Magnolias and Mudpies

Thank You from Lucy Doo!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 29 May 2010 04:29:00 +0000

Don’t forget that my blog name has changed to Lucy Doo! I’m giving a discount at my online store to everyone who becomes a follower of my new blog or follows me on Twitter. Instructions can be found at www.lucydoo.blogspot.com.

You won’t want to miss out!!

Happy Friday!!

LiveJournal Tags: Lucy Doo

Big & Exciting News!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:59:00 +0000

I’m changing my blog name to Lucy Doo!!

My new name stems from the new name of my jewelry business, Lucy Doo. As most of you know, I began my jewelry business almost 11 years ago as A Touch of Silver because I had mostly silver jewelry. The name remained as my business grew. Oftentimes over the years, I thought about changing the name, but wasn’t sure exactly when I should tackle such a huge project. I wanted the name to reflect what I have become. Well, I’ve decided there is no better time than today!!

You see, Lucy Doo was the name my mother called me as a little girl. She has absolutely no idea why, but the name stuck. “Lucy” nor “Doo” are in my name ANYWHERE! It was my “pet name” from my mom and I loved it! So, I thought is was such a perfect fit for my new company and blog name…very sassy and boutique-y, don’t you think?

Thanks, The Frilly Coconut, for my new design and logo! Friends, if you want to redesign your blog or just spruce up what you’ve got, let Jessica know. She’s fabulous and so easy to work with! Get on her design list right away!!

So, please check out my new site and give me your opinion? Grab my button and pass the word!

Blessings to you,

Technorati Tags: Exciting News

Under Construction

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:03:00 +0000

LiveJournal Tags: Changes

Well, I’m taking a break from posting for a little while so that I can redesign my blog and my business website. Stay tuned!! It’s going to be really great when it’s all done!!

Great things are on their way!!!

In the meantime, let’s chat on Twitter. My Twitter name is skoolaid. Follow me!! (I know you’re probably wondering where THAT name came from…..well, a sweet little girl that I met while on a mission trip to New Mexico couldn’t remember how to pronounce my last name so she just called me Mrs Koolaid! It’s cute, don’t ‘cha think?)

I’ll be blogging again very soon.

Blessings,

Happy Birthday to Me!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:31:00 +0000

Have you ever SMELLED bluebonnets??? Oh, my goodness!! So sweet! No wonder the Bluebonnet is the Official State Flower of the Lone Star State. They’re amazing!!

Bluebonnets as far as you could see…

We went for a drive this past weekend and found these gorgeous fields of wildflowers! I couldn’t take enough pictures. My family was giving me the “Come on, Mom” look with each snap, but I was in heaven. These fields were just outside of Brenham, Texas. Can you believe the color?

It was breathtaking!

My two buttercups. My sweet babies.

We were actually on our way to Round Top, Texas ? It just might be the cutest town in Texas. The population sign said there are 77 people that live there. Yes, I said SEVENTY-SEVEN! Adorable!! I bet the town is pret-ty quiet…..except for 20 days during the year~ Late March/Early April and then again in late September/Early October. That’s when all of Texas, I think, comes to Round Top for shopping. You’ve never seen so many tents! There was furniture, new and old, iron pieces for every purpose imaginable, clothes (the cute boutique-y kind), and so many more things I could not even list. There’s no way to see it all in one day!

I was going for mainly one purpose: to find a hutch for my newly redecorated home office! (It’s my birthday today so I wanted a new piece of furniture! Yay for me!) We were there 15 minutes, and I’m not exaggerating, and I found it! My husband kept saying, “Are you sure? Because we just got here.” I knew it was “it”.

I was SO excited! The best day to go to Round Top is the last day because they are wheelin’ and dealin’, my friends. They don’t want to take all of that stuff home!

So if you’re ever looking for a fun thing to do with the family or with your girlfriends, Round Top and Brenham are the place to go!

Happy Spring!

A Pain in My Side, Literally!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Okay, when your child has a stomach ache, does Appendicitis ever cross your mind? Just before Christmas, my daughter complained of severe cramping stomach pains. After EMS coming to the house in the middle of the night, a rush trip the next morning to the Pediatrician, and finally a trip to the ER, I really thought she had Appendicitis. Well, false alarm! It was a stomach bug that mimicked appendicitis! Ugh!

Well, little did I know that would be a dry run for the real thing…not with her, but with our son! I’ve had so many friends ask me how we knew what to do so I thought I’d tell you, my blogging friends. Here’s our story:

The last weekend of Spring Break, our son went to a church lock-in and came home complaining of a stomach ache. I gave him a really hard time for eating junk! I mean, I really quizzed him hard about what he ate! I mean it WAS at a pizza and games place for crying out loud! He listed the few things he ate, which would not have caused him to have a stomach ache, but I was skeptical.

All day that day, he complained of nausea and stomach pains. I treated it with TUMS and Maalox and told him to “go sit in the bathroom” because isn’t that what we moms say when our kids feel bad? “Oh, you’ll feel better if you’ll just go to the bathroom and sit there a while.” Why do we do that?? Is it a proven medical treatment to go to the bathroom when you feel bad? Crazy.

Anyway, our son finally vomited in the afternoon that day and he seemed to feel better. (I know this is gross, but I feel it is important for you to know) When he vomited, it didn’t look like food. It was lime green and very watery. (Clue number 1….that was bile! Yuck!) He then took a really long nap and I thought, “okay, he must just have a touch of a bug”.

That night, he took a shower and said, “Mom, it was really tricky putting on my shorts because it hurts in my stomach when I raise my right knee/leg.” After quizzing him more, he said when he raised his left leg it didn’t hurt; only the right. (Clue number 2….tenderness only on 1 side)

I asked him to lie down on the couch and let me check his tummy. He was definitely tender. So off to the ER we went.

After a CT Scan to confirm, our son was scheduled for a laparoscopic appendectomy for the next morning at 7:30 a.m..

After surgery and no complications, we were home by 4:30 p.m. that afternoon! Crazy!! Is it me or are does it seem like they perform surgery and send you right out the door not long after you wake up?

When we spoke with the surgeon ( who was FABULOUS!!), he explained why Appendicitis is so difficult to diagnose. He said the appendix does not hurt on it’s own. So you wouldn’t have pain strictly from the appendix. The only time it hurts is when it is touched. And some appendix flip under the intestines or other parts so when you press on the abdomen, you won’t actually pinpoint the location of the pain. We were lucky.

After a week off from school, our sweet son is now back at school and doing nicely. We are so thankful to God for the insight to catch it early and to get treatment right away. God is good….all the time!

Blessings,

The Last of the Nest Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:52:00 +0000

I think a Master Bedroom should be a place of refuge and peace. I chose a nice shade of sage green for the walls and we love it! When we close the drapes, it’s like a cave!

I like to decorate my home on a budget so when it was time to work on our bedroom, I looked for something dramatic to go above the bed. The wall space is so large, I needed something to fill the space.

I found 4 of these scrolled iron pieces and decided to make an arrangement over the bed. I think it cost me around $25 for the whole thing! Bargain!

The ceilings are so tall in our room and regular curtains wouldn’t work. I found these drapes at JCPenney’s (on a major sale!) and added fabric to coordinate at the bottom to lengthen them..

The knobs were tricky. I priced them (I needed 30!) and it would have cost a fortune to buy that many actual metal knobs. So I decided to get creative.

I found large unfinished wooden knobs online (for cheap, I mean CHEAP) and painted them black. I then rubbed metallic paint on top of the black to make them look like the metal above the bed.

Now how to attach them to the wall? I hot glued them to long sheetrock nails and nailed them into the walls. My mom found the drapery rings and clips at a discount store and Voila! –Custom drapes!!

Now, on to my son’s room…

You know, boys kind of get the raw end of the room deal. Usually, the girls get the bigger rooms, and admit it, they have the cooler room decorations! Right?

I wanted to create a room for my son that was “him”. He ~~loves~~ loved baseball. At the time we decorated his room, that is. Now he’s moved on to golf and has declared that golf is “his sport”. I’m cool with that! (I can drive a mean golf cart!!)

So, here is his cool room. You can do anything with denim, so when he wants to update it with his golf “stuff”, it will be an easy redo.

I also made more space in his room by removing those lovely closet doors and replacing them with curtains. These were panels I found for $8 at a discount home store.

****************

We have one more room in the house which is the study/home office. I’m starting that project this week! Oh, the joys of ripping down wallpaper border and painting. I hope it turns out in reality how it looks in my head! I’m so excited because this is the last room in the house yet to be updated. I’ll post before and after pictures when it’s finished.

So, the moral of this tour is: You can look like you spent more money than you did if you just look around and get Creative!

Blessings,

Sandi

Nerf Party for Mason!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:01:00 +0000

The party was to celebrate a little boy named Mason who has beaten cancer! What a great reason to have a party!! We were so excited to attend the Nerf Party hosted by Kristen at We are THAT family. Bridget of Bake at 350 was there and so was Amanda of The Eck Life. We always love a reason to get together. What a party!

The weather did not cooperate, however, so the party was moved inside. The kids thought it was FABULOUS to get to shoot NERF guns inside!!

Boys….

vs……

Girls!

Nerf bullets were flying…kids were screaming….Moms and Dads were laughing. It was a party that would make Mason proud!

I pray that Mason will feel the love of others all across the country who have never met him but are praying for a long and healthy life for him! Way to go, Mason!

Dodging bullets in Texas,

Pretty, Spunky Girl’s Room

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:24:00 +0000

When we first began to work on my daughter’s room, I went to the paint store with a color in mind for the walls: Pepto-Bismol Pink! I completely let the “paint lady” talk me out of it! I ended up with a pastel pink……that is NOT my daughter’s personality! Every time I walked into her room, I kept thinking it didn’t look right.

What do you do when you don’t like something? Just cover it up, right? LOL

SO, we bought one of those really cool loft beds at Pier 1 Kids and they were fun BUT, she outgrew them very quickly (we have very tall kids and the ceiling got in the way!)

Before

Don’t ever let anyone talk you out (or into) something you don’t want to do! You have great ideas!!! Go with it!!

So, here is the AFTER…

A cool, spunky girl needs a spunky chandelier, right?

I looked everywhere but the ones I found were too plain. Until this one….

I found this chandelier at a little shop in Fredericksburg, Texas. I saw it and knew it was THE ONE! It was made to plug into a wall outlet, but my Father-in-Law cut the wires and hardwired it just like a ceiling fan. That was $100 well spent because it really completes the room.

We took off the closet doors and hung curtains. It really gave her more room. Don’t you just love her “self-portrait”? She painted that in 1st Grade. LOVE it!!

Every little girl needs a mirror to primp!

I bought 2 full-length mirrors at Wal-mart and used super strength tape to attach them to the wall. My daughter helped me paint the border. She’s quite the crafty little girl!

The perfect room for my pretty, spunky little girl!

Blessings,

Live, Laugh, Laundry!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:15:00 +0000

Sort…..wash….fold….put away….I don’t know about you, but laundry is not the most exciting thing in the world to do. It is definitely needed, but not much fun.

Our laundry room was drab and plain so I wanted to spice it up and make it a room that is nice to walk into and stay for a while, but is also practical.

Here’s what I came up with:

I painted the walls a mustard yellow, which I LOVE and used black accents. I created a gift wrap station for convenience and it is incredibly handy. I used paper towel holders bought from a discount store to store my ribbons and tissue. Very handy!

Don’t you just love the chalkboard? I got the idea from my sweet friend Kristen over at We Are THAT Family. It was so easy to do and it looks great!

The skirt around the counter can hide a multitude of sins (ha, ha!).

I absolutely LOVE my new Laundry Room!

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Happy redecorating!!

My Warm and Cozy Nest

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:58:00 +0000

Since I’ve been blogging lately about ways to build your “nest”, I thought you might like to have a tour of my “nest”. I’ll start with the areas we live in the most.

I really do enjoy doing home improvement projects. Most of the changes we made to our home were made before I started blogging so there aren’t many “before” pictures. Just imagine seeing most of the walls white. Ick!!

I wanted to create a warm and loving environment for my family so I chose warm colors. It feels cozy.

Are you ready? Here we go….

The Entry

My parents gave me the table for my birthday several years ago. I LOVE getting furniture as gifts!!

The Living Room

This sofa used to have a very bright navy floral fabric on it until my mother reupholstered it. Great job Mom!

Have you ever had a truck come through your neighborhood selling furniture from North Carolina? When we moved into our first home outside of Austin, Texas in 1994, we bought this green Thomasville wing backed chair off of a truck!

The Dining Room

My parents found this dining set at an Estate Sale for $600. It had been in the seller’s family since the 1920’s. I’m sure lots of interesting conversations were had around that dining table.

This piano was my Granny’s piano. So sweet… I have so many memories of my mother playing this piano when we would visit my grandparents. My dad’s dad loved to hear my mom play!

Do you like my cross collection? I only have a few (ha, ha). All of the crosses have a story. Some were given as gifts, one of them I made at a paint-your-own-pottery place, and some were handmade. My collection continues to grow. The Psalm 91 iron piece was given to me by my brother-in-law and sister-in-law several years ago. They didn’t even know that was my favorite chapter in The Bible! How cool is THAT?

Do you see the “Koele” doily in the frame over the doorway? My 90 year-old Great Aunt Hazel had her 93 year-old sister make that for us. What a treasure and heirloom.

Now on with the tour…

The Kitchen

I’m planning on painting my cabinets an antique black, so watch for pix very soon!

Eventually, we’ll be changing the countertops and flooring, but we’ve got to save our pennies for that big job!

Our Den

Powder Room

This room used to have ugly, outdated wallpaper in navy, dark green, and burgundy. I used the same plaster technique from the Kitchen on this Powder Room. I love this even better! While the plaster was still wet, I used a sea sponge to create more texture for the tea stain to cling to.

Can you see the texture?

I’ll show you the rest of the house tomorrow!

Have a blessed day, Blogging Friends!

Kitchen Makeover- Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:23:00 +0000

When we bought our *previously loved* home about four years ago, it was mostly white. I REALLY don’t like white walls! The only 2 rooms that were painted were the Master Bathroom and it was SALMON. Yes, ugly, peach! {shudder} The Study was/still is a “lovely” shade of gray with, you guessed it, wallpaper BORDER! (I think it’s been there a while). The Study will be my next room to conquer!

Since the kitchen is the heart of the home, I wanted to make it warm and inviting. The only BEFORE pictures I have is of the kitchen.

The Breakfast Room had very outdated wallpaper. Don’t you just LOVE that border??

I decided to tackle this room by removing as much of the wallpaper that would come off easily by just pulling. Then, I used Joint Compound that comes in the big 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot or Lowe’s.

I spread it over the walls using a cake spatula and flat trowel. It’s just like icing a cake. It’s very forgiving.

The Joint Compound goes on gray and as it dries, it turns white. You must let it completely dry for at least 24 hours.

I wanted my kitchen to be red, but since the plaster was very white, I needed to put a dark gray paint on first (didn’t get a picture of that, sorry)

I then painted it a great brick red. You can see the texture if you look closely.

Once the red was dry, I used a dry cotton cloth and rubbed antique tea stain glaze on top. It clung to the grooves and created depth. I love it!

The light fixture was very dated with the brass ring around the globe. I painted the ring with oil-rubbed bronze craft paint to buy us a little more time before replacing it. It works for now.

It was then time to tackle these….

The cabinets were “pickled” pink. Hmmmm.

I cleaned them really well with Krud Kutter (available at any home improvement store and Walmart) until my cloth was completely clean. Then, I mixed an oil-based honey colored paint with an oil-based glaze until I had it to the consistency I wanted (sorry, I don’t have measurements for you).

I think it warmed up the kitchen quite a bit! The countertops and floors will hopefully be replaced before too long. :-)

I wanted to “antique” them a bit so I mixed regular black craft paint with the glaze and painted it in the grooves.

Added some nice hardware that I bought off of Ebay and voila!

P.S.: We want to put new flooring in the downstairs and I think it will clash with the cabinets. SO, I’m going to be painting my cabinets black with an antique finish. Tutorial will be coming soon!! You know, it’s already been 3 years since I painted them the first time. It’s time, don’t ‘cha think??

Blessings,

LiveJournal Tags: Painting cabinets

Going to Kenya

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:27:00 +0000

My sweet friend Kristen from We Are THAT Family is on her way to Kenya TODAY! A few months ago she was asked by Compassion International to travel to Kenya and blog about her trip. How cool is that???

I ask her all the time if she is praying “The Prayer of Jabez” in I Chronicles 4:10.

God certainly is “enlarging her territory”! The way this trip came about and the way that God is taking care of all of the details amaze me. Why am I surprised?

She will be gone from March 2 through March 12. Please pray for her husband and 3 children while she is away. They are one of the most amazing families I have ever met. They are all thrilled for this adventure for their mom and have welcomed it with open arms. In fact, her husband Terrell has created a beautiful necklace to honor her and her trip. It is available at their shop on Etsy. Check it out! Part of the proceeds from the sale of these necklaces will help to raise money for their ADOPTION. That upcoming chapter in their lives will begin shortly. See, I told you that God was enlarging their territory!

You can follow Kristen’s story every day on her blog We are THAT family. I know you will be blessed by her transparency and willingness to show all of us a country that struggles and children who have nothing. Our family will be following daily and discussing how God can use us to touch others around the world. I hope you will be inspired to open up your mind to those opportunities as well.

Blessings,

My First Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:58:00 +0000

I’m so excited to be having my very first giveaway….on my own blog!! My sweet friend at We are THAT family hosted one last year and it was great! (Thank you, sweet Kristen!)

As you know, I started my own jewelry business over 10 years ago and it has been so much fun! I love helping women who are on a budget be able to look like they spent more money than they actually did. I’ve met amazing people along the way. They were in person, but now I’m branching out into the blog world. I LOVE it!!

Recently, I totally revamped my website to include a shopping cart with PayPal. Very easy to use. I hope you like it!

So here’s how to win:

Since I am a new blogger and tweeter, you have some choices!

-Visit my website www.stonebeadedsilverjewelry.com and then my blog. Leave a comment and let me know what pieces you like in my collection. (1 entry)

For More Entries—You must LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY!

-Become a Follower of my blog (2 entries)

-Follow me on Twitter (skoolaid) (2 entries)

-Grab my A Touch of Silver button and display it publicly on your blog (3 entries)

-Link this giveaway to your blog via a post or on your sidebar (4 entries).

Hurry up and enter! This Giveaway ends Friday, February 26th at 12 noon CST.

I can’t wait to see who wins!

Good luck!

What makes Southerners special?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:09:00 +0000

Okay, I am a Mississippi Girl through and through, but I married a guy from Wisconsin. Yes, he does own a real Cheese head (like the “lovely” ones they wear at the Green Bay Packer games). He wanted to buy a newborn-size one when our son was born. What was he thinkin’?? Guess, what? I won on that one!!

When we became engaged, I had to indoctrinate him to the “ways of the South”. I will never forget the day that he said “taaares” for the first time. (for those of you who don’t know what I just said, I’m referring to those round, black, rubber things that spin when you drive your car). We were on the phone and he was telling me that he would be late meeting me because he had to get his “taaares” checked.” He stopped himself and said, “I have lost all claim to being from the North. Did you hear what I just said?” (not a Yankee, by the way, because according to my sweet husband, Wisconsin people are NOT Yankees…they’re just from the North!). I laughed until my sides hurt!

And don’t EVEN get me started on the cabbage and black-eyed peas thing! Or explaining why we need to offer food to anyone who comes over to our house!

I would LOVE to hear your stories. What are some of the differences we as Southerners have compared to the rest of the country that make us SPECIAL? Leave a comment and share your ideas.

Bye, Y’all!

Home Sweet Home

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:21:00 +0000

When I was growing up, my mother loved to do any type of needlepoint or cross-stitch. There were beautiful pieces of her “craft” all around our house. She would make gorgeous cross-stitched Scriptures or prayers and they would either be hung on the wall or in frames sitting in bookcases or on tabletops. I loved seeing all of them!

There was one thing in particular that I vividly remember seeing. It was a “Home Sweet Home” needlepoint that was framed and she gave it to my grandparents who hung it in their home. Each time we would visit, I loved seeing it. That was many, many years ago. Well, before my husband and I married, I moved back home with my parents for the 6 months before our wedding. I was there with them every day after work and had no clue what my mother was working on. Then, at a bridal shower, she gave me my very own “Home Sweet Home” needlepoint just like the one that hung in my grandparents’ home! I was shocked!! It now hangs in our home and I get to see it everyday!

The thing that I learned by looking closely at the “Home Sweet Home” is that my mother spent many, many hours working tirelessly to make something beautiful and memorable for me and my new family. On the front, it’s perfect! But on the back, there are knots and strings that look very messy. Hard to believe the two even are part of the same gorgeous work.

I think that is how our lives are as moms. We are not always neat and organized, but everything always gets done! Our kids always have food, they may not always have that certain pair of jeans they love, but they have clothes to wear, nonetheless. I think if we could focus more on the big picture and not get so bogged down in the messy day-to-day things, our families would enjoy a lot more fun and laughter and just shear peace.

Why don’t you try this week not to stress about the little things and try focusing on those things that matter? My mom didn’t know at the time that her needlepoint for me would have so much more meaning than just look beautiful on the wall ---but it would be a life lesson not to stress about the “junk” but to look at the overall picture—God makes it all to be beautiful in His time!

Blessings,

Your Nest

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:31:00 +0000

You know, we as women seem to have a natural desire to make our nest (our home) extra special. It should a be place of refuge, safety, fun, peace, laughter, and plain beauty…..no matter the size of your “nest”. Some of you live in huge, very expensive homes, and others of you live in small spaces. It does not matter!

I just love nature. It reveals to us God’s amazing creativity! Living here in The Woodlands, we have gorgeous nature all around us. Especially the birds. I just love to watch birds. They are so focused and busy on gathering items to build their nest and provide for their bird families. They find sticks, leaves, down from their feathers, or even string that was accidentally dropped when I took out the trash.

As I think about the bird’s nest, I like to compare their nest to our own. We need to form our nest around things that are strong, for support….like the foundation of God’s love. Add in some “leaves for insulation” such as putting boundaries on your family (what type of TV or movies you allow your kids to watch, or friends you allow them to play with).

The birds may pick up some soft things like dandelion fuzz or those little pieces of cotton that blow in the wind from a Cottonwood Tree..this softens their nest. We should provide peace and a place of refuge for our families. Is your home “tightly wound” or are you so busy running from one event to another that everyone is on edge? What if we were to sit down as a family and talk about what things we really want to be involved in and what things are just “filler”? Hmmmm….we might start to see some noticeable changes that we could make to create more peace in our home.

Do you ever wonder why those cute little birds use a random piece of string or that brightly colored flower petal in their nest? It’s that “little bit of whimsy” for effect. LOL. Do you laugh a lot in your home? I think it blesses God’s heart when he hears us laugh and have fun together as a family. We enjoy playing games together. You can really learn a lot from each other by playing a good game of Sorry! together. Wow! I didn’t realize we were all so competitive!

Over the next few posts, I will share more ideas as to how you can create that warm nest for your family. I can’t wait to share!

Blessings,

Anniversary Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:39:00 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, my husband and I spent last weekend at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, Texas, just outside of Austin.

Not only does the Resort have amazing accommodations, but they have such wonderful “extras”. Our stay there was full of “firsts” for my husband. He had his first pedicure (the “Man’s Pedicure”, of course"—that was my idea!) and then we had a couples massage. He said, “This will have to be an annual thing”. Yay, for me!! The Spa there is called Spa Django and it is beautiful. They pamper you more than any other spa that I have been to.

Ahhhhhh…………..

The food here and the atmosphere is beyond amazing. There are a few different restaurants, but we absolutely loved the

Firewheel Cafe.

They offered an amazing buffet which included a full salad bar, various entree selections (herb roasted chicken, rice pilaf with pecans and cranberries, green beans almondine, seared salmon, and cut-to-your-liking Prime Rib). They even offered a seafood bar with crab legs, shrimp, etc…(I’m not a seafood eater, but my husband said it was wonderful).

My FAVORITE was the

Tomato Basil Soup!

Yumm-O!!

Just when we thought we were finished, we made a trip to the DESSERT BAR! They had a little of everything!

Key Lime Cheesecake, Espresso Mousse, Chocolate Fondue, etc…

After we were sufficiently STUFFED, our waitress brought the check. After seeing all of the amazing food, we fully expected the bill to be expensive. That was fine because we were celebrating our Anniversary. But…..the check arrived and……. It was only $51.24! We were shocked! Definitely another check in the “plus column” for this place!

Each night, they have campfires with s’mores all throughout the Resort. Adorable! I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff!

I hope that you will put this amazing place on your “to-do” list for 2010. And for those of you who live in Central Texas, it’s right in your backyard. For us it was a short 2 1/2 hour drive. Well worth it!

Blessings,

One Relaxing Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:23:00 +0000

I am married to an amazingly thoughtful man. We celebrated 16 years of marriage on December 11th. He took me that night to a wonderful restaurant where we live. But, he had another surprise. He said we had reservations at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort for an entire weekend in January! Yippee!!

This past weekend, we spent three days there and it was so much fun and relaxing. It was so special because over the 16 years, we have not been very good about making special time for us. I would not recommend that for anyone, by the way. You need time for you and your relationship…it was there before the children and it will be there when you have an empty nest. Nurture it!

These next two days, I want to share more about this resort and maybe by the end, you’ll want to go there, too!! With your special someone or with your whole family!

When we drove up, we felt like we had the place to ourselves! Winter is definitely the time to go here for relaxation. The summer is packed full of activities for families so it’s busy.

The setting is resort-like but with a rustic/natural feel.

This is the main lodge! Isn’t it gorgeous??

There’s horseback riding, golf, hayrides, arts & crafts for the kids, and much more. There’s something for everyone.

A lake that is so peaceful- with a touch of nostalgia. Feels a bit like you stepped back in time. You can tell that it’s winter, but in the spring and summer, I’m sure it’s absolutely lush and gorgeous! We’re already planning a return trip with our children in the summer. Can’t wait!

Check back tomorrow and find out more…..

Blessings,

Last Minute School Project

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:15:00 +0000

Don't you just love it when your child comes home and proudly announces to the family that he or she "has a project due on Friday"... and it's Wednesday!!!! Okay, do you really think I would be cool, calm, and collected? Yeah, right.

Well, that happened to me last week. My 6th grader has to do these "PRI" projects where they read a book and then make something that represents either a scene or item in the book. Last time it was a diorama (thank goodness for the premade ones at my local get-everything-in-one-stop store). He said the book he read had a bowling scene in it .......and he wanted us to make a bowling cake! WHAT? Okay, after I came down off of the ledge, I said, "Sure, Sweetie, Mom can help you with that- no problem".

I immediately surfed the web and found a sample. Very cute. However, I really didn't get excited about shaving candles to look like bowling pins so we decided to come up with our own version.

I baked and iced the cake and my son did all of the other decorating. He made the lanes out of licorice, the lane markers out of chocolate chips, the balls were gumballs, and the ball-return and the pins were out of fondant (you know, that edible playdough--you can make anything out of that stuff!) He shaped everything! The name of the book was The Million Dollar Strike. He was so proud.....and so was I!

So, Son, it's not just Dad that can do those projects. It's not everyday that you get to make a project that you can actually eat! Look at him....we're so proud of him!

Easy Weeknight Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:32:00 +0000

I have to share this recipe!

Coca-Cola Pork Chops (or chicken)

6 pork chops or chicken breasts

salt and pepper to taste

1 c. bottled barbeque sauce

1 c. Coca-Cola (not diet)

1/4 C. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim fat from chops or chicken and place in baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix barbeque sauce and Coke. Pour over meat. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

** I also put everything in the Crockpot and let it cook on low all day or on high for 4 hours.

This is a family favorite!

Enjoy!

The Golden Rule

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:44:00 +0000

Do you ever find it amazing how God teaches you things through your children? Well, I do.

Our family tries to have a devotional each night together. I will be the first to admit that we don't make it every single night, but we try. Last night, we were reading in our favorite family devotional book, Sticky Situations: 2 and a real-life story was brought back to my mind.

My daughter, when she was in second grade, had a girl in her class who was from another country. Because of the girl's culture, she would bring "different" types of foods in her lunch each day. They looked and smelled quite different from those foods that the other children in the class would bring so some of the children at the lunch table would make fun of her. Obviously, this made the girl very sad.

Last year, when I attended the Poetry Reading for my daughter's third grade class, the same little girl was there. She began reading a story of a little girl who went to lunch at school each day and was very sad because the other kids in her class made fun of the food she brought for lunch. She described vividly how that made her feel. As I sat there listening, my heart was touched by her sadness. The girl went on to say that she had a special friend in her class who had heard those other children make jokes about her food. One day, that friend announced to all at the table, "Please don't make fun of her food. How would you like it if someone made fun of you!" From that day on, the girl's school-day experience was different and that "as long as Ally Jayne is in my class, no one will bother me." I was absolutely blown away because Ally Jayne is my daughter! God used my sweet daughter to impact the life of someone in an amazing way.

Leviticus 19:33-34 reminds us that "if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him." Sometimes, we may see people around town who don't dress like we do, eat the things we eat, or even talk or act like us. We should always make sure we treat them the way we would want them to treat us. Isn't that the Golden Rule?

Bursting into 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:14:00 +0000

Happy New Year 2010!! Doesn't that sound futuristic?

Every year, I feel excited to start anew with my goals. I always plan to get completely organized (including the garage AND the attic), spend more time with my friends and family, and that, oh so dreaded, lose weight. Ugh! I always start off doing really well, but then, by about February, I slack off.

Last night, while watching fireworks in our neighborhood, an illustration came to me. God always talks to me in word pictures and I love it! Here it is....we are bursting into the New Year like a beautiful starburst from a spark. The "spark" is ending the old year feeling motivated to change some things. Then, when the New Year comes, we BURST forth with great excitement.

So, my goal for 2010 is to remain "on fire" with my goals and use the power of God with me to end 2010 still flying high like a beautiful starburst in the sky.

Our Christmas Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:26:00 +0000

I just love Christmastime!! It is a time for sharing time with family and friends, and most of all, celebrating the birth of Jesus. Our lives have become so incredibly busy so it's nice to slow down and catch up on some much-needed rest and quality time with the fam.

One of the traditions that I had in my family growing up was that my brother and I would get new PJs and slippers every Christmas Eve. They were the only present we were allowed to open before Christmas morning. I looked forward to it every year. We have continued this same tradition in our family. My daughter LOVES horses so I found these horse PJs at Academy and they were perfect! My son is not so much of a PJ man, but he does love shorts and a t-shirt.

When our children were preschoolers, my husband and I felt as if the kids were just filling their Christmas lists with "stuff", not really things they really wanted. So, we decided that we would start a new Christmas tradition-- we would give our children 3 gifts as the wise men in the Bible did. And you know what happened? We found that we began talking about the real Christmas story so much earlier in the Fall and the children, even in their young minds, understood the reason! They began focusing on what they really wanted and also they learned the real meaning of Christmas. What a blessing that decision has been to our family.

Here we are about 6 years later, and my children are 12 and 9 and their focus remains on the celebration of our Saviour's birth. I was so thankful, on Christmas morning, as my parents were here with us, to hear my husband start off our day with reading the Christmas Story from the Bible in Luke and Matthew. Then, we sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus" before anyone opened a single gift. I pray that my children will carry this tradition on to their families for generations to come.

I'm excited to see what is in store for 2010!