Alas, I have not disappeared...

...well at least not entirely anyway.  For the duration of our hiatus, whether it be temporary or permanent, you can find me here.  I started up a tumblr a few weeks ago and I've been enjoying posting completely random thoughts and pictures, so come join me! 

Mary

Ciao for now!

This blog has been so much fun! I've learned some really great, funny, interesting, surprising things about some friends I thought I already knew backwards and forwards! It's been a neat insight into their lives, and I've enjoyed sharing things with them and with our faithful readers :)

God bless all of you!
Later taters!

So long farewell...

So we have decided to take a hiatus from blogging. Not sure if it will be a temporary or permanent hiatus. I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my life with you! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Always remember that Jesus is the reason for this season! I wanted to leave you with some exciting news and that is that I'm expecting my 2nd child due in June!

God Bless!!
Beth

Black Friday

Considering what a bargain shopper I am, you'd think I'd be all over Black Friday. Instead, I avoid it all costs. For one thing, I'm not the biggest fan of unwieldy, jostling crowds. Nor do I like long lines. Or getting up early. I know the deals are great, but to me it's just not worth it. I don't think it was actually Black Friday, but I did get up really early once with a friend in Mississippi to go to the mall for some sort of early bird thing. It just didn't make a big impression on me.

So this year, as usual, I'll be sleeping soundly in a nice warm bed the day after Thanksgiving. I'll leave the trampling to someone else :)

Can't post in the body of the blog - darn!

Fall: I'm Lovin It

In no particular order...this is why I love fall:

• I don't immediately start sweating when I walk outside.
• Random fall scents, especially this candle I got from Bath & Body Works called 'leaves.'
• Getting to sit outside at a restaurant to eat and not leave completely drenched in sweat...Joe T's, here I come!
• I get to wear my boots. (Not cowboy boots, though I secretly want some for fun)
• I get to wear my scarves! I love scarves!
• Thanksgiving: turkey and dressing and green bean casserole and pies. And spending time with family.
  
• FOOTBALL (though my Red Raiders and the Cowboys are having a tough year).
• Time off from work for Thanksgiving.
• Christmas is just around the corner, though I wait until after Thanksgiving to bust out with decorations and Christmas music.

And the list could go on. Happy Fall!
Cass

Happiness in Season

I am in love with Fall.  If it weren't a season, I would totally marry it.  Don't tell my husband.

So here you have it - my favorite things about my favorite season: 
(In random order, except for number 1, which is definitely number 1.)

16.  Daylight savings time.  The gaining an hour part, not the darkness at 5:00 p.m. part.  I realize it's just a day, but clearly it's the best day all year.

15.  Squash.  (The vegetable, not the sport)

14.  The first cool breeze that surprises you when you were expecting to be smacked in the face with oppressive heat.  Also known as: "euphoria"

13.  The possibility of making smores over a crackling fire.  (not that this usually even happens)

12.  The absence of sweat.  PRAISE BE.

11.  The feeling that the Holidays are right around the corner, thus, family gatherings and vacation days are almost here.  See again:  "euphoria" 

10.  Pumpkin flavored everything.  Yum.

9.  Bath & Body Works "Winter" home scent.  I have to resist the urge to hoard.

8.  Clothes with long sleeves.  Hallelujah.  Amen.

7.  Stuffing.  Why do I only eat stuffing over the holidays?

6.  The logical use of blankets.  I always use blankets, even in 100+ degree Texas summers.  I feel less crazy using them in the Fall.

5.  Tights!

4.  The anticipation of pumpkin pie.  (Sometimes actual pumpkin pie misses the mark)

3.  The general feeling that Fall makes people happier (at least in Texas).  I swear you can see the relief on everyone's faces the first day we hit 75.

2.  The smell.  I hope heaven will smell like fall.  It just seems right.

1.  This: 

I will never get over not living somewhere beautiful in the fall.  Le sigh.

Note:  I am aware that the number of food related entries in this post is a wee bit disturbing.  But let's be honest, it's entirely unsurprising.

Mary

Fallin'

Things I love about Fall:

Being able to wear a long-sleeved (or 3/4 length - are those still in style??) shirt and walk outside without feeling sweat start to drip immediately. Texas may have super hot summers, but I wouldn't trade it for super cold winters. But it sure is nice when fall rolls around.

School supplies! And now that I have a child in school I get to enjoy this fall-ish thing again. So fun... am I weird? Surely I'm not alone here. And I guess the school supplies technically had to be purchased during summer, but at least it means fall is surely coming.

That I can still wear sandals or flip-flops. I really dislike socks and shoes, but as I'm getting older, I'm staring to think my feet need them. I recently purchased a pair of new running shoes. I'll let you know once I test them out... hopefully within the 30 days I have to return them!

Pumpkin patch fun. There is a great pumpkin patch here that we have gone to the last few years. Everything is free, but they encourage you to bring a donation of canned goods. There are bounce houses, hayrides, TONS of wooden cutouts for picture taking fun, hay mazes, etc. The kids have more and more fun every year, and it's so fun to watch.

Fall decor. I really don't like Halloween decorations, so I had the "Give Thanks" centerpiece up in October. I had a five-year-old tell me, "It's not November yet." But who cares!! If Beth can start playing Christmas music on November 1, I can certainly decorate for Thanksgiving mid-October.

Thanksgiving.

College Football. More specifically, Texas Tech football. One thing I do not like about Fall is what happens to my husband after a Texas A&M loss. It's a strange and sad thing, really.

I totally forgot to post this on my day - Wednesday, so pardon me, Staci. :)

amelia

Fall

I used to think my favorite season was Spring, but in the last few years Fall has become my new favorite. Maybe it's because now living in the Midwest I get to see trees change colors. Beautiful reds, oranges and yellows! Or maybe it's because I love dressing my little girl in all the cute Fall clothes especially the jeans! I love that Starbucks begins selling Pumpkin Spice Lattes! I love the smell of my pumpkin candle burning! And I love my Fall decorations! Why do you love Fall?

Beth

Halloweens Past

Remember when Halloween used to be so fun when you were little? Or how creative your parents could get with your costume? I sure do! There was one picture in particular that I was looking for and couldn't find...me, my brother and sisters all dressed up as crayons one year for Halloween. We were each a different color and even had hats...it was so long ago that at the time, my youngest sister wasn't even one (and she's now 22). So to commemorate Halloween's past, I thought I'd share some random pics:


This was in 1986...I was a jelly bean bag (filled with balloons). My brother was a Care Bear and I have no clue what my sister was.

















This was either my freshman or sophomore year at Tech...several of us went as Army girls.

Me and Beth...2 of the 3 Charlie's Angels (the 3rd was around there somewhere). Like our guns?












This was probably 3 years ago at my church's Trunk Fest. I was the school girl on the left, with my Christian pumpkin...and my roommate at the time was a cowgirl.














My all time favorite costume though...Wonder Woman!!

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween. If you live in the DFW area, swing by First Baptist Euless' Trunk Fest tonight from 6-8pm.

Cass

Who Needs Halloween?

As I was combing through boxes of old photos last night, I came to a realization (actually, a few realizations.)  

1.  I don't think my family was much for Halloween when I was little.
2.  I have gotten ooooollllldddd.

3.  Apparently, I have ridden an elephant.  How do you not remember riding a full sized elephant???

4.  Years 1 and 2 of my life were a really unfortunate phase for my noggin.  I had a HUGE head, and not much hair.  At first I was a little dismayed that there are more pictures of my sister (who was 2 at the time) than there are of me as infant.  However, that feeling quickly morphed into gratitude, as I realized that my parents were sparing me the lifelong memories of my first REALLY awkward stage.

Though I didn't find photographic evidence, I do remember trick or treating with my cousins at least once.  It was sixth or seventh grade, and I was a cow. Let's rephrase - I was dressed as a cow.  I distinctly remember attaching black felt spots to white sweats, and painstakingly painting my entire face and head (I had a bald cap on) white with black spots.  That picture apparently resides at my parents house, which is truly a shame.  But let me show you what I did find....

Not Halloween:

Also not Halloween:

Not Halloween here either:

Finally, Halloween:

And not just Halloween, but one of the worst Halloween memories I have on record.  I was going to a party being thrown by the cousin of my boyfriend at the time.  Being the naive 22 year old that I was, I wore this little get up with a black long sleeved shirt, black pants, and a tail.  (I made that collar myself, and I was terribly proud.)  I was by far the most modestly dressed female at the party, but that wasn't the problem.  A very drunk family member (who I was meeting for the first time) introduced himself by way of a VERY inappropriate comment about my costume, and it's relation to my boyfriend, within 5 minutes of our arrival.  I was mortified.  As was my boyfriend.  Though we dated off and on for 5 years, I never got over the awkwardness with the family member in question.  Good times.

I have to concur with Amelia.  Who needs Halloween as an excuse to dress up?  I'll take random costuming and less scary movie commercials any day of the week. 

Mary

Harvest time!!

Yes, Harvest time...that is how halloween was explained to me growing up. We didn't celebrate halloween...in fact, my parents would turn out all the lights and we would all go to the back part of the house and watch a movie as a family to avoid trick or treaters. So, I don't have any fun costume pics. Even to this day, I struggle with the relevance of celebrating halloween (other thank just an excuse to dress up in a silly costume), but I do enjoy going to the Trunkfest at our church-it seems like a fun way to celebrate fall.

There is a halloween memory worth mentioning though, that is a the halloween costume party that Randy and I went to for our 2nd date(in Octobwer 2002)...the party was with my college friends- so Randy had some pressure to impress, I guess...and he could have been mild with his costume as to not appear too dorky, however, he totally dressed up and I LOVED him for it! We dressed up as a 70's basketball couple (he was a player and I was a cheerleader)...he wore this HUGE afro wig and a basketball uniform- I was so impressed that he went all out- I think that may have been one of the first moments I fell in love with him.

Any Excuse to Dress Up

I love dressing up. Still. Why should you only be able to dress up once a year?! While I'm not too hot on celebrating Halloween, I love coming up with costume ideas (mainly for my children now) and then executing them. This year, my girls are hitting the princess stage, and I cannot say that I'm thrilled about it. Sure, they'll look cute in their princess garb... just like every other princess out there prancing around the streets. Oh well. I'm being a good mom by letting them choose for themselves, right? So here are a couple of my old costume pics that I had handy. One is from high school, and I remember having so much fun at that party. I was Marilyn Monroe with the big hair and formal gown... laying across people's laps on the couch. (Mary didn't have her Ace of Spades costume on in the picture, but see if you can find her.)

And here's a post-College days Halloween picture. I'm the nerd on the left. I was actually with a whole group of nerds... too bad I don't have a handy picture of the entire nerd group. My favorite part was my retainer, but you can't really see it in this picture. I even dressed up in my nerd gear at my "real" job that year (or maybe the year before) with my co-worker. I guess it was quite appropriate for us bankers. Another year, we dressed up as an 80's prom king and queen. We were the only ones on the "lending floor" that dressed up, but we didn't care! (Notice Cassandra in the picture below?)

I don't have a lot of dress up memories from childhood. I'm pretty sure we weren't allowed to trick or treat... minus that one year that we had Mary and Joseph costumes for something from school/church, so I think they let us go out in those for a bit. Is that right, mom?

Will you be dressing up this year?

amelia

Playing dress-up

There's either a huge gap in my memory, or there really was a long span of time when I didn't dress up for Halloween...I remember childhood costumes, but I can't for the life of me remember dressing up in junior high or high school. We always did something at my (private, Christian) school where we would dress up as Bible characters in junior high, and I guess Halloween just wasn't that big a deal to me in high school. Or, as I said, my memory is shot :)

College was a different story altogether! Halloween was a HUGE deal at Millsaps and EVERYBODY dressed up and went to the fraternity houses, where there were bands or DJs, for a long night of fun. I'm kinda proud of the fact that I have never, that I recall, bought or rented a Halloween costume. And so, it is with great pride that I present, in all their homemade glory, my college costumes:

1996 - Freshman year. That's me on the right. We were going for "futuristic alien girls from outer space" but it ended up more like "shiny go-go girls"...oh well.

1997 - Sophomore year. That's me on the bottom left. Somewhere there's a better picture of this costume, but it's probably fairly obvious that I was a ballerina. Sidenote: the day after this picture was taken I ended up in the hospital with a kidney stone. I was in a little bit of pain that night, but I thought it was the tights pinching my side!

1998 - Junior year. That's me on the left, with the beard. I am either Moses or Noah. My roommate had an identical costume. So if she was Noah, I was Moses, and vice versa. I think I was Moses. I actually loved this costume. I was anonymous under all that hair!

1999 - Senior year. Biker chick. Hardcore. I've actually worn this costume several times since then. It's fairly easy to pull together and COMFORTABLE! Jeans, t-shirt, boots - perfect!

It's looking like this Halloween might be the first time in a long time that I don't dress up. We've been so busy, and just put it off, and now I don't know what I'm going to do. I wanted to be Coraline, but I don't think I have time to make it happen. So...it might be another biker chick year!

As for Asher, I think we have finally decided that he is going to be Shaun from Shaun of the Dead.

We're not quite sure how we're going to do the moustache/goatee, but we'll figure something out.

Happy costuming, everyone!!

Holloween Past

So this week we are blogging about Halloweens past.

I remember my favorite Halloween costume was Scooby Doo. I'm not sure how old I was, but I couldn't quite say Scooby Doo. I called it cooby goo! Even after Halloween was over I wanted to wear my costume. Over the years I have been a punk rocker, a ballerina, a pumpkin, a baby, a cowgirl and even Axle Rose (long story and strange now that I think back on it). Halloween was fun when I was a kid, but now that I have a child it's is even more fun. Last year Reagan was a bumble bee for her first Halloween (pic attached) and this year she is going to be a butterfly fairy! I'll attach a pic next week!





Beth

Staples

My meal planning pretty much consists of a few staples. Why? Because they are so quick and easy to make. That and the thought of trying something new is always good in theory, but I never seem to get past the "oh, this looks like a good recipe. I'm going to print it off and try it soon." So what's on my list? Well, you can pretty much guarantee that one night we will have hot dogs, another night will be baked chicken, then Mexican casserole or tacos, throw in either spaghetti or ravioli another night, and probably sandwiches or cereal another night (usually on Wednesday nights when I get home late from church). Every now and then I will make something different...not necessarily something new...but something I haven't made in a while. AND, once in a blue moon I'll have my husband cookout on the grill. I ALWAYS make a list before I go to the store. I usually look through my fridge, the freezer, and the pantry and plan out my meals based on what we already have. A lot of times I buy things in bulk from Costco...such as hot dog buns, ravioli, chicken, spaghetti sauce. I try my best to stick to the list, but I usually end up buying stuff I really didn't need. Like those Oreos! Or M&Ms. So, my meal planning isn't very elaborate...it's pretty much the same things week after week. And if/when my hubby complains, I tell him, "next time you can cook." HA!

Cass

The Sweeney Larder

Larder - that word just makes me chuckle. You know what else made me chuckle? When I was told what our topic is for the week. Meal planning? HA! I have tried to get consistent with that for a looooong time, to no avail. I'm not giving up necessarily, it's just one of those things that doesn't really seem to make it to the top of the priority list.

Since my husband is the stay-at-home parent, he does most of the grocery shopping. I really appreciate this, but he doesn't often shop with actual "meals" in mind. We're pretty good at staying stocked up with the basics, but I often look through my recipe books trying to find something to whip together and I'll have everything I need except __________, and it's usually a pretty key ingredient. Oh, and our list is NEVER organized by the items' location in the store. We just add things as we think of them and then hope we don't have to retrace our steps too often.

So what usually happens is that we just throw meals together on the fly. I have about 10 recipes that are always on standby that are simple, relatively fast, and we typically have everything needed to make. It's not perfect, but it usually works out. I know it would be much easier if I would plan ahead and recruit Adam to do some prep work before I get home. Maybe we'll get there eventually!!

Gathering the Harvest... at Walmart

If there's one area I am inconsistent in (I'm sure there's way more than one), it's my meal planning. Some weeks, it looks like this: I sit down at the computer looking up recipes (saved or new), come up with a nice little list of Monday thru Sunday meals, make a list of ingredients needed, go to the store, and then try to somewhat stick to that schedule throughout the week. Other weeks, meaning most weeks, it looks like this: I go to the grocery store when I get a chance... especially a chance with only one or two kiddos. Sometimes I take suckers. I didn't learn that trick until a year or so ago, and it can really come in handy. I always have a growing grocery list, and I, like most of you, put it in the order of how I walk through the store. This comes in handy until you go to a different store... then it's just plain annoying. I stay stocked on all of our kid-friendly essentials and try to get the things to make a few good meals. The other nights, we're talking leftovers or quick fix things... and then we often throw a Little Caesar's $5 pizza night in there when it's a crazy day or a busy night. My hard-working hubby doesn't get home at a consistent time every night, so this has contributed to my lack of meal-planning. It's quite frustrating to make a dinner that the kids or may no eat, only to have the hubby call to say he's working late... and then by the time he gets home, he's not hungry anymore. Yay. And coupons... well, I have not conquered that skill at all. I have a great little organizer thing, and I have quite a few coupons in it. But do I use them?? Hardly. Someday I hope to get better at this. And if I had a dollar for every time I was at the grocery store with my children and someone said, "Boy, you sure have your hands full." Well, I'd have a lot of dollars... but I love it. I do have my hands full, and I'm so thankful... even for those moments where Ivy's yelling in the store and I have to hold her while pushing a heavy cart with two other children in it... even then, I am thankful... sweaty and looking like a disoriented, overwhelmed mess, but thankful.

amelia

Grocery trip

So this week we are all going to blog about how we put together our menus and grocery lists for the week.

I have several recipe apps on my IPhone that I like to use. So I look through those and see what ingredients I need and write out my list. I try to go grocery shopping once a week, but sometimes have to go a second time for milk and fresh fruit. For lunches I plan on hotdogs or sandwiches so I buy all the necessities for that. And then Reagan and I are the only ones that eat breakfast so I get her pancakes and then cereal for myself. And of course I have to have my coffee (which I can only get at Target) and creamer. I try to mix it up so we don't eat chicken two nights in a row or beef two nights in a row. Once I have my list together I plan on what day I go to the store. I try to go on Tuesdays while Reagan is at preschool, but every other week Shop n Save has $10 off a $50 purchase. Which is awesome, plus for every so much you spend that give you 3 to 6 cents off a gallon of gas up to 20 gallons at their gas station. I used to go to Super Walmart, but it's just too much for me. So I usually get a few items at Target (oh how I wish it was a Super Target) and then I go to one of three grocery stores. I really enjoy planning my meals and then grocery shopping. So how about you? Are you a meal planner or a fly by the seat of your pants kind of cook?

Oh and GO RANGERS!!!!!!!!

Beth

Good Times at the Office

Please allow me to interrupt our regular posting schedule to bring you an update from Friday's post.

I should probably find this embarrassing, and yet I find it quite funny.  These are the comments I received from co-workers Monday morning upon witnessing the gleaming empty space where my piles formerly resided:

"Did we get robbed?"

"Are you quitting?"

"What is this?  I mean, really, what happened in here?"

"Oh my gosh!  I've never seen it like this...like, since I started working here."

Sad but true friends, sad but true.

Mary