Holidays are Coming!

 I ADORE Christmas time! It is my favorite time of the year. I love family time, decorations, vacation, and celebrating the reason for the season.

So I told my students about my obsession with Christmas and having everything match with a theme of colors. Last year we had a Cowboys themed tree. This year upon Matt's request I included a smaller mini tree that was Mavericks themed. My students thought I was insane as I explained that only matching ornaments can go on the big tree and all other family, gift, etc. ornaments must go on the smaller tree. I think it works for me and it makes me happy which is most important! I also have always had a small obsession with having solid brown wrapping paper. Matt says it looks like cardboard. I say its gorgeous. But then a few days ago we ran out and apparently everyone in town agreed that brown is beautiful because it

 was all sold out! Frustrating so we had to add solid white wrapping paper. Its okay...


This is not the best picture but my awesome mother-in-law gifted to me this pair of salt & pepper shakers. She received a set and so she wanted to pass on the tradition. I love them because they are so darn cute!

 So Matt is not a huge Christmas fan. Which is why I compromise on the sports themed Christmas trees. He does however love Nutcrackers and Snowglobes. So he has started a small collection of Nutcrackers and it wouldn't be in Matt style if they were German and Irish Nutcrackers. Of course...

I did have a student gift me a snow globe this year! It was a little snowmen family. I was so excited!

This is my show-and-tell time! My co-workers have been making these sprocket pillows and I have been itching to go to the fabric store to make some! SO as soon as school was released I rushed to the quilt store and found this adorable Sock Monkey Santa print. The side is brown and looks knit. So adorable! Anyways I'm just pretty proud! I have a few other projects in the works so hopefully I can finish and show them off soon!

Most Bright, Most Famous

Who knew my name was from a Latin origin and meant "Most Bright and Most Famous" made popular by a novel written in 1748. I know I certainly did not. But these are the things I'm learning as I search for names for our little avocado. I am loving this process... but I'm also feeling a bit overwhelmed. Not quite sure what direction to go in... classic, unique, or something in between. I can't wait until we find out boy or girl so I can get some serious crafting done this holiday break :) It is all I can think about because it is quickly approaching!

Pitter Patter

Friday I went to the doctor and heard the heartbeat for the first time! I was so nervous because it seemed to take FOREVER for the doctor to find it... but then when she did it was the most precious sound :) I'm 15 weeks today and as my belly continues to grow so does my excitement. Now we just wait until Dec.27th until we find out the sex. :)

Update!

So I have definitely been M.I.A. from my blog! Life has just been so crazy. We found out right after our trip to Louisiana that we were expecting our first baby. Yeah! We are so incredibly excited. So between all of the excitement, doctor's appointments and work my blog has gotten neglected. But I am back and I hope to make this a weekly post... or at least until the little one arrives. Then some priority may be given to he/she.

We just celebrated Thanksgiving. And OF COURSE I forget my camera so I have nothing to show for all of my hard work. But it was beautiful and tasty. Matt fried a turkey for the first time and it came out so much better than I expected. I also made his family's Chestnut Sausage Dressing which was so yummy! I was so impressed with myself for the first time to make it! And who knew chestnuts were so difficult to find. But for future reference I now know its best to order them in advance. My dad also came to visit and stayed for several days. He brought homemade tamales compliments of my stepmom. She is supposed to come in December to teach me how to make tamales... Matt couldn't be more hopeful.

Well that is it for this post because Matt is making me dinner and I'm salivating at the thought of eating.... its so weird how quickly everything changes. But I love every second and I am so grateful that we have this blessing in our lives. I will update soon to show off my Christmas decor skills in our tiny apartment!

LArger than Life

We went to visit the Wagners! They left Texas and are now living it up in Lafayette! We had such a blast! They took us to Downtown Lafayette where they have live music and dancing every Friday. It was super precious. We had such amazing food: shrimp po-boys, burgers, oyster tacos, gumbo... and Matt's newest obsession organic milk. We also experienced the Farmer's Market where we had some amazing taquitos. It was so awesome just having a long weekend to spend with friends and relax and have a wonderful time. Our weekend would not be complete however without playing Trivial Pursuit and Texas Hold Em'. I am not a pro but I did keep my poker face strong the whole game.

 

Well we had a fabulous time. Maybe we may move there some day :) 

Cruisin'

We finally went on a much needed vacation! Our cruise disembarked from Galveston and we have one adventure in Cozumel, Mexico. There were some ups and downs... but definitely mostly all ups. Matt and I have already decided we will FOR SURE be going on another cruise! But this time we will purchase passports so we don't have to wait in the long slow moving birth certificate line. But hey we did save $300 :) In Cozumel we had the most amazing adventure snorkeling on Sunset Beach. The water was so crystal clear and the best news was I never had to use my anti-shark tactics that I learned watching Shark Week right before we left. We also learned that it is VERY important to find the baggage check area at the cruise port first... otherwise you miss the opportunity and must lug all of your luggage for several hours until you are allowed into your room. This has the strong possibility of giving a person blisters on their hands and breaking their flip flop. The last item of knowledge we took with us was to always be nice to the casino and bar people... and to always bet $5 chips at the roulette table straight on the number and then double and triple your profits on black or red. I had so much fun and I can't wait for our next adventure! Matt says it will be in January :)

Us enjoying a nice cool beverage after lugging our luggage for several hours.

Cozumel, Mexico

Our awesome group at dinner

In Between Excitement

So I have been working on taking more pictures this summer... I think I'm getting better. Or at least I like to think so. But here are some pictures that friends have taken that I just enjoy so I thought I would add them to my blog! So here they are!!

This is my awesome husband striking his baseball pose. So proud :)

These pictures are from fourth of July weekend. Where we had such an amazing time and went to beautiful Messina Hof and casually encountered Paul the owner.

We also recently celebrated Andrew's birthday at the Wrangler in Navasota. We have been wanting to o check it out and it finally happened. Matt says this is the type of bar he wants to eventually own.... so we shall see.
In the next couple of days I will be trying to relax as much as possible but I also have so much to accomplish. I am in the process of preparing my classroom for a year of work. I'm not sure what to expect but it will be nice to have my own space. Matt and I also purchased our first brand new bed! So it will be arriving soon :) Then last our cruise is quickly approaching and I am shaking with excitement.

I'll keep you posted!

CAtch up :)

So I have been crazy busy in preparation for my big trip to California with my FCCLA students. It was my first trip with students on a plane... but we survived :)

I took 3 students to Anaheim, California! It was an awesome but exhausting trip. Upon arrival to Anaheim after 6 hours of traveling we immediately spent the day at Universal Studios.

Then we met with all of the Texas peoples and had dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. The rest of our trip also included Disneyland, Knot's Berry Farms, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Dinner Cruise, a Gala, and lots of FCCLA educational opportunities, meetings, and events.

This picture is me with my students after the awards ceremony where they discovered they earned a Gold Medal! I was so proud!



All in all we had an absolutely fabulous time! It was so wonderful to finally make it home! Then the following day I woke up way too early to head out for the Bridal Extravaganza for my awesome sorority big sister! It was an overwhelming experience but a very productive day!  Then Sunday was my best friend from forever's son's birthday! Kerri's Weston turned 1!! He is so big I cannot believe its been a year! I also saw Horrible Bosses on Sunday with the husband, its truly a must see movie. I really enjoyed it!

So to summarize since the last blog I have been way too busy. I'm going to enjoy slowing down to prepare for the upcoming school year. I have already been visiting the "College" areas of stores to prepare for my new classroom. Its mixed feelings because I definitely do not want summer to end, but I do love to decorate!

Fourth of July Extravaganza :)

Well I am just now finding the time to blog so here we go...

We celebrated the Fourth of July right this year. Matt always enjoys throwing a celebration and last year due to us just moving in we had to not get too carried away. But this year was fabulous!

Friday night we had our friends over to our apartment. Check out my very patriotic fruit pizza.

It was pretty much delicious! Then we had a fish fry on Saturday at our friends' home. It was a wonderful weekend full of fun with fabulous friends. It was a little disheartening because we had to say goodbye to Jon and Stephanie as they embark on a new life in Lafayette. These amazing friends are like our better half and I'm going to miss them so much! So expect lots of visits to Lafayette! I wish I would have taken more pictures but I was slightly distracted all weekend!

My trip to California is quickly approaching so YEAH! We leave on Saturday! So between now and Saturday I need to finish my gorgeous purple dress and hopefully (fingers crossed) make my iron decor with toilet paper rolls. But dress first because I have to finish a project before I start a new one!

What a week! I am counting down the days until Anaheim, California with my wonderful FCCLA students. Soooo since I was not to fond of the shirts they sent us for National convention I made us our own. The girls requested a Texas theme so here is a pic of the product so far!

On the same note of t-shirts my wonderful husband got me a treat! The Dallas Cowboys reached 3 Million following fans on Facebook so they released a special edition "I Follow The Star" shirt and he ordered it for me! Its precious! I'm working on this whole fan thing... its hard for me to be dedicated to anything so I'm trying!

Also this week I FINALLY finished summer school. It has been a long month of early mornings. I don't know what exactly makes it so much more difficult that regular school... I think body knows its summertime and I should be snoozing.

Well this weekend is the 4th of July one of Matthew's favorite holidays. So we are of course doing it big! So I will be posting pictures after the madness ends! We have a full house packed with big plans, adult beverages and delicious foods!

Celebrating Family

I think as we grow older and move forward into our own individual lives its easy to forget about those that have been with us since the beginning. Sunday I celebrated my grandfathers 75th birthday. My grandfather and I have always had a special relationship. He is the person who I seek approval from on any matter. He has always been such a big part of my life.

This is a picture of my grandfather and I during the father/grandfather/daughter dance at my wedding.

So moral of the blog today is that no matter what direction we take in our lives we have to remember our roots. Cliche... yes. But as Matt and I explore our options for what the future holds for us I have to remember my family as well! I will post again on Friday :)

Cosmos, Toll Road Lesson, Cheesecake and Nails

This week was so much more than I could ever ask for all at once! I worked super hard at summer school all week! However I may have had a little too much fun all at once!

My husband and I went into Specs for a normal trip. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something pink and green. Of course this means I need to investigate. They are these new shakers that contain the sugar and concentrated mix. All you have to add is a little bit of vodka and ice/water... but the best news it was only 5 dollars... EXCITING! So I'm frugal and I bought it to try out. It was FABULOUS! And on the way to check out there was another set up the same brand... but bucket style. And they had so many varieties. AND they were also only 5 dollars. Bargain. I may have to go back soon to stock up.

Lets see then today I had decided not to work today so that I could be productive before my adventure to Houston. I went to Target and of course the day I get paid they are have a 70% sale on home decor and frames. And it obviously perfectly matches my previous decor so I went a little crazy. But the upside is my modge podge wall of frames, pictures, mementos, and the wine cork monogram is almost done. (Pictures to come when it is!) I then was off to Houston for lunch with my fabulous sorority sisters.

Did you know that if you accidentally get on the toll road and have no cash they give you a white card to call and pay over the phone?

I learned this twice today and I have two tickets to call in and pay. Hopefully its still only a $1.50. ... But we shall see. On the way into Houston I knew it said tollway but I figured maybe I wouldn't have to pay... I don't know what I was thinking. The second time... I truly didn't realize I was getting on the toll road... argh maybe I should not be allowed to drive in densely populated areas.

But all in all I had a great lunch at Cheesecake Factory with some of my favs!

The sad news is that Shannon left before we took pictures and that this is the last time I will see Veronica for awhile. My oldest sorority friend and the woman who put up with me as her roommate is leaving on a two year adventure to be a sorority consultant! This girl has put up with me and my pillow talk time, my 21st birthday rampage where I tried to kick her... (?), and so many ups and downs. But she has always been the truest friend I know and the most giving and compassionate person. I'm going to miss my V!

Ok and last of all Veronica introduced me to something fabulous. And that is Sally Hanson's Stick on Nail things... My nails look AWESOME! And I did it all myself! I copied what Veronica had and the best part was her going away present was a pair of sunglasses that matched her awesome nails perfectly! I know her so well!

Ok love yall and I will post again next week!

Bliss

So here we go! Round 2. I'm committed to posting at least once a week. Life is so full of surprises. My dad, stepmother, and nephew came to visit this week. It was wonderful getting to spend time with them and my brothers. Anytime they come into town we always spend way more quality time together.

My sister in-law, Alice, and I went to get a pedicure. It was absolutely fabulous and has been way too long. I am not sporting hot pink toes with an adorable white cross painted on them. I wanted something different, I was unsure about the size of the design until the lady next to me asked for the same design. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery right? While enjoying our pedicures something of course has to go wrong... so then the fire alarm goes off... in the mall. I have NEVER heard of this happening. I don't think the employees knew either because they just continued to work. It was Alice and I that kept saying, "maybe we should exit the building" So finally they became concerned and sure enough everyone exited the building. I guess it wasn't that big of a deal because ten minutes later they let us all knew. I thought interrupting my pedicure was painful but then I saw the girl with foil in her hair waiting for her highlights to process and I was thankful that I just had some wet toes.

Last Matt and I attended my cousin's wedding last night. It was at Messing Hof Winery so there was lots of wonderful wine. I drank a great white wine that is named something German and starts with a G... Couldn't say or spell the name to save my life.

I tried to rotate the picture but it kept messing up. Well sorry this post wasn't quite as exciting. I'll work on it!

Anniversary Resolution

Well today is official! I've been married for a whole year. I've been so busy with settling in and starting my new big girl job that I have been slacking on chronicling our first year together. So it is my Anniversary Resolution to start taking more pictures, blog, and to craft more. I have not really crafted since our wedding, maybe taking on such a large scale project burned me out... potentially. But I truly miss just zoning out and doing what I love. So since I've started my summer vacation I've done a few crafts that I would like to share with everyone! So here is to many more years of marriage and to living my life by doing what I love to do!


So here are some of my favorites from my wedding!

 Scrapbook Pinwheels made with love and bruised fingers from pushing in the pin. I did learn if you soak the wood prior to putting the pin in it made a huge difference! Also notice the fabric squares used instead of purchasing/renting table overlays. My mom spent some time hemming these for me!

 These were the tin cans used for random candles, and the homemade fan programs. I made these by creating a template on my computer and then taking it to Copy Corner and having them print copies on cardstock. I then tied a piece of frayed fabric on each one to soften it a bit. LOTS of glue sticks were used here!

 My beautiful wedding party with our large pinwheels instead of bouquets.

Here are my shoes! I spent HOURS dying them. They were shoes from when I was a bridesmaid in another wedding. It rained, the dye ran because they had not been properly sealed. So I had multicolored shoes and no shop would accept responsibility by trying to help me fix them... so I dyed them black with dye I bought at Hobby Lobby. Then I added a ribbon to each to match the theme :)


So here is what I have been up to in the past year craft wise in a nutshell...

The cupcakes are from the Superbowl party we went to! I got the idea from Wilton bakeware.

Wine Cork Monogram. I am obsessed with this! It is rather heavy but I will figure out how to hang it for sure!