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First Monday of 2016 has me back to reality.  After two really beautiful weeks of rest, personal space, yoga pants and copious amounts of good books I headed back to the world of adulthood.  While the littles did not join me today, I had a jam packed day of professional development, meetings on top of meetings and a long overdue date with the copy machine.  Now that the break is over here is a quick check-in with what is current in my life…

Wearing: With winter upon us here in Texas I will be donning my favorite pair of black tights, warm dresses, my new Tieks & new favorite coat.  Today was surprisingly a jean day at work and I was over the moon.  Thanks Principal!

Feeling: Overwhelmed.  The spring semester is jam packed y’all and as we put dates into our calendars today during a faculty meeting I wanted to sit down and just cry.  Reminding myself to cast my worries upon the Lord. 

Laughing At: Coach Husband’s chipmunk cheeks as he stuffs Peanut Butter M&Ms in an attempt to be sneaky. 

Drinking: My Plexus Pink Drink mixed with sparkling lime water & a plethora of strawberry-infused water.  Being back at school also means back on schedule with plenty of water intake.

Eating: All the freezer meals I prepared over Christmas Break!  It was so nice to come home tonight and simply pop a baked ziti in the oven.  Currently waiting on it to warm through and wham-bam we will be ready to eat.

Reading: Nobody's Cuter Than You

Planning To: Continuing working on establishing a nighttime routine. Currently it looks like cleaning the kitchen, bath, face wash, hot cup of sleepytime tea, reading for 20 minutes. 

Listening To: The newest episode of the Serial podcast.  I’m not as into this season as I was last season but it is still enthralling.

Pinning: Rainy Day Hairstyles, Backyard Pergolas,Kitchen Islands

Needing: To remember to hold myself to a standard of grace, not one of perfection.  Grateful for a sweet friend who hand-lettered this for me.  It will be framed and sit on my bathroom vanity soon

Looking to Tackle: My desk drawers at work!  After the kitchen junk drawer clean-out I did over break I am itching to do the same with my desk at work. 

Loving: My new Tieks from Coach Husband.  I put these puppies on my Christmas list as an “I hope so” present and he came through big time.  They are the most comfortable flats. 

Excited About: Our bathroom remodel!  We made more progress last weekend than I thought we would.  The general contractor {a.k.a. my daddy} should be back this weekend to lay tile in the new walk in shower!!

Wanting: A Braum’s chocolate milkshake. 

Buying: The novel, Girl Meets Class & a new recipe box

Laughing At: Coach Husband’s chipmunk cheeks as he stuffs Peanut Butter M&Ms in an attempt to be sneaky. 

Saying Good-Bye To: saying “yes” when I really want to say “no”.  I have a problem with being a people pleaser.  In an effort to make sure people like me I tend to say “yes” to things that I really have no desire to participate in.  I’m saying good-bye to saying “yes” this semester unless it’s something I empathically want to be apart of!

Till next time y'all,

2016 Family Focus

We are continuing our tradition of deciding on a Family Focus instead of New Year’s Resolutions! This year was actually more difficult than we originally thought it would be but through some serious prayer & heart searching we decided that this year we will focus on hospitality. 

Hospitality is actually a command from the Lord, not merely a suggestion and one that we are hoping to actively follow throughout the course of 2016.  We have several ideas of what that can and will look like in the coming months and I am excited to see how it evolves.  More importantly though I am excited to see how God uses our focus this year for His glory!

Focus: Hospitality

Verse: Hebrews 13:2

Word: Hospitality

Till next time y’all,

January Goals

Oh my lanta 2016 is here!  It will be a year of change within our family.  .  My parents will officially become empty nesters when my youngest brother graduates from high school this spring {good heavens to Betsy} and begins his collegiate career at what we believe to be the greatest institute of higher education in Texas…Baylor University.  I’m so grateful for such a fabulous place that poured into myself, middle brother and now the youngest of the siblings will be joining that tradition.  Coach Husband and I are excited to have him in our city of choice and I’m already thinking ahead to what day of the week we will have him over for dinner once he begins in August! 

CH also has a new spring sport, powerlifting!  Last year he was deeply entrenched in track life so the switch will be something new for both of us.  They began lifting before Christmas Break and I already loving the hours more than I can say!  We have high hopes for this group of powerlifters and have our sights set on the state meet.  This sport puts CH serving as the assistant under his coaching mentor, whose wife is MY mentor.  God is good isn’t He?

As we begin this new year I am excited to see where the Lord will lead us.  2015 was quite the journey with some unexpected twists and turns.  No telling what 2016 has in store!

A quick look back on December’s goals

December Goals

finish & send Christmas Cards

family photo session

cookie decorating with three special littles

illness hit almost all four involved in this endeavor the same week…sad

clean out/organize master closet

finish year in review family album

Angel Tree Gifts

clean house blinds

continue family tradition of Christmas play on opening night

bake bread for our neighbors

this switched from bread to cinnamon sugar pecans and were a hit

plan family focus with Coach

clean out kitchen junk drawers

January Goals

finish year in review album

read Career of Evil

filing system revamp

prepare for taxes

finish cross-stitch project

begin 52 Weeks of Savings

We are beginning several new and fresh ideas that I am so excited to share with y’all!


Till next time y'all,

2015 in Review

2015 was a year of growth, laughter and utterly fabulous!  As we look forward to a new year, let’s first look back at all the fun of 2015.

January: I spent a really fabulous week in Kansas City with Bre, Coach Husband and I watched a lot of high school basketball and didn’t eat our the entire month!

February: I learned the power of Watermelon Mint Scentsy, Coach went to a coaches Conference over Valentine’s Day, and had a legitimate snow day in Texas!

March: The month of March we took a mini-vacation to the Ozarks in Northwest Arkansas, attended the Texas Food Truck Showdown with our best friends, and welcomed our puppy Duke back from bootcamp.

April: We sent my youngest brother off to his junior prom, celebrated my sorority’s 30^th Anniversary on campus and took a multitude of walks through the bluebonnets that popped up throughout Central Texas.

May: We had double date night with the besties, survived spring football, almost died multiple times in barre class and sent CH’s best friend off to the Canadian Football League.

June:  June signaled the end of the school year, we celebrated Coach Husband’s birthday on the Carnival Triumph during our cruise, and I started the Master Reading Teacher certification program.

July: Quite possibly my favorite month of the year!  4^th of July with family and my new annual patriotic trifle, we celebrated two years of marriage, it was a month of birthday celebrations!  We closed on our first home and began remodels and moving!

August:  School started back and with it came a brand new football season!  This month we {finally} had carpet installed in the new house and with it came furniture.

September: I took the Master Reading Teacher certification test, Coach Husband coached a lot of high school football games {I never thought khaki pants, red tennis and a baseball hat could be a precious as it is on him} and had a surprise visit from Lanear.

October: High school homecoming game with our god-daughter and her precious family, day trip to Houston to see Bre & Tyler and watch the Royals play in the post-season, and celebrated a bye-week at the Dallas Arboretum with my family.

November:  November brought the end of football season with a sad loss in the playoffs, had Thanksgiving with my family and decorated our first home for the Christmas season.

December:  Coach Husband was selected Teacher of the Year, Bre & Tyler came to town for a long weekend, we had a mini family reunion with my sweet grandparents, had a family photo session, celebrated three Christmases and had a two week break from school.

Happy New Year friends!  We will be ringing in 2016 with my parents demolishing our master bath for a re-model

Till next time y’all,