Hill Country Getaway

Towards the end of February, my mom, cousin Kimberly and Aunt Barbara all met up for a girls weekend in Fredricksburg. We had a great time. Kimberly and I had this idea when she visited back in September to have a "Barbara Reunion" weekend. Growing up, Kara and I would spend a week (or longer) every summer up in Burleson visiting, playing, and hanging out with our cousins, Kimberly and Angela. Kelley even joined us a couple of times! We always had a great time. Barbara was the coolest aunt ever too. She would let us stay up late...eat whatever we wanted (whenever we wanted!), took us on awesome trips (Galveston, Six Flags, Water World, Fort Worth Zoo, etc), let us stand up through her sunroof and sing at the top of our lungs through the country (our favorite song to sing was Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac")---come on, who doesn't want to sing their heart out to that song??? :-) Anyways, on these excursions with Barbara, she paid for everything. She hardly ever allowed my parents to give her any money while we stayed at her house---and Kimberly and I had this idea, that we should honor her---and take her on an excursion---paid for by us! Unfortunately, Kara couldn't join us due to her work schedule----and we know Angela was with us in spirit----and my mom joined us to help celebrate the awesome woman Barbara is. We had a great time in Fredricksburg. We rented out the top floor of a cute bed and breakfast, shopped the streets of Fredricksburg, and drove to Center Point and ate lunch at the Camp Verde General Store.
Kimberly and I had our picture taken on the bench of the front porch of the Camp Verde General Store. Our Gran-Gran grew up in this area and would pull tricks on an elderly couple that would sit on this very bench to eat ice cream on Sunday afternoons. We all agreed that our "reunion" weekend occurred way too late---so we decided that we should try to do this at least every year or two. We're hoping that when Kimberly and Steve move to California, we should have our next reunion out there! Kelley and Kara---are you in? And while Heather and Laura Lea never participated in our summer extravaganzas, wouldn't it be fun for all of us, girl cousins, to have a reunion? :-) Think about it...

Valentine's Day

This year for Valentine's Day, I made some new treats to give out to friends---White Chocolate and M&M Popcorn---and it turned out a big hit! I bundled them in clear cellophane bags and found some cute *free* Valentine downloads to tie on.

Here is the recipe to the incredibly yummy popcorn! It is super easy and super quick to make!

White Chocolate and M&M Popcorn

2 bags of light butter popcorn, popped

1 1/2 bag of Nestle white chocolate morsels, melted

1 1/2 cups of M&Ms (holiday kind)

Combine all three ingredients and toss lightly.

Be careful not to stir too hard, you will break the popcorn.

And make sure the M&Ms are evenly dispersed throughout the mixture.

Enjoy immediately or package to give away!

Let's Rodeo San Antonio!

This last weekend, we took Ben to his first Rodeo. We had a great time. Ben loved seeing all the animals, and knew exactly what was going on during the Rodeo. He kept asking for the "bucking broncos", "cow wrangling", "bull wrestling", and "cowboys". We had a great time together.

Here is a picture of Ben and his friend, Nolan.

Ben looks silly in this photo, but his facial expression is a perfect example of the fun he had!

Ben even had his first taste of cotton candy....

...he LOVED it!!!

I look forward to taking him to his first "country" rodeo---in an outdoor arena. The kind that I went to a lot growing up in Dripping Springs! Those rodeos are still very fun, but a different kind of experience. We'll have to catch a schedule and look for one this spring/summer. :-)

Snow Dust

On February 4th, San Antonio had a "snow day". School was cancelled due to the snow and ice on the ground. (Oh my Colorado friends/family, I hear you laughing at us "Texans"!) But, in our defense, the roads were dangerous, and we are not equipped to drive in such inclement weather! After the boys woke up and had breakfast, they dressed warmly and headed outside for their first taste of "snow". The amount of snow we had was like a "dusting", but the boys had fun, and we shoveled enough together to make snowballs. Ben got his Gran with a good one! :-) Randy and I are looking forward to taking the kid to the mountains to see REAL snow someday. But for now, here are some photo of our "snow dust" day.

Best Buds

Winter Comfort Food

On this dreary, raining day, I made this soup for dinner: Chicken Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes. Yummy! It was super easy (I bet you have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your pantry/refrigerator!)---and super delicious. I served the soup with a side of garlic breadsticks. The recipe makes a lot, but even better for left-overs! I promise this recipe will not disappoint!

School Nursing

I have been working as a school nurse now since November 1st----and I really like it. I find that every day is different. The stories that I hear from the students are never the same....and some of them get quite comical. Just ask me about the kid who told me he "electrocution shooting through his body" and then proceded to throw himself on the floor because the "electricity was so strong". (I think I should nominate him for an Oscar winning performance!) I have a great clinic assistant, Jennifer. She has been working at the school for 8 years and as the clinic assistant for 5, and she is more than great. She can triage those kids in and out of the clinic---and she knows them by name, their parents, their family history, etc. She has been a wealth of information coming into this new environment. My job is pleasantly not stressful (most of the time), and the kids really are great (most of them). :-) I have met some great people that work in the school and I am happy to have joined them.