You Done Me Good, Mr. 13"x9"

So back in March of 2001 my co-workers had a lunchtime bridal shower for me. I remember it well.  Lots of (potluck) food, a crowded conference room and many gifts.  A lot of those gifts were Pampered Chef items.  Not only did the hubby and I have a store registry but I was able to put a wish list together from one of the ladies at my work that sold Pampered Chef.  Of course there were folks that chose to go that route because it was easy peasy shopping.  They just walked over to her desk, picked something from my wish list and wrote her a check.  Super easy bridal shower shopping for them and more PC goodies for me.  Oh yes I was happy to open all of those gifts that were from The Pampered Chef.  Before my bridal shower I had already attended three PC parties but I didn't buy very much because I was a bride-to-be on a budget so I only bought the knick knack stuff.  You know like that orange peeler that everyone hopes to win as a door prize?  Well at least that's how it was when I attended the parties. That little orange peeler sure was popular (and cheap) but everybody wanted to win it.  It really is the little things that thrill us.  :)

One of the many Pampered Chefs gifts I received was the 13"x9" stoneware baking pan.  I absolutely looooooved it and I used it hundreds of times over the past thirteen years.  I mean I really, really loved it so you can imagine how sad I was when I pulled it out recently to make my Baked Penne Pasta.

You should have seen me.  I was a little ridiculous for a few minutes.  And I do mean a few minutes.  I acted as if the world was over.  It's not but the use of this awesome stoneware is and lemme tell ya, it's not the same with those glass pans.  Even though the measurements are the same for this stoneware and my glass baking pans, this one definitely has more room.  I don't know why the measurements are the same because this one was always more reliable when it came to my "hefty" dishes like the oh so good Baked Mac n Cheese thanks to Mr. Alton Brown.

I guess I have to buy another one even though this one is guaranteed or has a warranty or something like that.  Although it is an obvious Pampered Chef product, it won't be replaced because I don't have the receipt. Yeah right because that's what people do when they gift this things. At the time there were no gift receipts for PC products and I don't know if they have them now.  Oh well.

My 2014 So Far

Hey there.  Long time no bloggy.  No excuses this time like how I've said before.  I just got lazy.  For the most part I was lazy but I had a couple of people tell me lately that they miss reading my blog.  That made me feel good and it was quite sweet of them so I told myself, "Self, got off your arse and just type something."  So here I am.  We are what 5, 6 weeks into 2014 so I thought I would tell you what I have been up to as of late.  

New Year's Eve-
First off, we kicked off the new year at the home of our BFF's out in Elgin, Texas.  As much as I would love to get dolled up and have my man take my out to fun NYE gala or a club well it has yet to happen.  I feel too guilty being away from my babies on that night so we're always together.  It was very low key with just our two families but we had a fun, intimate night filled with lots of talk, gossip, laughs and the kids popping fireworks.  

See our picture here?  Notice that my girl is way down front and the rest of us are in the back?  Well the plan was for the four of us to stand together and hold sparklers.  I thought that was a great photo op but nooooo my girl had to get scared and refused to stand by us with our sparklers lit because she was afraid that we were going to burn her down.  Oh my gawd child.  Burn her down?  Umkay.  For the record I made sure we were all holding the sparklers within a safe distance from one another but that was not good enough.  So down front she went and my friend, Claudia, snapped away.  This picture was the one that made the cut on my Facebook & Instagram pages and of course she turned out to be the star.  I guess it pays to be a drama queen.  :)

Remembering the Epiphany-
Many folks had their Christmas trees and decor down and put away the day after Christmas or New Year's Day.  Not me.  I like many other people had my tree up until the Epiphany.  I am of the Catholic faith and it is important to me that my children know Christmas does not end on December 25th.  Not trying to be snooty or goody two shoes but the Epiphany is very important and I strongly feel it should not be ignored because December is over and gone.  So as usual we kept watering our tree (we buy a fresh one) and kept lighting it until January 6th.  After that we took down the ornaments and took the tree to recycling for mulch.

My forever chores-
I posted this picture on my Instagram to vent a little and just let my followers know that I have no choice but to keep it real.  My wifely and mommy duties are forever constant and a daily thing.  I'm not complaining but I'll be honest and say that I am seriously considering hiring a cleaning lady to come at least once a month and help me with the nitty gritty stuff.  

A funeral-
We were getting ready to attend Mass one Sunday morning when my mom called to tell me that our good family friend, Bill, has passed away.  Bill was like an adoptive uncle for my sisters, cousins and me.  He was my uncle's best friend, co-worker and partner in crime.  His co-pilot as he put it.  What can I say, Bill was quite the character.  Bill could talk for hours and in the end he had nothing to say.  That was the running joke anyway.  He even talked my grandparents' ears off and they only speak Spanish.  It was hilarious to watch Bill talk to my grandfather and hear my grandfather say, "si, si, okay, si."  I always got a kick out of 'ol Bill.  Always laughing, joking, talking, helping out, beer in hand and a cig on the side of his mouth as he painted.  He and my uncle painted houses and such for a living.  Many of their clients became close friends.  An abundance of those clients turned friends were present at his service.  The funeral was absolutely beautiful, filled with so many people that loved Bill and had much love and respect for him.  The stories they all told were so Bill- funny, thoughtful, caring, and loving life. 

The year my friends and I turn 40-
My BFF, Claudia, celebrated the big 4-0 in early December but the rest of my friends and I will reach that milestone this year.  Cracking knees and all.  My girl, Sally, was the first one to cross the forty and she had a blast of a party to celebrate it; but first we had a small, intimate dinner celebration at our friends' house, Jorge & Elaine.  Getting together with my church friends is always the best and this night was no exception.  Like always we prayed, talked, laughed, joked, drank and indulged in some birthday treats.

The hubs and I were miserably sick-
Oh were we sick.  The hubs was sick while we celebrated Sally's birthday and stayed sick for well over a week.  I started feeling bad a few days after he did and it just went downhill from there.  I was quite sad because I thought I was better the day of Sally's big party but it was just my body playing tricks on me.  I didn't care and I went to that party determined to have a good time but it was a big struggle.  Blah!  We were absolutely miserable.  For reals.  The day this photo was taken (by our son) was the worst.  We fed the kids McDonald's and let them do what they pleased the rest of the day.  It was that bad but they were actually great.  Our kiddies took care of us.  Well in between playing, watching t.v. and being on the iPad.  :)

We are so Austin, We are so Green-
We have been a recycling family for some time and this year we started making weekly trips (mostly) to Ecology in Action in downtown Austin.  We used to go every month but the recycle over flow caused an eye sore.  Our trash company does not provide a recycling service so we do it ourselves.  Tisk, tisk on our trash company!  It's a little bit of a nag sometimes but it makes me feel better to do my part and teach my children how recycling helps Mother Earth.  Yeah, there are lots of smart-ass cynics out there about this but oh well.  Don't bother me none.  Word to your mother (earth).

Our Family Birthdays-
My honey turned 39.  Yeah, I'm rocking the cradle by a few months.  :)

The kids devoured his dessert.  :)

And baby girl turned 6.  Oh was she happy to be more of a big girl.  Not mommy.  Wah!!!!

and she's back at Ballet Austin after being on the wait list throughout the Fall semester. Yay!

And this past weekend we saw Frozen-
The kids and I saw Frozen the first day it was released and the three of us LOVED it.  Then we found out that it was going to be released as a sing-along and we were there again.  It was my husband's first time seeing the movie and he too enjoyed the movie.  Now I'm patiently waiting for the DVD release in March.  Yes, I secretly belt out "Let it go" whenever I can like in the shower or in the car.  All you Frozen fans do too.  :)

 

Oh so far we've had three "ice" days here in Austin with a couple of more work & school delays.  We're cold weather weenies and really we don't care.  And we like to make fun of ourselves. :)

Let's see how the rest of the year goes.  Stay warm, ya'll!  We're finally going to have 70 degree weather this week.  Yayuh!

My Autumn & Thanksgiving Decor

Y'all!  It's almost Thanksgiving!  Am I the only one that is more excited to eat stuffing than turkey?  I mean I eat turkey year round, but stuffing ohmygawd I love stuffing.  And the stuffing I love to eat the most is my mom's and my hubby's Nana's stuffing.  Two different recipes but equally delish.  I look forward to that dish(es) in particular every Thanksgiving. Mouth.Is.Watering.  Okay on to my little bitty decor I have to show ya.  

I know lots of folks are already decorating for Christmas but I like to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to bust out my jolly decor.  And since it is Thanksgiving week and I never got to show you guys what I have, well here it is.  No drum roll needed.  I don't have a lot but I like to make my mantel and fireplace look cozy with what I do have.  

Most of what you see here was purchased at Hobby Lobby, Michael's or the dollar store over the course of a few years.  And the majority of it was purchased on sale or clearance.  But of course.

On the mantel I have two pictures of what I am most thankful for: my husband and our marriage...

and a picture of my babies.  One of my favorite pictures of those two.  :)

and here's a close-up of the fireplace area.

This broom was purchased from my local grocery store (HEB) a couple of years ago.  It was cinnamon scented and the smell was quite strong.  Nice but strong and it took a couple of years to actually wear off.  I stuck a couple of autumn picks in the broom to dress it up for the season.

My dining room table is plain Jane compared to others I have seen.  You see, we don't have Thanksgiving at our house.  We always go to our parents/grandparents homes.  So that is one reason why I don't have a table setting but the other is that I'm just not fancy like that.  We had turkey day at our house once and it was only a few family members.  We totally did the sturdy paper plates and plastic cups.  And it was buffet style and sit where you'd like style.  Maybe one day I'll go all out but right now this is the real deal.

Another reason why my dining room table is plain.  It doubles as a homework table.  :)

But do you like my cornucopia and owl table runner?

I scored that owl table runner at my local Dollar General store.  I snatched it as soon as I saw it.

And I know other parts of the country get some beautiful autumn colors this time of year; but it is not too common here in Texas (in my neck of the woods).  But because the central Texas area has received so much rain lately, our tree leaves have been able to produce these gorgeous bronze-like colors and I'm loving it.  Here are two trees on the side of my house.  Beautiful!

I posted this pic on Instagram (@pinktexaschick) and used the Kelvin filter to bring out the gorgeous color.  I ooohed and awed the first few days because we never get to see such gorgeousness.  

How about some straight up cuteness?  My friend's daughter made this adorable candy turkey centerpiece.  Seriously.  I could eat it (pun intended).

Sorry,  I have no step by step pics but the body and head are made with styrofoam balls.  The head is a 3" styrofoam ball cut in half and secured with toothpick and a low temperature glue gun.  Obvisouly, the rest is candy and sadly this is not in my house.  I just wanted to share with you all the talent of  an artistic 6th grader.  What a  great centerpiece for a kids table! 

This wraps up my short show and tell.  I really wish I could deck out my entire house with gobs and gobs of autumn decor.  Every year I buy a couple of things here and there and I patiently build up my stash.  I hope you all have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving holiday.  Peace.

Cookbook and Magazine Organization

Hey y'all.  Right now it's like fifty something degrees out and yes I am cold.  Insert hashtag #nativeTexan and #coldweatherweenie right here.  Yep, that is me.  So with the cold weather upon us I started looking through my cookbooks and magazines to find some new soups and stews.  This is when I realized that I really needed to hunker down and organize this growing collection of mine.  I hit up the Container Store and bought some bins and magazine files and now my all-things-cooking-and-baking resources look like this:

DIY Kitty Cat Costume & Makeup {Halloween}

Happy almost Halloween, y'all!  Okay so I told you all a few weeks that I was just learning how to sew and after those lunch hour lessons I decided to tackle my daughter’s Halloween costume.  She told me that she wanted to be a kitty and soon after I started looking for costumes on the web.  After some searching and not really finding what appealed to either of us I told myself: “Self, you just learned how to sew now show the world what you can do!”  Well I can’t do much but I was confident I could accomplish this mission so off to the store I went and in the end this was Kitty Cat costume I “created” for my baby girl. 

bad quality pic, sorry!