Dear Santa, For Christmas I want...

A TABLE!!! I had my eye on this table for the entry and Drew surprised me for Christmas and brought it home and set it up!!! I had been wanting to put up my decorations and frames in the entry, and now I can! Thank you "Santa" :)

Little Blue Box

well.... not exactly Tiffany's, its more like a little blue room. The laundry room, actually! I'd been debating colors for the laundry room, then i saw it-- pretty, fresh, clean Tiffany's blue!!! I figure, doing laundry isnt the most fun, so the room can at least be a pretty color! Ta-da, new laundry room! :)

Rudolph has a red nose, I have red nails...

In honor of Christmas, I decided to get red sparkley nail polish at my manicure! I dont usually do red, not because i dont care for it... i just usually have a neutral sparkley color since it doesnt show when it chips, but since i'm not working -- therefore not constantly plunging my hands into a shampoo bowl completely destroying my manicure ... RED! Drew is so funny, he always makes a big deal of what color i pick, which makes it even more of a treat! Anyway, we shall see how they hold up through the weekend at the ranch, I dont plan on doing any ranch-ish activities... so really, dont be too worried about my nail polish friends!

On to the next, last night was the Affinity Dallas Christmas Party, which consisted of dinner at Randy's Steak House (a really cute old house in Frisco that had creeky wood floors, floral wallpaper and lace curtains) and the steaks were lovely! We went with Rodney and Kimberly Pipken, Rodney is Drew's delivery driver. They were fun to chat with and the food was delicious. Drew and I both got bleu cheese stuffed filets, and my only suggestion to the chef would be to use about half the amount of bleu cheese, its was a bit overwhelming... but a delightful addition to a filet! It was nice to get dressed up and go do something fun!

We are headed to the ranch this weekend to do Christmas with Nana and Papa, Jason/Lisa& boys are meeting us there! Should be lots of fun :)

bottles and diapers

No, we are not pregnant. Take a deep breath! haha, we did go visit our precious little goddaughters in Wichita, KS this weekend-- Addison Brynn and Audrey Leigh are tiny little functioning, sitting up people now! much different than when we saw them at 5 weeks! As you can see, little Audrey in her swing then and now, its amazing how much they change! And look how tiny they were with Drew holding both of them (audrey is much tinier than addi) We went with the Probst fam to take their Christmas pictures saturday morning, although Drew and I attempted to be worth looking and smiling at behind the photographer... the session didn't go so well, so I (auntie jacquelyn to them) got out the trusty digital camera and snapped 60 quick pics in front of the Christmas Tree! Luckily, Kim found a few she liked, and the Probst family has a Christmas 2009 picture of the girls in their precious polka-dot dresses! That's Addison in her dress and adorable headband-- Tech colors, of course!

We are proud to report that the girls are eating solids in addition to bottles, and wearing 6-9 month clothing (audrey) and 12 month (addison)-- and giggling, clicking their tongues, clapping, and saying "da-da" Praise the Lord, after all the worst case scenario situations Kim and Adam were given from day 1 of her pregnancy, its nothing but God's will and perfect plan that there are TWO healthy girls today! Its amazing what tiny bodies can overcome, even though they seem so very fragile. They will be crawling any time now... watch out world :) We are so honored to be GodParents to such lovely little ladies, and can't wait to hopefully have them live closer when Adam graduates next year! Much love to our dear friends and precious princesses!

Slowly but surely...

So, a little at a time, things are getting done around the house! Now that the walls are painted, its time to hang things up! So, this is unfinished... but in a good way-- more collecting to be done! Here is the "s" wall around the top of the breakfast nook/dining room. Hopefully, HJ will come visit soon and we can find some beautiful fabric to make curtains!!! It will all happen in time, but i'm enjoying finishing small projects as i can :)

Batman & Robin

I think the boys look just like Batman & Robin in this picture, so cute! Now we can just buy them each one Halloween costume and they're set for a long time! They're getting along so well, but Ford is definately the problem child. He is our little explorer, and sure does want to get into everything! I guess we just expected him to be as easy to train as Coach was, not the case. Oh well, sigh!

winter wonderland

well... a mini winter wonderland! here is our kitchen nook, all decorated up for the holidays!

A Tribute To...

For those of you who were starting to think that I was only going to write about the dogs and the house, have no fear... every so often I plan to throw in a post about the things that I enjoy in my day to day life! So, here it is... a tribute to Melba Snacks!!! That's right folks, melba snacks! These fabulous crackers are a part of almost every single one of my days, and I'm pretty sure I'm keeping the shelves at Wal Mart in demand for melba snacks. Andrew thinks they're going to run out at some point in time, or that perhaps we should buy stock in melba snacks-- then my spending money would essentially be making money, that's for another day! Anyway, for those of you who have never sampled these delectable delights, I highly recommend doing so. I like them alone, or with laughing cow cheese (regular or garlic flavor) or with chicken salad, pretty much anything. I tend to lean towards snacks that crunch, like chips or popcorn, there was the brief corn nut phase (remember that Holly Jo???) but now, MELBA SNACKS!!! So, raise your glass of whatever you may be sipping on and here is a toast to melba snacks, because what else can be delicious and flavorful for only $1.68? Is it amusing that I know exactly how much they cost, or pathetic... I think resourceful :) Keep in mind, folks, I don't currently have a job, so its my job to know how much things cost and what store has what on sale at all times! Unfortunately, melba snacks have not been on sale at wal mart yet to date, keep your fingers crossed! In the spirit of holidays past, I'm thankful for melba snacks!

Big Guy and Little Guy

We can all let out our breath of suspense... Ford did very well in his kennel last night, phew!!! The boys were so cute today, Coach sleeps for the majority of the day so Ford decided to join his brother and snuggle up for a little nap-- it was so cute!

The Adventures of Ford Swofford

Well, Ford spent his first night at Casa de Swofford scratching at our bed trying to weasel his way in, keeping both of us up and being quite annoying...not to mention the potential damage to my beautiful dust ruffle, so we decided to make a huge mistake that many parents make and give in to the child. Yes, that's correct. Ford was allowed to sleep in our bed with us. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!! He was actually pretty decently behaved in our bed, until he wakes up and barks at any movement or noise. We have to keep reminding ourselves that he is a "puppy" and puppies are different than Coach. He doesn't quite sleep through the night yet, and he is so wound up when he comes in the house after being outside, he isn't quite leash trained, and he wants to be in your lap 100% of the time. Coach, in hindsight, is the perfect dog and we were very blessed. Time to stop strolling down memory lane, because it could take a while to address everything that is awesome about Coach, we will look to the future -awesome thing about Coach and his little brother Ford, so here we are... after being sleep deprived and trying to give Ford many chances to prove he is worthy of sleeping in the bed, we've decided to take control of the situation and purchase (drum roll, please) A KENNEL. I said the "k" word. So, we hiked up-hill barefoot in the snow to our local wal mart (maybe a big of an exaggeration for how far out we live) and picked out the proper size kennel for our little friend. Andrew assembled it in the kitchen floor, which was so wonderful because he hates putting things together, but he hates losing sleep more! Thank you Drew! We lined the bottom with an old soft towel, and made a trail of treats all the way from the entrance to the back. Coach was coaxed into the area because of the treats, but lets all be honest... only Coach's head would fit in the kennel, so he wasn't much help! Ford, our brave little friend, was not a soldier (or a Mike Leach pirate for that matter) and cowered at the kennel. But like any child, curiosity killed the cat and the treats won. He slowly but surely built up to walking inside this new entrapment he discovered in the land of kitchen. Eventually, we upped the bribe to a pig ear chew and he went right in, and did not make a peep!!! SUCCESS! He sat inside his new bedroom willingly with the door open, and was quite pleasant. The true test now, is night time... Andrew has the boys in our bedroom, while I'm up writing this lovely & informative post-- so only time will tell. I've heard him whimper/growl a few times (our fierce little guard dog) but it has not been as much of a fight as we were expecting! I know each of you is falling off the edge of your seats in suspense to know the ending (LOL) but you're just going to have to wait... I'll update tomorrow with the events of the night, and Ford's brand new enclosed bedroom extravaganza! To clarify: That's an embellished term for kennel. Stay tuned, there's plenty more where that came from!

Big Bertha

Big Bertha is the name of the paint extension stick we used all weekend while painting the very high ceilings in the living room, phew! My sweet brother did so much work, and stood on top of a very tall ladder to cut in near the ceiling! We call him the monkey!

So after every one's hard work the house is looking GREAT! We have a beautiful new entry that is mudded/fauxed, as well as faux around the cabinets and in our hallway nooks! It all looks so different, and we are thrilled! The new color adds so much warmth and drama, it's all coming together! Yay! Thank you so much Mama, Daddy, & Alexander for all your hard work and help... we are so appreciative!

Hickory Dickory Dock

For my birthday, Betty & Duane, Chad and Allison got me a beautiful station clock for the house... and now that the walls are painted, the clock is up and running! Thank y'all so much, it's perfect!

More than turkey

Since its Thanksgiving, I'm remembering many things i'm thankful for, this is a pic from one of the funnier moments of our wedding, we are both so blessed to have all these people in our lives. What a wonderful memory! These are a few things/people i'm thankful for on Thanksgiving: Family, Friends, our dogs, the color pink, dr. pepper, high heels, hand sanitizer, bronzer, pedicures, good books and movies, a fire in the fireplace, Rosa's, fabric softner, snowflakes, dvr, Tech Football, good smelling candles, sweet puppy kisses, decorating magazines, black and white pictures, text messages, schnitzel pants, fresh flowers, and chandeliers. But most of all, I'm thankful for my relationship with the awesome God who gives me all these things, and takes care of the people i love. All the blessings i'm thankful for are gifts from Him! -- so in honor of Thanksgiving, thank you Jesus for all the goodness of thanksgiving dinner, mmm mmm good!

Four Sweet Little Paws

We have a new member of the Swofford Family: his name is Ford. He is an 8 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and he's just adorable.

We adopted him from a young married couple who were caring for her parents, and they have a dog that didn't get along with him, and they felt it was unfair to always leave him couped up in an apartment and not allowed to go when they were away so often.

He's got a precious personality, and we are hoping that he and Coach are the best of friends, although tonight... that is not the case. Coach is adjusting. We are trying to give them both lots of love and attention, but its just going to take some time! So, here he is!!!

One Wall at a Time

So, in order to put up our Christmas tree, i needed to go ahead and paint one wall -- which is good to also see a sample of the color we picked before we do the whole living room! I really like it, luckily! So here is the before/during/after of "nomadic desert" --oh and, the banister is black to match the kitchen cabinets! phew! one more thing off the list :)

Ornaments!

I was originally afriad we would only have enough ornaments to decorate the front side of our tree, turns out... we had plenty!!! So, here's a little something I came up with to use up all the extras!

The Adventures of Coach Swofford

Yesterday, or before but we did not know... Coach has once again graced us with his brilliance, and displayed his ability to escape from being enclosed. That's right, let's all think back to August 2008 and the incidents with the kennel and pad-locks, resulting in the shredding of the mattress/bedding, the pudding in the carpet, the entire loaf of bread he ate, and last but not least when Andrew thought he ate my wedding ring! Phew! He has come a long way since then, but is still just a little boy testing his limits! "Coach The Brilliant" has learned how to open the gate and let himself out of our backyard. Apparently he wanted to go check out the new neighborhood and see what there was to smell. Our neighbor two doors down found him, consequently she is horrified of dogs and called the pet sitter/dog walker Savannah recommends to come put him back in the yard. She left a note on our door, Andrew called her to make sure everything was okay, she just wanted our cell phone numbers "just in case" he gets out again. She was very nice and understanding, but made it clear that she is not a dog lover!!! Anyway, here is a picture of how the dog walker lady secured the fence to make sure he didn't sneak out again. Sweet Coach, he was so scared of them trying to put him back in the yard, he wouldn't hurt anyone, but we do understand that he looks a bit intimidating!

In other news, Andrew got his truck fixed, instead of buying the Tahoe. The financing didn't work out quite the way we wanted to take on a new car payment, so he's going to keep his truck a while longer, we will look again another time! So, the red truck has a new heater core!

Stay tuned... Drew & I put the Christmas tree up tonight, the decorating isn't finished yet but should be soon-- it's looking GREAT!!!

The Pink Closet

The first order of business in the new house was to paint our closet "princess pink" as i like to call it. I told Drew that its something i just really really wanted, and he's pretty agreeable about things that don't show much being pink, so here are the before and afters of the awesomeness that is: our super huge wonderful closet! Before everyone starts feeling too sorry for Drew, rest assured, HE IS GETTING A MAN ROOM. And not just any man room, a media room complete with deer heads, boots, gun paraphernalia, barbed wire, and of course... a really big TV. The pink closet only cost me an hour of time and the paint was donated by GB and HJ-- the man room is looking to be less cost effective. But, whats better than a little bit of wonderful that doesn't cost a dime and cheers you up every single day? Andrew has learned the truth of the statement "Happy Wife, Happy Life" so without further delay, i give you "the pink closet" ... ta da....

Let the blogging begin

Hello Friends and Family-- welcome to my first blog!

I'm not sure how great at this I'm going to be, but I figured it would be a good way to keep everyone updated and share a little of our life with those we love.

Our latest news: we bought a house! Ironically, our blog title is fitting, although its really just Andrew's nickname. We have loved being in our new house, especially the kitchen. I've been doing lots of work and making lots of changes to the new casa de swofford (aka SwoffHouse) and it's been so fun! We are hoping everyone comes to visit us and check out the new house, Savannah, TX is a lovely little town! I'll have lots of before/after pictures to show soon!

That's all for now! Check back soon...