Sure do like those Christmas cookies, sugar! Sure do like those Christmas cookies, babe

Hope everyone had a happy holiday! I sure did! I spent Christmas Eve day with Travis' family. Travis and I exchanged gifts that morning because we weren't going to be together Christmas morning. Travis surprised me with a Kitchen Aide Professional Plus Mixer in the lovely shade of red. I can't wait to try it out! Travis knew about his BIG gift but he still acted surprised when he opened it! I bought him XM Radio. I love XM radio- no commercials and no tejano (unless you specifically select it- and that will never happen)! Another cool thing about the model I gave Travis is that it has a remote control...and if you know me I love to flip stations. And with over 200 channels to choose from you can imagine what it's like in the car- loads of fun. Maybe you're in the mood for Jazz or Texas Country...or maybe some uncensored Ghetto Rap. It's all there...

After we opened presents we headed into town and had breakfast at Panera Bread. We debated getting it to go or eating there- all because of XM. We were already hooked. We decided to eat it there and talk about the plans for the rest of the day. Our plans included a trip to Target and lunch in Huntsville with Memaw and Uncle T.

Christmas Eve dinner was spent at my parents house. My mom made lasagna and salad. Yum. After dinner we all put on our pj's and watched movies. Maxie and I watched Milo and Otis and the others watched ELF.

Do you like sugar?
Is there sugar in syrup?
Yes
...then YES!
Us elves try to stick to the four basic food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn and sugar!

Maxie and I woke up right at 7 and went in to wake up Stephanie and Travis. She wanted to know if Santa came because she didn't hear the pitter patter. But we assured her that we all heard the pitter patter and the clatter last night!

She was really excited about her Santa presents: a Barbie
flashlight, an umbrella and pink cowgirl boots! She had a bag full of stuff and you could see the excitement in her eyes as she pulled everything out of the bag.

After Santa presents we all changed into regular clothes and then came back down to do the regular gift exchanged. My Grandma, Aunt and 2 cousins came down around 12. Travis also arrived around then with green bean casserole. My Uncle showed up right before lunch.

I decided my job this year would be to set the dinner table. So I went online and looked up table setting/napkin folding...There are so many different ways to fold a single napkin. I stuck with the beginners fold and ended up setting a beautiful table- the glasses were even set in the right spot...Can you say fancy?!

I spent the rest of the day with the family and Travis. Travis and I headed to Conroe, where we spent the night, around 8. What a long day it was...Here are a few pictures.


Mmmm syrup...We teased my mom with a new green bean casserole recipe.


happy family

Only 4 days of shopping left. I need to get a few more gifts and stocking stuffers and then i'll be done! I just finished my Christmas cards this morning and they are ready to be dropped off at the Postal Office. I almost don't want to send them because they are so cute!

Today Julie and I are going to make sugar cookies. This year we are going to focus on decorating instead of cut...so slice and bake it is! It's becomming quite the tradition for us to get together right before Christmas and bake!

...more to come!

Happy birthday to me! Actually it was Tuesday but I'm still celebrating! Tomorrow night Travis and I are going to the Nutcracker Ballet! I am so excited! I have wanted to go for several years now and now I finally get to go. I bought a super cute dress the other night...ohh-la-la!

Only 5 days left of teaching and then it's time for winter break! 2 weeks with no kids! YES!! Travis and I are planning on going to Fredericksburg on Saturday to do a little holiday shopping! I think we'll drive to Austin on Friday and snag Maxie for the weekend. We'll stay with Gi Gi Saturday & Sunday night and then head back to Austin on Monday for my dentist appointment. I still use my dentist in Austin since I know i'm in good hands (my sister works there).

I'm sure Christmas is going to sneak up on me- I have yet to buy anything. Well...that's not exactly true. I have picked up a few things, here and there, but nothing BIG. At least I know what i'm getting everyone.

We'll I'm heading to Foley's to get an evening bag and a wrap to wear. They are having a super sale with coupons. It started at 6 this morning but who wants to shop that early?

...who will get the drumstick...yummy, yummy, yumstick...

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and so is my week long vacation. I'm going to spend Monday-Wednesday in Fredericksburg and then head back to Houston for turkey dinner at the Miller's house. Then Saturday and Sunday will be spent decorating for Christmas. I'm already in the spirit- I went to the Nutcracker Market with my mom to do a little shopping. I've been to the market 3 years in a row and each time it gets bigger and better! I have my favorites- Paul Michael (home decor) and Cowboy Country (for honey butter)! This year the BIG thing was floral arrangements with feathers incorporated into it. Last year it was miniture Christmas tress with snow on them.

I have come to the conclusion that one must bring several things when attending an event such as the Nutcracker Market:
-some sort of backpack to put all the small stuff in
-walkie talkies in case of separation
-comfortable shoes
-gloves to prevent shopping bag rub (ouch)

I did come out of the Market with a few Christmas gifts and ornaments to add to my collection!

Over the weekend Travis and I headed out to Huntsville for a little haunted house action. His cousin Brian took 6 weeks to transform his land into a Haunted Trail- complete with strobe lights, fog machines and creatures that pop out of nowhere... I was a little spooked. The kids seemed to have a great time too-bobbing for apples, going on hayrides, and of course eating as much candy as they possibly could.

On Sunday we busted out the carving kit and carved up some mighty fine lookin' pumpkins. Travis decided to carve his freestyle and I opted to use a pattern of a witch flying on a broom. We even had Mr. G from next door come over and be the judge of who did the better job- but he wouldn't say. Must be the Grandpa in him- couldn't choose if he had too.

Bubba

The rest of the afternoon was spent running around town. I bought a new book- Shopaholic Ties the Knot- and Travis spent some time pricing computer accessories. We headed back to the house and packed our bags and went over to see Scott, Ronda and baby Preston!


We all sat out on the driveway and passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. There weren't too many but my personal favorite was the Ninja turtle- hard back shell and all.

Make sure you vote- it counts.

If you're nutrition-conscious about what you eat while out on the road (or at least try to be) check out these sites- airlinemeals for consumer ratings of airlines' dishes or roadfoood for reviews on roadside food stops.


zoom. zoom....

Travis and I refinised my dining room table in an Antique White. It looks awesome! We decided to scrap the chairs because they were too wobbly. So you know what that means....I get to go SHOPPING! I think I'm going to go for a slight french county cottage look for the dinning room. As soon as its all in place I'll post a picture!

I can't wait to be able to decorate a house- weekend trips to Lowes, walls you can paint, a yard to mow! So much to look forward too!

GO ASTROS!

I just completed my 3rd Pampered Chef catalog show and I am already signed up to do another show in February! The best thing about doing a show is that the more you sell the more points you earn towards free stuff- I just love free stuff! The checks will be in the mail tomorrow and the products should arrive in 2 weeks! Yippie!

Since I haven't updated in awhile I will fill you in with the scoop on the happenings in my life. Here goes...

Stephanie and Maxie came down this past weekend. Mom took Maxie to get her pictures taken at Sears....SEARS the home and garden, appliance and electronics, tools and tires shop?!! I couldn't believe it but they did an awesome job! I wish I could show you just how cute they are but no can do... I only have a hard copy.

School News- Today I decided to rearrange my room. I recruited help from the time-out gang. I'm not sure what exactly made me want to do it right then but I just had to change it on the spot. I over heard my Mr. Smartypants say, "she must be mad, she is moving furniture..." I wasn't mad... just unhappy about the flow but now the room is looking mighty fine. I'll have to take a picture to share with the group.

Travis and I have a weekend project in store for us come Saturday- refinishing my dining room table. I can't wait to have my table back! It's been in storage for a couple of weeks. It's not so much that I use it to dine on as much as I use it to pile all my crap on. I'll be sure to take a before and after shot of the process.

Friday is in-service day. I really don't mind going since they usually let us out early from the 2nd session but ssshhhhhh don't tell.

that is all. tara

Tonight Travis and I made a trip to Target. We stumbled upon this ultra cute halloween costume, not for ourselves, but for LUCY.

AAARrrrrrrrgh

Pumpkins, gourds and squash...oh my!

This is too funny!

Time to update!

Becky and I had a great time in San Francisco! It's absolutely beautiful out there. The air is fresh and the temperature is perfect! I arrived on Thursday afternoon and took a shuttle (driven by an angry Chinese man) to the Fisherman's Wharf. I met Becky at the hotel. We hung out there for awhile then decided to hit the streets and head towards Ghirardelli Square. Yum, Chocolate!!


We walked down strand and checked out a few places to eat before settling down on one. I decided to try the clam chowder and Becky went for the crabcakes. Since it was still early we decided to go out to the Dirty Martini bar. I had my favorite- sour apple and Becky opted for the lemon drop. Cheers!
The next day we went for a cable car ride down to Union Square. Ding Ding



"Please use brakes generously!"

All around town you'll find these cute painted hearts. This is one of my favorites!



After a delicious lunch at The Cheesecake Factory we cruised the mall and then headed to China town.

won't you take me to...China town




I bought a few things for Travis down there but I was holding out for Paper-Source. Later that afternoon we rented our PT Cruiser and headed to Berkeley to meet Becky's friends. We ended up going out to dinner at a fondue restaurant where Sal, our waiter, entertained us. Can't you see how excited I am?

Sal- straight to the heart.



The next day we woke up with good intentions of making it out the wine country early but instead we made it out there around noon. We went to a few of Becky's favorite wineries then made a mad dash to the lesser known for a quick tasting.






Most of the places close early in Napa so we headed back to San Francisco, stopping for a quick picture at the Golden Gate Bridge.






I had such a great time! Thanks Becky for showing me around town and inviting me out there!

Feeling stressed? THIS might help.

This afternoon I was trimming Lucy's nails- it's a difficult job but someone's got to do it. I was moving right along until I accidentally cut one too short and it started to gush blood. I took immediate action. I applied pressure and gave her tons of kisses, which seemed to do the trick. After her speedy recovery, Lucy jumped on top of my new quilt and got blood all over it! UGH!!

I really thought I'd have a blood stained quilt for life but I did a google search and found that such things as ice and/or peroxide take blood stains right out of fabrics. I was a little skeptic but low and behold it worked! I rubbed the ice over the stained areas and it came right out.

That was pretty much the excitment for this evening. Tomorrow is school picture day. Oh joy- let the fun begin!

Sssaaayyy chhhhheeeeesssseeee!!

I have almost fully recovered from my spell of strep throat. I came down with a horrible sore throat Thursday night. Around 5 a.m. on Friday, I decided to call in sick and make myself a doctor's appointment for that afternoon. After I dropped my plans off at school I spent the rest of the day in bed. Travis came home a little early and took me to get my prescriptions and a few groceries. When we got back to my place we decided to go to Conroe and spend the weekend up at his parents house since it was empty. I slept most of Saturday and by Sunday I was feeling much better. Today I feel just about 100%.

Thanks goes to Travis for taking such good care of me!!

I started school last Thursday and to my surprise it was one the smoothest first days I've ever had. I have 19 kids in my class and they keep trickling in. For the most part it's a good group of kids that seem to be pretty with it. Of course I still have to remind them of the rules and break them of the habit of calling me "teacher, teacher." Hopefully their cute little faces and their willingness to learn will keep me going this year!

Travis and I went camping over the weekend at Huntsville State Park. We were finally able to try out our new tent and I love it!! We didn't get out to our site until sunset but we got the tent set up and a fire started pretty quick. It was quite the trip for me. While I ran up the road to use the facilities Travis had 2 furry visitors- raccoons. Too bad I missed out on that excitement BUT after hearing about it I made sure to keep an ear on my surroundings. Eventually I was spooked by what I thought was a Raccoon but was really nothing- just my imagination. We soon crawled into the tent and settled in for the night. Travis always sleeps on the right and I'm always on the left. That lasted for about 5 minutes. I was getting comfortable when I noticed 2 HUGE shadows over our tent. I thought someone was out there about to get us! YIKES! Travis reassured met that those shadows were of the people in the campsite next to us. (It took some convincing though) He then said you sleep here and I'll sleep there. That was working out just fine until the owl starting hooting from the tree above us. I just closed my eyes and prayed for daylight.

Daylight came and we tore down the campsite and loaded up. We headed back early and fooled around outside. I ended up falling asleep on the porch swing. You have to love those kind of days. Monday came too soon of course but the good news is is that today is hump-day! Only 2 days to go. This weekend Travis and I are going to the Home and Garden show to meet EVAN FARMER- I mean we are going to get ideas on home improvement 'n stuff.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to BECKY & KRISTINE!!

I am so tired of the radio these days. It's the same songs being played over and over again. What's really annoying is when different radio stations play the same song at the same- there's no escaping! It seems as though I have the same problem with music here at home as I do in the car. Last night I decided enough is enough- why should I make myself suffer with the same old tunes!?! So I spent a little time online listening to cd samples and found several new artists that I liked. I created a list of potential new cds to add to my collection and then this morning I headed out to Barnes and Noble where I narrowed my list down to 2 new artists (new to me at least) Howie Day and Jamie Cullum. Howie Day has a John Mayer style/Bono sound to him and Jamie Cullum is nice and jazzy!

ahhh peace at last!

This past weekend Travis and I fell in love with the Dodge Magnum RT We decided to test drive one just for kicks and ended up seriously considering to buy one. I was drooling over the Cool Vanilla while Travis was admiring the Magnesium.

I went up to school Monday to work in my room. My goal was to get the furniture moved in to place. Mission accomplished. Tomorrow is our first day back- donuts and bagels served at 8. I think I'll pass on that. Not sure what's in store tomorrow or the year for that matter but hopefully it's not as bad I'm thinking.

This weekend I'm heading up to the hill country with my parents. Saturday I'm going to help my dad up at the ranch and then Sunday we'll be heading back home. Kind of a long drive for such a short trip but it'll be nice to get out of the city. Travis is going to Florida to help his buddy move back home. He's off for 4 days...lucky! I guess I shouldn't be jealous since I've been off for 2 months. lol

Oh, one more thing Travis and I decided to clip and use coupons this month to see if we'd save any money when purchasing grocery items. Low and behold, we saved a whopping $8 at Krogers yesterday! If only it would of been triple coupon day!

This morning I was listening to sound clips from the JB and Sandy show. I was checking out their site and came across a picture of what happens when a Zebra and a Donkey get together...If you look at long enough it's kind of cute!


Pet the Zonkey

What a great weekend! Dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse was incredible. I have never tasted a steak so flavorful. I actually ordered the stuffed chicken but sampled the steak off of Travis' plate. I am sneaky..very sneaky. We actually spilt our meals but for some reason I ate more of his than mine but not to worry I had mine boxed up and enjoyed it last night.

Yesterday Travis and I went into town and bought a new......Greatland® dome tent . I absolutely love it! I can't wait to try it out! It sleeps 4 but it is perfect for 2 and a little pup.

Travis also surprised me BIG on Friday night. On our first trip out to Fredericksburg I went to a quilt store and found this amazing quilt with a not so amazing price-tag. I told Travis about it and even showed it to him one afternoon. He told me that we could go in half on something if I wanted to. I couldn't make up my mind because I had my eye on something else. Well I left town empty handed which was fine because I figured I'd be back the following week and would have my mind made up by then. On the return trip I told Travis I had stopped by the Quilt store and to my surprise the quilt had sold. I told him that I guess a tourist had bought it over the weekend. Little did I know what he had up his sleeve. He had been teasing me all week about how I was getting a surprise when we got back to Houston. A SURPRISE!?!?!

Of course that started the guessing game....Is it something that fits your pocket? What color is it? Is it breathing? I asked every question in the book and all I got were two responses from him, "I have the right to refuse to answer and you'll find out on Saturday."

Well he couldn't wait until Saturday and neither could I! So on Friday he covered my eyes and revealed the surprise. There was the quilt spread out on my bed! I couldn't believe it. I was practically speechless.

I love my quilt and I love Travis!


The Quilt


The design upclose

So now I'm on the search for quilted pillow shams and a new bed.