we all left with our pants fitting a little tighter..

this past weekend was one of the most action packed weekends we've had in awhile. mostly because its baseball season again. please pause for a moment of extreme celebration on my part.

the boys went to the game while my sister in law and i played domestic mommies and took the kids to the bounce house place. best fourteen dollars a mother could spend. if you can tolerate a jillion kids running around screaming.

after everyone worked up an appetite, my awesome self requested babes, the most ridiculously, scrumptious home-cooking place on the planet. husband and myself opted for the hugest chicken fried steaks a person has ever seen, while amanda got chicken tenders & my brother went with fried catfish. sides are just there, in huge bowls, all you can eat, with the fluffiest, warmest biscuits this side of the mississippi river. add some honey & the sweetest tea that even mosquitoes would love and you have pure sin.

we all left with our pants fitting a little tighter, our blood sugar a little higher, but our hearts and stomachs full of yumminess and content. oh and my brother only wore the most fitting shirt for the occasion; well except they dont serve any bacon.

do anything exciting this past weekend?

little notes #9



via



dear john mclaughlin,

so you're the genius behind the great and powerful drink known as ginger ale.  i dont know how i made it the last three - four days without you.  i dont think you have been thanked enough for this ingenius creation that soothes the tummy but tastes wonderfully as well.

dear husband,

what would i do without you?  stopping last night to get me queso, oreos and other unhealthy snacks, because thats what tastes good right now, was a super hero moment if you ask me. you are simply the best. not to mention the fact you have already offered to rub my feet & anything else i need when i'm feeling like dog poop on the bottom of someone's shoe.

dear laying down,

is there really a way to write a verb? i'm not sure, but i'll be the first to do so. laying down is the simplest and greatest comfort right now, besides the ginger ale. and oreos. and queso. and crackers.  only problem? when i lay down, its really hard having to get up. its just so comfy down there.

dear baby g,

i hope your comfy in there.  and growing nicely.  we don't really have a preference what you are as long as you're healthy. and happy. grow grow grow is all i can say. well that and i would really love it if its just one of you. too many people are throwing the voodoo magic down of two, and i think i would cry for a long time if it was. twos great and all, but i think my sanity can only handle one.

oh yeah, please for the sake of all things, please stop making vegetables taste like pesticides.  you need your nourishment. i know all the above mentioned snacks are quite tasty, but you need to eat your veggies too.

love already,

& your mommy

the sushi stand may have lost a loyal customer

i think this has to be one of my most favorite meals.

perfectly cool on warm texas days.

full of yummy veggies

and that sweet chili sauce you put on top

makes my mouth water.

i typically hit up the sushi stand at the grocery

for these or veggie sushies

but i decide to make the rolls myself this time.

they were a bit tedious, but totally worth all the work.

too bad i only bought one cucumber.

only left me with 6 rolls, 4 of which husband ate.

small fail.

*that little lifestyle change is working. three pounds down. go me!

weekend wrap-up: lots o' food & some fun too!

festivals were in full swing this weekend around the metroplex // husband and i found us a new & closer nursery to visit

red velvet cake w/ cream cheese frosting ice cream // a bottle cap doesnt have to tell me twice

a super drool worthy hamburger at a birthday party // outdoor dining was a must have yesterday after some crazy shopping at a grand opening

roxanne had a check up saturday. it went beyond well. she's gained three pounds since her near death experience and has decided that army crawling is the way to travel just about anywhere.

color crushing much?? mint green and french pink are super gorgeous so why not put them together??

how was your weekend?  do anything exciting?

it would have been a million times better with vanilla ice cream.

snail mail social is moving right along.  a handful of people have signed and i couldnt be more thrilled. everything has to start somewhere, so i'm super excited everytime a new person signs up.  there is still plenty of time to sign up - the deadline is wednesday may 23. 

in order to particiapte all i need from you are your name, address, & blog address if you have one. it would also be helpful if you follow along via GFC so if there any blog post updates about s.m.s you will see them in your reader.

i wore my bangs in a braid for the first time yesterday.  and surprisingly i really like how it turned out.  very different, but very fun.

i go back and forth on how to wear my hair all the time. it doesnt cooperate very well, so the easier the better. but straight every day gets old really quick.

any suggestions on quick easy ways to style?



last night i made triple chocolate peanut butter pudding cake.  i was very hesitant at first because it looked really "gooey" around the edges. but when i served it, ohhhh emmmm geee it was delicious. would have been much better if i had vanilla ice cream to serve with it.

recipe coming soon..

hope your wednesday has started off and continues terrific!

life lately // according to betty

it was a wear glasses to work kind of day // hubs and pups made me breakfast for mothers day. *swoon*

new plants for the yard // ocean water with strawberries (need i say more?)

we finally got the rain i've been wanting // pups has finally gotten her "pups" back!

and when shes not a rampage she loves to pose for pictures

you can follow along with me on instagram

 - @cheersbethani

a birthday of seafood & flowers

saturday we celebrated damon's dad, scott's, birthday.  his birthday is actually thursday, the 29, but weekends are always more convenient for everyone.

we met at big fish on main street for lunch & enjoyed lots of seafood and numerous glasses of ice cold sweet tea. big fish will be making an appearance later this week in the eatery challenge.

after lunch, the twins wanted to go the park to see the fish.  the fish in question were the kois over at the city's botanical garden.  husband and i had never been before and we were amazed at what we had been missing out on. totally gorgeous & totally free.  man, we've been living under a rock. 

so add this to the list of awesome picnic places.

spring fares + an awesome freebie!

with us two days into spring, i can tell you i'm definitely loving all this super gorgeous weather we have been blessed with. well minus the monsoon a couple of days ago, but i know we need it, so i will take it.

i've decided husband and i need to make the most of our wonderful spring weather since summer isnt too far bechind and then we will be complaining about how it is too hot to go out and do anything.  so i've made me a little "to-do" list for spring.. food edition. 

picnics, parties & lots of yummy delicious food.  i'm already dreaming of the pasta salad (its my fave picnic food!) & grabbing a delicious shake with a burger on a friday night.

have you been the website LOVE vs DESIGN?! not only is it a personalized stationary site, but they have quite a few freebies I know anybody would get excited about!  heres a few i absolutely love & figured i would share:

feather gift tags

sequins thank you card

owl library card



time card invitation

 again free!! it doesnt get much better than that!  so jump on over there and get you some fun stationary!!!

happy wednesday afternoon my darling friends!

cattle drives + gun fights

sunday we met some friends for a day of food, shopping & people watching.  and the best place to do that??

the fort worth stockyards during spring break. 

husband and i have been there numerous times, but its one of those places that i can visit over and over again and its always fun for me. the food is spectacular.  a little a bit of everything down there.  but if you're a first timer, Risckys BBQ or Steakhouse is the way to go. We prefer the BBQ route, because honestly you can't go wrong with a chopped beef sandwich with a larger than life glass of sweet tea. And for starters, fried pickles seems to be the only way to go anymore. 

after filling our bellies, we headed out for some wandering, shopping, and people watching.  and the stockyards never disappoints. rich culture is something you will always find & if you venture down at the right time, you might find yourself at a rodeo or in the middle of a cattle drive.  oh and "gun fights" are regular, so watch for those too.

and before you leave, dont forget to stop by the candy barrel for all your favorite mouth watering sweets, old and new. 

we passed + a new do'

happy monday blogging friends!! it was what seemed to be a super short weekend, but i'm sure time changes and busy schedules make it seem to zoom by faster than normal. 

this last week i finally decided it was time to get a hair cut.  it was a little overdue but the price of haircuts these days, plus house hunting & rising gas prices, i just kept putting it off. 

after a couple of hours and lots of anxious waiting i got a new hair color & semi-new do'.  the style isnt much different than what i had before, just a trim & a slight side bang to make things interesting.. the stylist told me if i wanted like bang bangs that my face would look "boxy and squatty" and last time i checked that not a compliment.  so much for bang bangs. lol

ta-da! i'm happy to say that i love love love it & this color will be sticking around for quite awhile.  already have my next appointment already scheduled! 

after the appointment & husband doing the house inspection, we joined his mom and sister for a super rainy afternoon filled with birthday festivities including an antique show (which sucked!) and lunch over at pappadeaux, where we saw a wedding reception take place & enjoyed the beginning of crawfish season.

i'm probably stating the obvious here, but springing forward i think is my least favorite thing about spring. losing an hour? i mean come on now.  i can get a lot done in that lost hour.   but sunday, it was really a struggle to get out of bed. it was warm and cozy & outside was chilly and wet.  lets just say we didnt make it up and out the door before noon 30. oh and our dear child found herself a new place to hang out and mess with things.  

i'm also happy to report that our house passed the inspection with flying colors.  just a few minor fixes & our house will be superb.  but its already superb in our eyes. and in true home owner fashion (well as close to home owner without having the keys yet!) husband and i ventured off to the home improvement stores to pick up some basic things that we will be needing like shovels, rakes, etc.  it feels really good being those kind of people now. home owning people that is.  

after shopping, we worked up quite the appetite so we headed over to one of our local favorites, esparzas, for some yummy mexican cuisine and good company courtesy of his dad, his step-mom & two sisters.  esparzas will be making its grande debut in this weeks eatery challenge.  

what exciting things did you do this past weekend?

a recipe: super simple monkey bread

last week husband got a hankering for monkey bread.  if you've never had monkey bread you are definitely missing out.  its super yummy & gooey, but most of all super easy!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar **
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup raisins, if desired
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

** i discovered super early sunday morning that i didnt have any sugar (seriously!!) and so i subsituted splenda. and it worked delicious!!! to substitute splenda, 12 packets of splenda equate to 1/2 cup sugar.

How to:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease fluted tube pan, aka bundt pan, with shortening or cooking spray. 

2. In large plastic zipper bag, mix granulated sugar (or splenda) and cinnamon.

3. Seperate dough into 16 biscuits.  Quarter each biscuit into four pieces.

4. Place biscuit quarters into zipper bag with sugar and cinnamon.

4. Close bag and shake well to even coat all pieces. 

5. Arrange covered biscuit pieces in bundt pan.  If you are adding walnuts and/or raisins, this is where you would mix them, while adding pieces.

6. Combine melted butter and brown sugar in bowl.  Pour/drizzle evenly over biscuit pieces.

7.Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in the center.

8. Turn upside down on serving plate. Pull apart to serve..

Note: very very hot when first served.. be careful!

Enjoy!

holiday parties - dessert style

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.duncanhines.com&k4=3003&k5={banner_id}.

during the holiday season, i hear all my friends, family & co-workers talking about all the holiday parties they are attending. and i must admit, holiday parties make me excited.  everyone dressing up in the best holiday wear (sometimes its the worst christmas sweater contest) & finding that perfect bottle or wine or platter to accompany them to their events.  this season is no exception.  just last weekend, the husband and i attended a christmas party at one of the most extravagent & well decorated christmas parties i have ever been to in my whole life.  i dont think my jaw ever made it up off the floor.  but i've always had a few thoughts of my own on christmas parties i would like to a.) attend or b.) host myself.

a dessert party is at the top of my list! i'm not sure if my pancreas, or anyone's pancreas, is ready for it, but i'm putting on my things to do list. maybe not for christmas, but maybe new year's i can make it happen.

i can already imagine table after table of desserts lining my tiny one bedroom apartment. from cookies to pies to candies all happily waiting to be consumed by the hungry stomachs of their creators. but not only will we consume them. we will judge them, looking for the best dish out there.  and that special dish will not only be adored by all, it will win a special prize & maybe a special certificate.

but not only will desserts be guests at this party.  little shooters of milk will be in attendance to wash down all the sugary goodness. maybe even milk station can be arranged with fun syrups, such as chocolate and strawberry for milkshakes or just flavored milk too.

& for our adult guests, dessert wines & beers will be available.  bottles of Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout perhaps or maybe just a nice stout to curb some of the sugar that our bodies will enjoy. but for those that are looking for a lighter fare, maybe just a nice hot cup of coffee or tea. the choice is theirs.

the possibilities are truly endless with a dessert party, which i think makes them even more delightful to host or attend.

Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.duncanhines.com&k4=3003&k5={banner_id} to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.