Dallas Weekend

I have been looking forward to this trip all summer long! One of my best friends, Heather, is having her third baby and Britni, Carrie and I threw her a baby shower this past weekend. I wanted to see Britni's little boy, Pierson, so I left last Thursday and drove to Britni's house in Weatherford. Steph and Ross are on the way, so I stopped in Waco and spent the night with them on Thursday night. It is always so good to get to see my sis and Ross...they always make me feel so welcome. On Friday, I left and drove to Britni's house.

Here is my little birthday buddy (he was born on my birthday). He is so cute and has changed so much since I have seen him last. He is walking now and talking more. He says" go-go" when he wants you to take him somewhere, "bye-bye" and waves, "mama", "dada", "cookoo" and points to the cookoo clock on the wall (Britni says that he has to show the cookoo clock to everybody that comes over), and he says "hi car" to all the cars on the road....too cute!

I love this picture that Britni got of me reading a book to Pierson. He hadn't seen me in a while so I thought it would take him a little while to warm up to me, but he immediately came to me and brought me a book to read to him...it made my heart smile :)


Friday night, Britni and I went out to eat at this really nice restaurant in downtown Weatherford. It was so good to get to catch up and get some good girl time in. Saturday morning we headed to Carrie's house in The Colony. It is about an hour and a half away from Britni's house and Jan rode with us. Jan was my roommate in college for two years and she lives 30 minutes from Britni. It was so good to see her and catch up with her too!


When we got to Carrie's we got busy setting everything up. This was the food table with sausage balls, fruit, and tortilla rolls. Heather's colors are brown and pink.



This was a framed prayer for baby Karah that we used for decoration and was part of our gift to Heather.


The cake was so good..it was a white cake with a white chocolate cheesecake filling

Carrie made this diaper cake and it was so beautiful....this was also part of our gift to Heather and part of our decorations.

The Cake Table

Britni had the idea to get a book and have people sign it instead of a traditional sign-in book. That title of the book was, "God Gave Us You" and I thought this was such a great idea.

Heather, her mom, and her girls (Hannah and Sara)

Heather and I met when I was in college. She and her husband were the college group leaders at the Church I attended. Sara was crawling around in diapers then (I feel so old). As long as I have known Heather she has wanted to have a third baby so I was not surprised when she told me she was pregnant. There will be a gap between their youngest and this new one, but Sara and Hannah are going to be great big sisters and helpers..they are so excited about the new baby! I am too and I can't wait to hold her! Heather is planning on having a natural birth at home like she did with Hannah. Britni and I wanted to be there and she said we could. I have always wanted to be there for a home birth because it is something I think I want to do someday. If it works out I will get to be there....I might change my mind about wanting to do that someday afterwards :)

Carrie, Heather, Me, and Britni

Heather and her cute baby belly...she isn't due until November, but we had to do the shower now because of everyone's schedules.

Heather, Britni, Carrie, and I all met when we were in college at our church and it was so good to get to see so many of the girls that were in the college group with us. Our college group was called, "Reality Check" and it was such a special group. We met together every Wednesday, had small groups each month, took many trips together and hung out all the time. It was a tight-nit group and almost everyone is still in touch today. They hold such a special place in my heart and I know everyone feels the same.

Heather, her Aunt, and her Mom


There was such a good turn out and it was so good to see everybody!

Marianne and Me

I love this picture of Stephanie and Jessica with their sweet babies.

I had to show you one more picture of baby Jacob with his mom, Stephanie...look at that cute face :)

Stephanie and Nicole introducing their babies

Heather opening presents...I made her the blanket she is holding. I love how it turned out...it is really simple and I am going to put the directions on how to make it on my blog soon.

Britni and Pierson

After the shower we all sat around and talked and talked for hours. I am so grateful for good, Christian friends!

I spent Sunday at Britni's and then left to go home. Here is another picture of Pierson with my keys..he LOVES keys and it is so funny to me the things that kids like to play with....he has toys everywhere but all he wanted was my keys or my cell phone to play with :)

This was my first vacation of the summer and so I had some fun on the way home. I love this little barbecue place and I stopped there on the way home and had the best chopped beef sandwich and lemonade..it doesn't take much to make me happy :)

Then, I stopped at this cute little ice cream shop in Huntsville and had a cookies and cream ice cream cone while I walked around the town square and shopped at all the cute shops. I was loving it and then to top it off I found a pair of Seven jeans at the resale shop for $15 that fit me perfect....that just makes me smile and was the perfect ending to a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Bubba!

My brother Glenn's birthday was on Sunday, but we celebrated it tonight by going to eat at Carrabba's and then coming home for cake! My dad and Glenn are both working crazy schedules right now and it worked out great that they were both off at the same time. I couldn't have asked for a better brother. Glenn is such an amazing friend and brother all rolled into one and I am so glad that he is back in Texas and we get to spend more time with him!

Grammy and Glenn

Our Family...minus Steph and Ross of course :(

I will see Steph and Ross tomorrow because I am driving to Britni's house and I always stop in Waco on the way (I'll bring y'all a piece of cake!) Britni, Carrie, and I are throwing a baby shower for our friend Heather Saturday in Dallas and I am so excited to get to see everyone.

Happy Birthday!

Crock Pot Chicken

Last night I decided to experiment and put some ingredients I had on hand in the crock-pot and see how it turned out. I woke up this morning to a house filled with the smell of food cooking. I think the crock-pot is the best invention ever made! I ate my crock-pot chicken for lunch and it was so yummy! The recipe is easy and healthy and you probably have everything already on hand. Here is what you need...

3-4 chicken breasts (depending on the size of your crock-pot), thawed out

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1 clove of garlic, chopped

2 cups of chicken stock

frozen green beans or any vegetable you like

Idaho potatoes with skin on, quartered (or red potatoes)

Tex Joy Seasoning

Put the potatoes in the bottom of the crock-pot and sprinkle Tex Joy all over them ( I had Idaho potatoes on hand, but red potatoes would be good too). Add the green beans, garlic, and onion, on top of the potatoes. Place the chicken on top of the green beans and sprinkle Tex Joy on top. Pour the chicken stock over the chicken breast. Cook on low overnight for 7 to 8 hours.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Fourth of July!

I celebrated the Fourth of July this year at my friend Katie's parents house in Wildwood. Alecia and I drove out there Saturday to visit and watch the fireworks over the lake at night. I was excited to get to see Katie and Alecia because we don't get to see each other that often. We get together once a month and have a girls night, but it always seems so long in between. I was also excited to see Katie's baby Ryan....he is changing and growing so fast.

Me, Alecia, Ryan, and Katie

Isn't this dessert so pretty...I got a pic after everyone dug in but you can still see the stars and stripes. It was so good..one of Katie's friends made it with blackberries from her backyard!

We enjoyed sitting on the back porch talking and playing with Ryan..he is so adorable and so much fun : )

I love this picture of Ryan and his daddy wearing matching camo hats

Everybody getting ready for the fireworks

Fireworks over the Lake

I am so thankful that by God's grace I was born in a country where I am free....free to believe what I want and worship God. I know how blessed I am to live in America and that freedom doesn't come free. I pray for the troops today and remember everyone who fought for our freedom! If your like me get your Kleenex before you watch the video. The song, "God Bless America" makes me cry every time I hear it.

Happy Fourth of July!!

Father's Day and Birthday!

This past Friday was my dad's birthday so we celebrated his birthday and Father's day together on Thursday since Glenn was in town. Glenn left on Friday to go to Stephanie's to visit her and them back to Arkansas. My dad loves to grill so he wanted to barbecue instead of go out to eat. He makes the best steaks I have ever eaten...he marinates them in his special sauce overnight and they are soo good! We have told him for years he should open a steak house!

Mom found this hat in a closet...Dad was a good sport and wore it while we sang "Happy Birthday" : )

Dad wanted carrot cake for his birthday cake, so I made it for him. It started to cave in the middle after I put the icing on, but it tatse good so that's all that matters right : )






Happy Father's Day and Birthday Dad! I Love you!

Infomercial Addict

I have a confession to make and this is really hard for me to admit! Here it goes....I am an infomercial addict! There I said it...I feel much better :) I admit that I am a complete sucker for infomercials....the two for one offer always gets me : ) Most of the products I have bought I ended up sending back (thank goodness for that 30 day money back guarantee) and some products I really like and still use today. Here are some of the products I have ordered off an infomercial and my reviews of them. Maybe I can save you some money...

Curl Confidence...Thumbs Down!

I just ordered this hair system called Curl Confidence off the t.v. I have wavy hair and it promises to make your waves soft and frizz free with a product you spray on your hair and a gel. I was so excited to get it because I have been styling my hair wavy more this summer and I definitely have a problem with it getting frizzy living in Southeast Texas. I styled my hair with it the last two days and I didn't notice any difference as far as frizz control than when I style it with Suave gel and hairspray for much cheaper. It did make my hair soft, but the waves did not hold as good. It is going back tomorrow!

The Leg Master....Thumbs Down!

This exercise machine would have worked great if I had used it :) I sold it in my last garage sale! The one thing I didn't like about it was that it didn't fold up as easy as it said it did on the commercial.

Smooth Away....Thumbs Down!

It made my skin really rough after I used it...not as smooth as they say!

Ped Egg...Thumbs Up!

Love it and works great!

Bumpits...Thumbs Down!

I have pretty thick hair and these didn't work for me...you could see them through my hair.

Power Juicer....Thumbs Down!

I was so excited about this one and I am sure it works great, but I never actually used it....when I got it I read the recipe book that came with it for all the juices and I realized that it took like 10 oranges to make one 8 oz glass of juice. They didn't show that on t.v and I couldn't afford to buy that much fruit for a small glass of orange juice. I ended up sending it back.

Natural Advantage Skin Care....Thumbs Up!

I didn't like the face wash because I felt like it left a sticky feeling on my skin after I used it. I ended up giving it to my mom and she loves it so I gave it a thumbs up!

In Styler....Thumbs Way Down!

I didn't like the In Styler because the rotating barrel gets very hot and there is no other way to style your hair than to hold it close to your face or ear...it was an emergency room trip waiting to happen. Also, it felt like it was frying my hair even though they claim on the commercial that it is made of something that is not harmful to your hair.

Tweeze....Thumbs Down!

two words...it hurts!



Wen Hair Care...Thumbs Up and Down!


Wen is a shampoo and conditioner in one that is made without chemicals that store bought shampoos are made with that harm your hair. It was supposed to make your hair clean, smooth, have volume, and not feel greasy, but I felt like it made my hair feel a little greasy. I ended up using it as a deep conditioner and I like it for that.

Bare Minerals Makeup...Thumbs UP!

Love, Love, Love this makeup! My mom, sister and I have been using it for years now and I won't go back to anything else!

I'm sure there are more products I have bought, but I can't think of any more right now. Gotta go, an infomercial just came on....

What's Been Going On Lately...

I feel like I haven't blogged in a while and I just wanted to say hi and tell you what all has been going on lately . Since school let out on June 4th I have been more busy than when I was working. I am not complaining though because it has been a good busy. I am sooo glad it is officially summer and I am able to enjoy my break from teaching and do other things I enjoy and want to do. I have started Summer 1 classes at Lamar this week and so far it has been great!

On June1st my sister Stephanie had jaw surgery in Dallas so Mom and Grammy went to be with her and I was upset I couldn't go. It was a major, 3 hour surgery to correct her bite and I really wish I could have been there, but I had work that week. Her husband had to work during the week so Mom and Grammy went to nurse her back to health. They stayed 10 days with her. She has to have her mouth wired shut for a while and eat through a tube. Poor thing..I plan on taking her out for a big, juicy hamburger when she gets well : ) I called the day of her surgery to ask how it was going and Mom told me that her doctor's name was Abraham and her two nurses were Grace and Mercy...not kidding it is their real names! The doctor made the comment that it was a very Biblical team : ) Don't you just love that? We are so thankful her surgery went well and she is doing great! She gave me permission to post some pictures from her facebook page...

On the way to surgery at 4 A.M.

6 days after surgery..they stayed at Ross' Mom's house after the surgery because it was closer to her Doctor's office than Waco

Dad feeding her through the tube her favorite soup from the Black Eyed Pea ( if your like me you wanted to see how she eats :)


I start my summer school job on Monday. Life will be a little crazy for the next three week with summer school and classes, but I know I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens Me!