Looking Forward to 2011

I must say that I think 2010 was a little rough.  There were good things, but some of 2010 was kicking butt and not in the good way.  So, I am absolutely looking forward to 2011 and hoping/praying for a better year.  Like I said, 2010 has definitely had it's blessings, but it had it's lows too.   :)

I always try to set goals for the year.  I don't always meet them, but at least I have something to shoot for.  I don't believe in New Years resolutions because they never stick.  A goal is something you can keep trying at.  A resolution feels like it's over the first time you fail.

So, here's my list of 2011 goals:
(not a prioritized list)

1.  Have a monthly date night with my husband - just us!

2.  Take an infant CPR/First Aid class before June

3.  Have a weekly budget/bills/filing night to maintain the files consistently.  I'm thinking Tuesdays

4.  Create a monthly budget

5.  Hang all of the items in our house that need to be hung. (curtains, mirrors, pictures, etc.)

6.  Read one book a month (or twelve books by the end of the year) (and not 5 at a time)
7.  Take more pictures of the events and activities we attend
8.  Prepare the baby room before June
9.  Work out twice a week (2 out of 7 days)
10. Cook more meals at home (3-4 times a week)
11.  Read the bible more / memorize at least a verse a month
12.  Blog at least once a week
13.  Learn to knit

So, do ya'll have any ideas to help me out?  What are some cheap dates we can go on?  What are some easy meals to cook regularly?  And how-oh how-do I get to the gym more than once a month?  (OH yeah, stop watching TV!)

What about you?  What are some of your goals for 2011? 

May you all have the best year yet!
-Stef

My First Gingerbread House

This last weekend, we went to a tacky sweater Christmas party at a friends house.  We couldn't really find a tacky sweater (I thought Goodwill would hook me up for sure) but that's a different story.

Growing up, we didn't ever decorate gingerbread houses.  I don't know why, we just didn't.  So this was the first time I had put one together.  Luckily there was a cardboard cutout to use as a template (or is that how it's always done?)

It was really fun.  I enjoyed eating all the candy though.  I realized that I should have let Curtis help me more, but I was kinda of a control freak about my decorations plus I was just caught up in the process.  I apologized to him later for not letting him do more on the house.  I guess it was a good lesson for me to learn before we have a kid.  :)

So, what are you supposed to do with these after you make them?  I'm not sure how this is supposed to work.  Do you just look at them for awhile, then throw them away?

Also, what are some of your Christmas traditions?  I recently heard of having a birthday cake and/or birthday party for Jesus and I think that's a really cool idea.  We always decorated the tree as a family sometime after Thanksgiving and we always read the Christmas story from the bible on Christmas Eve.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!  I'm looking forward to seeing my family, it should be a lot of fun.

Take Care!
-Stef

Biggest Announcement Ever

Guess what!   Curtis and I are going to have a baby!  We are so incredibly happy and blessed and excited.  Our baby is due June 26th, 2011, which means I'm 13 weeks today.  I'm only sad because we won't find out if the baby is a boy or girl until sometime in February.  I don't know how I can wait that long, I wish we could have found out the gender the day we found out we were having a baby.  They should make a test that does that, don't you think?  I do.  Really though, not knowing the gender doesn't really make me sad, we couldn't be happier.

Baby Stallings - 8.5 weeks

We want to say thank you to our friends and family who prayed for us and supported us through the process of trying to get pregnant, and it was a process.  Without those special people to talk too and cry too, I'm not sure how I (we) would have kept on going with the whole process.  Thank you for being there! 

We want to tell you a little bit about the process we went through because we want to give the credit where credit is due - To God!  Now I know what it means when people say it's the miracle of life, it really is our miracle because without Him, this would not be happening. 

We have been trying to have a baby since May of 09.  I know that a lot of people try way longer than we did and they have way more complications than we did, but when you decide you're ready for this step in your life, every month that it doesn't happen feels like a failure, an eternity, and an empty spot in your arms and it hurts.

Turns out, I don't ovulate.  And of course, without an egg, there is no baby.  I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and that means, my follicles never develop into eggs, just lots of cysts.  My ovaries look like bubble wrap - isn't that nice.  However, it took lots and lots of tests and seeing my regular doctor then seeing a fertility doctor for them to tell me that.  (Which is annoying).  So, we finally got started on the process of trying to make my body create eggs in mid-2010.  They recommended we do an IUI, which is an insemination of 'the goods' into my 'baby maker' to put everything in the right place at the right time.  Even this proves not to work every time.  Which is why I know without a doubt, that God gave us this baby.  The medicine and the doctors can only do so much.  The making of life is not controlled by those medicines and those procedures and tests.  It's only controlled by God.

So, I can't say that I handled infertility the way a Godly woman should have.  I had doubt and frustration and tears and anger and just a good ole' melt down.  But even though my faith was not strong, God is.  He knew when it was the right time for us.

I could go on and on about this whole process (the story can be very long), and if you want me too, I'll answer any questions, but the point is - We owe this miracle to God and we are so grateful He heard our prayers and the prayers of others and gave us this little baby.

To those of you who are trying to conceive, I know how these announcements of new babies can feel, please know that I wanted to share how God answered our prayers to hopefully encourage you. 

Love,
Stef

Ten on Tuesday

Here's Ten on Tuesday courtesy of Roots and Rings.

1.  What is your favorite kind of cheese? 
I like 'normal' cheese.  You know, the kind that comes shredded in a bag at Kroger.  My favorite is Mozzarella. I don't like'stinky' or 'specialty' cheeses.  Not so much.

2.  Do you prefer fudge with or without nuts?
I would say no nuts.  I like both but honestly fudge is not my favorite chocolaty delight.  I'd rather have a chocolate pie or cake or mousse or ice cream.

3.  How do you feel about cats?
Love them.  I had two cats growing up, Sparky and Sweety. LOL.  Both of whom are no longer with us.  I had an awesome dog, Annie, but she went to a better home with fun little boys to play with her instead of being cooped up in my lonely apartment everyday while I'm at work.  I miss her, but I've been wanting a cat for awhile now.  My husband, however, is not convinced.  I want a kitten and I've been begging for one for awhile.  Once they get past the fun kitten stage, they're easy to take care of.  I like low maintenance.

4.  Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts?
That's a hard one.  I like both actresses but I'll have to pick Julia Roberts.  I think she's great in almost everything she plays in.

5.  Do you wear a watch?
Yes and no.  I have a couple of watches and I like them but I type all day long and wearing watches and bracelets bother me, so I don't really wear one daily. 

6.  What are a few of your favorite songs from the 90's? 
I have no idea.  To be honest, I didn't listen to a lot of 'secular' music during that time.  I lived at home with my parents who really only let us listen to Christian radio, which I'm ok with.

7.  Do you like scented candles?
YES!  I love for my house to have a 'smell'.  I have this secret fear that my house will smell funny and I won't notice because I live there and I'm used to it.  So I'm all about the scented candles and the air freshener.  I like fresh scents, like clean cotton or vanilla.  I don't like any flowery scents - no rose or gardenia.

8.  What do you like on your hamburger?
A hamburger is low on my list of favorite foods, but sometimes I just need a good burger.  I like lettuce, mayo, and extra extra pickles.  When I go to Fuddruckers, I get the relish and the dill pickles on my burger.  YUM!

9.  How often do you cut your fingernails?
I have this horrible habit of biting my nails.  It is so gross yet I can't seem to permanently stop.  I'll stop for awhile but then I get stressed or something and bit them all off.  So, I don't trim my nails, they are very thin and don't really grow that long when I'm not biting them.  :(

10.  Do you sleep in socks?
Lately, yes!  My husband and I have been having the battle of the thermostat.  I'm very cold natured and he is hot natured  (isn't that just male and female?) and so even in the summer I have on a blanket.  So, with it getting colder, my husband doesn't want to turn on the heat because he thinks 68 degrees in our house feels good.  I think it is ridiculous, I don't think our house should ever be under 70 degrees and that's pushing it.  If I had it my way, I'd live in 75 degrees at all times.  :)

Well, I hope you enjoyed Ten on Tuesday this week.  I hope you have a good rest of the week!


-Stef

Ice, Ice Baby

This past weekend I went to Dallas to visit one of my bestest friends, Stephanie for a girls weekend.  We had such a great time cooking good meals, watching movies, shopping and just hanging out.  It was relaxing and fun! 

When I got there on Friday night, we went to something called ICE.  There's a hotel there called the Gaylord (which is an amazing hotel) and every winter they put up this huge tent full of ice sculptures.  It's 9 degrees in there and they make you wear a parka (yeah, 9 degrees).  I don't think I have ever been that cold.  We didn't think about bringing gloves so my fingers were actually shooting with pain.  Us Texas girls are not used to the cold, but we're strong, so we survived.

This years theme was a Charlie Brown Christmas so the sculptures were of Charlie and his friends and Snoopy too of course.  They also made a huge slide out of ice that you could slide down but I was too cold to slide. 

If you're ever in the Dallas, Grapevine, Bedford area during the holidays you should check it out.  It's pretty coooollllll.  (haha)

Look Ma! I'm like Oprah!

It's that time of year again.  I guess it's the last time it will be 'that time' but we're all hearing about Oprah's favorite things.  I never really appreciate these lists from celebrities.  Oh great, "here is a $200 bottle of lotion" or how about you buy "this fabulous $500 pair of shoes".  Yeah - right!  I get so sad when I see something cool recommended by a celebrity, then I go look it up and it's ridiculously priced.  This is the same reason I canceled my subscription to Lucky.  I really enjoyed that magazine, the clothes, jewelry, shoes, purses, etc. were awesome and also unbelievably expensive.  I felt that Lucky was not in tune with what the real world makes in their pay check.  I cannot afford $500 purses every season and your $200 bargain shoes.  SIGH.

That said, I think we should all start our own 'favorite things' lists. All of us normal Americans with average pay checks, we're smart shoppers and I bet you all have found some great stuff through the years.  So, since this is my blog, I get to post a list of my favorite things.  And everything on this list is affordable!

Jewelry Tree

I had been eyeing this for awhile and looking around online.  There are a lot of really cute choices when it comes to jewelry trees but I like this one because it's small enough to fit on my dresser nicely and it has the little birds on it. 

Boy Scouts Pop Corn
This cute little boy showed up at our door, recited his speech perfectly and 'cuted' us into buying the popcorn.  We bought the toffee and the caramel and they are DELICIOUS!  So yummy!

Netflix

I am so glad we got a Netflix account.  I learned from a stint with Blockbusters online movie issues that we don't watch more than one movie at a time.  So, we do the cheapest plan.  I think it's $9 and we get one movie at a time.  I've watched endless movies and TV shows online though and my queue is forever long.  I think this is a great service.  They are super fast at turning around your movies too.


Nicolas Sparks
I've mentioned before that I love his books.  I am always on the look out for his newest book, they usually come out once a year and if I ever see his new book on the shelf, I have to buy it then and there!  The newest book is called Safe Haven.


OPI

I love OPI nail polish.  It can be little pricey but I love the beautiful colors and the names of the colors are awesome.  I know you can find it cheaper some places and Ulta sends out regular coupons and you can buy OPI there.  I found this color recently and I'm really liking it a lot.  You Rock-apulco Red

Snow and Graham Desk Calendar

Every year I buy myself one of these calendars.  They are the perfect size for your desk, the numbers are still big enough to read, and the designs are so cute.  I usually take the cards after the year is over and make something else with them. 

                                                   

Circle E - Birds of Paradise

I was given this candle as a gift and I love it.  Since then, I've seen this scent at every one's house and at lots of different stores.  I even saw this candle for sale at Charming Charlies.  You may not want a scent that 'everyone' has but it does smell really great.  It's not too over powering.  Also, this candle burns forever.  I recommend it!

BioSilk - Leave in Treatment

I don't remember who told me about this, but this stuff is awesome.  It's this smoothing 'silk' you put in your hair.  You just add a little bit and smooth it through your hair.  It smooths the fly-aways, makes your hair super shiny and soft, and it smells good too.  You only need a little bit or else you'll be looking like you haven't washed your hair in weeks.  So, use sparingly.  :) 


Do you already know about these?  What are some of your favorite things?  What about kitchen supplies?  I don't have many kitchen gadgets so I have no clue what things are best for the kitchen. 

The Happy Couple

My beautiful sister is getting married in February!  YAY.  The happy couple was nice enough to drive to Houston and let me take their engagement pictures.  I recently got a new camera and I'm still learning how to "make it work, people".  I had a few issues with the lighting but I think for the most part the pics turned out good.  It also helps that my sister looks like a model.  ;) 

The solemn but happy shot

A little bit of a height difference, but that's ok

I think he's about to kiss her.

Lucky for you I didn't include all the kissing shots, there were alot.  Those were not my dads favorites.  :)

My sisters wedding dress is amazing and absolutely perfect for her!!  I can't wait to take some bridal shots of her, but not sure when that will be. . . maybe after the wedding. 

Well that's all for now!  Until next time!



4 Years Today

Today is our anniversary!  YAY!  I'm so happy to have been married to Curtis for four years.  We have a great marriage.  I could go on for pages about how blessed we are in our life together, but I won't make you read all of that.  I will say that I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have Curtis for my husband.  He's wonderful and just what God had planned for me!  I am looking forward to many more years together!

November 4th, 2006



My Etsy Store - Coming Soon

I've decided to launch and Etsy store to sell holiday and floral wreaths that I make.  If you remember from a post awhile back, I decided to make my own wreaths when I discovered how much they are at Hobby Lobby.  (No offense Hobby Lobby, you know I love you) I've been making wreaths for my family and friends for awhile now and I have decided to try and sell them. 

I'm working hard to get my wreaths complete and up on my Etsy store ASAP.  I'll announce it here when I launch the site.  If you notice, I added banners for my store to the right column of my blog.  I would be honored if you'd add my banner to your site, but give me a little while to get the site launched before you do.  :)  Please check back soon!

Currently in October

So. . . what's going on with me in October?  Well just the usual - work, church, friends, family and fun.  :)  But here are a few more things.

Current Book(s):
So when I was reading too many books last month, I haven’t been reading much at all this month. I just bought the new Nicholas Sparks book (YAY) but I’m hesitant to start reading it because I have so many other books that I’m a portion of the way through. Hmmm. . . what to do?!

Current Playlist:
Lately I’ve been jamming to Van Morrison – one of my favorite artists ever. However, this past week the Christian group Shane & Shane was at my church and I was reminded of how much I loved their music during college – so that’s back on the table.

Current Color:
I’ve been really into purple lately. It’s all I wear and recently all I buy. I wonder why.   I've also been wearing Pamplona Purple.  What do you think?

Current Drink:
I’ve been loving me some water lately. I’ve never been a huge water drinker (mostly b/c I hate going to the bathroom that much). I’ve also never liked lemon in my water but over the past few months – water with lemon has become my staple.

Current Food:
Well Asian food has been a favorite of mine for a long time running. I love Thai food, Chinese food, Vietnamese food and I can’t get enough. I’ll eat Asian over American any day of the week!

Current Favorite Show:
It's still How I Met Your Mother – I mean, you read my blog, you know this about me.  :)

Current Wishlist:
Time and Sleep. I wish I could go to bed earlier and sleep through the night but for some reason I’m waking up like an hour before my alarm. I bet it’s that stupid dog at the house behind us. He starts throwing his metal bowl across the concrete porch at like 6am every day. Boy do I love that dog.  :|

Current Needs:
I NEED to finish making my wreaths. I’m opening an Etsy.com store for holiday wreaths ASAP and I need to finish my wreaths now!!! I’m running out of time!!  AHHHHH.

Current Triumphs:
Finishing about half of the wreaths I’ve planned to sell AND getting my store setup. Can’t wait to launch!

Current Celebrity Crush:
Justin Timberlake – ya know. . . if I had to pick.  :)

Current Outfit:
Jeans and a purple shirt (see above) and black wedges.

Current Excitement:
VACATION!!!! Don’t know where we’re going yet but we’re going!

Current Link:

LFT – If you’re not reading Lauren From Texas, you should. I actually used to work with Lauren at a company that shall remain nameless. We became friends but haven’t seen each other in awhile. Her blog is cute and funny and Lauren is an excellent writer. You’ll love her, I promise.




So, what have you been up to in October?

BCAF 2010

This past weekend, my friend and I want to the Bayou City Art Festival in Downtown.  I had been wanting to go to this event for several years now, but everytime I hear about it or think to look it up, the event had passed.  I was so excited to go, especially since the weather had been so nice for the last few weeks.  Turns out the day we went, it was back up to 90 degrees.  :(  Needless to say a cold beverage was needed.

I love art.  I love seeing what other people create.  It makes me hope that one day, in a future life, that I'll be a super cool artist who sells art at festivals and shows.  And if you're a millionairre you can have really cool and unique art pieces in your home.  But since I can't afford $700 paintings and $4,000 sculptures, I just took pictures. 

I recently got a new digital camera so I was very excited to try it out.  I can't wait to use my new camera for all sorts of events!  I will defintitely be posting more pics I take with my new camera.

Here are some of the cool things I saw at the festival.  I tried to make a slideshow but apparently Blogger doesn't have a slideshow for inside posts.  Anyone know how to do that?

This was a wooden sculpture - very cool!

These were some sort of decorative instrument

and very expensive, but really pretty.

A very cool painting.  The tree had words written on it and the birds were cut out with materials behind them such as

rulers and metal pieces. 

I call this guy a cute monster.  I think he's super cute.  The artist had these little guys carrying off yard gnomes and giving flowers and riding baking wisks.  It was super cool.



These guys were awesome.  They were bronze statues of different humpty-dumpty-esk eggs.  They all had cute names like a slutty egg named "Over Easy".  They were super expensive.  The big ones she had were $4,500.  These were probably my favorite items because they were so detailed and clever.

There were a group of these very colorful yard decorations.  They spun and moved around with the wind (I guess I should call them weather vanes).  I liked these alot because they were so colorful.  I didn't look at the price tag because I'm sure it would have had several zeros on it.

I have a lot more pictures that you can see on my flickr.

Have a good weekend.   - Bye

 

Ten On Tuesday: Working Out

It's been awhile since I've done a Ten on Tuesday so here goes!  This weeks questions were provided by Ashley. 

1. What does your work out schedule look like?
Almost non-existent.  For no reason other than my laziness and my TV habit.  I have time to work out, have a great gym only a few minutes from my house and I still only go about once a week or once every two weeks (SAD - REALLY SAD!)

2. What is your favorite machine to use at the gym?
Leg machines - I think I have chicken legs so I'm always wanting to tone my legs - it never works.  For cardio, I like the treadmill or the elliptical.  I don't like the bikes.

3. What is your favorite class to take at the gym?
I've never taken a class at a gym.  I've also never taken one of those boot camp things, my co-working is doing that and she can barely walk. 

4. Where do you shop for work out gear and clothing?
I just wear whatever.  I don't match and I'm not cute at the gym.  I buy most of my gym shorts at Target and just wear a t-shirt (preferably one long enough to cover my bum)

5. If you can’t go to the gym, do you have a favorite outdoor activity?
I'd like to say riding my bike, but I haven't been doing much of that either. 

6. What about a favorite work out DVD? If so, please share!
I have the Bender Ball at home and the DVD for that is pretty good.  My abs are sore for days!  I've been wanting to try the 30 Day Shred DVD, but I'm petrified to try it.

7. Are you more active now or when you were in high school?
I was way more active in high school.  I was in gymnastics until about 8th or 9th grade, then I moved on to tumbling for awhile.  I was on the basketball team off and on for years, and in high school I was on the powerlifting team - no joke.

8. How has your dieting/working out philosophy changed since high school?
I eat WAY more healthy now.  In high school it was ALL carbs, Dr. Pepper and Candy Bars.  Now it's one caffeine every few days, always grilled food (never fried) and I try to avoid candy - but that's almost impossible.

9. What do you do while working out– (i.e., day dream, read, listen to music, gab with a friend)?
I have to have music during cardio.  I cannot just walk or run with nothing to listen too, I'll start counting every second and it's excruciating.  If I have music or watch TV, I'm distracted by the fact that I'm on a boat - just kidding, I meant treadmill.

10. What working out resolution would you like to make for yourself this year?
I'd like to go to the gym on regular days every week.  Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday type of deal.  I don't think it's too much to ask of myself to exercise two or three times a week.  I mean really, why am I so lazy?!

Cooking Class: 30 Minute Meals

This week, my best friend and I went to cooking class. Why you ask? Well because we wanted too and because we got a discount! We had a hard time choosing which class we wanted to take but since we both work full time and she’s a full time student, we decided 30 min meals sounded like the bees knees. (does anyone say ‘bees knees’ in real life?, I don’t)

It was a 3.5 hour class and we prepared 6 dishes! Two chicken, two fish and two steak. All of them were delish but some of them were less than my favorite. It was hard to wait for the first dish to be done because I was SO hungry and it smelled so good. So while the first one was baking, we prepared the second one, and so on and so forth. :)

We made the following dishes.
Baked Cod with Avocado, Shrimp, Cream and Cheddar Cheese
This was really good. The cream on top of the fish and the cheddar cheese baked on top was so good! The baked avocado was a good flavor too!

Sirloin with Bok Choy, Soy Sauce and Ginger with side of Coconut Rice
This was good. I think we added too much soy sauce because it was very salty. I think if it wouldn’t have been so salty, I would have liked it more.

Parmesan Fish Fillets with Avocado and Cress Salad
This was probably my least favorite. It was fish coated in shredded parmesan and pan fried. It was fine.

I had no idea what cress was but it’s an herb that has a unique flavor. I liked it a lot.

Chicken Goujons with Noodles
This was my favorite. It was an Asian-inspired chicken dish with spice, soy sauce, honey and cilantro – served over noodles.  DELISH!

Paprika Sirloin Steak Wraps
This was so delish. We put paprika and olive oil on the steak – that’s it! but it was delish! We also put cress and Greek yogurt in this wrap which made it really good.

Chicken Breast Baked in a bag with Cannellini Beans, Leak, Cream and Oregano.
This was fine. I think I would have added a few diff ingredients but it was a good recipe to learn because I can easily make it my own.

I’m so glad we went. We learned some things I never knew about cooking in general. Like, did you know that adding salt to you water makes the time it takes to boil increase? I always thought you were supposed to add salt before it boiled. . . but no!

Oh and she taught us how to tell if a steak is done by poking the steak and comparing it to a portion of your hand.  I had never heard of this but apparently it's a thing.  My husband knew about it.  (raised eyebrows)

We’re going to go to one other class and I’m excited to see what classes are offered next. Maybe one day I’ll be like a chef or something. . . or not.

Cheers!

Ladies Brunch

Awhile back, I was talking to my mom about how much I missed her, my sisters, and grandmothers.  Since my birthday was coming up (and I get whatever kind of party I want) we decided to throw a brunch for all the ladies of my family to get everyone together at one time.  We picked a date around my birthday and started planning.  I was so excited to do this because I had never really thrown a party like this before AND it was for all of my favorite ladies.  I enjoyed setting everything up and it what I wanted for my birthday was to spend some quality time with my mom, sisters and grandparents.

I found this inspiration board on The Party Dress and used it as a basis for our decorations.  I wanted to have something bright and fun.  I am so inspired by The Party Dress blog. From what I know, this is a party planning company. Almost daily, they post new ideas for seasonal parties, decorations, weddings, birthday parties, etc. They also include links to find out more about the things they are pulling together. I love scrolling through the weddings, parties and home sections.

I found these invitations from Dragonfly Papers on Etsy. 

I set the table with fresh flowers and each person had a name card, a paper flower and a cupcake at their setting.

 
The brunch consisted of an egg and sausage breakfast casserole, fresh fruit, deviled eggs, chicken salad sandwiches and of course cupcakes!
 
 

 
 
We had a really good time hanging out - just girls!
 
 

From left to right: My dads mom, my mom, her mother, and my dads aunt (she's like my grandma too!)

From left to right: The middle sis, the baby sis, and the big sis!  Yes the baby is the tallest of us all.

We had a great time!  It was so much fun to plan and setup everything.  We had an even better time just spending time together.  Unfortunately, we couldn't invite ALL of the special women in my life at one time. . . guess we'll just have to plan another party. . . with a bigger venue because there are alot of ya'll! 

 

Season Premiere - Recap

So, as you know, I was excited for premiere week. I’ll have you know that I did not watch all 16 shows (whew!). But I did watch my favorites and a few new ones.

My my take on the shows as a whole? (you ask) – “meh”. I wasn’t disappointed, per say, but I wasn’t wowed.

Here are my thoughts on the shows.
Spoiler alert – I’ll try not to give too much away, but no promises.

How I Met Your Mother
Again with the mother! The show was funny as always, but I am getting annoyed by the whole “and that kids is not how I met your mother”. Sigh. I realize this is the premise of the show, but we have so many clues now (it’s getting hard to keep track of) that I’m wondering how much more they can tell us about her without actually introducing her! As much as I love this show, I’d love for us to meet the mother and have a nice “happily ever after” and that be it.

Rules of Engagement
Funny but. . . I dunno. It was good.

Grays Anatomy
I would give this one an A. This was a good opening to the season. It was a good wrap up on the finale of last season by picking up a month or so after the ‘event that was the finale’. (trying not to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it). I was glad to see Christina FINALLY make it down the wedding aisle. (GEEZ).

Private Practice
This was good, not great. I’m not sure if it really set the tone for the whole season, but it was a good show.

The Big Bang Theory
I would give this one an A+. This show is just funny. I LOVED seeing Sheldon on a first date. It was hilarious. I have no idea why Penny went into the dinner with them, but it was pretty funny!

The Office
Pretty good. I’m excited to see how far Dwight is going take this whole building thing, I think that is going to provide a lot of laughs. I was surprised to see the development with Erin, the secretary.

Brothers and Sisters
Hmmm.. This was good. It picked up a year after the ‘event that was the finale’. I think this episode was kind of depressing, which is kind of par for the course with this show. I found some of the characters were in weird place. (Holly!).

We’ll see how these shows go. If I lose interest in some of these, I’ll probably still DVR them for a Sunday afternoon veg-fest.

Cheers!

Ten on Tuesday

Today's Ten on Tuesday questions were provided by Jessica at Road to Anywhere. Enjoy!

1. What’s the one thing you always do when you’re stressed?

Bite my nails - my worst habit.  I'll quit bitting my nails for awhile, but if I go through a really stressfull time, I bite them all off.  Then it takes me a long time to stop biting them again.  Gross, I know!

2. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done for a friend?

Hmm....I always get asked to be in their projects.  For example, my friends dad used to film small-time commercials in our hometown and they'd always call like an hour before the shoot and ask if I could show up somewhere to be in a pizza commercial or something.  I'm not an actress so that was uncomfortable.  Plus that was in junior high so of course I felt as awkward and I looked.

3. What cleaning supply could you not live without?
Cleaning?  What's that?  Ha!  Um... I'd have to say my mop.  Almost our whole house is tile so mopping has become an evil but necessary duty.

4. How long do you plan on living where you currently reside?
We have lived in our house a little over a year and we moved in with the expectation to stay 5 - 7 years but we specifically bought a house that we could live in forever, if needed.  I love it, so I wouldn't mind living there forever. 

5. Do you usually vote straight party, a mixture, or not at all?
Straight party

6. What’s something that you love to do, but seem to never make time for?
Create.  I love to try painting, watercoloring, drawing, making crafts, etc. and I have a lot of the supplies at my house, but I just never seem to find the time to create things.  Maybe if I turn off the television, I'd find the time.  (see previous post) Hmmmm.

7. What’s your favorite store to buy things for other people?
Etsy.com

8. What’s the weather like around you today?
Horrible.  It started pouring rain (there was no sprinkling stage) the moment I opened my front door to leave the house.  The traffic was so bad!  My husband was about 40 minutes late for work. :(

9. What’s the worst book you’ve ever bought and read?
I once bought some of the classics like Moby Dick, Sense and Sensibility, Huckleberry Finn, etc. and I've never finished reading any of those books.  I guess it felt too much like a school assignment at the time.  I'm getting back into reading though so maybe I'll pick them up again.

10. What’s the closest thing to you that is yellow?
My mouse pad.  It's a yellow winking emoticon.  ;)
 
Cheers!

This Is Ridiculous

I'm so excited for all the new shows to start next week.  I've been missing my regular shows.  The problem is, since there is nothing on TV but re-runs, I've taken to the web and picked up on a few new shows.  So, I was just thinking today that I should make a list of my shows and when they air so I won't miss any season premieres. . . um yeah. . . there were 16 shows on that list and only 4 of them were the shows Curtis watches.

WHAT?!  I can't believe I watch or 'want' to watch 16 shows.  What am I doing with my life?!  ;)  As my co-worker tells me, I have way to much free time on my hands.  Haha. Now I feel really bad about myself.  I should go to the gym.  :|

Anyways, I'm thinking I should pick a few shows to watch and the rest (or some of the rest) I can DVR.  That way, I'll just watch them when I have a lot of time to kill.  Like Sundays and Mondays now that football season has started. 

I won't share with you the whole list (because it's absurd), but here are the shows I'll watch the day it airs.  I'm sure you don't want to miss them either... come on just join in on my horrible habit! - you know you want too.

How I Met Your Mother - 9/20
Rules of Engagement - 9/20
Grays Anatomy - 9/23
Private Practice - 9/23
The Big Bang Theory - 9/23
The Office - 9/23
Brothers and Sisters - 9/26

This list depresses me. . . that's a lot of time out of my day, but I'm all caught up in these shows.  Maybe we should cancel our cable. . . . (sigh). . . or not.

Ok - Bye

You're the Best Around

Happy Friday!  I don't know about you but sometimes by the end of the week, I'm feeling a little less than motivated.  Usually the demotivation starts mid-week, but the prospect of a fun-filled weekend is motivation enough for me today!

If you're feeling worn out, here is a little motivational boost to get you going.  Remember - nothings going to ever keep you down!



What's your motivational song?  What do you listen too to get pumped up?!

4 Day Weekend = Exhausted

Man, I'm so glad we had a holiday weekend.  I'm even more glad (more glad?) my husband and I decided to go ahead and take Tuesday off.  Even though we had a 4 day weekend, we went non-stop.  We got a lot accomplished, had a little down time by the pool and had a lot of fun with friends and family, but I'm tired. 

I have plans to tell you about several things that have happened and things that are currently going on.  Some of which include a brunch I had with my family, wedding dress shopping with my sister, my sisters birthday party, my husbands birthday party, and much more.

So stay tuned for updates!

K. Mwuah.

My Life On A List

I’m a listographer! I can’t help it, it’s in my nature. I have a list of everything.  You wouldn’t believe the lists I have. Seriously, I take it to the extreme - but I have too, it’s the only way I can sleep at night.  :)

I’m in the process of creating a whole site of my lists - http://listography.com/7666280028

As you can see, I have stupid lists, useful lists, red lists, blue lists, one list, two list.... and private lists. Those I had to hide because those are lists of my most secretive hopes and dreams, financial goals, personal goals, etc. and some of that info cannot be blasted out on the interwebs.

I know some bloggers share their whole world, but I’m just not there yet. . . 

Anyways, what I’m trying to say is I like lists.  They make my life easier.  Just ask my husband.  I'm sure he loves my lists.  (Don't you babe?)  I cannot go shopping without a list. I even make lists of where I’m going to shop for the items.  I don’t think my career as a project manager (Hello! – list central) is helping my addiction to lists. . . At all.

I’m not ashamed. . . it’s who I am. Do you keep lists? Are you as obsessive as I am? It’s ok, you don’t have to admit that if you’re not ready to fess up.  I understand.  ;)

A Real Painter

My secret wish is to be a painter.  Just FYI.
 
Me and two of my friends from church just completed a two-part oil painting class.  We had been talking off and on about doing something creative together so when Sarah found this class, I was super excited.  She found the class through Leisure Learning and it was taught by Lynn Chatman.  Lynn was a great teacher . . . . super nice, patient and willing to help each person individually.

The first day of class, we worked on setting up our painting.  We determined the spacing of what we were going to paint.  We painted the background of the sky, the grass, and the shading of the tree.  I made a joke with the teacher, I'm a chronic blender.  I couldn't seem to make any detail on the painting without feeling the need to blend it in.  Hi, my name is Stefanie and I'm a chronic blender. . .

I was pretty happy with the end result of my first day but I was a little nervous about the tree and the hill at the bottom was too orange for me.

The second day of class, we focused on adding the details.  I struggled with the texturing of the grass (again, I'm a blender) but I think I finally figured it out with help from Lynn.  The tree was also a challenge.  At first, I wanted to blend the leaves (I know!), but then I just decided to follow the teachers advice and just put dabs of paint on the tree.  The detail of the branches was also a little difficult but I think I got it down.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my painting.  There are a few things I'd change, but I like it.  If I had kept going until I thought it was perfect I would still be there right now.  I can go overboard when I am trying to make an art project turn out the way I want it. . . ask my mom. 

I absolutely would love to take another painting class.  I had so much fun and I really enjoyed learning some of the techniques to adding shading and texture to a painting.  I practice painting some on my own but I never knew how to approach something like a landscape.

Who knows, maybe I will become a real painter one day.  :)

Suburban Speedracer

Yeah so, the other day, Curtis and I were coming home really late from  his families house and right when we pulled into our neighborhood we saw two guys riding coolers across the street!  It's true!!  I was shocked.  I think I've heard of these but maybe I just thought it was a joke.  I'm not sure.

They rode to the end of our cul-de-sac and turned around and went back down the street.  I think they were racing.  I've done a little research and apparently, you can buy one or make your own with a kit.  Check out their site: http://www.cruzincooler.com/.  I love how their motto is "Cool, very cool"  HAHA!

I think if Tim the Toolman Taylor was still on the air, we would definitely have an episode about this.

What do you think?  Is this cool, very cool?  Do you have one of these?  Can you actually put stuff in them or does the motor render them totally useless as coolers and only functional as a scooter?  Hmmmmm.  Food for thought.

Oh Happy Day

Maybe you haven't given it any thought; but if you have, you might think I named my blog after the 'Happy Day' hymn, which was sung on Sister Act 2.  While that song supports why I named my blog 'Oh Happy Day', it is not the song I think of when I think of those words.  I actually named my blog after one of my favorite worship songs.  "Oh Happy Day" By Tim Hughes.



The words mean so much to me:  "Oh Happy Day, Happy Day, you washed my sin away, Oh Happy Day, Happy Day, I'll never be the same! Forever I am changed".  It's such a powerful song. 

I want to be a happy person, and generally I'm 'cheerful', but I am not always happy or even thankful on a daily basis.  It's especially difficult when I'm going through a tough time, I tend to focus on that thing in my life that is troubling me.  Then I think of this song and the powerful words and I am reminded that no matter what is going on, I have salvation - and that is my source of true happiness!  :)

- Just had to share!

Ten on Tuesday

Todays questions are from Roots and Rings.

1.  What is your current favorite television show?
Hmm, if you remember from my previous post, I have several.  I'd have to say my favorite show is How I Met Your Mother.  Curtis and I have been watching it since day 1 and so we get every little side joke and reference they make, so it's super funny!

2.  Apple juice or orange juice?
I'd have to say orange juice.  Apple juice gets to be way to sweet about half way through the glass.

3.  It's Shark Week on Discovery Channel.  Do you watch? Why or why not?
I do not watch Shark Week and I don't know why. 
Maybe I'll try it.

4.  What are the non-blog websites you visit regularly?
ETSY and ETSY!  and Facebook, Failblog, Postsecret.

5.  What is your favorite way to prepare green beans? Asparagus? Potatoes? Carrots?
- I don't like green beans, even though I try to make myself like them.
- We try to like asparagus, I tried grilling them and steaming them, but neither of us like them.  I can eat the tops but not the stocks.  They always look so yummy, but they're not.
- I like a good baked potatoe
- I try to steam carrots and it never works.  Any suggestions?

6.  What is your favorite flower?
I love Ranunculus.  Aren't they gorgous?  I love the layers and layers and layers of petals.  So beautiful!

Guess what.  If you want them for your wedding bouquet in November, they're freakin expensive and you'll have to settle for something else.  :(

7.  How do you feel about handkerchiefs?

Umm.. gross.

8.  If you could only shop at 3 stores for the rest of your life, what would they be?  (You probably should include a grocery store)

Kroger, Target, and Banana Republic (assuming I had millions to spend there for the rest of my life)

9.  If you could only use wine for one purpose for the rest of your live, which would you choose?  To cook with or to drink?

I would choose to use wine for cooking.  I've started adding it to a few different meals and it's pretty good.  I'd have to take a cooking class about using wine, but I think it adds alot of flavor.

10.  What's your bedtime?

Arggg, bedtime is so annoying.  I'm a night owl by nature, I can't help it.  If I go to bed too early, I just lay there all night because my mind is not relaxed.  So if I went to sleep when I felt like it, it'd probably be after midnight.  However, I carpool with my husband to downtown and he has to be at work by 7am.  Really he should be there earlier, but I don't know how I could get up any earlier than 5:30, 5:45, 5:55. . .  whatever time it is I roll out of bed.  All that to say, we currently go to bed around 11 or 11:30ish but it really should be much earlier because by Friday, we're exhausted.

When I'm Wrong, I Say I'm Wrong

Ok, yeah I was wrong.  Remember that cool day in June when I thought it was hot?  Yeah, well I was wrong.  NOW it's hot.  Check out this lovely weather report. Heat index of 107?!  Are you kidding me?!  Today is the day I'm glad I sit behind a desk all day.  Who cares that my bum is getting bigger, I'm not about to pass out from heat stroke and that's something to be thankful for.  I'm sorry to everyone who works outside in this Texas heat, we feel for you, we really do! 

Again, I say, please don't let us have a hurricane right now.  It's way to hot to not have electricity.

Good luck and Godspeed.
-Stefanie

Ten on Tuesday

Well, welcome to Tuesday, hopefully the day will go well for everyone.  Today, I'm answering the Ten on Tuesday questions from Roots and Rings.  She got todays questions from Abby and the Adventures of Abby and Ryan.

1. How do you take your coffee on an average day? How do you like your coffee if you’re splurging?
I like to drink coffee, but this year I've been trying to eliminate caffine from my diet.  I used to drink a Dr. Pepper (or two or three) everyday and now I'm down to one every few days.  That said, I'm trying to eliminate coffee drinking because I like my coffee with a lot of creamer (hazelnut or vanilla) and a ton of sugar.  So, I figure it's better for me to drink an Earl Gray tea with two sugars when I'm in the mood for a warm drink.

2. What is your genre of books to read?
Lately I've been reading Christian based novels that are set in early America. 

3. Where do you want to retire, if you could go anywhere?
Hmm, this is hard.  I LOVE Texas but I think states like Tennesee and the Carolinas are so beautiful!  I'd retire in Texas, have a house in Tennesee, Bahamas, Colorado and France (Apparently I'm going to be loaded when I retire) ;)

4. The 17-year-old you is told to write a 10-minute speech. What topic would you have picked?
At 17, I was a Senior in High School.  I'd probably talk about my faith or my hopes for my future.  (I had no idea what I was going to study in college)

5. What word describes you best?
I don't know how to answer this.  I should probably have a standard answer in mind for this question, you know, for moments like this; but I don't.  I don't know about THE word that describes me best, but one word that describes me is: Caring

6. What is the next “event” that you are looking forward to? (ex.: vacation, moving, date, job change, etc)
I am looking forward to August 6th, my birthday!  I am hopeful for all the things my next year has in store. And my honey and I are planning a vacation, don't know when or where but I'm already excited.

7. Do you like to discuss controversial topics or do you prefer to avoid those types of conversations?
I don't normally discuss controversial topics, I think I'd like too but I usually don't find too many people who bring up those things.  In general, I avoid confrontation so it'd be hard for me to join in a heated debate.

8. Would you rather add 4 free hours to each day, or add 1 extra day to the week?
I think I'd rather add 4 free hours to each day.  Free meaning not working!  I always have so much I want to do when I get home but before you know it, it's time to go to bed. :(

9. If you created a sports team; what would your colors and mascot be?
I would create a team called the Princess Ponies, our mascot would of course be a pony and our colors would be pink and purple.  Just Kidding! Kinda.

10. If you had to be a teacher, what subject would you teach?
I think being an Art teacher would be a lot of fun.  Or I'd teach English, that was an easy subject for me.

Well, maybe you learned something about me or maybe you didn't.  Either way, Happy Tuesday.