Happy Anniversary

Yesterday was our 4 year wedding anniversary, so I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to my husband for all he does (always taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, cooking for me, taking care of me when I'm sick) and the list goes on and on. No marriage or relationship is easy but it makes a huge difference when you have a partner who is willing to do what it takes and be patient and loving!

An upside to horrible weather

We received about 5 solid days of rain, which was becoming a pain very quickly, but somewhere in the middle of that nasty weather, I had just pulled into the driveway from work and saw this:

Our visit to see my brand new niece

My mom and I drove to south Louisiana to see my sister and to be at the hospital for the birth of our new niece, Hannah. Congratulations to mom, dad and big sister Lucy. We are so thrilled about this brand new Powers addition! We can't wait to watch the girls as they grow (which will be way to fast, of course)!

more dog photos

They say it's your birthday...

We threw a birthday party for Allan at the house this year. Alex and his friends came down from Chicago to pay us a visit. We made tie-dyed cake (see photos) as well as s'mores cupcakes, both of which turned out amazing. Also on the menu were Allan's special pulled pork sandwiches. He started roasting the meat around 9 AM that day. He's the only person I know that would actually enjoy cooking on his own birthday. Happy birthday!

Mr. and Mrs. Williams

I had the honor and pleasure of being a part of Bobby and Denise's wedding in May. There was a threat of rain all day, but we were fortunate and the clouds passed over. They are both dear friends of ours and it makes me happy to see how happy they are together.

girls day and girls night!

Girls day/Bachlorette party/Lingerie shower was a blast! We got a hotel room in downtown Dallas, hit the pool, and then went out afterward. My homemade sangria was a huge hit.

Happy Birthday Denise!

We took Denise out for an Italian dinner and afterward we went to Bobby's gig at Two Brothers. The pink cupcakes were awesome!!!

Lounging pups

I've never seen such a pitiful sight....

Turner Falls

So, in the middle of the hectic month we were dealing with, I decided to surprise my husband with a quick trip to Oklahoma for a little break. We drove up on a Wednesday morning and stayed in a cabin, packed a picnic and just took it easy for a bit. Our cabin had a grill, so we grilled our dinner and had homemade cookies for dessert. It was just what the doctor ordered.

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas"...

Well, when the temperature on Wednesday, December 23 reached 70 degrees, we accepted the fact that it was going to be an unseasonably warm Christmas.
All Day Christmas Eve, we got some cold rain and in late afternoon, it turned into snow and it continued to snow well into the night. Check out the photos of the scene we woke up to on Christmas morning! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

A fabulous departure from my 20's

Since I am turning 30, I had to come up with a clever theme for my party, as any regular idea just wouldn't do. So, we had a "Roaring 20's" themed event. The idea was that I am leaving my 20's behind and therefore should go out with a bang. Which we did. We had a fabulous turnout, and as you will see, many of our friends played along and dressed the part. We had a "casino" room for poker and such. The party was a great success and it was a total blast to see what costumes everyone would come up with. Check out the photos!

Puppy love

It didn't take Daisy very long to get comfortable in her "new digs" - no pun intended if you saw the yard. Max has taken quite a liking to her as well. Although he is an old man and a bit impatient, there is no doubt that he enjoys her company. The other day, she decided to take a nap on him - he clearly didn't mind - or didn't notice.

Girls' Night Out

We celebrated nothing in particular at the end of November. We got about 20 girls together and rented a limo and painted the town red! You should have seen the bartender's face when we asked for 19 lemon drop shots!

New Fall cookie recipe

Out of boredom a few nights ago, we decided to try this cookie recipe. It is so perfect for fall. They turned out really light and we liked them so much that I thought I would share.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Glaze (recipe follows)

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.

FOR GLAZE:
COMBINE 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.

Sneaky little pup

Bad girl stole my bookmark while I was reading. I guess she can't be good all the time.

Lazy Daisy

She's quite a lounging pup!

She followed me home. Can we keep her??!!

Last week a friend of ours was taking her son to school and found these really young puppies playing near one of the bus stops. She then discovered that the dogs were strays and took them home because she didn't know what else to do. When Allan found out that she had done this he asked me to find out what kind of puppies they were, and if they needed homes. So, we did and we went to take a look, and it was love at first sight! We think she is a hound mix of some kind, still trying to figure that out. Her paws are a good size so we think she will grow up to be pretty good sized girl, but we are used to big dogs, so either way it's fine with us.
She came home with us on Tuesday, and she has already learned how to jump on the couch and bed (not good)!! Her first few days in her new home have gone extremely well, and even Max has been patient with her (always a good thing).
Now we just have to finalize a name for her. There are about a million good dog names for male dogs, but for some reason, it's harder with her. We'll post her name as soon as she has one!

Book project update!

I just finished book #25, marking the halfway point of my goal of reading 50 books in 2009. Water for Elephants is a great tale of life as part of the circus in the 1930's. I was fascinated by all the characters (and their mysterious development) and the premise for this story. I am off to the library again in search of the next favorite!