Back to School

Oh my goodness! It's time to go back to school (the above shot is of my school). I must say, I have enjoyed every second this summer of being a stay at home wife and dog mom. I've been able to exercise, do my Bible study, clean, cook, do yardwork, and do laundry at my leisure. The dogs have gotten ample attention. I've been refreshed and renewed when my husband gets home from work, so I can greet him cheerfully when he walks in the door. But, all of those wonderful things are coming to a crashing halt in just a few short hours. Tomorrow I must return back to the workforce. I'm trying my best not to go kicking and screaming but they were really on to something in the days of yore when men went out to earn the living and women stayed home to maintain the home and all that entails. The stress is so much less when someone can look after the personal affairs of the family. Oh well, such is life. Wish me luck as I return!

A Little Snick Snack

I don't know if it's because I'm a teacher, or what, but I still have to have an after-school snack every day. At about 3:15 my tummy gets rumbly and I start scavenging through the pantry. You don't want to be around if at 4:00 I haven't had my snack yet. So, what do I eat, you ask? I always seem to go back to a mix of honey roasted peanuts and dried cranberries. I don't know what it is about this snack, but it just really hits the spot for me. It's a perfect blend of sweet and salty. So, go ahead. Try it. I dare ya!

What do you like to snack on? I'm always open to other options. Oh, and I also like wheat thins dipped in peanut butter and honey.

And, in other news, I will be outta the loop for the next few days. My sister-in-law is getting hitched, and things are starting to get a little nutso with the schedule surrounding that.

Tell the pretty lady what she's won . . .

a BRAND NEW CAR!!!

You may remember seeing my sweet old car in some pictures. It looked like this:
It was a white 2005 volvo S40 - fully loaded, sunroof, dolby sound, 6 disc changer, leather seats, wood grain. AWESOME! I absolutely loved that girl! She was stylish and sporty, dependable and comfortable, the cat's pajamas if you will, and you will. Well, last weekend my hottie husband and I were thinking, "Man, we really need a car that we can take our dog children in. After all, our dog sons are each about 60 lbs and our dog daugther is going to be around 150 lbs. They need some place that they can ride. Now, don't kid yourself. We have a luxurious 1991 jeep cherokee with no air and a flat tire. Sure, it got us from point A to point B in the Texas heat, but we were profusely perspiring by the time we reached our desired destination. And, we're constantly having to move it around in our driveway in order to accommodate our three cars. Not an ideal situation. So, we kept hearing from different people that they had great deals on trucks and SUVs at our local Chevrolet dealer. We decided to give it a whirl, though we loved the Volvo with all our hearts. Two sedans (my husband has a sporty little silver passat) with leather interior just weren't cutting it.

So, after much haggling - boy, do I get a rush outta makin' a car salesman work for every penny he gets out of us - we came out with a brand spankin' new silver Tahoe LT2. Here's a visual:

She still sports the leather seats, the wood grain, the premium sound, the 6 disc changer, plus so so much more! The only feature I had to trade in with the Volvo was the sunroof. But, it will be so worth it for the room. And, I didn't know until yesterday that these babies have this little feature called Flexfuel, so she gets 28 mpg on the highway. Yay for new cars!

Super Aunt to the Rescue!

There are many wonderful things about having family close by, and one of them just happens to be that we can help one another out when need be. Last Friday, Maddox (my nephew) couldn't go to day care because it was closed for teacher training. Don't dismay Super Aunt Lindsey was there to save the day! We had the best time together, as always. It was a dreary, rainy day, which our grass desperately needed, so we had to get outside at any point that we could.

Picking up sticks to give to Gladys.

Reading books that we checked out at our church library. Maddox LOVES books.
Eating a lunch of champions (PB&J and apple sauce) while watching TV.
Is there something on my face?
Making a Get Well Soon card for Nana.

Ready to play with all his fun stuff.

Drawing a pond with sidewalk chalk.
Who woulda thought that SpeedRacer makes a great chalk holder?
Walking Gladys. Sort of.
We never miss an opportunit to play at the playground across the street.

Ahh, what a fun time we had! It's such a blessing to play with a child.

Good Things.

Good Food.

(Chicken and Biscuits - a good 'ole southern delight.)

Good wine.

Good movie. kinda

Good company.

Good night.


Chicken and Biscuits

1 (16 oz) package frozen mixed vegetables

2 cans cooked chicken (get this on the aisle with tuna)

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped,

1 can french fried onions

Biscuits:1 1 cup biscuit mix 1 1/3 cup milk

In a bowl, combine the vegetables, chicken, soup, milk, 1 cup cheese and bacon, and french fried onions. Pour into an ungreased 13×9x2 inch baking dish. Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.
In another bowl, combine the biscuit mix and milk. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto the chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered for another 2o minutes or until the biscuits are brown. Top with the onions and cheese. Bake about 5 minutes longer until the cheese is melted.

I serve this on a bed of mashed potatoes with cream gravy on top. But, it would be just as good without those things.

Two Months and Counting!

Today I've been married to the man of my dreams for exactly two months. It's been all that I'd hoped it would be and more. I'll leave you with a few more pictures from that magical day.


And, 10 Things I Love About Being Married to Brian:
1. I get to go to sleep and wake up with my best friend.
2. I have someone to do life with (the fun and the not so fun).
3. Brian always checks in with me numerous times a day just to see what I'm doing.
4. I have a very intelligent man around who can fix EVERYTHING (the toilet, the dog's leash, the curtain rod, etc.etc.)
5. Brian makes me feel safe. He's a wonderful provider and protector.
6. I tend to be too serious, but my husband can always make me laugh, even when I'm irritated with him [and I hate that :)]
7. Brian talks to me and listens to me.
8. He keeps me in check when I start getting wrapped up in my emotions.
9. He prays with me and goes to church with me.
10. Brian plays with me.

Man, I love that boy!

Whirlwind Weekend

Since I started the week bragging about my new dog, and then I shared about my mother-in-law's birthday, I decided to backtrack today and tell you about my weekend. It was a good one, and thus it should not go without mention.

The fun began on Friday night with a Fondue Party at my sister and brother-in-law's house (Ashley and Brian). The party guests included Ashley and Brian (isn't it funny that we both married Brians?), their sweet child Maddox, and Josh and Lauren (my Brian's sister and soon to be brother-in-law). It was so fun! We dipped and dunked until we were stuffed to the brim. We had beef and chicken and pasta and veggies and breads and fruit and marshmallows, etc. etc. etc. This was great, and much cheaper than The Melting Pot, though that's a must do restaurant for everyone!




Then, on Saturday we made the hour drive to one of our favorite restaurants. Their burgers and fries are to-die-for, but their dessert selection is even better! Can you hear the calories piling on?

Here's Maddox with his XL hot dog.

This was my meal. And this was a child-sized burger. What has America come to? Don't fret, I split those fries with Brian. And, now for dessert - turtle fudge cake. simply delectable. There are no words.

I love good weekends with good food.

(And, for those of you wanting to know. I served homemade lasagna, asiago garlic bread, green salad, and homemade cheesecake for my MIL's birthday. And, I was just too busy to take pics. Maybe next time.)

Par - tay!!!

Once again, duty called and it was time for us to open our home for another entertaining delight. Brian's sweet mom, Judy, had a birthday yesterday, so we decided to be the hosts. Here are a few little looks into our lovely evening.

This was the birthday table. Of course, it's red. I should've had the candles lit for the picture, but I didn't. You can use your imagination.
Here's Judy making a wish as she blows out the candles on the cheesecake.
Here's the original Pond family, plus Josh, Lauren's fiance. (They're getting married on August 16th.)
Judy was rather delighted with her Target giftcard from Dale. She's been begging for new bedding for her room, and this will do the trick.
And, finally, a picture of the dog cousins. From left to right: Vito (American Bulldog), Samson (Catahoula Bulldog), Eli (we're still guessing), Maddie (Pomeranian - Boston Terrier mix), and Gladys (English Mastiff). We decided to line them up and take their picture from biggest to smallest each month, and then we can watch Gladys make her move up the ranks. We're nuts, I know! Can you imagine us when we actually have children? By the way, Eli and Maddie belong to Lauren and Josh. We're not that nutty :)

Baby Makes Three . . .And, I Mean It This Time!

Meet Gladys. She is the new addition to our family. By this time, y'all are probably thinking that Brian and I are some kind of dog fanatics, and you're right. Early Saturday morning, I was trotting along through our neighborhood with Vito and Samson, enjoying our luxurious new harnesses, when I was caught off guard by an enormous beast - an English Mastiff. I had no idea what kind of dog this was, until I asked the fearless owner. Quickly, I rushed home and woke up my snoozing husband, and said, "Brian, guess what kind of dog we saw this morning on our walk?" Of course, he had no idea, so I replied, "An English Mastiff. That was an awesome dog!" Brian's eyes all of a sudden lit up as he said, "I love those dogs. They're HUGE! We should get one." So, the research began. All day long we started reading online about the breed. Brian already knew tons about them, but I was totally clueless. By about 2:00pm, we'd found a breeder about an hour away, so we jumped in the car, loaded with cash. Because, everyone knows that if you go "look" at a puppy, you might as well say, "I'm going to buy a puupy." Who can resist puppies? So, we're now the proud owners of a six-week-old registered English Mastiff named Gladys. She's precious. Now, I have to enjoy her small size while I can. The vet told us yesterday to prepare for her to be about 40lbs. by the time she's 12 weeks. Right now she tips the scale at 7 1/2 lbs. And, her mom and dad are both over 150 lbs, so we'll see in about 10 short months exactly how large a giant we have on our hands. YEAH! I love doggies!

OH - MY - GOODNESS!!!

One hot and sunny August day, an energetic girl, named Lindsey, set out for her daily morning walk with her two handsome bulldogs, Vito and Samson. Now, it was her custom to pray for her protection on her 3-mile walk as she closed her front door because she believed that the Lord cared about even the smallest details of her life. And, she knew that at any given moment her two rowdy canines could drag her to her death if only they saw something provocative like an innocent little squirrel or even a sly baby kitten. Lindsey tried to trick herself into thinking that she could control these enormous beasts, but deep inside, she knew that she could not.

This day she had an extra spring in her step, though, because her thoughtful husband had gone the extra mile to ensure her safety. Only the night before, he had taken her on a date to the local Petsmart to see what sort of apparatus they make to outwit such mighty creatures. Money was no object to him when safeguarding his wife, and he did have a small personal interest in being able to hook his dogs up as if they were participating in the Ididarod. Nonetheless, they scoured the aisles, hand in hand, looking for just the perfect device. At last, their eyes met on comfort fit harnesses that boasted phrases like, "instantly controls misbehavior" and "no pulling". These words were like the Hallelujah chorus to Lindsey's ears, so quickly, she snatched up two extra large contraptions and a two-dog leash, and ran to the cashier with a grin on her face.

The excited couple couldn't wait to get home to try out their new finds on the aforementioned dogs. They raced in the door, ripped open the packages, and strapped up their dogs like a bonafide sled team. The claims of the packages were not in vain. They did, in fact, "instantly control misbehavior" and there was "no pulling". The two rejoiced in the solution of the problem and they grinned at each other because of their success!