"We have some really good food..."

Lemon Garlic Tuna Burgers

2012-02-02T09:45:00.000-06:00

p.c.

I have discovered something about myself. I'm a terrible food photographer. Actually, I'm a terrible photographer period. But it especially comes out when I try to photograph food. I cannot make it look appetizing, no matter what I try. And so, for now, until I can coax my sister into coming over and taking all my food pictures, I will be stealing them from the world wide web. Don't worry, I'll give credit. (i'm legal like that). But be not impressed by any of the images seen here. They are borrowed from others more talented than I.

These burgers were so good! Although i don't know if I'd call them burgers...if you're in the mood for a thick, juicy "burger," go beef. But misnomer aside, these had great flavor and texture and paired amazingly with the lettuce and tomato for a new take on tuna. The recipe is originally from a blog that my friend Laura Beth told me about called "Can You Stay for Dinner?" Check out LB's crafting/DIY home decor blog as well as this fun foodie blog. You'll love them.

Lemon Garlic Tuna Burgers
2, 6 oz cans tuna fish, drained and flaked
1/2 cup GF bread crumbs (i borrowed some homemade ones from my mom. not sure if you can buy them premade)
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 tsp. dried parsley (fresh would be better, but I didn't have any)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 egg
4 slices Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever strikes your fancy. Swiss would be yummy)
4 English muffins (I used sourdough, since they don't bother my allergy)
4 leaves romaine
1 small tomato, sliced

Combine tuna, bread crumbs, green onion, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon, sour cream, and egg, and mix well with your hands. Form into 4 patties (they will be wet), place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Top with cheese for the last 5 minutes. Serve the burgers on buttered, toasted English muffins with romaine and sliced tomato.

Baked Bean Soup & Sweet Cornbread Muffins

2012-01-23T14:31:00.000-06:00

I have two stories.
Story #1: We were invited to a potluck this weekend. I signed up to bring baked beans. I had my ingredients all ready to go and planned to work on it Sunday afternoon and bring it to the potluck Sunday night. Great plan. Except that the party was Saturday night. Somehow I missed that vital detail. And I now found myself with the ingredients to make baked beans.

Story #2: My friend Lauren told me about this yummy Baked Bean soup recipe that she had made. So I emailed her for the recipe. Lauren is super prompt with email responses, but as soon as I emailed I realized that I wanted to make it right now. So I googled a recipe and tried it. Loved it. Shortly after eating it, I got an email back from Lauren with a link to the very same recipe that I had used. Crazy!

This recipe is E-A-S-Y. So easy and surprisingly delicious. It really does taste like baked beans, but soup. It's sweet and tangy which appealed greatly to Annie. Serve it with sweet cornbread muffins and I'll come over and eat it with you.
This recipe is originally from the Crockpot365 blog, but I've changed a few things.

Baked Bean Soup

2 cans of your favorite beans (I used 3 cups of beans that I had cooked and frozen)
1 can of baked beans
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tbsp. molasses
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, don't drain
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of bacon.

Throw everything into the crockpot and mix it up. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. When you're getting close to serving time, scoop some of the soup into your blender and blend it to get it real creamy. Pour it back into the crockpot and stir it up. Let it cook for a few minutes more. While it cooks, fry up the bacon and chop it into chunky bites. Serve the soup topped with bacon. mmm....

Sweet Cornbread Muffins
There's two types of cornbread: crispy, buttery, savory cornbread. I love this and make it in a big cast iron skillet. The edges get brown and crispy...so good. Then there's sweet cornbread: cakey, moist, sweet and soft. That describes these muffins. So delicious, they melt in your mouth. I could eat an entire pan without blinking. I may have done this...let's not go there.

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup brown rice flour (or all purpose flour)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 heaping tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 oil - I fill half of the measuring cup with unsweetened applesauce and top it off with oil.

Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Mix the dry ingredients with a wisk. Add the wet ingredients and mix until combined. **If you're using brown rice flour (or any gf flour), the batter will be very runny. Worry not, it will cook just fine. Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes or until set and a little brown on the edges. Let them cool for 5 minutes and then pop them out and onto a cooling rack. Eat one warm and then try to be patient and save some for your family.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2012-01-20T15:48:00.001-06:00

I love a sweet treat in the morning. All snuggled up with my coffee and my Bible, love me some muffins. (or brownies, carrot cake, cupcakes, whatever we've got.)
I make muffins once a week or so to have for a quick, healthy breakfast for Tim when he's headed out the door or if Annie and I are heading out. They freeze really well too, so I often double the recipe and throw some in the freezer. Then when we have a Sunday morning when we have to be at church early or we oversleep, we still get to have a little bite.

These muffins are my faves. Originally from the Pioneer Woman, but I've adapted them to fit my taste and gf needs. So moist and no hint of gluten-free grit anywhere. And so easy to pull together. Go get yourself a can of pumpkin and make these for your Saturday morning brunch. Your mouth will thank you.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
1 heaping cup of pumpkin
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400*. Grease 12 muffin tins. Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or a fork. (If you don't have a pastry blender, I recommend it! So great for cutting in butter, which I do often.) Add pumpkin, milk, egg and vanilla. Scoop mixture into muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let them cool in the in for 5 minutes and then pop them out and put them on a cooling rack.

Invite your sister-in-law over for a cup of tea and a muffin and catch up on life. It's bliss, I can attest to it.

Rotisserie Chicken Stock

2012-01-17T12:43:00.003-06:00

p.c.

Where to begin? I love Costco. That will need to be an entire post of it's own. One of my all-time favorite purchases from Costco is their rotisserie chicken. I get one everytime I go. You cannot beat the price ($4.99), the size (they're HUGE), and it's the easiest way to use chicken in any meal. Not to mention they are UNBELIEVABLY delicious. I do not want to know what goodness they put in them. It can't be healthy. But, come on, it's chicken. We need the protein.

p.c.

One rotisserie chicken will last my family of 3 for 2 dinners and some leftovers for lunch. Here's how it broke down over the weekend:

Chicken Caesar salad
Chicken pot pie
Leftover meat for lunch!

First thing I do when I get this baby home is open it up and take a big deep sniff. It's mandatory. Side note: if you have a big dog, beware. They will want a big sniff too. Keep it up high.

I set the whole thing on a cutting board, peel back the skin and begin carving. Start with the breasts (where most of the meat is) and then go from there. I pretty much tear this thing apart. It's not pretty and my hands are covered in chicken juice. Good news is, it's cooked chicken juice. Bad news is, you still won't be able to answer your phone or help your kid climb off the entertainment unit during this process. You need a little bit of time. I get a good sized tupperware container and put all the meat in there. Yum.

Once you're done picking the bones clean, throw them in a big stock pot. We're making chicken stock. This is so, so simple and I haven't needed to buy chicken stock since I've started doing this. You'll get a ton of it! Add to your pot of bones:

8-10 cups of water (almost cover the whole chicken. Or cover it. whatever.)

1 large carrot, cut into chunks

1 large stalk of celery, cut into chunks

Half an onion, you guessed it - cut into chunks

1-2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

thyme

rosemary (a few shakes)

Throw everything in the pot and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, drop the heat to low and let it simmer. I let it go about 30-40 minutes. It'll make your house smell delicious. Turn off the heat and let it sit for a while. (you don't have to do this step if you're in a rush, but it's a lot easier to strain it when it's not boiling hot.) I'm still mastering the art of the strain. You need something pretty fine to keep out all the grit and spices (although I guess having the spices in the finished product isn't bad). Currently my method is using my mesh hand-held strainer set over a 4 cup pyrex. It works, but I have to do it in batches. Pour the liquid over the strainer and then from the pyrex, pour the stock into freezable 2,3 or 4 cup containers. Fill it almost to the top, leaving a little bit of expansion room. Set it on the counter and don't tighten the lid until it cools. After it cools, I usually freeze two 3-cup containers and then put whatever's left (4-cups) in the fridge and use it that week.

So easy. And delicious.

p.s. - you should taste it before it's done and add any additional spices you want. I'm still playing with the amount of salt...i don't usually measure so it's different each time.

Time for an update

2012-01-16T20:57:00.002-06:00

I'm approaching my one year anniversary since my last post on this blog. One might say, it's time to call it a day. However, thanks to google reader and similar types of things, I have hopes that one or two of you might see this update. And that maybe, just maybe, I can pick up blogging again.

I've lacked inspiration and free time for keeping up with the blog, but I love looking back and seeing all of Annie's milestones and pictures from what was going on in our lives over the last several years. Still planing on making a book out of the previous posts...it's on my list. And as I've wanted to pick back up and begin updating again, I simply haven't known where to start. Until now.

It's time to make some small changes...new look. And new theme. While I'll still update with what's going on with my little family and pictures of my crazy punkin, the main purpose of my blog will shift into something new. Something that I'm "passionate" about (if you can use that word...seems a little cheesy and over the top), something that I do all the time, and something that I want to continue to grow in.

If you know me, you've probably already guessed. It's Food! I love to eat! and I love to cook. And share food with friends. Cooking has really become a love of mine over the last few years and I want to learn more and share what I learn along the way. My love of cooking has changed from "I have to make dinner every night" to "what do I get to cook tonight?" It's a creative outlet, I guess. I love it. I love trying new things. I love making things that Tim and Annie get excited about. I love finding amazing gluten free desserts. I love sharing a meal with family and close friends. Food brings people together, I mean, we all have to eat.
And so, here I go. Here is what you can expect:

Recipes. Tried and true, new, old, healthy, fattening, easy, challenging, messy. And so on. There's no telling what kind of goodness I'll be sharing.
1 post a week. That's my goal. So maybe, you can cook one new recipe a week, if you like what you see. Or just laugh. Or maybe it'll remind you of something you saw somewhere else and you'll go make that. That's cool.
A random picture/post about Annie. To keep you coming back.

What you should not expect:

Real cooking advice. I most definitely DO NOT consider myself an expert in cooking. Not in the slightest. Do I enjoy it? Yes. Do I have the tiniest idea what I'm talking about? mostly, no. You can't take anything I say to the bank. You must take it with a grain of salt.

And so it is. Take it or leave it. Mostly, I want to document what I learn and keep track of my failures and fun along the way. But, if you want to join in, the more the merrier.

Saturday....favorite.

2011-03-12T14:33:00.002-06:00

I don't do a "friday favorite" like a lot of bloggers. Not because I don't want to, but rather that I cannot seem to commit to blogging consistently. but I have favorite things like the rest of the world, and I like hearing about products that people use and like, and so, here you go...

I LOVE this product. It's made by Mac and it's called "Prep and Prime." The story: I went into Nordstrom to buy foundation. JUST foundation. But as it was my first time buying Mac, I needed a little help. And you know once you start talking to the people there, well, let's face it, they wanna sell you as much as they possibly can. Usually I'm completely turned off by suggestive sellers. Like to the point where I won't even buy what I went in to buy because I'm just unnerved by it all. But this girl was very real and helpful and suggested the "prep and prime" to smooth out your complexion before applying foundation as well as to control oil throughout the day. And I bit. So glad I did. I wear this almost everyday under my foundation and it does what it promises. My make up lasts longer and my skin is smoother. It's $26 or something like that, so it's not exactly cheap, but it lasts a good 6 months-a year depending on how often you use it.

Chinese Chicken

2011-03-12T14:28:00.002-06:00

Made this for dinner the other night inspired by my friend Andrea who was in visiting. She made a yummy teriyaki chicken for us for dinner one night. It made me think of using my mom's famous "Chinese Chicken Wings" sauce for more of a meal than an appetizer. So I tried it and loved it. And now, you can love it too. Once again, there's a good chance you've got this stuff in your fridge.

Chinese Chicken
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup honey - I did 3/4 a cup and it was great.
Garlic - I think it says 2 cloves, I did more than that.
2 chicken breasts
rice

Mix sauce ingredients on the stove and boil on medium heat until thick. Cut chicken breasts into strips and throw in a 9x13 pan. Pour sauce over chicken and bake for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked. Serve over brown rice, add a veggie (we did steamed carrots wif buttah. yum), and you're done! So so good!

If you're a wings person, you MUST try this sauce with chicken wings. Amazing.

Corn Chowder and other such lovelies

2011-02-05T15:32:00.003-06:00

How many changes do you need to make to a recipe before you can call it your own? I made this delicious Corn Chowder last night (the ground was covered in 5" of snow, had to make soup) but I made some changes due to what I had on hand/what I thought sounded good. And now I shall call it "Callie's Corn Chowder." Please pass it on. =)
I love corn chowder and my mom made it a lot growing up but her version had potatoes in it and if you know me at all, you know that I don't like potatoes. If I picked out the potatoes, I loved the soup. And so, I've come up with my own rendition of this recipe, sans potatoes. It's great because I'd be willing to bet you already have most of the ingredients in your house. Just think, you could make this delicious, creamy soup TONIGHT. Read on:

Callie's Chicken Corn Chowder
Cast of Characters:
2 tbsp of butter
1/2 an onion, chopped into little pieces
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cups of chicken broth (i used hot water w/ boullion. tasted great)
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of creamed corn (one of my genius additions =)
1 grilled chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups of milk
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh black pepper

In a large stockpot, saute the onion in the butter. Add carrots and celery and saute for 4-5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn, creamed corn and chicken and simmer another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch in with the milk, salt and pepper. Slowly stir into soup. Cook for a few minutes to let it thicken. Voila!
Serve with warm, crusty bread. Dip bread in soup. Savor.

You can always add more liquid to make it go farther. I like it thick and chunky but to feed a crowd just add a little more broth and milk. Easy.

I would just like to add that I have been slurping this soup while I sit here and type. It's delicious leftover as well. Just in case you wanted to know. You're welcome.

Annie Kate sings my God is so big

2011-02-03T09:21:00.000-06:00

For all you friends and family that are not on facebook. Here is a little sampling of the vocal stylings of miss Annie Kate. Enjoy.

Anniversary Trip - Arlington National Cemetary

2011-01-06T08:08:00.003-06:00

On our way back to the hotel from Mount Vernon, we stopped by the Arlington National Cemetary. It is really breathtaking. Row after row after row of beautiful white headstones. It makes it very real that there are significant sacrifices being made for our freedom. The cemetary closes at 5 and we made it there at ten til, so we hurried through. We wanted to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and that was way in the back, so we hustled back there and made it just in time. It was very moving. The whole ceremony was so respectful and traditional. I'm really glad we got to experience it.

Anniversary Trip - Mount Vernon

2011-01-06T08:00:00.002-06:00

One of the days we were there, we traveled over to George Washington's estate, Mount Vernon. It was absolutely beautiful. They do a fantastic job of keeping it well maintained and still very much how it was back in his time. You get a sense of just how much work it took to run a place this large and with such extensive grounds and gardens. Sadly, the day we were there several of the gardens were under construction so we couldn't see them. And, it was a cold, rainy day. So we didn't linger too long outside. We had lunch in the restaurant there that is colonial times themed. (that sounds not quite right, but not sure how else to say it.) They served yummy "comfort" kind of food and the atmosphere/decor/servers all looked as thought they were in the 1700's. It was really fun. There's also an extensive gift shop there which we had fun shopping in. I bought a bag of Almond Toffee that did not survive the ride home. What can I say, it was a cold, rainy day and a very long metro ride back.

I decided I could live here as well.

View from the back porch. They had rockers lining the patio.

Very old Pecan tree. There when Washington was there. And that's me.

Blurry Washington.

They don't let you take pictures inside the house, which was really a shame. It's decorated with some of the Washington's original furniture. And it was really a beautiful old home. If you're ever in the area, go see Mount Vernon. It's worth it.

Anniversary Trip - The Capitol and National Mall

2011-01-05T09:20:00.004-06:00

Our tour of the Capitol was fantastic. Very informative, full of history. We like that kind of stuff. (most of you would probably hate to do a museum with us. we like to read everything.) We got to go through some underground tunnels...yes yes, be jealous. And skip lines and everything since we had a private tour.

The dome. You would not believe the detail.

The very heart of D.C. The whole city was planned out from this point.

Hand carved mural.

There are several of these statues all over the capitol. We loved this one of Ronald Reagan, particularly because of the story behind it. It was commissioned to be made and after the whole thing was finished, Nancy Reagan said, "That's not my husband. He's not smiling. He was always smiling." And so they re-did the statue to make him smiling.

Workin' it.

Tim twisted his ankle the 2nd day we were there. No fun for all that walking. ( i broke in a pair of new shoes - bad idea - and had blisters the whole time. I may or may not have used a certain feminine item to help pad the shoes and lessen the rubbing. Hey, I didn't have bandaids. Improvise!)

The walk between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial

Anniversary Trip - Redskins Game!

2011-01-05T09:05:00.002-06:00

Since growing up in Virginia where there is no NFL team, Tim has always been a Washington Redskins fan. Sadly, they stink. But that's neither here nor there. We got to go to a Sunday night game while we were in D.C. Super, super fun. We were in the nosebleed section (which, btw, was still a fantastic view) with all these season ticket holders. Apparently, one of them sold their tickets to us. Everytime there was a first down, touchdown, interception, etc., all of the people around us would stand and high five each other. We loved it! Even Tim's brother, Josh, who is a Cowboys fan (and therefore a Redskins enemy) couldn't help cheering and high fiving everybody. The atmosphere and comaradery was really fun.

Anniversary Trip - Alexandria

2011-01-05T08:45:00.003-06:00

In September, Tim and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Wow, that went fast. We decided to visit our nation's capitol to celebrate, but we waited until October to go in hopes of getting cooler weather. The weather did not disappoint, it was gorgeous. 60's during the day and nice and cool at night. It was wonderful. A BIG shout out to my cousin, Christina, who lives in Alexandria, VA, for all her travel help. She is not only an experienced traveler, but since she lives just outside and works in the city, she was incredibly helpful with advice on where to eat, what to see and when, she got us a private tour of the capitol, a tour of the White House, tips on how to use the Metro, etc. Our trip would not have been the same without her help. Thank you, Christina!!
The first day we were there, we traveled over to old town Alexandria to poke around. What an adorable town. We absolutely loved it there. It's one of those super cute little places to go into bookstores and antique-ish shops. And it was a gorgeous day, so we took our time walking up and down the main street. We may have found a Gap outlet and shopped around, I really couldn't say.

The headless horseman. We were there close to Halloween.

Don't you want to live in one of those?

Very sunny.

Or I could live there.

hey! That's us!

shoes

2010-10-06T09:53:00.001-05:00

Check 'em out. Her sweet shoes. Annie recently found a bag of garage sale clothes and really enjoyed wearing all her old shoes. They were so small on her that her heel was a good inch off the back of the flip flops and her toes were smashed into the pink loafers. She did not care in the slightest. She paraded these babies around right up until garage sale day.

here she is trying to make a break for it into the backyard.

Ha ha, I love this one.

"Come on, Annie! Let's show everyone how much fun we have together!"

Oh sure, now you'll smile.

She was laughing her head off here. Because I'm so hilarious.

This is currently her "funny" face. The sound "blehhhhh" comes with it.

Baby Lydia

2010-09-28T07:29:00.003-05:00

Back in July, my good friend Lauren had her second baby, a baby girl. Miss Lydia is just about the cutest baby you'll ever see. And she's fiesty too...i like that in a girl. Annie was the same way. Knows what she wants. It's been such fun to watch Lauren be a mom to two. When she had Ian, Annie was 2 months old so I was busy with my own munch. But now I get to cuddle Lydia all the time and I love it. She's such a doll.

lately

2010-09-27T16:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was our first real "fall" day. It was glorious. Here's how my morning went:

7 a.m. - open the back door to let Kona out. Felt a cool breeze. Breathed very deeply and smiled very big. Jumped up and down and went running into my closet to pick out some jeans.
8:30 a.m. - Drove to church with the windows down. It was blustery. And delicious.
10:55 a.m. - Leaving church it's STILL COOL. Miracle. Decide to make corn chowder for lunch.
11:04 a.m. - Sneak into my mom's house to steal some carrots for my corn chowder. (thanks, mom!)
11:08 a.m. - Walk into a very stale feeling house. Air hadn't kicked on but no windows were open. Never you fear, this did not last long. Opened all the windows in the house. (poor Tim, he always gets the short end of the stick on this. I get the pleasure of opening them first thing in the morning and he gets the chore of going around and closing them at night.) Pulled out the candy corn, lit my fall candle, turned on football, smiled again and started making corn chowder.
It was a great Sunday.
We hung out at my parents' later that afternoon and it was wonderful to be outside with Annie. She loves being outside and I love when we don't leave dripping in sweat. moving on...
Today has been awesome again. 54 degrees when I went to work out this morning. Downright chilly! We've had the windows open, I made some chex mix (i feel like that's fall-ish, don't know why), Annie and I went up to the park. It's been so enjoyable.
This is a major change in subject. Prepare yourself. Welcome to the depths of my disorganized mind.
This new season, I've decided to really put more into my friendships. We've been here 5 years and I feel like I have a few close friends and a lot of "good" friends. We're on the brink of being really close. I know you can't be best friends with everyone, but I feel like the Lord is really calling me to pursue people and serve and be a part of their lives in a new way this season. I'm excited. Our care group has grown quite a bit over the Summer and there are lots of opportunities for me to give and grow with others. And there are other people that aren't in my group that I feel like God has plans for our friendship. So i'm working. and praying. And trusting the Lord in all things. Or at least trying to. =)
Sooooo, if you're reading this and you're thinking, "Gosh, I'd just really like to be best friends with Callie!" then this is your lucky day! Ha ha, joke people, joke. But really, if you read this we're friends at some level (or you blog hop, that's ok too) so let me know how I can be a better friend. I need to learn!
I may yet post again this week (don't hold your breath, you will most definitely pass out) with some pictures of our recent goings on. Or I may wait a few months. Who really knows?
thanks for reading...

Cosby Show

2010-08-31T13:43:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of the Cosby Show. I own the first 4 seasons and I like to watch them fairly regularly. Annie has recently been turned on to their hilarious qualities. She calls Rudy, "Rudo" and Cliff "Honey" (I guess that's what Claire calls him most often). And when the characters leave the room she always asks me where everybody went.
Today, I was preparing some things for dinner and I asked Annie if she'd like to help me. She was all excited running around saying "Oh, make dinner! I help you, mommy." I decided to put on an episode of the Cosby Show while we worked. As soon as the theme song came on, she dropped everything and said "Cobby Show!" and ran to her favorite chair. I asked her, "Annie, aren't you going to help me make dinner?" and without her eyes leaving the tv screen, she replied, "No mom. I watcha cobby show now."

h-o-t

2010-08-05T15:49:00.002-05:00

...spells HOT! It is so so so so HOT here right now. I have heard several people comment on how they've adjusted to the heat here, but I must confess I am not one of those people. It feels so incredibly hot to me and it kind of makes me irritated just to be out in it. Not to complain or anything (ha ha) but wow.

We've been super busy this summer, which has its perks and also has its downfalls. Like we're seeing all sorts of people (perk) but I feel like we haven't had time to see anyone (downfall). See what I mean? This stuff is deep. Seriously though, it's been a busy summer. Tim's playing softball every Friday night, which is really fun. Annie likes to yell "Hit the ball!" She's such a good coach. =) Care Group is growing and quite busy too, which we just love. Getting to know so many people at the heart level is so faith building and humbling too. Church is busy too. Tim serves every Sunday for both services, which he loves and I love that he gets to, although it can be a little rough on the old schedule. Annie screams everytime I drop her off at Toddlers class (if any of her teachers read this THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!). I hope that she's getting better, at least I tell myself that she is. Aside from traveling to Denver in July to meet our nephew Jack (hi dack dack!) we've been in town. It's so good to be home. Except for the part about the out of this world HEAT that we live in. But whatever.
When we finally had an evening with nothing on the calendar for the first time in, I'm not kidding, 3 & 1/2 weeks, we had an at home date night. It was brilliant. Don't be jealous...but here's what we did: Put Annie to bed at 8. Piled up the 4 loads of clean laundry onto our bed. Put in a Seinfeld dvd (thank you Jack and Lauren!) and folded away. (write this one down in your creative date night notebooks). But seriously, it was fun. And, the best part was that I made Molten Chocolate Cakes for dessert after the laundry was all folded and put away. I almost died. They were so good. Go make some tonight. Warning: Make sure to have some vanilla ice cream. you need it.

In other news, Annie just keeps getting cuter. Yes, it's true. She talks to me all day long and loves to sing too. The other day we were driving in the car and Tim and I were talking and then there was a lull in the conversation and we could hear her singing "Baa baa back seep" all the way through. We could hardly contain ourselves, it was just so cute! Her favorite words and phrases are:
"Me too!!!" (like I'll say, "do you want an apple?" and she'll say, "Yeah! Me TOoo!!!"
"Sure" She uses this one constantly. "Are you ready to go" "Sure, sure, mommy."
She loves her Bible and often reminds the that "Abom disobey God!" and "bad bad snake!!" It's pretty cute.
I can't really think of what else to write right now, and I can hear my little munchkin jumpin in her crib. (side note story: I put her down for her nap today and 15 minutes later she was still making noise, which is most unusual for her. I go in to check on her and she's JUMPING with great gusto up and down on her mattress and watching her stuffed animal duck fly into the air. She announces triumphantly: "I bouncing Quackie!" It was, again, so cute.)
Well I'm off. Enjoy your Thursday. I think I've mentioned how much I love Thursdays because they anticipate Fridays which lead to the weekend. So enjoy it.

easy dinner

2010-08-05T15:42:00.003-05:00

I've made this recipe several times now, and what can I say, it's a hit. Now I must disclaim:
-This is nothing new under the sun.
-This is not impressive.
-This IS healthy and yummy and E-A-S-Y, therefore, I'm sharing it with you.

You'll need:
A crockpot (HA-le-lujah!
2 chicken breasts (frozen is A-ok)
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes

Directions: Dump everything into the crockpot. Turn it on low. Add your favorite spices (i use cumin, chili powder, garlic salt) or just use taco seasoning. Let it cook all day until the chicken is fall apart tender. ahh. Serve it like tacos...whip it onto a tortilla and add cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, avocado, whatever!

This makes enough for Tim and I and Annie plus leftovers. It's so yummy and it's gluten free. And you can practically make it from your lounging position on the couch. Genius.

"Pea Party"

2010-07-30T15:23:00.002-05:00

Often I find Annie in the dining room at her little table having a "pea party" with her friends. She is quite the hostess. She shares her food with her babies and pours multiple cups of tea. Sometimes I even get an invitation. Those are my favorite parties to attend.

couch potato?

2010-07-30T15:21:00.000-05:00

Some shows are just too good to watch sitting down. That's my girl.

first haircut

2010-07-30T15:11:00.002-05:00

The mullet was taking over. It was time. Annie had her first hair cut a couple months ago. She did ok during it, but was pretty wiggly. You can see by her expressions that it was not her most favorite of activities. We were blessed to have our friend Erin, who cuts our hair (and is amazing!), cut Annie's.

Looking a little dazed.

This is the "cheese" that we get for the camera.

"Nobody told me I was gonna have to stay still!"

Finished product with Miss Erin.

little shopper

2010-06-30T10:18:00.003-05:00

Annie and I are sitting at her little table, coloring.

Annie: *sigh* I be back.

Me: Where are you going?

Annie: .....Tah-get.

Me: Ok. What are you getting at Target?

Annie:....uh...Coookies

Me: Yummy! Ok have fun!

Annie runs down the hall, squealing. Reaches the kitchen and turns around. "I back!"

And this repeats itself for the next 10 minutes. I love her little imagination.

something's in the air...

2010-05-20T14:26:00.004-05:00

..humidity. Yech. They've been forecasting rain for a week straight. We've gotten 1 shower. But the clouds are holding it all in and then letting it out in large batches of humidity. I miss Colorado. anyway, moving on...

Since I haven't posted in a while, I shall try to update a little.

We're all doing well, keeping busy. Annie is amazing. She is talking up a storm. Some cute phrases I've heard from her recently:

**While driving in the car "Tah-get! Tah-get!" - she wanted to go to Target, apparently.
**Driving by the park - "Park! Not now...yater." I guess she's heard that before. =)
**Every day, several times a day - "Ninner! Ninner!" - Dinner. She likes to eat.
**Wandering around the house - "Baybee...wuh ah you??" She loses her baby a lot.
**The other day she picked up my phone and said - "Hone. Daddy caw-ying you."

She's cute. We're gonna keep her. Her hair's still red. yes! Loving it. And her personality matches the hair. She's a spitfire.
And the rest of us...we're just trying to keep up. I'm looking forward to the Summer (even though it means more humidity and higher temperatures) because we don't have a ton going on this Summer. A trip to Denver to meet our new nephew, Jack!! And...that's pretty much it. Ahhh. I foresee many a morning spent at my parents' pool. We've already been drinking a pitcher of iced tea a day...this habit gets expensive. But I love iced tea, don't you? It makes a hot day endurable. So does air conditioning. And tonight i'm making...wait for it....Grilled chicken and pineapple quesadillas! I can't wait! I got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman's blog. If you haven't been there, you must visit. I love it. She's so funny and her recipes are so delicious. They will add to your waistline, but they are worth it. I made a homemade pie crust from her website (i tweaked it a little, just in case you were going to take my word on it) and it was delicous! I did tweak though, but still. Flaky and buttery and melty in your mouthy.
Ok then. Time to move on. More pictures from our life forthcoming...but don't hold your breath.

the Arboretum

2010-05-20T14:17:00.002-05:00

It has been a while. I know. Sure hope there are still a few of you checking this blog.
My grandparents were in town in April and we took a little trip down to the Dallas Arboretum. If you live here and haven't been there, GO. It's beautiful. It's amazing. I love it. Annie loves it too, which is fantastic. She loves to run and walk along the sidewalks and stop to smell flowers along the way. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Silly girl.

I love this shot. Reminds me of the Secret Garden, or something like that.

Nonie and "big Papa"

She was trying to make a break for it. We took a lot of pictures and she was done. But I love how this one turned out.

a little tease

2010-04-28T14:45:00.002-05:00

I took Annie to the Dallas Arboretum last week and got some really cute pictures of her. Unfortunately, life has been so crazy I haven't had a chance to edit them and post about our trip. But here's a little sneak peek at my cutie. She loves stairs...

still here.

2010-03-30T10:48:00.005-05:00

Her first time eating a whole apple. She was stoked.

She's an intense eater.

Didn't realize this outfit had gotten too small. And we took her out in public like this. Her first experience with ice cream. Chocolate, of course. She loved it.

Hi friends! Yes, we're still here, still plugging away at life, still picking up our feet and putting one in front of the other. Life has been unbelievably full the past few weeks. Full of family events and friends and church and such. Trying to get outside and enjoy this awesome weather. And Annie is changing so so much. I can hardly stand it. She's very chatty, which is super funny. We say "how are you?" she says, "good!" We say "time for night-night" she says "Pay?" (her word for play) First thing in the morning she says "hi! Eat?" But she really likes saying "no." Quite shocking, I know. The other day I put on Monsters Inc. for her (her all time fave) while I was getting ready and I heard her saying "Go! GO!" so I went to investigate. Kona was quite in her face and Annie wasn't having it. It was pretty funny.

I just read some comments on one of my posts from a while ago (sorry, I'm so lame. I just assumed nobody would comment. ha! Thanks for surprising me!) and a couple of you mentioned wanting the recipe for bbq beef in the crockpot. I'm flattered and slightly embarassed because the "recipe" goes like this:

INGREDIENTS:

Chunk of meat (i like shoulder or butt roast, but what do I know)

Bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's, mostly cuz it's fun to say.)

water

salt

pepper

Cook the roast in a little bit of water and cover it with kosher salt and black pepper. After a few hours, dump on the bottle of sauce and try to start pulling the beef apart. I let it cook ALL THE LIVELONG DAY because then it just falls apart. But I do poke and pull during the day. And there you have it. Dinner is served.

I know, I know. Ingenious. In my defense, I do sometimes add to the bbq sauce, especially if I have gone frugal and bought the cheap stuff. Add things like brown sugar, ketchup, worchestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar. It makes me feel like I actually contributed to the meal in some way. But if you buy a good sauce, there's really no need to add.

i do love me some good crock pot stuff. And I'm totally going to try the liners! What a thought. NO clean-up. This I could do.

Today we are cleaning (i say we.) Annie tries to help, she really does. When I vacuum she says "hep! hep!" but it takes me 3 times as long to vacuum when she's "hepping". But it's cute so I let her hep. Someday soon I'll be commanding her to hep, so I'll take the eagerness while I can get it. We're also going to make some Easter cookies and play in the backyard. I just planted some flowers back there and that seriously boosts my interest in sitting in the backyard. Not sure if any of this is of interest to any of you, but since I don't have a twitter account, my random goings-on have to be recorded somewhere. (i am really laughing to myself right now.)

Well, here it is, 11 am and i'm sitting in my pjs. I have been productive this morning, lest you think me lazy (although I'm that too, so go ahead) but it is probably time to go get dressed and all dolled up for my big Tuesday plans. Please do your best to enjoy your Tuesday as i shall do the same.

Friends

2010-03-08T14:47:00.002-06:00

Our church had a ladies' meeting this past Saturday and Tim graciously watched Annie and her friend Ian so that Lauren and I could attend. (Tony had a prior commitment.) The kids love playing together, but they are both energetic. Tim did great, but did solicit the help of some entertaining veggies. Here are some pictures that he took of our little zombies...

Piggy Tails!

2010-03-08T14:43:00.001-06:00

Annie update

2010-03-08T14:25:00.003-06:00

That's my girl. Loving her Tigger (everyone thinks it's a monkey) and her "bee" (binky.) She is very attached to these things, which is pretty cute. It's funny how at such a young age kids know what they want.

She talks ALL the time. Not unlike myself as a child, from what I've heard. She says "soooos" for shoes, her very favorite item of clothing. She likes to pick out which shoes to wear each day and she is very insistent that I agree with her choice. She'll pick a pair and I'll say, "no, I think you're gonna wear these today!" (as positive and upbeat as possible) and she'll hold up the one she's chosen and say "no, sooooooooos!!!!" Lately I've been hearing her say all sorts of words that we've never worked on. "lllllllllllap" for lap, "moooooon" for her goodnight moon book, "biee" for bite (which I hear constantly whenever I try to eat. Secret snacking has begun.) "Nack" for snack. She feels very in charge of Kona and tells her "go go go!" while she points her finger at her. Last night she completely surprised us with a full sentence. We were hanging out with the Soks in our family room and Kona kept getting in my face, so I said (as I have many many times) "Go lie down, Kona." And Annie repeated as clear as the nose on my face (wow! that is clear!) "Go eye dow!" We were all dumbfounded. And a bit shocked. What a first sentence, huh? It was really cute actually, although very authoritative.
She is just the cutest little thing on two legs. There is not a day that goes by that Tim or I don't say to the other "She is just so cute. Can you believe how cute she is? How did she get so cute?" Really. We're just so in love with her.

Here are some recent pictures of the goings on of our little one. Enjoy!

Her very best buddy, Violet came over. She loves her cousins! Here they are playing princesses.

Parading around the "castle"

I'm a wee bit embarassed to tell you that this is Annie watching Veggie Tales. no comment.

tidbits

2010-02-22T17:42:00.003-06:00

Annie has been entering a room announcing "Ta-ta!" and then cracking up laughing. Obviously some sort of inside joke that I'm not in on.
Tonight I'm making bbq beef, sweet potatoes and coleslaw. My house smells unbelievable.
Annie's new word is "Mine." Lovely. Mostly she'll try to take Kona's toys away from her, saying "my." Didn't even have to teach her that one.
She also announces "poo" when she has a dirty diaper. Saves me many a sniffs, for which I'm grateful.
Tonight I shall floss my teeth. I really want to right now, but then I'd have minty breath before dinner, and I don't like that taste.
Snow again tomorrow. I like it. I do not like wiping muddy paws when the snow melts. I guess you just gotta take your lumps sometimes.
Where did that phrase come from? take your lumps?
Loving the Olympics! although I usually fall asleep before the really good events come on. I've missed several big USA performances.
Annie saw a 5 year old in Sprouts today and pointed to her and said "baby!" In Annie's defense, this child was crawling around on the floor.
For dessert tonight: Dutch Chocolate ice cream with Dark Chocolate hot fudge. yes, you can come over.
When Annie first wakes up in the morning, she calls for us to come get her (usually "hi", "mama", "dada go?" etc.) but then when I go to get her out of her crib, she refuses. She wants me to give her a book (currently "If you give a cat a cupcake" - boy have they gotten carried away with those. We own 4 different versions.) and she'll sit and "read" for another 10 minutes or so. It's too cute. It's the perfect amount of time for me start my coffee, go give Annie her book, go fix up my coffee and then come back and get her.
I cooked out of the crock pot 5 times last week. Mostly because I had evening commitments 4 out of the 5 weeknights. It was really nice having dinner done in the morning. It was not nice to scrub out the crockpot 5 times. But I still think it was worth it. Tonight: bbq beef in the crockpot and then soaking pinto beans overnight. Sure am getting my money's worth on that pot.
Well, I'd better go see what the munch is up to. Enjoy your Monday night!

valentine's day flowers

2010-02-17T16:27:00.003-06:00

Annie was very excited when Daddy walked in the door on Friday evening with two big bouquets of flowers. One for Mama and one for Annie. Tim gave her these beautiful pink tulips and she kept saying "ooooooohhhhhhh" over and over and "sniffing" them. It was really, really cute. Tim took a couple of pictures of her with her first bouquet of flowers.

She kept looking over at me as I was trying to get her to smile.

I love this one. She was trying SO HARD to make an angry face at me, but she kept breaking into a smile. This is right in between the two faces. So funny!

and my beautiful flowers. thanks, baby! Annie and I are two spoiled girls.

mr. brown can moo, can you?

2010-02-16T17:06:00.002-06:00

Here's a little video of some of the animal sounds that Annie imitates. She's pretty distracted in the video, but it's cute anyway. She has a book with a picture of a scorpion and she always asks what it is, so that's why I had her say it. Random, I know. She also likes this book with a turtle in it and when I asked her to say turtle the other day, it was so clear, I was shocked! So, that's why she says that too. Enjoy!

what i love about love

2010-02-15T16:59:00.002-06:00

our 1st Valentine's day: Tim's gift to me = Jewelry. My gift to Tim = A scrapbook of our relationship thus far.
our 6th Valentine's day: Tim's gift to me = He scrubbed the shower. My gift to Tim = I ironed all his work clothes.

I love how love changes. It just gets better and better. Not that I don't doing special things or giving expensive or meaningful gifts. But we knew what would truly bless the other this year, and so that's what we did.

**I must however state that Tim did give me flowers and take me out on a date AND bought me a present even though we said "no presents." He cheats everytime.

Spaghetti night

2010-02-15T16:57:00.001-06:00

Sharing life

2010-02-10T14:28:00.002-06:00

Last night we had the one single guy from our care group over for dinner. Since our previous group "multiplied," Tim and I are now leading a smaller group, and we went from having multiple singles in the first group down to just one in our group. We are really excited to get to know the couples in our group better as well as Jono, our token single guy.
So often when we host people in our home, which we love doing, I am caught up in getting everything "just right." I usually make something more involved and offer multiple side dishes and a yummy dessert (not typical fare on a regular night in our home, as you may suspect.) I don't think there's anything wrong with making a more elaborate meal for company. It's probably fairly normal, I would think. My house usually looks remarkably clean as well. (unless you're family or a really close friend.) Again, probably standard for having company. After all, it's only common courtesy to pick up the toys and vacuum up the dog hair. But when that is the point on which the entire day becomes focused instead of preparing to serve our guests by making them feel at ease and drawing them out about their lives, then just maybe there's a problem.
And this brings us to last night.
I made crockpot lasagna for dinner. I was feeling especially productive that morning and made it around 9 am. I forgot that I have a "wonder-crockpot" that cooks unbelievably fast. Around noon it was ready to be eaten. 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, I'm getting nervous. Suspicions confirmed at 5 when I fed Annie: The noodles were complete mush.
Annie has a way of stowing toys all over the house. It's one of her many talents. And no matter how many times I pick up after her, she'll get everything out again. And again. and again...
Guest bathroom: Let's not go there. Use your imagination.
I put the bread in the oven around ten til 6. Tim called 5 minutes later and said that Jono was running late due to work, so plan on 6:30 pm. Did I remember that the bread was timed to be ready at 6? OOOOooohhh, no. That would be too easy.
Spaghetti squash was our veggie of the night. I liked it, but it wasn't a big hit with the guys.
Well at least I've got the salad . Can't go wrong with salad. During dinner Jono started reading the ingredients on the back of the salad dressing he had chosen. Said there was a distinct flavor he didn't recognize. (he was not complaining AT ALL, just curious.) Tim looks at the bottle, smiles and hands it to me. it read: Exp: june 2008. Apparently that dressing wasn't a big hit in our house.
Jono taught us a new game and we made octuple stuffed oreos. We laughed and learned more about him and enjoyed the fellowship of believers. He was incredibly gracious about my major meal flop. And I told him he was experiencing the real us. A typical Tuesday night at the Paynes. Flops and messes and expired salad dressing. I'm grateful to get to share life with people and to let people share in ours.

aaaaand we're back!

2010-01-27T08:29:00.006-06:00

It's been a while. There's so much to catch up on. I have pictures from Christmas and pictures of Annie growing up way too fast. I keep thinking life will slow down any day now, but I still find myself waiting for that day as each week passes. But we are enjoying life and enjoying God during this busy season. So we're grateful.

Where to begin? How bout Annie? Ok. She is crazy. Not that it's any surprise to anyone. She walks - runs really - all around the house. She talks all day long. She sings herself to sleep at night. Her favorite words are "dada," "no-no-no," "KKKKkon" (for kona), "kuh" for cup, " and lately she walks around saying "beeeeee" over and over. Not really sure what it's supposed to mean. She says it when she's happy, she says it when she's frustrated, she says it all the time. "Bee! Beee! Bee!" It's pretty cute.

She LOVES babies. She carries them around during the day, hugging then and feeding them their bottles. "Be-be" is what she calls them. (and in case you were wondering, it sounds different than the mystery word "bee.") She likes to pop out and say "boo!" She "tickles" us and herself. She'll say "teedle-teedle-teedle" while wiggling her fingers in our general direction. SO CUTE. If you're on facebook, I have a video posted there of her tickling me.

When she's hungry, she goes to her high chair and starts pulling it around the kitchen, sort of whining and grunting. She knows what she wants. She's pretty strong willed, which has been interesting. When we correct her for disobeying and ask her to respond saying "Yes, mama" or dada, depending on who's correcting her, she'll say the opposite person's name. For instance, this morning she was playing in Kona's water bowl (her favorite offense) and when I disciplined her and then told her to respond "yes, mama" she said "yeyah....DADA". Several times. It was funny the very first time, but it's getting a little old. =)

She just has so much personality, I don't even know what to do with her! I absolutely love being with her everyday. I have, however, started to make the shift into second place. Daddy is taking over the favorite spot. He's the first thing she asks about when she wakes up. Everytime we pull into the garage, she wants to look to see if his car is home. Anytime anyone comes in the door, she gets excited and says "DADA!" It's so adorable. And Tim likes it a lot.

Annie really loves books as well. Her current favorites are Dr. Seuss' "ABC's", P.D. Eastman's "Are you my Mother?" and David Shannon's "No, David!". She will dig through the book basket to find any one of these and she actually sits for the entire reading.

There's so much more to say, but I don't want to bore anybody. I just want friends and family who don't live near to get to know her a little bit more. I wish you could all hang out with her. She's my favorite little kid. I have some pictures to post, but I'll save those for another time. I'll just leave you with these two. Tim took the strap off of his guitar and she must have thought it was a scarf because she kept putting it around her neck and walking around.

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-23T15:19:00.004-06:00

Although this is Annie's 2nd Christmas, this was the first year that she got to come pick out the tree with us. I was still pregnant when we went last year. (I wanted to get it early, because I thought I'd be too wiped out to get it right after she was born.) The night we chose to go tree shopping ended up being a cold and very rainy night. But we bundled up and braved the weather and had a great time.

A few nights later, we decorated our little tree. We bought a small tree this year (about 4-5 feet) and put it up on our coffee table in the corner of the room. We figured this would work best with having our toddler getting into everything. It's worked very well so far! She pretty much ignores the tree and even the gifts around it.

Annie was VERY eager to help with the ornaments.

Trying to get her to stay still for a picture.

Her "first Christmas" ornament was this cute little reindeer. It's soft and squishy, so she's cuddling it.

Hanging her ornament.

Merry Christmas everyone! I have pictures to post from Annie's 1st birthday, but I probably won't get to it until next week sometime. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas filled with the joy of our Savior!

Thanksgiving pictures

2009-12-13T07:52:00.002-06:00

Of course all of my pictures from Thanksgiving week are of the kiddos. They're the cutest ones to look at, after all!

Ellie and Annie getting into Grammy's kitchen drawers.

Annie's picking out a book.
...and she found one...

...and she's playing peek-a-boo with it.

The coveted piano

Payne family papparazzi...they follow you everywhere.

ICE!

2009-12-09T11:43:00.004-06:00

When Jon and Lory and Aunt Judy were here for Thanksgiving, the whole Payne family went to the Gaylord Texan hotel to see the "Ice" exhibit. They carve some millions of pounds of ice (i don't really know, but that's probably how much it was) into amazing sculptures. This year's theme was "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and it was so cute! And very, very cold! 9 degrees in there! They give you these big blue parkas to wear (which are very attractive, I might add). They even had small ones for kids! Enjoy the pictures!

All bundled up and ready to go!

Jon and Ellie

The Grinch

Two very good-looking people in the exhibit.

Our little fambly.

Ice cave.

"Sah-boo-dor-ay"

We joined the whos for a little song. Unfortunately, Josh got cut out. He's with us in spirit.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-12-09T11:33:00.003-06:00

Early in November, my dad's mom and sisters came to visit. It was their first time meeting Annie and we had so much fun with them over the long weekend. While they were here, we all went to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins, feed the goats and sheep and steers, and take a little hayride.

This pumpkin's not for sale!

Feeding the very eager goats.

Hayride!

"Gi-gi", Annie, me and Dad

We see this face quite often.

She wanted to stand up and look out over the truck.

Annie and Mimi

Standing up! This was fairly new at the time.

Picking the very best pumpkin.

V and her pumpkin

Aunt Robin, Annie, Aunt Mary, me, and Grandma

Violet kept trying to hold Annie's hand for the picture, but Annie was not cooperating.

It was really cute. I love seeing them together.

thoughts.

2009-11-20T13:40:00.002-06:00

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."
2 Corinthians 5:17
Sometimes I have trouble just "being myself." Sometimes I feel so trapped by what others think of me, that I try desperately to meet and exceed their expectations. I try to be "lighthearted Callie" to one person and "deep thinking" Callie to another. I try to seem easygoing to some people and intentionally detailed to others. Sometimes I'm talkative, sometimes I'm contemplative. But really, all of it revolves around what others think of me. And oh, how backward that is.
This year, one of my prayers is for God to help me live out the Gospel everyday. To wake up and be amazed by His cross and to marvel at His glory. To be humbled by my sin and grateful for His grace. To live out my moments in light of His sacrifice.
I want to be identified with Christ. I don't want to be stuck living to please people. I want to be a new creation; a child of God. And whether that makes people like me more or not is really not the point. I am not defined by my likes/dislikes/personality traits/quirks/talents/passions/friends. God is my everything. And in light of what He's done for me, I want to worship Him. I want the world to know: I'm a sinner who needs a Savior. Every. Day.
And you know what's amazing? God has met that need.
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved."
Ephesians 2:4-5

Megemy

2009-11-11T08:08:00.003-06:00

Megan did Annie's hair the other day and took some pictures of her. It's really quite a good look, don't you think? No pants and sticking up hair?

Here she is trying to bust Kona out of the kennel.

not happy at being caught.
her favorite face.

And this is Megan and her friend Emily. They took a photo shoot of themselves just so they would make it on the blog. Aren't they lovely?

So attractive. See how far the needle is up Megan's nose? Emily had to pull on it 3 times to get it out. Megan bruised all up the side of her nose. All to get on the blog...

slice of life

2009-11-09T09:46:00.005-06:00

still in her pjs on a Monday morning.

the new "fishy-face"

she loves to read books.

you've heard of the man with 1,000 faces? meet his rival.

her toy corner.

one of her favorite spots: Kona's Kennel

2009-11-05T09:45:00.004-06:00

Annie's first Halloween...She dressed up like Tigger. She's quite the "bouncy" girl and she sleeps with a "classic" Tiger stuffed animal at night, so we thought it was very fitting. She was super cute in her costume and actually left the hood on for most of the night. We went to a Fall Festival at a church nearby with Dru & Erin and Violet, Hosanna, and the Mayfields. It was really fun and I'm looking forward to going again when Annie's old enough to enjoy the games and bounce houses.

Sleeping Beauty and Tigger. Best Friends.

Love Annie's face in this one.

The Fishy-Face. Her newest expression.

Oh that face! I love it.

Judah the Lion

I like the little tail hanging down.

Annie with "Nana"

2009-11-05T09:27:00.003-06:00

For Tim's 25th birthday back in January, I saved up and bought him a lift ticket to go skydiving. He'd always wanted to go, and I thought the 25th birthday was a big enough deal to splurge on a big surprise. The day finally came in October when he got to board a plane and jump from 13,500 feet in the air. Megan went with him as well as his good friend Aaron (a frequent skydiver) and his Uncle Ted. We were quite the group out there with my parents, two of Ted's kids Nate & Grace, and Annie and I. We had a lot of fun, the weather couldn't have been better, and the jumpers had the time of their lives.

Getting all suited up.

He was only slightly embarassed at my constant picture taking.

Beauty queen.

Waiting for their plane.

I'm not sure who that is, but it's either Tim or Megan.

He Survived!!

Annie's going next.

Tim & Aaron

Besties.

100 Years

2009-11-05T09:06:00.004-06:00

My great-grandmother, Frances, turned 100 years old in October of this year. And she looks more beautiful than ever. It's really quite remarkable; she lives completely on her own in a normal apartment complex. My Noni goes over every couple days to help her shower and do her hair, but other than that she manages on her own. She's very inteligent, has an excellent memory, and is full of anecdotes and stories from her 100 years on earth. My mom and I along with Annie were able to go to Minnesota to celebrate her birthday. It was a wonderful trip and great to see some of my aunts and uncles and cousins and my grandparents.

Annie with Grandma Frances, her great-great-grandma.

Making the famous "oh" face.

Cutie-pie

My cousin Christina with her husband Brad came from Washington D.C.

5 Generations

Giving kisses.

My cousins Karina, Evan, and Miles.

Miles was so sweet to share his toys with Annie, even though she chewed on them.

five for friday

2009-10-09T13:08:00.002-05:00

It has been too long since I've done my 5 for Friday posts. Here we go...

1. Fall has arrived in Texas. I say that in great faith. Today the high will be 60 degrees, and it's windy and rainy. Perfect weather to...make rice krispy treats, knit and watch Pride and Prejudice; all of which I will be doing this afternoon.

2. This "new" workout that Hosanna and I are doing is kicking my butt! Literally, I feel as though I've been kicked several times by the time we finish. Some of you have asked about it, so here's the link: www.turbulencetraining.com I find the website kind of hard to navigate so feel free to email me if you have any questions. There are tons of workouts to do and you commit to a 12-week program. We're working on one called "amazing abs." Can't wait to see those. =) It's hard hard work, but I've seen results, so I'm motivated.

3. Tim & I have been going through Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University" with our church. The class has been very informative and interesting and we're trying to make some adjustments in our budget based on some of his suggestions. One of the things we did when we reorganized our monthly budget was free up some money to sponser a child through Compassion ministries. Going to their website and seeing pictures of children who needed sponsors was heartbreaking. I wanted to sponsor them all, I wish we could. We chose to sponsor a 5 year old boy from Tanzania named Amosi. I look at his picture often and pray for him. I wish I could post his picture, but the pix are protected, which is understandable. I know it's just a little thing, but I feel so blessed to be able to help a specific child get an education and necessities, but most importantly, to provide a way for him to be a part of a ministry where the Gospel is preached. Go to that link. It's $38/month. If you have the funds to do it, I would encourage you to pray about sponsoring a child. We are excited to see how God will use us in Amosi life as well as how God will use Amosi in ours.

4. This football season I decided to join Tim in his fantasy football league. The past several years Tim has played and I always felt sort of left out. He was always interested in all these random games and then checking his players and their stats. So this year, I joined in the fun. Aaannnnnddd, we might have made a little bet as to who will win. Aaaaannnnnndddd I'm winning. (hope you're reading this babe!)

5. Most of you probably know this by now, but in May 2010, Annie will have 3 cousins on the Shaw side!!! Tyler and Mindy are expecting a baby! Yay! We're so excited for them! I have nicknamed the baby "bumpkin" and we can't wait to find out what "bumpkin" is. Congratulations, T & M! Can't wait to be an Auntie again!

photo shoot

2009-10-06T09:23:00.003-05:00

Annie and I had some fun doing a "photo shoot" yesterday. Well, a self-photo shoot. She was looking so cute, albeit a little snotty-nosed, but still cute. Enjoy!

Hand-me-down shirt from cousin V. Making her favorite 'O' face.

oh yes she was.
Stretching.

Amazingly she still smiles for the camera when there's no one behind it.

My fave. *sigh* - must be Monday.

Getting curious. Don't you love the part down the middle look?

happy girl.

Too cute

2009-10-06T09:17:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Stephanie for the hat and Beth for the boots, Annie was looking so cute on Sunday. I couldn't wait to get her all dressed up for church.

Just look at that face. I mean, seriously.

Close-up of the cutie boots.

Daddy was helping her stand up. She does it by herself all the time, but of course, when I wanted to take a picture of her standing, she wanted to squat.

Balancing?

a very merry birthday

2009-10-04T09:33:00.004-05:00

On September 29th, I turned 24 years old. I must confess, I'm quite childish in my expectation of birthday celebrations. I like to wake up and have a special breakfast, sit in the "front seat" of the car, have no school, pick out what mom makes for dinner, pick out dessert, wear a new shirt, watch a movie that night, open presents, go to bed with a euphoric feeling with a tinge of sadness that you have to wait 364 days until you get to do all of this again. It is so sad to me how birthdays become "just another day" as you get older. Well, not in this house! While I am trying to lower my expectations and realize that you can't have everything you want on your birthday, Tim excels in catering to my every whim and outdoing himself each year. I am so blessed to be loved by this guy! One thing that I love is when my birthday falls on the weekend because then you get to celebrate all weekend long! This year, it was on a Tuesday, but did that stop Tim from celebrating all weekend long? Oh no, it did not. I came home last Friday night at 10 pm to a bouquet of daisies (yes!), Little Debbie's fudge brownies (you can't tell me you don't love those), Mike's Hard Pink Lemonade (again, score!), a movie in the DVD player and a cute husband waiting to hang out with me! "Happy Birthday Weekend!" he said. All the little excited feelings started bubbling up...YAY! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!! (again, you must remember that I am very immature.)
Saturday morning we woke up, did a few household chores, then picked up Hosanna and went to play Frisbee golf, one of my favorite activities. The weather could not have been better nor the company more charming. We don't need to go into the scores, we all had fun. =) Annie loved being pushed around in the jogger. Then we crashed over at my parent's house for a while. Saturday evening we went to Chipotle for dinner with my parents. The weather was so fantastic that we ate outside!
Sunday we had a long day at church followed by naps for all. Hallelujah. Then it was off to the Payne's house for my "family" birthday celebration. My fam and Hosanna and the Balls and Tim's fam were all there and we had a delicious "fall" meal followed by a nice walk outside. Highlight of that evening was Violet seeing a frog. "I never see a fog before! You never see a fog before, baby Annie? Datsa so cool fog!" Ahh, I could listen to that kiddo chat all day long. So so cute. And then, as if all this wasn't enough, Tim told me that we were going on an overnight on Monday night!! I was so excited to pack things up on Monday and head out with my man! We dropped Annie at Mimi's house and went down into Dallas for the night. It was wonderful to get to hang out without thinking about scheduling naps and feedings and such. We missed our munchie, but we had a great time. I was overwhelmed (again) by Tim's generosity and thoughtfulness. And he surprised me on Tuesday with a trip to the Texas State Fair, somewhere I've been wanting to go since we've moved here! The weather was, again, PERFECT! We did have the self-control to avoid the fried coke and fried butter (yes, you read that correctly. fried butter.) but I did have a "corny dog" and we split a funnel cake. We played games, rode rides, walked around, took in all the sights and sounds of the fair. I was blessed beyond words and plain tuckered out. God is so kind to me to provide a husband who cares so well for me and takes note of all the silly little things that I enjoy. My 24th birthday was one to remember!
Sadly, I took only 3 pictures from this entire weekend of fun. Shameful, I know. Enjoy the three pictures and imagine the rest of the fun!

In the car, just arrived at the State Fair.

Megan gave me those crazy sunglasses. They're growing on me.

We played this chicken flipping game and I won that fabulous hat! Tim modeled it beautifully. What a hunk!

Labor Day

2009-10-02T13:54:00.007-05:00

For Labor Day this year we took a little trip up to Lake Texoma (on the Texas/Oklahoma state line) with some good friends to enjoy a long weekend of boating, eating, game playing, reading, and hanging out. It was the first vacation that we've done with a group of friends and it reminded me so much of growing up when my family would go on vacation with other families. We each took turns cooking and watching eachother's kids so we could all get out on the lake. We played LOTS of Settlers, ate some really really good food and enjoyed our "ghetto" lakehouse. (let's just say, pictures online can be a bit deceiving.) It was so much fun and so many memories were made. Hopefully we'll get to do it again in the future!! Enjoy the pictures...there are quite a few!

Erin and baby Ball cooking up some Pulled Pork Tacos. Yum-o.

I almost forgot to mention that this wonderful friend made the trip all the way from Phoenix to join us! It was so much fun having her here!!

Annie in her bouncer and Judson in his.

The big long kitchen table.

Little Miss V.

Getting some grub.

Lovelies.

Violet and Judah.

This was hilarious! Violet was so tired from the day's activities that she totally zonked out while Dru was reading her a story. So cute!

But the next morning, she was quite chipper again! Helping Uncle Tim make breakfast.

Bein' silly.

2 Settlers games and 1 Acquire.

My super-fun Settlers group!

The Acquire players.

The Little Munchie. She did so well all weekend, even with 5 people sleeping in her room!

Friends.

I just love the way Ian looks in that hat.

little munch

2009-09-21T08:55:00.005-05:00

Our little munchie girl is growing up so fast! She is turning into a little girl and becoming less of a baby. Too fast! Here's a little bit of what's going on in her world these days:

Crawling - very quickly. I'll put her down in the family room, go into the kitchen to start making breakfast, turn around and she's gone. She's either made her way into the master bedroom to chew on cell phone chargers or gone to find one of Kona's bones to munch on. I have to keep eyes on her all the time.
She's starting to stand up on her own. It's really cute actually, she goes from sitting to squatting to standing. Not even holding onto anything to get up! Once she's standing, she doesn't really know what to do. So she squats back down and starts crawling. If she has something to hold onto, she'll walk around the house.
She babbles a lot and even repeats sounds after us. Her favorite words are "Duh!" (said with much enthusiasm) = "Duck"; "muh-muh-muh" = "mama"; "da-da-da" = "dada"; "KKKKKUH!" = "Kona"; "Buh" = "ball". It's so fun trying to get her to mimick what we say. Sometimes we'll say "say mama, say mama!" and she'll look at us, try her darndest and come out with "DUH!" Oh well, we're trying. =)
She eats like a champ. It's amazing to me that she'll eat pretty much anything we stick in front of her. I started giving her black and pinto beans and she gobbles them up. She tried cottage cheese yesterday and liked that ok too. Her favorite foods are raisins, sweet potatoes and applesauce. She's entered that phase where when she sees us eating she starts going "mmmmm" and wants to try whatever we have.
Her personality is coming out all over the place. She is so happy almost all of the time. She makes little squeals and "fake laughs" all day. It's so cute! Saturday morning she woke up earlier than normal, so I brought her into our room while we were still in bed. She was being so cute, snuggling up against Tim for 3 seconds and then popping her head up and grinning. Over and over like it's a little game! She likes books, especially ones that have "touch and feel" stuff. She's started running her hand along the pages when we read, just to double check if there's anything to touch. She is such a delight and I can't believe how everyday she gets more and more fun! Tim and I are constantly saying how blessed we are by this little squirt. Enjoy the pictures of our Annie Kate!

Annie and Ian: Broncos and Bears fans.

Took about 12 tries to get a decent shot of the both of them.

She takes baths in the big tub now and LOVES it! She crawls around giggling and splashing.

This bouncy toy has gotten new use now that she crawls around and pulls up on stuff.

Using her hairbrush to give Kona a new look.

"Say Cheese!"

Oh boy, she LOVES the piano! When we sit down to play it with her, she goes crazy banging on it and "singing" along.

Helping Daddy move the couch. She's strong for her age. =)

p.s. Her hair is still red. =)

.four years.

2009-09-10T10:19:00.003-05:00

September 10th, 2005

Denver, Colorado

September 10, 2006

New York City, New York

September 10, 2007
Frisco, Texas

September 10, 2008

Addison, Texas

no comment.

Summer 2009

Frisco, Texas

God is so kind. Happy 4 years, baby! I love you most.

2009-08-31T21:00:00.002-05:00

My sister, Erin, is a talented photographer. She did this family photo shoot for us a couple of weeks ago and I LOVE the way they turned out. We got a bunch of them framed this week and they're all over the house. Thanks Erin!! (*side note - if any of you live locally, she is very reasonably priced and I highly recommend her work!)

coffee deal

2009-08-24T13:25:00.003-05:00

I don't know if this is only happening at my local Target, or if it's everywhere, but I was just at Target (Eldorado & the Tollway) and they had their bulk coffee on clearance for $2.25/lb.! That's practically stealing! If you live around here, go stock up! They had some flavored coffee and some "regular" ones, like Kenya, Sumatra, Colombian, etc. I've never had their coffee before, but I'm pretty sure I can gulp it down for that price.

2009-08-20T09:57:00.003-05:00

In mid-July, Jon & Lory came out for a week to visit. Tim's grandma Marge also came for the week. We had a great time hanging out with everyone. We went away for a few nights to Bedford, Tx (just outside of Ft. Worth) and had some fun as a family. We swam in the hotel pool (which was very warm. Tim ended up finding a hose and we took great delight in being hosed off), went putt-putting (on a very hot evening), the girls went shopping, the guys went golfing, we played games, we went to the Ft. Worth Zoo (fantastic! and open year round! go in the fall.) Mostly, we just enjoyed being together. Here are some pictures!!

Lory & Ellie at our very warm putt-putt excursion. After which Tim, Josh and I ventured out to find a DQ. Apparently, even the iphone can be wrong sometimes. No DQ.

Ellie loved to put the balls right in the hole.

Anne's great grandma "Me-maw" bought she and Ellie these adorable matching dresses and hair bows. Grammy bought them sunglasses/jewelry. Spoiled much?

Elephant "time-out"

Too cool for school.

It is much harder than you think to get a picture of these 2 girlies.

Best attempt at a family photo. Don't look too closely.

2009-08-20T09:16:00.005-05:00

In early July, Tim & I and Annie went to Colorado Springs for his family reunion. It was Annie's first time meeting most of Tim's extended family. She was a big hit and we had a great time catching up with everyone. It was too short, as always. Enjoy the pictures from the trip! (the quality is terrible. I had to shrink them to get them to load, but they got messed up in the process. Sorry!)

Remains of a gold mine in Cripple Creek, CO

Boy do I miss those views.
The Payne clan trekking up the mountain.

Cuties.

She knows the camera.

Annie's fan club: All of Tim's youngest cousins. AKA: the PPC

Shooting off firecrackers on July 4th

These are our best "fireworks watching" faces.

tease

2009-08-18T13:34:00.001-05:00

My sister Erin took some amazing family pictures for us the other day. Here's one of my favorites, more to come!

.it's the simple things.

2009-07-29T10:33:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but I am such a fan of the simple things in life. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm kind of like a little kid in this way. I get so excited about my birthday, fireworks, ordering pizza, going to a movie, etc. I was just reminded this morning of some of the little things that brighten my days...

A clean kitchen. Although those who have ever been to my house may be puzzled by this since it is not often found in this state, a clean kitchen makes me feel soooooo good. I find that if I only have a little bit of time to clean, it's imperative that I clean the kitchen; otherwise I feel like the whole house is a mess.
Cute jeans. I just can't resist them when they're on sale. I don't think I've ever paid more than $20 for a pair of jeans. What can I say, I like bargains. speaking of...
Getting a good deal. The bread we currently have in our fridge is super-healthy wheat/grain bread that is normally $4.99 a loaf and I got it for $0.99! Makes me happy.
French toast. I just can't pass it up when we go out for breakfast.
Almond flavor. Starbucks used to have this almond syrup that was sooooo good, and the discontinued it without even asking me! So sad. I add almond extract to a lot of my baking.
Getting Annie up from a nap. She is just so stinking cute! SHe plays in her bed when she wakes up and then when she sees me coming in to get her, she gets the biggest grin on her face behind her binky.
Cool weather. I love the fall. I like wearing coats. I like going outside and feeling the bite of cold air on my face. I know that I live in the wrong state for this, but I also love living in God's will, so that's why I'm here.
The Cosby show. I could watch it over and over and I own the first 2 seasons. What a great show.
Coldplay. Need I say more?
The smell of cloves. I keep a cinnamon clove candle year round, even though it smells like fall. For obvious reasons.
Rain. I know everyone likes this, but I really think I could live somewhere where it rains all the time and be perfectly content. Except that I couldn't ever wear my hair straight, but I would be willing to give it up.

I could keep going, but I think you get the idea. I regularly thank God for the little things that He gives us. To me, they are little reminders of His love for us.

five for friday

2009-07-24T15:40:00.002-05:00

1. We have an "old" tv in our bedroom that isn't dtv compatible, so we only use it to watch DVDs. It...has problems. Or is possessed, whichever way you'd like to look at it. It turns itself off and on. So sometimes I'd come home to an empty house and hear the tv on (back when it had tv channels). Kinda creepy. Or I'll turn it on and then it turns itself off right away. We may do this for hours. Often it turns on during the night, which is fun. It takes a minute to wake up, figure out that you can hear something, figure out it's the tv, wonder why the tv is on, remember that we have an old creepy tv, and then get up and turn it off. The other night was the best ever. Now you must remember that this tv receives no digital signals, aka, no channels. DVDs only. We woke up to hear a spanish channel(again, don't know where the channel came from) BLASTING at volume 100 (normally we have it set at around 15). We go through the waking up process and then Tim runs up to the tv and pushes the power button....nothing. Pushes it again...still being acosted by loud words I cannot understand. I find the remote and try to turn down the volume. Of course the remote won't work during a freakout session, what was I thinking? After a minute or so of Tim repeatedly trying to turn the tv off and me trying to turn down the volume, we have woken up enough for Tim to think to unplug it. We got back into bed and just started cracking up. What an adventure. I still laugh about it when I think about it. Too funny.

2. Tonight I am going to my first concert ever. Yes yes, I know I'm lame. We're going to see "the Fray" in Dallas, and I'm super excited!! Lawn tickets and it's supposed to be a great night.

3. I'm ready for Summer to be over. I like Summer and all, but boy it's hot. Actually, this week it's only been in the 90s, so it's been a welcome reprieve. I just can't wait to wear jeans and long sleeved shirts. I love the fall.

4. I love the recipe I have for chicken pot pie. I can't call it "my" recipe, since I got it from a cookbook that people contributed to, but it's "mine" in that it's the only one I make. And it's SOOO good. Even better as leftovers. Maybe, just maybe, sometime I will share the recipe on my blog. maybe.

5. I wish the gym where I work out would play something other than news in the morning. It is so unmotivating to watch CNN while you're working out. I guess I could ask them to change the channels. Yeah, I think I'll do that next time.

7 Months Already?

2009-07-11T09:00:00.003-05:00

Annie Kate is 7 months old already! I really cannot believe it. It goes way, way, way too fast! Here are some things she's been up to:

Crawling. Everywhere. And she's getting fast, too. She follows me around, which is pretty cute. And she even follows me when I'm vacuuming! Not at all afraid of the vacuum, in fact she's pretty intrigued by it. She's braver than my "guard dog."
Babbling. Mostly "bah bah" which my dad says is "Papa". She also likes to "ooooh".
Laughing. Aunt Bethy has the magic touch, but if you can startle her or make a funny enough noise, you just might get a belly laugh.
Standing up. On everything. Coffee tables, in her crib, on the dog, on our bookshelves.
Teething. One sharp little tooth on the bottom, and more on their way. This has made for some "interesting" naps.
Eating. She eats "real food" once a day, at dinner time. Her favorite is sweet potatoes (can you blame her?) but she has also tried peas, avocados and oatmeal. I need to diversify her diet a bit, but I haven't been home to make more food. We're working on that for August.
Cuddling. She is starting to "choose" to cuddle, instead of "cuddling because she can't hold up her own head". That is very fun. She'll lay her head on my shoulder when I start to sing "Jesus loves me" since I sing that to her before she goes to sleep. It's so cute!
She is the absolute happiest baby you'll ever meet. There are 2 things that everyone says about her: "Wow! She's so strong!" and "She's such a happy baby!" God has really blessed us with such a content baby. She entertains herself for the most part and is so happy when we hang out with her.

Kona simply adores Annie. This picture is from one morning when I hadn't gotten Annie up yet, but I had opened her bedroom door. I heard Kona crying and I went in to see her trying to reach Annie with her nose.

Sweaty head after a nap. This child is one hot-pocket.

Helping me pack for our trip to Colorado. She's such a good helper already!

Peas

2009-07-11T08:58:00.002-05:00

She looks so good in green.

Look who's standing!

2009-07-11T08:54:00.003-05:00

The day we got home from our trip to Arizona, I heard the munchie talking in her crib after her nap, and this is what I found. Time to lower the crib!!

Trip to Arizona

2009-07-11T08:10:00.006-05:00

We're back from a crazy month of traveling! Thanks to all who prayed for Annie on the trip. She did great! She is quite the traveler. Happy on the plane rides (she fussed on 1 out of the 6 flights, not too bad) and a pretty decent napper in the 3 different houses we visited. In the middle of June, we went to Phoenix, Arizona to visit Jon & Lory and Janelle for a week and a half! Tim had a business conference he was attending during the week, so we decided to stay for the 2 weekends surrounding it. It was such a fun trip! It was really fun to see Annie with her cousing Ellie, who is 2 and a half years old. Ellie was so sweet with Annie, bringing her tons of toys and wanting to hold her. My favorite Ellie quote from the week was when she would ask me "You like her?", referring to Annie. So cute. For a few days during the week, Annie & I went over and stayed with my dear friend Janelle. She came out to see Annie just weeks after she was born and I'm so glad we've already had the chance to see eachother again. It was such a great week of catching up and Annie getting to know someone so close to me. Here are some pictures from the trip!

Annie's first bath in the big tub. Usually we've just set it over the sink.

She loved being able to splash around.

Cousins! It is very hard to get them both to look at the camera.

Annie was trying to break free.

Favorite picture from the trip.

Annie just chillin' on the couch with Aunt Janelle.

Old old friends.

Tim & I at the closing dinner from the conference. Unfortunately, you can't see my hair that Janelle painstakingly curled, but it looked good. =)

Cuties again.

Practicing her spitting.

Proof that we did actually see Jon & Lory too.

Good Friends

2009-06-17T09:46:00.003-05:00

Last weekend our good friends Josh & Amanda Jordan came through town on their way back from the Pastors' College in Maryland. They are traveling today down to Seguin, Texas to begin a pastoral internship there. Josh & Amanda were our care group leaders for 2 & 1/2 years before they went to the PC. We had a fun weekend of catching up and hearing about their time in Maryland.
In April of 2008, I called Amanda to tell her the exciting news that Tim & I were expecting a baby. When I called, she sounded kind of sick and told me that she hadn't been feeling well the past few days. I asked her a couple questions about it, and then told her that Sydney and Noah (her two kiddos) would be having a new friend come December. I don't think I'll ever forget her response. "Wait, you're pregnant?" (sounding shocked) "Yes, I am!" "Well then, me too!"....um, what? They had just found out that Amanda was expecting again and were waiting to tell people, but since I had just told her, she couldn't help telling me!! It was such a fun conversation! Our little ones were born in December, just days apart from eachother, and this past weekend they finally got to meet! Along with Ian (born in February) and Judson (born in April).

in order of birth: Lizzy, Annie, Ian, Judson.

Friday night we played some cards at May's house. Good times.

It was wonderful to see you, Jordan Family! We can't wait to hear all about your life in Seguin and we can't wait to come visit you down there and see for ourselves! We love you!!

Bathing Beauty

2009-06-17T09:39:00.001-05:00

..prayers for sleep..

2009-06-16T13:17:00.002-05:00

I have a prayer request for all my blog readers - even if there's only 1 of you out there, that makes 2 of us praying and scripture says "Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them" (not a direct quote, just how I remember it from one of those scripture memory songs. =)
Annie has begun the super-fun process of cutting teeth! No teeth to show for it yet, but lots of drool, fussing, chewing on everything she can get her hands on and now...a little trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. It's really not bad compared to a few weeks ago when she had a cold, but I'm nervous that she won't do well with our upcoming trip to Phoenix. We'll be gone 10 days and she'll move locations twice, so this already opens up opportunites for her to not sleep well, but now with her teething it may be even harder to get her to sleep. I'm looking at this as an opportunity to trust the Lord in all things and to rely on Him to sustain me as well as Annie. Please join with me in praying for this "little thing," since we know that He delights to bless His children. I am grateful for this opportunity to lean on Him and for His kindness in giving us friends to help support us!! Thanks!

Five for Friday

2009-06-12T16:58:00.004-05:00

I'm lacking inspiration, but here goes...

1. I am making Oreo Truffles for a party this weekend, and needless to say, I am quite excited. I made these once for a Payne Family Reunion and they have since been dubbed "Callie's Truffles" which delights me greatly, but is in fact a lie since they are a Kraft Foods recipe. If you're looking for a fairly easy, super delicious and impressive tasty dessert, make these. You will not be disappointed.

2. Annie has gone from being a pretty good napper to a terrible napper to the best napper ever! For her first 5 & 1/2 months of life, she was a pretty good napper. She'd fuss for a few minutes and then settle down and sleep. I was content. Then a few weeks ago, she caught a little bug of some sort and started displaying some very very unfortunate napping habits. She'd get up on her hands and knees and CRY CRY *scream* and CRY for anywhere from 20 minutes-1 hour. I would have to pat her back incessantly and then try to sneak out or rock her til she was asleep and then carefully transfer her. And even then she might only sleep 30 minutes or so. I was not content. God is good no matter how my baby naps, but I am especially excited that He has seen fit to change her habits yet again. Like a light switch turned on, she is the best napper ever! I'll put her in her crib and she just lays her little head down and sucks on her binky and then drifts off to sleep. I love it. And I am trying to soak it up seeing as how I have learned that nothing lasts forever.

3. We had somewhat of a tornado on Wednesday night. It was...eventful? I was actually inside the Cheesecake Factory for the entirety of the storm, which, I might add, would be an excellent place to be stranded if you had to be. I was out with some friends and the guys had men's group but then they all started calling us saying that a tornado was coming and they were all going home. It only lasted about 30-45 minutes near us, I think. Again, I'm not really sure since I was inside and all that happened was a little bit of flickering lights.

4. One week from today Tim & Annie & I will be in Phoenix!! We are so excited!! Tim will be attending a business conference for the week, so we're all going to visit his brother and family as well as my bestie best friend from forever, Janelle!! We can't wait to hang out with Jon & Lory for 2 weekends and let the little cousins (Ellie & Annie) get to know eachother. I'll be hanging with Janelle during the week while Tim is gone. Can't wait!!

5. Meal planning is the best thing ever. On weeks that I haven't planned meals, I have no motivation to cook and pretty much want to get take-out every night. We really never get take out, so then I come up with last minute dinners that lack creativity. BUT, on the weeks that I meal plan, I can't wait to cook since I know I have the ingredients and I know what I'm going to prepare. Tonight, for example: Burgers (yes!), Watermelon, and Grilled Apples (thank you Rachel Ray). I especially like meals on the grill. Doesn't make a mess in my kitchen and doesn't heat up the entire house.

Have a fantastic weekend!

do you want a cookie?

2009-06-10T13:33:00.005-05:00

I wasn't gonna have any sweets today. I've been trying to eat less sugar. Doing great this morning.
Reaching for a glass out of the cupboard, it slips from my hand and hits my granite countertops, shattering all over my carpet, tile, counters and slicing my hand in between my pinky and fourth finger. Blurted out a non-swear word, then said a little prayer thanking God that Annie was nowhere near, then realized I had blood running down my hand. Rinse and bandaid. Put the dog in the kennel. Begin the tedious clean up. My how glass flies.
Getting ready to go out, I get Annie out of her crib and notice her hair is wet. From spit up that she rolled in. Running a little late, I wipe her off with a wash cloth and clean up her crib.
Carrying Annie facing out, I go to put her in her carseat. And she spits up again. All...over...her seat. Soooo, back to her crib so I can wipe down the carseat.
Somewhere in there I poured hydrogen peroxide on my cut. Ouchie.
Desperate times call for desperate measures: I'm having a piece of cake.

A very merry half-birthday

2009-06-09T09:39:00.003-05:00

Annie Kate had her 6 month birthday on Saturday. We were kind of busy that day, so it went by quickly and that evening we realized that it was her half-birthday! She didn't seem to mind the lack of hoopla too much. She just had her 6 month dr. appointment and everything looks great! Dr. B says Annie is very strong...which is what everyone who holds her tells us. Musta been those protein shakes I drank while I was pregnant. That and the push-ups I have Annie do each morning. =) Here is what she's up to at half a year old:

Sitting up. For a little while anyway. She has been known to fall over.
Getting up on hands and knees and rocking back and forth.
Getting up on hands and toes.
Yesterday, she began CRAWLING!! Just a little ways, and only sporadically, but crawling just the same. AHHH!!
Babbling a lot. Her favorite phrases are "ba-ba-ba", obviously referring to sheep, "ooooohhh", and the backwards sucking in version of "ooooooohh." So funny.
Laughing more and more. She has a one-note-high-pitched laugh that we hear all the time. And then she has a belly laugh that is lower that is super cute, but much harder to get. We had so much fun with her last night because Tim just kept making her laugh over and over. And of course, she chose to stop once the video camera was out.
Bouncing up and down whenever we let her stand up. On our legs, on the floor, doesn't really matter. She'll just bounce and bounce all day long.
She LOVE LOVE LOVES being thrown in the air, bounced on your knee, swung in the swings. Action girl. The only problem is that she spits up more than any child I know. So if you want to make her happy, bounce her around, but just keep a burp cloth nearby. I took her to the park the other day and put her in the swing up there for the first time and she was so happy. She slumped over the front of it and gave me the sweetest little smile of contentment while I pushed her. Every once in a while she would let out a long "oooooohh".
Eating some solid foods. She's not super interested, although last night was her best meal yet. She's tried sweet potatoes, avocados and baby oatmeal.

We love our little Annie more and more each day. It is such a joy to spend my days at home with my munchkin.

What's for Dinner?

2009-05-29T12:39:00.003-05:00

I'm not pretending to be an amazing cook. Or even an experienced one. I like to cook, but I have lots of room to grow. I do however believe in sharing a good thing. And so I'm going to share a couple of delicious recipes with you all. I've been trying some new ones and loving them! That's always fun. I hate it when I try a new one and we don't like it. Bummer. So here's what we had for dinner last night:

Honey Lime Chicken
I made this one up, so the measurements aren't exact. Have some fun, people. =)

Juice from 2-3 limes
1 tbsp. honey
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
Handful of cilantro, washed and chopped. Use the stems too!
A couple shakes of Cumin
A couple shakes of Kosher salt (the big course kind)
A couple shakes of Montreal Chicken Seasoning (or any kind of grill seasoning that you have)
4 chicken breasts

Mix up all the ingredients and pour over chickies in a ziploc bag. Marinate for as long as you like. Grill it up! We had it with rice but I also had it on a salad for lunch today and that was good too!

"Chipotle" Rice - This isn't an original idea, I copied the burrito chain "Chipotle". I don't know about you all, but I LOVE their rice. I thought this was pretty close.

White rice - however much you want to make
Chicken stock/bullion
1-2 limes
Handful of cilantro

Cook the rice in the chicken stock. I use my rice cooker and just stir in the powdered bullion and let it cook. Once it's done, fluff it and then squeeze in some lime juice and stir in the cilantro. Ready to go. And so so good.

crawling?

2009-05-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

She really really wants to. She gets up on hands and knees and rocks back and forth while she makes some funny "determination" noises. Anyday now we're waiting for it. And then here come the outlet covers, baby gates and annoying cupboard locks. Parenthood is in full force.

Five for Friday

2009-05-22T09:45:00.003-05:00

My cousin Christina posts a "five for Friday" post each week, giving you 5 random updates or bits of information about what's going on in her world that week. I like reading them because I feel like in some small way, I am keeping up with her life. I've decided to give them a try. So here we go...

1. Annie loves the pool! I was concerned at first when I took her, because she would curl up her little feet when I'd tip them in the water. I guess it was just too cold then, because now I take her and even though the water is still cold to some (i won't name any names, but you know who you are) she loves getting in the water! I sit her up on the edge of the pool and count to three, and before I even get to three she is kicking her legs and squealing. I love it! She is just so stinkin' cute!

2. This weekend we are "going away" to Grapevine, Texas for the night! It's not very far from here, but it's a cute little town with more to do than in Frisco. We're going to dinner with our families tonight and then walking around downtown Grapevine. Every Friday night during the Summer there are fireworks over Lake Grapevine, so we're going to watch those. And then Saturday we'll sleep in and go to the outdoor market. I'm really looking forward to the mini-vacation.

3. This week my life changed completely: I got a CHI. For those of you who already have one, you know how amazing they are. For those of you with thick, curly, frizzy hair, you REALLY know how amazing they are. With the humidity in Texas I haven't been able to get my hair to stay straight. And so Tim bought me a Chi out of the blue. (straightenin iron, for those of you wondering what the heck I'm talking about.) It's been great. Takes me only 5-10 minutes to straighten my hair. Amazing!

4. Last night's dinner was so yummy. I made mini quiches that I had made for a brunch a few weeks ago. I was just in the mood for them. Quiche lorraine with bacon and swiss. And strawberries on the side. All through dinner I kept saying to Tim, "This is so good! I love this!" And then with the leftover pie crust I made an apple tart. I love when you have the ingredients on hand and you can just whip something up. Tasty.

5. I just started reading "The Weight of Glory" by C.S. Lewis. I love it already. Tim had us read a chapter from it for Care Group last week, and I enjoyed the chapter so much that I decided to read the book. I love Lewis' style of writing, even though at times I have to read something a few times before I get it. He really makes me think.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

2009-05-19T13:47:00.002-05:00

A couple of you have asked for the recipe for the whole-wheat pizza dough I made the other day. I can't take credit for it since I found it on someone else's blog, but I made it and loved it! It's especially good if after you eat the pizza, you dip the crust in honey. Like at Beau Jo's pizza in Colorado? So good. Enjoy!! (i will add my commentary on the recipe for some firsthand tips. =)

Homemade Pizza Crust
2 Tbls Yeast
2 cups water 110 degrees (i just did warm water. no thermometer.)
1 tsp sugar or honey
1 ½ cups water 110 degrees
¼ cup honey
1 Tbls salt
8-10 cups whole wheat flour (or combination with kamut flour) (I have no idea what kamut flour is. I used 3 cups white flour so it wouldn't be too chewy.)

Preheat over to 500 degrees (if you are baking right away). Combine yeast, 2 cups of warm water, and a teaspoon of sugar or honey in a bowl, cover and let sit for 7-10 minutes. Add water, honey, and salt. Mix thoroughly. After dissolved, add flour bit by bit, beating thoroughly. After all flour is beated in; knead 5-10 minutes. Let rise for thicker pizza dough. Divide into four sections for four crusts. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
**I used my kitchen aid mixer all the way. Use the general mixer attachment for most of it and use the dough hook to knead. So much easier.
This works wonderful with all whole wheat flour (hard white or red wheat) or with a combination with kamut flour (provides a lighter texture). Whole wheat pastry flour makes it very crumbly.

For the Freezer
Mix dough completely as instructed and then divide into 4 portions. Freeze the dough in individual Ziploc bags. You do not have to pre-bake the dough - simply put the dough immediately into the freezer. When you are ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator for several hours, bring to a room temperature and then roll out and assemble as desired.

Snarfums Cometh!

2009-05-15T13:28:00.003-05:00

How could I forget to mention this in my summer plans?? What kind of a friend am I? My wonderful friend Bekah Snarfums is coming all the way from Virginia to visit ME! That is in August as well, and we are SOOOOOO excited that she's coming. It's gonna be a blasty-poo. We shall drink fatty-cokels and make mac-n-cheesel and laugh all day long. (**blatant inside joke reference. sorry folks.) And to Bekah, I am sorry about the picture, but when I was looking for one to post your eyes were closed in all of them, as we know this has tended to happen. I have like 5 takes from that day, and this was the most open-eyed one of them all. Looks like I'm practicing keeping my eyes open. Can't wait to hang with you! Love ya!!

Life as of Late

2009-05-14T09:50:00.004-05:00

Life in the Payne home has been uneventful for the most part. We are enjoying the warmer weather and taking Annie to the pool. She doesn't like the cold water and she doesn't like the hot sun, so this could be a long summer. I'm hoping that as the water warms up she'll warm up to it.

We are preparing for lots of Summer travels! I'm glad that Annie is an easy traveler, because we are busy this Summer! In just a few weeks we'll be heading out to Phoenix to visit Tim's brother Jon and his wife Lory and our cute little niece, Eliana. I will also get to spend some time with my dear friend Janelle. We are really looking forward to our trip out there. There's a possible trip to Colorado Springs for a little Payne family reunion at Tim's grandparents, and then a trip to Denver again for Ben & Marybeth's wedding! And finally, a weekend trip to Texoma for Labor
Day. So much fun. And just a bit overwhelming. But mostly fun.

I have been working on managing my home more efficiently. I was convicted recently on taking advantage of the fact that Tim is not picky about the house being perfect or meals being amazing and right on time. He is so easy going and I was finding myself falling into laziness because I knew he would "understand." It was becoming easy to come up with excuses for why I hadn't done laundry or made a healthy dinner or cleaned the bathroom. I want to excel in managing my home and caring for my family whether it's expected by my husband or not, because I know it's appreciated even though not demanded. I was reminded of the scripture "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (Sadly, I can't quote the reference because I memorized that verse by one of those song things when I was younger, and the part where you sing the reference was not very catchy. But it is scripture, I promise. =)I want to always be serving the Lord in everything I do, including keeping up my home. And so...After some encouragement from my good friend Lauren, I came up with a schedule of cleaning, both weekly and monthly. Each day of the week I have a couple of chores that don't change from week to week. And then on select days, I do a "monthly" chore, like cleaning the fridge or baseboards or oiling the cabinets. Stuff that needs to be maintained, but usually falls onto one MASSIVE cleaning day on a Saturday that you dread and just about kills you. Now I just do 3 of those chores each week on different days, and everything stays clean. Can I tell you that I love love love this system?? My house stays clean since I am keeping up with everything throughout the week, and when people come over last minute, I just do a quick pick up and voila! Ready for company! And more importantly, I am blessing Tim by my not being stressed out about my messy house or exhausted when he comes home because I had to clean all day. And he has actually told me how nice it is when things are clean! Thank you Lord for grace and growth! Woo hoo!

Another thing I've been trying to do is use my freezer more often. We bought a chest freezer for the garage recently, and I have loved having it. My friend Lisa showed me how she makes cookie dough, freezes it on cookie sheets in the freezer, then takes the frozen balls of dough and puts them in a tupperware and keeps them in the freezer. Then, when company comes last minute (which seems to happen to us often, and we love it =) you just preheat the oven, throw some dough on a sheet and voila! Fresh cookies in 12 minutes! Yum-O! This is awesome for us, because normally when I would make cookies, I'd bake the whole batch and then either Tim & I would eat an insanely unhealthy amount of cookies, or they'd go stale before we'd get to them all. Now we just pull 4 (or so) out of the freezer and have them fresh when we want them. I HIGHLY recommend this practice. Thanks Lisa! And now I'm trying to find recipes for meals to make a big batch of and then freeze some. I'm trying a pizza dough recipe right now that you can freeze and bake later. I'll let ya know how it turns out. If anyone has a resource for finding these kinds of recipes, feel free to share! I'm looking for more ideas.

Thanks to Hosanna, my new workout buddy, I have been hitting the gym 3-4 times per week! Although I don't LOVE getting up at 5:45 am, I LOVE the feeling after I've worked out. And the days that I skip, I feel sluggish and tired. It's true. Hard to believe, I know. Believe me, I'm not one of those crazy people who loves working out and finds it exhilirating to get up in the dark hours to go bust my bee-hind at the gym, but it actually does grow on you and I've found myself wanting to go in the mornings. I was going by myself for a while, but it is 10 times better with Hosanna going with me!! THANKS BESTIE!! We're pretty much body builders now.

And this brings me to tonight...Date Night! We're going to the Dallas Museum of Art to see the King Tut exhibit! Someone at Tim's work generously gave us a year membership to the DMA, and included free tickets to this exhibit! We are museum and history junkies, so we are so excited. We'll probably get some high class dinner at Chick-fil-A on the way down.

I hope you are all enjoying your week and thanks for reading my random updates!!

Meeting Cousins

2009-05-06T10:16:00.005-05:00

Annie got to meet Tim's uncle & aunt and cousins while we were in Denver. His grandparents also drove up from Colorado Springs just to see us! We were so blessed to be with them for the morning and for Annie to get to meet all her cousins. (we tried to figure out what they were called, but it was too hard.)

Thanks for having us, Paynes! It was so fun to catch up with you all.

Makinzie & Annie

2009-05-06T10:13:00.002-05:00

When we went to Denver, Annie got to meet the Short family. I used to babysit Collin & Makinzie when we lived in Denver. Our family started watching Collin when he was just 3 months old. And now he is 11 and his sister is 7! Crazy! It was really fun to see them holding Annie and loving on her.

Easter in Denver

2009-05-06T10:06:00.004-05:00

We went to Denver to celebrate Easter with Tyler & Mindy. It was such a fun trip hanging out with the fam, and it was the first time Tyler had seen Annie. I am so bummed that I didn't take a single picture with Tyler holding Annie. It seems like I always miss the best moments. (*Min, if you have some, could you email them to me?) Enjoy some pictures from our trip! Thanks again to Tyler & Mindy for being such wonderful hosts!! We love you!

Violet on her Easter egg hunt.

She still hadn't discovered that there was candy inside.

Annie spitting on Auntie Mindy.

Smiling at Marybeth.

V being silly.

The first time Marybeth had seen Ben hold a baby. Annie loves him, obviously.

Aunt Jenny showing Annie how to spit.

She's such a quick learner.

Easter Sunday and where do we find the boys? Playing Halo. Thanks to Daniel for the smile.

Serious Gamers

2009-04-30T09:08:00.002-05:00

Have you ever heard of the game Settlers of Catan? We're big fans. And so are our friends Dan & Lisa. They're more serious about it than we are. We love playing it with them, and when we do, you see all sorts of different sides of all of us. I think we scare other people when they play with us. These are some pictures from a few weeks ago when we played together.

This is Lisa. She loves babies. If she's at our house, she's holding Annie. If we're at church, she's holding Annie. If we go to a party, she's holding Annie. And Annie loves her back.

Wait! What is this? Annie has been pushed to the side! For what? Taking a turn in Settlers.

Annie - "oh, Aunt Lisa is chewing her fingers, I guess I should too!"

Annie has moved on to her thumb, while Lisa's finger of choice is still the pinky.

Making her move. Please don't drop my baby. =)

Lisa is so talented...multi-tasker!

This is Megan waiting for me to take my turn. That's my eye in the corner.

Um, still waiting, i think?

a little life update

2009-04-27T10:36:00.004-05:00

Hello faithful readers! (i write this because if you are reading this, you are indeed faithful to my blog since I have been so unfaithful about posting lately. thanks for hanging on!) I think I finally figured out the problem I was having with uploading pictures, so hopefully I'll be more on top of posting for a while here. I thought I'd just fill you in with a little update of what's going on in the Payne home.

We are looking forward to the summer and the warmer weather. Actually, the weather has been pretty nice here the past several weeks. 70s & 80s mostly. I'm excited hang out at my parents' pool this summer with Annie. This is the first summer here that I haven't been working, so I'm really looking forward to doing more fun activities. Maybe I'll go berry picking or something. I don't even know if you can do that here. We'll see.

We've enjoyed celebrating some family birthdays these past few months. In March, Megan turned deuce deuce and Dru turned OVER THE HILL! I have pictures from their parties, although some of those were the ones that were not uploading correctly. Hopefully I can get them up. And today is my niece Violet's 2nd birthday!! We are excited to go have an Elmo party with her this evening. I like birthdays.

Annie is growing and changing like crazy! At her last appointment she was 14 pounds even and 25 1/2 inches long!! Very very long for her age group. Who would have thought? She is such a happy baby, and that picture you see above is the smiley face we get to see all day long. She can now roll both ways, loves to bounce in her johnny jump up and exersaucer, and screams and squeals with delight. Her latest trick is making a happy squeal by sucking air in instead of letting it out. Kind of odd, but it's so cute when she's mustering up the energy to suck in the air. I'll have to post a video of it because it's pretty hard to explain. She still loves the mobile that hangs above her crib and she squeals and kicks her legs while she watches it. One of my favorite times with her is when I go get her out of her crib in the morning. I usually have to wake her, so I'll go in and start talking to her and she'll smile really big, but she's still got her eyes closed. I'll pick her up out of bed and she scrunches up her little body and then stretches really big, still half asleep. I'll lay her on the changing table and she just smiles and coos, but she's still got her eyes closed. All through the diaper change, no eyes just smiles. After I get her up off the table is the first time that she'll open her eyes for the day. It's the cutest little thing. She's awake, but she just needs to ease into the morning. Tim & I are both morning people, but this little one likes her sleep.

Well, now you're caught up a little bit. Here are some random pictures from the camera. Enjoy!

Megan & my cousin Becca playing MarioKart. Annie's just chillin' in her bumbo.

She loves the TV. It's mesmerizing to her.
Wherever you find Annie, there also you will find Kona.

Violet was holding Annie's hand while she munched on a cheese stick. Looks like Annie wants some too!

Annie & Ian

2009-04-23T09:02:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we had our friends Tony & Lauren over and Annie & Ian were hanging out in Annie's crib watching her mobile. We left them for just a few minutes, and came back and Ian was making a move on Annie! Trying to hold her hand! Looks like we're gonna have to watch that little guy =) I love these pictures of them. They both look so happy.

Little Scooter

2009-04-23T08:41:00.009-05:00

The other day I was playing with Annie on the floor and she was scooting backwards on her tummy. It was so cute to watch her progress from one end of the blanket to the other. She was also practicing her spitting...a skill she is quite proficient at.

just looking cute.

the look of surprise.

it's hard to get the camera for focus on us when you're taking a self-portrait. and yes, that is the ellen show on in the background.

beginning the scoot.

and spitting along the way.

Frustrated

2009-04-14T13:14:00.002-05:00

I suppose you are all wondering why I haven't posted in forever. I have plenty going on in my life right now, in fact I have 5 posts full of pictures ready to happen, but it I'm really having trouble uploading my pix to Blogger. Has anyone else been experiencing problems? I've already shrunk them from their original size, but when I try to upload them (only 2 at a time) it takes FOREVER (translation: 10 minutes...literally) only to give me an error message. Is this blogger's problem or is it my computer? Help!

spoiled

2009-03-25T13:19:00.002-05:00

On Sunday night we were laying in bed going to sleep and Tim said to me, "Babe, I just really want to go out with you." I was a little confused since we had just had a date the day before. Not one to turn down an opportunity to go out with my guy, I said, "Ok. What do you want to do?" and he said "I want to get you something to eat that is chocolate and I want to buy you something." Did I marry an amazing man or what? So the next night we went out to Nordstrom Rack and he bought me: a pair of Lucky Jeans (my first pair!), 2 pairs of shorts, a tee-shirt, and a pair of flip-flops. And then we picked up some Cheesecake from the factory to-go. So much fun and so spontaneous. I love when he plans fun stuff for us to do. I was so blessed since I really didn't have any warm weather clothes. I was pregnant last year at this time so I didn't bargain hunt all summer long like I normally would. It's hard to start out a new season with no clothes and you have to buy mostly full price stuff. Tim knew it would be hard for me to get what i needed on my monthly allowance, so he took me out to splurge! I feel so very spoiled. And I am.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-23T10:54:00.002-05:00

A little late, I know. But she wore the dress on St. Patrick's day and looked adorable with her red hair and gray eyes. Our little "Irish" girl.

rollin', rollin', rollin'

2009-03-19T08:49:00.002-05:00

Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it sounded good as the title. While Annie is not "rollin' " all over the place, she has in fact, Rolled Over! Once. We put her to bed on her tummy around 9 pm. We were getting ready for bed a couple of hours later and we heard her kind of grunting and fussing. Tim went in to check on her, and lo and behold, she was flipped onto her back, looking all confused. So cute. A couple of mornings later, she woke up about an hour earlier than normal and when I went to check on her she was on her side with her arms and legs sticking out and wiggling like a little bug. She doesn't quite know what to do with herself when she's not on her tummy. These pictures are of her pulling herself up, presumably the position she's in before she rolls over. I was putting her down for a nap the other day and got these shots. You try putting that cutie down for a nap. It's terribly difficult! She's just too cute!

3 Months Young

2009-03-18T11:48:00.002-05:00

Our baby girl is now almost 4 months old, but these were the pictures I took of her at 3 months. She is growing and changing all the time. She definitely knows her mom & dad and is learning to recognize family members. She stares people down when she doesn't know them. It's pretty funny. Although, she'll smile for just about anybody. She coos and babbles all the time. The best is when she's lying on her back. She loves to kick her legs and try to make as much noise as possible. One of her favorite tricks is blowing spit bubbles. So talented. The second picture is of her trying to do that. I'll have to post some video of it once I figure out how to post videos. She is a fantastic sleeper. Praise God! She takes 3-4 naps a day, and they're about 2 hours long. She's started going to bed at 9 and sleeping until 7 or 7:30 the next morning, and even then I have to wake her. She likes to stand up when someone holds her hands. I think she feels like she can conquer the world when she's standing up. It's so cute. We love having her around.

me & annie

2009-03-11T09:48:00.002-05:00

I was trying to get some shots of Annie & I together the other day. Very difficult task. Holding the camera with one hand, balancing her with my arm, and trying to get her to look and smile. You can see in the second one that she's pretty distracted by the camera itself. Not really interested in smiling for it. We're working on it. =)

sleeping beauty

2009-03-11T09:45:00.001-05:00

This is what I get to see each time I go to get Annie up from her nap. She snuggles up on her tummy and sticks her little bottom in the air. I hate disturbing her, but I can't wait to pick her up and hold her!

All grins

2009-03-10T17:30:00.004-05:00

Little Annie loves to smile. She is so cute and smiley right after she eats. (aren't we all?) She makes all sorts of cooing noises and loves to mimick whatever we do. She's getting really good at blowing spit bubbles. So talented. Side note: Although she does have quite a chubby little face, these pictures don't really capture what her face looks like. It's hard to get pix of her smiling when it's just me, because she gets so distracted by the camera. I usually have to hold the camera above her and to the side and then smile at her without looking through the viewfinder. Hence, a bit of a funny angle. But she's still adorable. =) These pictures were taken while she was on the changing table. Another activity that brings her much joy.

I sort of imagine her singing in this one.

anyone seen the movie "Babe?"

"la, la, la..."

all tuckered out

2009-03-04T13:37:00.002-06:00

This was Annie at our family game night the other night. Apparently she doesn't share her parent's enthusiasm for games yet. Don't worry, she'll get there. I love how she's just slumped over Megan's arm. Notice the drool on her sweatshirt. Her Auntie must really love her to let her soak a shirt like that. =)

Daddy Time

2009-03-04T10:54:00.002-06:00

Annie is really starting to get excited when Tim talks to her. I think because she knows him but doesn't see him all day, she gets especially thrilled when he's around. These pictures don't really capture that. She's pretty tired in them. But she's still adorable, so I thought I'd post them.

Cute PJs

2009-03-04T10:50:00.002-06:00

I like this little sleeper of Annie's. It's red & white striped like a candy cane. She looks so cute in it. I've heard that redheads don't usually look good in red, but I think she looks really good in it.

Delicious Garden Veggie Pizza with Fresh Healthy Vegetables.

2009-02-19T13:04:00.003-06:00

I don't know if that is really the name of this pizza, but it should be. It's a Pampered Chef recipe that I tried at Lisa's Pampered Chef Par-tay a few weeks ago. And it was so tasty! Healthy too, as pizzas go. I mean, you're getting some good veggies in, folks! I've made this 3 times now, and I know I'll keep on making it until we get sick of it. Enjoy! oh and By the Way, this picture is not a picture of this pizza. Just some random veggie pizza that google helped me find.

1 refrigerated pizza crust (I've used pillsbury & the jiffy mix. both work fine.)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup grated mozzarella

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tomatoes

1 zucchini

1 onion

the recipe also called for mushrooms, but I left them off for obvious reasons: yuck. but if you like them, feel free to add them.

I don't have the recipe in front of me, so you get the instructions in my own words. =)

Roll the crust out onto a greased pizza pan. (if you use a nonstick pan already, don't grease.) Brush the olive oil and garlic onto the crust and bake at 400 degrees for 3-7 minutes. I know that's a wide range, but it just depends on the crust you get. Just get it a wee bit toasty. Meanwhile, mix the 3 cheeses together in a bowl with the Italian seasoning. Slice the veggies. When the crust is finished "pre-baking," sprinkle half of the cheese on it, then layer the veggies and then the rest of the cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Voila! Delicious veggie pizza, and yes there is no sauce, per se. The tomatoes cook deliciously and the juice from those and the zucchini make it moist. So good!

129

2009-02-11T21:29:00.004-06:00

so this is my 129th post. I know you're all excited. I kinda just feel like getting on here and giving you all a stream of consciousness, as my writing teacher used to say. Just writing and giving you random details and thoughts. Brace yourselves.

I'm drinking some hot chocolate but I was impatient and I burnt my tongue. Now food will be ruined for tomorrow. Why didn't I wait til it cooled off a bit? Tim is at men's group and I hung out with my mom for the evening. She came over and we pretty much just chatted and watched american idol. Not really following the show, but there wasn't much else on. I would have watched Lost, but Tim wouldn't let me watch it without him. Understandable. I was supposed to clean up my casa since we're having people over tomorrow evening, but after a few minutes of that, I decided that cleaning is not very fun and I'd rather just sit. (shocking discovery). My hair is drying from my shower and it's looking pretty crazy. For those of you who know me well and have seen my hair air dried, you're probably getting a pretty good laugh right now. For those of you who have never seen my hair air dried, consider yourselves blessed. I'm realizing I should have gotten the "anti-reflective" coating on my new glasses. I'm one of those people who always thinks that whatever a sales-person tells you is exaggerated and they're just trying to rip you off. No, don't upgrade me, just give me the cheap stuff. Oh wow, you were right, there is a really bad glare from the computer. Who knew? (apparently they did.) So the other morning there was, hmm...let's just call it an "incident" during a diaper change taking place on my bed (i'll spare you the details) and so I had to take my down comforter to the dry cleaners. Talk about feeling ripped off. But now I have a very clean down comforter that I have to fit back into the duvet and then make my bed. I love getting into a made bed. Perhaps this is under-appreciated by those of you who always make your bed. You've never felt the dissatisfaction of getting into an unmade bed, so you have no idea the glamour of one that is made up. I love it. (i'm also trying to psyche myself up for doing this chore.) Is anyone still reading? I sometimes go back and read my posts and get a good chuckle. Hopefully one or two of you does the same. (miguel? are you still reading?) I've brushed my dog the past two days in a row, and still the fur seems to be loosely piled on top of her back, just waiting to jump onto my sofa, my clean jeans, and all over my tile floors. Labs are not for those who vehemently dislike shedding. But she's cute, so I'll keep her. Tomorrow Annie & I are going over to hang out with Lauren and her new baby, Ian. So fun. I like being a mom. And I guess I'll have to clean tomorrow too. Unless it happens to get done overnight somehow. Stranger things have happened.

Well, thanks for listening to my one hundred and twenty-ninth post. You've been a terrific audience. If you made it this far, you're a true friend. I'll leave you with a picture...the quality is not all that great since I took it with my phone (and I do not upgrade my phone very often) but I think it's cute anyway...

new friend!

2009-02-06T13:44:00.002-06:00

Meet Annie's new friend, Ian!! He was born on Wednesday morning, February 4th at 7:11 a.m. His momma is my good friend, Lauren. Lauren did amazing during labor (so they tell me =) and is the cutest momma! It's so fun to be entering this new season with her and Tony. And of course, we're thrilled that Annie has a new little friend. She looked HUGE next to him! He weighed one ounce less than Annie did when she was born, but she certainly has some weight on him now! We tried to get some pictures of them, but Annie was not too cooperative. We took them anyway, so here they are!

Annie looking a bit concerned. Ian's just chillin.

This is a little better. Ian's still just chillin.

Lauren cuddling my girlie. Annie misses straddling Lauren's belly!

fuzzy wuzzy

2009-02-05T10:01:00.011-06:00

Here's our little fuzzy bear, all dressed up for the winter weather. I love this little snowsuit! So cute. Annie doesn't seem to mind it too much, either. How could she, when she looks so good?

"hmm, i think i'll try a little taste."

"yes! must...have...more!"