Christmas in Williamsburg
3 hours ago
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Happy Birthday Willie!
The legendary Willie Nelson turns 75 years old today! Can you believe it?? Willie of course is not only known as a legend in country music, but also for his rebellious ways and run-ins with the law. In my mind, anytime I see Willie or hear one of his amazing songs it makes me think of my dad and reminds me so much of when I was little. He always seemed to really love Willie and I remember him singing or humming his songs all of the time.....he even used to always say that the only man that should have long hair or wear an earring is Willie Nelson, ha! Even now, Willie is still a truly amazing talent and continues to keep on singing, believing and living his life, his way. HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIE!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
My Favorite Boys
My boys are crazy I tell ya', but they make me smile more than I ever could imagine. I just love to see them let loose, play and have a little fun especially to help us all wind down at the end of the day. After a long, hectic day, it's just that perfect little boost to put a smile on my face and make my day so much brighter .
He's a ball of energy!!
Hudson strutting his stuff!
Doing some push ups and then laps around the coffee table, ha!
David teasing Hudson with "the claw."
Tickle time!!
AW!!! How cute are they???
Hugs and Kisses!
Hugs and Kisses!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday Eats...
David grilled the most amazing pork tenderloin for dinner last night and I just had to share the recipe because it is just THAT GOOD! It had to be the most tender tenderloin I've ever had and I was actually pleasantly surprised that it came out so well and I liked it so much because I am particularly picky when it comes to any type of pork dish. The recipe actually came from the Summer 2006 Kraft Food & Family Magazine that is full of recipes and you can sign up on the Kraft site for free to receive this publication. I will include the links below. The recipe includes cooking instructions for either the oven or the grill, but David grilled it as we are big time grillers in our house!
Honey Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Prep Time:5 min
Total Time:35 min
Makes:4 servings
1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)
1/4 cup KRAFT CATALINA Dressing, divided
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. honey
PREHEAT oven to 425ºF. Brush meat with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing. Mix dry ingredients; rub onto meat. Place in baking pan. Mix remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing and honey; set aside.
BAKE 15 min.; brush with dressing mixture. Bake an additional 10 min. or until cooked through (160ºF).
REMOVE meat from oven; cover with foil. Let stand 5 min. before slicing.
OR FOR GRILL LOVERS....How to Prepare on the Grill
Preheat grill to medium heat. Prepare meat as directed, rubbing with spice mixture. Place meat on grill; cover grill with lid. Grill 20 min., or turning occasionally. Brush with some of the honey mixture. Continue grilling 5 to 10 min. or until meat is cooked through (160ºF), turning and brushing frequently with honey mixture. Let stand covered with foil, 5 min. before slicing.
Honey Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Prep Time:5 min
Total Time:35 min
Makes:4 servings
1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)
1/4 cup KRAFT CATALINA Dressing, divided
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. honey
PREHEAT oven to 425ºF. Brush meat with 2 Tbsp. of the dressing. Mix dry ingredients; rub onto meat. Place in baking pan. Mix remaining 2 Tbsp. dressing and honey; set aside.
BAKE 15 min.; brush with dressing mixture. Bake an additional 10 min. or until cooked through (160ºF).
REMOVE meat from oven; cover with foil. Let stand 5 min. before slicing.
OR FOR GRILL LOVERS....How to Prepare on the Grill
Preheat grill to medium heat. Prepare meat as directed, rubbing with spice mixture. Place meat on grill; cover grill with lid. Grill 20 min., or turning occasionally. Brush with some of the honey mixture. Continue grilling 5 to 10 min. or until meat is cooked through (160ºF), turning and brushing frequently with honey mixture. Let stand covered with foil, 5 min. before slicing.
Photo courtesy of Kraft
Link to join the Kraft Community and sign up for the Food and Family Magazine
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Boys Love Sticks!
Hudson has a completely new totally all-boy infatuation...STICKS! Oh my goodness, does this boy like sticks! It's hilarious how quickly he finds them in the yard and just walks around carrying them in BOTH hands, ha! He can even say *sticks* now, that's pretty cool actually as he is starting to pick up more words lately. What's even better is when you try to take them away from him...NOT! He goes into full hysterics and screams bloody murder whenever it comes time to remove his precious sticks from his clinched fists and make him go inside. It truly is a sight to be seen....hopefully, this is just a phase and eventually he will put down the sticks when asked rather then having to struggle with him to get the sticks out of his death grip!!!
Friday, April 25, 2008
We Have Air!!!!
I totally forgot to post about this last night because I was basking in pure bliss, but we have air!!! Our air conditioner units are both up and running! Woo Hoo!!! Apparently, they just needed to be charged / filled with freon again and hopefully, we will not be having any other problems with either unit. The A/C repair man did say that he didn't find anything else wrong with either one and that they both were in good condition, so that's another great thing to hear because I have been horrified that we would end up having to replace both units sometime before we finally get out of this house and that would amount to mucho dinero that I would rather spend elsewhere! In any case, we have a nice cool house and I am so, so very thankful for that! No more hot, humid stuffy house! Now I can enjoy my weekend in comfort. :)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Sneaky, Sneaky!
Hudson is such a sneaky little boy. David caught him the other day when he decided that *daddy's drink* was his and Hudson didn't even realize at first that he had been caught red-handed doing a no-no. Of course, Hudson just smiled and laughed as usual and just thought he was being cute! I guess he thinks he's ready for some Sprite, but I don't quite think so! He definitely does NOT need any more energy from those sugar-filled sodas! He's definitely got enough energy on his own. :)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
When it Rains it Pours...
I'm keeping my chin up, but today has not been a great day. Actually, this week in general hasn't been all too great. We currently have no air conditioning and I am on the verge of tears because I am so sick of things going wrong. One of our units was already out, but apparently the other unit decided to go out yesterday and now with are without any air and it is a bit warm and humid up in this house! David stopped by Costco last night and bought some additional fans to help us out until the A/C repair company comes to do a service call tomorrow to see what needs to be fixed, so it's not totally miserable but I sure do miss having some cold A/C blowin'!
Then I got home today, already dreading the thought of spending the evening in a hot house and home alone since David is working tonight, and David told me that Hudson accidentally broke his i-Pod today. Argh! He's only had the thing for like a couple of months and now he will have to buy a new one. It's one thing when something that is *essential* gets broken, that's frustrating enough, but when something that would be considered somewhat of a *luxury* item (not that an i-Pod is frivolous or anything, but it is obviously a non-essential item in life) anyways, when something like that gets broken it's just disappointing especially since David waited FOREVER to buy himself one. Oh well, life happens and it obviously was a mistake, but it still makes for a frustrating day.
While I am at it...venting that is...David also JUST bought all new tires for his truck within the past month as well and has already gotten a nail in one of them. :( It's so frustrating because tires are not cheap and he again, waited forever to finally replace all four and already one of them will likely need to be replaced again soon. I feel so bad for my hubby! He's taken all of it really well too, he probably even acts a less bit frustrated about all of these things than I do which is a bit odd actually.
I know in the scheme of things these things are so minute and totally nothing to get upset or stressed about, but it seems like when it rains it pours and it just knocks the wind out of you! I know that at times like this we should just count our blessings and let it be as we have so many things to be thankful for and I truly do count my blessings everyday, but sometimes I just wish the bad things would come in smaller, more spaced out doses, it would obviously be nicer and much more manageable that way, but I guess life would be a lot less interesting too, huh????
Then I got home today, already dreading the thought of spending the evening in a hot house and home alone since David is working tonight, and David told me that Hudson accidentally broke his i-Pod today. Argh! He's only had the thing for like a couple of months and now he will have to buy a new one. It's one thing when something that is *essential* gets broken, that's frustrating enough, but when something that would be considered somewhat of a *luxury* item (not that an i-Pod is frivolous or anything, but it is obviously a non-essential item in life) anyways, when something like that gets broken it's just disappointing especially since David waited FOREVER to buy himself one. Oh well, life happens and it obviously was a mistake, but it still makes for a frustrating day.
While I am at it...venting that is...David also JUST bought all new tires for his truck within the past month as well and has already gotten a nail in one of them. :( It's so frustrating because tires are not cheap and he again, waited forever to finally replace all four and already one of them will likely need to be replaced again soon. I feel so bad for my hubby! He's taken all of it really well too, he probably even acts a less bit frustrated about all of these things than I do which is a bit odd actually.
I know in the scheme of things these things are so minute and totally nothing to get upset or stressed about, but it seems like when it rains it pours and it just knocks the wind out of you! I know that at times like this we should just count our blessings and let it be as we have so many things to be thankful for and I truly do count my blessings everyday, but sometimes I just wish the bad things would come in smaller, more spaced out doses, it would obviously be nicer and much more manageable that way, but I guess life would be a lot less interesting too, huh????
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Happy Earth Day
In honor of Earth day, I wanted to share some great simple tips / ideas of ways to "Go Green" to help the planet. Of course, there are truly countless ways that you can do your part, but this is just a short list to get you started. Many of these we already do on a regular basis, but there are also many that I intend to implement in the future. A lot of the things you can do are fairly easy, no-brainer type things, it's just more of an awareness and creating the habit in your daily routine.
Every Little Bit Helps...
21 Ways to Go Green Now!
Every Little Bit Helps...
- Turn off and/or unplug appliances while not in use.
- Use compact flourescent light bulbs or CFLs.
- Eat organic foods.
- Where organic or sustainable clothing.
- Drive a fuel efficient car.
- Conserve water by turning water off while brushing teeth and putting milk jugs in the toilet (see video below).
- Paper or Plastic? Neither!Get reusable bags!
- Stop using disposables...aka diapers, napkins, plates, cups, raxors, etc.
- Buy products that are made of recyclable materials.
- Drink tap water...not bottled.
- Shop at thrift stores and garage sales.
- Use natural cleaning products.
- Use natural detergents and soaps.
- Eat local and seasonal foods whenever possible.
- Grow your own foods.
- Walk or bicycle instead of drive.
- Take public transportation or carpoll instead of driving alone.
- Recycle everything you can!
- Reduce the amount of stuff you buy and consume.
- Reuse items as much as you can.
- Compost your kitchen scraps.
Go Green tips sourced from http://www.squidoo.com/green-living
Me.Need.Sleep :)
You know that you MUST need more sleep when you go to brush your teeth and pump facial cleanser onto your toothbrush, yeah, that would be me this morning. Oops! I've never pulled that one before! I'm *starting* to think I need a vacation!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Shelby's Birthday
My sister, Debbie, had a small family get together this past Saturday to celebrate my niece, Shelby's, birthday and although I had a very busy day we were able to make it for a short bit towards the end of the party. Shelby isn't present in any of these pictures because she thought she was too cool I guess and ran off to hang out with one of her buddies from school. In any case, we had fun and enjoyed the short time that we got to hang out and see everyone. Of course, Hudson kept everyone thoroughly entertained as usual. :)
Hudson pretending to talk to someone(??) on Cassidy's (one of my other nieces) cell phone.
Hudson playing with Cason.
My sister Karen lovin' on my little man. Please excuse the scary face in the second picture....she thought that she would *try* to be funny....just kidding Karen!!!
Hudson acting silly and Cassidy taunting him with her cell phone. He LOVES phones and anything electronic so she definitely had his attention!!!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Gorgeous New "Locks"
I am a "new woman", so to speak as I finally was able to get my hair completely redone yesterday and now I have a whole new look. I was getting really tired of the same old color that I have been sporting for almost three years now, so I decided to say "bye-bye" to the old dark, dark brunette locks and said "hello" to a new golden blonde coif that I absolutely LOVE!!! The self-proclaimed Queen of Hair (not really, it's totally an inside joke!), Michelle, from the Four Seasons Salon completely transformed my dull, drab old haircolor and stripped all of the yucky dark color off, applied a light golden brown / dark blonde tone all over and then heavily highlighted for an extra pop of brightness. I also got a cute little haircut with long layers and long side-swept bangs. LOVE it! I am so happy to finally have a new look and am looking forward to kissing that nasty "box haircolor" goodbye! I have no pics yet of the new do *yet*, but rest assured, I will post some once I do. :)
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Date Night
For the first time in quite a while, David and I were treated to an oh-so needed, and lest I not forget, greatly appreciated "date night" last night and I have to say that we really enjoyed our evening of relaxation as a refreshing break from our normal day-to-day routine. Marcia had graciously offered last weekend to have us bring Hudson over last night and have him spend the night with her and we decided that it would probably be wise to take her up on her offer so that we could have some alone time and go out for a nice dinner sans baby.
So, after I got home from work we dropped Hudson off at Marcia's and headed towards Dallas to go out to dinner. Now let me tell you, David is a total creature of habit when it comes to restaurants and NEVER wants to try anything new...he is always worried that he won't like the food and will be disappointed that he didn't go somewhere that he knows he likes. Well, I have been giving him a hard time about it for quite some time now and I guess that I finally broke him down because he finally decided last night that he would be willing to try a new place. Yippee!!! I was so excited because it seems as if everytime I get him close to trying out a new restaurant he decides to change his mind and back out at the last minute. In any case, we hadn't made any decisions about a restaurant prior to driving into Dallas, however I had been giving a few places some thought and decided to start trying to narrow down the decision by asking David what kind of food he wanted or wanted sounded good. Well, as you can imagine he didn't quite cooperate in telling me, but finally made a comment about how he would love to have some good pizza or just good italian food in general. Okay, so that definitely narrowed things down for me and I started making suggestions from my list of restaurants that I have been wanting to try with the assistance of my trusty little GPS....Fireside Pies, Coal Vines, Taverna, among others....I had heard amazing things about each and they were all on my virtual wish list of restaurants, but in the end we decided to try out Taverna in the Knox-Henderson area.
This place is incredibly busy, every table inside and out was completely full as was the bar area and the adjacent seating area as well. Indeed, it definitely did look as if it was a very popular choice for many couples out for a night alone and with the crowd that was there when we arrived we did have to wait about 45 minutes or so to be seated, but let me just say that it was so, so worth it! The restaurant is very small and quaint and is also very dim, cozy and romantic. It does get a bit loud inside, mostly because it is so small and there are so many tables within the limited space, but even the noise from the other guests dining did not distract from it's wonderful ambiance and charm. The service was wonderful and the food was absolutely amazing! They also have a nice wine selection if you are one to enjoy a nice glass of vino with your dinner. I tried the Livio Felluga “Esperto” Pinot Grigio which was simply divine! For our appetizer, we selected the Taverna Foccacia which basically consisted of a foccacia bread topped with arugula, pancetta, pine nuts, shaved parmesan cheese, red onions and mushrooms served with a balsamic vinagrette for dipping. This was absolutely delicious...I told David that we needed to make an attempt to create something similar at home because I liked it that much! It would be awesome as an appetizer for a family gathering or special ocassion of pretty much any kind....it was super yummy!
Before we could even barely make a dent into the appetizer, our entrees were served...typically, this is something that would slightly annoy me, but given the fact that this was our night alone and that everything had been so wonderful thus far I didn't let it bother me in the slightest. I actually quite enjoyed the fact that our entrees were served so quickly because I was truly famished and ready for more delicious food! Both of our entrees were absolutely fantastic and in the end, we were both equally impressed with Taverna - the food, the service, the atmosphere and the entire dining experience as whole. I was also completely escastic that David not only tried something new, but LOVED it! Here's to many new dining experiences ahead! :)
After dinner we just went home and relaxed and enjoyed the remainder of the evening followed by a night's worth of non-interrupted sleep....every parents dream! ;)
So, after I got home from work we dropped Hudson off at Marcia's and headed towards Dallas to go out to dinner. Now let me tell you, David is a total creature of habit when it comes to restaurants and NEVER wants to try anything new...he is always worried that he won't like the food and will be disappointed that he didn't go somewhere that he knows he likes. Well, I have been giving him a hard time about it for quite some time now and I guess that I finally broke him down because he finally decided last night that he would be willing to try a new place. Yippee!!! I was so excited because it seems as if everytime I get him close to trying out a new restaurant he decides to change his mind and back out at the last minute. In any case, we hadn't made any decisions about a restaurant prior to driving into Dallas, however I had been giving a few places some thought and decided to start trying to narrow down the decision by asking David what kind of food he wanted or wanted sounded good. Well, as you can imagine he didn't quite cooperate in telling me, but finally made a comment about how he would love to have some good pizza or just good italian food in general. Okay, so that definitely narrowed things down for me and I started making suggestions from my list of restaurants that I have been wanting to try with the assistance of my trusty little GPS....Fireside Pies, Coal Vines, Taverna, among others....I had heard amazing things about each and they were all on my virtual wish list of restaurants, but in the end we decided to try out Taverna in the Knox-Henderson area.
This place is incredibly busy, every table inside and out was completely full as was the bar area and the adjacent seating area as well. Indeed, it definitely did look as if it was a very popular choice for many couples out for a night alone and with the crowd that was there when we arrived we did have to wait about 45 minutes or so to be seated, but let me just say that it was so, so worth it! The restaurant is very small and quaint and is also very dim, cozy and romantic. It does get a bit loud inside, mostly because it is so small and there are so many tables within the limited space, but even the noise from the other guests dining did not distract from it's wonderful ambiance and charm. The service was wonderful and the food was absolutely amazing! They also have a nice wine selection if you are one to enjoy a nice glass of vino with your dinner. I tried the Livio Felluga “Esperto” Pinot Grigio which was simply divine! For our appetizer, we selected the Taverna Foccacia which basically consisted of a foccacia bread topped with arugula, pancetta, pine nuts, shaved parmesan cheese, red onions and mushrooms served with a balsamic vinagrette for dipping. This was absolutely delicious...I told David that we needed to make an attempt to create something similar at home because I liked it that much! It would be awesome as an appetizer for a family gathering or special ocassion of pretty much any kind....it was super yummy!
Before we could even barely make a dent into the appetizer, our entrees were served...typically, this is something that would slightly annoy me, but given the fact that this was our night alone and that everything had been so wonderful thus far I didn't let it bother me in the slightest. I actually quite enjoyed the fact that our entrees were served so quickly because I was truly famished and ready for more delicious food! Both of our entrees were absolutely fantastic and in the end, we were both equally impressed with Taverna - the food, the service, the atmosphere and the entire dining experience as whole. I was also completely escastic that David not only tried something new, but LOVED it! Here's to many new dining experiences ahead! :)
After dinner we just went home and relaxed and enjoyed the remainder of the evening followed by a night's worth of non-interrupted sleep....every parents dream! ;)
Friday, April 18, 2008
"Skeery" Weather!!
We had some "skeery" weather last night and endured heavy winds, rain and a nice little hailstorm to top it all off! I was out at a wedding show for work for most of the evening, so David was home alone with Hudson, but luckily David called me to check on me and to tell me about the storms when I was actually on my way leaving the show and I was able to boogie home in enough time before the sky fell out and all heck broke loose! It rained very, very heavily for quite some time after I got home and within a few minutes after the storm hit, it began to hail quite heavily as well. It seems that the hail was about a quarter inch or so in diameter, so it wasn't exactly tiny or anything, but at least we didn't get any of that golfball or baseball sized hail that is known to happen in our oh so crazy Texas weather. In any case, no sirens sounded, the storm passed and it seems as if we made it through without any severe damage or anything. Thank goodness!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Happy Birthday, Hudson!!....almost ;)
Today was Hudson's 18 month birthday and I am so amazed that time has flown by so fast! It's absolutely incredible how it seems as if I was *just* being wheeled out of the hospital holding my new bundle of joy and getting acustomed to the new role of "mommy" and now all of a sudden, fast forward and I have a walking, *almost* talking, completely healthy 18 month old son. I just cannot believe that my little baby is already 18 months old....and that we survived and all in one piece! What a year and a half it has been!
I have to admit that is also completely astounding at how much you can love someone in such a short time and feel as if you would never, ever know what to do without them. Truly, I never imagined you could love someone as much as a mother loves her child...as much as I love my son....it is the most amazing and completely overwhelming feeling to love someone so, so much and to know that the love that you feel for them is also reciprocated even though it is not yet acknowldged in an overly traditional or obvious manner. Hudson does not say "I love you" *yet*, although it does *sound* likes he says it sometimes already, but instead, he does let you know how much he loves you with his hugs, kisses, smiles, laughs and cuddles that I would not trade for the world. I know that I will love our next child just as much as I love Hudson now and in fact, I absolutely cannot wait for Hudson to have a younger sibling and begin playing the "big brother" role in our family. I don't think it will be much of a stretch for him at all since even at his young age, he seems to display a lot of the attributes that older siblings have a tendency to have. I know that he will be an amazing older brother and will love having someone else around to get into trouble with, ha!
I am such a proud little mama and I am also so, so very thankful for everything that David has contributed and has sacrificed for our family in the past year. I have absolutely loved seeing him turn into such a wonderful, caring and encouraging father for our precious little boy.
October will be here before we know it and Hudson will be entering the "terrible twos" as they are called, but in my opinion, I don't think any time spent parenting a child could be considered terrible, but yet a truly wonderful blessing that has enriched our lives more than we could have ever asked or wished for.
I have to admit that is also completely astounding at how much you can love someone in such a short time and feel as if you would never, ever know what to do without them. Truly, I never imagined you could love someone as much as a mother loves her child...as much as I love my son....it is the most amazing and completely overwhelming feeling to love someone so, so much and to know that the love that you feel for them is also reciprocated even though it is not yet acknowldged in an overly traditional or obvious manner. Hudson does not say "I love you" *yet*, although it does *sound* likes he says it sometimes already, but instead, he does let you know how much he loves you with his hugs, kisses, smiles, laughs and cuddles that I would not trade for the world. I know that I will love our next child just as much as I love Hudson now and in fact, I absolutely cannot wait for Hudson to have a younger sibling and begin playing the "big brother" role in our family. I don't think it will be much of a stretch for him at all since even at his young age, he seems to display a lot of the attributes that older siblings have a tendency to have. I know that he will be an amazing older brother and will love having someone else around to get into trouble with, ha!
I am such a proud little mama and I am also so, so very thankful for everything that David has contributed and has sacrificed for our family in the past year. I have absolutely loved seeing him turn into such a wonderful, caring and encouraging father for our precious little boy.
October will be here before we know it and Hudson will be entering the "terrible twos" as they are called, but in my opinion, I don't think any time spent parenting a child could be considered terrible, but yet a truly wonderful blessing that has enriched our lives more than we could have ever asked or wished for.
Hudson on the day he was born.
Hudson now....
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