trick or treat!

we just shut the door and turned off the porch light...

Halloween 2011. Such a fun night!

Wonderwoman came to help pass out candy. She also started barking at everyone, loudly.. so she had to spend a bulk of the night in the back room.

Kyler, the lion, came by to fill up his homemade candy bag. He really, really liked the whoppers. Who likes whoppers? I think I saw his mom, Lauren, secretly putting his whoppers back into the candy bowl... busted!

He loves it, don't mind the face. It's his blue steel.

We got a good handful of trick-or-treaters tonight. I so badly did not want to give the kid that didn't dress up any candy, but I just couldn't be that cut throat. AT LEAST make something up kid! either way, Happy Halloween!!!

a sad, sad weekend in aggieland

welp. we all know what happened this past weekend, let's just continue on with our lives, with this post, like it never even happened. Let's talk about the great weekend we spent in Aggieland followed by a toasty fire and hot chocolate.

Saturday - we left Dallas before sunrise, here she is peeking over the edge around ellis county or so.. 6 am people.

our amazing seats at Kyle Field. We got to tailgate after the "game" with some CS friends, that helped to lift the spirits a bit. Homemade tortillas and fajitas tend to do that.

"Now forming at the North end of Kyle Field...."

We made the trek home to make our first fire in the new house, oh I love it. Isn't winter just the best?

hot dark chocolate. mmm! curled up on the couch with my boo watching Scream and other such Halloween nonsense.

Now, that's what a weekend should be...

Crockpot: Attempt #2

I was previously disappointed in my crockpot experience a couple months back. It was ok, but not everything people had been telling me about with this crockpot cooking technique. I also had issues with forgetting to turn it on in the mornings, so it took me about 3 days to cook one crockpot meal. But, I didn't want to write it off completely just because my own forgetful mistakes, so here is take two:

Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken

3 to 4 chicken breast

6 to 8 strips of bacon

1/2 cup of BBQ sauce

1 to 2 apples, peeled or grated

1 lemon - juiced

In other recipes they had you mixing the lemon juice, sauce and apples in a bowl first, but I just dumped everything into the crockpot at once.

1. Drizzled a little BBQ sauce in bottom of pot.

2. Laid 3 chicken breasts wrapped in bacon down.

3. Threw in one honeycrisp apple (peeled and diced in my case)

4. Poured rest of the bottle of BBQ sauce on top. (I used a whole bottle, not just 1/2 c)

5. Squeezed lemon on top of everything.

6. Cooked on low for 8 hours.

I didn't even need the knife pictured above, the chicken just fell apart.

(mouth is watering as I type this)

What I learned: Wait to add the apples until the end, maybe an hour out? I'm not sure, the apples cooked for 8 hours, and were mush, delicious mush, but I wish I could have had a little crisp instead of apple sauce.

red-headed

Maybe it's because I'm slightly red-headed, but this color, any shade, I love. I'm mildly, yes mildly, obsessed with my newest fall wardrobe addition. Red ballet flats from Urban. I live in urban's flats from September to about April. Perfect for jean day Friday.

pumpkin carving.

So, we're not the most talented pumpkin carvers out there. But, we try. Here is our little special pumpkin.

Dakota wanted to help. Sorry Kods.

Blake's named him Jack. Original, I know. What a goob.

Hopefully we'll be able to draw in some trick-or-treaters next next Monday.

I'm all about tradition and makin' sweet memories, so hopefully tonight we can say we've done both.

happy halloween!

my wax drip

It started with this.

(snow white, bluegrass green, and bahama blue)

and this.

(taper candles in white, ivory and a darker neutral color)

Then it morphed into this...

I started with a blank canvas. Blended all 3 colors to make a sunset looking background.

The next step was like therapy.

Something about the monotonous act of watching each drip of wax hit the canvas was so soothing. It took about 12 (ish, I can't remember exactly how many) candles and a lot of man hours. I got through a TON of the Friday Night Lights episodes in the beginning stages of this project. Just a word of wisdom - make sure your AC is off, or that you're not directly under a vent. I had some wax-flying-off-the-canvas issues.

The final product.

It hangs in our bedroom between the door to the hallway and closet. It's a bright color, but I'm enjoying it. I tend to keep within the same navy, white, gray, with touches of mustard, so it's been fun to see a little bluegrass green mixed in.

I've started, with my random canvas art projects, to paint the sides of the canvas. I chose navy, big surprise! But, it makes it look like it's framed, and just a little more finished.

I love pretending like I'm an artist. ;)

Monday night surprises

what a lovely treat, to come home from Homegroup to see my sweet, diligent, studious husband and a kitchen island decked out with a vase-o-flowers and heavenly cupcakes. These are my favorite. They may be every girl's favorite, but truly, flowers are perfection. How do they bring such joy? Flowers and cupcakes could be the best combo ever. Better than Tim Riggins and Lyla Garrity. Better than potato chips and mayo, dakota and humping legs, chocolate and peanut butter, I hope you get the picture.

I just finished my red velvet, thrilled to take the pumpkin one with me in my lunch tomorrow.

I am loved, and it's completely undeserved.

Warrenton, Texas

This past weekend I was introduced to a whole new level of thrifting or "junking"

Alarms going off throughout the house at 8 or 8:30, coffee brewing, sunscreen getting applied... all in preparation for the one, the only Roundtop weekend. A marathon of shopping. I can't make the decision of which is better, Roundtop or Canton. Really two completely different feels, maybe I'm just a "junker-in-training" as one vendor described me, but it felt like two separate worlds. I think Canton was merely a warm-up for me when we went back in February.

I was told that one couldn't even make it to every vendor there in Warrenton even if given a whole week. Geez. Can you imagine all the schtuff you would drag home and show to your husband with a sheepish smile, hoping, begging for approval... Just me? I'm happy to share that I totally and completely controlled myself this time around.

Had to prepare mentally for Friday and Saturday. What am I looking for? What do I need? What am I willing to dish out for this bedazzled tank with a rustic looking cross on it? Juuuust kidding, but seriously, the "fashion" out there.. the crystal encrusted cowboy boots, tutus... on grown-ups... sorry I'm not sorry..

We got there and hit the fields scavenging, tent after tent, as if on the hunt for pure and shinning gold. The whole first day went by quickly. The heat started to get to me around 3, and then it was down to Zapp Hall for some beverages, spiced saltines and some good 'ol country music.

There's not a whole lot better than sitting at picnic tables, under the Texas' stars, con cerveza, listening to a small town country band. Well, I just thought of one thing, maybe a handsome husband as a two-step partner.

First day, in lieu of being strangely terrified of purchasing anything, buyers remorse maybe (?) I came home with one piece of white coral and a small metal container.

Let's take a second to check out all the TRAFFIC at this place.

I mean, car after car for literal miles stopped on the freeway. Little did I know.

Second day rolls around and with a change of shoes (from flats to some cushy flip flops my mom let me borrow) and operation hydration beginning - we headed for out for more. My legs are yelling at me for doing so much walking in terribly unsupported shoes. By the end of that day, I had finally become comfortable in my own junk-buying skin. Good thing I had to leave that evening or else I probably would have spent out the savings account... Heck, I was on a roll.

That evening I loaded my car up with a few new additions....

a rug beater. for purpose and beauty, two of my favorite things.

an old rusty cart. There are plans to de-rust and paint, but today it sits out there au-natural holding some of my favorite fall things.close up shot of shelf and wheels. This is by far my favorite purchase, but don't tell the others.

Then, back to Dallas is was, to witness one of my best friends get baptized. It was such an amazing act on her part, to follow and be obedient in what God calls us to do. God is good in all that he does and doesn't allow. He is a good creator, loving and merciful beyond what we can understand. I'm thankful.