Friday Five

1. I'm home today with a sick baby girl. Well, "sick" might be a relative term. She was running a low grade fever yesterday when I picked her up from day care, so she's not allowed back until Monday. She seems totally fine to me, but what do I know? Hey, I'm not at school giving the TAKS test, so I'm not going to complain.

2. We have groceries again! Yippee! And an iPod touch. I caved. Those two things aren't really

3. I would love for the rain to hold off until at least Saturday afternoon so we can have our garage sale and FINALLY get rid of the clutter I've gotten out of the house.

4. Unlimited texting starts on May 4! Yes, we're a little behind on the times.

5. Gotta run and supervise this active little munchkin before she demolishes the study.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday's List: 100!

Today is a milestone. Well, sort of. This marks my 100th blog post, and in honor of this momentous occasion, I have compiled a list of 100 things that make me happy (besides Matt and Avery in general). 

1. Raisinettes
2. Cupcakes with lots of frosting
3. Thin crust pepperoni and black olive pizza
4. Chuy's
5. Sonic Route 44 Coke
6. Puppy snuggles
7. Brightly colored pens
8. A perfectly balanced checkbook
9. Cinnamon Bun Indulgence cappuccino from Buccee's
10. Sleeping in
11. Campmeeting
12. Folded/put away laundry
13. Singing around a bonfire
14. Rocking a baby to sleep
15. Broadway musicals
16. Ranger games
17. Neighborhood walks
18. Garage sales
19. Disney World
20. Fireworks
21. Singing in the car
22. Naps during a thunderstorm
23. Bubble baths
24. Family dinners at my parents'
25. Dangly earrings
26. Brightly colored scarves
27. Flip flops
28. New York City 
29. Mowing the yard
30. Winning a soccer game
31. Loaded mashed potatoes
32. Mario Party
33. Hobby Lobby
34. Pay day
35. Chick flicks
36. Movie theater popcorn (with extra butter)
37. Drive-In Movie Theaters
38. Organization
39. Mindless "literature"
40. Logic puzzles
41. Pedicures
42. Piano sightreading
43. Christy Nockels' voice
44. Hoodies
45. Jeans 
46. Chick-Fil-A
47. Board games
48. Non-chain coffeehouses
49. Road trips
50. Real Simple magazine
51. Caedmon's Call
52. Turtleneck sweaters
53. Paper clips
54. Post-It notes
55. To Do lists
56. HGTV
57. Seasons of Friends on DVD
58. Jigsaw puzzles
59. Canasta
60. God's grace
61. Bike rides
62. Cereal
63. Blue Bell ice cream
64. Eating an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting
65. Weddings
66. Blog/Facebook comments
67. Pete's Piano Bar
68. Catching up with old friends
69. Looking at childhood pictures
70. Airplane rides
71. Ikea
72. OPI nail polish
73. Excel spreadsheets
74. Kakuro puzzles
75. Planners
76. The first day of school
77. The last day of school
78. Coed softball games
79. Karaoke
80. Pink cotton candy
81. Playing with Avery
82. Containers
83. Getting flowers "just because"
84. Peanuts in the shell
85. Texas Roadhouse rolls and butter
86. Bridezillas (the TV show)
87. The salsa from my mom's elementary school (the CBI class makes it and sells it)
88. Christmas lights
89. Performing on stage
90. Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate
91. Snow days
92. Pandora radio
93. Babies in big bows
94. Bright pink
95. Breakfast for dinner
96. Nonfat White Chocolate Mocha (with whipped cream)
97. Chicken fingers
98. Tubing on the lake
99. Zebra print
100. Avery's smile when we pick her up after school

I'm in a better mood just reading that list. Happy Tuesday!

Frive. (That's Friday Five when I'm this tired...)

1. After a grand total of three hours of sleep, here is what my day has entailed so far: no shower (ew.), a wreck that caused us to be 15 minutes late for school (glad it wasn't us, hope everybody was okay), a call from day care to inquire about a mystery bruise on Avery's nose (I promise we don't abuse our child), reading a blog that basically called women who had induced labors and epidurals non-Christians (oops), bacon and cake for breakfast (heart attack and sugar rush anyone?), and the discovery that I am 62 books short of the novel we're starting on Monday. It's only 10:15 am.

2. Check out this blog: Stuff Christians Like. I can't believe it took me so long to find it. The icing on the cake? Mentions of Caedmon's Call and Derek Webb by today's guest blogger. Win.

3. This week has been so busy that I missed both Glee and The Office. And today I'm too tired to care.

4. Avery is eating lots of table food. I love this. I love her. And that handsome man next to her.

5. The Weekend Preview: In-laws in town, Ranger game tonight, Kendra's wedding shower in the morning, all-day scrapbooking, Sunday at home, breathe.

This post is linked up with Company Girl Coffee. 

30(ish) Day Challenge: Scrapbook Update

The secret to quicker scrapbooking: pretty paper. I've only done a few pages so far this week, so needless to say, I'm still behind on my goal (are you sensing a trend here?). But when I did have an hour this week to sit down and work on the project, I churned out four pages in one measly little hour. It was brilliant. (I also happen to like simple pages, so that helps.)

I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm only 13 pages into my 45-page goal for the month (yikes!), but I'm going to my friend Valerie's scrapbooking party on Saturday for National Scrapbook Day (yeah, I didn't know it existed either!). If I stay on my 15 minutes-per-page pace, that's only 8 more hours! 

Um, yeah. Check back on May 1 to see how that works out for me.  

I'm bored.

Two more days and counting until I'm not relegated to my desk day in and day out. I'm ready to be a productive member of society the classroom.

I want to kick somebody. Although we usually play on Mondays, I'm so relieved that we have an indoor game tonight because I have some pent up aggression that's begging to be set free.

Have you ever checked out this blog? The Hostess With the Mostess is brilliant! And I've discovered her just in time to start planning for Avery's first birthday. Holy cow, it's hard to believe that this summer she'll be a whole year old. No need to fret: I will not be joining the ranks of parents who spend thousands of dollars on a party their kid won't even remember. I do, however, want to come up with a color scheme and some cute ideas for a small family party. I need an excuse to get creative. (Plus, the kid may not remember, but pictures last forever!)

I never thought I'd say this (ever), but I'm beginning to prefer Walmart to Target. Oh, it hurts to admit it. Most of our grocery shopping is done at Kroger or HEB, but when I do have to get food items at the superstores, Target hates me. Their produce is awful (and so expensive). Their frozen fruits are laden with sugar. Their frozen vegetables are pre-salted. Their baby food jars (that I have to buy for day care, but that's a whole other issue) are either Gerber or Earth's Best (both overpriced and where's the Beech Nut?!?). And they don't sell unfrosted strawberry Pop Tarts (so what if I shouldn't be eating them in the first place?). So boo, Target, I'm sad that our relationship has come to this point.

I was interrogated yesterday. TWICE. Once at school by our on-campus officer (crazy drama there, but it's off my back now-- whew! ) and once at home by a private investigator who was digging up some dirt on a loan company who had signed the papers on the mystery house across the street. Juicy! Or not. But it did add some intrigue to our evening.

I'm nearing my 100th blog post. That milestone calls for a list. I'd better get on that.

Friday Night at the Drive-In

I'm a planner. I like to know what I'm doing before I actually do it. Matt, not so much. So on Friday evening, he won the what-to-do-tonight debate with his spontaneous suggestion that we make the 45-minute trek out to Ennis to have date night at the drive-in. I was nice (don't be so shocked) and even agreed to have dinner at CiCi's (that's right, the bottomless pit of cardboard pizza) before the movies.

Avery loved her new "playroom" (the back of the car with the seats folded down, covered with blankets and toys).

But she finds it difficult to distinguish between play time and bed time.

Success! Pajamas on!

Time to hunker down. (Doesn't that look cozy?)

Fast asleep, and just in time for the movie to start.

Looking a little rough. Hey, it was a long week. Movie time!

The first selection was a lot funny and a little stupid.

The second selection was a lot stupid and a little funny.

A good time was had by all. Especially the makeout bandits who decided to park right next to us.

The end.

Friday Five

It's Friday again, and you know what that means! Oh, you don't? Let me enlighten you: it's time for the Friday Five (aka Heather's Random Life-Snapshots). It also happens to be Company Girl Coffee day, so welcome Company Girls!

Feel free to blog your own Five (but be a doll and link back to me pleaseandthankyou) and give me the link so I can catch up on your life's randomness!


1. I'm teaching today! I've missed my kiddos, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired of being "the woman behind the computer screen" every. single. day. Next week is my student teacher's last week, so I'll be back in action (and just in time to finish up my teaching career).

2. Last night I had the opportunity to help out be on the roster for my friend Kari's softball team. It was an unpleasant reminder as to why I was a soccer player my entire life. However, I am the queen of the swinging bunt. Okay, fine, so it isn't intentional. It gets me on base though!


3. The high school I teach at has a coffee shop. I love this. I especially love this on Friday mornings when I have a free coffee coupon. Large white chocolate mocha? Yes, please! And now I'm awake.


4. I'm wearing my contacts today! I haven't posted much about my eye drama, but long story short, I've been restricted to my (eight-year-old) glasses for the past week and a half. Granted, it was my own fault for overwearing my contact lenses, which resulted in some pretty serious eye infections, but lesson learned.


5. Weekend preview: family walks, movie nights, home-cooked meals, Little Women auditions, church on Sunday, and whatever else we feel like.


Happy Friday!

30(ish) Day Challenge: UPDATE

Good news: I've doubled my productivity this week.

Bad news: I've only completed 9 of 45 pages as of day 15 of the challenge. Let's do some math. April has 30 days, which means we're halfway through the month. I'm not halfway to my goal. This is bad.

Good news: My friend Valerie is hosting a scrapbooking party for National Scrapbooking Day on the 24th. I will be in attendance, I'm still hopeful that I can meet my goal.

All is not lost. Yet. Ask me again in 15 days!

Here are this week's completed pages:

On a side note, while it feels like Avery was born just yesterday, I cannot believe how tiny she was! Not the case anymore:

Ignore the red eyes, but check out that hair! She loves sitting in front of a fan. :)

Ramblings

I literally squealed when I saw Idina Menzel's gorgeous face on Glee last night. Much to my dismay, she didn't even sing. How? Ugh. I know she will eventually because I think she'll be a regular this season, but I was so looking forward to it.

My American Idol top three: Crystal, Mike, Casey. Love them all. As for the rest of the group, I would be totally fine if I never had to hear them sing ever again. Ever. It reminds me why I stopped watching AI in the first place.

I want to go on a cruise.

We're finally getting to go to the Family Life Weekend to Remember! We've been trying to go since we got married, but the Dallas conference never works out with our schedule. So we're going to the San Antonio conference at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort with our friends Tiffany and Ross and (maybe, hopefully!) Candie and Ricky.

I start teaching again in a week and a half. My student teacher has taken over this six weeks, so I've been spoiled bored to death sitting at my computer all day. As excited as I am that we close out the year with To Kill a Mockingbird, I'm a little nervous to take over the entire load again. Talking all day, teaching the same lesson six times in a row, grading 150 papers, packing up my classroom...sounds fun, doesn't it?

We had TAKS training this morning (kill me), but they passed out free coffee coupons (to be redeemed at our on-campus coffee shop) for the people who were on time. Score!

Last night's dinner and my new favorite meal: BBQ salad. Yum. Barbeque chopped brisket + spinach leaves + baked beans + ranch dressing = LOVE. I know, it sounds disgusting. It wasn't.

This blog entry inspired me this morning. It's the coolest birthday gift ever; take a minute to check it out.

Auditions for our church/community production of Little Women are SATURDAY! We desperately need a Laurie (who is, in fact, a male, for you Joey Tribbianis out there). If you know of anybody in the DFW area who is a solid tenor and is available from June 15-July 17, let me know. Obviously we're casting the entire show, so if you can sing, act, dance (just a little), and are just plain awesome, come see us on Saturday from 7-9pm.

The end.

Tuesday's List: All-Time Favorite Movies

Today's list is All-Time Favorite Movies. (Movies that I qualify as favorites are those that I can- and DO- watch over and over again.) I'm about to reveal my absolute lameness, but I'm okay with that.

Beauty and the Beast

This movie just makes me happy. I used to watch it over and over just so I could sing along with Belle at the top of my lungs. I even had super-cool Belle pajamas when I was seven, and let me tell ya, I rocked those pajamas and wore them until they pretty much fell apart. I was that cool. Don't be jealous.

You've Got Mail

How can you not love a beautiful rivalry-turned-romance movie? Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan go together like apples and peanut butter. (Well shoot, now I'm hungry.)

That Thing You Do

This movie is so underrated. It's got fun music, is set in the 60s, stars Tom Hanks (love him!), and has a super sweet love story. Go watch it. You'll love it.

The Wedding Planner

This movie provided many a night of distraction during college when I was supposed to be writing papers. I can quote almost the entire movie. I can't tell you what most of my writing assignments were about. You've gotta get your priorities straight, right? (Side note: I had a fantastic GPA, so it obviously didn't hurt too much.) Plus, Matthew McConaughey is hot. The end.

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Ah, Lisa Kudrow, people don't give you enough credit. Matt finally watched this movie with me about a year ago because he wanted to find out why I loved it so much. He still doesn't know.

Newsies

10th grade. Choir trip. Newsies sing-along. Dorks? Yes. So much fun? Absolutely. I'm a sucker for musicals, especially ones that feature cute singing and dancing boys. Hello, Christian Bale, forget Batman. You should be in more musicals. I'm just saying.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Did I mention that I have a huge crush on Matthew McConaughey? Well, I should tell you that I also have a girl-crush on Kate Hudson. LOVE HER. And that yellow dress is gorgeous.

While You Were Sleeping

I cannot tell you how much I love this movie. About five years ago, I tried to find it so I could finally add it to my dvd collection, but I was completely out of luck. It wasn't in stores anywhere, and I couldn't even find it online. My little brother found it for me for Christmas though. I cried. And then I watched the movie again and cried some more. Seriously, this story is so sappy sweet and it gets me every. single. time.

Remember the Titans

Denzel Washington + inspirational sports movie = WIN.

Okay, so you probably noticed a trend (and an obvious lack of film sophistication). I love am obsessed with chick flicks. I admit it. What are your favorites? Get the blog button and instructions here and join in! 

Weekend Update

So what do Heather and Avery do while Matt/Daddy is away? I'm glad you asked:

Watch season one of Glee. 

All of it. Now that's what you call a marathon. Whew! Avery was such a trooper while Matt was away, and her early bed time gave me plenty of time to scrapbook and chill on my new couches in front of the TV. I'm officially a Gleek. And just in time-- the new season starts tomorrow! Yippee!

• Favorite character: Sue Sylvester. LOVE HER. 
• Favorite song: "Alone" (feat. Kristin Chenoweth) 
• Favorite episode: "Wheels." The wheelchair dance? Brilliant. "Defying Gravity" was an added bonus. Sue's scene with her sister? Tear-worthy.

Main St. Arts Festival

After a napless Sunday morning (the church nursery is not so conducive to sleeping), Avery finally crashed right as we were arriving downtown. Needless to say, she was a very sleepy girl while we were at the festival. Fortunately for us, sleepy did not equal fussy.

Isn't she just the sweetest little thing?

It was so crowded. But little miss Avery was in paradise with so many people around to wave to. We need to get that girl in a parade. 

But there were some really cool artists there. My favorite booth had a bunch of acrylic paintings over old baby dresses. They were so fun! 

We stopped at the Ft. Worth Water Gardens on our way back to the car. Can you tell that my parents love this little girl? They're so cute with her, and she loves them like crazy!

Peekaboo!

I love this picture. But on a side note, I am so ready to be able to wear my contacts again. Or at least get new glasses. Ugh.

Avery and I did have lots of fun together during our girls' weekend. We ran errands, played with lots of toys, read books, went on walks through the neighborhood, and snuggled on the couch. 

But we are both very excited for Daddy to come home. Only a few more hours!

Friday Five: Matt-less Edition

Well, my other half is sailing the beautiful seas, and I'm here manning the fort. If something doesn't seem quite right about this picture, let me explain. Matt's choirs are performing (ahem, singing once and using it as an excuse to go on a trip) on a cruise this weekend, and although I had the opportunity to go, I decided that I'd rather not spend $500 to cruise with my students and be responsible for their well-being. Call me crazy, but I think I'd rather just wait to go when it's an actual vacation and I can wear a swimsuit without feeling totally awkward because my students are around. 

I'm kicking myself a little today though because of the following:

1. Matt's a good cook. I'm not. I ate three bowls of cereal for dinner last night. No joke. 

2. After Avery goes to sleep at 7:30 (if I'm lucky; 9:00 if I'm not), the house is way too quiet and I freak out at every single noise. 

3. The dogs know that their "master" is away and act accordingly. They bark to go out, five minutes later they bark to come in, they freak out when someone is walking in the cul-de-sac, they lick my legs (gross), they somehow find socks to chew up, and they do all sorts of annoying things that they just don't do when Matt's at home. Yeah, they know who's in charge. I've found out that it's not me. 

4. I'm bored. I love being married to my best friend. I hate it when he's gone. 

5. So. I'm going to finally sit down this weekend and watch the first season of Glee. It just seems like the show would be so up my alley (I'm a sucker for anything that includes people spontaneously bursting into song), but I just haven't gotten into it. I'm giving it another shot this weekend. 

And I'll probably eat some more cereal.

(I'm linked up to Company Girl Coffee today. Join us!)

30(ish) Day Challenge: UPDATE

Today marks the first update for this month's scrapbooking challenge, and I have to warn you, it might be a tad on the let-down side. Hey, I like to keep your expectations realistic.

It's the 8th day of this month's challenge, and I've finished a total of

THREE

pages.

That's it. So I've done it again and gotten behind. Since this month's goal is measurable though (45 pages if anybody's keeping track), I still have time to catch up. The question is: Will I?

I'm not gonna lie, I'm a fantastic procrastinator, so don't write me off just yet.


It's manageable: 42 pages left to do in 22 days. That's only 1.9 pages a day. I'm golden.

And I'm out.

9 Month Update

Sweet Baby Girl, it's been an eventful month! You're getting so big and active, and I can already tell that you're gonna keep me on my toes!

Here's what you're up to these days: 

• You love playing the piano! Without fail, if one of us is playing, you reach for the keys. If we actually need to play and don't let you sit with us, you freak out and scream! 

• You still love the princess wave (both arms gesticulating at whomever will pay attention) and even wave on command now. It makes you look really smart when we say, "Avery, tell (fill in the blank) hi!" and you just start waving away. Cuteness!
  
• In other language development news, you still "talk" all the time, and you're starting to say "uh-oh" whenever you drop things. You also understand the word "no," which doesn't surprise me because you've heard us tell the puppies that so many times!
  
• You eat like a champ and have been chewing more now that you finally got some teeth (one and a half to be precise)! You sometimes get to eat real food with us at the table (cut up green beans, bananas, and sweet potatoes) and snack on little puffs, which you love to grab up and feed yourself. At first you gagged on them every time you put them in your mouth, but you quickly got the hang of it.
  

• You have also become a professional army crawler in the past month. I have, therefore, become a professional chaser. I can't set you down anywhere! It's also making it necessary for us to finally get around to baby proofing the house. I'll get Daddy right on that. :) 
  
• He's already lowered your crib because you almost climbed straight out of that thing! That made for a nice impromptu bedtime project. You're not going anywhere now! Especially when you look so cute all curled up in the corner of the bed. Sigh. You make my heart melt.
  

• You love to stand up (holding on to things of course), and I think you would walk a whole mile while holding onto our hands if we let you! 
  

• You got your first ear infection(s) a couple weeks ago, but your last well check-up was fun (mostly because you didn't have to get any shots)! You made lots of friends in the waiting room and then just had a blast playing with the paper that covers the exam bench. We found out that you are in the 100th percentile in height (no, you may not play basketball) and the 81st for weight. We also got referred to pediatric ophthalmologist so that we can figure out what to do about your goopy eyes. But you're a happy, healthy girl! 
  
• We even were able to get you enrolled in a twice-a-week preschool program for next year, and I'm SO excited that you'll have a chance to get some social interaction that you've gotten so accustomed to at daycare this year. (Plus, I'll use those days to work at the church. Double win!) 

We can't wait to see what this month holds-- we love you, Avery!

Opening Day!

We were excited to be out of school. Matt thinks he's a thug.

And I think I'm a wannabe.

But we braved the crazy drivers and people who tailgated (code: drank Bud Light all morning and were quite humorous by game time) in the Six Flags parking lot and made it to our seats right as the first pitch flew over the plate.

I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of a boring game,

so we took pictures to entertain ourselves (not that the morons behind us weren't entertaining enough...)

A sugar rush makes everything better, especially when your team is losing.

But then in the bottom of the 9th after Michael Young hit a lead-off double and Vlad Guerrero (who I'm still deciding if I like as a Ranger) got a single, Salty came up to bat,

and after much cheering from the fans (can you tell who that is on the screen??)

Salty, with his cute curly hair, hits Murphy (my favorite! pinch running for Vlad) in to score the winning run!

We win!!! Opening Day success!

This pretty much says it all. And I'm taking it as a sign that it's going to be a pretty dang exciting season.
Did I mention it was crowded?

All in all, the obnoxious crowds, overpriced parking, sun burn and full price tickets were totally worth it. We'll do it again next year.

But until then, the season's only just begun...