumb free and all the letters were secure and in place.... now lets see how long it will stay like this.

5. Cade has been in his big boy bed for over a week. I'm wondering how long he'll fit in this size bed.... he's growing like weed!

6. While we were in Austin we went to eat at the Salt Lick. It's my new favorite hot spot in the Texas Hill Country. Travis and I both ordered the chopped beef sandwich...... we would have licked our plates if we weren't in public-- that's how good it was! When we were paying we added a bottle of sauce and dry rub...... tonight I made pork chops with the dry rub-- I have never had such tasty pork chops. I think we're going to purchase a gift set for Travis' brother and sister in law who live out of state.... they are missing the food over here I'm sure!

7. My parents and my sister and her family are going to be going to Port Aransas in July to stay a few days at a friend's beach house.... should be a fun trip!

8. Our friend's Sam and Charlie welcomed a new baby into their family of 3 on Tuesday- Brooke Nicole Webb. We went up and visited with them on Wednesday..... she is precious! So happy for them! Cade seemed a bit jealous when I was holding her....hopefully he'll get used to seeing that whenever we decide to have another....

9. Tomorrow I'm getting my haircut! I can't wait.... I love getting my haircut-- it always looks so soft and touchable....I'm trying to figure out why I can't get it to look like that everyday.

10. Travis and I are on a health kick. It's time to get back in shape and back on track.

10 on Tuesday

1. The letter "u" is broken on my laptop. It only works if you press it towards the left with extreme pressure.

2. Today Travis put Cade in his crib only to learn that Cade can now climb out on his own. When I asked Cade what he did today he said, "mama no help. Cade fall."

3. We had our last Junior League Meeting/Dinner of the year. Our Provisional class has now graduated and we are now considered "actives." Yay!

4. My mom and I might be driving up to Austin Thursday- Sunday. My cousin Mark is back from Germany...he brought along a friend....I want to meet her and see him- so now is the time to do it before they head back to Germany on Sunday!

5. Did I mention how much I love the iPod touch....the apps are so addicting!

6. We assembled the worlds biggest Thomas the Train track in our guest room. It's remote controlled and everything. It's pretty sweet. Cade enjoys it until Thomas takes a corner a bit too fast and derails from the track....When this happens, Thomas is usually thrown across the room out of frustration.

7. I want to buy a tree for the backyard (so sad that our neighborhood didn't "come" with trees) I also want a brick mailbox with a flower box..... can you say weekend project Travis?!

8. This will be my 3rd 10 on Tuesday post.

9. I want to get back to the gym. Hopefully Travis and I can work it out with his schedule that I go when he is home so Cade doesn't have to go to the germ covered children's area.....but I might just have to break down and just GO. I need to- besides isn't that was sanitizer is for?

10. I love LOVE LoVE the weather we are having. It's gorgeous!

10 on Tuesday

1. Cade is really talking it up these days. He's putting together sentences with 3 and 4 words.
2. Tonight I "graduated" Junior League. So now I am awaiting my placement. Hopefully I'll get one of my TOP 5 picks.
3. Tomorrow is my last day at ELP. I will miss my 5 year olds a bunch.
4. Tomorrow I'm going to see America's Got Talent with my Mom. She's really excited....so excited she's already picked out the jewelry she is going to wear. =)
5. One thing my Grandma told me awhile back was that "you can't miss what you don't have" and I believe it.
6. Travis and I finally found a church that we BOTH enjoy and are really looking forward to joining this June.
7. I had a great mother's day! We went to Market Street and walked around and then to Berry Hill for some beer and 'ritas. We also had dinner with my parents. I especially love my gifts from Travis and Cade- a leather journal and an iTunes gift card....but i was somehow tricked into loading it on Travis' iPod....so was it really mine to begin with?
8. The parent's at school all chipped in and got me a $50 gift card to Macys, $15 to Starbucks and $25 to Target. I aslo got this amazing car organizer from 3 other parents.....It came stocked with goodies for Cade too. I can't believe how generous the parents are!
9. I am trying to find something fun for Cade to do this summer. Something fun once a week for him and I to do. And then something once a week where he can do something on his own.
10. It's going to be a great summer!

MHR Fridays

MHR- My Husband Rocks


My husband rocks for the sacrifices he makes for our family. Lately Travis has picked up a bunch of overtime shifts in addition to his normal shift.... it'll pay off in the long run but I can tell that what he really wants is to be at home with Cade and I instead of catching up on sleep and then heading back to work. Poor guy! BUT we love you and appreciate what you are doing for us as a family! I promise Sunday will be family fun day!

--------

In other news:

Travis celebrated his 32nd birthday. We had a bbq Sunday afternoon where all the guys and gals came over for dinner and cake. Travis had stuffed peppers and chicken going on the Old Smokey and I had BBQ chicken thighs in the oven. I will definitely be making/baking BBQ chicken again....yum!

Travis received an iPod Touch from his mom. I happen to LOVE it. I wish it was mine! haha. I did purchase a nice rubbery green sleeve for it- green b/c I like green. Travis is sharing it nicely...even Cade has an application on it just for him- it has letters, shapes, colors, all those fun pre-school games. He loves playing with it he even came into our room today and said, "iPod coming, iPod coming too." He wanted the iPod to come with us to the mall..... haha!

In addition to the green sleeve I also gave Travis a massage treatment. Nini from my chiropractor's office came to our house on Saturday and treated Travis to an hour long massage. Cade and I were conveniently out of the house while he was getting pampered! I also splurged on green tea shampoo and conditioner for him.... it's the little things that give the best thrills!

Then on Cinco de Mayo (his actual birthday) we went out to dinner with Amanda and Abbey. We met up at Rico's---for fajitas and ritas. Good times!

Only 7 more months until my birthday! argh. where does the time go?

Our Anniversary

On Wednesday, April 29 we celebrated 3 years of marriage.

We started the evening at CRU- a wine bar on Market Street. We each had a flight of wine and then headed over to Jasper's for dinner. Travis had steak with spinach and mushrooms- yum-o.
I opted for the Texas peach BBQ pork tenderloin with Bourbon corn.

After dinner we went to Truffles and picked out a few chocolates to share. Then headed home... We came home to a sleeping baby and a surprise chocolate cake baked by Julia. We shared a bite and then headed to bed!

This summer we will head up to Fredericksburg for our normal anniversary getaway- and then to Salado another weekend to do some antiquing and relaxing.

Just checked our wedding photos are still online.... www.lukehorton.com I love looking at them! Go to weddings and then click the top image of a bride.... my photos will pop up! Wish I could have that day back....

Easter 'n stuff

my little bunny boy

bunny napkin fold

meee loove cookie monster

Paula Dean's cheesecake cupcakes- yum!

all hunted out.

So those were a few pictures from Easter.....we are way behind on posting on blogger.

And here is my top 10 for the week.

1. Travis and I bought a new bicycle with a seat & helmet for Cade. He loves it! We go twice a day.... the fresh air knocks him out!

2. Cade can officially hop/jump with both feet off the ground.

3. Cade can count to 20.....but he does say 17,18,17, 18, 19, 20.....but he eventually gets to 20.

4. On Wednesday, April 29, Travis and I will have been married for 3 years.

5. We just ordered our tickets to see America's Got Talent in Houston on May 13th- thanks for the tip Becky.

6. My thoughts are with my grandma at this time.... her house was flooded out by a pipe under her bathroom sink.

7. Cade had his first trip to the ER this week (bad fall at the mall playground- he is fine after a day of wearing a splint on his foot).

8. Only 3 weeks of school left. Or 9 teaching days.

9. I am really excited about Susan having twin boys!

10. Can't wait for Sunday brunch with good friends.

Here is Cade playing with his alphabet letters.

ten on tuesday

1. Travis is finally recognizable.... I had almost forgotten how cute he was with all that hair and a beard.

2. Cade had his 2 year check up today. The doctor was very impressed with his vocabulary and various other skills. He had to stand on the big boy scale today- which he wasn't too happy about....but who would blame him- nobody likes those things!

3. I got some new kicks- pink, white and gray ones.

4. My friend Julie is having ANOTHER boy! This makes 4 for her. My other friend Susan is having at least ONE boy....maybe two. AND my friend, Amber just had her 2nd baby boy yesterday!

5. I have a sleepy toddler that won't take a nap today.

6. I'm excited about the lemonade stand we set up at school. All proceeds go to Alex's Lemonade Stand foundation- cancer research for children.

7. I hope we have a great turn out on Easter for lunch. Cade has been practicing finding eggs....he's got that down.

8. Wishes that buttons on phones, tvs and radios weren't so fun to push...... I'm surprised Cade hasn't called China yet.

9. Is so happy that the maid is coming back tomorrow. Maybe they can find my bedroom carpet......... for some reason Travis loves his clothes in piles not on hangers.

10. Is playing the lotto.

Ten On Tuesday

A few of my friends have a Ten on Tuesday post.....here's mine.

1. I'm super excited that today is finally here! Keith Urban released his new album. I love LOVE LoVE it! I could listen to him all day. Here is a picture from earlier this month when we went to the rodeo to see him.

2. We have been in our house for two weeks now. We just need to finish a few things: touch up paint, trim around the fireplace, and install our new toilet paper holder! Once those things are taken care of we can conquer the garage and then call it done.

3. I am trying to cook new things for dinner instead of the same ol' same. Last night it was chicken tortilla soup and the night before a honey mustard chicken. I really want to take a cooking light class or buy a book that has recipes that don't require a bunch of speciality spices/ingredients but offers tasty recipes.

4. There are only 6 weeks of school left! I'm happy and sad at the same time. The school I work at is great! I love the staff, the parents and the kids. It's such a great environment.

5. Travis and I are talking babies. Maybe trying this summer. I'm tracking now.

6. We will be out of debt this month! Thank GOD.

7. I am planning something special for our 3rd anniversary. We usually go to Fredericksburg since that is where we were married. I love it there. It's your typical small town, with great shops, great food and lots of history. We are all about small town fun.

8. Cade is talking up a storm. He sings songs, can identify almost all of the letters of the alphabet (in no particular order) and has a severe peanut butter addiction.... the other day we were saying our goodnight prayers and he said, "God Bless, mama, daddy, Lucy, nini, noni, uncle Travis, peanut butter, nana, grandad, amen!

9. I'm the search of a new pair of running shoes- some pink and white ones. Nike's or puma's are my shoes of choice.

10. Here is my sweetie pie at his choo-choo party last weekend.

the hairy guy in the picture is my husband, Travis.

Cade's Party

We are finally back in our house. Everything but a few minor things need to be completed but we're just glad to be back in our own beds. One thing we did before we moved in was hire an awesome maid service to come out and clean the house. It almost sparkled when they left. I told Travis I'm going to have to figure out a way to have them come out at least once a month.....it's so worth it!

Since we knew we would be back in our house by March 21st we decided to celebrate Cade's 2nd birthday on that day. His actual birthday is Feb. 16 but since we had so much going on with the flooding incident we post poned it until we could be back in our house.

On his actual birthday we took him to get his 2nd year pictures and to eat chicken nuggets at the mall- oh and we rode the carousel. We also had a cupcakes sprinkled with Thomas confetti. Here

Cade and Abbey Cade enjoying his chicken nugget

Cade was set on having a choo-choo party so we couldn't let our little guy down! We purchased some cute invitations at Hobby Lobby and ordered our cake to match from RJs. Picked up some balloons and borrowed a train table and wallah- a choo-choo party!

Here some pictures from the bash

The favors were super cute- train hats and whistles from Oriental Trading. The funny thing was after I handed those out, one of the little boys asked me, Miss Tara don't you have any goody bags-- too cute!

we have floors

So since the last time I posted we now how 3 rooms with carpet and most of our wet areas are tiled.... next comes the wood. We should be moved in by next weekend which is fine with me.... The furniture people are coming out this week to repair anything that had water damage and then we can finally get those pieces back in the right places instead of in a huge pile in the middle of our living room. I can't wait for the cleaning crew to get here....this house is so dusty... even the key board has a layer of grit.

It'll all get back in order sooner or later....

water

I have so many people in my life that are pregnant right now. Some with their first, some with no. 2 on the way and some with their 4th and some that are trying! I keep debating when we will have another child. I definitely want Cade to have a partner in crime. Everyone says that their will never be the perfect time..... I just know now is not the time. I can see maybe trying later in the year..... I'd love to have another spring baby!

So our house was flooded about 2 weeks ago from a little plastic tube that connects the fridge ice maker to the water. The tube must have been detached all night with the amount of damage we had. I woke up to the mess and am still living in it.

The good thing is is that we are getting to upgrade our house with new carpet, tile and wood floors. We decided on tile for the bathroom and kitchen. Tomorrow I'm sure we'll decide on the wood. So many choices and putting it all together isn't as easy as I thought it would be.

Cade is good. He turns two next Monday. He's such a smart baby.. I mean toddler.

He can count to 10, and sometimes higher (eleventeen, twelve, thirteen)
He can say his ABCs and even identify some of them (W, E, and O)
He sings pat a cake with hand movements
Stacks blocks like there is no tomorrow
LOVES ice cream
And says, AMEN and Bless You

He's the greatest blessing~ Travis too!

Tubes are in

For the past 23 months Cade has had 12 ear infections. Here lately it seems like he just can't get over them. So we made an appointment last month to get evaluated a second time by the ENT for the possibility of placing tubes in Cade's ears. It was highly recommended to help drain the ear and prevent further infections- while the ear can still become infected it at least can drain and not cause as much pain as a full blown infection. So we schedule the surgery.



Yesterday we woke up a 6 and arrived at the surgery center at 7. He played in the waiting room until it was time to get prepped. That took about 20 minutes and then he headed back to the OR for about 10 minutes. We literally sat down and got back up to go get him. He was the least bit happy to see us. Finally he settled down and we drove home. He slept a good while once we got home....and then all of sudden he shot up and said JUICE. Not sure if he was really awake, I comforted him and carried him to the kitchen, handed him his juice and then all of a sudden he went BLAH all over himself and me.



Poor baby. We cleaned him up and then he did it again.... just a little bit. So we stripped him down and tossed him into the tub. I think that made him feel better. Afterwards he was his normal self.... a little wobbly and bit more cranky than normal but overall he was doing well.



As for sleeping last night- I rocked him and tried to put him down and popped back up. I decided to not let him cry it out since he just had the procedure done-- he did sleep until 7 with me. So that was nice treat. Hopefully he'll wear himself out this afternoon at the park.



We go back in 2 weeks for a follow up. Let's hope for good results.

Snow Fun

At school this week they had a snow day. Cade had "snow" much fun sliding and playing in the snow.



Mrs. Fran and Cade

Even I went down the slide.... so fun!

Cade is really talking a lot these days. He's singing songs and counting to 10...and sometimes higher. He is constantly doing something to amaze us!

We're planning his 2nd birthday party for the 21st of February. I think we are going with a truck theme....however when I asked him if he wanted a choo-choo or a truck party he replied- choo-choo truck.

Should be cute and fun no matter what!

Travis is heading to Buffalo this morning to help his dad build a rail on the back porch. Cade and I are staying home with big plans of cleaning out the closets. We have so much stuff that just sits and takes up space and it's driving me crazy. Our fun will start after we have our playdate at Pump it Up this morning..... hopefully Cade will enjoy that.

I am back into couponing!

CVS-
2/$7 Panteen (-3.50 extra care bucks (previously earned), - $3 off 2 coupon)= 2 bottles of Panteen for .54cents
Oh and I earned an additional $2 in extra care bucks

Walgreens
3.50 Electrasol- (-2.50 coupon, - 1.50 mail in rebate) = .50 overage
2.99 Garnier Shampoo (-$2 easy saver coupon, - $1 coupon) .01 overage


The cashier at CVS said- soooo basically we just paid you to shop here. I said, pretty much you did.

Get inspired~ check out this lady- http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/ she feeds her family of 4 on $800 a year just by couponing..... pretty amazing.

And look at hotcouponworld.com for other couponing deals!

a very, yummy dinner

I made a great dinner tonight.

I had the salad earlier this week at a holiday social and had to make it for myself. It's fresh and delish~ perfect for the season--and super simple to make. In a bowl, toss green salad with pomegranate, feta, nuts, and pears. Serve with Raspberry Pomegranate vinaigrette.

Salmon fillet with a brown sugar glaze--In a saucepan 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp butter, 1 tbsp honey- stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in a few dashes of s n p, olive oil, and soy sauce. Cool for 5 minutes. You really can't mess up the glaze......

Place fish on a foil lined tray and pour glaze over them. Bake 25 minutes at 350.

Such a yummy dish.

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

Our tree is up and the house is decked out with holiday decor!

I love this time of year. The twinkle of lights, hot coco, all of the Santas at the mall and the magic behind it all. Cade seems to like it too. He is really into the Christmas tree...and the ornaments. I started him a collection of ornaments- I buy one for him that relates to something that happened over the year. Last year it was his Baby's first Christmas and this year it is a glass ornament of an ice cream cone~ since that's his favorite thing to say whenever I open the freezer~ (eye-neem, eye-neem).

Here is a picture of our tree.

sorry for the glare we are in the process of getting shutters!

exactly the same but different....botique?

Tonight was the first pre-shift of the holiday market. I met up with Amanda and we directed traffic in the lot....vendors move in...vendors move out. We did that for an hour together then her shift ended and I was on deck, solo. I did have some company from some other girls- who were super nice!

The market looks like it's going to be a great success this year! My friends are going, and mom and all her friends and even Stephanie is making a special trip down! I hope it meets their expectations!

Tomorrow I have to work the mid-day shift. 11-3:30. I hope I don't pass out from starvation! Note to self: bring a snack. Then I have to come home and bake bread for Friday's shift... The only perk about baking the bread is that it's probably one of the easiest of all the possible recipes out of the JL cookbook to make.....or at least from the ones I picked from.

Friday isn't anything.....that evening, I'll probably head over to mom and Daddy's to visit with Maxie- My toothless niece. She lost her two front teeth and one bottom one this past weekend....and not by choice. A while back someone bumped into her on the playground and caused her tooth(loose tooth) to turn blue...she must have wiggled it for two months straight before the neighbor next to them was able to yank it out! The following day she had a run in with a tennis racket- she busted her lip and swallowed a tooth (we think) and another fell out (it was already loose). Poor girl!

anyway, that's all for now...........i'm in need of a shower and some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's.

So, Becky started posting on her old site and now I am too. I took a few minutes to go back and read some of my old posts and it brought back so many memories! This blog will be more about my life now as a mom-- and a wife and all the adventures in between. So enjoy and I'll try to post a few times a week or as time allows.

I dread time changes....but surprisingly it wasn't so bad this time. Cade went to bed last night at

8:30 and managed to only wake once during the night. I almost didn't get him but I hate hearing him say "mama...mama...mama" over the intercom. I just rocked him for a few and laid him back down. To my surprise I didn't hear those words again until 8:15. Yay for sleep!

I woke Travis up at 9 and told him that today is FAMILY DAY! We decided on visiting the Houston Zoo. We got there a little after 10 and managed to see it all in under 2 hours and learned a few things along the way.

Interesting facts about giraffes:

The gestational pd for a giraffe is 14 months....and I thought 9 months was long.

Giraffes give birth standing up.
A baby giraffe when born can weigh 150 lbs and can be 6 ft tall.

Before we left we had an ice cream treat and purchased a little stuffed giraffe (we named him Barney). I'm pretty sure Cade likes him because he's holding him tight right now as he sleeps.

Wedding plans are coming along nicely! We finished our wedding blog on theknot.com. Our registry is almost complete as well. We still need to register at Foley's and add towels at Linens and Things. We tried to complete the LNT registery yesterday but the scanner kept freezing up on us!

Today Becky and I are going to look at Bridesmaid dresses. The colors for the wedding are soft and romantic pinks and creams. It shouldn't be too hard to find those colors since spring is just around the corner. Actually spring might be here now- yesterday it was 80 degrees! Ohhh you gotta love that Texas weather.

We're engaged!

We're planning to be married in April 2006 in the Texas Hill Country. This week Becky and I are going to Fredericksburg to check out a few venues to host the reception at. We are interested in Kairos Celebration Barn, Trois Estates and the Enchanted Chateau.

Saturday was the first time I took the bridal party out to look at dresses. We went to David's Bridal and Panache. I wasn't expecting to find my dress on the first run but I did! I love it and can't wait to wear it! It's...oh, wait I can't tell you because it's a secret! I hate secrets!

So, I haven't purchased the shoes yet. I am just as disappointed as you. I did look last weekend but the mall was packed with wanna be gangstas. So I'm still surfing the net and sneaking a peek at the feet that pound the gym floor. I've add a pair of pumas to my list of possibilities. There are so many cute color combinations to choose from!

One more day before the weekend is here! I'm thinking about going over to my parent's house and spending some time with my mom. My dad is up in the hill country since deer season is now open. I'll probably head over kind of early on Saturday. I'm wanting to take her to breakfast at Panera Bread and then head to Old Town Springs for an hour or two. We usually hit up Maggies and stroll around that end of town. We avoid the doll shops by all means. Doll shops scare me and a visit to the doll hospital scares me even more!

With that said, I hope to find some cute holiday decorations since Becky and I are hosting a Christmas party Dec. 9th. The following Friday my mom and I are going to the Nutcracker Market at the Reliant Center. The market is amazing. You'll find everything from salsa dip to elaborate holiday decor. We've gone the past 4 years and know the floor plan pretty well! As soon as we make it in the event area, we head straight to the back booth because that's where they have the best things, at reasonable prices!

The one item that I always leave with is a jar of amaretto butter spread. It's made right here in Texas! It's this yummy spread that melts in your mouth when it's warm! You can put it on pancakes, biscuits, toast................a spoon! It's just that good!

Speaking of yummy Texas products! I also love, LoVe, LOVE Fischer Weiser products, especially the Raspberry Chipolte Sauce. You can pour it on top of cream cheese and serve with crackers or use it as a dipping sauce for any kind of meat. There are several flavors to choose from and once you do, ketchup will be a thing of the past.

Also, how yummy does this sound...Hot Chocolate Cake!

I was surfing the net for new gym shoes today and and found the nike shox aprisa that I'm interested in. I've never owed a pair of black shoes but I thought that they would look nice with my black workout pants- which is very important to me! Of course, I'll be able to tell right away if they are a keeper the minute I put them on! Hopefully they'll be a perfect fit. I'm also considering the nike shox go because I love the color red. Tonight I saw a girl at the gym wearing them...I was so jealous!

Something cool on nike.com is that you can get a mini workout while you surf their site. You can break a sweat while doing a warm-up or whittle your waist away with a salsa dancing lessons. The instructor goes step by step and then puts it all together and even throws in a cha-cha-CHA.

These have to be the prettiest matches ever....I love the white box with red dots- it's just my style.

Today I was reading in a magazine about different ways to save money. One way was to clip coupons....imagine that. I'm always a big fan of getting the Sunday paper and scanning the ads for coupons! It's always a good feeling to look at the reciept and see that you actually saved money- even if it's only a couple of bucks. It all adds up in the end. The magazine mentioned a sight called, grocerygame.com. The site finds the "rock bottom" prices on hundreds of products each week and matches them up with manufacturers' coupons for the best possible savings at your local supermarket. How cool is that?! There is a $10 fee every 8 weeks if after your trial period you continue to use the service. Sounds like a good deal to me.

new music to check out-Lori McKenna.

Cupcake anyone?

I just finished baking a dozen and half Strawberry Cupcakes. They turned out so prefect! I served one cupcake on a piece of antique china and dusted it with powered sugar, muy magnificent! There couldn't be anything better than whipped cream and fresh fruit piled between a layer of super moist cupcake!

The recipe is super easy to follow and would be a great date night dessert to make with the one you love! And if you choose to do it alone, you will surely earn a smile or two once the dessert is served!

bon appetite!

I never thought that another ice cream could possibly top Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream. I'm a huge fan of cookies and cream! I love the creamy texture and hard cookie combination. But the other day on the way to the hair salon we drove past a Ben and Jerry's and I made the comment that I have only had their Ice Cream once in my entire life but that I couldn't remember what kind it was. Well the day went on and I forgot about the ice cream. The next night we met my parents for dinner and on the way there, the Ben and Jerry's sponser car drove beside us. I knew this was a sign from God telling me to venture out into the frozen food section and pick up a carton of Ben and Jerry's. So tonight after my Pilates class I did just that! I know, I know it does defeat the purpose of working out if you're going to splurg on sugary snacks but one bite of Cherry Garcia will knock your socks off. Imagine cherries with chocolate chunks! Pure yummy goodness.

So moooove over Cookies 'n Cream and welcome Cherry Garcia!

Never again will you have to have a boring USB memory stick. Now you can get a USB drive in a variety of styles. Check them out here! I really like the camo-rubber ducky.

How ridiculous is this: SPRAY ON MUD.

It's true- now you can actually buy something to make your car/truck appear dirty.

For the last few months my interest have gone from scrapbooking to card making but since summer is here I have decided to pull out my paper, scissors and glue and get back into the game. And to help me along they way I turned to the internet for some inspiration. After searching what seemed like an eternity I came across a page dedicated completely to scrapbooking! Kinderdcreations has all kinds of ideas, from page lay-outs to tips and tricks of getting your page just the way you want it! It has given me the inspiration I needed to get back into cropping!

The latest trend in scrapbooking is the use of ribbon, rubber stamps and layering (to the extreme). All of that means thinking outside of the box- which I'm pretty used to but when it comes to cropping I tend to freeze up and not be a risk taker. With help from this site and from the members online I'm hoping they can inspire me to take my scrapbooking to the next level because I'm ready, I just need a little push.

Creative Juices now being served online @:

Paper-source
bisous.biz
onescrappysite
HOUSTON STORE

Find what fits

This has to be the coolest idea ever! This morning I was looking online for a new pair of jeans. There are so many styles out there to choose from and it often becomes more of a frustration than anything when trying to find the perfect ones. During my search, I came across Intellifit which is a device that scans your body to see what size clothing you wear per designer. Think of all the hours you've spent in the dressing room trying on outfit after outfit. In as little as ten seconds the scanner measures your body and a computer print-out will lead you into the right direction of what will fit and flatter your figure. How smart is that...

Where to find the Intellifit.

Happy shopping!

Summer is officially here! I'm heading to Fredericksburg, tomorrow morning to spend a few days in the Hill Country. I'm really looking forward to spending time with Maxie and GiGi since I haven't seen them since Christmas! Lucky for me, Stephanie and Maxie came down this past weekend and I was able to spend a little time with them. Saturday night we all went over to The Watts' house for Jake's Graduation party. Then on Sunday, my Dad fired up the BBQ pit and made ribs and chicken for dinner. Right now I am at Travis' house, uploading songs on to my new iPOD shuffle. So far I have about 15 songs out of a possible 120 uploaded. This afternoon I'm picking Maxie up from my parents house and taking her to my apartment for the evening. We'll be watching movies, painting our toes and having dinner at a fancy restaurant like Chick-Fil-A. Then tomorrow, the three of us (me, maxie and the dog) will head to GiGi's house for some real fun.

Two Things

one: If you are bored at work (which I know never happens) go to jbandsandy.com and click on radio player and select a megamix to listen to. It will definitely make your day better! My personal favorites are Napolean Dynamite and Britney Spears with Linkin Park. It's super sweet.

two: I was offered a job in Magnolia teaching Kindergarten!

The wait is finally over! Faith Hill's newest song in over two years was released yesterday! Her new single "Mississippi Girl," can be heard here.

Another one bites the dust- Kenny Chesney and Rene Zellweger were married this past Monday. I'm impressed that they kept their relationship under the radar as long as they did. There aren't too many pictures of the two exchanging vows but from the ones I have seen, I like the barefoot Kenny Chesney look! If I decided to get married on an island far from here, my groom should take note of this opinion.

I called in sick (cough, cough) today because I have interviews scheduled with two school districts. I'm interviewing with Klein this morning and then in Magnolia this afternoon. Hopefully something will come from this!

Yankee or Dixie?

Take the quiz to find out!

My score: 74% (Dixie). That is a pretty strong Southern score.
Heck yeah it is.

Only 5 weeks left of school! Just typing that makes my feet tingle!

That means it's time to organize the cabinets and the files. I actually started doing a little tidying up this week. My kids can't believe how much stuff can fit into one file cabinet drawer. I need to figure out how I'm going to transfer everything from school to home. It's going to take a few trips I'm sure but everything must go! This is my last year in Fort Bend. I have mixed feelings about leaving because I love my team so much but it's for the best and I'm looking forward to a little change.

So far I haven't had much luck in the job hunting department. I've applied in Klein, Conroe and Magnolia. I haven't heard a thing from anyone but it's still pretty early in the game. I just hope I find something because it is pretty stressful to not know where I'm going to be.

Travis is pretty positive about it which helps me a lot. I need to believe that I'll find something and that everything will work out in the end. Keep your hopes up!

----last night----

I met Susan up at Gringo's for dinner. We caught up with each other and decided Laura should be apart of the fun! She showed up just as we were leaving so we went back in for another drink. She is always so much fun and her laughter is contagious...that's what I like about her. We talked for a little bit then we decided to head our seperate ways. The drive home was fine. I love where I live- easy access to the beltway!

Happy Friday....

Travis and I have rented several movies lately, which is surprising to us both. We have probably only watched a handful of movies together- and have yet to actually go to the theater.

We rented 3 movies last Friday night: Ladder 49, Hero and Lucky 13. What? You've heard of the first two but not the last? Lucky 13 is about man (a no talent actor-Zach Baker) who revisits previous significant girlfriends in his life in order to win over the girl of his dreams- Gillmore Girl, Lauren Graham. This film would be great if the writer had written exactly the same thing but different. I fast forwarded through 70/95 minutes just to have a sense of closure. It was just that bad. It almost makes you feel dumber by watching the movie than by not watching it.

In the words of Napolean Dynmite, "This is pretty much the worst video ever made."

Q: What's the correct way to eat a Peep?

Is it to first bite the head off, then the butt, then stuff the middle in your mouth?

A: There's not really a correct way, but there is a preferred way.

According 1998 surveys by MSI International and International Communications Research (ICR), 60 percent of consumers eat Peeps head first. And if that's not grizzly enough, 40 percent stretch the neck out before the fatal chomp. No statistics on butt and belly biting, but 10 percent admit, actually admit, they stuff more than one whole Peep in their mouth at once.

Personally I like to eat half of a peep and then stuff the rest in Travis' mouth.

Click here to read more about PEEPs.