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?

here's to friday + an awesome weekend

courtesy of

rain has been frequent here lately in our parts of texas and i couldnt be happier. our ground is nice and moist and the temperatures have cooled significantly.  yesterday we managed a whopping 86 degrees when in days past we were seeing things more like 108.  it was a nice relief.  this weekend should be no different. we are now seeing lower ninety temps and rain all weekend. perfect for movie watching and snuggling.

a handsome hearthrob now can be colored.

this guy wins dad of the year for sure.

best-ever brownies.

only online (for now!) for your cute little one.

we're being attacked!

laugh your butt off with these two wisecracks.

survivor needs this kind of game.. maybe they already do?

**and yes thats a lion wrapped in a cheetah print blanket getting a CT scan.

hope your weekend is splendid.

Mr. NAPKINHEAD!



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it was a weekend full of napping.

puppy didnt let us sleep at all last week,

so the weekend is perfect time for catching up & being lazy.

oh and i may have watched this christmas favorite.



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it is one of the best after all.

hope everyone had a great weekend!

hot dogs with avocado dip are the shiznit!

the holiday weekend is over, but we have enough hamburgers and hot dogs left to feed a small army. good thing i like both of them. and whats better is i have plenty of avocado dip* left.  and good thing my fitness pal doesnt get too snarky when i add one of the items to my diary of food consumed.

i hope everyone had a terrific weekend, got lots of rest (if that was your goal) and enjoyed all your family and friends.  husband and i sure did all of those things. our first bbq was what i deemed a success & yesterday we spent the day cat napping and watching ridiculous amounts of tv.  but thats okay, because we are adults now and can do whatever the heck we want.

i did make my "summer" debut at the swimming pool sunday evening. its still too cold for swimming, if you ask me. and chances are the next pool outing will include me sitting in the childrens area, enjoying the mist off the waterfall.  i've become that much of a swimming pool fuddy dud.  its the whole strange kids jumping and splashing me in the face thing i dont enjoy. 

*avocodo dip is this super awesome green dippy stuff that is delicious on everything.  maybe one day i will share the recipe. its not quite guacamole, because it contains no onions or tomatoes. as you all know i think those are both equally disgusting.

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i created a tumblr sometime ago (last year) and never used it. i kept thinking whats the point?! but then my super pinterest/photo addicted self decided it would be a good outlet for all the photos i find across the interwebs that i love. whether its food, fashion, places to visit, whatever, it will be there. just so im not flooding le blog with all my random photo searching.. 

i probably wont do any "live" blog posting over there, but i think it would be neat to keep a photo journal of sorts.  well see what happens.

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i've somewhat decided 30 days of jillian michaels wont work for me. shes way to aggressive. and the fact that i couldnt really sit down correctly for like four days probably isnt great for my body.  so i'm thinking more like every 3rd or 4th day will do.  in between i will mow yards (because the hoa says i have too), dance to the wii like a crazy lady with no coordination, and walk my dog.  that should work.

the eating thing i've pretty much got down pat.. self control is the main factor.  realizing what is a good choice and whats a bad choice are what most of us have problems with.  this weekend was a test.  and i really think i passed with somewhat flying colors.  (who can resist homeade jalapeno poppers.. really!)

two pounds down.  only like 36 to go.

its an {what i consider} important friday + a recipe



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 its friday may 25, 2012. you know what that means right?  today is the last day before a three day weekend. a three day weekend to celebrate all those heroes that arent recognized enough. the heroes who gave their lives and time to protect our country. those heroes who leave their families, friends, jobs behind to make our world a better place.. those heroes who should never be forgotten.

but this friday is also a day closer to my birthday.  a day more that i am married to my wonderful husband. a day closer to christmas.  a day more of living a more healthy lifestyle.  its friday. one of the best possible days of the week.  its also payday!!

also:

we have a bunch of awesome people coming over for a super grill out session sunday.  i cant say how bad i want a good ol home grilled hamburger.. sans bun of course.. 

i will try this for the first time.  its a terrific subsititute for chips, or anything fried potato.

monday, i'm making those super delicious looking avocado cucumber salad rolls from this post a couple days back..

i may finally get that movie night i've been craving the past couple weeks.  we've been trying to fit it in. we really have, but things like blue bloods, metalist and all our other awesome DVRed items trumped a movie.

the first group of snail mail social addresses went out to their respectable people yesterday! very excited about getting my package together, sending it out and having our link up party....

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and since its friday and for those participating or following along on the i am me series, here's a recipe i made last night.. great addition for pasta, salads, or anything needing a little protien.

simple low-fat turkey meatballs

ingredients
1/2 lb all white meat lean ground turkey

1/2 yellow onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup parsley (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 egg
1/2 cup dried Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
olive oil (for browning meatballs, not in mixture)

how to:

Beat egg in large bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients.Mush together well using your hands.
Form into 1/2 inch balls.Heat small amount of olive oil (about 1 tsp to keep this recipe low-fat) in skillet.
Put half the balls into the skillet and cook until browned evenly on outside.
Remove and add remaining balls.

eat!

enjoy your weekend everyone!!

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?

our grocery list includes lots of beer & maybe some carbs



the cows down the road.



its friday! yes i just did that to you. but admit, it is kind of funny. its going to be a full one for husband and i.

buying a thank you gift for the vet clinic who saved our child is one of the first on our list.  based on my reputation this week, baking was not a choice.

i may try to convince husband that we should rent this to watch this weekend.  we havent spend an night just watching movies & eating junk in awhile. i miss it. alot.

might spray paint some stuff & let puppy run amok in the yard.  she finally gets to break free of being on a lease in the yard this weekend. thank goodness. puppies. dont. like. leases. unless they are for chewing of course.
if i get the courage to bake or cook something new, it might be something like this or this or this. they all sound delicious and i am after all a slow cooker's biggest fan.

my finger and toe nails need some major tlc.  these should do the trick!

hopefully we arent disappointed. husband, his step mom and i are checking it out tomorrow morning.

and of course, lots of time with our mommies. 

whats your weekend look like?

have a happy weekend

its friday!

heres to a great weekend!

what are you and your loved ones doing this weekend?

husband and i are going to pack some more. you never realize how much stuff you have until you have to pack it up. we also have a jillion things we need to take to the donation station as well.

maybe we will squeeze in a good eatery to include in the challenge. 

did anyone watch missing?  i was told its super fantastic, so maybe i will fit viewing this into my schedule.

also going to work on the hop project.  

  - going to come up with some more ideas to generate donations for feeding america. thinking design based options or something like that..

  -  i would love getting some more people involved in the hop - raising funds all over the world even. if you are interested, give me a shout, i would love you have you apart of this. email me for details: cheersbethani@live.com

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?

our weekend + #febphotoaday: part 1

happy monday friends!!!  this past weekend was absolutely terrific and i wish it didnt have to end, but being lazy doesnt pay the bills.

we spend most of our weekend reorganizing the apartment, which included a fun filled trip to IKEA. the land of pyschos and swedish things.  we got us a new bookcase, which i dont even have the slightest idea why we waited as long as we did, but i'm absolutely over the moon in love with our new bookcase.  eep!

we also spent quality time with family and enjoy lots of awesome food.. my mom has recently become the newest addict to pinterest. but who isnt these days? well besides normal people? lol just kidding.  back to her being an addict, she found a handful of super rocktastic recipes she made for our little dinner party saturday, and i will definitely will be sharing them in an upcoming post.. yummy delicious brisket tacos and melt in your mouth brownies. yum yum!

and my latest venture has to do with the ever so amazing instagram.  i joined up with lots of others in the #febphotoaday challenge & above are my photos going in to day 6 which will be happening this evening. who knows what dinner has in store for the husband and i.. have a few errands to run tonight, so it could potentially come out of a swing open window..  anyone else joining in on #febphotoaday??

oh and ETSY? its busier than ever!! yesterday i cranked out five orders and still have what feels like a million open.  one of these days i will catch up... no complaining from me though.. this is extra anniversary trip and house down payment money.  and i love every minute of it.

what was everyone up to this weekend?

its a chilly friday + weekend forecast

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its finally friday my friends! with this rollercoaster weather that we have been having, husband and i have been battling allergy symptoms all week, and thankfully tomorrow i dont have to get up super early for anything.  but we have a few things lined up for this weekends enjoyment.

his cousin & one of my good friends had a birthday this past monday. we are celebrating tomorrow night with some fun.

theres this new movie coming out. husband really wants to see it.  we may go.

going to get some etsy supplies too.  i love the new items my shop is coming out with.

relax, relax, and sleep.

oh i may cook some brownies too.

what is everyone doing this weekend?

oh yea, before i go, dont forget about the giveaway we are having.  it ends tuesday.