Christmas Pictures (the unedited version)

We had our family Christmas photos taken on Saturday. We went to Mryiad Gardens downtown and it was absolutely freezing that day! Mandy Stansberry was our photographer and she did a great job however I have discovered adding a new little person to the mix makes it that much harder to get one great photo! I will demonstrate this by showing you the following pictures. :) Now here are the ones you will see on cards, in frames, and on facebook. :)

30 things!

So, this past Saturday I turned the dreaded 30! As I woke up last Saturday morning I couldn't help but reflect on my 20's... I thought about all the things I was "going" to do and places I was "going" to go. Then I thought how silly that was!! My twenties have been so full of memories. Good, bad, funny, spiritual , and unforgettable! I thought a great way to honor that would be to make a list of thirty things I either learned or experienced in my twenties. Here goes....



1. I made friends that will last me a lifetime!

2. I traveled throughout Southeast Asia on a mission trip with the Aggies for Christ.

3. I fell in love.

4. I had my heart broken.

5. I broke a heart.

6. I had an internship with Scottish Rite Hospital and it changed me forever.

7. I learned how to knit.

8. I learned how to do basic algebra. (don't ask) :)

9. I earned my college degree.

10. I bought my first new car.

11. I climbed a mountain with my sister.

12. I drank alcohol and have decided it is overrated and can deeply hurt people.

13. I watched people I love lose people they love.

14. I got married!

15. I lost three grandparents and wished for more time.

16. I saw the bright lights of Vegas.

17. I took lots of various jobs to put my husband through medical school.

18. I learned forgiveness is a beautiful thing.

19. I did my own taxes.

20. I fixed a broken toilet.

21. I have lived in 4 different cities and two states.

22. I meet Willie Nelson.

23. I gained 35 pounds.

24. I lost 35 pounds.

25. I lost a baby.

26. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

27. I learned being a mom is the hardest and most rewarding thing in the world.

28. I learned poopie diapers DO NOT clean themselves.

29. I learned I cannot do it all so I have to be content with what I can.

30. I have learned prayer is the one thing that gets me through each day.



Thank you God for the first thirty! Good and Bad it has molded me into me and equipped me for what's to come! Bring on the next thirty!

Favorite thing about the holiday season!

These little jewels come out in grocery stores everywhere! They are so wonderful and I could eat boxes!!

Emma's new find!

Will someone please tell my sweet baby girl these are not toys! I would also like for someone to tell her she won't need them for quite some time but until then they are not to be eaten! This is what happens when I leave her alone for one minute!

October Happenings

OK, this is going to be a slightly long post... I am going to squeeze the last few weeks of October in one shot. Starting backwards with Halloween! Our sweet little Emma was an Elephant. (which was appropriate considering she weighs a ton!) Her first Halloween was a success and she was so precious in her costume. It was a hand-me-down from her Aunt Katy but fit perfectly! We went to the Fall Festival at my home church in Denison, TX and then had dinner at home with mom and dad. Mom made her famous Ghost cake with the flaming eyes. This was a fun treat she made us as kids so it was great to bring it back for the new little ones.

The week before Halloween Charles and I had a brief tour of our home state, Texas. I told you I was working backwards) Charles had a series of job interviews so I tagged along to see these potential cities we may one day call home. It went well... we were exhausted by the end of it but hopefully it will pay off and a great job will be offered! The weekend prior to Halloween Charles was sweet and brave enough to take Emma to his parents home all by himself. I had the weekend to shop Affair of the Heart with my mom and two of her best friends! (Marsha and Kathy) We had a wonderful time and got lots of good loot! The morning of our day of shopping I woke up and thought I would make a breakfast casserole for everyone. So, I pulled the Pyrex dish out of the fridge (I had prepared it the night before) and placed it in my oven that was preheated to 325. About 30 minutes into cooking heard a very loud pop! I opened the oven and my Pyrex dish had exploded!! That is right EXPLODED!! It was still popping and shooting glass when I opened the oven! I was shocked!! Pyrex is supposed to be freezer, oven, and microwave safe... what gives? I could have been injured an more importantly.... what were we going to eat for breakfast?! Not to worry, we scrapped off the glass and went ahead with our eating. Over breakfast Kathy said she had received an e-mail about exploding Pyrex... apparently if it is not older than 20 years you should throw it away!! Word is the company has been manufacturing the dishes in China and they are not using the right kind of glass. People have been hurt and Pyrex has done nothing to fix the problem! I am now a believer and I took pictures to make you one as well! There are a million ways this could have been a lot worse, but no one was and I am now throwing out all my Pyrex! (Haven't figured out what I am going to use now in its place quite yet!)

Workout anyone?

SO, in the spirit of "The Katie Project" I joined a gym! I found a great place that has child care and for the past 2 months I have been pretty faithful about going. I have tried various classes... Spin, Body Combat, Yoga, Pilate's, and even Body Jam! (a funk dance class that I am seriously no good at but it is so fun!) I have enjoyed it all but the best thing I have done so far are my Monday, hour long torture sessions with my friend, Elizabeth Mullins! She is that friend you have that is tall, beautiful, has a killer body, and eats so healthy it makes me want to puke! :) (Oh, and did I mention this freak of nature has THREE beautiful children!) So, about six weeks ago she roped me into a free training session and if I liked it I could come back for more! Little did I know her plan was to get progressively harder with each session!! She has had me doing a million squats, sit-ups, lunges, bicep curls, tricep curls, and balancing on things! (which is suppose to strengthen my core... if only I knew what that was!) But the best thing about working out with Elizabeth are the things she has you do you either thought you were not capable of (ex. climbing ropes in the gym) or the positions she puts you in that are less than flattering! (pretty sure at this point the entire gym has seen my crotch up close and personal) :) And ladies, just know that if you sign up for one of her training sessions you will spend the rest of the week walking like a bow-legged cowboy and wincing every time you sit or stand! However, through all of that, I have found myself signing up for yet another 6 weeks! I guess I am a glutton for punishment... but secretly I just want to be able to bounce a quarter of my booty and look good doing it! I feel sure Elizabeth is the lady to get me there! :) Thanks Elizabeth for your help in my process of taking back my body! Love ya girl!

Me on the gym floor at the end of a workout session!

The sweetest sound in the world!!

Game time!

Saturday was the first OU home game of the season... Charles was given a couple of tickets from his friend so we decided to go! Our sweet friends Rachel and Scott Hamilton watched Emma for us that night so we could have a date... Thank you guys! We had a blast! It rained the entire game and I had thought ahead enough to get panchos. (they came in very handy!) On the way to the game I called my mom who told me the starting quarterback for the evening, Landry Jones, was my fifth cousin. My grandfather and his grandfather were first cousins! That gave us one more reason to cheer and Landry had a great game!

Emma dressed and ready for gameday!

Getting soaked in the rain!

#12 Landry Jones... long lost cousin!

We had seats this close to the field! So great!

Charles and I at the end of the game.

Praise the Lord for Sunshine School!

I am such a blessed person! I have a home to call my own, clothes on my back, food in the fridge, my health, a precious baby girl, and Sunshine School! I put Emma on the wait list for this little jewel quite some time ago and got the call she had a spot a few weeks ago. Now here is the thing... I know I am staying at home now and don't get me wrong I love it! I get to feed Emma her meals, play with her, watch her try to crawl, and wipe her runny noses. BUT, (and there is a but!) the thought of having a few hours of free time once or twice a week is just more excitement than I can stand! We had her first day this week and it was a glorious day for me! She has two teachers, Miss Tyna and Miss Linda. Miss Linda told me the first day might be a little hard on me and boy was she WRONG! :) I think I was skipping out the door as I waved and looked at my watch! I had FIVE whole hours to workout, take a shower, put on make-up and run around town not having to think about the little creature in the back seat! Charles and I picked her up at 2:30 and she was so happy to us as we were her! I felt refreshed and Emma had some time to play with other children. It was simply BLISSFUL! :) For those of you who are wondering "How could you put your 8 month old in school? " Well, I would like for you to give it a try and then get back to me! You will never be the same! Thank you Lord for Sunshine School! :)

I love the Pioneer Woman!

In case you don't know who the Pioneer Woman is, you need to! She started a blog about her life on her ranch with her husband and four kids. (or "punks" as she calls them) She cooks, ranches, decorates, home schools, is a photographer and somehow has time to blog about it all! She has such funny stories about her life and let me just tell you how delicious her recipes are! Every night I have made something off her cooking page and it has been a hit! Yesterday I went to a girl's lunch at Elizabeth Mullins home. (Thank you Elizabeth for hosting the event) It was a pot luck lunch (my favorite kind!) and I took The Pioneer Woman's Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad dish. It was delicious! (you could easily add chicken to it for a meal.) Anyway, I have yet to make anything from her site I did not love so I highly recommend going there and checking it out! http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/ If you are too lazy I have posted the recipe below! :) Oh, and did I mention she has a cookbook coming out in October and she will be in Oklahoma City on October 29th for a book signing! How exciting!

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Dressing: (once prepared it is best to let it sit overnight in the fridge so the garlic can work it's magic)

1 7-oz jar sundried tomatoes, drained

4 cloves of garlic (thought it was a little too much garlic so I would use three)

3 T red wine vinegar

1 C extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

Salad:

16 oz corkscrew pasta

1 jar pitted assorted olives (chopped)

1 pint rip cherry tomatoes, halved

Several (10-15) basil leaves, chopped or julienne

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare dressing by blending sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped. Blend while drizzling in olive oil; continue blending until mixed.

Cook pasta according to package, drain, and rinse with cold water. Pour 2/3 of the dressing over pasta, add olives and toss together. Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until salad is coated. Serve. (Makes a lot so no need to double recipe)

Meat cupcakes, Apple Pie, and Chicken Pot Pie... sounds gross when you say them all together!

Ok, this first picture is of dinner the other night. A friend of mine from college just told me about these BBQ Cups (aka "Meat Cupcakes") and I was totally grossed out! The name was a real turn off for me... but I went ahead and tried them out and they were a hit! The recipe made about 10 little cups and Charles ate 5! They were super tasty and oh so easy! Thanks Megan for sending me the link on Annalee's blog and encouraging me to try this dish! :) So here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:3/4 LB. GROUND BEEF 1/2 C KETCHUP 1 T MUSTARD 2 T BROWN SUGAR 1 CAN BISCUITS 1/4 C SHREDDED CHEESE
DIRECTIONS:PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES. BROWN THE BEEF AND DRAIN. MIX KETCHUP, MUSTARD, AND BROWN SUGAR TOGETHER TO MAKE A BARBECUE SAUCE. ADD THE SAUCE TO THE BEEF. SEPARATE DOUGH INTO BISCUITS. FORM DOUGH INTO CUPS ON THE MUFFIN TINS. SPOON THE MEAT INTO THE DOUGH CUPS. BAKE AT 400 DEGREES FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES(OR UNTIL THE BISCUIT DOUGH LOOKS DONE). SPRINKLE THE TOPS WITH CHEESE. AND DINNER IS SERVED!

This next picture is this WONDERFUL apple pie that I made today. My friend Michelle Young made this pie the other day and raved about it so I decided to do the same. Let me tell all of you out there it is soooo good! The recipe came off of www.thepioneerwoman.com (go to desserts and click on Scrumptious Apple Pie to see the recipe) Anyway, I made the pie this morning and told Charles it was for after dinner... when I got home from working out this is what I found! (at least he liked it... he suggested we leave a few forks in it so we could have a "bite" whenever) :)

This next food photo is of dinner tonight. I was on a pie kick and made Chicken Pot Pie. (My mom's recipe ) I wanted it to have a special touch so this is what I came up with! Charles could have cared less... he just wanted more pie! :)