Happy New Year

From my family to yours....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May all your wishes & dreams come true in 2012!

Be safe tonight!!! (sorry, I had to!)

Recap of 2011

2011 is coming to a close and it is bitter sweet. This has been the best year of my life so far! I am so excited to see what 2012 has in store for us. I know it will be amazing!

January: 

Celebrated New Years with great friends!

February: 

Went and saw one of our favorite performers, Cory Morrow. We requested he play our future first dance song and he did!!

Played in the snow & ended up getting the truck stuck...

March:

Went snow skiing in Santa Fe. This was our 4th or 5th year to go in a row. We look forward to it every year!

Bridal shower #1 hosted by these beautiful ladies & great friends in Dallas!

April: 

Went to my cousin's beautiful wedding in Austin.

Bridal Shower #2 in Houston.

May:

Finished grad school!!! YAY!!!!! I know have my Masters in Administration. 

Had my bachelorette party. One of the only pictures from my bachelorette party :-( I need to get them from the other girls!

June:

Got married!!!!

Honeymoon in Antigua!

July:

Group trip to New Braunfels. 

One of my best friends got married!!

Finishing grad school celebration!! 

Celebrating summer with an amazing group of teachers!! So thankful for each one of them (& some are missing).

August:

Family trip to Destin, Fl.

September:

One of my beautiful best friends got engaged!! Unfortunately we were not there to celebrate but did soon after! 

October:

Signed our first contract to build our house but then cancelled due to lots of reasons! This was really hard for me to understand at the time but everything happens for a reason! It turned out to be a true blessing! But just for memories, here is what it would have looked like. 

November:

Painting with the bride to be!! Can't wait for next July when she gets married!! MOH duties are starting...

December:

My beautiful sister got her Aggie ring!!

Signed a new (& way better) contract on our new home! Expected closing date is May 15th. 

Wow! Looking back through all of the pictures from this year brought back so many wonderful memories. I can't believe so much happened in one year. I am so blessed to have everyone I do in my life!!! Here's to 2012 and it being a great year!

Thursday Randoms

Lots of random things going on in my head so here is probably the most random post ever!

-Who knew that brown rice took longer to cook than white rice?!?! UGH!! I am so hungry & was planning to have a quick easy to make dinner. It is still really easy to make but we have to wait a lot longer! We are having something called Taco Junk. Exciting title huh? All you need is 1lb. of hamburger meat, can of black beans, can of corn, can of rotel, packet of taco seasoning & ranch dressing seasoning. Cook the meat, mix everything else in, and serve it over rice & fritos with cheese on top. MMMM!! So hungry for it but we have to wait 27 more minutes because I was trying to be healthy & serve brown rice.

- Speaking of dinner, last night I made homemade waffles & chicken. It was so good. I told a few friends that I had lunch with today and one that I talked to last night and they all thought it was strange. Here it is in all it's yummy glory...

- I went to lunch with some of my teacher friends and then we went to the mall. It was so good to see them. I was able to spend some of my gift cards and here is what I got (sorry for the crappy quality, I used my phone.)

- I have so many blog post that I want to write that I don't even know where to start. I hope to have them typed and ready to go for the weekend but sometimes when I schedule a post it doesn't work. My post will include new items in my esty store, 2011 in review, New Year's resolutions, and a house update. Look for them sometime soon. I hope that since I put them on the blog that it will hold me more accountable... we will see!!

- I am 12 bloggers away from an awesome giveaway. Once I hit 95 followers, I will give a hint to what the giveaway will include. 

- Twitter, I have been obsessed lately. If you have a twitter, leave the link in a comment so I can follow you. You can follow me by clicking here. 

I hope everyone has had a great Thursday! I can't believe 2012 is only 2 days away. 

What are your New Years Eve plans? 

WILW

I am linking up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday. If you would like to link up, click here.

I'm loving that 2011 was such a wonderful year but looking forward to what 2012 will bring!

I'm loving Clay Walker's new (to me) song- Like We Never Said Goodbye. He performed this song when we saw him at Billy Bob's a few weeks ago. I grew up seeing him at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He was sick this last time we saw him but still put on an amazing show!!

I'm loving that we will spend New Year's Eve with great friends like we have the past 3 years. A friend of ours from high school/ college has a get together every year. Here are pictures from the last 3 years. 

I'm loving that I still have a few days off before going back to work. I have plans today and tomorrow to have lunch with some great friends!! 

I'm loving that we know where we will be living when our lease is up. I can't wait to share more info on that process soon! 

I'm loving all of the gift cards I got for Christmas and can't wait for the stores to get restocked so I can go use them. 

I'm loving my husband. He started getting sick the day before Christmas Eve. I hope he feels better soon or I will force him to go to the doctor. 

Link up with Jamie and let us know what you are loving today!

P.S. I am at 85 followers. I have a big giveaway planned for when I hit 100. I will give a sneak peek when I get to 95!

Wonderful Christmas

I have enjoyed reading so many of your Christmas recaps and it is now time for ours. Chris and I had 4 families to visit so to say we were busy and all over the place is an understatement. We live 4 hours from our families but luckily our families live within 30 minutes of each other in Houston. Visiting Houston is so much fun and I love seeing all of our families but I love Dallas and am reminded of that every time we visit Houston. 

We went to Houston Friday afternoon and spent time with Chris's dad and family before going to my mom's to sleep. We woke up Saturday morning and I took Chris to his dad's house and then went to get my nails done. Saturday afternoon we went to my mom's for a while and then headed to my dad's later that night. I have a little brother and sister that still very much believe in Santa so I wanted to be there when they woke up. Sunday morning was crazy!! Those kids got guitars and it was LOUD!!! Love the sound of guitars when they are played correctly. After doing Christmas with my dad, we headed to Chris's dads. It was much quieter at their house. I love going over there, it is very homey and comfortable. Here is a picture of their tree.

We then headed to Chris's grandmothers. We saw his whole family there and ate gumbo. His grandmother always makes shrimp gumbo and crab gumbo. It is really good. I took a picture of there tree when we first got there. 

We left his grandmas and went back to his dads to get Acey and then to my dads to get our stuff and then finally got to my moms. It was late once we got there but my sister was awake so woke my mom up. We opened one gift and decided we would finish Christmas in the morning. 

The best part of Christmas was watching everyone open their gifts. I was so excited to give Chris his gift. He has wanted a specific pair of boots for a while now. I got them and felt like the best wife... until I opened his present. Chris totally over did it this year but I could not be more thankful. Long story short, he had been saying that he was getting me candy and soda for Christmas. It was a joke from a tweet I posted. I figured he would follow through with what he kept saying but didn't know what else he had up his sleeve. I opened my box and saw this...

I was in heaven. I kept digging to see what other goodies he had got me when I felt a box. I had no idea what was in it and was thinking I already have a ring, a watch wouldn't fit, what the heck is it?!? I unwrapped it and it was the same box my engagement ring came in... I opened it to see these...

I didn't cry but could have. I was in complete shock. I could not believe that he got me these beautiful diamond earrings. I haven't taken them off since I put them in on Sunday. The picture is from my iPhone and therefore does not justify their beauty. 

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and enjoyed time with their families. It comes and goes so quickly but we can remember the real meaning behind Christmas daily. 2012 is coming soon and there is much we are looking forward to. It will be hard to top 2011 though!

Sometimes & Always

I promise a Christmas recap is coming soon! I wanted to link up with Megan at MackeyMadness. She has started a fun link up and I wanted to participate!! Go link up and read the other blogs that have. 

Sometimes: I make plans to spend the whole day cleaning our apartment and finish all of the laundry. 

Always: It always takes me 2-3 days to clean and laundry never gets completely done.

Sometimes: I go grocery shopping with the intent of cooking at home every night of the week. 

Always: It never happens, there is always one night that I get lazy and either pick something up or order in. 

Sometimes: I want to cut my hair to my shoulders. 

Always: Chicken out and decide I love it the day I make an appointment. 

Think that is a good start! Leave a comment if you link up so I can go check out your blog! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. I must get off my computer to go clean! I am so excited about dinner tonight... pork chops in the crockpot. YUM!!

WILW

It's been well over a week since I have blogged! I do have a good reason for my absence. I have been keeping up with your blogs and commenting some but I am ready for a major life slow down. What better way to get back to blogging then to join What I'm Loving Wednesday. I feel like I say this every Wednesday but I have so much that I am loving I don't know where to begin...

I am loving that I only have a half day of school left before a long (much needed break). My district voted on a new calendar for this year which shortened our Christmas break but has us getting out at the end of May. When I voted it sounded like a great idea... now not so much! I know I will be thankful come May!

I am loving that I get to see my family in 3 days. I can't wait to go home for Christmas and relax in their company. 

I am loving that Christmas is so close!! I can't wait to give the gifts that I haven't even begun shopping for (no stress here).

I am loving that we signed a contract on our first home. We have been through a lot in throughout but was proven last night that it was all for a reason. I am excited to say (again) that Chris and I will be building our first home together. Estimated move in date is Mat 15th. I'm sure there will be many more details to come on this process. 

I am loving the amazing team of teachers I work with on a daily basis. Although I am ready for a break, I will miss them. I am so very thankful for each one of them!

I am loving that we stuck to our budget last month and have high expectations for this month. 

I am loving the newest items that I have added to my etsy store. I may do a post about the new items later this week. 

As always, I am loving this man. I would not be where I am today without him. He is awesome! Here is a picture of us from high school. 

I told you I was loving a lot this week! Link up with Jamie and show us what you are loving too. Have a great Wednesday!!

Meal Plan for the week

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Chris went duck hunting Saturday morning and then deer hunting the rest of the weekend. I went with our realtor to look for at a few pre-owned homes and a new build neighborhood. I only liked one of the pre-owned homes and may take Chris to see it but I am in love with the new construction area. I fell in love with a floor plan. I also found 2 more builders and we are going to talk to them next Saturday!! I feel hopeful after this weekend!!

My meal plan for the week is pretty simple. I am using a lot of stuff we already have in our pantry or fridge. I really expected our grocery bill to be under $50 for the week but I was hungry when I went to the store and left spending right under $90. Darn it! I now have 3 different pudding flavors, 5 or 6 different fresh fruits, 2 jars of pickles (because they were on sale) and lots of other random food we don't need. Here  are the meals I am making this week:

Sunday- Meatballs, Rice & Gravy

This is one of my go to meals. Originally it was not on my menu but my mom called asking for the recipe and they sounded good. If you are interested in the recipe let me know and I can type it up for you. They are AMAZING!!

Monday- Mexican Cornbread Casserole

I have never made this recipe but it sounds and looks really good. You can find it here. I will let you know next week if it will be added to our meal plan again. (It will not let me save a picture)

Tuesday- Jambalaya 

This is nothing to exciting. It is out of the box and I add the sausage, onion, corn & garlic. 

Wednesday- Roast

This is my specialty!! I love roast. I use a 2-3 lb. chuck roast, potatoes, onion, and 3 mixes. Let it cook all day and serve over rice. 

Thursday- Sausage Breakfast Tacos

Yum! I love dinner for breakfast. This is such an easier, yummy dinner. Chris likes bacon so I make some with bacon and mine with sausage. 

I told you there wasn't really anything to exciting. I don't even have any pictures of the food for you. I don't like doing a post without pictures so here are some of our newest addition... (sorry for the bad cell phone pictures)

 She sleeps with her tongue out

This is right after my dad picked her up. 

I can't wait to give her to my mom!! She is going to be so excited! 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Catchup this week

I have really neglected my blog over the past few days. I have been reading all of the new blogs I follow and haven't had time to post when I am done. I have found so many fun blogs this week! I hate missing What I'm Loving Wednesday so I am going to do a couple what I am loving things...

I'm loving that we are getting this doll for my mom for Christmas! My mom sent me a picture of her a few days ago and has asked about her every day. "Did you talk to your sister about the puppy?" "Did you call the guy about the puppy?" I had not called... until yesterday. My sister is on board! So, I called the guy who is selling her and she was still available. They are 12 weeks old. My dad is going to pick her up today so hopefully I will have more pictures soon. This is a surprise for my mom. I called her yesterday and told her that the puppy was sold and she was so disappointed. She has no idea that she is sold to us!! I am so EXCITED!!!

I'm loving that I am attending a parent involvement conference today and tomorrow. The conference doesn't start until 1 today so I have had the morning to myself. I have enjoyed sleeping in a little bit and am currently enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. I am getting ready soon because I am having lunch with the hubby since he works downtown. 

I'm loving that I get to ride to work with Chris tomorrow. It's the little things in life that are so special. Who would have ever thought I would be excited to ride to work with him. Kinda silly, but I am excited!!

I'm loving that Christmas is only 17 days away. I need to start my Christmas shopping. I only have 1 person done!

What are you loving this week?