Surprise! Happy Birthday, MissSpeech!

Kaiser and I wanted everyone to know that today was, in fact, MissSpeech's Birthday! We also wanted to take the opportunity to thank her for all she does for us, and for the love she shows us everyday. She's a wonderful wife and mommy. Happy birthday, Sheh!

A and K

PS: Gifts and donations in all denominations are being accepted throughout the month of December. Give early, give often!

Christmas Questions

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper for the majority of gifts

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial (I'm allergic to real)

3. When do you put up the tree? After December 12th (Andrew has carried on my parents tradition of waiting until after my birthday)

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually around New Years

5. Do you like eggnog? No

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I loved receiving a Barbie or doll each year

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, several!

8. Hardest person to buy for? Probably my dad

9. Easiest person to buy for? Kaiser

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Don't know that I really have one

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I shop for Christmas year round-LOVE finding good deals!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas cookies

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? I like several, one of my favorites is Carol of the Bells

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home or go over to my parents or grandparents house (they live close by:)

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? I always forget 1 or 2

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Airplane

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Andrew & I exchange presents on Christmas Eve then we open presents with my parents and sister Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Greed

23. What I love most about Christmas? Getting to see family

I look forward to seeing others answers!

Clean!

One of my absolute favorite cleaning tools is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I use them all the time and love them!

Today at Wal-Mart I noticed that they have their own brand of "magic erasers" and I also saw that Target has their own brand as well (although I most likely won't be shopping there after Corrie's experience.) Both of these were significantly less expensive than the Mr. Clean erasers.

So, was wondering if anybody had used the Wal-Mart or Target "magic erasers" and if you have what you think of them?

Thanks for your input!

Fun Times!

Last weekend we headed up the interstate to Dallas for some good fun. It was great to get away and play (even if it was only for a day).

First we went to see the Broadway Musical The Lion King. It was absolutely amazing. If you like the movie then you will LOVE the musical. I would definitely recommend it!!!

While we were at Dallas Fair Park we went to the largest state fair in the United States- the State Fair of Texas.

(I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures. We forgot our camera, so these were taken with our camera phone.)

This guy to the left is Big Tex. He wears size 70 boots and a 75-gallon hat and towers 52' above wide-eyed visitors. He made his debut at the State Fair in 1952. Big Tex welcomes visitors to the State Fair with his deep southern accent.

To the right is the famous Texas Star. It is the largest Ferris Wheel in North America. The Ferris Wheel has 44 gondolas that hold 264 riders.

The State Fair is known for introducing very unique foods. While at the fair we thought we'd try one of them. To the left is a Fried Coke. Andrew and I split it, but still weren't able to finish it. It was too sweet!!

Speech

Your Linguistic Profile:

70% General American English 20% Dixie 5% Yankee 0% Midwestern 0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Interesting little quiz. I'm still not sure how I have 5% Yankee Speech....

The Big 30!!!

Today is Andrew's 30th birthday! In honor of him, I thought I'd share 30 things I love about him (in no particular order).

Great cook
Laid Back
Handyman
Great daddy to Kaiser
Loves God
Handsome
Happy
Computer Genius
Makes me Laugh
Would follow me home when we were dating to make sure I made it safely
Takes care of me when I’m sick
He’s a walking encyclopedia
Makes sure that our lawn always looks great
Loves to read
Loves to laugh
Calls or e-mails to check on me during the day
He’s great at finding things I’ve misplaced
Loves me unconditionally
Wakes me up every morning
He encourages me to spend time with my friends
Gives very thoughtful gifts
Brings lunch to me
His commitment to our family being totally debt-free
Loves to travel
Helps around the house
Encourages my hobbies
Never forgets a special occasion
Good listener
Gives good advice
He is my best friend

Happy Birthday! I Love You!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Today is Kaiser's 2nd Birthday! He is such a sweet and loving dog. Kaiser is also a great hunter. He has caught a dove, 2 rabbits, a frog, and about a thousand snakes in our backyard. The 1st picture is of Kaiser is when he was about 6 weeks old and the 2nd picture of Kaiser was taken today. Happy Birthday Kaiser!!

Creepy

Last week I had the "honor" of being called in for jury duty. I arrived at the courthouse Monday morning at 8:15 a.m. and was sent to one of the courtrooms (along with about 50 other jurors) to wait for a courtroom assignment. While waiting over an hour and a half for our assignment, a very creepy looking guy walked into the courtroom (think Edward Scissorhands). He walked to the bailiff's area in the back corner. He looked around the bailiff's area as if he was in search of something. A lady behind me commented that he must work there. I thought to myself there was no way, but didn't say anything. Fast forward to Monday evening. I was at home listening to the evening news while doing paperwork. The top story on the news was about a defendant in a trial who had run away from the courthouse Monday morning during a smoke break. I look up at the TV and it's a picture of the creepy looking guy! A warrant had been put out for his arrest for running away from his trial. I still wonder what he was looking for in the bailiff's area. Was he looking to see if there was some sort of weapon? Pretty scary!

Frustrated!

I'm in need of advice from you fellow bloggers.

I am looking for suggestions on how to remove a rust stain (left from the bottom of a can of shave gel) on the side of our bathtub. I have tried scrubbing bubbles, magic eraser, elbow grease, etc. and I can't get the darn stain off!

Any suggestions??

Thanks!!!

School's Out For The Summer!!

It has been far too long since I last posted, so I thought I'd do a "catch up" post with some pictures.

Let's see, where do I begin?


I guess with the snow we had here the day before Easter. Here's a picture that was taken when it began snowing.

This picture was taken after it had been snowing for about 4 hours!

Easter Sunday we went to our neighbor's church as they dedicated their daughter Anna. She is such a precious baby! (that's her big brother Ethan in the adorable suit!)

Easter night we had our annual Easter egg hunt. Andrew & Kaiser decided that an Easter basket was "too girlie", so they decided to use a shotgun shell bag instead. Very creative!

We had "graduation" at the beginning of May for the Dave Ramsey class we taught. It was so neat to hear testimonies from different class members. What a blessing!!

We headed up to Flowermound on Memorial Day to attend my cousin's high school graduation. 671 graduates in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Pretty impressive!

Congratulations Brett!!

And...School's Out For The Summer! I'm so excited to have a little break. No exciting trips planned. I'm going to work full time doing speech therapy with the company I do contract with during the school year. Andrew & I are also going to teach another round of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Hope everyones summer is off to a great start!

Prayer Request

I'd like to ask for prayer for my dad. He is currently a manager for a pharmaceutical company. He recently found out that he (his 13 reps, and several hundered other employees) will be losing their jobs sometime this month (due to 2 companies merging). He has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for almost 30 years and is only a few years away from retiring.

Please pray for peace for my mom and dad during this stressful time and that the Lord will provide my dad with a job.

Thanks!

Not good!

I'm sure most of you have already heard about this, but wanted to share in case you haven't....

Menu Foods is recalling 60 million cans and pouches of certain "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food products. At least 10 pet deaths have been linked to the recall, and the affected food may have contributed to kidney failure in many other cats and dogs. For a full list of recalled items you can visit their website http://www.menufoods.com/recall/.

Girl Time!

This past weekend I had the honor of attending the Women Of Faith National Conference in San Antonio with my sweet friend Mary. She was able to get us free tickets (which were supposed to be $150 each) to the conference. It was incredible! The conference was held at the AlamoDome (which is HUGE!) 15,000 women attended the conference. We were able to hear some incredible speakers and musicians at the conference. A few of the speakers were Robin McGraw (Dr. Phil's wife), Sherri Shepherd (actress), and Luci Swindoll (Chuck Swindoll's sister). Sandi Patty, Nicole C. Mullen, & Kathy Troccoli all provided fabulous music. There was also a Christian stand up comedian named Chonda Pierce.

The fun didn't stop there. We also received passes to go "backstage" to a meet & greet. We got to meet and visit with Sandi Patty. She has been one of my favorite artists since I was in elementary school, so it was quite an honor to meet her. She gave us a signed copy of her new CD which is coming out in April.

If you haven't attended a Women of Faith Conference before, I would highly recommend it.

Thanks again Mary!!

What's the deal?

I'm a bit confused recently with the USPostal Service. You see, every Saturday morning since June I have mailed off paperwork to my company in Dallas. I have always sent my paperwork First Class and have never had a problem. The company I work for has to receive my paperwork by Tuesday so they can bill for the therapy I did. My papework has always been received by Tuesday, sometimes even by Monday. Well, my paperwork hasn't arrived by Tuesday the last three weeks. It hasn't even arrived Wednesday or Thursday. It's arrived on Friday! Why oh why? Needless to say I was a bit confused and frustrated. So, yesterday morning I went up to our local post office to see if they could help me out. Unfortunately the ladies behind the counter had no answers for me. The interesting thing was that they both said they are receiving their paychecks 5-10 days later than usual and this has just started occurring over the last few weeks (and the paychecks are still mailed the same date they always are). So, I now have to pay $4.05 to mail off my paperwork (which used to cost me $.87). That's $165.36 more each year I have to pay!

Anyone else having issues like this?

Mmmmm, soup!

I have had several requests to post my recipe for chicken enchilada soup. So, here it is!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb. of chicken breast fillets (approx. 3 fillets)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup masa harina (flour found in baking section of stores)
3 cups water
1 cup enchilada sauce
16 ounces Velveeta
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin


Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to pot and brown for 4-5 minutes per side. Set chicken aside.
Add onions and garlic to pot and sauté over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until onions begin to become translucent. Add chicken broth.
Combine masa harina with 2 cups of water in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. Add masa mixture to pot with onions, garlic and broth.
Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese and spices to pot and bring mixture to a boil.
Shred the chicken into small, bite-size pieces and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes or until thick.
Serve soup in cups or bowls, and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled corn tortilla chips, and pico de gallo.

ENJOY:)

Baby Anna

Congratulations to our precious friends Mark & Nikki on the birth of their daughter and to Ethan on becoming a big brother!!

Anna Fay
Born January 20, 2007
At 5:52 a.m.
6 Pounds 11 Ounces
20 Inches




Sweet Baby Anna




Proud Big Brother!

Yeah Sunshine!

It was so nice to see the sunshine today:) As you can tell I wasn't the only one excited about the sunshine.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

No school today. Yahoo! Well, maybe not. I'm already dreading having to make up the missed day the Monday after Easter. Boo!

Slippery sidewalk


Don't think Andrew's going anywhere quickly today


Kaiser keeping warm under his blankie

Christmas

Things have been super busy since Christmas, so I haven't had a chance to share. Sorry about that!
We had a wonderful Christmas. Thought I'd share a few pictures...


Christmas Eve morning my sister sang at a local church. She is so incredibly talented!







We made a mistake with Kaiser. Christmas Eve we taught him how to unwrap on of his presents. Well, apparently he had a great time because he decided to start unwrapping other gifts under the tree. He never bothered the gifts (except to hide behind them) until then. Oh well, that's what we get for teaching him to unwrap a present. Hopefully he'll forget how before next Christmas! (somehow I doubt it).







Here's Kaiser with one of his gifts. An embroidered LLBean bag from his grandparents. Fancy huh?





HAPPY NEW YEAR!!