happy halloween

my goofy kids

1. this photo might not be a good representation but every time ham comes home, he looks more and more handsome. 

2. i wasted a good sports bra day this morning. of course i had plans to run the full 2 miles but my legs felt like lead so i had to cut it short.

3. i went to target to grab stuff to make chili + corn bread and a blue jean skirt for kaylee's last minute halloween costume.

4. and since method was on sale and i happen to have a dollar off coupon, i went ahead and picked up a bottle only to have more than half spill on kaylee's skirt and in armando.

5. at least armando will smell good and the floor mat will already have soap on it once it comes time to wash it.

6. i feel a little guilty that i'm just not that into halloween. maybe some spiked hot apple cider would help?

7. on facebook, a high school acquaintance posted a photo of herself wearing a halloween costume with half her ta-ta's hanging out. i wanted to ask her if that was her 12 year old daughter's costume?

8. once again, mike is out of town for halloween. i think he's missed 6 out of 8 of kaylee's halloweening.

9. first kaylee was going to be a hula girl, then a 50's girl even though she was one before. [she only got to wear for about 15 minutes because that was the halloween she got sick.]

10. but with all the neon clothes thats back in style, why not an 80's girl? [an era after my own heart]

getting back at my neighbor for something he didn't do

my neighbors house

1. so friday there was an opportunity for me to get back at my neighbor for sticking that longhorn car magnet on armando.

2. but about 30 minutes later, mike and i returned from eating lunch with kaylee and it was already taken down.

3. sunday i see mr. longhorn mowing his lawn and decided to say something. he claims he never saw it! that his wife must of taken it down and that he never put the car magnet on armando!

4. mike says he's pulling my leg and will get me back when i least expect it. i hope so because i want my $10 t-shirt back.

5. some exciting news- there could be a christmas cruise in our future.

6. talk about an incentive to keep running even if it is a freezing 40 degrees out. [mike says i've officially become a texan]

7. after school we're going shopping because miss skinny minnie, who insists on getting taller even though i tell her to stop, needs some blue jeans. all but 2 pairs are size 5/6. 

8. one of my dearest girlfriend's has family and friends on the east coast. praying they are all safe from hurricane sandy!

9. while this is so minor in comparison, friday our electricity went out for about 10 minutes. good thing we had our iphones because i didn't even have batteries for our flashlights.

10. it made me realize that i need to get an emergency kit made. our neighbors told us that with hurricane ike they lost power for at least a week and a half and we're about 75 miles north from where it actually hit.

the big chill

 hanging out together on their ipads

sad ollie 

1. ham came home again for the weekend since there were no home football games. 

2. while he was home, we played south park uno- kaylee won, they went hot tubbing and we ate at the cheesecake factory. [besides a few homemade meals, of course]

3. i also made him some cannoli's since he's a big fan. they were super good and easy but next time i'm making them regular size.

4. i love finding them two hanging out even if they aren't talking. [fyi- kaylee is on the family ipad, she does not have one of her own]

5. sunday evening, we all went outside to give ham our hugs and i caught ollie peeking through the window.

6. ham said he thinks ollie's sad he's leaving. ollie would try and take stuff out of his suitcase while he was packing. 

7. after my run and smoothie this morning, i took a long, hot shower. i can't seem to get warm. i'm now drinking chai tea and turned on the heat. [the house says its 64 degrees!]

8. i need to get the floors swept and mopped. its been forever since the last mopping.

9. but i would rather go shopping.

10. shhh! did you hear that?...thats target calling my name!

[friday] love

peanut + i at lunch today

1. ross mathews from chelsea lately.

2. dancing with the stars all stars edition.

3. trying a new pizza joint and actually liking it. bonus, they're just down the street.

4. cute baby girl outfits. [bought for mike's co-worker.]

5. kaylee asking if i would be a doll and put socks on her feet.

6. jersey shore finally coming to an end.

7. chai tea lattes with a splash of spiced rum [its freaking cold here today! rainy + 54 degrees]

8. husband doing the dishes.

9. getting kaylee a $20 sweater from old navy for $4.97.

10. getting our a+m gear up facing the [longhorn] neighbors house. 

out with the lady bug's

 a few of the lady bug's

loved how this photo turned out

[both photos straight out of camera]

1. yesterday was spent with the lady bug's garden club. boy am i glad i went! 

2. since we were meeting at the community center parking lot, i had the brilliant idea of walking since its technically right behind my house. 

3. not sure what i was thinking- i live in texas now.  so i arrived a big, sweaty mess! and the whole day felt like i smelled like a wal-mart shopper. 

4. i rode in the car with the 4 best ladies. we talked about everything from E. D to politics.

5. and they found ME to be funny! i love it when people find me funny.

6. once we got there we took a boat tour and got to see some of galveston.  fresh fish just caught and being sold to the local restaurants, oil rigs, museums and dolphins! [i felt like i was on vacation with all the palm trees]

7. the photo of the pelican- well he's on a ship made out of concrete! this one came back for repairs and obviously, no one knew how to repair it.

8. once we got back from the boat tour, some of us went to the strand and did a little shopping.

9. i need to go back because i didn't have enough time to shop or take photos.

10. we ate lunch at the fisherman's dwarf and i got a fruity drink and a crab cake sandwich- delish! then it was time to go home. 

i only needed 2 things at target

at the football game saturday

1. boy is that hamilton SOOOOO handsome!

2. so after my run today i forced myself out of the house and went to target because i needed 2 things but still managed to spend over $100.

3. they had 48 count all laundry detergent pods on clearance so i bought 4 bags of them and found out at checkout that i get a $5 gc to use later because of it. what a deal!

4. also got ollie and his girlfriend halloween costumes. [and some other stuff to =$100]

5. then i had to go to the sports store and buy two a+m flags to hang over our garage so mr. rick aka mr. longhorn can see them, a t-shirt to dress his ghost as my prank and an a+m gnome for our yard.

6. not sure what happened yesterday. i took a very long nap, picked up kaylee and fell back to sleep again. then i went to bed before 10pm! 

7. i was probably still catching up from being sick.

8. tomorrow the lady bug's club is headed to galveston. i'm kinda excited about going.

9. but stuck on what to wear. i tried on some dresses that i bought for my cruise back in april and glad to report, they fit and feel a little better.

10. my weight has been consist since the last time i weighed myself. now i need to start working on losing some more of it!

armando got graffitied

1. mike texted me this morning that armando got graffitied on. i was like "oh shit!" because ollie was barking last night but i told him to shut up.

2. when i went out to take a look- this orange thing was on my car!

3. it was our sneaky neighbor. he's a huge longhorn fan and now our enemy.

4. oh yeah- its payback time!

5. today is a stay at home kind of day. i watched breaking dawn part 1 so i could be all caught up with my twilight movies.

6. then i put away kaylee's clothes and decided she's going to help me clean her room after school.

7. then i got the dyson out and swept/dusted whatever i could with it.

8. mike got to play college student and went to the a+m vs lsu game on saturday.

9. while kaylee and i walked around our neighborhood looking for garage sales. we only found 2 but she got herself a new pair of tommy hilfiger flip flops. [they still had the tag on them]

10. i also got my birch box. still not overly impressed but did get a full size essie nail polish.

[friday] love

1. love seeing these signs posted all over the house and the "don't call later- call now!" [she's also made cupcakes, had a pet store and a beauty salon]

2. love that i defeated my mind and ran without walking.

3. love getting invited over to a neighbors house for thanksgiving. 

4. and how ollie has a different bark for when he sees his girlfriend waiting for him outside.

5. love how kaylee only wants her mama at bedtime even though she gets stuck with daddy. [i do tuck her in]

6. and she got star student of the week!

7. and how she yells "naaaannnnyyyyy" every time an airplane goes by.

8. loving my hair and its finally cooperating even though its a bit dry.

9. love that nobody's complained on how messy the house is.

10. and karen's explanation about lying.

feeling like running...away

1.kaylee and i did a little photo shoot in the evening.

2. she's such a ham around the camera.

3. the 3rd photo is the only one that has been enhanced by iphoto because i'm too lazy do in anything in photoshop. the rest are straight out of camera.

4. they're a little dark- that's operator error which means i really need to get back into working with my camera.

5. i'm in a foul mood today. didn't get much sleep. 

6. because mike came home late which woke me up, then he woke me up again with his vapor lock. [this is what vapor lock is]

7. and i can't seem to find my motivation to do anything. this has been going on for the past 8 years???

8.  i called my sister yesterday. she wants to come visit for their fall break weekend.

9.  i told her i would have to check with mike to see what we have going on. she said " forget it." and hung up on me.

10. this is why i don't care to see or talk to her. she's just a lot of work to be around and heaven forbid someone tells her no.

[wsww] ism's and a snob

[what she wore wednesday]

1. i'm not sure if i'm not liking blogger or picmonkey because one of them is making these photos small even though i have it on x-large.

2. the second outfit is from justice that nanny bought her. i love that kaylee's so easy, she didn't fuss or fight that it needed more sparkles. we liked it so she liked it.

3. friday kaylee told me that one of her classmates said she wore that top the day before. clearly they're different but both are have lace on them.

4. my mil and i couldn't believe someone would make that kind of a comment on an outfit. its like already? they're only in second grade.

5. the husband did the dishes for me last night. [i did clean out the fridge and made "chicken and ducklings" for dinner.]

6. for those new to the blog- chicken and ducklings is a kayleeism for chicken and dumplings.

7. since it was raining most of the afternoon and evening, kaylee and i went out for fivebucks* soy peppermint hot chocolate w/whip. *kristism for starbucks since it usually costs five bucks.

8. ham texted me that he needs new clothes. i told him it would be much easier if he would go to the store so he could try stuff on rather than ordering them on-line.

9. he said dept. stores suck unless its in nyc. 

10. *sigh* i've created a dept. store snob!

a little reminder

[someone posted this on facebook]

return of the frump girl

1. kaylee was struggling the other night trying to make a necklace out of paper. i suggested she use yarn or string. she liked that idea much better.

2. this is what she made. man i love her! she wore all day/night.

3. did my morning routine- running and smoothie. then went to wal-mart. i really don't like wal-mart but they had the type of notebook i was looking for.

4. thought i looked cute this morning wearing my polka-dot blouse and silver crop pants. even did my hair some.

5. so i had to continue on with more errands- can't waste a cute looking day right?

6. so i went and bought goodies for my final swap of the year. 

7. then i saw myself in the mirror. why do i look much cuter in my mirror at home?

8. i felt frumpy. [frump girl returns] its seeing this extra weight i'm not use too.

9. even though i'm down 7lbs since the last time i weighed myself.

10. so i keep giving myself conceded reasons why i need to keep running and eating better. 

back to the same ol'

1. one day last week, my mom sent me a text saying my dad wasn't feeling too well and sent me this photo. pretty funny!

2. they're back in vegas for a month or so for dad's headache treatments.

3. friday we decided to go to lupe tortillas for lunch then to the outlets.

4. nanny found herself a pair of walking shoes- she doesn't run. [she bought 3 pairs of shoes on this trip!]

5. ollie's been a little sad since nanny left.

6. and the house feels a little empty with nanny gone and ham back to school. [feel better now that his car is fixed]

7. and hopefully i'm back to a regular schedule now that i'm not sick or rashy and we have no other visitors scheduled.

8. went running this morning and ate a smoothie for breakfast. [off to a good start]

9. got lots of cleaning to catch up on.

10. and i'm going to start painting the downstairs bathroom and maybe the bar cabinets too.

[friday] love

nanny enjoying her afternoon today

1. making miami vices [pina colada mixed with strawberry daquiri] and serving it in the largest glass i own.

2. going to old town springs and eating meatloaf for lunch.

3. pf changs for dinner twice this week.

4. getting kaylee out early for a second day so we can hit down town houston.

5. kaylee wanting an early dismissal rather than skipping a whole day. she's aiming for perfect attendance this year.

6. ham came home safe and sound.

7. getting a bunch of mums for dirt cheap.

8. freshly baked banana bread. [just need nuts in it though]

9. the weather becoming more fall like. [mid 80's this week]

10. my awesomest friend closing on her new to her house on wednesday. Congrats Michelle!

[wsww] nothing exciting wednesday

*because she dresses better than me

1. so far no text messages from ham so his car must be running okay. major relief!

2. just glad he's coming home tomorrow so we can get it serviced.

3. feeling guilty that we didn't do this before he left for school like he had suggested. i feel he has other things to worry about than whether his car is going to run or not.

4. nanny and i went to see pitch perfect. cute movie- i wouldn't mind seeing it again and there was a part that kinda surprised me close to the end so thats always good.

5. i wish i could sing. like really sing. i can't carry a tune.

6. then we ate a late lunch at wacky mongolian. [a place where you make your own dish but they cook it for you]

7. once kaylee came home, her and nanny played school for about 3 hours. kaylee's all into teaching nanny what she's learning in school.

8. then we ate crockpot beef strognaff for dinner. [very easy recipe]

9. then they made banana bread for "home ec" class. 

10. and i got an email that my birch box is being sent. lets see how long it takes to get here this time.

cars

via photo booth

1. a mix of mango tea, cheesecake sugar high and another car issue = not a good nights sleep! [ham's car this time]

2. ham's coolant light came on and he went to add more coolant but the bleed screw broke. so this morning i had to go and get that piece.

3. then took kaylee out for an early dismissal which she's been asking for ever since school started. [she's not counted as absent this way]

4. then us girls went on a road trip to ham's college and tried to help him with his car.

5. knock on wood, its running but he's coming home again this weekend so the car can get some much needed maintenance on it.

6. we were going to stop at the outlets on the way home but kaylee started complaining that her tooth hurt so home we went.

7. and ordered some pizza and breadsticks. [of course she never complained about her tooth since]

8. but! dentist appointments still need to be made in the morning.

9. i now have almost 700 miles on my car aka armando. 

10. its an armada but i kept calling it an armando so thats the name now.

nanny's here!

m.i.l and ollie back in july

 [our visit back to indiana]

1. the minute my mil [nanny] stepped inside the doors, ollie traded me in.

2. nanny wanted to treat us to dinner at one of our/her favorite places [pappadeux] the evening she got here. [lucky ham to be home!]

3. sunday we at lunch at one of our favorite mexican restaurants then i made dinner of filet, cheesy hash browns and salad for ham's last meal before going back to school. 

4. the hot tub has been getting some good use too especially since the weather's gotten cooler. [mid 60's]

5. today we surprised kaylee at lunch and brought her subway.

6. then i took m.i.l shopping and found a dress that i wanted last march on clearance for 60% off and the only left in my size!

7. after kaylee got home from school and did her homework and mike left for out of townl, us girls went shopping up in the woodlands.

8. nanny promised her an outfit from justice. thankfully we found her cute green jeans and top with/out too much glitter and sparkles. [i'm washing them now so she can wear them tomorrow]

9. we ate dinner at pf changs and got dessert to go from the cheesecake factory.

10. nanny ended up getting a bunch of bath + body works stuff and i got a top on clearance from anthropologie. man, i love that store! [kaylee talked nanny into buying her diary of a wimpy kid book]

[friday] love

photos from hawaii 2008

1. every time i walk into my bathroom this is what i see and it makes me happy. [they are hung up straight just operator error with the camera] 

2. grocery shopping already done this morning.

3. mother in law will be here tomorrow. [needing some new entertainment]

4. my guys laughing at me because i said i needed a vacation because i'm bored.

5. finding t-shirts for under $4 each! hello clearance with another 30% off and at a boutique.

6. whenever ham comes home its considered a "special occasion" and kaylee and mike both stayed up late.

7. ham getting a 98 on his history test. [he got an 86 on sociology but we  will let that slide this one time]

8. jane porter is coming to texas! and to my neck of the woods!!

9. ollie always taking my flippy's [flip flops] and running away with them. 

10. bloggers who are willing to take the time and effort to host swaps. i just signed up for my last one for the year. i think.

Just Add Color Fall Swap [swaps are addicting!]

 cute packaging!

I was in another swap, Just Add Color Second Annual Fall Swap and got teamed up with Jen over at Grown in Southern Ground.  This swap was for a scarf and nail polish but Jen went over and beyond and sent me some earrings that were made in Saluda, NC which is where she's from.  [The nail polish is Essie Mink Muffs]

Thanks Jen for the awesome goodies!  [I can't share what I got her because she hasn't gotten it yet. I was sick!!]  

Fall into Fall Swap Reveal

I did a Fall into Fall Swap recently and was partnered with Jamee over at Your Usual Suspects.  She was awesome + quick and sent me a Sacramento t-shirt because I love California, Sacramento Kings playing cards because thats her favorite sports team, fall tissues for my purse or car and her favorite EOS lip balm.

Everything was just awesome! Thanks so much Jamee!  You can see what everyone else got over here.  [I forgot to take a photo of the goodies I sent her -a Houston Starbucks mug with some Starbucks Pumpkin Latte and a notebook of paper for list making, of course]

random thursday

 her new earrings for being really good at the football game

getting her haircut last week

1. ham asked for some more beef jerky, granola bars and pocky sticks. so this morning i went to the world market- one of my favorite places to go.

2. i will have to say that living in texas, its so much easier getting healthier choices and organic products.

3. also went to best buy to get a water filter for the fridge. [kinda pricey!]

4. made japanese beef stew last night. forgot how delicious it is and the smell while its cooking- da bomb!

5. back in my younger years i made friends with a Japanese student and she gave me the recipe. [my husband, at that time, was going to indiana university]

6. speaking of memories, heard beastie boys on the radio this morning. took me back to the time ham was about 1 or 2 and we would be jamming in my 10 year old honda prelude. good times man. good times.

7. mike asked me when i was going to make a tanning bed appointment. i must be indiana white again.

8. met a fellow ball stater at sur la table this morning. [went to buy a funnel]

9. while driving around, i felt a little bit more comfortable in the new car. its still big and feels like a truck.

10. then i went to turn and ran over a bump. guess i'm still getting use to it.

[wsww] printer ink nazi

what she wore wednesday because she dresses way better than i do!

1.  I'm semi caught up on running errands this morning.

2. went to target to buy printer ink. man those things are expensive! guess i'm going to have to be ink nazi from now on.

3. last week was "stop bully's" theme at school and friday was picture day.

4. not sure what's going on here because i usually have her school picture outfit picked out months before. this was a last minute choice. 

5. as she would say - she rocked it anyway.

6. every night when i tell kaylee its bedtime she runs upstairs and says something to mike.  last night it was and i'm quoting her with her hand on her hip, finger pointing at him, "mom said its your bedtime." 

7. one day i'll have to sneak a video of it.

8. we thought about taking mike's mom up to college station so she can see ham's school but he's coming home instead....happy cheesy face! man do i love living close enough by his school- WOOOO HOOO!

9.  funny thing: mike's younger brother, nick,  just went away to college this year too. he's going to the school ham would of if he hadn't moved with us. [purdue]

10. ham thought it would of been weird to see his "uncle" at school.

feeling better

1. little peanut on photobooth. such a silly girl!

2. i felt really bad for her last night with me being sick and not giving her any attention that i yelled at mike to do something with her.

3. they played jr. monopoly. she won.

4. i'm feeling better today- a tender throat and light headed-ness. the doctor said my contagiousness should be gone by tomorrow.

5. thank goodness because we have no food in the house though it does mean i don't i have to cook. hmm...might need to think that one over.

6. funny how mike thought i would be able to make dinner after texting him that my whole body aches and my throat felt like it went through a blender.

7. i tried loading up some funny videos from last year of ham and kaylee picking on each other but it wouldn't work.

8. man am i missing my ham right now.

9. and i'm missing indiana fall.

10. i use to say summer was my favorite season but now its got to be fall. i love being able to wear layers of clothing, tree's changing colors and warm chai tea with a splash of rum. [go figure- i loved summer when i was skinny]

i am

photo via here

i am in sweatpants 

and a wrinkly shirt

with my wet hair tied back.

i am snuggled up with a blanket

and my daughters pink rabbit pillow pet.

i am watching property brothers and married with jonas reruns.

i am sick.

i have strep throat.