We cannot WAIT for our little Ellie to be here!!! We are so ready - though her nursery may not be just yet. :) just one more month to gland we will have a little tiny baby girl. Sometimes it's so hard to believe it! But all the onesies and adorable outfits covering our living room right now are making it much more real. :)
How far along? 35 weeks 2 days
Baby's size: the average for 35 weeks is 5 and 1/4 lbs... Pretty sure she's a bit bigger than that, but close
Maternity clothes? YES. Or just giant giant t shirts and sweats
Stretch marks? Sadly, yes. Have some pretty bad ones on the under side of my belly where most of her weight rests. Hopefully they will fade!!
Sleep: good in between the difficult and sometimes painful rolling over, and getting up to use the restroom. Getting to be not so much fun.
Best moment this week: picking out some clothes for her, seeing Clint fall in love with little outfits for her, doing the tiniest laundry ever and marveling athow small size newborn really is!! (have had wonderful showers since last post as well, so so special, we are so blessed!)
Movement: she's still a good little mover and never stops for too long, but definitely must be close quarters in there
Food cravings: Not really. Still drinking milk all the time. Wanting to cook.
Anything you loved before that you absolutely cannot eat anymore?: Nope!
Have you started to show yet: people stare at me in public as if I should not be out. They elbow each other and say "look at her" in Spanish as if I don't understand them. It's weird but kinda fun :)
Gender prediction: girl girl girl, our house is full of pink and ruffles and cuteness!
Labor Signs: nope, not a single Braxton hicks, and she is still super high up
Belly Button in or out? Flat/out. Stretched to the limit!
Wedding rings on or off? Off! Got another even bigger fake ring to wear. Ugh.
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy. Mostly very happy and excited. Happy tears threaten often, definitely have my moody moments though!
Weekly Wisdom: Newborn outfits don't look like a human can actually fit into them. More like doll clothes!
Milestone: not sure about her, but our to do list is finally starting to dwindle down. 4 weddings left, wrapping up our editing, nursery slowly shaping up, getting so ready!!
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Summer!!
These are in the freezer, hardening as we wait!!
I'll let you know how the recipe turns out and will post it if they are good. It's from Everyday Food and sounds yummmmmy! :) Happy Summer!
I'll let you know how the recipe turns out and will post it if they are good. It's from Everyday Food and sounds yummmmmy! :) Happy Summer!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Saturday morning
So far today, I:
-sent Clint off to golf with his dad and brother at 6:45AM
-for some reason, did not get back in bed after send off.
-saw Charlie basking in the sunrise in the backyard (we are dogsitting at my parents) and decided to join him with some coffee and a good book.
-yelled at Charlie for spilling my coffee (all over the book, the blanket I had laid out and a Bible) and felt immediate remorse from the sweet look on his sad little face (he was only trying to have some fun!)
-got more coffee, spilled it all over myself as I sat down to read again, and felt more remorse
-read anyway without cleaning up second spill
-noticed GIANT mosquitos circling and decided to read inside (which Charlie was happy with bc he was getting hot anyway)
-read inside, had some diet coke, scrambled eggs, tuna and popsicles as it kept feeling like lunchtime but was only in the nines
-brushed Charlie so he would be pretty for going to Lorie and Rogers later
-Read Acts 1 and was confused about the basic drawing of straws for the new 12th disciple (doesn't that seem weird?!), researched a bit and realized they did not have the Holy Spirit yet, so what else were they to do without Jesus there but pray and trust that God would choose the right straw?
-Decided to look up the verses referred to by Peter as prophesy about Judas and was surprised to find they didnt't refer to Jesus or Judas at all (can you tell I have usually taken their word for it on references to the old testament??)
-Searched for a commentary, found many that skipped over that part of Acts 1, finally found one that said the verses are originally about David, who is a "Christ figure" and his enemies...which makes them allude to Christ and Judas, His "enemy." I guess most places the references are vague like this. I don't know why I thought they were all perfectly obvious before (probably bc I had never looked them up!) Any thoughts on that?
-Read a blog I am currently obsessed with and reading from start to finish like it is a book (Bring the Rain)
-smashed a bug, then left the shoe on top of it until Clint gets home because I do not want to pick it up
-eaten more popsicles (they are only 15 calories!)
-got a text from Clint that he is winning!
-Blogged a play by play of my day because I haven't blogged in 5 weeks and I'm feeling guilty.
Does that sound like a do-whatever-I-want-all-day day so far or what? It has been delightful but also I am not an alone time person for the most part so I am ready for my hubby to get home.
Tonight we are celebrating Father's Day with Lorie and Roger and then on Monday with my family since the rents are in Nashville this weekend.
I hope this weekend is nice for you as well. Isn't the summer weather wonderful?! (from sitting inside in the AC....horrible if you have to be out in it for too long) Something about summer just makes me happy. I'm off to get really sweaty taking Charlie on a walk, but he will be a happy puppy so I don't mind. (and I won't feel so bad about eating an unnamed double digit number of popsicles. yes i am still on the bodybugg bandwagon. i would love for you to get one and let me help you set it up. love it.) Happy saturday to you!
.jpg)
Me and Charlie reading :)
-sent Clint off to golf with his dad and brother at 6:45AM
-for some reason, did not get back in bed after send off.
-saw Charlie basking in the sunrise in the backyard (we are dogsitting at my parents) and decided to join him with some coffee and a good book.
-yelled at Charlie for spilling my coffee (all over the book, the blanket I had laid out and a Bible) and felt immediate remorse from the sweet look on his sad little face (he was only trying to have some fun!)
-got more coffee, spilled it all over myself as I sat down to read again, and felt more remorse
-read anyway without cleaning up second spill
-noticed GIANT mosquitos circling and decided to read inside (which Charlie was happy with bc he was getting hot anyway)
-read inside, had some diet coke, scrambled eggs, tuna and popsicles as it kept feeling like lunchtime but was only in the nines
-brushed Charlie so he would be pretty for going to Lorie and Rogers later
-Read Acts 1 and was confused about the basic drawing of straws for the new 12th disciple (doesn't that seem weird?!), researched a bit and realized they did not have the Holy Spirit yet, so what else were they to do without Jesus there but pray and trust that God would choose the right straw?
-Decided to look up the verses referred to by Peter as prophesy about Judas and was surprised to find they didnt't refer to Jesus or Judas at all (can you tell I have usually taken their word for it on references to the old testament??)
-Searched for a commentary, found many that skipped over that part of Acts 1, finally found one that said the verses are originally about David, who is a "Christ figure" and his enemies...which makes them allude to Christ and Judas, His "enemy." I guess most places the references are vague like this. I don't know why I thought they were all perfectly obvious before (probably bc I had never looked them up!) Any thoughts on that?
-Read a blog I am currently obsessed with and reading from start to finish like it is a book (Bring the Rain)
-smashed a bug, then left the shoe on top of it until Clint gets home because I do not want to pick it up
-eaten more popsicles (they are only 15 calories!)
-got a text from Clint that he is winning!
-Blogged a play by play of my day because I haven't blogged in 5 weeks and I'm feeling guilty.
Does that sound like a do-whatever-I-want-all-day day so far or what? It has been delightful but also I am not an alone time person for the most part so I am ready for my hubby to get home.
Tonight we are celebrating Father's Day with Lorie and Roger and then on Monday with my family since the rents are in Nashville this weekend.
I hope this weekend is nice for you as well. Isn't the summer weather wonderful?! (from sitting inside in the AC....horrible if you have to be out in it for too long) Something about summer just makes me happy. I'm off to get really sweaty taking Charlie on a walk, but he will be a happy puppy so I don't mind. (and I won't feel so bad about eating an unnamed double digit number of popsicles. yes i am still on the bodybugg bandwagon. i would love for you to get one and let me help you set it up. love it.) Happy saturday to you!
.jpg)
Me and Charlie reading :)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
I am BUSY
Really really really busy!!!
So sorry for my lack of posting, and for the fact that this post will not be cool. Work is crazy right now and at times it is overwhelming working for two different people who both have May as their busiest month of the year. Trying to keep perspective and remember how thankful I am not to have to begin a summer of being the Ambassador of Fun in a few weeks. It's already too hot outside for that!! Thank goodness I work inside this summer. :)
Biggest Loser is on tonight and we are getting closer and closer to the finale and I'm just so excited!! Can't wait until 30 more minutes pass and I can watch! The plan is to clean during commercials as our apt is MORE than a wreck. Busyness will do that to an apartment, but even moreso since I'm not great at keeping it clean in the first place. Eek! (some of you may have seen the kitchen picture on facebook after baking my mom an Italian Cream Cake for Mother's Day...the kitchen has improved SLIGHTLY since then, but not much)
If anyone watched the Undercover Boss episode with 7-11, come see Igor at the NEW 7-11 store in our little shopping center by our apartment! We are so excited!! Igor is so cool. He was a delivery driver who was just so thankful for the "American Dream" and being able to get a job. He and his wife worked different shifts and barely saw each other, but he still had so much joy just because he was thankful for what he had. Joe DePinto (the undercover CEO of 7-11) gave him his own 7-11 store at the end of the show - and little did we know it would be in our backyard! Hooray! I love 7-11. Got coffee there this morning and it was splendid!!
We are having VERY annoying internet problems that cause me to have to disconnect the wireless network and reconnect it all the time. The process takes a couple minutes and its really annoying. Hence I haven't wanted to use the internet much as it puts me in a bad mood!
Here is the recipe for the Italian Cream Cake I made. It turned out wonderfully despite a couple of mishaps and redos! (turning on the blender and sending buttermilk everywhere, overbeating the egg whites, realizing I only greased, didn't flour the pans AFTER I put them in the oven and taking them back out, washing the pans, regreasing AND flouring...but it still worked!!)
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/decadent-italian-cream-cake/
* CAKE BATTER:
* ½ cups Butter, Room Temperature, No Substitutes
* ½ cups Good Shortening
* 2 cups Sugar
* 5 Large Eggs, Separated
* 1 cup Buttermilk
* 1 teaspoon Good Vanilla
* 2 cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 1 cup Shredded Or Flaked Sweetened Coconut
* 1 cup Chopped Pecans
* FOR FROSTING:
* 1 stick Butter, Softened
* 1 package Cream Cheese (8 0z.), Softened
* 1 teaspoon Good Vanilla
* 1 pound Powdered Sugar
* Chopped Pecans For Garnish
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add buttermilk and mix well; add vanilla.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl; add coconut and pecans and toss together well, then stir into wet ingredients. Mix well by hand.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold gently into cake batter, then divide batter into 3 greased and floured round cake pans.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees, or until lightly browned and cake tests done when a toothpick is inserted near the center. Cool thoroughly on wire racks in pans.
While layers are cooling, prepare frosting. Cream butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl; add vanilla, and gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
Carefully remove cakes from pans and brush off crumbs. Place bottom layer on serving plate, top with frosting. Place second layer over first, top with frosting, then place the last layer. Frost the cake, then sprinkle with chopped pecans as desired. You can cheat and make this with a white cake mix, but it’s just not the same.
Keep cake refrigerated.
ENJOY!!!!! (I just stole a piece of my mom's at her house...Mmmmmm!)
So sorry for my lack of posting, and for the fact that this post will not be cool. Work is crazy right now and at times it is overwhelming working for two different people who both have May as their busiest month of the year. Trying to keep perspective and remember how thankful I am not to have to begin a summer of being the Ambassador of Fun in a few weeks. It's already too hot outside for that!! Thank goodness I work inside this summer. :)
Biggest Loser is on tonight and we are getting closer and closer to the finale and I'm just so excited!! Can't wait until 30 more minutes pass and I can watch! The plan is to clean during commercials as our apt is MORE than a wreck. Busyness will do that to an apartment, but even moreso since I'm not great at keeping it clean in the first place. Eek! (some of you may have seen the kitchen picture on facebook after baking my mom an Italian Cream Cake for Mother's Day...the kitchen has improved SLIGHTLY since then, but not much)
If anyone watched the Undercover Boss episode with 7-11, come see Igor at the NEW 7-11 store in our little shopping center by our apartment! We are so excited!! Igor is so cool. He was a delivery driver who was just so thankful for the "American Dream" and being able to get a job. He and his wife worked different shifts and barely saw each other, but he still had so much joy just because he was thankful for what he had. Joe DePinto (the undercover CEO of 7-11) gave him his own 7-11 store at the end of the show - and little did we know it would be in our backyard! Hooray! I love 7-11. Got coffee there this morning and it was splendid!!
We are having VERY annoying internet problems that cause me to have to disconnect the wireless network and reconnect it all the time. The process takes a couple minutes and its really annoying. Hence I haven't wanted to use the internet much as it puts me in a bad mood!
Here is the recipe for the Italian Cream Cake I made. It turned out wonderfully despite a couple of mishaps and redos! (turning on the blender and sending buttermilk everywhere, overbeating the egg whites, realizing I only greased, didn't flour the pans AFTER I put them in the oven and taking them back out, washing the pans, regreasing AND flouring...but it still worked!!)
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/decadent-italian-cream-cake/
* CAKE BATTER:
* ½ cups Butter, Room Temperature, No Substitutes
* ½ cups Good Shortening
* 2 cups Sugar
* 5 Large Eggs, Separated
* 1 cup Buttermilk
* 1 teaspoon Good Vanilla
* 2 cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 1 cup Shredded Or Flaked Sweetened Coconut
* 1 cup Chopped Pecans
* FOR FROSTING:
* 1 stick Butter, Softened
* 1 package Cream Cheese (8 0z.), Softened
* 1 teaspoon Good Vanilla
* 1 pound Powdered Sugar
* Chopped Pecans For Garnish
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer. Add egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add buttermilk and mix well; add vanilla.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl; add coconut and pecans and toss together well, then stir into wet ingredients. Mix well by hand.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold gently into cake batter, then divide batter into 3 greased and floured round cake pans.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees, or until lightly browned and cake tests done when a toothpick is inserted near the center. Cool thoroughly on wire racks in pans.
While layers are cooling, prepare frosting. Cream butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl; add vanilla, and gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
Carefully remove cakes from pans and brush off crumbs. Place bottom layer on serving plate, top with frosting. Place second layer over first, top with frosting, then place the last layer. Frost the cake, then sprinkle with chopped pecans as desired. You can cheat and make this with a white cake mix, but it’s just not the same.
Keep cake refrigerated.
ENJOY!!!!! (I just stole a piece of my mom's at her house...Mmmmmm!)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Quick, exciting (and sad) updates
Update #1: I'm still on the bandwagon with the Bodybugg. As of TODAY I have lost exactly 15 pounds since starting my attempt to lost weight using the Bodybugg. It has gotten easier and easier as I have gotten used to eating around 1650 calories a day and now it is just routine. I love it! I didn't really realize how much weight I had lost til I hit this milestone - 15 pounds! Wow. Weights that weigh 15 pounds are pretty heavy. So glad to have that OFF of me!! WAHOOOOO. I'm excited to keep going and hope to lose another 10 and then maybe gain some back in muscle....whenever I decide to start working out. :) Haha. So, there is the update. For some reason, this plan has been one I have been able to stay on, and I'm SO happy about that!
Update #2: Clint and I have officially been married 2 wonderful years! Our "day" was last Sunday and we went to Trulucks to celebrate, but it was a wedding filled weekend with Ashley's wedding and Caroline's wedding shower (and me being sick) so we waited til this weekend to really celebrate. We are off to a beautiful cabin near Beaver's Bend tomorrow at around 4pm!! We are so excited to have a relaxing, do-nothing weekend. It looks like it'll be rainy Saturday, but Sunday we might get in the canoe (the cabin is on a river) or build a fire or even go horseback riding! The cabin has a grill on the deck so we are bringing filet mignon and shrimp (got them at central market today - splurged - can't WAIT to feast on them!!) to make a nice dinner Saturday night. I can't wait to celebrate with my honey. He is so wonderful and I am SO lucky to be married to him. He is sick with what I had last weekend right now, so pray that he starts feeling better quick!!
Update #3: Tux, my childhood dog (a fiesty pomeranian) died today. My grandparents have been his real owners for the past several years and he became so sweet in his old age (if you knew him - he used to be quite the tiny terrorist to visitors in our home, but he grew out of it!). They really really loved him and are sad to see him go. He only weighed 5 pounds and his kidneys were failing. Poor thing. All of us girlfriends got dogs at around the same time in our childhood, and Tux was the last of the group to go. I believe he lived to be between 105 and 112 in dog years. He had a good little life. Goodbye Tuxy - we love you!
Update #4: We are still also on the Dave Ramsey bandwagon. Paid off our taxes we were paying payments on from 2008 this month. One more credit card to go and then all we have is my student loan. Feels good!
Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Happy almost weekend. :)
Update #2: Clint and I have officially been married 2 wonderful years! Our "day" was last Sunday and we went to Trulucks to celebrate, but it was a wedding filled weekend with Ashley's wedding and Caroline's wedding shower (and me being sick) so we waited til this weekend to really celebrate. We are off to a beautiful cabin near Beaver's Bend tomorrow at around 4pm!! We are so excited to have a relaxing, do-nothing weekend. It looks like it'll be rainy Saturday, but Sunday we might get in the canoe (the cabin is on a river) or build a fire or even go horseback riding! The cabin has a grill on the deck so we are bringing filet mignon and shrimp (got them at central market today - splurged - can't WAIT to feast on them!!) to make a nice dinner Saturday night. I can't wait to celebrate with my honey. He is so wonderful and I am SO lucky to be married to him. He is sick with what I had last weekend right now, so pray that he starts feeling better quick!!
Update #3: Tux, my childhood dog (a fiesty pomeranian) died today. My grandparents have been his real owners for the past several years and he became so sweet in his old age (if you knew him - he used to be quite the tiny terrorist to visitors in our home, but he grew out of it!). They really really loved him and are sad to see him go. He only weighed 5 pounds and his kidneys were failing. Poor thing. All of us girlfriends got dogs at around the same time in our childhood, and Tux was the last of the group to go. I believe he lived to be between 105 and 112 in dog years. He had a good little life. Goodbye Tuxy - we love you!
Update #4: We are still also on the Dave Ramsey bandwagon. Paid off our taxes we were paying payments on from 2008 this month. One more credit card to go and then all we have is my student loan. Feels good!
Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Happy almost weekend. :)
Friday, April 23, 2010
soooo excited!
This weekend one of my best friends is getting married! I'm so excited to be a part of her big day! :) Ashley was a bridesmaid in my wedding (2 years minus 1 day ago on her wedding day!) and we were roommates in LA. I love her and am SO excited for her and Casey!!!!! Congratulations you guys!!!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
my new way to cook
... www.supercook.com !!!
this website is AWESOME!! i'm sure there are others like it, but i have not come across one, or at least not one this useful. you go to the site and start typing in some things you currently have in your kitchen. i have used it by first entering the ingredient i'm really wanting to use, like chicken breast or ground beef or strawberries or whatever i'm needing a recipe for. then it will have a list of ingredients it asks you if you have, and you just keep clicking yes and it keeps giving different ones that will help you make more recipes. you can emphasize certain ingredients (i tested it and tried strawberries AND tomatoes emphasized, and it found things with both!) and/or add keywords (side dish, etc). it then lists on the right of the page links to all the recipes online that you can make with the ingredients you already have, or what ingredients you need still to make them if you don't have them all. but generally there are hundreds you can already make which is quite wonderful bc i do not want to go to the store right now, thank you. i have LOVED it!! you know how sometimes you have an ingredient and you just don't feel like those few things you usually make with that ingredient? well this solves and AND helps you be adventurous in cooking!
So far i have used it to:
- find something to make with ground beef when i didn't really even have everything for spaghetti - it gave me a meatball recipe (actually i had several to choose from) and it turned out REALLY yummy. i had never made meatballs before so that was fun. just cooked some pasta and added some sauce and viola! a yummy new dinner.
- find something to use my yummy large shrimp from sprouts. mmmmm i let myself have butter smothered cilantro grilled shrimp and it was amazing! didn't actually even mess up my calories for the day either!
- wanted to try a new zucchini recipe and almost made some "zucchini cakes"... never had anything like them, but i do want to try them sometime!
- wanted something then our other chicken breast regular recipes, found a balsamic herb grilled chicken that was YUM! Clint is becoming an expert griller.
- and now i'm browsing supercook for something to do with my strawberries i need to eat. i don't feel like just chopping them up and adding a bit of splenda like i usually do. i also need to make some tea and am looking for a more exciting drink to make. my options i have narrowed it down to are(and i really haven't been to the store in quite awhile, so my ingredient list is not too large at all!):
for the strawberries:
-strawberry gelato (or balsamic strawberry sorbet, or strawberry foam, or...)
-"puffy dessert omelet" with strawberries
- oatmeal chewy squares
-Bretton butter cake with strawberry topping
-sweet wine fritters
-frosty strawberry dessert
for the drink:
-strawberry lemonade
-rico's passionate pink honey lemonade
-chunky strawberry lemonade
and then i also played around and found tons of apple crumbles, bundt cakes, cookies, etc that i could make right now. so cool. i think im just really excited bc whenever i think of making a recipe i think i have to go to the store to get the ingredients first bc what are the chance that i'll have all the things for whatever i decide to make. and this changes that. so i love it. hopefully i'll update you with new things i cook that supercook helped me find. i did do a play by play with photos of the meatball making, which i will post eventually. mmm i want to make those again!
happy cooking and recipe searching....warning - it can be addictive! :)
this website is AWESOME!! i'm sure there are others like it, but i have not come across one, or at least not one this useful. you go to the site and start typing in some things you currently have in your kitchen. i have used it by first entering the ingredient i'm really wanting to use, like chicken breast or ground beef or strawberries or whatever i'm needing a recipe for. then it will have a list of ingredients it asks you if you have, and you just keep clicking yes and it keeps giving different ones that will help you make more recipes. you can emphasize certain ingredients (i tested it and tried strawberries AND tomatoes emphasized, and it found things with both!) and/or add keywords (side dish, etc). it then lists on the right of the page links to all the recipes online that you can make with the ingredients you already have, or what ingredients you need still to make them if you don't have them all. but generally there are hundreds you can already make which is quite wonderful bc i do not want to go to the store right now, thank you. i have LOVED it!! you know how sometimes you have an ingredient and you just don't feel like those few things you usually make with that ingredient? well this solves and AND helps you be adventurous in cooking!
So far i have used it to:
- find something to make with ground beef when i didn't really even have everything for spaghetti - it gave me a meatball recipe (actually i had several to choose from) and it turned out REALLY yummy. i had never made meatballs before so that was fun. just cooked some pasta and added some sauce and viola! a yummy new dinner.
- find something to use my yummy large shrimp from sprouts. mmmmm i let myself have butter smothered cilantro grilled shrimp and it was amazing! didn't actually even mess up my calories for the day either!
- wanted to try a new zucchini recipe and almost made some "zucchini cakes"... never had anything like them, but i do want to try them sometime!
- wanted something then our other chicken breast regular recipes, found a balsamic herb grilled chicken that was YUM! Clint is becoming an expert griller.
- and now i'm browsing supercook for something to do with my strawberries i need to eat. i don't feel like just chopping them up and adding a bit of splenda like i usually do. i also need to make some tea and am looking for a more exciting drink to make. my options i have narrowed it down to are(and i really haven't been to the store in quite awhile, so my ingredient list is not too large at all!):
for the strawberries:
-strawberry gelato (or balsamic strawberry sorbet, or strawberry foam, or...)
-"puffy dessert omelet" with strawberries
- oatmeal chewy squares
-Bretton butter cake with strawberry topping
-sweet wine fritters
-frosty strawberry dessert
for the drink:
-strawberry lemonade
-rico's passionate pink honey lemonade
-chunky strawberry lemonade
and then i also played around and found tons of apple crumbles, bundt cakes, cookies, etc that i could make right now. so cool. i think im just really excited bc whenever i think of making a recipe i think i have to go to the store to get the ingredients first bc what are the chance that i'll have all the things for whatever i decide to make. and this changes that. so i love it. hopefully i'll update you with new things i cook that supercook helped me find. i did do a play by play with photos of the meatball making, which i will post eventually. mmm i want to make those again!
happy cooking and recipe searching....warning - it can be addictive! :)
Monday, March 8, 2010
i'm addicted!
I LOVE the kindle for iPhone app. Love. I LOVE to read and have had to curb my habit a bit by only reading about a book a month or so since husbands do not appreciate being completely ignored for several days in a row/wives that have only had 3 hours of sleep bc they read til it was almost morning/making and eating dinner alone/nothing ever getting done except reading. :) When I read a book, I READ a BOOK. Like, only ever read the book. So, I indulge myself every once in awhile when I know of a good book I can sink my teeth into. (the Twilight series really threw us for a loop! that one took extra days...)
Right now our book club is reading "The Help" by Katherine Stockett. I went to Barnes and Noble to find that it is only available in hardback and costs almost $30! In another life, that would not have phased me a bit as it is a BOOK. :) But, I've morphed into a penny pincher in some areas, and that $30 could certainly be spent on 8 starbucks lattes, a shirt, something for the house, or a yummy diner out. After the nice lady at Barnes and Noble showed me where the book was, I put it right back on the shelf and decided it was time for me to try out this kindle app. (After reading about 30 pages of Upton Sinclair's book, "The Jungle." Random, I know. But the quotes in our history books about the horrors of being an immigrant worker in those times flooded back to me when I saw the book - they had always been so interesting. So I decided I needed to take some time and see if I wanted to read the whole thing. I read enough. Too depressing. I hate (most) old timey things so the hour at Barnes and Noble reading about the horrors of old timey-ness really puzzled the husband. In the end, interesting, but too tiring and depressing.)
I looked it up and was pleased to find "The Help" for $8.55 on the FREE kindle app! I tried out a sample of the book on the app for free to make sure I could handle reading only on my iPhone. (We won't mention that I read the entire 5th Twilight saga unreleased book manuscript as a pdf file on my iPhone...). I LOVED IT! Its so easy to use and not weird at all to me to read on there - I do it all day long anyway. Also, its so great bc now I can read anytime during the day. Waiting in line, at a traffic light, waiting for the water to boil.. :) So now I can read a book without being a total recluse and it is wonderful! I fully recommend it, or at least trying it to see what you think.
The book is really great too - not done yet though, about halfway through. But I recommend it also.
Well, I guess I'm off to read on the couch while the hubby, brother and friend play xbox. It's still hanging out, right? :)
Right now our book club is reading "The Help" by Katherine Stockett. I went to Barnes and Noble to find that it is only available in hardback and costs almost $30! In another life, that would not have phased me a bit as it is a BOOK. :) But, I've morphed into a penny pincher in some areas, and that $30 could certainly be spent on 8 starbucks lattes, a shirt, something for the house, or a yummy diner out. After the nice lady at Barnes and Noble showed me where the book was, I put it right back on the shelf and decided it was time for me to try out this kindle app. (After reading about 30 pages of Upton Sinclair's book, "The Jungle." Random, I know. But the quotes in our history books about the horrors of being an immigrant worker in those times flooded back to me when I saw the book - they had always been so interesting. So I decided I needed to take some time and see if I wanted to read the whole thing. I read enough. Too depressing. I hate (most) old timey things so the hour at Barnes and Noble reading about the horrors of old timey-ness really puzzled the husband. In the end, interesting, but too tiring and depressing.)
I looked it up and was pleased to find "The Help" for $8.55 on the FREE kindle app! I tried out a sample of the book on the app for free to make sure I could handle reading only on my iPhone. (We won't mention that I read the entire 5th Twilight saga unreleased book manuscript as a pdf file on my iPhone...). I LOVED IT! Its so easy to use and not weird at all to me to read on there - I do it all day long anyway. Also, its so great bc now I can read anytime during the day. Waiting in line, at a traffic light, waiting for the water to boil.. :) So now I can read a book without being a total recluse and it is wonderful! I fully recommend it, or at least trying it to see what you think.
The book is really great too - not done yet though, about halfway through. But I recommend it also.
Well, I guess I'm off to read on the couch while the hubby, brother and friend play xbox. It's still hanging out, right? :)
Monday, February 15, 2010
Love :)
What a wonderful Valentine's weekend! We relaxed a lot, saw Aunt Lea and Uncle Jake who were in town from Amarillo, watched the Olympics, and celebrated!
On Saturday when I got back from Ashley's shower (fun!) I found this:
What a sweet husband I have. (That little candy is a ring pop, my favorite!)
That evening we went to Kara (Clint's step sister) and Jason's house to hang out with Aunt Lea and Uncle Jake who were in town. Jason had smoked a bunch of meat including ribs and it was soooo good!! I even accepted their offer to give me some to take home and didn't share any of the leftovers with Clint. Poor thing! :) Now I want a smoker! (It turns out Aunt Lea had to go to the hospital last night unexpectedly for what they thought was a heart attack, but it didn't end up being one. So keep her in your prayers.) We had a great time with the kiddos too!
The next morning Clint found two pettifores from Stein's (his favorite) and a funny Valentine's card. He also started my morning right with this:
MMMmmmm. I love these. He gave me one in my stocking at Christmas and I was hooked.
I also gave him a Starbucks card...I've had one since Christmas that I have been using and I know he was jealous, haha, so it was the perfect gift! :)
We enjoyed a very relaxing day including lunch at Aboca's - an amazing hole in the wall Italian restaurant you MUST try if you live in Richardson - with Clint's dad. Thanks Keith! :)
After moving back the reservation from 7:30 to 8 because I wasn't ready yet, we headed to Koto for some yummy sushi. It's just right by our apartment, so we walked which was fun but FREEZING. We had a great time and were so glad that it turned out to be really yummy! It was our first time to try this place and we were pleased. We ordered off of a special valentine's menu that included the "Lover's Roll" which was even wrapped in pink soy paper. So cute!
The calamari and rock shrimp were also quite tasty. It was a lot of fun! I love my cute husband so much! :)
He confessed that he had just shoved the flowers in the vase however he could get them to fit, so I had some fun arranging them. I've always loved arranging flowers! So pretty! Can't wait to see them bloom.
Happy love day! :)
On Saturday when I got back from Ashley's shower (fun!) I found this:
What a sweet husband I have. (That little candy is a ring pop, my favorite!)
That evening we went to Kara (Clint's step sister) and Jason's house to hang out with Aunt Lea and Uncle Jake who were in town. Jason had smoked a bunch of meat including ribs and it was soooo good!! I even accepted their offer to give me some to take home and didn't share any of the leftovers with Clint. Poor thing! :) Now I want a smoker! (It turns out Aunt Lea had to go to the hospital last night unexpectedly for what they thought was a heart attack, but it didn't end up being one. So keep her in your prayers.) We had a great time with the kiddos too!
The next morning Clint found two pettifores from Stein's (his favorite) and a funny Valentine's card. He also started my morning right with this:
MMMmmmm. I love these. He gave me one in my stocking at Christmas and I was hooked.
I also gave him a Starbucks card...I've had one since Christmas that I have been using and I know he was jealous, haha, so it was the perfect gift! :)
We enjoyed a very relaxing day including lunch at Aboca's - an amazing hole in the wall Italian restaurant you MUST try if you live in Richardson - with Clint's dad. Thanks Keith! :)
After moving back the reservation from 7:30 to 8 because I wasn't ready yet, we headed to Koto for some yummy sushi. It's just right by our apartment, so we walked which was fun but FREEZING. We had a great time and were so glad that it turned out to be really yummy! It was our first time to try this place and we were pleased. We ordered off of a special valentine's menu that included the "Lover's Roll" which was even wrapped in pink soy paper. So cute!
The calamari and rock shrimp were also quite tasty. It was a lot of fun! I love my cute husband so much! :)
He confessed that he had just shoved the flowers in the vase however he could get them to fit, so I had some fun arranging them. I've always loved arranging flowers! So pretty! Can't wait to see them bloom.
Happy love day! :)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
a day for soup
I just made this soup, which I made once last year (thanks to Katy's wonderful wedding present, a year of Cooking Light) and somewhat forgot about. The snow today made me want soup, and I remembered how good this was, googled it, and found it while at Target. :) Bought the stuff I didn't have, and came home and made it while Clint hung things on our walls. Yay for snowy days and warm soup and staying inside!
I modified the recipe a little bc Target was charging like $2.69 per bell pepper and we don't even like them that much, so I didn't put them in (except for the ones in the can of corn). Also they didn't have Serrano peppers and I googled them and they are hotter than jalepenos, so I substituted with mostly poblano (bc I knew they had a good flavor) and a little jalepeno (who knew a fresh jalepeno was like, 6 cents?!) to put a little heat back into it. The poblano pepper was a perfect substitute as it kinda filled in for the bell peppers too. YUM!!! It is very creamy despite the fact that there is no cream in it. The little flour at the beginning and the potatoes go a long way. I ate WAY more than a serving!!!
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons butter (I used smart balance and some calorie free oil spray)
* 1 cup chopped green onions
* 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped serrano chile (about 1 small)
* 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
* 1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 1 1/2 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, diced, thawed
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 (15.25-ounce) can whole-kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
* 1 pound peeled and deveined small shrimp
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, and serrano chile to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add canned chiles to pan; cook 1 minute. Add flour to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and next 5 ingredients (through corn); bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in shrimp; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.
Nutritional Information
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 212
Fat: 6.7g (sat 3.4g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.7g)
Protein: 19.3g
Carbohydrate: 18.3g
Fiber: 2.2g
Cholesterol: 130mg
Iron: 2.5mg
Sodium: 702mg
Calcium: 131mg
Let me know if you make this! I'd love to hear if you liked it.
The apartment is coming along but still not ready for its close up. We hung some things, but a pretty large glass plate then decided to fall back down and crash on top of my newly painted desk and crack into a zillion pieces. So I spray painted the scratches (yes, inside our apt) and pouted for a bit and got nothing else done. So there it is. Photos still to come. Sorry! I did score a lamp shade I really had wanted at Target for $4.24 though. Good things come to those who wait (and forget about things they saw at full price a long time ago and liked)! :) It looks perfect on the desk, even if it is a little big for the lamp I have it on right now. I'll just switch it out when I come across a taller lamp on sale somewhere. :) Me and Clint laughed at it bc it looks like it has too long of pants on or something. But I don't care. It's pretty.
Monday, January 18, 2010
7-Eleven, Bodybugg, Family
Just took a wonderful walk with Charlie, Clint and my mom to 7-Eleven. We used to take the same walk when we were little and it was the highlight of the WEEK! I can remember picking flowers for the cashiers along the way and happily presenting them to him as we bought our slurpees. We also thought it was cool that Laine's birth weight was 7lbs 11 ounces so it was kind of her store. 7-Eleven is really a great store. Having worked with them now for a while (I work for their Dallas PRC on Tuesdays and Thursdays), I have really noticed how nice and hardworking everyone involved is. And they put out a quality product. It's like a happy little family...and it has been a part of my family since I can remember. I love 7-Eleven! If I was rich, I think I might even like to own one.
Part of the reason for the walk was to rack up some extra burned calories on my Bodybugg. If you don't know what a bodybugg is, as lots of people I have found do not...watch biggest loser!! Haha.
It is quite a little wonder. Very motivating...and motivation is not something I have been able to find in the last long while....like since our wedding! I have worn it for the past almost 4 weeks straight and have LOVED it. I'm threatening to become a salesperson for them on the side bc I love it so much. I got it from my parents for Christmas and got the digital display (the watch looking thing) from Clint Dad and Trish for Christmas. It's a pricey combo but totally worth it. It also comes with online software and a subscription so that you can upload your burned calories (you connect the bodybugg through usb) and enter your calorie intake. It tracks everything and shows you how much you should be losing if you are entering your food correctly. One of the best things about it is that it shows you how little it takes to burn a few extra calories in a day. A nice walk, playing some intense Guitar Hero (we have had two noise complaints since I realized this burns a good amount of calories!), simply standing instead of sitting, going to the mall to window shop instead of watching tv...so many enjoyable, non-exercise things can add to your burned calories and really help you have a good deficit for the day. If you do go running or something, it does it a lot faster, but it shows that all you have to do is try to be active and get yourself moving a little. And then you don't have to eat dry salad and grilled chicken all the time, you have some room. I believe I have probably had one indulgent thing every single day since starting this "diet," and I have still lost the amount of weight I was aiming for (so far). It's just keeping in mind how much you have had and choosing what/how much to eat with your brain instead of your eyeballs/how-much-do-I-want-it-o-meter. It's like a little game. Yesterday I entered all my food and pressed submit and it came out to my EXACT goal of 1650 calories. I raised both hands in the air in celebration (Clint said I looked like Brett Favre) at my preciseness. And, even if you do go over on calories because someone made chocolate cake or bought you dinner out...just play a little extra Guitar Hero at the end of the night. :)
Baby Rose has not showed up so far, so continue to pray for the wonderful Rose family who are in anticipation of his arrival! I'm so excited for them and their new family. I can't believe my best friend is having a baby!! I love you Roses and I know you will be the best parents ever. I'm glad yall are gong first because I know I will have a lot to learn from yall and you will be wonderful examples!
Monday, January 11, 2010
New Year's thoughts...including more blogging!
(please excuse the acorn background...no time to change it at the moment!)
Well, does blogging every 5 weeks or so count as blogging more? I don't really think so. I need to blog more so all my blogs won't be about how I never blog. Wow. That's a lot of blogs. I'm going to get a blogging application for my phone and try to think of blogging as more of a journal and less of a "I have to retell everything that's happened since I last blogged." In fact, I think I'll download the app as I type. :)
We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years with friends and family. I just love being with people I love, doing nothing or everything or anything. It is the best. Good thing I live with one of the ones I really love doing anything with and get to see the others (some of them...others I don't get to see as much as I would like!) as much as possible. So thankful for all the wonderful people in my life. So blessed. So thankful that Jesus came to give us all life and that we get to celebrate Him in such a neat way during the Christmas season. I hope to continue that celebration throughout my life this year.
Well, House is recorded on the DVR, and I must stick to my plan, though I am tempted to upload tons of pictures and tell you about everything that has happened since my last blog. Next time I'll tell you about my bodybugg, another time about our new apt (jan 30!) another time about how Dave Ramsey is whipping us into shape. I'll also remind you to pray for the Roses and their little baby Rose who is coming any day now. I'll actually blog about the title of this post, New Year's thoughts...once I get them all together or have a few. Happy New Year to everyone! Thanks for being a part of our 2009!
Well, does blogging every 5 weeks or so count as blogging more? I don't really think so. I need to blog more so all my blogs won't be about how I never blog. Wow. That's a lot of blogs. I'm going to get a blogging application for my phone and try to think of blogging as more of a journal and less of a "I have to retell everything that's happened since I last blogged." In fact, I think I'll download the app as I type. :)
We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years with friends and family. I just love being with people I love, doing nothing or everything or anything. It is the best. Good thing I live with one of the ones I really love doing anything with and get to see the others (some of them...others I don't get to see as much as I would like!) as much as possible. So thankful for all the wonderful people in my life. So blessed. So thankful that Jesus came to give us all life and that we get to celebrate Him in such a neat way during the Christmas season. I hope to continue that celebration throughout my life this year.
Well, House is recorded on the DVR, and I must stick to my plan, though I am tempted to upload tons of pictures and tell you about everything that has happened since my last blog. Next time I'll tell you about my bodybugg, another time about our new apt (jan 30!) another time about how Dave Ramsey is whipping us into shape. I'll also remind you to pray for the Roses and their little baby Rose who is coming any day now. I'll actually blog about the title of this post, New Year's thoughts...once I get them all together or have a few. Happy New Year to everyone! Thanks for being a part of our 2009!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Gotta Keep It Up!
Trying to keep blogging regularly again...
Right now I'm watching House, drinking a nice and frosty diet coke, sitting by my sweet husband. It is quite nice!
We are one month into Dave Ramsey's plan as of tomorrow and we are more than halfway through with our mini emergency fund, the first step! We surpassed our goal and are quite pleased with ourselves :) Next month we may decimate the savings with Christmas gifts, but at least we won't be using any credit for them! Once we move apartments, we can REALLY get going! Wahooooo. Also refinancing my car loan and getting a better rate, paying it off earlier AND paying almost $100 less a month. GO REFINANCE!! If you are with Viewpointbank already, there is no fee, nothing to lose. Very nice!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving/21st bday for the twins weekend! It was so much fun to hang out with the kiddos while they were home. They are the coolest siblings ever. We spent the night almost the whole break over there and had a blast. LOTS of yummmmmmy turkey and stuffing (thanks to mom!), games, bday celebrations, staying up late and sleeping in! Can't wait til Christmastime when we can hang out again!!!
Also found out Laine is moving home after graduating this December! We're so excited we'll get to see her so much more. YAY Laine!! :) (Mom and Dad were super happy too...this is my mom's recurring hope that every child will move back home at some point! :))
We are keeping Jon Jon, our nephew this weekend and are really excited! Anyone have any tips or fun ideas for us to do? I was thinking we could make and decorate Christmas cookies, but I guess that's kinda girly. I know Clint wanted to bike with him, but it has rained alot so the trails might be closed. (Jon Jon's quote when Clint was surprised his mountain bike didn't have gears: "My legs ARE my gears!!") Any ideas?
Well, sorry this post is boring, but I don't have the energy/patience to put pictures up. At least I'm blogging!! Woo hoo!
Right now I'm watching House, drinking a nice and frosty diet coke, sitting by my sweet husband. It is quite nice!
We are one month into Dave Ramsey's plan as of tomorrow and we are more than halfway through with our mini emergency fund, the first step! We surpassed our goal and are quite pleased with ourselves :) Next month we may decimate the savings with Christmas gifts, but at least we won't be using any credit for them! Once we move apartments, we can REALLY get going! Wahooooo. Also refinancing my car loan and getting a better rate, paying it off earlier AND paying almost $100 less a month. GO REFINANCE!! If you are with Viewpointbank already, there is no fee, nothing to lose. Very nice!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving/21st bday for the twins weekend! It was so much fun to hang out with the kiddos while they were home. They are the coolest siblings ever. We spent the night almost the whole break over there and had a blast. LOTS of yummmmmmy turkey and stuffing (thanks to mom!), games, bday celebrations, staying up late and sleeping in! Can't wait til Christmastime when we can hang out again!!!
Also found out Laine is moving home after graduating this December! We're so excited we'll get to see her so much more. YAY Laine!! :) (Mom and Dad were super happy too...this is my mom's recurring hope that every child will move back home at some point! :))
We are keeping Jon Jon, our nephew this weekend and are really excited! Anyone have any tips or fun ideas for us to do? I was thinking we could make and decorate Christmas cookies, but I guess that's kinda girly. I know Clint wanted to bike with him, but it has rained alot so the trails might be closed. (Jon Jon's quote when Clint was surprised his mountain bike didn't have gears: "My legs ARE my gears!!") Any ideas?
Well, sorry this post is boring, but I don't have the energy/patience to put pictures up. At least I'm blogging!! Woo hoo!
Monday, October 12, 2009
CHARLIEEEEEE!
We decided to steal Charlie for part of the weekend, and here is what ensued:
Lots of fun...
(learned a tiny bit on photoshop to do these, that was exciting!)
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Adorable cuteness...
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And a little mischief...
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Doesn't that face just look like he's up to something?? :)
We love Charlie! We're so glad he likes to sleepover every once in awhile. :)
We may be what some call a little "Charlie obsessed," but we don't mind and are proud of it!! (ahem, Jill, Cole and Laine)! If you're going to be obsessed over a dog, why not over the best one ever? :)
Lots of fun...
(learned a tiny bit on photoshop to do these, that was exciting!)
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Adorable cuteness...
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And a little mischief...
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Doesn't that face just look like he's up to something?? :)
We love Charlie! We're so glad he likes to sleepover every once in awhile. :)
We may be what some call a little "Charlie obsessed," but we don't mind and are proud of it!! (ahem, Jill, Cole and Laine)! If you're going to be obsessed over a dog, why not over the best one ever? :)
Friday, October 2, 2009
Testing 1 2 3
I'm setting this up to post automatically to my twitter account in hopes that I will update more. Let's see if it worked!
By the way, I'm LaurenBrock on twitter, and Clint is JamStudioClint. :) Follow us and leave a comment that you did so we can follow you back. I love Twitter!!
***EDIT - Clint's personal twitter is ClintKBrock. JamStudioClint is his work one. Follow him too! :)
By the way, I'm LaurenBrock on twitter, and Clint is JamStudioClint. :) Follow us and leave a comment that you did so we can follow you back. I love Twitter!!
***EDIT - Clint's personal twitter is ClintKBrock. JamStudioClint is his work one. Follow him too! :)
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
What have we been up to?
Wow it's been awhile!! But I'm back in blogging world, at least for today.
And today is a special day because HUDSON PETTIJOHN was born!!!
He looks so adorable, doesn't he?! I love him already. I'm so proud of Nat for delivering him too! Way to go girl!! Love you guys! I really wish I could be there!
Since that is the most recent news, I guess I'll go backwards from that to fill you in. Let's see. Currently I'm finishing up working at Hawaiian Falls for the summer (I am an Ambassador of Fun there - which deserves its own post) and am looking HARD for a teaching job. I made it into the teaching pool at RISD, but there are no math positions open right now, so for now, that's a no go. I'm signed up to sub if nothing works out. Also applying everywhere else and trying to find "ins" to get an interview. If you have any ideas, let me know!
Clint's dad is recovering very well from his heart surgery, and we are so thankful for that!
One of my best friends in the world in pregnant, and I'm SOOOOO excited!! I love you Katy and Kristian and baby Rose! :)
We kinda totally failed on The Zone Diet. Right after we started Clint's dad had his heart attack, and I was taking my math content test, getting a new job, etc. Things got hectic and stressful and there was not time to calculate and cook each meal perfectly. Grr! It really is a great diet and we are starting to do it a little more in a moderate way.
We have started running! By started I mean we will run for the 3rd time tonight. Our goal is a 5k with a tenative half marathon in the future (why do I ALWAYS type marathong??) We found out that the drive in front of our apt is a half mile around, so that makes it really easy. We've only done a mile at a time so far, but tonight I think we are trying for 2 (or maybe 1.5). I hope the running bug gets me again. I loved to like running last time! Haha.
We went to Del Lago over the 4th with my family. It was a lot of fun! My family used to go there for little vacations some summers, it is resort on Lake Conroe, but we had heard they redid the resort and WOW!! It was amazing!! I loved it. I need to post some before and after pictures from when we were little and we went. It even has a little waterpark now. We had tons of fun and watched the most amazing fireworks in the most perfect place - right underneath them! I've always loved fireworks, but I always wish I could be closer to them, so that I can lay down and look straight up and they are right there. And that is what we got!! We even had pieces of cardboard from the fireworks falling on us. It was so wonderful and romantic too! I can't believe it was our second 4th of July married. Time flies!!!
Clint also did something sweet for me during our blogging hiatus. I was putting off getting my hair highlighted bc I like getting it done at this one place by a sorta expensive haridresser and since I have been kinda in between jobs we were low on money. Clint secretly made an appointment for me and told me we were going to brunch with his parents. Then he drove me to the hair place instead! He is so sweet. AND on top of that, while I was there he secretly took my car and washed and cleaned it, inside and out! And if you've ever been in my car, you know that is a big job. :) He is such a sweetie! And then the other day I woke up and he had cleaned out and vacuumed out my purse for me! I don't deserve him. :)
Well, that is all I can think of to update you with for right now. I probably have some pictures in my camera to post later of some of these things. Glad to be back in blog world. Thanks for not getting mad at me while we were gone!! :)
And today is a special day because HUDSON PETTIJOHN was born!!!
He looks so adorable, doesn't he?! I love him already. I'm so proud of Nat for delivering him too! Way to go girl!! Love you guys! I really wish I could be there!
Since that is the most recent news, I guess I'll go backwards from that to fill you in. Let's see. Currently I'm finishing up working at Hawaiian Falls for the summer (I am an Ambassador of Fun there - which deserves its own post) and am looking HARD for a teaching job. I made it into the teaching pool at RISD, but there are no math positions open right now, so for now, that's a no go. I'm signed up to sub if nothing works out. Also applying everywhere else and trying to find "ins" to get an interview. If you have any ideas, let me know!
Clint's dad is recovering very well from his heart surgery, and we are so thankful for that!
One of my best friends in the world in pregnant, and I'm SOOOOO excited!! I love you Katy and Kristian and baby Rose! :)
We kinda totally failed on The Zone Diet. Right after we started Clint's dad had his heart attack, and I was taking my math content test, getting a new job, etc. Things got hectic and stressful and there was not time to calculate and cook each meal perfectly. Grr! It really is a great diet and we are starting to do it a little more in a moderate way.
We have started running! By started I mean we will run for the 3rd time tonight. Our goal is a 5k with a tenative half marathon in the future (why do I ALWAYS type marathong??) We found out that the drive in front of our apt is a half mile around, so that makes it really easy. We've only done a mile at a time so far, but tonight I think we are trying for 2 (or maybe 1.5). I hope the running bug gets me again. I loved to like running last time! Haha.
We went to Del Lago over the 4th with my family. It was a lot of fun! My family used to go there for little vacations some summers, it is resort on Lake Conroe, but we had heard they redid the resort and WOW!! It was amazing!! I loved it. I need to post some before and after pictures from when we were little and we went. It even has a little waterpark now. We had tons of fun and watched the most amazing fireworks in the most perfect place - right underneath them! I've always loved fireworks, but I always wish I could be closer to them, so that I can lay down and look straight up and they are right there. And that is what we got!! We even had pieces of cardboard from the fireworks falling on us. It was so wonderful and romantic too! I can't believe it was our second 4th of July married. Time flies!!!
Clint also did something sweet for me during our blogging hiatus. I was putting off getting my hair highlighted bc I like getting it done at this one place by a sorta expensive haridresser and since I have been kinda in between jobs we were low on money. Clint secretly made an appointment for me and told me we were going to brunch with his parents. Then he drove me to the hair place instead! He is so sweet. AND on top of that, while I was there he secretly took my car and washed and cleaned it, inside and out! And if you've ever been in my car, you know that is a big job. :) He is such a sweetie! And then the other day I woke up and he had cleaned out and vacuumed out my purse for me! I don't deserve him. :)
Well, that is all I can think of to update you with for right now. I probably have some pictures in my camera to post later of some of these things. Glad to be back in blog world. Thanks for not getting mad at me while we were gone!! :)
Friday, March 27, 2009
My Sister is Famous!!! Part 2
Jillian's first online album is now available at Cdbaby - click here to go to her page!"Indie acoustic melodies and lyrics that sound like lullabies and feel like sunshine."
8 great original songs for only $5.99! How could you not buy it? :) Honestly, her songs are really some of my favorites. They make you think and also make you happy. You can hear excerpts at cdbaby too.
If you like Jill's music, please feel free to re-blog (is that a word?) this so that we can help her spread the word.
If you want to hear full songs, go to her myspace: myspace.com/jillianedwardsmusic.
Also, she is opening for Sleeperstar at House of Blues here in Dallas on May 1. Clint and I will be there and we'd love to get a group to go! Check it out! How cool is that?!?!
Isn't she just the cutest??
Monday, March 2, 2009
What is...
...the cutest thing you have ever seen at a bridal shower? I need some cool ideas! Games, decorations, favors, anything you have seen done that was really thoughtful, inventive or cool. My cousin is getting married and we are throwing her a family shower - and her family threw me one and just did so much really sweet stuff for me. (Think hand initialed, homemade iced cookies, hand tied favor boxes in our colors, a game involving a video of my soon-to-be husband, a cake from Stein's, amazing food...etc.) So, since I'm pretty sure my readership (if you can call it that) is 99% female, I thought I'd ask for suggestions.
Also, I need more followers!! If you read our blog, scroll down and click "Follow." Come on. I look like a nerd.
Happy Monday everybody. Just four more days until Friday. Haha.
A couple pics from the shower the Lilley's threw for me. I wish I had more on my computer right now...I need to get them from my mom.
Also, I need more followers!! If you read our blog, scroll down and click "Follow." Come on. I look like a nerd.
Happy Monday everybody. Just four more days until Friday. Haha.
A couple pics from the shower the Lilley's threw for me. I wish I had more on my computer right now...I need to get them from my mom.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
upcoming posts
We are in Waco right now, about to go see SING! :) So there will be an upcoming post about that. Also, we are overdue for a post-Valentine's Day post so that's coming too. It was wonderful!
Left town right after my wonderful friend Michelle's bridal shower. It was so much fun! We are so excited for her and Cody, they are getting married in 6 weeks! Cody is such a great guy and I'm SO glad Michelle found someone so wonderful. We had fun celebrating them!
Anybody on twitter? I'm getting addicted.
I really need to fix up my blog. I'm not in the know about all the new stuff. I still just have my old links to blogs that I never update or add to. Help!
Left town right after my wonderful friend Michelle's bridal shower. It was so much fun! We are so excited for her and Cody, they are getting married in 6 weeks! Cody is such a great guy and I'm SO glad Michelle found someone so wonderful. We had fun celebrating them!
Anybody on twitter? I'm getting addicted.
I really need to fix up my blog. I'm not in the know about all the new stuff. I still just have my old links to blogs that I never update or add to. Help!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
blogging!
So, we thought we'd start video blogging now that we have a camera...but that isn't so much happening and honestly I don't feel like people like it as much. Or maybe it is just bc we haven't been posting consistently lately. Let me know if you have a preference.
Lately we've been playing a lot of Guitar Hero World Tour. I'm the drummer and Clint's the guitar hero. It's quite intense. The other night we had been playing for about an hour and I realized I had been sweating for awhile!! So I guess it's a little healthier of a habit then sitting on the couch watching tv, at least. AND I'm beginning to think I'm an actual drummer...so I might have to try to learn for real. Then I could say I play like...4 instruments (not to say I play any of them well enough to actually claim them, but it would sound cool at least). Right now Clint is practicing up on the drums. I think he is trying to make sure there is still nothing that I am better than him at in the video gaming world. Maybe THE coolest thing about it all is that we got to make our own rockers that look like us. Well, they are crazy rockstar versions of us, at least. We'd love to come have anyone play with us! It's a lot of fun and we crack up at each other a lot. Wow I talked a lot about Guitar Hero!!!
In other news, I got a free magazine subscription (Marie Claire - not my fav but it'll do for free!) from our coke rewards points! We've since stopped buying diet coke so I don't die early from some kind of aspartame poisoning, but my days of being a total diet cokaholic paid off. Pretty cool!
I'm not sure if I have told the blogging world about our breadmaker we got for Christmas from my parents, but we love it! We have made white bread, cinnamon swirl bread (twice! it's Clint's favorite favorite), and we just tried rosemary bread - like Macaroni Grill's - the best ever! It came out pretty close! It's so nice to be able to make something SO homemade without making too much of a mess. And it's SO yummy!
At work we launched the new website - tangle.com - after much hard work and anticipation. My profile is tangle.com/laurenbrock. Be my friend :)
I'm working lately on having a positive attitude in different situations. I've found that it actually does work if you just look at the positive and stay joyful, life is in general, better. I usually try this in the morning when I'm usually grouchy and really not wanting to be awake. Just smiling and knowing this day is one God planned for me makes me joyful and helps me realize all that I have to be thankful for. And that really helps me not be so grumbly. Just a random little idea I've been working through. :) Contentment.
Read the whole Twilight series in a couple weeks. Loved it. SO good. I'm a big fan. I need some more books to read. Also read The Shack. Anyone heard of it? I thought it was great...did I hear that it was controversial? Any thoughts? Any book recommendations?
We've been eating chili like manly men. We had a huge thing of ground beef that was on sale, had to defrost it all, made an insane amount of really good chili, and are trying to finish it in time. It's pretty funny. And yummy.
Valentine's Day is Saturday and I have Monday off!!! Wonderfulness! I can't wait. Our first one married. :) Happy Valentine's Day everyone! <3
Lately we've been playing a lot of Guitar Hero World Tour. I'm the drummer and Clint's the guitar hero. It's quite intense. The other night we had been playing for about an hour and I realized I had been sweating for awhile!! So I guess it's a little healthier of a habit then sitting on the couch watching tv, at least. AND I'm beginning to think I'm an actual drummer...so I might have to try to learn for real. Then I could say I play like...4 instruments (not to say I play any of them well enough to actually claim them, but it would sound cool at least). Right now Clint is practicing up on the drums. I think he is trying to make sure there is still nothing that I am better than him at in the video gaming world. Maybe THE coolest thing about it all is that we got to make our own rockers that look like us. Well, they are crazy rockstar versions of us, at least. We'd love to come have anyone play with us! It's a lot of fun and we crack up at each other a lot. Wow I talked a lot about Guitar Hero!!!
In other news, I got a free magazine subscription (Marie Claire - not my fav but it'll do for free!) from our coke rewards points! We've since stopped buying diet coke so I don't die early from some kind of aspartame poisoning, but my days of being a total diet cokaholic paid off. Pretty cool!
I'm not sure if I have told the blogging world about our breadmaker we got for Christmas from my parents, but we love it! We have made white bread, cinnamon swirl bread (twice! it's Clint's favorite favorite), and we just tried rosemary bread - like Macaroni Grill's - the best ever! It came out pretty close! It's so nice to be able to make something SO homemade without making too much of a mess. And it's SO yummy!
At work we launched the new website - tangle.com - after much hard work and anticipation. My profile is tangle.com/laurenbrock. Be my friend :)
I'm working lately on having a positive attitude in different situations. I've found that it actually does work if you just look at the positive and stay joyful, life is in general, better. I usually try this in the morning when I'm usually grouchy and really not wanting to be awake. Just smiling and knowing this day is one God planned for me makes me joyful and helps me realize all that I have to be thankful for. And that really helps me not be so grumbly. Just a random little idea I've been working through. :) Contentment.
Read the whole Twilight series in a couple weeks. Loved it. SO good. I'm a big fan. I need some more books to read. Also read The Shack. Anyone heard of it? I thought it was great...did I hear that it was controversial? Any thoughts? Any book recommendations?
We've been eating chili like manly men. We had a huge thing of ground beef that was on sale, had to defrost it all, made an insane amount of really good chili, and are trying to finish it in time. It's pretty funny. And yummy.
Valentine's Day is Saturday and I have Monday off!!! Wonderfulness! I can't wait. Our first one married. :) Happy Valentine's Day everyone! <3
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