The Ramblings of Haley Anne

It's Friday (it was)!

2011-06-17T20:15:00.017-05:00

In preparing for Wes' 29th birthday I went to the grocery store to pick up ingredients to bake some of his favorite treats. In honor of my Grandmother who passed away almost one full year ago I now fold all of my plastic bags.

Mema would fold each bag precisely. As a family, we all joked about her doing this but it is one of those things that made her the amazing woman she was! It is a small window into how she lived her life.

Organized and put together and in it's place. Makes me happy :)

I made Wes his favorite lemon meringue pie (his mom's recipe). The last time I attempted this I had a hell of a time with the meringue. After going through a dozen eggs I just gave up. Yesterday I had sweet success! Hallelujah!

Gorgeous, fluffy and thick meringue! I feel like a won a war! Yes!
I also made chocolate chip cookies and they are oh so good. I found recipe on allrecipes.com. It was their #1 chocolate chip recipe with over 600 people that reviewed and gave the recipe 5 stars.
The recipe called for a box of pudding which I had never heard of. I think that is the secret to the deliciousness!

Yes, this post is quite random. I was walking around yesterday and just kept finding lots of random things to blog about and wa-lah! These are the eggs I used for baking Wes' treats!

My mom has always kept a compost pile in the back yard. When I was a kid she actually sent my sister and I to the circus that they were having behind our house with a wheel barrel & shovel to ask the carnies if we could have the elephant poop. They agreed and we scooped. I will never ever forget that. Ever. Never, ever. And then there was the time my home room class was having a banana split party and I eagerly collected all the banana peels and wheeled them home on my bike to one proud momma. Oh and we did worms and all sorts of cool and down to earth things!
I have limited space in my back yard I don't really have a good spot to keep an actual compost pile. I decided to google homemade compost bins and found a how to tutorial for this:
The instructions had me put screen over the holes but that didn't stay in place long after a few turns of the goods. I thought the compost would start seeping out of the holes without the screen in place but surprisingly it has not, yet anyway!
Lulu is very interested in the compost. See the yellow line on the concrete? This is where Wes and I are planning on removing the concrete to add more flower beds. We had a bad storm earlier this year and it took our huge shade tree down out back. It was heart breaking! I am desperate for some more greenery so we decided to try to DIY and rented a concrete saw, went through two blades and then decided we were going to have to hire a professional. :(

The green pots: I planted some morning glory seeds about a week ago

One on both sides of the gazebo

My goal is for them to climb the gazebo!
These are my neighbors morning glory's that drape over our fence. I love to see them blooming in the AM. My mom always had morning glory's too. I thought it was so neat how they bloomed in morning. She also had moon flowers that bloomed in the moon light and 4 o'clocks that bloomed around 4 o'clock!

And speaking of blooms, here is an update on the crepe myrtle! It is now blooming!

There are many more buds on the tree which hopefully means that I will get to enjoy many more blooms!

Big, beautiful pink (they were supposed to be red-- but I'll take the pink) blooms!

2011-06-15T16:03:00.014-05:00

Have you noticed all of the fabulous drink dispensers they are coming out with lately? Well first off you should know that I have a thing for dishes and containers of all sorts! Tupperware makes me happy. In fact,(I am starting to veer off subject) I ordered these tupperware pieces probably about a year ago and happily keep my cereal and Wes'cookies safely sealed inside. It brings back memories from staying at my Grandparent's farm house in Southwest Oklahoma.

I really not OCD at all, I just wish I was! I look at those people with perfectly organized kitchen pantry's, shelves, fridges and oh the envy...I try, but it only lasts a few days! I'm an OCD wannabe. I wish I could live up to my Grandmother's standards! Lord knows I try!
Speaking of memories, on my last trip home to McKinney I was helping my mom in the kitchen and came across some of Mema's old containers that she used to freeze fresh peaches in. I got really excited and mom gave them to me! ♥ (I was going to take a picture of it but Wes left it at work-rats.)
Back to the drink dispensers-- I get emails from potterybarn.com and occasionally I will open one and scan through to see what kind of goodies they have even though I know I can't afford them. And of course, I found a piece I loved, LOVED. I contemplated buying it for weeks. The price-- $69 big ones (BTW--now on sale for $55), was just too much to drop on a big, beautiful drink dispenser (that also happens to fit perfectly with my obsession for mason jars). But I just couldn't justify the price, maybe if my dreams of fabulous entertaining were more then just that.

Makes me want to back porch sit with a big bowl of watermelon!

It screams PICNICS & SUMMERTIME!

I was almost over the "I love the huge mason jar antique looking pottery barn beautiful drink dispenser but it's too expensive and I don't really have anyone to entertain" thing when I happened across a similar much less expensive version at World Market:

Granted, it is not AS cute but for $14.99 and a savings of $54? You can't hardly beat that with stick!! And no, I have not had any fabulous dinner parties to use it at, yet, but I did get to fill it with icy cold water and set it on the back porch for the roofers (ya we got a new roof, more on that later) to drink out of a couple weeks ago. And right now it is full of cold tea and sitting in the "beer fridge" out in the garage. So I am content now that I found my cute little drink dispenser and will patiently wait for the day I can use it at my fabulous dinner party that I WILL have one day!

Do you see my OCD fail? That fridge is nasty dirty! oh well~ Wine anyone?
And just for fun check out these other gorgeous drink dispensers:

I absolutely LOVE this one too. They just marked it down from $129 to $52! Help me justify why I should have two drink dispensers!!

Isn't it so pretty!?

Oh and a quick shout out for all my birthday friends~ Matt- TODAY! HAPPY BDAY! Christi- MONDAY--HAPPY BDAY! CAL-- June 4th-HAPPY BDAY! Love yall!

It's Friday, Friday, Gotta get down on Friday!- if you have heard this song say "heeeyy!"

2011-06-13T11:34:00.006-05:00

I just hate how fast weekends seem to go. For example: FINALLY-- 5 o'clock Friday afternoon comes around and in the blink of an eye you are suddenly woken by your alarm clock blaring in your ear Monday morning and all you can think is "how did the weekend already end??". Well maybe it doesn't always go that quick but they just never seem to be long enough! All in favor for a 3 day weekend, 4 day work week say I! I! We would accomplish so much more in 4 days after a good long weekend! Think about it, you would have a little time to have some fun and a little time to get your chores done and a little time for some R&R! Instead, we try to cram way too much into 2 days and then try to make up for what we don't get done on the weekend either while at work or after work during the week. It's a vicious cycle I tell you.
Speaking of weekends I thought I'd share this past one with you.
Let's see.
Friday: work, home, water plants, put away dishes, pick up dog poop in backyard, visit Kenny & Melissa, eat, sleep.
Oh btw, the crepe myrtle I planted is getting buds all over it! Can't wait to see it all in bloom! I took these Friday night.

Nope, that didn't do it, need the flash.

Much better!
Saturday: wake up, coffee, laundry, water plants, clean floors, clean up after Wes, pick up dog poop in back yard, Corpus for lunch, run, grocery store, friend Julie comes over, wine, tuna, sleep.
Sunday: Up at 8AM, couch, history channel, fall back asleep, up at 11AM, swim suit, eat, mall, pool,

home, clean kitchen, clean up after Wes, garden pickin (look at all the tomaters--just from yesterday, more salsa, Yes please!)

, laundry, cook, eat, sleep...sorta, why?
Today: burn, lobster red burn, the kind of burn where any bit of clothing or movement is painful. So STUPID! I always put on sunscreen and at least an SPF 8 or 15when I am trying to get a tan. But yesterday...for some reason I decided to revert back to my teenage years and go naked. Big mistake. I am going to have those horrible old lady chest wrinkles after my skin blisters then sloughs off like a snake. Never again! Sunscreen is my friend!

And that's what my little weekend was all about, how 'bout you!? What did you get into?

In the past three-hundred and sixty-five days....

2011-06-08T12:10:00.018-05:00

This past year alot of has happened and I am going to try and catch you all up to date!
Wes' childhood buddy got married in New Jersey and we attended their wedding, it was a blast (and of course my friend Katie caught the bouquet!)

Wes and I took a trip to Playa del Carmen in May.

Landry graduated highschool in June and we had a sweet family get together. It was 3 weeks before my precious Grandmother passed away.

Two weeks later we all gathered again in Norman at Mema's house. We had the most special weekend. I will always hold this weekend with my family close to my heart. It was the last time I got to see my Grandmother and it is when I told her goodbye. She passed away a week later.

Mema had a memorial service in Norman that was truly celebratory of her life. She was a very well liked lady and I am honored to have gotten to be her Granddaugther. Yes, our family takes pictures at funerals- weird? Maybe. Just a little bit. But we don't mind, Mema was always the one behind the camera at relatives burial sites having us all squeeze together and saying "cheese"! I know she'd be proud :)

Look very close, it's a blue bird!

Family genetics.. hyperhydrosis-- check.

Believe me people, this would make my Grandmother's day. She would have been very disappointed in us if we left all of those beautiful flowers there where no one could enjoy them!

The day ended with a beautiful sunset.

Sister married Hal Nall in July. They had a beautiful and sweet wedding out at my Aunt Stacey and Uncle Doug's beautiful home in the country.
At her brunch the day of...
Here Jen is prepping Lynley for the 10 minute bachelorette party. Gotta cover all the bases, shotgun wedding or not! (love you Lyn ☺ )

The evening of her big day :)...

Last August Wes and I went on my very first cruise together with my brother-in-law Cal, his girlfriend (fiance now-as of 3-18-11!! Congrats guys!) Tiffany, and another couple Katy and Trevor. We flew to Ft. Lauderdale (compliments of free airline tickets the Winchester's gave us--Thanks again!) and then took a taxi down to Miami where we stayed in a little posh/euro style hotel for the evening.

The next day we boarded Royal Carribbean's Majesty of the Seas.
First stop of Key West.

damn shark, bit my leg.

Second stop was Nassau, Bahamas.

Third stop-- some small island Royal Carribbean owns in the Bahamas.

I was pleasantly suprised that I enjoyed the cruise as much as I did. I really enjoyed relaxing out on deck in the middle of the ocean. I enjoyed going to a few different places, oh, and did I mention the food? The food....I gained a good 6 pounds on that cruise. Food EVERYWHERE 24/7. I couldn't help myself!

In September the parentals came for a visit. We had a really great weekend together! Catching live crabs for their pretty shells. Poor crabs. One is still incognito in my back yard somewhere (We recently got rid of the hot tub and when I was cleaning it out there was some strange specimen covered in goo in the bottom.. crab? maybe.)

We took a little tour through King Ranch

I spy with my little eye something ....green with really sharp teeth... it's not the cow!

In November, Sister had her baby shower for the precious Miss Claire Parker. Ton's of pink! Cute tutus, hats, flowers, socks, onesies. It might have given me just a snige of baby fever.

For Thanksgiving Wes and I drove (like 20 somethin' hours) to South Carolina to be with his family for the holiday. Wes' Grandfather lives in this crazy old historical home in North Augusta, SC. It even has an old slave house on the premises. Kinda creepy? A little bit. Really neat? Oh yes! I wish I would have gotten a photo of the basement that was converted into a little shooting range.

That is the old slave house out back.

So I went just a little bit crazy photographing the donkeys. Oh, & goat--gotta give props to Butthead Billy (no I am not name callin'.. that is his name!)

It is a real jackass.

Morning Hike around the pond.

In the beginning of December we decided to have our ceiling repaired, it had a long crack down it for the last year and we had kept putting off fixing it. We decided to put DIY aside and leave this to the pros. While we were having that work done we decided to go ahead and scrape the popcorn off the ceilings. Wes and I did DIY the dining room awhile back and realized quickly how awful it would be to scrape the ceilings ourselves through the rest of the house. We also replaced our cracked tile floors with these purty things... I have really enjoyed them. Although I never realized how nasty my floor was when we had the tile. I can see every white Scout hair floating around. And I thought he wasn't supposed to shed?

Christmas came and went. The Winchester's came down and spent the holiday with us. We had a shrimp boil at the water front airstream rv park and opened lots of fun gifts Christmas morning.

We went to San Antonio for New Years and saw Chris Robison at Gruene Hall.

Lynley had precious baby Claire Jan. 25th. I got to see her in labor and the contraction charts and all of that good stuff. It was such an amazing experience. And wow-- I am an Aunt now to this itty bitty baby. She is so sweet. She is also an amazing trooper. Look at what my mom and I put her through when she was just a few days old...

Look, she already has a great sense of humor! :)

I miss her all the time, Lynley sends me flip videos and pictures and man she has changed so much already. I hate that.

Need I say more? :)

My dearest friend Leandra moved back to Maryland March 12th. I am hating that. She was my buddy down here in South Texas away from everyone. We had some really amazing times together! I miss her all the time and will continue to do so. I already went to visit her March 31st and she was back down here at the beginning of May.

Here is the famous Maryland blue crab her sweet family treated me to!

It was great seeing where Wanita (my nickname for Leandra) grew up!
In the meantime I have taken up (or attempting to) crochet! This is my first masterpiece!!!!

I have really thrown myself into gardening this year. I always plant every year but this year I have really done alot of research and reading and preparing. I hope it pays off because I have been working my buns off! Not really, my buns are definetly still there, but you get the drift.

I made the back yard flower bed curvy and built it up for better drainage.

Some of the things I planted are okra, yellow pear tomatos, salvia, pink verbena,zinnias, pentas, mexican sage.

And no, my grass is not that crazy green. I played with the photoshop app on my iphone and up'd the saturation! :)
This is what is really looks like-- but hey a gal can dream can't she!!?

And speaking of gardens...I planted 7 tomato plants this year and have had an abudance of fresh fruit! I decided to make canned salsa with all the tomaters last night. It's no where as good as my mom's homemade stuff but it'll do-- and I'll change it up the next round.

Thanksgiving Day Fun

2009-12-01T11:04:00.008-06:00

Thanksgiving 2009 was a great day spent with the ones that I love! Below are some photos of our Thanksgiving day fun (and a little hint of what is to come.... :0)
I am thankful for each and every member of my family! The good Lord has definetly blessed me!

Southern Living Idea House 2009

2009-09-28T19:46:00.006-05:00

Wes and I toured the Southern Living Idea House in Port Aransas. It was a beautiful home. Here are some photos we snapped while taking the tour!

Double sided outdoor fireplace-- Check

4 outdoor porches-- Check

There was another washer and dryer directly across from this set! If I had this setup I would never complain about having to do laundry again!
2 washers and 2 dryers-- check

Chandelier in bathroom-- check

This was up in the loft area.

Outdoor shower--check

I wasn't able to get a good picture of this because of the light but this area is detached from the house. You can see the kayaks hanging above, the the left is a fish cleaning area (with granite countertops I might add!!), to the right was the outdoor shower. Also to the left is a stair case that leads up into the mother in law quarters.

Mother-in-Law Quarters--Check

This house "checks" out! (you'll have to excuse my cheesiness ;o) )

This house sold for a measly 1.8 million dollars and the guy who it was sold to bought it as a vacation home! Chump change... I know! We had alot of fun touring this house! You can see more photos at http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/idea-houses/texas-idea-house-2009-00400000050550/

2009-09-01T17:07:00.001-05:00

Thank you Jesus for some rain!!

2009-09-01T17:05:00.001-05:00

It's actually raining in South Texas!! For those of you who didn't
know we are having a very serious drought here! I forgot how to use my
windshield wipers!! ;0)

2009-09-01T13:04:00.000-05:00

2009-09-01T13:02:00.000-05:00

Scout leaving the masseuse at petsmart!

Saying hello and goodbye to Miss Lulu!

2009-08-28T14:01:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago one of the guys that I work with came in Mon, Tues, and Wed. with the same sad story about a dog living out at one of the oil and gas facilities. On Wednesday I couldn't stand it any longer and decided to go check on the dog.. So I scrounged up what little food we had at the office (we had some old breakfast taquitos in the fridge that needed to be thrown out so I decided to bring that to the poor starving dog) and I rounded up a bowl and a few bottles of water and off I went. When I spotted her (its a girl!) at the facility she was very scared, very hungry, and very thirsty so I quickly started unwrapping the foil wrapped taquitos and threw them on the ground. After I unwrapped the last one I had already thrown it on the ground and it was being scarfed down when I realized it was a sandwich also wrapped in foil and not a taquito! I thought to myself "OH SHInicker BACHKER...that was not a taquito..that is a sandwich! I JUST GAVE THE DOG SOMEONES LUNCH!" yeah...that is just my luck! So long story short I couldn't just leave the dog out in the middle of no where to starve so I loaded her up in the back of my car and took her home! I kept thinking "why am I doing this, this is NOT what I need right now!!" She settled in nicely and stayed in the back yard. I posted a Craigslist ad for her the next day but got no responses. 2 weeks went by and I had grown attached to the sweet gal! Wes and I had brought her to the beach, bathed her, and taught her to sit-kind of. I decided to post one more ad and if that didn't work I was just going to keep her. Well it did work! About 30 minutes after I posted the ad I had a phone call from a gal who wanted to come see her that evening. She came last night and picked Lulu up and I was saaaaaaad! I was getting used to her being there and greeting me when I would come home from work. I will miss her alot but I know she is going to a good home and is going to get all of the love she deserves!

I snapped the first picture below to send to Wes to let him know what I was dragging home. It is very possible that she is eating someone's lunch in this photo.

-------Lulu and Scout had alot of fun together!-------

The Great NYC Adventure

2009-08-13T10:11:00.033-05:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~On our way to NYC!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TIMES SQUARE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~Empire State Building~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The swedish twins pose in the lobby of the ESB! :) Julie and I were asked if we were swedish twins A LOT! Literally, like 30 people asked us that!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Outside of City Hall~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lunch in Little Italy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHINATOWN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chinatown was a very interesting place. Canal street, where you can buy all of the designer knockoffs, runs right through Chinatown. We kept getting pulled aside and were asked very secretively if we wanted Gucci, Prada, Coach, or Tiffany. We wanted to go check out the goods and so they had us follow a Chinese guy a couple of blocks who then traded off with a woman whom we followed for a bit more. We turned down a small side street and then stopped at a door where we were hurried us inside after they checked to make sure the coast was clear. We went up stairway and through a few doors to a room filled with their illegal stash! It was crazy, I was so nervous it felt as if we were doing some kind of drug deal! After that we were shopping in a little store looking at jewelry and purses when a guy asked us if we wanted to see his designer collection. We said sure so he took us to the back of the store where he had a secret door that looked like the wall. He opened and he led us to a small room with their illegal stash! We didn't purchase anything but the experience was definetly one to remember!

~~~We found these signs quite amusing because everyone honks all the time~~~

~~~Top of the Rock Observatory-Beautiful Views!~~~

~~~~~~~~~~ Sunset Happy Hour Cruise! ~~~~~~~~~~~
Our camera died before we went by the SOL! This was my favorite thing we did on our trip!

~~~~~~~~New tat I got after the cruise~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~FAO SCHWARTZ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Piano from the movie "BIG" ...yes we were the only adults! :0)

__________I <3 SMURFS____________

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~St. Paul's Chapel~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This chapel sits right across the street from where the twin towers once stood. They said it was the only building in the surrounding area that was not damaged during 9/11. Not even one window cracked. The chapel served as a resting place for the 9/11 volunteers. http://www.saintpaulschapel.org/

This sign hung in the chapel. I <3 Oklahoma!

These are origami peace swans made and given by thousands of Japanese school children after 9/11. I took these pictures for my origami loving mother!

~~~~~~~~~~~ST. PATRICKS CATHEDRAL~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pictures do not do it any justice! The most magnificent building I have ever seen!

~~~~~~American Museum of Natural History~~~~~~

This place was very cool!

~~~~~~~~~~~The Beautiful Central Park~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~John Lennon Memorial in Central Perk~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Magnolia Bakery~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(THANK YOU MINDY IT WAS Ahhwesome!!)

I have so many more great photos but way too many to share them all (about 500 pictures between me and Jules..ya we are camera happy :0) )!! Our Great NYC Adventure was everything we expected and so much more! I can't wait to go back--gotta catch a broadway show next time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I <3 NY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God Bless America!

2009-07-07T15:17:00.005-05:00

Our families came together to celebrate the 4th of July with some bangin' burgers and chicken! We had a good time getting together for a nice visit!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Our Fixins'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~Thelma and Louise Catch Up!~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~THE WINCHESTERS~~~~~~~~~~~

My GFs took me out for my birthday Friday July 3rd. Here I am featured with my new birthday martini glass!! Cheers!! We had alot of fun! Thanks for the good time ladies!!

We enjoyed being able to visit with everyone and so did Scout. He played and played and played...I have never seen him so exhausted before. Even when we ate our subway sandwiches in the car he slept which is sooo unlike him! He is a total begger!

Kitchen Update! --FINALLY-- ~Hip Hip Hooray~

2009-07-01T16:50:00.005-05:00

We have finally turned a page (or is it chapter...?) with our kitchen! Wes finished all of the cabinet doors and I couldn't be happier with them. I am so proud of his handyman skills! I wish I had taken a picture of the sheets of wood when we bought it to compare with what they have become!

We are still trying to come up with ideas for our furr down-- colors/textures, etc. Any ideas????? Lets hear 'em!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-07-01T16:17:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I turned 24 years old! It fell on a Tuesday so I worked until 5 and then came home to celebrate! I didn't really feel like going anywhere so we decided to stay home. We ordered pizza and drank strawberry daquaris on the back porch! I got many messages and calls wishing me a Happy Birthday! Thank you all for the Birthday wishes!

Last year Beverly gave me these cute glasses on my birthday! They are so fun!

Shoot a monkey, I forgot to stage these pictures! The secret is out, now you know how I really live! I'm a workin' woman now, I have a good excuse to have a dirty and unorganized house! (The roses are from Wesley my love)

Andrea and me!

I had a blast opening the gift my mom sent me! She is always so fun. If she can't give me a scavenger hunt in person she will mail me one!

A cute little clutch and a Squirmie (Scout broke Mr. Squirmie about 15 min. of playing with it ***sighs***)

hmm what is this!?!? Tilt head to the left, yes it is an origami shirt and pant set made out of money that was tucked into several little areas of the clutch!

And last but not least an origami swan (that went well the the bday card Wes gave me!) that came with a set of its very own directions just for the bird--me!

Ssssnake!

2009-07-01T15:56:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday our neighbor Kenny, was mowing his lawn and Wes noticed Kenny chasing what looked like a snake around with his mower. It then proceeded to slither (we could now definetly see it WAS a snake) across the street into our yard. After almost getting ran over by 2 cars it had made its way into our front yard *eeeeee*! I DO NOT like snakes! We decided not to kill it because it wasn't poisonous so our neighbors boxed it up and set it free in the country!

"Happy Birthday Wesley, Happy Birthday To You!!!"

2009-06-22T11:17:00.006-05:00

Wes turned 27 years old on June 18th! He is officially in his late twenties... I keep telling him that our youth is slipping away!!nooo!!!!!! The morning of his birthday I gave him his first gift, Clinique's Chemistry cologne, which he has been wanting for awhile. That evening we went to dinner at Taco Bueno (his choice, his favorite!) and then off to the mall where he picked out a pair of Oakley sunglasses (at this point i am saying to myself "boy oh boy I sure am glad Wes chose Taco Bueno for his birthday dinner now --only $12!)!

Centsational Girl!

2009-06-22T10:22:00.006-05:00

So I have a new favorite person!!! The Centsational Girl and I LOVE LOVE LOVE her! I came across her blog while googling home decor ideas and found my new BFF (Kate, if you are reading this I am really not a crazy stalker lady!!)! Anywho...I wanted to share this great discovery with ya'll! http://www.centsationalgirl.com/

I have been doing a little treasure hunting myself and somehow mananged to get myself out of bed at 7:30 on a Saturday, yes SATURDAY morning and to go garage sale shopping at that!!! I saw it from a distance, it was calling my name, as if a ray of sunshine was coming down from the sky shining over it! There it was, a nasty little chair. I asked the lady how much and when she said "one dolla" I knew this little chair would be coming home with me to be my first DIY victim. And for a buck, if I messed it up I wouldn't be too upset! So here is my first attempt at being a Centsational Gal!
The cushion was sooo grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooss!
You can click on the photos to make them larger!

A good cleaning, a fresh coat of paint, the tightening up of several screws, a new cushion (handmade by moi') and a now not so lonely corner in our bedroom for the cost of about $15 bucks!!!! Now that just makes me SMILE :) I love a good bargain~
Currently I am working on revamping an old lamp I bought on my lunch break at Goodwill last week! What is happening to me????? Will blog about that when it is finished!

Celebrating Our 2nd Anniversary!

2009-05-21T17:13:00.007-05:00

On May 19th Wes and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary! We celebrated by going to San Antonio for the weekend. On Saturday we had planned to go to Schlitterbahn water park but since it rained we went to the Natural Bridge Caverns and the San Marcos Outlet mall...ohh the bargains :) . On Sunday the weather was nice and sunny so we were able to go to Schlitterbahn afterall and we had a blast! I haven't been there since I was a kid and forgot how much fun water slides and wave pools were! I can't believe how fast the last 2 years have gone...

May 19th, 2007

May 19thish, 2008

May 19thish, 2009...

When I saw this formation I had to take a picture of it. I think it looks like a hand pointing up to God, like the beautiful cave is giving full credit to it's marvelous maker!

I heart Wesley! :o)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T18:29:00.003-05:00

This year we were not able to be with our Mothers on Mother's Day so I decided to reminisce by posting pictures from last year. We love ya'll and are so glad you are our Mommas! XOXOXOXO

This is the new garden Mema and Mom helped me plant in last year on Mother's Day weekend so I named it My Mother's Garden

Girls just want to have fun!

2009-05-08T17:23:00.007-05:00

This past weekend my girlfriends Katie and Jillian came down to visit me! We had a great time catching up on our much needed girl time! Here we are on the ferry in Port A on our way to the beach.

Check out this eye candy we secretly took a picture of at the beach! Note the smiley faces on the pockets of his cut offs and slicked back bleached hair! Now that's what I call a ladies man!HA! :)

Run Weiner Run!

2009-05-08T16:47:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago Wes and I attended Portland's annual Dachshund Dash at Windfest. Before the races began they held a costume contest for the little weiners and we managed to capture a few pictures. Too bad we didn't get a good picture of the locals wearing the "Run Weiner Run" t-shirts, they were great!

These little coed cheerleaders won the costume contest. Portland shares a school district with Gregory and we are known as the GP Wildcats- a huge football town! My personal favorite was the Rocket dog!

Springtime!

2009-04-28T08:15:00.004-05:00

Spring is my favorite season! Here are a few pictures of what I have growing, my attempt at a green thumb...the red poppy in the picture below is already dead! But thankfully Lowe's has a 1 year guarantee on all of their plants so I was able to pull it up and get my $4.32 back last Sunday! Woo hoo! "We're Cheap, aren't we momma??" "Yes, darlin' we sure are!!" :0)

Our Big Redneck Weekend!

2009-04-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

The weekend after our springbreak guests left our friends Matt and Cassie, from San Antonio came down to stay with us. We started off with a concert Friday night. We got to hear some of our favorite Texas country bands and had a blast! They wouldn't allow cameras so I didn't get any good pictures. Bummer!
A Crabby Adventure
On Saturday the guys decided they wanted to do a little crabbin'. I had never crabbed before nor' had I ever seen anyone crab so Cassie and I decided to tag along for moral support and to soak up a little sunshine. On our way to catch crabs we had to make a detour stop at our local Wallyworld to pick up some crabbing supplies. When I saw the string, catch net, and raw chicken legs I knew I was in for some good entertainment! Soon after we arrived at our destination we realized that the guys had just about as much experience crabbing as we did. Cassie and I couldn't stop laughing when we observed Wes and Matt whirling their string tied chicken legs in the air. Eventually they were able to catch some blue crab that were big enough to keep. I wanted to release them but the guys said no way after a hard day of crabbing!
Our neighbors invited us all over for a fish fry that night so we brought our catch over to be cooked.

Yuck!

Spring Break 2009

2009-03-29T17:53:00.001-05:00

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Here are a few pictures of the fun in the sun our spring break visitors got to enjoy while I sat at a desk working during the week long break for the first time in my life :(.
We really enjoyed our company and were sad for them to leave!

Procrastinating!

2009-03-23T18:12:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately this blogging experience is bringing out one of my worst characteristics! Procrastination! Now is has been almost 4 months since my last post. Talk about procrastinating!!! I found this quote about procrastination and liked it: "The sooner I fall behind, the more time I have to catch up. ~Author Unknown".

Where to start! Actually, now that I think about it not a whole lot of exciting things have gone on in the last few months! To catch you up I will start with our kitchen remodel...

We are STILL not finished! Working full time leaves such a small amount of time to dedicate to the kitchen but we are definitely getting there! Wes has built the drawers and cabinet doors and now they just need to be painted! Maybe this next weekend???

Here are some pictures of the back splash we installed

Counters are installed!!

2008-12-17T09:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday our counters were installed and I am sooo happy with the way they turned out! I was tempted to get out a sleeping bag and sleep on them last night! Now I am ready to get the rest of the kitchen done but I know that will be awhile longer! Backsplash is next to come...WHOO HOO!

Please/ Por Favor Pardon El Messo:

Out with the old...and hopefully in with the new SOON!

2008-12-07T16:44:00.000-06:00

We tore out the old countertops and have to get quite a bit more done before the new ones can be installed. We decided to go ahead and replace the near 40 year old sheet rock in the kitchen. While we were at it my handyman put in a new electrical socket where I have always wanted one. oh how I love handyman!

A Day at the Science & History Museum

2008-12-07T16:33:00.000-06:00

Today the science and history museum had free admission so Wes and I decided to stop by and check it out. Can you believe women used to have their hair permed with that contraption?!?

Pretty Sunset

2008-12-01T17:30:00.000-06:00

Wes and I snapped these photos on our way to Corpus, they turned out blurry but you can still see the pretty colors!

Flowers from Wes?!?

2008-12-01T17:20:00.001-06:00

I went to answer the door and there they were, a beautiful bouquet of flowers! I knew they were from Wes! He was missing me so bad in Tokyo and was sad he would be away on Thanksgiving day, he just wanted to cheer up my day, I thought to myself... I brought them in and opened the card and quickly realized they were not from Wes but from his boss'! I guess they felt bad for making him leave over a holiday. BOO! It was a nice gesture though!

Project Demolition

2008-12-01T17:12:00.001-06:00

Before
After

Shag!

2008-12-01T17:09:00.000-06:00

Before and After
The Sad Shag vs. Shag

Konnichi wa = Hello

2008-11-23T12:53:00.001-06:00

I dropped Wes off at the airport this morning for his trip to Tokyo, Japan. We have had fun this week reading about...well...how you are supposed to act in Japan. How you greet someone, how you never ever tip, and the best one is how to let everyone know how much you are or are not enjoying your soup! The louder you slirp your soup means the more your are really enjoying it. The flight will take 16 hours and time difference is 15 hours, it is already Monday morning there! He is probably somewhere over the Pacific ocean right now and I expect to hear from him between 2am and 3am monday morning here. This get's really confusing!

This Thanksgiving will be like no other that I have experienced in my life. Mom,Dad,Lynley,Landry,Stacey,Doug,&Christi are working @ the Samaritan inn serving food, Calvin & Beverly are going to South Carolina, Mema is going to be with Vicki and the boys in New York, and Mike and Cindy are staying in Cordell to celebrate with their kiddos. I will have no family with me to celebrate all the things we have to be grateful for! But I am so thankful to have each and every member of my family, the Lord has truly given me so much more then I will ever deserve!

Here is a picture of my Halloween/Thanksgiving/Fall Decor!

Bye! or Sayonara (Sa-yo-na-ra).

Footloose

2008-11-21T10:24:00.000-06:00

Last night I saw Footloose, the musical! It was such a fun and cute play that the Gregory-Portland Highschool put on. I was really impressed with the talent that these highschool students had.

Taking Advice From Maxine

2008-11-17T15:46:00.000-06:00

I recieved a Maxine Thanksgiving forward today from my mom and I thought I would share my favorite one. I remember waking up @ 5AM sick as a dog the day after Thanksgiving last year with my mother and Beverly (my mother-in-law) to find all of the "deals of a lifetime" that would make it worth getting up so early...I didn't have any luck. I think I will follow Maxine's advice this year!

The weekend is coming to an end! Tears.

2008-11-16T21:31:00.000-06:00

The weekend is winding down to an end :0(
Friday night ended up really wearing me out but it was all worth it because it was a blast! (This picture is of my good friend Julie and I Friday night).

Wes and I spent Saturday in Corpus Christi going to Home Depot and Lowes looking at kitchen countertops. Today we placed an order and I feel like a kid at Christmas time! They should be installed in about 4 weeks and I can't wait!

Official Jump To The Blog Boat!

2008-11-13T16:17:00.000-06:00

So I have officially decided to jump on the blogger's boat! Everyone is doing it! I decided to share our first youtube video of Scout for my very first post! Enjoy!