surprise!

this has been the busiest week for mr. b & myself. we are worn out and still have the children's miracle network marathon this weekend (no, we are not running). we may be exhausted, but we've had a lot of fun!

on monday evening,  we celebrated sam's 27th birthday with an interactive dining experience. miss lucy had the best idea - chef joel trueblood of trublu catering set up shop in the rhyan's kitchen (lucy's grands) and taught us a few new tips in a couples cooking class! it was so informative; mr. b and i learned lots of fun ways to show of our skillz in the kitchen.




the group put on our party hats for sam's big surprise!
belchers, cavuotis, and dunagans





sam was expecting dinner with lucy's grandparents...




instead... SURPRISE!




vinsons




chef joel shows us the basics (i got to assist with the basil for the pesto!)





lucy's perfect table!



 



all of our plates were wiped clean!

thanks you, lucy, for including us in sam's celebration! we had so much fun and can't wait until the couples cooking classes of the future!



los pinos ranch vineyards

whew! it has been a crazy week and it's only wednesday! i tried monday and tuesday to update with more pictures from the weekend in ss but have failed miserably each day. i have finally had a chance to finish up my post. we had a fun surprise party for our good friend, sam, on monday and bunco for breast cancer on tuesday - i can't wait to post pictures from these fun nights!

last saturday night, my family ventured out to pittsburgh, texas, to visit los pinos ranch vineyards. i wish i had better photos of the amazing location, but the weather was awful! it rained most of the time we were there (and there were tornado watches ALL around) so sadly, there aren't any shots of the beautiful vineyards. 

it was very east texas rustic - we sat outside on the patio

see the heat lamp? no, it wasn't working so we were freeeezing!

giraffe? when did my neck get so long?

k & k

dwight & mom

jessica & collin

joel & molls

loved the menus

this was my practice shot for napa/sonoma :)

 the food was so yummy. we loved our little pizza margherita

also loved the prosciutto panini

here's a pic of the whole group!

i love each of you so much! our weekend was a blast. can't wait to do this again!

^"Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart."

Philippians 1:3-4, The Message

family weekend!

happy saturday morning! let me begin by saying how excited we were to watch listen to the rangers game last night! mr. b and were traveling to one of my favorite places - east texas - and had to listen via xm. it was amazing. luckily we were able to watch the 6th - 9th innings at my parents. really looking forward to watching the world series!


buuuut moving on to discuss sulphur town, although it doesn't seem like much, this small town makes my heart swell every time we cross the hopkins county line...


here are a few interesting facts about sulphur - we have 15 foot tall dairy cows outside of the high school:

we have one of the most beeeautiful court houses around:

this image is pretty much a regular sight:

there is absolutely nothing like a cup of stew from hopkins co.:

there are many other fabulous things about sulphur but this could be my favorite reason for coming home:

my mama makes the most wonderfully delicious treats everytime we visit. cake balls, chocolate oatmeal cookies, banana bread, quiche, and many other yummy snacks! 

in other news, mr. b and i met our new neice this weekend:

this is mabel. we think she's a blue heeler/australian sheppard mix. she belongs to newlyweds, joel and molly. she's a doll and the center of attention in my parents house right now.

also, an update on my new fabric. i finally had a chance to look at my new pottery barn magazine. mr. b and i have been contemplating for a while on how to paint/re-tile/remodel the bathroom. we've done quite a bit of work on the bathroom already, but we have not been pleased with the paint color and tile.

here are a few inspiration photos:

  

benjamin moore's hathaway gold is my color of choice. i'm super excited to get started.

that's all for now. hope you have a happy, peaceful weekend.

a gilly-filled, gleeful weekend

this weekend, i made a little visit to hancock's in search of two things - felt fabric for a fancy costume for halloween:

i may or may not be planning a little gilly action for an evening at the dunagans on the 31st & mr. b is planning his own snl favorite.

i also purchased this print for a diy project:

i'm thinking maybe a roman shade for the bathroom... i'll update once the project is complete!

also, while mr. b was working, i spent the entire weekend finishing up the second half of season 1 of glee... one of the disadvantages of no cable - no fox. i finally rented the second half and it was fabulous! thank you to rebecca, my s.i.l., for introducing !

i'm sooo excited to start season 2!

finally, meant to say something earlier this week, but my dear friend lauren has started her own blog...  please enjoy her little "huffs and puffs"!

 hope you had a great weekend! much love.



there's no place like home...

i posted earlier that i would have a few more updates of our home as it has progressed. i was able to borrow my sweet mama's camera for our trip to cali and thought i would snap a few shots of our updated rooms.  





before: bedroom turned living area
this room was crazy! even the closet doors were painted that weird rose color




after: bedroom turned study

 



before: pink pepto bathroom





after: new vanity, sink, fixtures, mirror and paint
oops - guess i could have made sure the towels were hanging straight...

  



before: pepto pink guest bedroom, painted floors

 

after: guest bedroom painted, floors refinished



before: master bedroom, the same painted floors

after: master bedroom, new paint, refinished floors
by the way, this rug is my favorite thing in our house.

that's all i have for today. hope you're having a blessed week!