Spring..In Videos & Pictures

Remember back in January, my solemn oath to blog more...I think we can see how well that has panned out. But life has been ever so busy around these parts & I am trying. I've made notes in journals & notebooks of things to blog about or what needs photographed because it was a good recipe or craft. Teaching full time, managing the household & every day life has just caused the lack of time to sit in front of my computer and blog.

So maybe it will be easier to describe, through pictures and a video or two, what we have been up to. I'm also hoping that with this three day weekend, I can post some of the fun crafts Miss Mia & I have been up to because they really are cute!

First picture- Our entire household participated in some way in the Houston Rodeo & Cook-off. Hubby's work sponsored one of the cook-off tents, which gave us & 2 of our besties free tickets, free food & free beverages & free tickets to the rides. It was so much fun! We tried fried oreos, which although lethal are heaven sent! We also took Miss Mia & her cute cowgirl self to the rodeo, stock show & petting zoo. Just loved this picture of my little cowgirl in boots, hat & plaid Ralph Lauren dress (that her Mommy scored for $5!) & a book about animals. We used the book as a sort of I spy game for the petting zoo.

Second picture- In March, when I was on Spring Break, Miss Mia & I loaded up the Jeep and headed to West Texas for a few days with Nana & Pawpaw. Pawpaw has recently acquired about 10 new horses & after the rodeo, Miss Mia is all about them! So we took her out to the pastures to feed them apples, oats and carrots.

Here is our little horse feeder on the back of my Grandad's pick up truck. I need to peruse the archives because somewhere is a picture soo similar of me about the same age on the back of the same truck! It is scary how much can can look like my younger self sometimes.


In April, we took a family camping trip to Lake Somerville. Miss Mia spent the night in Granma & Granpa's trailer. Hubby & I camped in the tent fairly old school, but with air mattresses. (I'm only going to go so far!) It was a good weekend for camping. The nights were cool & we swam and took the canoe out in the lake. Very fun but tiring weekend.

As for the promised video, for Valentine's day, Hubby came home with mint chocolates. Which would have been good enough..but then he whipped out 2 tickets to one of my FAVORITE singers! My love for all things British runneth over into musical acts. I discovered Bobby Long over a year ago through friends and a recommendation in an article of a singer I already liked. Bobby came to Houston last September, but we were out of town for the show, thus I had to go this time. Hubby took me early, we went to my favorite restaurant Downtown & then headed off to the concert. At the concert, my ever chatty self befriended Bobby's merchandise guy and learned that Bobby would be staying around after the concert. He put on a wonderful show & then, just like the merch man promised, we got to meet Bobby. He signed by album (yeah, I bought the vinyl like an old-school nerd!) and took pictures and talked with us.

So for those of you who haven't heard of Bobby Long, let me help you out with one of my favorites:

Miss Mia 2010

A look back at our sweet Miss Mia throughout 2010...from Norman, Ok to Houston, Texas and everywhere in between, she has been the best trooper. No matter where she lived, she rolled with the punches, changed schools, gained new friends, changed churches, and came out of living with Nana for 2 weeks with minimal spoilage! ha!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Is it just me or did 2010 only comprised of 4 months? This year flew by but in some ways January 2010 seems so long ago. 2010 rocked our family. For the controlling, type A girl that I am, it was quite the learning experience. We lived in 5 different places this year, both changed jobs, changed states--lots of changes. If someone would have told me last January that in one years time, I would be writing from Houston, I would have laughed and told them they were crazy. Living in Houston was always one of my "I'll nevers!" (I.e..The good Lord likes to mess with this type-A girl who has said, "I'll never live in Houston!" Look where I live..For the record I also said "I'll never get married or have kids before I'm 30." Reality, I was married at 20 and had Miss Mia at 24.) One of my resolutions is to stop saying, "I'll never," because I think God is messing with me. ha!

My little, Houston based family spent our New Years Eve together. The in-laws watched Miss Mia most of the day so we could help Hubby's sister install hardware on her kitchen cabinets. Then Hubby & I had a little date to the movies. Then we all came back and stayed up to watch the ball drop and be silly with the late hour.
Today we spent the day again with the in-laws. For lunch we made a sausage and shrimp boil that was beyond fabulous. One of the best parts of living in Houston (yes, I said there are good parts) is fresh seafood and Chapel Hill, Texas sausage!

As for resolutions, which I love making, and kept 3 out of 4 this past year, I have narrowed them down to the following:
1) Make more handmade instead of buying. One of the things we tried to do this past year was make most of our gifts and it was so great. I'm already making my brother's Christmas gift for next year.
2) Finish my book- deadline is this summer, and I have book promotions in April..lots to do
3) Build and strengthen new relationships. With moving to a new city where I knew no one but my in-laws, I am so thankful that we have found a great church with amazing people. We have already made some great friendships, but I am hoping they will grow even more this year!

I also love that some people pick a word for the year and I’m thinking I will go this route too. My word for 2011 is Transform. I am in a new stage in life with many new projects in the year and I hope that I can take on these tasks. (Also helps that I just finished an amazing Bible study called Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed.)

While 2010 was the year that I learned the most about myself and what my little family is made of, I am hoping that 2011 will be a bit more gentle! Happy New Year!

A Funny Thing Happened At Walmart

Miss Mia & I were doing a little shopping at Wal-mart Tuesday afternoon. Now, I am not a frequent Wal-mart shopper but I needed a bizarre mix of things. Thus to save us time, I swallowed my pride, and made the trek. We ended up in the kitchen section and Miss Mia spied the Paula Deen cookware. At the top of her little lungs, she began to shout, "Look! My Nana! There's my Nana!" Of course being my daughter, most of the store heard her. A few people looked and smiled. Finally one lady, who had been staring at us for a bit, came up to us. She looked really shy and said, "I am the biggest fan of Paula's. We TiVo all her shows and have all her books. Could I get your autograph?"!! She was almost shaking from nerves that I couldn't laugh at her. I told her I was so sorry but Paula only has two sons and I am not married to either. My daughter is just under the impression that my mother and Paula are one in the same. She laughed and was very sweet about it. We called "our" Nana all about her almost celebrity! = )

So what do you think? Separated at birth?

Nana...aka Not Paula Deen

The "Real" Paula Deen

If only you could her them both speak! Then you would see how Miss Mia could get confused..and watch them both cook..Yumm-O!

Happy 'Ballentown's Day!

For the past week we have been asking Miss Mia who her Valentine was going to be. Could it be Mommy or Daddy or Bentley (our dog)? Finally on Thursday, Miss Mia announced her answer. On the way to school she announced, "Mommy, Drew-Drew is my 'ballentown!'" Drew-Drew wins, no big surprise there! But Drew-Drew does not come to school on Fridays and her party was Friday, who would choose.

The winner was the ever so adorable Mr. Wyatt.
Like Drew-Drew, Mr. Wyatt has been in Miss Mia's life since 7 weeks. He really is cute and posed for many pictures on my camera.
Ballentown's day is really hard on a girl. You need to lay down and prop your feet up.
And keep a keen eye out to make sure Mommy isn't going to still your new sucker from your other Ballentown Joby.
Miss Mia, Hubby & I wish you all a very Happy Ballentown's day!

What's Happening Around This House

Our household has been quite busy of late. Days beginning around 6 and not ending until after midnight. Exams have taken over the entire household. Our family's schedule is shifting and conforming to my studying. Yet the household must still go on. Laundry needs to be folded, potty training is still in full effect and of course this family needs to eat.

I have found of late that cooking is providing me a necessary escape from not thinking about my exams. I have been trying new foods and new recipes. I often don't cook with recipes but I find that my psyche needs the recipe. I need to completely immerse myself in another person's ideas. Pioneer woman is providing a necessary outlet. Hubby is quite proud of this development. Last night we tried MM's favorite sandwiches. Such a hardy meal. Hubby professed his love after the meal. (Those who know Hubby know he is a man of few words, and thus the meal must have been something extra!) After making this meal last night, I e-mailed a dear friend who just started a relationship and told her this was the trick to ever-lasting love! haha!

Today we are trying Pioneer Woman's pot roast...I'll let you know how it comes out!

The food that provides me the most comfort and is my favorite to make is my Chicken Tortilla Soup. When I was pregnant with Miss Mia, I ate this soup once a week. Not even kidding! Hubby can barely eat it anymore b/c of the memories of coming home night after night and smelling my soup. Yet I am still not tired of this most delicious soup. With the crazy snowy days we've been experiencing in Oklahoma, it makes it even better. Plus, it gives me the fabulous spice and Tex-Mex flavor that is so lacking in Norman!

My lovely soup in my even more lovely Le Creuset pot! (Another post is so required in my love for these pots!)

Here is my recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken
- 1 medium onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1 tbsp olive oil (can easily substitute a different oil if you don't have olive oil stocked)
- 2-3 Tbsp. butter
- 2-3 jalapenos, chopped (can be eliminated or seeded if you are like my Northern relatives and don't like heat)
-3 cans Rotel (I usually use 2 cans hot and one original, but again, do whatever heat your family can handle)
-1.5-2 c. frozen corn
-1 carton chicken stock
-2-3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
-Tortilla Chips
-Colby/Jack cheese

-Saute onions, garlic and jalapenos in butter and oil until tender. Add chicken and cook until done.
- While chicken is cooking, put Rotel into blender or food processor and blend until no longer chunky but not completely smooth.
-Once chicken is cooked, add Rotel, chicken stock, corn, and cilantro. Let come to a boil.
-Once at a boil, lower heat to simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes.
-To serve: Add chips and cheese to your hearts delight. Top with extra cilantro. Enjoy the warm and yummy goodness!

Along with cooking soup, we've been cooking with chocolate. Last night we made Nigella Chocolate Pots. (Be still my heart!) Nothing wrong with these! Miss Mia got into the act by licking the bowl for Mommy.
Speaking of Miss Mia....
I found her in our bed the other day with my make-up case..and this face
I knew it was just too quite in there. So much for thinking closed doors would keep her out.
After the make-up was gone...what a poser!
At least she and Hubby can sit in his 'man-cave' and play trains while I study or cook!

2009 In Pictures

Can you tell I am stuck at the house today? Miss Mia's school was canceled due to the weather, and thus we are at home. I've already completed all my other "to-dos" for the day. I have been seeing these "Year in Pictures" everywhere, and basically had to do it as well. A follower, I usually am not, but on this one, yes!

January
We took Miss Mia to Fort Worth and to the zoo. She loved it all, especially the birds! EEk! I just know they want to peck my eyes out! = )
February
In February, Miss Mia played with all her new toys and her grandparents that came to visit her!
March
Learned in March that a toddler cannot be expected to help with grading, but can be expected to disorganize their Type-A mommy's alphabetized stack of blue book exams.
April
Hubby & I spent our first night away from Mia in a train..the Santa Fe Caboose at the Woodrow House in Lubbock while I delivered a paper at the West Texas Historical Association Conference.
May
Miss Mia became Mommy's Little Helper. She "helped" with cleaning and the general running of the house
June
With temperatures going into the triple digits, we decided to take Miss Mia out on the lake for the first time. She loved the canoe, the water and most of all the sand on the beach.
July
In July we drove 16 hours in one day to Michigan. We took Miss Mia to meet many of Hubby's "Yankee" relatives. She met her 3 cousin Charlie (above.) They actually liked each other!
August
More triple digit days. So Miss Mia & I hopped on an airplane and headed for..Houston. (Wait, trying to escape the heat?!) Hubby's parents had a new pool that Miss Mia & I graciously tried out for them! Miss Mia also got to experience her first airplane ride and turbulence, which she ended up loving.
September
I got a new camera for my birthday! Pictures of Miss Mia went into overdrive!
October
Hubby & I went to see U2. What a memorable night!! I hope I never forget it!
November
Miss Mia turned 2 in November and to celebrate Auntie K got married! (Well, that's what Mia thinks at least!) She got to be the cutest flower girl EVER!

December
December brought many exchanges of gifts, helping Mommy bake and helping Daddy build, decorate and landscape (of course) a gingerbread house.

What a year! How fabulous it has been!

Christmas Part II

We celebrated Christmas with Hubby's family over the New Years holiday. We had only been home for 2 days after being in Texas and thus I ran around the house like a mad chicken as I tried to finish laundry and cleaning the house before their arrival. Hubby and I went out and did some last minute shopping, hoping to find some good deals after Christmas and came across a Mary, Joseph & Baby Jesus for $2. OK, so some back story. I grew up Church of Christ and we never had a Nativity set since we don't celebrate Christmas as a "religious" holiday. Since we don't know the exact date of Christ's birth, etc etc. I have never really wanted a nativity set, but this one, was so funny. The baby Jesus is at least 5 years old. It was too funny not to buy.
Since Hubby's family is Baptist and have many nativity sets, we decided to use some of Miss Mia's toys and create one. (I hope this doesn't offend any of you. It was meant as a joke!) As you can see, there are cows and horses and a "stable." The smurf on the top has wings and is the guardian angel. Some lego men are the wise men. Hubby really got into this! = )
So the family got here, we exchanged presents, made ridiculously fabulous appetizers for New Years Eve. Oh, it was such a feast. Then we decided to play Hubby's Wii Ski that he had gotten from his parents. Even Miss Mia took a turn!
The next day we went to Myriad Gardens in OKC. Miss Mia loved it, especially the fish.
Here we are making fish faces at her grandparents!!

The holidays were so great this year. It amazes me how much more fun the holidays are with a little one. Since the holidays and turning 2, Miss Mia is talking more and more everyday. Sometimes in entire paragraphs. She has memorized two books, and quotes them so beautifully. Every night we read a book before bed and then she grabs her book, "Night Night moon, night night chair and rev (that's red) loom (that's balloon!)" Precious, precious memories!

Christmas Part I

As promised, I am finally getting around to writing about our many Christmases. When you have a big family that lives 4, 7, 16, & 20 hours away, you have to improvise on the holiday celebrations.
Hubby, Miss Mia & I celebrated our Christmas early in December with our few gifts, stockings, and some treats.
Then came Miss Mia's school party. We made gingerbread men and ornaments.
She enjoyed the chocolates given to her by her teacher more than anything. Later that evening we left for Texas for Christmas with my parents. We were lucky to get there the night before, because a few hours after we arrived, the craziest snow storm I have ever seen started.
We got almost a foot of snow-which is just unheard of for West Texas. Here is my parents front porch bench covered in the snow on Christmas Eve morning.
In my family, we have always opened gifts on Christmas Eve. Since my brother's family couldn't get to us because of the weather, we had to improvise the holiday festivities. Miss Mia was so excited about her Christmas presents from Nana & Pawpaw that included this baby and a beautiful baby bed.
On Christmas Day we went to my Grandmommie's as is custom. We walked the twenty feet from my parents to my Grandmommie's. The weather and snow was still too bad on Christmas day that only my uncle could visit us. The lack of people did not deter Miss Mia's enjoyment. In fact, I think she may have reveled in being the only small child. She got these adorable owl pajamas from Grandmommie, and the moment she opened them HAD to put them on.
The day after Christmas, enough snow had melted that my brother's family was able to come visit. Hubby & my neice & nephew built this great snowman, complete with cowboy hat and big ears. (Big ears are a trait on my father's side of the family!)
Miss Mia & her cousins exchanged gifts and she got this adorable outfit.
Then Miss Mia insisted on taking pictures under the tree. So we put her in and my neice in their matching shirts from Nana for picture time. Miss Mia even staged this picture, wanting to sit with backs to Cousin K!
With all the picture taking, Miss Mia grabbed Nana's camera and instructed everyone to "CHEESE!!"

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you & yours! I promise to post about our Christmases..we've had many, but I am currently so inspired with the new year and resolutions, that I just had to post.

In brief, we have been very busy, but the wonderful kind, that is taken up with family and friends. A small amount of family crises that always accompany the holidays, but on the whole, great. Miss Mia, as well as Hubby & I have been showered with love and gifts, and hopefully returned the favor tenfold!

Hubby's parents are currently here with us celebrating the New Year & finishing up our last Christmas. We had a great New Years Eve that included Hubby getting off work early, a ridiculous amount of fabulous appetizers for dinner. Garlic/Chili Shrimp, stuffed jalepenos, brie & red pepper jelly! Oh, it was fabulous!

Even though Christmas is my favorite time of year, New Years is a close second. I think it is because its a clean slate. I love that this is the time when everyone tries so earnestly to do right. I have been perusing my favorite blogs, and I love how Kelly wrapped up her year and how she made resolutions for 2010.

FIVE THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR IN 2009:
1. I am so thankful for Miss Mia! Words cannot express the joy, fear, love, consternation, that this little girl brings me! I understand her so well, and yet still surprised by her quirks and new remarks. This very week, she has began to repeat everything! In this past year, I finally got a little girl with curls! She has taken up walking, talking, running, jumping, climbing, yelling, singing, dancing..I love that she is so fabulously girly and yet will play in her tutu and pearls with trains & trucks.


2. Hubby has been so supportive, as always. This year has been a great exception, as we have entered into uncharted waters. He is constantly the one person that I know will help me keep things in perspective, always offers a humorous suggestion, and listens endlessly while I drone on about school and the historiography of the Early Republic. (There is a spot in heaven for this boy on that note alone!)

3. Family & Friends My family and friends have been so dear to us this year. I have always been close to my family, but with a few unexpected turns, they are closer to me now than ever before. The same goes for friends. My dearest friends have never been dearer and I so look forward to any time that I get to spend with them, whether in person or over the phone.

4. Church Family- One of the biggest decisions this year was our changing of churches. The process, the decision was quite horrific. I will spare the details, but the result was beyond anything I could have imagined. We are now blessed with a fabulous church with some of the best leadership I have ever encountered. I no longer have to worry about the intentions of these most honorable of men & we have made so many great new friendships. We are so lucky to have found this church!

5. Creative outlets- I know this sounds silly, but I am so thankful for all the blogs, fun websites that foster creativity, better devotion, community, and sometimes most importantly those beautiful hours of procrastination that I need so badly! I have made some great friends over this blog. Who would have thought? (Just shows how many ladies love a great baragin!)

FIVE THINGS I WANT TO IMPROVE IN 2010:
1. Better wife & mother- While I have been the busiest that I have ever been, I still want to improve as a wife and mother. I want to not take out my stress on the two people who love me most.

2. Less stress with school- this goes hand-in-hand with the first improvement, but I know that if I just do the work the best I can, there is nothing more than I can do. I am trying so hard to not stress about school and to keep myself healthy..this will be my greatest struggle, I know

3. Reach out more to new friends- Since we have moved to a new and much bigger church, we have so many new friends. I really want to reach out more to these new people and develop these friendships more. I feel that with all our schedules and the business of our lives, Hubby and I could have done so much more in fostering these new relationships. I plan to remedy this in the following months.

4. Improve the health of myself and the family- I have mentioned before that I have been training for 5Ks and the like. That training continues, and I am one race down. Also, I am almost down 20 lbs since September, and 40 since January! I want this to continue for not only me but for Hubby and Miss Mia too. I have some very exciting ideas in mind!

5. Not feel guilty for "me" time- I think that as women and especially mothers, we feel so guilty for giving ourselves any time to ourselves. I will go months, umm 6 to be exact, without getting my hair cut because I feel it is too extravagant. I don't want to find a sitter, don't want to spend our family money, etc. I am really trying to not make myself feel so guilty for a few moments a week or a month that are just for me...I think this will cut down on some of the stress.


FIVE WAYS I WANT TO GIVE AND HELP OTHERS THIS YEAR:
1. Get more involved with the women's ministry at our chruch. I have always helped with the food pantry at church and it is not something that I plan on changing, but I would like to get involved specifically with more women in need.

2. Participate in a Craft Hope project. I love what Jade and other have done! Pick a group in need and have crafty people come together to show some love and compassion. I follow the projects each time, but have yet to make anything for one. I want to change this and maybe even get a few of my other crafty friends in on the projects too. Get Ready!

3. More random acts of kindess. My dad is the absolute best at this. He always talks to strangers, some funny sort of conversation starter, helps with doors or getting someone up steps. I feel I inherited much of this from him. I constantly get people, usually over 80 = ) coming up to me and telling me they feel they are supposed to hug me. (Seriously, this happens almost once a month!) But I want to do more. Whether its a card of kindess, dropping by with cookies for a friend, helping someone up steps, I want my eyes to be open to helping others more and not being too preoccupied with my own life to notice.

4. More coupon classes. While this may sound trivial, I get so many requests that it is hard to keep up. Hubby and I have been talking about me making pseudo-business cards with a link to a site set up to help. I am still working, so please don't give up on me, on a special link with the information from my class on my blog. Hubby is my tech support and he has been CRAZY busy at work..thus changes will come..but it may be a bit yet.

5. Giving- My parents and I have discussed doing more for others than for ourselves. We have everything we need, we just don't have everything we WANT. The day when we have everything we want, will not be in this lifetime. I have really wanted to start focusing our money on one more CD or shirt that no one will wear on those who are less fortunate. My family has always held various Boys' Homes in their hearts. Hubby and I sponsor a child through Save a Child, which I highly recommend. But I would like to do more. For mothers day this year, instead of a bottle of perfume (my mother's perfect gift), maybe give the money we'd use for that and give a donation in her name to the Boys Home or some other charitable organization.

FIVE SPECIFIC GOALS I WANT TO ATTAIN IN 2010:
1. Pass Comprehensive Exams

2. Complete a sprint triathlon

3. Finish book manuscript

4. Get another fellowship (need money when researching!)

5. Take a vacation with just Miss Mia & Hubby--not a vacation that incorporates visiting other family (that's all well and good, please don't get me wrong!) but one that is just for us!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

We watch a lot of movies as a family, but particularly during Christmas time. Recently Miss Mia has began requesting certain movies, but really likes a few Christmas movies. She particularly likes I Want A Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown & Charlie Brown's Christmas.

So channeling Charlie Brown, Miss Mia and I decided to decorate the one very small and quiet sad tree in our front yard for Christmas.

Here is Miss Mia with our finished product! The expression is her asking where did the birds go. (Many many geese were flying over our heads while we decorated.)

Today we leave for Texas to spend time with my family for the holidays. Before we leave, however, we have a lot to do. I have to finish wrapping the last minute gifts that we bought on sale last night, take the dog to the kennel (aka puppy camp), finish cleaning the house (laundry, bedding, vacuuming etc) & then go to Miss Mia's Christmas party at her Mother's Day Out.

Since Miss Mia is having her party, I had to dress her in something cute & festive.
This was the dress that we chose. She is pointing for the rest of her breakfast. Mean Mommy made her take a picture while she was trying to finish her breakfast.

Wondering what she's going to get at her party today...will Drew-Drew kiss me under the mistletoe? = )

Gingerbread Houses

While I was pursuing the deals at Target, yesterday- I found the gingerbread house kits on sale for $8. I thought that Miss Mia would love all the candy and the house, but what I did not anticipate is how much Hubby would enjoy the project!
She found that eating the candy was way more fun than putting anything on the house. Mr. Landscape Architect really enjoyed landscaping the house with gum drops.
Miss Mia did give up the mini-balls to Hubby. She enjoyed pulling out all the "circles."
The two posing with their beautiful creation!
Eating the last few pieces of candy!
Close up of the house! Isn't it cute?