this week's randomness

Things have been pretty low key for us this week, but that's kind of been the norm lately which is nice but can be monotonous as well. I know there will be a time when we have older kids that we'll be go-go-going, so I try to keep that in mind when I'm "bored." There's always something to be done around the house, but that's not exciting!

Moving along...

Jaqs has decided that she can feed herself this week which is both great and frustrating. She has been self-feeding with her hands for awhile, but now she's interested in the spoon/fork when one is necessary. Usually this is only at breakfast when yogurt is involved which ends up in a BIG MESS. If I put the bite on the spoon & hand it to her, she always gets it to her mouth. The frustrating part is when she wants to dip it out herself...YIKES. When I give her a fork to use at dinner, she places the bite on the fork with her hands then puts it in her mouth. So adorable.

Oh, and let me not forget to add that J has had TWO teeth come in in the last week. When she starts up with teething, she goes all out! Her teeth have all come 2 at a time. I am so not looking forward to molars.

We've had another spurt of cool weather this week which has most of us Texans all kinds of riled up. We're used to sweating to death by this time of year, so it's sorta nice, but not so much for those of us with littles who like to be outside! It was still 60 yesterday, so we did get in some outdoor play once it warmed up from the THIRTY degrees that morning. Brr!

I got this little silverware caddy from Target to put on our kitchen table, and it's really making me quite happy! I love having necessities in one convenient place, plus I think it's pretty cute, too!

 I {big, puffy heart} love paper straws! Are they not just cheerful?! Love. I can hardly bear to use them because I like looking at them so much.

You'll be so pleased to know that Jaqsy's father is teaching her valuable life lessons. The girl has been sniffing her socks for some time thanks to him, but now she has taken this to a new level. When we take off her shoes, she holds them up to her nose, sniffs, then puts them in our faces so we'll say "EWWW, STINKY!" all while giggling like crazy. What a girl! She is quite the character, and I'm just so thankful her daddy is teaching her these things ;) God help her if she ever gets a hold of one of his shoes. She might pass out!

(sorry babe, you know it's true.)

 The girl has also discovered ketchup....SHE. LOVES. IT. Proof:

 Our vacation with our besties has officially been BOOKED! Julie & I text about it constantly and can hardly even contain our excitement! It will be a much-needed getaway for all of us, but I will SO miss my girl. I'm not going to go there yet though...too sad!

Who else is happy it's already Thursday?? It's our last weekend before Spring ball begins, so we are just planning on soaking up our time together this weekend! Seriously, is there anything better? 

I love being with my people.

Friday Favorites

I finally got on the Clarisonic wagon thanks to my birth and generous parents! I've been wanting for one of these things for awhile, and my mom delivered! So far I've loved it. It's a little soon to say if it's making a visible difference in my skin, but it does feel really good after I use it. Fresh and clean!

Some e-cards just never get old. This one struck me as particularly funny ;)

I've been whipping up some baby food for the freezer in preparation for the girl, and it's so much fun to me for some weird reason! The Baby Bullet makes it way easy. So far I've made gluten free oatmeal, organic peas, green beans, and sweet potatoes!

I know coconut is one of those things that most people either love or hate, but if you're a lover of it like I am, then GO GET THIS. Immediately. It makes my taste-buds so very happy.

I came across these containers at Marshall's last weekend, and I couldn't resist them. My poor husband probably feels like an elementary school kid with the lunches I make him!

Even though Rob has been hard at work for several weeks, tonight marks the true beginning of football season. The Temple Wildcats are taking on Round Rock tonight.

GO CATS!!

Here's our 2012 program picture...our first one as a family of 3! Jaqs, of course, wouldn't crack a smile. Can't blame her...she didn't have mom, dad, or any of her grandparents to entertain. And it was in the middle of her "nap-time."

I'm a little hesitant to reveal my goofy baby voice here, but I dare you to watch this video and NOT smile. If you can do it, then you have no soul! Kidding....sorta.

Have an excellent holiday weekend!

a friday hodge-podge

Hello lovelies! IT'S FRIDAY!!!

This Friday is particularly sweet because it's the start of spring break! I'm looking forward to a week off with my hubby...we're going to enjoy the last of our "us" time before baby makes her grand entry :) No big plans to speak of, just relaxation and maybe a couple projects.

Anyway, not a lot has been happening around here, but last Sunday I made this:

 Looks pretty similar to Chic-fil-A, right? I found this recipe via Pinterest and decided to make a gluten free version because I used to looooove me some CFA. It was yummy!!

Adjustments I made: I used the 1ish pound package of chicken tenders, cut into nuggets. I subbed GF-AP flour and needed an additional 1/4 c. which required an extra Tbs. of powdered sugar and some extra S&P. I followed everything else.

We had honey mustard with ours...just 1/4 c. each of mayo, dijon mustard & honey. Easy!

I wouldn't say these taste EXACTLY like CFA, but they are similar. 

We loved it, and I'm sure I'll be making this again!

I've been cleaning out stuff like a maniac lately, and when I was cleaning out our 'office' space  the other day, I came across some old pictures. This one of my dad and me is one of my favorites! 

I love it. So, so sweet.

wonder if Jaqs will look like her auburn-headed, chubby mama as a tot?

Spring is in the air, people!

Well. It has been until we had a 30+ temperature drop yesterday. It's cold and rainy now, but is supposed to warm back up by early next week. Anyway, I've been itching to get some Spring into my wardrobe, but that's kind of silly right now. As soon as I lose some baby weight, I'll be on the hunt for some bright, cropped skinnies...

...among other things. Rob has promised me a trip to H&M when we go to Dallas for his brother's wedding in May. Whoooooop! Trendy on the cheap? Yes, please.

I'm all over the place here, my apologies. I told you it was a hodge-podge!

Last night we went to TCBY (yes in the freezing temps) because they were celebrating their grand opening and doing a fundraiser for the children's hospital.

$1 yogurt with toppings?! Can't beat that. It was tasty. Baby girl loved it, too.

They had a clown there making balloon animals/figures, and he made one especially for me! A pregnant poodle! Hahaha, I'm normally not a huge fan of clowns because they're kinda creepy, but this one was awesome.

can you see the poodle baby in the tummy?

And let me leave you with a visual:

This is me every time I try to get off the couch or out of bed. No lie.

Rob finds it hilarious. Will my abs ever work again?! I hope so.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

old soul

 I think it's safe to say that I've always been an "old soul." 

As a little girl, I always thought I was so grown up, and I suppose I kind of was...

My parents let me cook on my own somewhere around 3rd grade (seems crazy to me now?!), I penny-pinched every birthday check I ever received, and I had a full time babysitting job by age 12. What can I say, I loved (still do;)) to be in charge! This all makes me laugh looking back now, but I'm definitely still an old soul. On any given day spent at home, you could find me watching all sorts of game shows. I love them. I think I got this trait from my grandma. She's a game show fanatic...she just giggles the whole time she watches them :) Among my favorites are...

Deal or No Deal

I used to watch this with my family when it first came out, and now I find myself watching reruns on GSN. It amazes me how far people take it, though! I'd probably go home with not as much as I could because I'm no risk taker! But hey, it'd be more than I came with, right?!

 Lingo

I've just started watching this words game show! It's so entertaining. I don't really know why; it just is. I had never even heard of it until a few weeks ago. I probably wouldn't be very good at this game, and you can't win much, but still fun to watch.

 The Newlywed Game

I have ALWAYS loved this show. I can remember watching this and The Dating Game back-to-back before The Price Is Right as a little girl. Of course, back then I had no idea what Bob Eubanks was referring to when he said "whoopie." Oy. Nevertheless, the show has always made me laugh! I wonder how good Rob and I would be at it??

 The Price is Right

Another oldy-but-goody. I liked it better with Bob, but whatevs. My grandma always says she loves the show because the contestants are SO happy, and it's true! They are. Maybe even sometimes overly excitable...new luggage??!! Best day EVER!!! Not.

Who am I kidding, I need new luggage in the worst way...I'd be thrilled too.

Wheel of Fortune

My favorite game show! If I could be on any show, this would be it! 

I'm definitely one of those people yelling at the TV when I watch this. Once again, the risk-takers...they stress me ;-) Not only is this my "dream" game show, but also my dream job. I want to be Vanna when I grow up. Hello...a new gown EVERY day, traveling all over, getting your hair done every day?! No brainer. Sounds ideal to me.

Do you love game shows too?? What's your favorite?

Oh, How Pinterest-ing

I'm linking up with Michelle for the first time for "Oh, How Pinterest-ing Wednesday"! Like much of the blog community, I'm loving Pinterest right now, so this is a great way to share our weekly finds! Head over to The Vintage Apple to link up!

Roasted Potato salad...YUM.

Love these colors!

Green is my favorite.

Homemade "LARA" bars...so easy to make!

Sometimes you just want to be a home-body.

I'm so over the "Keep Calm" prints, but this one definitely applies to me.

WANT to do this in our master bath. I haven't figured out how to attach the hooks though because there wasn't a tutorial. Any ideas for the craft-challenged?? (me)

I want a little ruffled butt of my own! Still practicing patience with this...

Hilarious & true.

Such a girly eyelet dress...love it.

This just made me LOL!

Adore this striped & pleated skirt.

In this house...

I need to remind myself of this sometimes. I let my OCD-ness get the best of me at times, but there's more to life than a pristine house!

Are you pinning? Follow me if you'd like!

XoXo

shattered dreams

I love to watch HGTV. I enjoy just about every show they have, but one of my favorites is House Hunters. Rob even loves it (not that he'd ever admit to it).

With our recent house hunting experiences, I realized that I'd never make the cut as an HGTV house hunter. It's a tough realization, but I just have to accept it.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. I could never choose from 3 houses. I like options.

2. I don't use the word SPACE enough.

Have y'all ever noticed how much they say that?

"Oh this is a nice space; I love this space; this space is perfect; I'm not sure if there's enough space in this space."

3. I can tell if a house is a contender about 30 seconds after walking in the door. They'd never get a 30 minute episode outta' me.

4. Rob & I always split directions after going in. Then we holler at each other from opposite sides of the house. Annoying much?

5. I'm way too dramatic. On our first Temple house hunting adventure, I couldn't even speak for fear of crying from disliking the houses so much.

6. I would not be able to stand in a bathroom/closet/bedroom and analyze every single detail. I either like it, or I don't like it. Black and white.

7. I'm just not sure that we dress snappy enough. Oh the sweater vests and coordinating polos you see on that show. It's amazing, really.

I'll just go ahead and stop there - 7 is a good number.

I sure am glad we found our perfect-for-us house in Temple, and hopefully our house hunting days have been put to rest for a little while!

In the meantime, I'll brush up on my describing words, and maybe, just maybe we can apply to HGTV when we're ready to buy our vacation home in Fiji.

(Ha, yeah right. A girl can dream big ;))

miscellaneous monday

Please tell me you watch Bethenny Ever After? If you follow me on Twitter, then you already know how obsessed I am with this show. If you don't, well, I don't know...I guess you don't know. Anyway, I seriously cannot get enough! Bethenny cracks me up - she has the most hilarious one-liners ever, and she is SO real. She's a no-nonsense kinda gal, and I love that about her! To top it all off, she is the sweetest mama to baby Bryn. Ahh, so precious.

Moving right along...last week I decided to make Bisquick's version of the infamous Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits - gluten free, of course. They turned out pretty yummy! If you're a g-free-er, I would definitely recommend making these! I served them to Rob, Lexi & Mike and they all loved them!

Sorry, y'all...I am all over the place tonight. Welcome to my head this evening.

Remember my pillow saga from last year? We got new couches, I hated the pillows that came with them, I searched high and low for fabric to recover the pillows, and now...I don't like the "new" ones either. Ugh. I mean, they're okay, but I don't love them, and the pillows are a funky shape now. So now I'm on the hunt for pillows again. Oy. Story of my life.

I'm wanting something much softer this go-'round. This is what I keep picturing in my head...

A very, very soft leopard and a beige zig-zag design. These are too brown, but you get the idea right? I'm definitely going to have to make them (ie: have Rob's grandma do it for help me) because I don't have $75+ to shell out PER pillow. I change my mind way too often for that nonsense. So, my question to you--have you found any online fabric stores that you love? I'm in the DFW area often-ish as well as San Antonio, so I'm welcome to store ideas in those areas as well! Any help would be greatly appreciated!! :)

And to top off all of the randomness going on in this post...here are some pictures from St. Patty's that I never posted! We met up with Lexi & Mike for a green cocktail to celebrate the occasion! Love, love my friends!

Safe to say, none of us were pinched!

Have a fabulous Tuesday, friends!