The Butt..uh, Nutcracker...

My brother-in-law, Benj graduated from fire school on Friday! He's almost the real deal! The ceremony was nice... it was special to be able to be there. He received special recognition for his efforts in saving the little boy, Dominic, that was lost at Taledo Bend this summer...that was an emotional moment!So, for the past few months, I've been meeting with some young girls on Thursday nights...we're studying the Gospel and how we are to live in light of Christ's life and work on the cross...so this past Thursday, I was telling them that I wanted to see the Nutcracker because I had never seen a ballet before and I've always wanted to...but I was going to have to go alone since NO ONE wanted to see it with me!! One of the girls (Susan) got really excited and said, "Oh, I'll go with you...I love the Nutcracker!" So, we planned a little date! We were really surprised to see a couple of the other girls (Lindsay and Abigail) when we arrived!! We had such a great time and I LOVED the ballet!!

We also had family friends from Louisiana come for a visit this weekend....it was such a sweet time....We had a delicious dinner on Saturday night, Rachel made the cornbread...
...and Benj ate it! It actually wasn't so bad...

Catch up...

Okay, it's been awhile but that only means that there's lots to blog about! Well, I mostly have pics this time around, not too many words...after this much time, all I can do is sum up!

Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, the fam had a little Christmas tree decorating party...eggnog and all!!

Some of you may not know that I'm a business partner now, that's right...I'm in the cat business...Rach, Benj, and I are working on a little project...catching cats for profit! (which means that we're getting paid to catch cats and take them to get fixed) We've had a lot of success so far...Benj set our a few traps and we caught 3 cats on Thursday, 2 or Friday, and we're expecting great results next week! Benj is officially the trap guy, while Rach is supposed to take them to the clinic...my job is to pick them up after surgery and take them home...but, so far, Rach hasn't been able to get away from work...so this week I did the catching and Benj and I got 'em back home after surgery! Okay, the kitties didn't have a ride in my trunk...this is after I set them free! Haha!

I've been working on another little project as of late...I was given the liberty to explore the depth of my creativity this weekend...I had a vision for our "reading" room and put it into action! Here's the finished product: (sorry, no before pic...dang it)

More to come...

Alright, here's another video clip just for fun...I can honestly say something very similar to this moment happens to me almost every day...no joke! Some people just don't understand copyrights!

Starbucks and MB

I spend a lot of time enjoying people and things around me...really, I do...I worked at Starbucks this morning and spent some time discussing how great the company is with some co-workers! We LOVE Starbucks! Who wouldn't love free beverages on the clock, 30% off any parchase any other time, GREAT benefits for even PT employees, t-shirts for every season and promotional item, and, not to mention, high standards for the working environment and customer service?!! I mean really!

I have also acquired a great love for Michael Buble...not really for him, as a person, but his music! He fills in for Frank so well! Here's a little video I saw that promotes both of my loves...Enjoy!!...and drink more Starbucks!!

YouTube - Michael Buble Starbucks Commercial

Sewing Kit

Here are a few pics of my awesome new sewing kit! Don't be jealous!

Saturday...

I woke up on Saturday morning to the most beautiful sound! Well, not the MOST beautiful, but close...the sound of my mother's voice whispering, "Beth, wanna go to an estate sale?"....music to my ears!! Of course I wanted to go!! So, that's what I did Saturday...I found a really neat sewing kit...now, I haven't ever sewn except for a hem or a button here and there so I didn't really get it for practical use...but, it was covered in the most interesting vintage fabric!! And inside were wooden spools...how cool is that?!! (I may be able to include a picture later on!)

So, an estate sale with the rents...after that a few more places, then to IHOP...but, sadly, IHOP was packed like a fat man's bar-b-que pit, so we went to Bamboo Garden instead...not great, but food and fun! Time with my parents is always fun!!

Mom and I spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen...that's right, she finally taught me how to make one of our family's favorites...Gumbo!!! It was my first gumbo and pretty dang good, if I don't say so m'self!! It was so fun to learn from mom...she's a great teacher!

Pandora...

I've realized that blogging ins't near as fun without a camera as it is when one is easily accessible. I see things throughout the day the would make some hilarious photos, but I've chosen to save money at this point in my life...so a new camera will just have to wait! Bummer!



I try to spend at least 20 hours a week at Winning Families...when I'm there, I "assist" Tim (aka Dad)...I've found that the word "assist" can mean a lot of different things, so I spend a lot of time at my computer....(for the sake of posting a picture anyway...this is what's on my desktop background...
Any idea who these hotties are?


So, sometimes I can get creeped out by the silence...I mean, I'm alone most of the time and if you know me, you know that I don't really like being alone...let's face it, it's boring! I was recently awakened to the amazing world of Pandora.com (thanks to my great sister, Rachel)! It has changed my working experience! I can listen to anything I want to...whatever my mood! I sign in and create my own radio station!! Commercial FREE!!! What more could I need to enjoy a long day at the office?! I have stations that play Shane & Shane, Alli Rogers, Colbie Callait, Frank Sinatra, John Mayer, Rufus Wainwright, etc....it's so special! Check it out for yourself!

Too Much Fun Food....

This weekend was wonderful! I had the opportunity to hang out with one of the coolest kids in the world..Emma!! She's the daughter of one of my ex-coworkers. It was such a great time! I picked her up from school on Friday afternoon and she stayed with me until Sunday afternoon...we did so many fun things! I'd kind of forgotten how much fun it is to be around children and how young they make me feel...she showed me her favorite places to play at the park!


Later in the evening, we went to CiCi's with Rachel...and ate way too much!! Then we painted our fingernails and toenails while watching TinkerBell the Movie. One of my favorite things to do is brush my teeth...so Emma and I had a little bonding time in the bathroom for fun! But she's way cooler than I am...her toothbrush vibrated!!



We had story time before bed...she picked out a few stories from our Bedtime, Anytime Storybook (it was her favorite)...

Just before bed, we put the cat out. A few minutes later, while reading, I heard pouring rain outside...I looked at Emma and said, "Did you notice it raining when we put Cali out?" She looked at me and said, "No, it wasn't raining." So, I got up and looked out the back door only to find a flood of water coming directly from the side of our house!! A pipe from the bathroom had exploded!! So, no rain, but lots of water!! Once again, there's no man around to take care of this situation...so who do we call?!?!?! BENJ!! The man of the weekend!! He came and turned our water off Friday night...and he, Mary, and Julia came over in the morning (with donuts!) so that he could "fix" the problem...which he did...and now it looks better than ever!

Julia had a little bit of conjestion, so Mary went in to get rid of it...

Nothing like a little Bavarian cream on a napkin to make a gross story even more disgisting!! Hahaha!! What came out was nothing like that really, but Julia was breathing much better afterwards...

The rest of Saturday was so much fun...we spent more time at the park, played about 12 games of Sorry, had some pot roast (which I started 10 hours before...it was my first pot roast ever!) and corn, made a delicious chocolate cake...(to die for, really)...watched Ice Age 2....enjoyed more toothbrushing & storytime...and then headed to bed!

Emma and I both made pancakes and scrambled eggs on Sunday morning....then we woke Rachel up to enjoy breakfast with us!! Emma was such a joy to be with...she made me laugh so much!! We got ready and visited a new church...Emma had never been to church before so it was a first for us all!! We spent the rest of the afternoon in town shopping for cheap, fun things! I was sad for her to go home...but I'm sure we'll be doing it again!

The mouse ran up the...ewwww

Yesterday was Thursday...and I usually always work at Starbucks from 4:45a to noon and then head off to the office to finish out the afternoon. This Thursday was a little different. A few months ago, dad mentioned he was pretty sure he saw a mouse in the office....so, being the wonderful assistant that I am, I got a few of those sticky traps and put them around in places a mouse may dare to tred...like little cubby holes and behind furniture! The idea was a great one, but to no avail! Not one mouse, I caught some other kind of creepy insect, but no rodent was to be found....or at least that's what I thought!! After a few weeks of having those nasty things around, I made the executive desicion to gather and dispose of them assuming that whatever dad had "seen" was no longer hanging around. I was RIGHT, it wasn't "hanging around"...it was apparently HIDING OUT, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal it's nasty little mouse head!
On Tuesday, of this week, I went into the office only to find dropping on and around my work area...now, I've come a long way and I'm not grossed out by POOP as much as I used to be...but the thought of what it must have come from was enough for me to keep my feet up in my chair for the rest of that day! It was now time to bring those stickies back to the battle field!! This was going to be my moment of glory, I just knew it!! Wednesday...nothing...and now it was Thursday....a different day.
I had gone home to have some lunch and then planned to go to work. As I approached my car, I noticed a bulge in my back right tire...it was dying! I suddenly felt unsafe with Mrs. Faye (my car)!! Because my parents are in Florida this weekend, I decided to take advantage of the big truck in my driveway! A detail that has little to do with the mouse story, but an interesting share. I pulled up to Winning Families only thinking about when would be the best time to take care of the tire situation and nothing more....I unlock the door, flip the light switch, walk across the room to turn on the miniture lamp (a regular routine is my point) and continue around to sit at my desk....and that's when I saw it!!! It was sitting in the sticky goo!! I almost threw up a little in my mouth, but calmly walked around my desk and back across the room. I turned off the miniture lamp, reversed the light switch, and went out the door only to lock it behind me. I was NOT working at the office, I would find another place to task.

That's not quite the end of the story...but definitely the end of my involvement! These are the moments where men are so greatly appreciated...for their heroism and bravery!! I had no where else to turn...dad was on his way to Florida...it was time to call Benj! Now, I'd like to report that my wonderful brother-in-law saw my distress, understood my disposition, and came directly to my rescue....the rescuing part is true...he "took care of" the situation...but only after phrases like, "why can't you do it?" and "he's just a cute little scared mouse!"...none of which were able to shake my disgust! Despite it all, I am proud of the man my sister married and am so thankful for not being the one to have to "make sure" the rodent was dead...

Sarah's Wedding Weekend

So, my good friend from HPU, Sarah, got married this past weekend! I rode with Melissa, Tristan, and John Ryan to Dallas for the big day! We had a great time! We tried to take a step back in time with our wardrobes...I snapped a picture with Melissa before the rehearsal...

The bridesmaids spent the day at the spa...I got a manicure (it was the cheapest thing on the list!)...we ate at a great little French cafe'...and then headed to the church to spend the next couple of hours getting all dolled up!

The wedding was beautiful!!! I don't ever remember to take pics in the moment, but Melissa took a few of us at the reception...

I went back to Brownwood with them and spent the next day just hanging out...I saw the first signs of Fall and it was very exciting!

So, the weeknd was a blast and I arrived back at home just in time to hop in the car with Dad, Mom, Mares and Julia for a day trip to Abilene....Dad was "in charge" of Julia while we shopped...he was really great with her!

Here's my last picture for this post....I just had to stick one of my precious niece, Julia!!

The first...

I just realized recently that blogs were cool...and I want in on it...so I thought it might be fun to spend a few minutes every once and a while to write about the little things in life...if you're interested you should keep up with my blog!