Monday, December 14, 2009

As Promised...

So as I had mentioned, my life has been very busy lately.

I had also promised to finally fill you all in. So this is going to be kind of a potluck post.

I will start with this last Friday....

My kiddos had their Christmas program at school and they were just the cutest little things I've ever seen.

They made me and Ms. Lyndsie so proud with their adorable singing antics.

Their playlist included Jingle Bell Rock and Away in a Manger.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that I'm not allowed to post pictures of them outside of school I can not let you partake in adoring their cuteness.

As they sang, it was so hard to believe that these little children were babies when I began my job two years ago. I was so happy I wanted to cry. I immediately began to realize this has to be how a parent feels when their child is growing up. Except I'm sure it's 100 times worse.

And once again I realized I'm not ready for children. I would never be able to let mine out of sight for even a second.

I hope I'm not, but probably will be the parent that tells you some lame excuse like, "I'm sorry you can't hold him because he's an anthropophobian (afraid of people)." or maybe something along the lines of, "She's allergic to everyone but me, doctor's orders."

I don't even like to leave my children at school with a sub because I'm afraid they won't take care of them like I do.

I guess I should work on having faith in others a little more.

Anyway, the children really warmed my heart Friday evening and helped me remember the importance or Christmas. They brought such youth, innocence and cheer to all of us there.

I truly did feel blessed to be a part of it all. I have to say my kiddos parents are very lucky to have such wonderful children. :)

Saturday seemed to be a whirlwind of events that left me completely exhausted come Sunday morning. Who am I kidding, I'm still exhausted now.

As I've mentioned before one of my best friends in the entire world is getting married. Yes, Ms. Princess Mitzi. She's taking the plunge with one of the sweetest guys around, Danny.

Saturday was their engagement party and I had the best time seeing old friends and catching up about old times and making new memories.

Mitzi was my roommate for three years and quickly became my best friend and long lost sister. I have to say she is by far the funnest (not a word) person that I know!

I'm so completely happy for her and I know that her and Danny will truly have a happily ever after like they deserve.

All the bridesmaids. Erica, Alexis, Shellie, Me, Jen, Mitzi (bride), Katie, Ashley and Kristen

I didn't get pictures of the wonderful main course but here are the scrumptious cupcakes and cookies.

Mitzi and Danny opening their gift from all the bridesmaids.

Me and the Bride to be, Princess Mitzi
Our cute gift from Mitzi and Danny for throwing the shower for them. Monogrammed umbrellas.
Thank you Mitz, for being one of the best friends a girl could have. I love and cherish our friendship more than you will ever know.

After the Mitzi/Danny extravaganza I attended Ms. Lacee Lou's Christmas party. Sadly, there are no pictures since I was exhausted from the moment I got there.

It was good however to hang out with old friends and catch up. I also enjoyed seeing people in ridiculously funny Christmas attire.

I slept in Sunday to try to recover from lack of sleep. But was awoke by a phone call. I didn't mind. It was another one of my favorite people in the entire world, Ms. Jenanabelle (Jenna).

She was in Denton visiting the boy so we met up for a lunch date and discussed how wonderful we are. ;)

Then it was off to the grocery store to buy more baking stuff than one should ever buy to make Christmas cookies for the world (30 people).

I began my baking marathon at 4:30 P.M.

Seven hours and 243 cookies later they were packaged, labeled and now sit ready to be handed out to some very lucky people.

I was told that they better be good cookies for all the hours it took. (They are.)

But even if they weren't, they were made with heaping spoonfuls of love. :)

I guess I could have purchased cookies or made one huge pan of cupcakes, but we all know that's not my style.

Martha has taught me better than that.

And I would be utterly embarrassed to send out store bought goods to ANYONE, even the homeless at Christmas.

It makes me a little sick to my stomach when I see store bought cookies wrapped up individually like they are homemade, such fakes...such wannabe's.

Yes, I know.... I'm an absolute food snob.

Anyway, the small trinkets of goodness are shown below......

These are just some of the cookies....there were of course many many more.

Chocolate peppermint cookies

So this about catches everyone up.

I'm currently in the middle of finals so it's another big week.

But when it's all over I get to see the number one greatest person in my life, my Daddy!!! (Mom, don't worry you're tied)

I can't wait for that last final Friday morning!

For now though I will leave you with a few photographs, enjoy.

Me and Santa, 1991
I'm gonna have to say about 1988
I hope everyone has a great week!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

M. I. A.

Has it really been almost a month since I've posted anything?

Look at me being a neglectful blogger.

Santa should just go ahead and throw some coal in my stocking.

In my defense, this time of year is very busy.

I'm too busy trying to have fun and make new memories like the ones below.....

First Christmas in College Station with my roomies.
Two years ago, Christmas party with Lacee Lou.

And then below with my ITB friend as reindeer's. :)


I can't wait to spend time with family and friends again when I head home next Friday.

I love Denton but it's lacking a few things..... family, my best friends and home :)

I love going home and feeling like I'm 16 again.

This weekend has a lot going on so I will have a lot to post about come Monday. Maybe I shouldn't commit to blogging Monday.... Finals are Mon- Fri of next week.

I do promise you will hear lots of fun stories soon.

Between my kids at work's Christmas program, my best friends engagement shower and another friends Christmas party there will be lots to chat about.

Until then let me leave you with something sweet one of my kiddos said to me today.....

Little boy: (Crying) "I want that toy!" (The toy that another little boy is playing with)
Me: "Well, maybe you can ask and he'll share with you."
Little boy: (Stares at me crying.....)
Other little boy: "Here you go, you can have it."
Me: "Oh how sweet of you to share your toy! You know, that's what makes you so special, you're such a sweet friend to share!"
Other little boy: "Ms. Tori, I just share because it makes me happy." :)

I almost cried. How sweet and unselfish he is. This is not the first time this little boy has said such sweet things but today I realized how much they are growing, growing, growing everyday. And I'm so delighted to get to be a part of it.


Monday, November 16, 2009

I've Jumped On...

....the bandwagon.

I can't believe the sentence that I'm about to type......

I, Victoria Adams have become a fan of Twilight.

Yes, me, the one who spent the last year poking fun of people watching movies and reading books about vampires.

I could not see the point in reading about something that is so unrealistic. I like reading books that pertain to my life directly.

But then.....

I went to RedBox one Wednesday night (my movie and me night) and there was nothing to rent, everything was checked out except for.......

This movie.

So I pressed the select button and carted it home thinking that I just wasted $1.08.

So I cooked my dinner sat down and pushed play.

There's not much more to say.

I was hooked.

Mainly because of this guy.


Don't you just want to make-out with him?

Well, I do.

I can't believe I just typed that.

He plays a flippin' vampire.

I haven't felt a movie crush like this since Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic pack in 7th grade.

He's definitely a hottie but I became even more in love with him when I found out he sings, plays guitar and piano.

So with much embarrassment I must now state that I too have become a Twilight junkie.

I want all the books.

I'm counting down the days until New Moon. (3)

And wishing I were Bella.

I feel like a junior high school girl.

Thanks Edward Cullen.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Stength

"Live the life you're proud of and if your not, have the strength to change it."


The above is a quote I came across.

And I thought, 'such truth'.

Have the stength to change it.

If there's something else you want out of life...

Get out there.

Do something about it.

Have the courage.

Make the changes.

Take chances.

Live.

How simple.

And I love simple.

:)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

What Can YOU Do Wednesday?

So much has been going on around here in my crazy little world.

I do want to post about it but being at school and not on my own laptop I can't post about it with photos so I feel that I must wait so that you can get the full effect of this busy little life of mine.

But since it is Wednesday I will go ahead and open my mouth about what's been keeping me busy in the green world lately.

Well, I'm not gonna lie... it's mostly been green cooking.

I've cooked and baked from scratch more in the past couple of weeks than I have in my entire life.

And the results have been outrageous.

I don't believe I can ever purchase another box of store bought granola bars or muffins again.

I definitely will be reconsidering my bread purchase.

I will NEVER ever again buy biscuits, pizza crusts, or cinnamon rolls from commercial giants like Pillsbury.

I've been really wanting to get in there and dissect everything that goes into my food. Not that I haven't been doing this for a while now. But I needed to know what was in ALL of it. Even the tiny stuff.

Example: Ingredients: granola (whole grain rolled oats, rolled whole wheat, brown sugar, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil [soybean and/or cottonseed oil] dried coconut, whole wheat flour, honey), semisweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [an emulsifier], vanilla flavor), corn syrup, crisp rice (rice, sugar, salt, barley malt), high fructose corn syrup, sugar, corn syrup solids, glycerin, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and/or cottonseed oil), sorbitol, salt, molasses, water, natural and artificial flavors, BHT (a preservative), citric acid. Contains wheat and soy ingredients. May contain traces of peanuts.

The above is what is in Quaker granola bars... I've highlighted what I think is ridiculous or I can't figure out what it is, or it's purpose.

There is absolutely no need for all that crap!

So, no thank you I'll take my homemade granola bars over that cluster of poo.

I actually think it took less time to make them than it did to drive to the store, pick them up, and drive home.

This is just one example.

There are a million I could talk about.

I know that I bring up the importance or knowing what's in your food, knowing where it's from and so on quite often but it's for very food reasons.

If you don't believe me just check out a few of these sites. Sweetpoison, OrganicConsumers, PreventCancer, NewYorkTimes.

I found these articles very interesting.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

I Hope I'm Not Forgetting Anything...


Because I'm jumping up and down with joy!!!!!

I have nothing to do and nowhere to go this weekend and no one is coming to visit!

I have a list longer than Santa's naughty or nice list of things to do around the house that's gotten out of control.

I have not had the time to tackle much lately.

Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed every weekend the past 3 months or so. And that's how long it's been since I haven't had weekend plans. But dear Lord, I just need sometime to do things around the house that make me happy.

You know stuff like this, along with a little painting, organizing and making all kinds of of fun stuff!

Oh I just can't wait!

Please Friday, hurry up and show your pretty little face so I can enjoy a relaxing productive weekend with no one but me. :)

Monday, November 2, 2009

Somewhere Down in Texas


I've been planning a trip to Austin since I saw these entertaining people about a month ago.

This past weekend I jumped in the ole red wagon and left for Austin excited about the events ahead of me.

I envisioned all kinds of fun which would include some stylish Austin bars, the Aggie football game, some tailgating and lots and lots of laughs.

I have to say I was a little bit wrong. The weekend turned out a tad different.

It actually turned out better than I had planned.

When I got to Austin Friday night Erin, Tyler and I had dinner at an old favorite.


Erin and I met at Cheddar's the end of my first semester of college in 2004. She became a fast favorite of mine and continues to be five years later.

Many of our days at Cheddar's were spent complaining about rude and obnoxious customers who seemed to think you were inhuman and could treat you any way they please. We also spent many a day goofing off in the back. Some of our favorite things to keep us from actually dealing with our customers included: making liquid cocaine (the best iced tea ever) and hiding it behind the squirrel, stealing croissants and dipping them in fudge, and of course who can forget situations like this?


Overall, the near 3 years I spent working as a waitress at Cheddar's really did make me realize that I'd rather die than be a waitress again. But then again in those 3 years I met the most ridiculously amazing people possible. And even though we spent 50% of the time complaining about our job (if not more) I believe that secretly we enjoyed every second of it because we were there together.

So anyway, we ate a few old favorites at the local Austin Cheddar's. We of course judged our wait staff on how we would have handled everything differently. Ending of course in a rude comment slipping off Erin's tongue. It wasn't her fault, the waitress seemed to show all signs of being incompetent.

After our flashback dinner we decided to head back to Riley and Tyler's house and play a classic.


Although we decided to shake things up a little by playing the Dog Edition.

It was indeed a swell choice.

We allowed Tyler to fulfill his dreams of owning a miniature schnauzer which definitely made his night.

We woke up Saturday morning and headed toward College Station.

I haven't been back to College Station since the day I hitched the U-haul to the truck over 2 years ago. I was a little excited to say the least.

But there was one thing that I had to be initiated into before reaching our destination. I'm now proud to say that I have officially been down Old Potato road. I'm not going to explain it because you just couldn't understand. ;)

Once we made it to College Station we headed to Northgate for a little pre-game festivities.

Erin and I had the privilege of spending all weekend with this guy.


Don't know him? Well, you will. His name is Riley xSladek (silent x) and he's the biggest thing in Mexican blockbusters since greased back ponytails.

So proud to say I've known him since way before his Latin stardom.

We then decided to celebrate with a few shots at Dry Bean, this is my favorite shot bar.


We tried to capture the moment but we just couldn't get it together.

But I promise despite the lack of smiles in the photo we all enjoyed our "pissed off Japanese minnow farmer" shot.


After that we started our walk to Kyle Field. Where the walk up to the third level seemed to take hours.


But we finally found our seats.



It started off a little warm but ended up being pretty nice by the middle of the game.


We were thrilled to see the Ags BTHO Iowa State but we were exhausted and decided to head back to Austin after the game. I believe we all took naps on the way back minus Derek, the driver.

Back in Austin Erin, Riley, Tyler and I headed out for dinner at Baby A's where we experienced our only taste of Halloween '09. It came in the form of the Baby A's wait staff. My favorite happened to be a mummy who obviously forgot to make a flap in his masking tape costume for bathroom breaks.

While eating we tried to figure out what the rest of the evening would entail. Tyler brought up his current NetFlix's selection of Transformers 2. Someone mentioned laying on the couch and blankie's and we were all convinced that was the only way we wanted to spend our Halloween night.

Halfway into the movie we decided finishing it would be ridiculous when we could just go to sleep.

Yes, we were in bed by about 11 on Halloween.

Sunday I woke up fully refreshed from my 10 hour slumber to find everyone already downstairs drinking coffee watching TV. So I snuggled up with my blankie and joined the Sunday fun.

We watched a wide range of television favorites including Full House (I forgot how hot Uncle Jesse was), THIS SHOW (which made me want to throw up), and a show on animal planet which showcased an anaconda hunt by a team of idiots.

After a light lunch it was time to say bye to old friends and head back to Denton which I'd started to miss.

Oh course I had to stop @ IKEA since it was on the way.

I wanted it all but ended leaving there with only these items...


And at only $16.25 for all of it I'd say it was a pretty good pit stop.

So I'm finally back home not happy that tomorrow is Monday but very grateful for this past weekend.

Thanks for making me laugh until my stomach and cheeks hurt Erin, Riley and Tyler! Can't wait for next time where I hope to see the dangerous game of STUMP played and perhaps Riley's Mexican movie premiere party.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

What Can YOU Do Wednesday?

Recently, I've really really been wanting a pair of these, this pair is one of my favorites.

I see them everywhere.

So why are they on the What Can YOU Do Wednesday post?

Well, for those of you who haven't seen the AT&T commercials about Toms Shoes, each pair that you buy Toms will donate a pair to a child in need. How flippin' awesome!

Now are they cheap?

Not really.

They range from around $40 to somewhere around $70.

But they're for a good cause and they have soles made of recycled rubber and the canvas is organic.

So they are on my list of things I want this year for Christmas.

Check them out and see whatcha think! :)

Happy Wednesday my friends!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Silly Kids

It's been a while since I've posted any funnies about my ever so adorable and sometimes monstrous children at work.

So long in fact that I'm no longer their 2 year old teacher but I am now their 3 year old teacher. I've been with these munchkins since they were one, it's absolutely unbelievable.

As usual funny things happen all the time in my classroom.

A few that I'm listing below are ones that have stuck with me through this school year so far.


Little boy walks up to me looking like he's in distress.
Me: "Is something wrong?"
Him: "I got a boo-boo on my lip." (he says this in his super saddest voice ever.)
Me: "Oh no. What happened?"
Him: "I was just in my fort when a bear came up and bit my lip off while I was sleeping."
Me: "Hmm........"

Seriously, how do you punish a non-existent bear that comes in at nap time and bites children's lips off? lol


I walk into the bathroom that we have in our room the other day to find a little girl standing up facing the potty with the lid up. When she sees me walk in she says, " I'm a little boy." I chuckled under my breath and then explained to her that she was in fact a little girl. I wanted to add...."believe me, you do NOT want to be a little boy even if they can tinkle standing up. They really just aren't that cool." I refrained.


Little girl: "Ms. Tori, you know that planet Mars?"
Me: "Yeh, I know it."
Little girl: "I've been there, it's really cold."


Please keep in mind that these children are 3. They keep me rolling in chuckles everyday.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Randomness of the Past Month

After almost a month of not blogging I'm not quite sure where to begin.

I guess I'll just pick up where I left off....

So a couple of weekends ago I headed to Arlington to meet up with a few old College Station friends that I so dearly have missed. It was indeed one of the best reunions of all time. Mostly, because of this lady , she rocks my socks off. (far right, Ms. Erin Tobin)

I had forgotten how wonderful our friendship was until I had the opportunity to spend hours and hours which lasted until wee hours of the morning with her.

It was in fact so wonderful that after I had been with her, Tyler, Riley, Jenna, Tom and so on for about an hour I asked, "So when can we do this again?" I was so anxious to see them again even though we still had a whole night of madness ahead of us.

We decided on the A&M vs. Iowa State game on the 31st. So as you might suspect, I'm so anxious for next weekend I almost can't contain myself. Not to mention, two of my favorite people in the world moved to Austin area recently (Mr. Adams and his lady Ms. Candace and this is where I'll be meeting Erin). I can only imagine the shenanigans to be had.


So you might be wondering what shenanigans came of our recent reunion. Well after a quick catch up.... A few of our favorite brews (see below)



And a couple rounds of these.....

The night offered much crazy fun such as a jersey contest (See Erin's photo), wrestling and other ridiculousness that cannot be explained to those that were not present. So you can see why I'm eager to be with these loonies once again. :)

In other news, domestic news that is....

I've found a new favorite treat. Thanks to The Bonnie Hunt Show I've now fallen in love. What is it you ask? Nutella spread and bananas (original recipe calls for peanut butter, but Nutella makes it much better)

How do you make it?

Take one banana. Cut in half. Spread Nutella inside. Close banana with other half. Put in freezer. After frozen cut in small pieces. Enjoy! I love this new healthy candy.

Also in domestic news, sewing excursions are still in full swing. Below is a make-up bag I made in about an hour a couple of weeks ago. It was my first zipper and lining project and I love it!!!!! It matches perfectly with my newly decorated bathroom.


UNT homecoming was this past weekend and I decided to try to step it up a notch with my sewing and it went pretty well. I didn't have a pattern. I used a sketch and this is how the end result turned out. (below) I got many compliments and I'm now contemplating making one for the A&M game at the end of the month.


This past weekend these two lovely ladies joined me in the homecoming festivities that are known as tailgating (eatin' and drinkin') and football (watching UNT lose).


We obviously had fun as shown in mine and Tom's picture below.


And of course I always have fun when this little lady is present.


So that is what's been going on in these parts lately.

It's been really busy and it shall continue through the next month or so but I really am enjoying every little second of this crazy whirlwind fall.

What are a few of my current projects that I am trying to finish up? Well, I'm working on re-vamping my old shower curtain to match the newly decorated bathroom, I'm recovering a glider rocker and pillows, I'm becoming a breadmaker (I'm still trying to tweak the recipe), I'm also redecorating the whole house with a look of natural and earthy colors (go figure).

And lastly, in true Wednesday fashion......

What Can YOU Do Wednesday?

Well, with all this decorating and sewing that I've been doing I've definitely learned the importance or reusing and recycling EVERYTHING! All fabrics especially. So it's simple and to the point. Before you go out and purchase anything new check around the house for something that can be transformed into what you're looking for. I will post pictures of all my projects I've been doing with reusable materials very soon.


That's it for now.... Happy Wednesday!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

What Can YOU Do Wednesday?

"Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." -Lao Tzu

"We don't need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it." -Donald Horban

Above are a few quotes that I found today that I really enjoyed.

I saw much truth in them.

We continue to want more.

But what do we really need?

How many things are in your home that are there for the simple fact that you wanted them?

More than I can count are lingering in the closets and cabinets of my home.

These things are just sitting there wishing they were with someone who would actually use them instead of just gawking at them.

I'm tired of being this person who wants.

I'm tired of being this person who sees my wants more than I see others needs.

It must be changed.

I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks taking apart each room in my home and giving away many of my wants.

I'm not doing this to make myself feel better.

I'm doing this to help someone else.

Who NEEDS 20 jackets? 40 pairs of shoes?

So I encourage you to downsize to take a few of the things that you want and give them to someone in need.

I will try and post as I get rid of things so you can help me give these things away if you know someone in need of them :)

Happy "keep chuggin' along, you're halfway through" day!!!!!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Sewing Excursions

I was laying on the couch tonight feeling like I needed to get up and do something.

So I did.

And an hour later this is how it turned out.......


I'm getting much better at this sewing stuff. I didn't even use a pattern for this, just my noggin.

Yay for a fun bag/purse! :)


I also made a few napkins yesterday morning when Jenny came over before church. Super easy. I decided they needed a little something so I thought why not try and embroider them, it turned out ok.
Could be better but I'm just using them to wipe my spaghetti face so they don't have to be perfect.
I can't wait to see what else my little sewing machine can produce!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Ready For The Weekend

So the next two weekends are full of fun things to keep me busy and they can't get here soon enough.

This weekend I have some of my favorite people in the world coming to Denton. Jenanabelle, Ranie Dawn and Mike T will be here on Friday to help support one of our close friends from high school.

He plays in the Boyce Edwards Band check them out. They're really great and they will be playing at Rbar. So, if you don't have anything planned on Friday night and you'd like to hear some good Texas country come join us!

Next up, Saturday morning I will be heading to Dallas to meet with Mitzi and the other bridesmaids to try on dresses (woo!) and then to have lunch with the girls. I'm always so happy when I get to spend time with these girls. It's not very often even though I'm only 30 minutes away... school and work keep me entirely too occupied.

Saturday evening is the UNT vs. Middle Tennessee starting at 7 I think. If anyone would like to join in on this tailgating fun (lord knows we probably won't win, that doesn't mean it can't be fun :) please don't hesitate to let me know I'd love to get a group together!

Next weekend I have two super fun things planned! First, THE ERIN TOBIN will be in town!!! What? Really? Yes, I know I'm totally excited! I cannot wait to see this sweet face and catch up with one of the greatest ladies! I love her!

Then on Sunday little Miss Jenny and I will be heading to the DIY wedding clinic to get ideas for her fall wedding next year. I can't wait to see all the fun things I can learn! Plus, Jenny's like the cats pajama's AKA funness.

So I obviously have some busy weekends coming up and I couldn't be more excited. Now just to get through the school and work part.

Off to a lab.

Late lovelies!

What Can YOU Do Wednesday?

I was at Jenny's house last night when she asked me, "How do you clean the sink when it's stained without using bleach?"

Well, I did a little green research and this is what I came up with...

You will need lemons and baking soda.

Make a paste with it.

And then apply the mixture to the sinks and scrub.

Let sit for a few minutes. Rinse. Repeat if necessary.

As simple as that. :)

Hope that helps lady!

Happy 'it's the middle of the week' day! Yay!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

What Can YOU Do Wednesday?

Lately I've been really analyzing ways to simplify life. I've briefly touched on this subject before... HERE

It's come up in many ways in my life lately.

Aren't we all just too complicated?

I am.

I don't want to be but I am.

In a class last week we discussed a village in Brazil that was perfectly happy with their way of life.

Which included grass huts, loin clothes and food that they gathered themselves each day.

Obviously, this is the extreme of simplicity.

I'm positive that I don't want to be that simple.

But what really got under my skin is that a group of Americans went over to Brazil and tried to "fix" this village.

They didn't believe the clothes they were wearing were appropriate, they saw them as being unfortunate.

They wanted to show them that you don't have to work everyday for your food but instead you can get it in bulk.

And that although those straw huts are nice they aren't as reliable and as grand as the ones that they could build them.

There we go, the nosy Americans trying to push our way of life onto another culture.

There we go, acting like our way is better.

There we go, thinking that our way is the only way.

Who are we?

These people where completely happy before we stepped in.

And in this world where we are trying to reduce a person's footprint on the environment we go over to a perfectly happy group of people and change their world and increase their footprint.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't have nice things in life, especially if they were unhappy with the way their life was. But they weren't.

I think that we should have went there trying to learn something from them.

I think that if we would have shut our mouths and looked and listened a little harder we would have seen that simplicity is grand.

That you can be happy in spite of material things.

That perhaps we need less than we think.

That we can decrease our effect on the environment.

That if we didn't require so many resources (extra, not needed resources) to take care of our spoiled butts we wouldn't have to work such long days and that we could enjoy our families and our friends much more.

Of course that village is happier!

They take a few hours a day to gather the things they NEED and spend the rest enjoying their family.

So what can YOU do?

Simplify your life.

Quit thinking you NEED all these THINGS and instead realize it's just you wanting them. Reanalyze what you have to have and what you can do without.

It's as easy as that.

I hope to have more 'simplicity' posts coming soon.

We start a new series at church next Sunday and I'm eager learn more and more about this subject.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Weekend With Daddy :)

So this past weekend was spent with one of my favorite people in the world, my Daddy.

I always enjoy our time together.

The rain put a slight damper on our weekend but we didn't let it keep us down.

I took off work Friday so we could spend the day together. (Thanks for working for me Jenny :)

We went to the bookstore to pick up my school books (I really haven't needed them the past two weeks, but it's now getting to the point that I do.) and Daddy decided to pick up a few Plato books of his own.

We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening looking around in Grapevine and then back to Denton for dinner and then to Best Buy where I picked up a few CD's. One of which is now my new favorite, Matt Nathanson.

Saturday brought much rain, but we didn't complain. We decided to head back to Grapevine where we had noticed the day before that there was a big BBQ cookoff at Bass Pro.

But of course had only brought an umbrella and no rain gear which was indeed in need.

Lucky for me Bass Pro carries a wide range of rain gear.

Of course the cheap stuff was sold out because everyone seemed to have the same idea.

So after spending $86 on rain gear I was then ready to hit the cookout.

Some very good BBQ was sampled and we saw some very unique pits. Including an 18 wheeler and Mickey Mouse.

My Daddy used to make BBQ pits for fun when I was growing up and we used to have this huge pit in our yard that looked exactly like an old tractor it had wheels and even a seat. We decided that we definitely would have had one of the coolest BBQ pits there if we'd have entered the contest. I'm not sure about our BBQ though.

After a couple of hours at the cookout we'd had all the BBQ we could handle and made our way to downtown Fort Worth.

I have never been down to the stockyards and my Daddy hasn't been since the '90's.

It poured on us the entire time we were there. But somehow I didn't even notice. This is where I decided the $86 investment in rain gear was definitely well worth it.

We looked around for a while and enjoyed all the history the town has to offer before heading back to Denton, ordering a pizza and relaxing at the house.

All in all I had a great weekend and I'm thankful for our time together. :)

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

What Can YOU Do Wednesday?

Today's What Can YOU Do Wednesday? Is going to be short and sweet since I'm on my way from one class to another.

So what can you work on this week to become the green queen?

So simple.

Be tree-free!

It's just like it sounds, go without using trees. (Or work on cutting down how much you use/relay on tree made products.

A few quick examples....

- use cloth napkins

- purchase bleach free toilet paper

- print documents on recycled paper (and use the back side of paper)

- leave messages on reusable boards instead of notepads

The list could go on and on.

I challenge you to get rid of one thing in your home that is tree made and you use a lot of.

Try to find another alternative.

Not only are you saving our forests but I guarantee you will save money too!

Happy Wednesday to ya!

Monday, September 7, 2009

A Long Way To Go...


So above is the quilt I have been attempting to make.

Yes, I know it doesn't look like much but I haven't been spending anytime on it.

Before last night it was literally just the four middle squares.

It's now roughly the size of a pillowcase.

I'm going to try to devote more time to working on it because it's honestly not too hard once you get the hang of it.

I'm anxious to see the finished product and hope it'll be done in time to cuddle up with in the late fall chilly months. :)

Will You Be...

It's been about a month since I received this cute little gift from Princess Mitzi and I'm just getting around to posting about it.

"Poodle (that's what her nickname is for me :), There are many pieces to planning a wedding, this one involves you.... put the puzzle together for a special message. Love You! Mitzi"


Hmm.....


Finally, after putting together this challenging puzzle at our Cheesecake Factory lunch I read, "Will you be....my bridesmaid?"

And I said, "No." lol

J/K I can't wait to help my bestie Mitz plan for wedding and see her and Danny begin their lives together.

P.S. Wasn't this such a cute way to ask?



Thursday, September 3, 2009

Throwback Thursday

First semester, freshman year with Lacee Lou :)


The new semester has started.

And I have to admit I'm stuck somewhere in the middle of wanting to get out and enjoying where I'm at.

It's no secret that it's taken me a little longer to get through my schooling.

I've had some up's and down's and I'm thankful that I've had wonderful parents that stuck through them with me and still support everything I do.

I do know that it's time to move on and that's what I'm working hard to do.

But since it's the first of the semester I find myself remembering the beginning.

The first year, the first semester the first time away from home.

It became more and more clear to me when my younger cousin (who is a new freshman on campus) came over for dinner last week.

She was so excited about dorm life and her new roommate.

Things I remember being excited about, minus dorm life. I got lucky enough not to have to live in a dorm.

But mostly it reminded me of how young I was and how much happens and changes you in your short lived college years (or in my case long lived college years.;)

At 18, I new it all. I needed to get out of the house and away from parents. I needed to be on my own and making my own decisions. Decisions that I was positive were easy to make.

Now at 23, I realize that some of the choices I made were not the right ones. And some of them were just part of growing up.

I do remember my freshman year being more fun than I imagined college life would be.

It was one of the most carefree times in my life when freedom took over and self control didn't much exist.

You live....you learn.

The one thing that I wish I could tell my cousin and have her truly believe is that this person you are now, she won't exist in 5 years.

It's something you learn on your own though.

You become more aware of your choices.

More aware of who you are and who you one day hope to be and you act on it.

More aware of others and not so much yourself.

More aware of family and how much they are the center of it all.

It's so amazing how much you change in such a short span of time.

It makes me excited to see where the next 5 years take me and what my thoughts will be on my life now. :)

Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

50 & Fabulous!


Can you believe this beautiful women is 50?

I can't.

Just last night I told her she easily passes for 40, so don't worry. ;)

I'm very blessed to have such a great women in my life.

Whether it's the big things like teaching me how to tie my shoes and stand up for myself or the little things like sending me sweet "have a great day" texts each afternoon before I head to work, she's always there.

I hope that you have the greatest 5oth birthday Momma, you deserve it!

I can't wait to see you on Friday and spend a few days chatting about everything and nothing.

I love you more and more each day.

Happy Birthday Momma!

What Can YOU Do Wednesday's?

Previous topics covered on What Can YOU Do Wednesday's?

Remember this guy?

Wasn't he so sweet and enlightening?

Well I'm here to say that real crickets, the ones that keep surfacing in my home are nowhere near as great as Ole Jiminy.

In fact, I have been in slight distress over crickets for the last month.

I've played the nice guy. I've used the mason jar and lid to scoop them up and free them outside.
I'm convinced that I only have one cricket.

I think he knows the one way to get into my apartment and greets me each day in my living room.

So I'm now in a dilemma cuz I really really want to just spray some pesticide and let him run away and die.

But after spending the last couple years taking toxic chemicals out of my house I just can't seem to go out and purchase a can of poo and spray it in my home.

So I did a little research and all google/books lead to any kind of mint oil.

Recipe is something like 1 tsp peppermint/pennyroyal/spearmint oil and 1 cup water and spray around baseboards, doors and any openings in home.

I'm going to do this tomorrow.

I know this seems like something so small and you're probably thinking it's really not a big deal.

But I'm a strong believer in taking anything toxic out of your home and replacing it with something natural.

Not to mention that the essential mint oils are around the same price as pesticides if not cheaper and last much longer since it's more concentrated.

Please, check if there are any natural remedies for home pests before you go out and purchase something that has chemicals that are harmful to you and your family.

:)

Thursday, August 27, 2009

It's Creepin' ;)

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air."- Nathaniel Hawthorne





It's almost here!!!! It's almost here!!!

To see past posts of excitement click here!

(Flashback photo courtesy of Ashley z. , Fall 06 with my lovely roomies Mitzi and Rachel)