Steaknite Surprise

It's nice to get out of your normal routine. And that's just what we did this past Wednesday night. Tracy tuned me in to a happenin' event called Steaknite. It's like your own backyard BBQ with steak, an all you can eat sides and dessert buffet and live music. Except you don't have to do the dishes (high five to Tracy on that one). What more could you ask for?

Of course, the kids did not partake in the Steaknite food. They got their own little treat - McDonald's.

The place is south of downtown (and I might add, it's not the best of neighborhoods) but we had a wonderful time. Here are a few pics of the festivities.

I forgot to take a picture of my plate BEFORE I ate it. But trust me when I say it was full of steak, potato, macaroni and green beans. I think you can tell from below how delicious it was. Of course, I wouldn't have even gotten this pic if Tracy didn't remind me.

When we got home about 8:45p that night, my neighbor was anxiously awaiting our return. She told me that she did not mean to be a nosy neighbor, but she knew our schedule and KNEW we should have been home. She was worried that something had happened. Yeah ... I think it's time we start mixing it up a little more!

Vinyl Wall Art: The Easy Way to Decorate

If you know me, you accept (but probably do not understand) my need to mix it up in the decorating department. Poor Shawn dreads it when I say, "I have an idea ..." He usually runs. But, these days, it's easier than ever for me to put my own stamp on the house without the help of anyone else - by using vinyl art designs. There's no commitment. Don't like it one spot ... move it to another. It's genius.

I've bought a few that I use in my bedroom and in the kids room. I am always on the search for cool designs to put in my back pocket ... just for the rainy day that I feel one of the rooms needs a makeover. Today I found Lewa's Designs via A Soft Place to Land. This store has some of the cutest stuff. You should check it out at http://www.lewasdesigns.com/.

These are some of my favs from her site. I adore the tree, but it's still a little out of my price range.

And, she's even kicking it up a notch. If you blog about her site by June 10, you can win a free vinyl. Then, if you add her little blinkie on your blog she will send you a second one for free! You pick from one of the designs below and get to pick the color. Of course, I am going for the bird and the catepillar. Still deciding on color, but I do know I am going to put them on the kids' bedroom doors with their initials.

So, check it out ya'll. It's an easy way to make a space your own.

Weekend festivities

It was a nice Memorial Day weekend. Of course, not long enough, but that is an ongoing complaint. Here's a quick run down (with only a few pics).

Friday

We took Mallory to see Dr Newman for her first eye exam. She did very well at telling him which way the legs of the E were pointing. The good news is that no correction is needed at this time. He started talking about how she's a little farsighted but that's good at this age because ... and then I drifted away. Once I heard the magic words - no correction needed - my visit was over! Shawn and I each picked up a new pair of glasses while we were there. I can't wait to show off my new blue frames.

Saturday

I had a hair-brained idea to have a garage sale and had been collecting the merchandise in the dining room for a week or so. Let me just say that I am sad that I did not take a picture because the place was COVERED. In fact, at the beginning of this project, I told Shawn several times that I didn't think we had enough stuff for a garage sale. Boy was I wrong. Especially since we made $300. I then had Shawn take most of the leftovers to Goodwill. Good riddance.

What didn't make it over to the donation pile -- that darn tub of Eeyores that Shawn has been collecting for years. It's so precious to him that it's lived in the attic for about 5 years now. He says he's going to put them on EBay. Now that I've made this knowledge public maybe he will comply! Otherwise, a box of perfectly good Eeyores goes back up into the attic.

Sunday

True was in a particularly good mood this morning. I think he wanted to do some demolition. Luckily, demolishing the playroom is about as far as he can take it these days.


Mallory and I got up bright and early and headed over to IKEA. They were have a great sale on Expedits (book shelves) and of course I NEEDED one for Truett's room. Yeah ... so they were giving out free breakfast too so we decided to partake. Probably a big mistake since the eggs were powdered and watery. Then, Mallory accidentally spilled her drink all over her plate. Again, good thing it was free.

Mello met up with us at IKEA and we tinkered around. Christopher and Mallory ran rough-shod through the place. But, they had a good time. Once we were done shopping, we headed over to McDonald's for lunch and a date with the twisty slides. That didn't go too well for Mallory. She climbed up to the slide platform and then got scared. Mommy had to crawl part of the way up there to get her. Thank goodness Mello didn't have her phone camera nearby or you would have had to see my backside climbing up there. And I can assure you it was not a pretty picture.

Once we left McD's, we stopped at ULTA to pick up some beautifying products and then headed home. I tried to roll Mallory's hair in these curlers. Isn't she cute? Reminds me of the "ladies" from the Tuna series. Isn't one of them almost always in curlers?!

You notice up there that I said "tried." It didn't work. Probably because her hair was too wet when I tried to do it and neither one of us had the patience to wait it out. Even with a hair dryer it was just taking too long. So, we'll try again another day.

Monday

A quiet day. I wasn't feeling great so I spend most of the morning taking it easy by picking up the house and catching pieces of two movies on the Showtime free movie weekend - The Great Debaters and Stardust. Both were fantastic. Mallory was begging all morning to go out to play in this:

That green thing back there is the pool. About 10:45a I tried to get in it with her but it was just too cold. When I wouldn't go in, Mallory moved on to Plan B. Make-up time. Truett had it all over his body, like war paint. It was hilarious. I'm just happy they bond together, you know?!

After Shawn got home (unfortunately he had to work on Memorial Day, but did get off a few hours early) I headed off to the grocery store to stock up. Seriously ... there were only 10 things on my list. I came home without about 60 things. But, to give me a pat on the back, that little snow cone maker I bought the kids (yeah ... it was for them) makes great treats.

That's about the extent of the weekend. Boring but good. I am already in need of another one!

We're going to Vegas!

Mallory and I both have a strong love of dance. And this Thursday night starts our summer tradition.

Woo-hoo (as Mary would say ... and you know what this means if you watch the show). Mallory dances around the house trying to mimic the contestants. Mommy enjoys the music, dance and joy that Mallory feels.

We were so into it last summer that she would run around at all times of the day and night saying, " I'm going to Vegas!" Only the great dancers made it to the next round in Vegas and they showed them saying it on the show quite often.

So, as of tonight, Mallory and I are going to Vegas on our TV.

Happiness is ...

There are many things that make me happy. But at this very moment at work, this is on the top of my list. Pill ice and a diet Dr Pepper. We got a new ice machine. I am in heaven. It's the small things, you know?

Three Amigos (Part 3)

So it's been a while since I said I'd finish up the girls' trip to Central Texas. Yeah ... about a month now. I think I'm behind. Before I begin, I have to give a disclaimer that there are not as many pics in this post as I normally would include. I think I was in shopping shock this day and forgot to pull out the camera often enough. Also, forgive any grammar or misspellings. I will readily admit I am too lazy to peer review myself today. Now, on with the story.

Day 2 begins. We slept in. I will admit that I was eagerly awaiting the "surprise" box that gets dropped at your doorstep every morning. This box is supposedly full of deliciousness. Luckily ... the box came (see, perfect oppty for a picture that I didn't take). It was an old-fashioned cowgirl lunch box that was full of hot, yummy almond topped muffins. I did partake, but Lynn and Tracy only took a few dainty bites. I couldn't help myself because they were so delish. However, since Tracy and Lynn saved room for "real" food, we headed over to Wimberly and ate more deliciousness at this little cafe:

Lynn raved over the migas (best since her honeymoon). I can't remember what Tracy had but she said it was delish. As for me, I had eaten almost a whole muffin (about the size of Incredible Hulk's fist) back at the B&B, so I kept it light and had a few scrambled eggs. Just for a little protein is what I kept telling myself.

After we had sufficiently fueled ourselves for a long day of shopping, we walked around the delightful town. It was full of little stores that lured us in. Here's a pic of an old house that was turned into a shop. How charming is that? Unfortch, this particular store was full of a lot of junk. Looks can be deceiving.

I ended up buying a few things as we sauntered around town ... but my best buy of the day is this little number:


Yes, a VERA BRADLEY purse. For only $50. Did you even know she made anything other than prints? I sure didn't. But I can tell you that after a few weeks of using this thing I am in love with it.

After working ourselves to exhaustion, we stopped and had lunch at a little place in town. The Learning Pear ... or was it the Leaning Pear? It was funny because that morning in the B&B I was reading through the stack of menus that showed what all the places around served and I was drooling. I mentioned it to Lynn and Tracy and they both said in unison, "that's the place we were going to go for lunch." So Lynn, great pick.

Lunch was wonderful and the perfect pick-me-up. Then, we headed off into the great blue yonder - headed for Luckenbach. Um ... I only knew the song by Willie and thought it'd be a great place. Who knew it was a hole in the wall. Really. We almost missed it. But, it was fantastic. Live music, bikers, preps (like me), crazy people (also a little like me) ... I could have stayed there resting under the tree and listening to music for the rest of the day. But we have places to go and things to see. Of course, we bought the requisite t-shirt.

Back to the car ... headed towards Fredericksburg. Luckily, it wasn't far because by this time it was about 2 or 3p. We walked around the streets of Fredericksburg looking for a bargain and it didn't disappoint. Tracy found some material to recover a chair, I found a little denim jacket and I can't remember what Lynn found (besides liquor and cookies, of which we all shared). We also found a place that served this:


And you could walk around town with it. So, we partook. But, with a bellini instead. I don't like beer.

It only took a few hours and we were getting tired and knew we needed to head back towards Dripping Springs. We stopped at Wildseed Farms on the way back (just in time too ... we got there about 15 mins before closing). It is a HUGE seed farm, garden store, etc. Lynn finally found the hummingbird feeders she had been looking for and was very excited. Tracy and I did like we usually do ... and bought food.

Later that night, we ended up at a little steakhouse (name escapes me). We got there early and thought we'd check out the "bowling alley" next to the restaurant. But, alas, no bowling alley ... just a little cafe. Again. looks can be deceiving! So, we headed over to eat. I was surprised at how wonderful the place was inside. What is it about twinkle lights that makes everything better?! Believe it or not, they were doing Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster. In Hicksville. Too bad we filled up on steak and baked potatos or we would have tried some of the deliciousness.

Then it was back to the B&B to relax and get some rest. Because the next day it was time to head home. I have no interesting news to report about that ... except to say: don't eat at the Elite Cafe in Waco, TX. Yeah ... it used to be good. But not so much anymore.

So, another girls' trip down. Who's planning the next one?

Memorabilia

Another Mother's Day has come and gone. I will forever treasure the little trinkets from the kidlets. Every year they just get better and better. What I want to know though is when the law of diminishing returns kicks in?!

True's class made a card and a little scented sashay. The inside of the card (which of course, I don't have a picture of) has a cute saying and his hand print.

Mallory's current teacher is an out-of-work state certified art teacher. It shows in the creativity of her gifts. Just adorable. But, I had Friday off so Mallie spend the day with me. Alas, the inside of the card isn't done. While it does have a cute saying (about being a handful), it's missing her hand print. Guess I need to take some initiative to finish that one.

New acquisition

I found this vinyl art yesterday @ Bed Bath and Beyond. Pretty, huh? It says "Spread Your Wings and Learn to Fly."

Three Amigos (Part 2)

So, last week we headed off to Central Texas for a girls' getaway. The day started off as any other for me - alarm going off at 6a, shower, dress, get the kids wrangled and off to school. But then I headed down to Lynn's house to get the trip going. After a few mins for a bathroom break and a quick weather check we were on our way.

We headed south to Corsicana and then cut across Highway 31 towards Waco. About halfway to Waco the rain started coming down so hard you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. But, we soldiered on determined to make it to our destination.

In Waco, we decided to stop and take a bathroom break and get something to eat. By this time it was around 11ish. This wouldn't have been a problem if a white van wouldn't have decided to park so close to me that we couldn't get back in the car. Yeah, something came out in me (and I'm still not sure what it was) ... and I ran back into the Whataburger yelling "who drives a white van?" Unfortunately, no one fessed up (they may have been afraid of me). So, I had to climb across the passenger seat to get into my car. I would have a taken a picture, but I was sooo mad that I didn't think about it until after we were gone.

After that, the day started looking brighter. The sun came out somewhere around Temple and by the time we made it to Killeen the roads looked dry. We cut across to Lampassas and then headed south to Marble Falls where we stopped and had a late lunch at the Bluebonnet Cafe. It was delicious. After that, we headed through Johnson City and then to Dripping Springs to check in to our B&B (even though she doesn't call it that). The place was NICE. Juniper Hill Farms, ya'll. They even had the cutest donkeys on site. Here are a few shots from the grounds (and one of the outside of our room/apartment).

That evening we decided to head over to Driftwood Winery before we went to dinner. We thought we were going to another winery, but we ended up at this one. At this point in the day, wine was wine. Especially considering it was 5p and all the tastings closed at 6p. I was finally starting to relax.

After my first-ever wine tasting (eh, the thought was nicer than the tasting), we headed back to Johnson City to have dinner at a hole in the wall that served upscale food. Wish I could remember the name of the place (Circle K Cafe ... no, that's a convenience store!). Anyway, Tracy and I split the Blue Cheese Filet. Delish. Lynn had some kind of fried fish (that is not normally fried). I am sad to say that I have no food pics from this trip. Shocking I know. Unfortunately, when we stopped to eat, we found this lovely screw in my tire. Fortunately, the tire didn't leak the entire weekend.

After dinner, we headed back to the B&B to relax. Lynn went to bed early but I was pretty much wide awake. So, I just laid in bed and read a magazine. Yeah ... it sounds pretty boring on paper but it was a fantastic day.

I'll write more about day 2 later.

Sign language

I'm back from the girl's trip ... and it was fantastic. More to come on that later this week when I have a bit more time. For now, I have some great signs for your viewing pleasure. I found that some residents of Central Texas have quite a sense of humor. These signs were seen in Blanco, TX and Wimberly, TX.

Three Amigos (Part 1)

This morning I am headed off for a girl's getaway with my friends Lynn and Tracy. I love a good road trip with loud music, sodas and all the junk food you can eat (yeah, so much for the weight loss plan and the Couch to 5k I was trying to do).

We're headed to the Texas hill country, so watch out all you folks down that way because we're coming to town. Oh, and is it sad that I'm kind of excited about going to Luckenbach? I cannot get that darn song out of my head now.

Be back on Monday!

Overheard

In the car on the way to school, Mallory seemed to be craving some freedom.

"Mommy, I wish I could fly like the birds. I could be Supergirl and Truett could be Superman."

Happy Easter 2009

Another holiday, come and gone. We had a good one this time around. Although we did miss Shawn. He was in Moab on his man-cation. Of course, he was having a great time, but it would have been more fun to be with us!

We started the weekend by heading out to Gilmer around 3p on Thursday. All was going well until I was about an hour away from home and realized that I "might" have locked Cinder in one of the bedrooms. The bad news was that I wasn't sure I had done it ... and that no one besides me and Shawn have a key to our house. I crossed my fingers and prayed that I had not done it. But, guess what? I did. We have been busy airing out Mallory's room to rid it of the pee smell. I hope Nature's Miracle is as good as it promises to be. Otherwise, I may be shopping for new bedroom carpet (we need it anyway).

On Friday, we made plans with my sister to take Mallory to see the new Hannah Montana movie. Her first movie! She loved holding the big tub of popcorn in her lap and it was so cute to see it grazing the edge of her chin. The only problem was that she was not heavy enough to keep the chair down and it kept riding up on her. I finally put my purse in the seat with her and that helped some. About halfway through the movie she asked Aunt Chele if we could leave. Then she spent the rest of the time on our laps. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience.

After the movie, Michele and I stopped off at the Dollar Store. Um ... I felt really sorry for this poor bunny. I saw another one that was hearing-impaired. Or, I assume so since it had a big hole in its ears.

We went back to Mom and Dad's house to find my brother and family there. Didn't do much that night but mess around the house.

Saturday we got up and was excited to be attending the Gilmer Annual Easter Egg Hunt. A good time was had by all but unfortunately we did not find a "prize" egg. I have several pics of True hunting eggs, but none of Mallie. We had to split forces this year, so Aunt Chele took Mallie to hunt. She did pretty well for herself.

Mimi and True

That afternoon while all the adults and True were napping, I decided it was time for the girls to dye their eggs. No real pics of the event since it was just me and I was really paying attention to keeping the egg dye cups from spilling over and turning the girls colors. But, I did take an after-egg dying picture of one of Mallory's eggs. This is a turtle.

Later that night, we headed over to Aunt Chele's for a family barbeque. Stoney and Michele had just gotten a ping-pong table which kept us busy for quite some time. But you can see that Cale, Mallie and Reagan had better things to do.

We left their house around 9p and went home. True was overtired but was having nothing to do with bed so cousin Jace played with him for a while. I can't figure out who was having a better time.


Then came time for the Easter bunny to visit. I think he went overboard this year.

Sunday was pretty mellow as it was raining cats and dogs. But, we made it home safely around 6p and have closed the books on another family holiday/gathering.