Miscellany Monday

We had a fun Thanksgiving break and now the kids are back in school for 3 weeks and then they are out for the Christmas break!  I'm already so excited about the holiday break.  The kids are at fun ages!!  The excitement in their eyes is so fun to see!  

This time of the year I really crave coffee creamer.  I usually just drink my coffee with one Splenda packet, but when the holidays roll around I really feel the need for creamer!  I used this this morning and it is so delicious!

I made banana bread last night for the kids to eat for breakfast this morning!  It turned out so delicious!  We were all a bit burned out from all the 'pumpkin' themed foods we have been eating.  This banana bread hit the spot.  It turned out so pretty!

Look who got a new Christmas collar!!  It is perfect for our wild pup!  Camo Christmas!

I am still searching for collars/sweaters for the girl pups in our lives.  I have bought several for Daisy Mae, but they just don't look right.  When we got her she wore a small sweater/shirt.  Now that size seems to be too small for her.  I think we are over feeding her, so we are putting her on a diet.  We aren't used to having a small dog, so we need to scale back her diet so she can keep her girlish figure!

We took a few pictures by the Christmas tree yesterday as a family.  The pictures are so stinkin' funny!  Gary and I were laughing so hard taking them.  They are quite comical.  That is a whole post for another day.  

Seriously?  Can you say tonsils?  They are so WILD!!

This my friends is my recipe binder.  This time of year makes me want to cook up a storm.  I'm looking forward to getting my chores done this morning so I can sit down with a warm cup of coffee {with creamer} and find some fun, warm and delicious things to cook in the next few weeks!

And because I haven't in awhile I am linking up with the lovely Carissa for a little Miscellany on this Monday!

Happy Monday!

This and that on a Monday night.

I know I complain on twitter about my puppies sometimes, but I love them so much.  I mostly complain about the young ones.  Bogey and Daisy are so rowdy and exhausting.  Every day they chew something else up.  

It has been 1 year since we lost Callaway and sadly Harley isn't doing so well. 

 I'm not sure how much longer she will be with us.  She is moving pretty slow lately.

Bless her heart.

Bogey is such a good boy.  He is wonderful with the kids.  He is loud and rambunctious, but we love him.  Hopefully he will calm down a bit soon.    Look at him below...he is enjoying the fire one day last week.  Haha!  He is about to fall asleep sitting up.

I really want to lose 10 pounds.  About 2 years ago I changed my lifestyle and lost around 25 pounds.  I have kept it off and now I want to get serious about losing another 10 pounds.  I think I may have to start running more often, or I should work out more consistently.  I just can't seem to lose those last 10 pounds. I think for me watching what I eat works best, but I think if I work out that would jump start my metabolism. I feel better when I work out.  I just don't make time for exercise like I should.  I have decided to run, walk and ride my bicycle more often.  I also plan to participate in this years "Reindeer Romp."  I think that will get me ready for some of the runs I want to do in the spring.  The Mud Quest event was cancelled this fall due to the drought.  It was rescheduled for the spring.  I need to start getting ready for that.  haha!  I hope since I put this out there I will hold myself accountable.

Today I shopped for clothes for myself.  I am so happy with some of the things I found today.  I can't wait to wear them!  I am horrible at making choices.  I made myself shop and try things on until I finally found some things I liked. I didn't know what I was looking for, so that made shopping hard. Once I realized what I wanted then my problem was narrowing down all the things I picked.  Gosh, I am a mess, huh?

I got a few tops similar to this one from Belk. 

I wish I could explain how much I am loving selling Thirty-One.  I really wish everyone loved Thirty-One as much as I do, but we are all different and I promise this blog isn't turning into a Thirty-One blog.   The products are just so amazing!  If any of you local folks want me to gather my stuff for a party at your house let me know.  We all need a reason to have a girls night out.  I will travel if you are in my hometown, or cities around there.  Just let me know...I will come to you and we will have a fun time shopping!  Also...for all my out of state buddies...let me know if you want to host a catalog party.  Basically you get all the wonderful hostess rewards and all you have to do is show the catalog to your friends family and coworkers!  Email me your address and I will mail you a catalog!!

I am loving the Showtime Series Homeland.  We usually don't have the extra channels on our channel lineup, but we got a special promotion with this contract and we are loving it!  We love watching all kinds of movies and mostly Homeland.  It is so bizarre and intriguing.  Gary and I are hooked!

image from showtime

So I still haven't seen The Help. Can you believe that?  I can't wait for it to come out on DVD sometime in December.  I think it will be such a great movie!  What a great gift idea for me, and a slow cooker..hint hint.  Although after today my Christmas list will be minimal.  I spent all my 'would be' Christmas money on clothes today.  Budgeting is no fun, but so necessary.  So Merry Christmas to me...heehee!

new baby puppy bed envy

[large boy dog in a small girl dog bed]

It's RAINING!!

Last night around 5:00 pm while the kids were playing outside a cold front blew in and sent cooler temperatures and tons of rain!!!!  The temperatures dropped about 15 degrees and it rained a slow and steady rain all  night long.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know we are in a serious drought here in Texas and we need rain badly!  I am so happy we are getting the rain we have been needing.

Bogey and the other dogs were wondering what the stuff was falling from the sky.  Daisy got soaking wet and was walking as if she were melting!  It was so funny to see her all wet and shaggy!  She got a bath right after her outdoor play.

Heehee!  She looks like a drowned rat...she was not a happy camper.

These silly kids got baths after their splash party too.  They LOVED playing in the puddles.

Yahooooo for our much needed rain!!!!

My three dogs!

Today at Kelly's Korner she is hostessing Show Us Your Life, Show us your Pets.  

You guys know me...I am a huge pet lover, so I decided to play along.

My fur babies have always been important to me.  

All of the dogs we have we have rescued from animal shelters.  

They are all the sweetest dogs!

Harley is about to be 12 years old.  She is the sweetest pup. She is some sort of cow dog.  When we adopted her the shelter said she was a terrier mix.  They also told us she would be around 15 pounds, boy were they wrong.  She is 40 pounds and hairy like a cat!   She is a worker breed and all she cares about is making us happy!  She runs the fence line in the backyard protecting us from all the walkers in the neighborhood.  She is known for her grouchy attitude and large ears.  She is all business :)

This is Bogey as our boy puppy.  He turns 1 year old this month. Bogey's mom was there when we adopted him. She is an Australian Sheppard.  His father is a Boxer.  Right now Bogey weighs about 50 pounds.  He is a playful pup and is always making us laugh.  The kids love him so much.   

He is big and silly!

Bogey and Hayden are best buddies!!!

Here is a recent picture of Bogey with our newest puppy Daisy Mae.

We got Daisy Mae one week ago.  She is a Yorkie mix.  We adopted her from an animal shelter also.  She was a stray.   She is such a good puppy!  I am sure her old family misses her very much because she is so so so sweet.  She is around 7-8 months old and weighs about 9 pounds.  I can't get over how good and sweet she is!  Even though we have only had her for one week, she fits into our family perfectly.

I have never had a dog that will actually wear clothes.  Daisy will and she loves her little shirt.  

On the back it says, "I know I am fabulous."  She is a little sass pot for sure!

I can't post about the rest of our pets and not mention our first fur baby.  Callaway was our first dog ever.  We got him in 1997.  He was the sweetest dog and sadly he died November of last year.  I can't believe he has been gone almost 1 year.  He too was a mixed breed dog!  We love and miss him so much.

I can't wait to visit Kelly's Korner to read about other families and their pets!  

Our pets are such a blessing to our lives and I can't imagine life without them.  When our kids were younger our pets demanded a lot from us. I'm not gonna lie, they wore me out and drove me crazy, but now our kids are older we love having them!   Our kids love our pets too and I hope when they are older they will love dogs as much as we do!

Lots of words on this Wednesday

The past few days have been nothing short of a whirlwind in our house, and that is why I haven't blogged much.

I have been trying to "fall" up the house.  The kids are at the ages now where they completely understand holidays and they really get into the decorations.  I am a 'less is more' kind of girl when it comes to seasonal decorating.  I  don't like to over do it.  I typically put a few fun things out here and there, but now I am changing my ways for the kiddos!  

Look at these adorable cups I found at Dollar Tree.  You would think they were made of gold.  

The kids love them! 

And I got these silly door clings at Dollar Tree also.

Silly & cheesy right? haha!

The kids are giddy with excitement.  We have so many fun fall things to do this month and more decorating around the house too.  I just love to see the look in their eyes when we talk about going to the pumpkin patch.  Hayden can't wait and I am right there with him!  He wants to pick out a huge pumpkin for the front yard. Fall rocks!

We are all getting adjusted to our new family member.  

Daisy Mae is doing well.  She is so sweet and loving.  When I was a kid my parents had dachshunds, so I have been around small dogs, but I personally haven't owned a small dog until Daisy.  Y'all...she thinks she is a princess.  I can't believe how sweet and dainty she is.  She rides in the car with us everywhere we go.  I wanted Bogey to do this, but he gets carsick.  She wants to be hand fed...but that won't last long.  I just don't see any of us doting on her quite that much.  Layla and I love to put silly clothes on her.  All I can say is that she is the perfect addition to our family.

All my little ones.

  This picture was so hard to take.  No one wanted to have their picture made, so this is the best we got!

She is such a stinker!

All three dogs got new beds on Tuesday and Bogey is having a hard time figuring out which one is his....

Bogey is the clown of our household.  He is just too much!

My Harley girl just takes it all in.  She is so laid back.  I think as an elderly dog she just wants to be left alone.  She loves to lay in the sun and relax.  She has been really sweet to Daisy.  I am thankful for this!

I have been taking a million pictures the last few days.  I'm sorry for the picture overload.  I just can't not share the cuteness.  I am feeling so blessed.  God has given me so much to be thankful for and I never take it for granted.  

Now I must get ready for the twice a year community garage sale this Saturday.  Layla has a soccer game too, so it will be a super busy day, but I have so many things we need to get rid of.  One thing we are happy to part with...the potty training potty seat!  A to the men :) 

Happy Fall & Happy Wednesday!!