happy birthday taelyn

wishing you a wonderful day as you turn seven years old!

may it be filled with cake and candles and special memories...

we can't wait till your party next week!

today i'm thankful for...

leftover apple pecan caramel pie.

leftover turkey, stuffing and gravy...thanks nikki.

leftover champagne.

leftover rolls.

friday morning shopping at best buy and target.

getting everything on my list...on sale.

no impulse buying.

not waiting in line more than ten minutes.

voicing my own opinion on the local economy.

going to the movies to see boltz at 9:50am.

cocktails at fridays.

learning how to play chess...thank you justin.

today i'm thankful for...

nikki and gregg hosting thanksgiving dinner.

spending it with family and friends minus one sick colin.

outdoor cocktails.

more food than humanly possible.

nikkis apple cider martinis.

lego chess and dvd movies.

macys day parade and mimosas.

neighborhood walks.

todays newspaper filled with tomorrows specials.

wearing shorts and sneakers.

calling family all over the country and world.

happy day. everyday.

today i'm thankful for...

{at least 2 out of 3 tucked their shirts in}

working on the christmas card picture early this year....having a digital camera to take the photos with this year...a warm sunny day to take the picture on this year...the boys off from school today...cedar park errands and holiday outfits...grocery shopping at 6am before the rush at heb for thanksgiving day food...learning that you can not buy champagne at 645 am - gotta wait till 7 am...rudys breakfast tacos...poker games...watching elf to get us in the holiday spirit...
happy thanksgiving eve...i am so blessed and have so many things to be thankful for!

today i'm thankful for...

christmas magazines and holiday catalogs make the walk to the mailbox so much fun at this time of the year...hot cococa and whip cream...online ordering...nathans field trip to the texas state museum today...colins friendship feast today at school...another issue of the school newsletter almost done...mini vacations...street football...dvrs with empty space...finishing the book "the girl with the dragon tattoo" today...happy tuesday!

today i'm thankful for...

coming home to these beautiful tulips last night...season finale of entourage...pappa murphy pizza...nathans sunday night review of nfl for me...thanksgiving this week at the hensons...cousin kris kringles...aunt laurens money tree...uncle mike missing 100 days of kindergarten...hannahs laugh and the work 'duck' in the background on monday morning phone calls and coffee with mom...noiseless flushes...no monday morning meeting this week...sunglasses & pj's to take the kids to school today...happy monday y'all!

friday night lanes

guys vs gals

adult lanes vs kids lanes

bowling time vs arcade time
sarah vs the ticket counter machine line

friday night fun at mels

filled with popcorn and cocktails

laughs. spares and a couple strikes!

tgif.

holiday sighting

little signs that christmas is around the corner...pinecones have replaced the pumpkins...spice soap has been replaced with peppermint soap...christmas card ideas swirling through the air...everyone has tried on their holidays clothes - yikes - some have grown since last year!...kris kringle names are falling in...december calendar is filling up...love this time of year...hohoho

treasures

colin made this at school in art class

his very own treasure box

filled with a special note

talk about holiday perspective

what a real treasure!

boo gobble gobble and hohoho

feeling that holiday rush today...completed the invitations for work party.

20% off entire purchase at the container store, click on the link below to print coupon:
http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/21
expires wednesday night!

15% off one item at toys r us:
http://www3.toysrus.com/our/tru/prom/2008fafcpn/925137.cfm
expires thursday night!

started thinking about the holiday card photo...love searching for the perfect spot.

started filling in the december calendar...deciding on what events are really important to us & which ones we can skip this year (do i really need to sit on santas lap & tell him what i want for christmas?! hohoho)

started to organize my list with this.

the pioneer woman is giving away 2 kitchen aid mixers today.

hohoho - here we go!

monday night football

you can take the boys out of buffalo

but not the buffalo out of the boys!

a closer look at the handmade signs hanging from the tv

too bad all the texas cheering didn't help the bills.

here's to the wide right (again).

just life...

{march 2008 - downtown austin - casino el camino}

life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

life is beauty, admire it.
life is bliss, taste it.
life is a dream, realize it.
life is a challenge, meet it.
life is a duty, complete it.
life is a game, play it.
life is a promise, fulfill it.
life is sorrow, overcome it.
life is a song, sing it.
life is a struggle, accept it.
life is a tragedy, confront it.
life is an adventure, dare it.
life is luck, make it.
life is too precious, do not destroy it.
life is life, fight for it.
-mother teresa

tgif

can you guess who needed a baby picture for school yesterday?

i had to set the timer and allow myself only 15 minutes in shoebox memory lane.

i could get lost in those old pictures.

i could spend hours just looking & laughing.

i could cry at how fast time flies.

(hint: i obviously didn't scrapbook back then since they are in shoeboxes.)

any guesses?

{answer: justin - christmas 1997 & halloween 1997}

football fun

nathans team celebrated the end of the season with a party at gattiland last night...heres coach bill giving nathan the most serious QB award...only nathan could pull that one off...way to go nate!

easy scrapping 101....

take 45 photos.

add a little blog journaling.

no thinking involved - cut copy & paste.
slip them into cool page protectors.
xerox and trim the calendar page.

and add another blog entry.

all done.

all set.

45 photos.

one great story.

one great memory.

one quick 20 minutes.

one shoebox of photos is a little lighter now.

one fun spring break in houston.

one lifetime of sippel stories.

one week of "stories in hand".

tuesday candles

{photo shared by sil lisa - thank you - matt & jayne - xmas 2007}

happy birthday matt!

sending you birthday voice messages bright and early

with our special guest singer - uncle jim!

put that one on speaker phone for all to hear.

enJoy!

monday graditudes

• jessica sprauges stories in hand class online - i'm enrolled & going to attempt to complete it
• uncle jim & joe dimaggios together with lobster mashed potatoes
• targets toy christmas catalog - way better than the brand names catalog i grew up with
• real simple december issue & their daily quotes delivered to my in-box
• homemade hot cocoa mix - just in time for christmas sharing

sunday smiles

{photo taken by julie culley- thank you so much}

-
"sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. "
— thich nhat hanh

bye bye football season.

hello normal dinner times.

bye bye practice three nights a week.

hello relaxing homework sessions.

bye bye homework on the go.

hello homework at the kitchen table.

bye bye moms watching practice & chatting away.

hello catching up on path chatting & biking.

heres to the spring season.

its right around the corner.

one saturday day

one team huddle on tummies

one trophy and a toothless grin
one nathan studying the play with coach bill

one flag boy justin and a texas blue sky

one raider

one eagle

one bill

one playoff saturday.

one longhorn win.

one roadhouse dinner.

one saturday day!

tgif

its official.
the holiday season is here.
nothing better than holiday shopping in flip flops with a handsome man on my arm and a starbucks peppermint mocha in my hand at the domain.
hohoho.
happy holiday friday!

if you give a carol an easy bake oven....

chances are she'll bake a christmas treat for you

and when shes done baking,

she'll ask you for a cup of coffee

and that will remind her that her favorite holiday creamer

is now available at the grocery store,

and while sipping on her holiday coffee, it will remind her of
this holiday story (link found on ali edwards blog)
and that story will remind her that christmas is only 48 days away
and she'll want to start her holiday baking and
chances are if she thinks about holiday cookies,
she'll want to pull out her easy bake oven !

yesterday....

yesterday, the talented ms. sarah sent me this recipe.

yesterday, we experimented with the mircowave.

yesterday, we had a chocolate high for our snack after school.

yesterday, we had fun & laughs watching this bake.

yesterday, we decided to try this again real soon.

the ingredients.
hot out of the mircowave
{reminds me of my easy bake oven days!!}

the finished product!

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and
tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of
the day or night!

vote 2day

just do it.

now.

even if you haven't taken a shower

or finished your morning cup of coffee.

don't worry - you'll only run into two people ya know looking

like this.

ha ha

heres to the freedom to vote.

kool aid anyone?

every once in awhile

the calendars align

and everyone can play outside at once

homework done

no football practice

just a ball, a street and a lot of kids.

obviously, two different age groups today
monday happy hour on the path!

enjoy

we are celebrating debbies birthday in texas!

happy day debbie

{in our jackets - july 2008 - canada}

happy birthday debbie!

wishing you a day filled with love, laughs and a glass of wine!

heres to matching jean jackets, sharing books, sippel stories and our love of paper!

enJOY!