Sunday, October 10, 2010

coming home


this weekend was ACU homecoming. My sweet college roomies, Melissa and Lindsay, along with their significant others, came to town to for the weekend. In preparation for their arrival, I decided to make a few treats for the occasion.

organic grocery totes for the gals
ACU purple koozies for the guys



a special bottle of vino for the occasion



we spent the weekend laughing, crying, and catching up
saturday morning we attended the parade and chapel. it was delightful!

 

nothing like acapella singing in chapel!
love you two ladies! you are such a special part of my life. i'm so thankful that we were able to spend time together this weekend. i can't wait to see you both again!

Friday, October 8, 2010

happy friday!

Saw this on Mck’s blog and thought I’d try it out. A little harder than expected but it was super fun!


1. I love my job. I am very passionate about where I work and what I do.
2. I didn’t want to move to Abilene for college.
3. I didn’t want to stay in Abilene after college.
4. I married my college sweetheart and stayed in Abilene – 8 years and counting.
5. We don’t have cable. Haven’t for almost 2 years.
6. I’m a very proud ACU Wildcat. So excited that this weekend is Homecoming!
7. I have three planners. They are all repeats of one another. I LOVE SCHEDULES.
8. I can’t wait to be an aunt.
9. I only buy yellow and white mums. EOX for life.
10. I like to stay busy.
11. Most of the time, when I’m really busy, I get really stressed.
12. I love my dogs. Like, I tell them that I love them every night before we go to bed.
13. I am really sensitive and emotional. I cry every other day.
14. I think that the creation of life is one of the most fascinating things in this world.
15. I still drink out of my yellow Nalgene bottle from days of pledging.
16. I want three kids.
17. Santa Fe, New Mexico is one of my favorite places ever. We try to go almost every winter.
18. I miss my mom everyday.
19. I almost cried when I typed that.
20. West Texas gave me allergies.
21. I like projects. A lot. I like to know that I am working towards something.
22. I hate sewing. I want to learn but I have no patience for it.
23. Tyler candles are my favorite. I think it’s because they originated in East Texas, like me.
24. Brace yourself for this one – I was a Dairy Queen.
25. I used to sing on stage. I haven’t done it in almost 10 years and miss it terribly.
26. I hope that someday I have a son so that I can name him James Thompson after my father and my father-in-law.
27. I just ordered Space Savers. Pretty excited about trying them out.
28. I like to shop online. J. Crew packages arrive too frequently at our home.
29. I adore my coworkers.
30. My mom cut my hair until last September. I’ve been seeing someone new for a year now. I miss her cutting it.
31. I love high school football.
32. A lady that works in the hospital cafeteria calls me Natalie Wood.
33. I was blonde until my junior year of college.
34. Christian music makes me cry. Even if it all sounds the same.
35. If I could see one person in concert, it would be Frank Sinatra. If he sang “I Get a Kick Out of You”, I’d die.
36. I only like to shop alone.
37. I like to save new magazines until I have extended time to read them all at once.
38. I hate exercising.
39. I’m super claustrophobic.
40. I can’t snorkel, I’ll hyperventilate.
41. My husband makes me breakfast almost every morning. If he doesn’t, I usually don’t eat.
42. I started eating guacamole at 25. Not a joke.
43. I love old movies. I used to watch black and whites with my dad. Best memories ever.
44. I don’t drink soft drinks.
45. I hate crowds.
46. I like yoga but I don’t consider that exercise.
47. I miss my siblings terribly.
48. I love mushrooms. I think they’re the best food ever.
49. I’m really hot natured.
50. My favorite animal is the cow. Don’t ask me why.
51. I love writing thank you notes.
52. I open gifts extremely slow. I don’t like to tear the paper.
53. My favorite color is red.
54. I’m always forgetting birthdays. I guess the three calendar theory isn’t working (sorry Mom).
55. I hate math.
56. Monograms make my world go round.
57. I have never (knock on wood) broken a bone.
58. I’m not a big fan of carpet.
59. I rarely wear a lot of jewelry.
60. When I was a child, I read all of the time. My favorite book was Anne of Green Gables.
61. I hardly have any time to read any more but I still love it.
62. I pray constantly that my children will know my daddy through the precious memories we have of him.
 63. Every room in my house is a different shade of gray. That’s my favorite thing about it.
64. I rarely wear heels anymore.
65. In 2006, I hiked 20 miles with my boyfriend because he loves the mountains. Thankfully, he was impressed and asked me to marry him 4 months later. I haven’t walked, hiked, or run more than 3 miles since.
66. Blood, guts, cuts, scrapes, etc. make me gag. I get light headed and sometimes pass out.
67. My husband is a PT and LOVES wound care. He talks about it all of the time. I spend a lot of time nauseated.
68. I passed out after watching him get stitches in January.
69. My handwriting is terrible. I hate it.
70. I wish I talked less.
71. I love Saturday mornings when we have nothing to do but sit together on the couch, drink coffee, and read magazines. It’s pure bliss.
 72. I’m way too honest because I can’t lie. Don’t ever ask me to because you’ll be in trouble if it’s a secret.
73. My hubby guesses his Christmas gifts almost every year because I can’t keep a secret.
74. My parents taught my brother, sister and I to be best friends. We are, and I love that.
75. The Conflict Resolution Program at ACU changed my life. I am eternally grateful.
76. I think that the best place to be in the fall is East Texas. Eating stew. Also maybe eating candy corn.
77. We are celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary in CA. Couldn’t be more excited.
78. I miss my college girlfriends like a crazy person.  
79. We don’t own a real crock pot.
80. Some days, I wish we lived in a real small town. Even Abilene has traffic.
81. I love to write. I think grad school made me more creative.
82. I need to volunteer more.
83. Cooking Light magazines and cook books are the best. There isn’t a recipe that we have made that didn’t turn out delish!
84. I love pickles. My husband hates pickles.
85. I absolutely hate scary movies. I refuse to watch them.
86. I would rather buy a new handbag than shoes.
87. Martha Stewart is my entertaining, and creativity icon. My dream is to pick her brain... if I wasn’t so scared of her.
88. I love getting Christmas cards.
89. I am beyond thankful for the friends in Abilene that God has blessed us with. Even if they move off to the metroplex...
90. I have never really liked the color pink but it is growing on me.
91. I miss HGTV and Bravo. I'm kinda sad that I miss Sarah's House and Rachel Zoe.
92. I used to walk in my sleep. I was locked out of my room my first year at church camp.
93. My middle name is Christine.
94. I’m usually running late. Unless it’s church because the hubby likes to be on time.
95. We’re trying not to eat meat for awhile. It isn’t really working.
96. I love being at home, on the couch, with the dogs and the husband.
97. I’m addicted to Burt’s Bee’s lip shimmer.
98. I love sour skittles.
99. I still use hot rollers.
100. I love that God knows every single moment in my life. The good and the not so good.


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

pergola paradise

the weather in west texas has been super pleasant lately.
we've been spending quality time here...
 mr. b built our pergola all by himself.

 also, i'm really excited, these precious ladies are coming for a homecoming visit. 
i can't wait to see them!


hope you're having a great week and enjoying the fabulous weather like we are!


Friday, October 1, 2010

let them eat cake... pops!

This week I finished up two very important projects; a wreath and tasty Cake Pops. One turned out successful, the other not so much. But I had fun doing both.

Harvest Wreath
A few weeks ago, I found this fabulous harvest wreath on marthastewart.com:

I had big plans for it to go in our dining room and hang over the mirror (like above). So here is the how to of my own Martha creation:


 Soak husks in water until pliable, about 10 minutes, and tear into 2-inch-wide strips. Bend 1 strip in half, and attach to wreath form with a U pin. Working from the inside of the wreath form outward, create rows of 4 or 5 strips. Circle the wreath form as you go, overlapping rows so pinned edges stay hidden.


I ended up hanging it on the door for all to see. I'm very happy with my little festive fall wreath and once again, Martha is a genius!

Cake Pops
I wish I would have researched Martha's advice on Cake Pops. This was my first time to make them and it was kind of hard. I showed a few starter pics on Monday's post. Mom and I baked and mashed a chocolate and a strawberry cake (actually, she baked, I mashed). Then, we added chocolate icing to the mashed chocolate cake and vanilla icing to the mashed strawberry cake. After that, we formed the cake into little balls. Then, we froze them. Wednesday night, I took the cake balls out of the freezer to complete the Cake Pop process...

Started my double boiler (I used a glass bowl over the pot method):

Then, once it was warm enough, I added the white chocolate. The double boiling kept the candy nice and melted.



Finally, I placed a stick in the cake balls to make Cake Pops and spooned icing onto each (Mr. B ran an errand so neither one of us were able to get good pics of the process).
They didn't turn out as planned - you can see the cake through the white chocolate.

I had high hopes for these little pens. I will never use them again. Terrible.

I was able to make my hubby a sample. This heart was the only legible design made by the pens.
I completed the Cake Pops and wrote a letter on each one to spell "CELEBRATE" for supper club last night. We ate cake in honor of Ryan and Jamie's birthdays. Such a blast and we enjoy our group so much! We enjoyed our first full year together. Missed you, Jeffrey family!

Looking forward to a busy weekend. Tomorrow morning, bright and early we will support the American Heart Association with the annual Heart Walk. Later, our fabulous sister and brother-in-law are coming over for dinner.

Have a blessed weekend and happy October 1!


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

monday madness

We had a super packed weekend this September 23 – 25th. I traveled to Sulphur Springs this weekend to spend some special time with my mama. On my way, though, I caught up with this girl at Starbs on Friday night…


Nat and I visited about her upcoming transfer with E&Y to AUSTRALIA.
We don’t see one another often enough so this was a treat! Also, in regards to her big move, she is going to start a blog of her own! I can’t wait to hear details about her exciting adventure. Love you Nat and thanks for meeting up with me!

Also over the weekend, I took a little trip to PB. As usual, they didn’t disappoint. Came back with a few treasures that made their way to our dining room table and our buffet…




Mom and I shopped, decorated and baked a lot on Saturday. The baking attempt was spent on cake pops. They don't seem to be of Bakerella's quality, however, I hope as I finish mine up later this week that they will turn out okay. They are currently in the "freezing" state (last photo).






Love you mom. Thanks for spending your weekend with me. Dwight, thanks for sharing! J

On Sunday, I stopped off to visit the precious little addition in the Jeffrey family, Miss June. She is perfect and it was hard to pull myself away from their home. Congrats Jeffreys. We are thrilled about your sweet girl!

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the light in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." James 1:17

Last but not least, Mr. B worked hard – not only at the hospital all weekend but on our back yard. He planted new shrubs!


And I wanted to leave you with this precious pic. My little babies are enjoying the cool weather today...
Bailey-dog is obviously known for being photogenic...
Have a blessed week!

Friday, September 24, 2010

twirl

Yea for Friday!

I wanted to offer a little inspiration before the weekend. I read this post a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to share it with friends and family. It’s called Twirl, written by Emily at Jones Design Company. She talks about Zephaniah 3:17;

“The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Twirl is one of the most uplifting blog entries that I have read. You can read it here and be uplifted today!

Thank you for all of your sweet words and for reading about our lives. Have a happy weekend! Love.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

fallen

In honor of the official first day of fall, I thought I’d write about a few things that I’ve “fallen” for in the past few days!

Baby June:

Our hearts lept for joy when June's first pic came across our phones yesterday. I’m sure this new momma will be updating her blog shortly with new photos of her gal! We already love the beautiful little bundle and can't wait to meet her.
 
Supper club misses this lady!
Tamara, Lucy, Jessica, Abby

Fall centerpieces: Got the PB Fall catalog yesterday. I think  I'll be stopping on my way to SS to stock up on a few fancies for my dining table!
 
images from: pottery barn
Outdoor FALL dining (under our pergola!):

images from southernliving

These two munchkins:
our very own Bailey & Charlie

And finally, Mr. B's grandmother came for dinner tonight. We enjoyed burgers, apple pie and ice cream. I snapped a quick shot of the two of them before she left for the evening. 
Mr. B & Ganna

Also, thanks to mrs. d for the sweet shout out on her own blog today!