ONE HUNDRED!

Today our First Graders celebrated the 100th day of school. While as a Kindergarten teacher last year, we held a parade and lots of different activities. This year was a bit more tame. We did enjoy 100 day badges, 100 pizza topping and graph morning activity sheet, and "if I had $100" writing. It was sure a fun and CRAZY day with my kiddos. I enjoyed my jean Wednesdays and of course anything that is a theme:) Wishing all my teachers a fabulous 100 days and the months that lay ahead.

Toby Turns Six!

Our beagle, Toby, turned six today! Our first born furbabe celebrated his birthday Saturday, February 2, 2013. As our independent baby, he enjoys his blanky, barking at the bunnies, eating all food types and many things he shouldn't, and bugging his little sister. But with all that being said, I love our little boy more than words. I love his puppy breath, cuddles, and playful disposition. Happy Birthday Sir Toby the Red!

ABF Saturday Ladies Night

Saturday night while the men from our ABF bible study group were on a camping retreat in Tyler, Texas, the ladies ventured to our sweet friend's house for a ladies night. We enjoyed pizza and desserts as well as some cuddle time with this cutie.

 

Denise and baby Westin

 What a great night of pure relaxation and indulgence.

 

Pizza, no bake chocolate cookies, and cake cookies. YUM!

 

Denise, Anna, and Erin (with baby Ogle)

It was a time to show our "true colors"... a night of great questions and fun!

Julie, myself, and Amy
I am so thankful for these sweet friendships!

Julie (with baby Zoutendam) and Mr. Westin

I am so thankful for these ladies. I'm thankful for the friendship that we have have and the ability for us to get together and enjoy a fun ladies night out.

Jacob Turns TWO!

On Saturday, I had the honor of celebrating one special little man's second birthday. Jacob Daniel Duke turned TWO at the end of January. Today we celebrated his birth in pure Bubble Guppie gladness.

The decorations were absolutely adorable, the food delicious, and the kiddos sure loved the bounce house in the back. It was a fun day to help celebrate this great little guy with friends. Many of our sweet friends attended the party.

  

The proud mama and I

 Kristin and I

Kristin with sweet baby Madelynn and Emily at 35 weeks

Stephanie, Kristin, and I

 Mike, Michael, and Dustin

 The birthday boy's dad, Mike, and Dustin

 Cody and big boy Bryson

What an amazing two years! Their miracle baby has grown into such a big boy. All is worth celebrating! Here's to another 365 days of blessings for our sweet Duke friends!

Meal Planning TWEETS!

Last week was a huge success. I'm looking forward to our continued meal planning as it has cut out a lot of unnecessary spending and fast food purchases. Today I made my way to the grocery store and surprisingly had a smaller grocery bill as well. Here is what's on our menu for this week as we are using many items from our last week's purchase.

M: Eat on own; Ray's BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) at church
T: pork tacos with corn relish (did not eat from last week)
W: Turkey Burgers with sweet potato fries and dessert to follow at ABF Bible Study
Th: Cheesy Chicken Pasta
F: Leftovers
S: Pizza: Ladies Night

Excited for another week of meal planning and having a more cost effective budget. What is on your menu this week?

Colorful Infinities!

I love that one of my mom's favorite hobbies is to make these beautiful infinity scarves. She finds the most beautiful color combinations that make any outfit look super cute. But more importantly it's like a security blanket that I keep close even though hundreds of miles do stand between us. It's nice to have a little piece of her that I carry with me. Thank you mama for these colorful infinities! I'm excited to see what new colors may find me next;)

My Shopping Drama

Well I have to be honest. I am not a Shopaholic. I do not suffer from the spending blues or really know much about it. Don't get me wrong. I love looking at clothes and wish I had this or that. But I've never been someone who is familiar with the latest trends or has an abundance of clothing. I go to my few select stores and find an item of clothing every now and then.... but I'm really looking to expand my wardrobe. I'm kind of in between sizes and am looking for things that are nice but comfortable. I am allergic to a ton of different fabrics which make clothes buying a bit of a challenge. Cotton is my best friend and enemy. It shrinks, gets holes, and really doesn't last as long as some of the nicer pieces but oh I love the feel of softness and the plain comfort of cotton. Anyway I was just wondering... what are some of your favorite stores? Where do you find your jeans or work pants? Those seem to be one of the biggest challenges I'm facing these days. I need some stretch. Ha! Anyway looking forward to slowly expanding the wardrobe and making a style of my own... inexpensive, comfortable, and classy:)