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!