MIA

where have i been? grrrrrr... i know, its been a while. and, sadly its going to be a while longer before i'm back to the bloggy world :( boooo

our computer got a virus, and is no bueno. hopefully, getting it all repaired and back to functioning soon

ugh, i hate stuff like this...

anyway, hopefully i'll be back to reading

about everyone's fun stuff

and posting completely pointless

 irrelevant things again soon.

 stupid virus.

happy tuesday.

Happy Birthday Mama!

Today is my sweet mama's birthday, she's 21. waaahhoooo! haha, okay not really. but i'm her favorite daughter so i would never spill the beans on her age!

if you know my mom, you know she's more talented than HGTV + martha stewart ComBiNed!!!! she can pretty much to anything, and usually while making it look like she's done it for years. she throws awesome birthday parties. she decorates the coolest of cool bedrooms (my brother and i totally had the most outrageous rooms growing up). she works HARD. and she is super fun. she's the total package, and quite the supermom if i may say so myself.

mama always finds a way to surprise us with gifts or treats, she is so thoughtful. she goes above and beyond in everything she does. she made our home a place that everyone always wanted to be. and she has been so supportive of me becoming my own person and starting our own life and family... she is always on board with decisions husband and i make for ourselves, even if it means us moving 5 hours away. she reminds me that i'm tough and capable when i feel weak and helpless. and she reminds me to be humble and sweet when that attitude of mine rears its ugly head. she creates amazing traditions that make time together so much more meaningful and fun. basically, she rocks.

and, did i mention that she is just as cute as she can be? see...

aunt carol and mama

(they are sisters)

and just in case you didnt see that she's way gorgeous,

us in Laguna Beach, CA

mother's day a few years ago

in Cancun for my 21st birthday

mama and me

at the rehearsal dinner before my wedding

i LOVE this picture

mama and brother at the ceremony

she's a blast!

us in Santa Fe one weekend

us in NOLA, before girls cruise 2009

mama in cozumel :)

and a few weekends ago, at a wedding.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU MAMA!

I LOVE YOU!

red truck, blue truck, old truck, new truck

thats right, i said NEW TRUCK! my sweet husband has been so patient, he's needed a new truck for a while now and has tried to just "fix everything" with the red one, rather than make a major purchase... but the time has come, and i'm so happy for him to finally get a brand new truck!

this has been a huge deal, because well...

we are Ford people

and husband bought a "not ford" - Chevy

whatever.

he loves it & it was a good deal.

bye bye big red :(

i've been freakishly emotional about the red truck being gone, and i have no idea why. i didnt think i'd care so much, but there are so many memories. he had that truck for 8 years... its just so different. i'm sure i'll get over it soon, once i'm used to seeing the new one. he more than deserves it!

the salesman even took a picture for me,

what a great guy.

understanding that i need to document this for the blog, and fb. haha!

(excuse the fact that i'm way overdressed for car shopping, i'd been at our junior league provisional retreat all morning/afternoon)

anyway, woohoo!

ALS-- i'm so thrilled you got yourself something new,

you work so hard and you always put me first,

 thanks for being so patient,

and i'm so happy you're happy!

-- love you --

-AND-

happy birthday to G

y'all jump over and wish my dear sweet cousin a happy birthday,

i think she's wonderful :)

happy monday!

i LOVE this website

i'm sure many of you may already visit Houzz quite often, but if you don't .... oh my goodness, you must go check it out asap! i LOVE getting ideas, and just browsing decorating styles that arent necessarily my taste, but i still enjoy looking at. here are some that i might never do, but i think are beautiful:

anyway, i know there is something for everyone at houzz.com,

so go get some ideas friends!!!

Happy Friday!

bagels arent just for breakfast

so, its summer... and thick heavy meals are just not what i'm interested in for now.... but i got awfully tired of eating sandwiches. i mean, its the same thing every day.... wheat bread, miracle whip, dijon mustard, turkey, swiss cheese, pickle, chips. delicious, but.... i NEED a change.
 and then, it came to me.....

throw it on a bagel :)

oh happy day!

and

to really spice things up, i switched to provolone cheese

and added genoa salami and pepperoni too!

even husband is thrilled with my new sandwich idea

and i'm totally not gonna lie, after i took this picture i gave myself another pickle. i thought two pickles made me look like a porker, but i always eat two. dont hate.

hope the bagel saves someone else

from sandwich monotony too!

happy tuesday!

take me out to the ballgame

last tuesday night Coach Tuberville (we are Texas Tech people) was throwing the first pitch at the Ranger's game. so, of course, drew HAD to get tickets!

we ended up getting stuck in traffic and missed the first pitch, which was a bummer... but the game was great. i much prefer baseball in person rather than on tv.

it was either cut off drew's head, or

the top of my dress...

obviously i wouldnt go naked to a baseball game,

but still....

it was a cute dress,

i should have gotten a better pic of us, sorry friends.

and

for those who care

i took a picture of the game

i even learned a few of the players names,

but honestly i really like

Frisco Roughriders games much better

(way less traffic)

it was a fun date night!

and the Rangers won--always a +

did you know?

so, after making my lemonade pie, i realized that i have some pretty insane information sitting in my freezer, just waiting to be shared with everyone....

L-R: paintbrushes, turkey, almond ice cream

what???!!!???

{paintbrushes}

i know, right!

so, here's the scoop (hahaa, scoop, get it...

ice cream.... lame. dont hate)

i bought this gallon of black oil based, high gloss paint

and needless to say, its been well used

i've painted our kitchen cabinets

before

and after

and the guest bathroom cabinets

after

and our master bathroom cabinets

(pretty much same before pic as other cabinets)

and the stair banister

after

and my desk

after

and my grandmother's antique chest of drawers

and a few other things here and there,

so,

what you should know

is that instead of washing out

brushes between each use,

you can pop them in the freezer!?!

hello, life made easier!

then, when you're ready to paint again, just take them out, give them a couple minutes to thaw out, and you're ready to go!!! its much less complicated than having to wash brushes out with paint thinner (for oil based paint) after every single use. obviously, if you want to change colors, you'd have to buy a new brush or wash one... but if you plan to paint lots of things one color

(like touching up woodwork, or molding)

... you're in business.

so, after you finish your next project,

wrap that brush up in foil, and pop it

right into the freezer!

happy sunday!