The Life of Our Blog & My 100th Post

I noticed about a couple of weeks ago that my 100th blog post was approaching and have been thinking about what I would write about.  JW suggested a look back at some of our favorite posts.  He helped me come up with the categories and vote on his favorites, so here we go.

Funniest Post
Ruling the Road - confessions and rules from a road raging driver

Most Tragic Post
Our Visit From the Easter Bunny - Harley's over-eager attempt to make a friend

Most Sentimental Post
Two Years Ago Today - second anniversary

Favorite Memories
A Weekend to Remember - lazy weekend at home
Vacay With the Roush's - trip to Austin with Rich and Meg
"Pit-stop" in Waco -Em and Brit come to visit
Labor Day Weekend - a weekend at the Lake with Shay and Adam

Best Post in Pictures
Wedding Memories - favorite wedding day pictures posted after our first anniversary

Most Depressing Post
One Day Down... - the day JW started PC

Favorite Harley Posts
Snow Day- a Husky girl gets to play in the snow
Happy Birthday Harley Girl - Harley's first year in pictures

Favorite Family Posts
Hance Revolving Door - families come to visit
Weekend in Brenham - trip with Momma Hance
Dad's Day Weekend - Sugar Land weekend

Best Birthday Post
Blast from the Past - a 10 year crush
Honorable Mention: Puppy Party - Harley turns one

Most Expensive Post
Terrible Three's - car woes

A Mischievious Post
T-R-O-U-B-L-E - Harley gets in trouble as a pup

JW's Favorite Post
Lazy Weekend - JW finds himself a frog friend

Amanda's Favorite Post
Cravings - woes of being a woman

Thank you to all of the faithful blog readers who keep up with us here.  We enjoy sharing our life with you  and look forward to posting about the next hundred memories.

Meg's Birthday Celebration

Today is Megan's birthday!  Rich invited a group of friends to dinner Saturday night in Coppell, so JW and I drove up to Dallas this weekend to join in the celebration.  We stayed with Shay and Adam in the new house they are renting and also got to spend some time with our family friends, the Flaggs.  It was a great weekend!

Meg blowing out her birthday candles

 

Meg with her cake that Lasen brought

The whole group over at the Roush's after dinner

Even Tegan got some birthday cake

Thanks, mom.  Happy Birthday!

JW, me, Shay, and Adam

We got to be the Paulson's first house guests in their new place.  It was a lot of fun to spend time with them.  Shay made us waffles on Sunday morning and we all sat at the table to enjoy a yummy breakfast and great conversation before we left.  This was weekend #2 out of 3 in a row that we had plans in Dallas, so it was a quick trip, but well worth it.  Great times with wonderful friends. 

Happy Birthday, Megan!  We are so thankful for you.

Home Cooked Sunday: Slow Cooker Style

Dana and Carolyn came over for Sunday dinner last night.  We had warm Baked Potato Soup and enjoyed catching up.

The Menu: Baked Potato Soup, Croissant Rolls, Salad, and White Sangria
Dessert: Chocolate Chunk Brownies and Ice Cream

Baked Potato Soup

recipe courtesy of Southern Living

• 6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I washed and left skin on 2 of the potatoes)
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup half and half
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
• chopped fresh chives
• sour cream
• bacon slices, crumbled
• Shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a slow cooker.  Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours or until potato is tender.  Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened.  Stir in half and half, cream cheese, and Cheddar.  Use chives, sour cream, bacon, and additional Cheddar as garnish if desired.

White Sangria

• 1 bottle Chardonnay
• 1/2 cup Vodka
• 1 can frozen fuzzy navel concentrate
• 1 1/2 cans Sprite
• 1/2 cup frozen fruit (or fresh if you have it)

Combine all ingredients and serve chilled.   I always have a hard time finishing bottles of wine.  This Sangria recipe was a result of combining some things we had in the kitchen.  It was pretty good and a great way to use left-over wine. 

This dinner was so easy to just combine and let it cook.  It will be great left-over for lunch this week too.  Have a great week!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my beautiful mother's birthday.  My mom is my best friend and one of the strongest women I know.  She is certainly a testament to God's love and faithfulness.  Our personalities are similar and we look a lot alike.  We like it now when people ask if we are sisters.  Sometimes it is a little scary when we say the same things or finish each other's sentences.  Who knows?  Maybe we share a brain. 

mom, me, and my sister-Claire at my wedding in 2009

Some of my favorite memories with mom include watching movies and helping her wrap Christmas presents.  For those that don't know, my mom doesn't just wrap.  Each present is a creation, complete with wired ribbon and a coordinating ornamental topper.  JW used to always make fun of the pretty pine cones or sparkly greenery she put on presents, but I think he has come to appreciate her Christmas masterpieces.  Evenings leading up to Christmas were always spent with me and her on the floor together talking and wrapping.  I miss that being in Waco now, but look back on those memories and smile.  Maybe we'll have wrapping parties together again soon.

Another memory I have is a week before Christmas in 2002 when she was pregnant with my youngest brother, Hunter.  She had spent the day shopping with dad and was having some minor contractions.  She thought she had just pushed herself too hard that day, and decided to take it easy the rest of the night.  I was sitting in her bed with her and started to write down how often she was having contractions.  They were getting pretty close together, so I went and got dad.  They went to the hospital and Hunter was born that December 21st night.  He was quite a bit earlier than his due date, and came right before Christmas, so we weren't ready!  Mom had plans to get baby-ready after the holidays...  I remember buying diapers and clothes with dad and grandma while mom was still in the hospital with Hunter.  Me, Taylor, and Dad did a lot of the wrapping that year.  It was definitely not up to mom's caliber, but it got done.  Dad tied this bright blue curly ribbon that didn't match anything on everything he wrapped that year.  It was pretty funny. 

My mom is creative, passionate, detail oriented, and loving.  I look up to her and value her opinion very much.  I am so blessed to have her as a mother and friend and thankful to celebrate her today.  Happy Birthday, Mom!  You are so loved.

Decking the Halls

Our Christmas decorating is finally complete!  The stockings have been hung by the chimney with care in the hopes that Saint Nicholas soon will be here.  And, they are very cute stockings if I do say so myself! :)  I shared in my last post about our Christmas decorations that we were still lacking a tree skirt and that I had plans to jazz up our dog stockings a bit.  Missions accomplished.

Stockings Before

Stockings After

The supplies: eyelash glitter yarn and thick sheen ribbon

I twisted the red and green eyelash yarn together and hand sewed around the edge of each stocking.  Then, I folded the thick ribbon in half and sewed with my machine to make ruffle trim for the top.  This part took a little longer than anticipated.  It has been a couple of years since I used my sewing machine last, so I was a little rusty and the machine was a little dusty.  JW thought me sitting at the table with the manual and all my crafty stuff strewn about was hilarious.  I was not happy about him snapping pictures of me at this point.  Just ask him.  It wasn't pretty.  Hormones may have been a contributing factor to my reaction.  But, I was currently perplexed and determined to revive my sewing skills.  Don't interrupt a girl on a mission and craving oreos.

I got it figured out though and they turned out cute!  They coordinate with our stockings very well.

Here's a final look.  (Remember, you can click on pictures to view them larger.)  I found the tree skirt at Home Goods in Dallas this weekend with Meg.  I love the ruffle edge that coordinates now with our dog stockings.  Even Joey can't walk by the tree without saying how well it matches.  His response was, "Our tree looks so good.  That tree skirt is ridiculous."  It certainly makes me smile.  I added some Christmas ball garland and some of our ornaments to the mantle.  We only hung one dog stocking since I can't find another matching stocking holder, and our new pup isn't here yet anyways.

This is our entry hall table for now.  It is usually where our tree is, but I really like it here.  It's fun to be greeted with a little touch of Christmas right upon walking in the door.  I'm contemplating leaving our decorations up all year! 

Home Cooked Sunday: Baby It's Cold Outside

Tonight Sunday Dinner was just JW and I.  No one else from the law school bunch was able to attend, so we enjoyed a quiet dinner at home after being out of town most of the weekend.  We had a friend's wedding in Dallas last night and got to stay with the Roush's.  We drove up Saturday morning and spent time with them and watched the Baylor v. Texas game... Sic 'Em!  Our Bears beat the Longhorns for the second year in a row.  It was exciting!  It has been rainy and cold most of the weekend, and my allergies have been bonkers lately, so warm soup hit the spot tonight.  This is one of my favorite things Momma Hance makes, and it is super easy.

The Menu:
Tortellini Soup and French Bread
Dessert: Rum Cake

Tortellini Soup

recipe courtesy of Momma Hance

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 48 oz. chicken broth
• 20 oz. cheese and/or chicken tortellini
• 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, drained
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes

In a large pot or dutch oven melt butter and cook garlic until golden.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add tortellini and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the drained spinach and stewed tomatoes.  Allow to simmer for another 10 minutes. 

Rum Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup dark rum

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup dark rum

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Pierce bottom, brush on glaze. Let sit for 10 minutes in pan. Then turn out onto serving plate. Brush glaze over top and sides. Allow cake to absorb glaze and repeat until all glaze is used.

To make the glaze: in a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum.

Stay warm out there this week!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Happy December!  Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday.  I am always thrilled to start decorating and listening to Christmas music.  JW is a stickler for waiting until after Thanksgiving for all things Christmas, and I agree.  But, I'm not a very patient person, and once I start seeing decorations go up in shopping centers and hearing Christmas music in stores, it gets hard for me to contain myself.  Much to Joey's chagrin, right before we left town for Thanksgiving, I started moving furniture in our living room to make room for our Christmas tree to go up as soon as we got back in town.  JW complained a little, but didn't let me struggle to slide furniture on my own for long.  He gave in, laughed at his crazy wife, and put his muscles to use.  I love that my husband thinks I'm cute and can laugh at me when I act a little crazy.

Friday, on our way from one family to another, we enjoyed Michael Buble's Christmas cd in the car and may have also enjoyed it a few times on the way back to Waco on Sunday.  Christmas music reminds me of and makes me miss my choir days.  After pulling into the garage at home, we unloaded the car and then Joey started bringing the Christmas decorations in.  I had our Christmas wreath on the front door before all of the boxes were in the house.

We did some revamping of our tree this year.  We have these fun and funky bright green and red stockings and some decorations that match them, and some that are more traditional.  Mixed together they all looked a bit mismatched.  So, after several consultations with mom over the phone and swapping pictures back and forth, we decided to focus on a more whimsical theme that goes with our stockings.  We'll save the traditional look for later in life. 

I found a great set of fun ornaments and bright green and red mesh fabric at Sam's, sparkly lime green and red poinsettias for half-off at Hobby Lobby, and some cute dog stockings at Marshalls that coordinate with the ones we have.  My back is sore and virtually every surface in our house is covered with glitter, but I am excited to have a pretty tree to look at now.  I still have a few projects left... we are lacking a tree skirt and one more stocking holder, and I plan to add trim to the new dog stockings, but here's a look at our holiday digs so far.

Let the countdown begin... 24 days 'til Christmas!

Thanksgiving Recap

We headed to Houston for the holiday weekend to spend time with family.  Joey's dad's family was the first stop.  We got there Wednesday evening and Angie cooked us Joey's favorite, Chicken Parmesan, for dinner.  Thursday we headed to Uncle John & Aunt Becky's for a great Thanksgiving feast.  This was me and JW's third Thanksgiving as a married couple and first time to spend Thanksgiving day with Joey's dad's family.

Joey with the dogs taking a nap

Matthew, Joey, Grandma Hance, and Joe watching football

The girls

Me, Jennifer, MeMaw (Angie's mom), Macie, and Angie

Basketball after the meal- a Hance family tradition

Recie and Harley

Recie had grown a lot since the last time we saw her and is a ball of energy.  It was fun to watch her and Har play.  Harley was very gentle, and Recie wasn't the least bit scared of Harley despite their big difference in size.  They had a good time together and wore each other out.

Friday around lunch time we headed to Sugar Land to do Thanksgiving with my family.  Taylor drove home from Lubbock Friday after having to work on Thursday.  My parents cooked their Thanksgiving feast for dinner on Friday so we could all be there. 

Noel and Harley laying at the back door that dad just went out with the turkey.

The dogs followed dad around the house all day.  That is pretty normal, but they were more glued to him than usual since he was cooking the big bird.

Claire, Mom, and Dad carving the yummy turkey

Me and the hubs

Sibling picture- Claire, Hunter, Me, and Taylor

Momma Hance had to work most of the weekend, but we got to go over and see her Saturday night.  The dogs played and we watched the Baylor vs. Texas Tech football game over there.  Sic 'Em!  Taylor was sick most of the weekend, so I went easy on him with the smack talk, but it was still fun to rub the win in a little bit when I got home. :)  It was a fun filled 4 day holiday weekend!  We have so much to be thankful for, and family is certainly at the top of the list.

Home Cooked Sunday: Thanksgiving Dinner

This week for Sunday Dinner we had a Thanksgiving feast.  It was a great way to kick off the holiday week! 

Menu
Dinner: Roasted Turkey and Vegetables, Cornbread Dressing, Sweet Potato Casserole

Carolyn also brought a yummy corn casserole and oreo cheesecake for dessert.  Here's a picture of our feast.

And the great thing is- after spending much of the afternoon in the kitchen cooking, we'll have enough leftovers to eat for the short week we will be in town before we head to Houston to spend Thanksgiving with our family.

This was my first time to cook a turkey, and I sort of made this recipe up as I went along.  I watched some episodes on Food Network this week and combined several ideas I got.  I had fun, and it turned out great!  The turkey was crisp on the outside and so juicy and flavorful on the inside... yum!

The Turkey

Brine:

• 6 quarts water
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 head of garlic, peeled and broken up
• 6 bay leaves
• 1/2 onion, cut into large chunks

• 13 lb. turkey
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 bundle fresh thyme
• 1 red onion, chopped into large chunks
• 1 head of garlic, peeled
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 5 red potatoes, chopped into large chunks
• 1-2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine
• olive oil

Directions:

In a large pot heat water and following 6 brine ingredients to dissolve salt and sugar and release flavor of remaining ingredients.  Remove from heat.  Fill a large bucket halfway full of ice and place turkey, cavity side up, on top.  Allow brine to cool a little and then pour brine into the bucket allowing turkey to be fully submerged in liquid.  Cover and leave turkey soaking overnight (at least 12 hours).  Note: If you have room in your refrigerator you can reduce amount of ice and keep in there. 

Remove turkey from the brine and place on rack in roasting pan, breast side up, on the counter for about 30 minutes allowing it to dry and come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, combine butter and next 6 ingredients.  Rub all over the outside of the turkey and under the skin on the breast.  Tie the bundle of thyme with butchers twine and place inside the cavity of the turkey.  Place a quarter of the onion inside the cavity along with a few cloves of garlic, and one carrot.  Place the remaining onion, garlic, carrots, and potatoes in the bottom of the roasting pan with chicken broth and white wine.  Tuck the wings under the turkey and tie the legs together. 

Drizzle olive oil over the top of the turkey and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until internal temperature of turkey reaches 165 degrees.  Remove turkey every hour to baste with liquid and check temperature.  When turkey is done, allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving.  Joey did the honor of carving our bird.  It was his first time and he did a great job!

Corn Bread Dressing

recipe courtesy of Mom

Ingredients:

• 2 pkgs corn bread mix, cooked according to package instructions
• 3 slices of bread
• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 2 stalk of celery, finely diced (I only used 1)
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced (I used half)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 raw eggs, lightly whisked
• 2-3 cans chicken broth
• salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, sage: to taste

Combine all ingredients in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until slightly browned and crusty on top.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I adapted this one from one I had from Momma Hance.

Ingredients:

• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• dash of salt and dash of cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 stick butter

Topping:

• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup mini marshmellows

Put potatoes in large pot and cover with water.  Bring water to boil on stove and cook for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  Drain water and add remaining ingredients to potatoes in pot and mash.  Place into a 2 quart baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for topping.  Remove sweet potatoes from oven, pour topping over top of potatoes, and return to oven for another 10 minutes.

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving with lots of great food and time with people you love!

Sic 'Em BU Homecoming

The weekend before my life got crazy with an event week was Baylor Homecoming!  Tegan was still with us, and Meg and Rich came back in town on Thursday evening.  It was fun to have them back in Waco for the weekend.

Tegan and Harley

The weather was nice, so our girls spent most of the weekend outside.

Kristen, Georgia, and Matt

On Friday, Megan's sister, brother-in-law, and niece came to Waco and stayed with us for a night.  It was fun to see them, and Georgia is so stinking cute!  She has grown a lot since the last time we saw her.

Friday night we headed to campus for the pep rally and bonfire. It was fun to be back on campus. 

Me and the hubs

Shay and me

We ended up getting to campus pretty early and found the library, that now has a Starbucks in it... new addition since our college days.  That's where we met up with Shay Bear and got warm drinks that took the chill off walking around before they lit the bonfire.

Me, Joey, Megan, Rich, and Shay

I enjoyed the music that the Golden Wave Band played at the pep rally... all the songs that I remember from the sideline when I cheered in college. Shay and Megan were laughing at me trying to make sure we didn't miss any of it.

Sic 'Em Baylor Homecoming 2011!

We Made It!

Last week was a pretty intense week with my big fall event for work on Thursday and Joey's first week of a new quarter.  We both worked A LOT of hours, and I am thankful that life is not that demanding all the time. 

It was a team effort at the Hance House last week.  Even Harley was trying to help (or she was just being ornery).  She kept laying on my black fabric that I was twisting with purple ribbon and lights to go around the Big Board.

Poor Joey, I think I only cooked once... We had take out, skillet meals, pizza, and he made breakfast one night.  It was yummy!  Our moms both came in town on Thursday for support and to attend the event.  I was so thankful to have them there.  I don't think I will ever be too old to feel comforted by my mom.  Megan even made the trip from Coppell.  I was very appreciative for the love and support.

The event was a raving success!  We had a sold out crowd and raised more than double what we raised at this event last year.  Everyone had a blast, and I had fantastic volunteer leaders that I could not be more thankful for. 

I am also quite thankful it is over!  After dreaming, planning, and working on this event for months, it was very rewarding to see it all come together.  It was a ton of work though.  I had a restful weekend and have scheduled a massage for next week.  Momma Hance won an auction package that included a 60 minute massage, and since it was in Waco, she gave it to me.  I am very much looking forward to it!!!  It's been years since I have had one, and my muscles are still aching from being tense and from all of the labor that goes into setting up and breaking down an event.  Thanks for the thoughts and prayers last week!  We are now post Signature Chefs Auction 2011 and it feels good. 

My Help

Have you had those weeks where just thinking about your responsibilities and the tasks you have to get done puts your stomach in knots?  I have one of those weeks coming up with a big event for work on Thursday.  The event will be our second-annual Signature Chefs Auction in Waco, and our large fundraiser for the fall.  We have worked hard on it for several months and most everything is falling into place, but there are many last-minute details that need to be accomplished this week.  I have had a lot of volunteer help, but being a one-staff-person office leaves a lot of room for me to pile the pressure on myself.  I want everything to be perfect and am ultimately the one that the responsibility falls on. 

I was reminded by a devotional from "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young this weekend that I am not alone. Here is an excerpt that I will probably come back to more than once this week:

Walk peacefully with Me through this day.  You are wondering how you will cope with all that is expected of you.  You must traverse this day like any other; one step at a time.  Instead of mentally rehearsing how you will do this or that, keep your mind on My Presence and on taking the next step.  The more demanding your day, the more help you can expect from Me.  This is a training opportunity, since I designed you for deep dependence on your Shepherd-King.  Challenging times wake you up and amplify your awareness of needing My help.

When you don't know what to do, wait while I open the way before you.  Trust that I know what I'm doing, and be ready to follow My lead.  I will give strength to you, and I will bless you with Peace.

I know this will be easier said than done, but here is what I will aim to focus on this week:

The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with Peace.
-Psalm 29: 11

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
-Psalm 121: 2

Even youths grow tired and weary; and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
-Isaiah 40: 30-31

Reunited

Harley has been Joey's buddy this week while he has been home studying.  She likes having him around during the day.  Here's a cute picture I got earlier this week.

Yesterday, Har was reunited with another buddy... Tegan is here to visit for the week!  Rich and Meg came in town to attend the fundraising gala for the organization that Megan works for last night.  BU Homecoming is this weekend, and they will be back in Waco for that, so we offered to let Tegan stay with us for the few days in between. 

They are having fun together!

It's a busy week for me with my big March of Dimes fall fundraiser coming up next week and Joey in the midst of finals, so we are glad Harley has a friend to keep her busy.  Only a couple more days until the weekend... and that means Baylor Homecoming and Joey being done with finals!  Woo hoo!