this is our happily ever after

Christmas at Home {flag banner}

This idea came to me when I was making this banner for the Baby Shower about a month ago.  I also wanted to make a Graditude banner, but never got around to it in our very busy November. 

I decorated my mantle in a different way this year.  I bought a bunch of antique bottles recently and paired them with some antique and new canning jars.  I found some live green and red buds to place in the bottles and will add some more flowers and candles to the canning jars as Christmas approaches.  This is a look I may keep up through January, minus the banner.  It's clean and fresh...and I like that.  Somehow I think it works with the rest of our Christmas decor...modern farmhouse is the look I'm going for. 

These flag banners do take a little time...tracing the flag template onto cardstock, cuttting it out, punching circles, placing the letters on the flags, and threading ribbon through it....but if I pack it in a ziploc bag it will last for years. 

I chose to go with brighter greens, turquoise blues, and a little red because I wanted it to go with the blue green glass jars...but you could totally change up the colors, words, etc.  This is just waiting to be personalized.  I really thought about the phrase Joy to the World...but that will be saved for another project. 

Christmas at Home {Advent Ideas}

As a child I loved, loved, loved moving my little teddy bear (that was magnetic) around the little advent calendar (house) that hung on the fridge.  That was the way we watched the Advent season go by.  Now I have some other ideas...although I'm not sure I will add these to my Christmas projects this year, I know that when I have kids I will make a point to have a little something special each day to celebrate the Christmas season.  I'm posting these a few days before December so maybe you can take up an idea and run with it. 

Ali Edwards, a brillliant creative talent, has a fun blog with lots of great creative ideas.  I hadn't visited her blog in quite a while, but remembered a few days ago that she always has great Christmas ideas.  Here are a few ideas (with the links)

Advent Action Cards (I LOVE this idea!!!...and it's something you could easily make yourself)

Advent Boxes

From Two Peas in a Bucket

Countdown Christmas

from Better Homes and Gardens

pumpkin pie cake (recipe edit)

A girl in my Bible Study, Marci, made this for a social gathering we had a few weeks ago.  One bite and I was in heaven..and knew I must have the recipe.  As I type this you're all probably preparing your Thanksgiving feast, so this recipe is a bit late, but you must make this sometime before Christmas...or for Christmas...it's DIVINE!! 

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random fact--As I was reviewing this recipe to type up I realized that I forgot to put the sugar in my cake...thankfully I keep a well stocked pantry and had everything I needed to make the recipe correctly.  Nicely done, Angela, nicely done! 

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So here's what you need (see I pulled the sugar out of the pantry)

1 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 pkg yellow cake mix

2 sticks of butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans (I toast mine in a skillet for a couple of minutes)

Grease 9x13 pan.  Combine pumpkin, milk, salt, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.  Mix well and pour into baking dish.  Sprinkle cake mix on top.  Pour melted butter over the cake mix and sprinkle with pecans.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Check the cake at 45 minutes, if the pecans are browning too fast, loosely cover the cake with foil.  Remove cake from oven and cool. 

 

Ten Things I'm Thankful for in 2010

1. My Spiritual Growth this year has been huge which results in peace, wisdom, and kindness towards others.

2. My husband because he is truly God's match for me and I love him more and more everyday.

3. My friends--all of you whether I talk to you weekly or yearly...but I will say that this year I'm especially thankful for the growth in my friendship with Kelly...she is not only the person who challenges me creatively, but she also really challenges me spiritually too...on weekly basis. 

4. My family---immediate and extended---for always being there for us

5. For all of our travels this year...coast to coast!!

6. My decision to not teach this year...so, so thankful for this decision even if it means I can't shop as much!  I'm at peace, rested, and enjoying serving more at church, taking dinner to friends and family, being creative, and feathering my nest.

7. Beginning and completing all of our adoption paperwork and knowing that God has the perfect baby for us in His perfect time!

8. My kitties who I love more than should be allowed...

 

9. My blog readers...although in many ways I consider my blog to be a selfish thing where I document our life, I can't tell you how much I appreciate knowing that I have so many people who follow our normal  life on the blog...keep reading...and share it with your friends :)

10. Health--The fact is, there is nothing as important (other than God) as your health.  One trip to the doctor or one phone call can change your priorities faster than you can try to catch your breath.  I am healthier now than I've been since I was a child.  Thank you God for my health.

weekend away in the Hill Country

Last Thursday my parent's flew to Houston to attend a wedding with us in New Braunfels.  Brian had to work on Friday so my parent's and I headed to San Antonio in order to eat lunch at The Cove as seen on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.  I must say that this dive is so random, but amazingly good.  They had a gluten free menu and served lots of organic food...and in case you need your car washed they had one of those at the restaurant too. 

I had a burger with sweet potato fries

Then we drove downtown (just a few exits away) to see the Alamo (because it's changed so much since we were there last time ;)

and we saw the riverwalk from above

After we checked into our rooms we went to Gruene for a drink in the famous Gruene Hall and dinner at the Grist Mill. 

I think that Gruene Hall could be one of my Dad's favorite places in Texas...all because it's one the places where George Strait got his start...and my Dad loves all things George Strait!!!

After doing some shopping at the outlet mall the next morning we went to the wedding and reception...it was quintessentially Texas Hill Country.

The Bride and Groom are both Aggies, so they gave personalized rally towels as gifts.

Then Mom grabbed the camera and got some shots of us

My Aunt Karol and cousin Kate also came...Kate just moved to San Antonio and my Aunt was there helping her out.  The Groom's parents are the matchmakers behind my Aunt Karol and Uncle Bruce! 

Mom and Aunt Karol reminiscing with Wayne, the Groom's Dad

Because we were at a Texas wedding there was a lot of Texas "two steppin"...now that Kate is a Texas girl, Brian felt responsible to teach her how to two step...at least give her a basic lesson...now she needs to find a cowboy and practice ;)

Thanksgiving 2010

This Thursday, Thanksgiving 2010, Brian and I will be celebrating Thanksgiving by ourselves.  We're going to his aunt and uncle's house Friday for "Friday Thanksgiving", but I still felt like I needed to eat Thanksgiving food on Thanksgiving Day.   

Today I bought an organic turkey breast at Central Market.  Let's be honest, the best part of Thanksgiving are the leftovers...turkey sandwiches the next day make the top of my list. 

Here's my menu for the Moore Thanksgiving...

The Turkey Breast:   Herb Roasted Turkey Breast  with my adaptations

The Taters: Creamy Mashed Potatoes from Pioneer Woman

Vegetable #1: Oven Roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts (my recipe coming soon)

Vegetable #2: Green Bean Casserole (because why mess with a good thing)

Pecan Pie  come to mama!

What's on your menu this year at your table? 

what to write about?

I sit here tonight, tucked into bed, with Oliver nestled into me as close as he could possibly be without being right on top of me.  My parent's are down the hall fast asleep and Brian is preparing to come to bed.  I am SO happy to have him back home...he was gone for 4 nights on a business trip this week and I missed his companionship so much.  Kudos to those of you have have spouses who travel a lot for work...I just can't imagine living life without Brian here most of the time...and for those of you who do this with kids, well you deserve a extravagant vacation...once a month 

Anyways...I had no idea what to blog about tonight, but felt the need to blog.  So I asked myself, what should I blog about tonight...and then I read her blog...and noticed that she is on her 1,000 post today!!!!  1,000 times she has sat down at her computer to document her life, 1,000 times she has shared a glimpse of her life 1,000 times she has put her thoughts and feelings into words.  WOW!!! 

I wish I could say this was my 1,000th blog post, but it's not...I'm in the high 700's.  At first I couldn't believe that "she got ahead of me"...I started my blog a few months before she started hers, but then I was reminded of a few reasons why my blogging has ebbed and flowed througout the past 4+years.

1. Heart Transplant (the wait, the surgery, the recovery...enough said) Plus keep in mind that entire journey was documented in Caring Bridge

2. Hurricane Ike (moving from our house into an apt without internet for a month, returning to our house where we didn't have internet for a month...blah, blah blah)

3. Working 60+ hour weeks last year...how did I survive that...with a smile on my face.  I still am in awe that I worked that hard. 

4. I don't have kids...I realize this isn't a great excuse, but let's be honest...kids provide a lot of entertainment, photo opportunities, funny stories, and many lessons learned for the parents. 

As a blogger, I'm always thinking about things to write about...ways to document my life, other things to encourage my readers, and additional ideas to prompt you to try something new (like a recipe).  What began as a way to stay connected during a very scary time in my life has turned into a creative way to document my life, my interests, my thoughts, my inspiration. 

Thanks for sharing in the randomness...A

 

Chex Mix

Did you know that there are 7 different kinds of Chex cereal on the market?  I grew up in a house where sugary cereal was not allowed; our choices consisted of: Rice Chex, Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Nabisco Shredded Wheat, and on occasion Froasted Flakes.  Out of these cereals Rice Chex was my favorite and continues to be on the top of my list.  Recently I discovered Cinnamon Sugar Chex which is awesome too. 

Why all the talk about these crunchy little squares?  Well I went to the Chex website today, after seeing an ad in a magazine, and found a whole plethora of Chex Mix Recipes.  This goes way beyond the standard Chex Mix and Puppy Chow or as some call it Muddy Buddies.

Here are some that intrigued me:

Buffalo Chex Mix

Oriental Chex Mix

Sugar and Spice Snack Mix

For all the recipes click here

California

I didn't take a whole lot of photos in San Diego, but I did manage to get some good shots.  Brian was finished with class a little early on Friday so we headed to Torrey Pines State Park to walk on the beach. We spent about an hour walking around, kicking our feet in the chilly water, and while I took photos, Brian skipped rocks. 

 

We had about an hour to kill before we needed to get to the airport Saturday morning, so we went to La Jolla, a beautiful and affluent beachside area just north of San Diego.  We had visited La Jolla when we were in San Diego 7 years ago so we knew what awaited us....

Sea Lions!!  They were so cute...and I was just amazed at the swimmers in this cove swimming very close to the sea lions.

baby shower + name banner

Last weekend I helped my cousin throw a baby shower for a friend of hers.   It was weird...throwing a baby shower...knowing that I would be having one someday relatively soon. 

I made this adorable banner to decorate the mantle and hopefully the baby's room someday.  This was so easy.  Double sided scrapbook paper, letters, prima flowers, scallop punch, ribbon.  It took me less than two hours and I made and ate dinner in between. 

Jessica and I also made a diaper cake...and I added a initial topper...

 

We ordered cupcakes from Crave...delicious!

We had much more food than we needed...of course!

It was a gorgeous day and we were able to have the doors open...

don't feel too bad for the guys who were at the baby shower, my cousin Michael set up a tv outside by the hot tub in order to watch football...

Jessica had the cutest idea...tie dying onesies...simply adorable!

even the dad to be got involved!

Then they played a "game" where the parents to be had to taste and identify baby food, blindfolded...ewww! 

and the day ended with watching football in the hot tub...