Check out this color!

This tree in our backyard is a gorgeous red! The leaves have just started falling (apparently this particular tree didn't get the memo that it is supposed to shed in the fall)... & it's a big tree... lots of raking, here we come! In the meantime, I am enjoying the beautiful color!

A random update for you

I just got in my Gevalia coffee... yumm. Isn't it fun to get packages, too?

I also have become quite the tea drinker. A year ago I didn't drink any tea - not iced, not hot, nothin. Then Josh & I discovered Teavana last summer, which pulled me in to the hot tea world. Now I drink two or three cups of hot tea a day! Always peppermint at night, then I have currently in my pantry, green tea (which I will probably always keep on hand), rooibos, & chamomile with honey & vanilla. I love that I like a drink that is actually good for you (opposed to diet drinks), plus it helps with that whole 8 glasses of water a day thing.

January is a great month. Partly because it's a new year, looking forward to what the Lord will do. But mainly because it's my birthday month. :-) I love birthdays! I kind of make a big deal out of them... which can be bad when no one realizes my ridiculously high expectations (it's interesting that I even have high expectations regarding my birthday, because I tend to live life with a "let's not get too excited so I don't get let down" kind of way... but that's another quirk for another day). But thanks to Josh & my parents & Haley, I have people who make it a very fun time. So, yay for January!

& yay for this week! Tonight Josh & I are going out to dinner... this is a rare occurance but much needed, as he has been working hard on a project he finishes today & we need to get out of the house & just have fun & good conversation. Yay for tomorrow, because with it comes the return of AMERICAL IDOL! Oh yes. We love this show. I think it's the only show year-round that we actually attempt to watch every episode of. (I know that was really bad grammar, ending a sentence with the word "of." Ah, did it again.) & yay for this weekend, because one of our good friends from high school is coming to visit us, Mr. Aaron Schrank himself. It should be good times... except for the obligatory game of Settlers of Catan that I agreed to (what was I thinking???).

I just remembered, I have a couple of book reviews to write up... hopefully coming soon!!

Here's to January!! :-)

Amazing coffee deal!

Check this out... Gevalia is offering 3 boxes of coffee, your choice of brew, for $3!! Awesome! I love me some good coffee... & cheap is even better!

Why I love Williams-Sonoma

I llooovvee Williams-Sonoma.

Target is my favorite store, because of all it offers (including Starbucks!) & its availability. I go there about once a week, whether I need to or not. The clothing stores I love are financially out of reach (Anthropologie, Banana Republic, White House Black Market) unless I am at the outlet or in front of their clearance rack, but I always wander through them to appreciate what they make. But my favorite specialty store... Williams-Sonoma for sure.

I love to cook you know, so what could be more fun than looking at crazy cooking gadgets & pans you can't afford but dream of using & cookbooks & sauces & fun things like lemon peel twists? Oh I'm tempted to hop in my car right now & go enjoy it all.

I've only ever bought one thing there (altho I have an apron & pot holder I got as a gift, pink & green of course) - their Balsalmic Vinegar. YUMMM.

I tell Josh often, one day when our kids graduate high school, I'm going to go work at Williams-Sonoma. I would LOVE that.

Anyways, a couple of weeks ago Josh & I were in there, & Nespresso, a company that sells their espresso machines at WS, had a representative in the store demonstrating the machines - therefore making yummy cappuccinos & espressos! So we got some delicious drinks & drooled over the machines that made cappuccinos & espressos close to how they make them in Italy (which makes sense since it is a European machine). SO, last weekend when I was in Austin, I (forcefully?) suggested my mom, my sister & I go by to check the machines out (slash... get a cappuccino).

It was samples galore when we walked in! Free coffee drinks, pumpkin spice cake, snickerdoodle cake with cream cheese frosting, & apple cider! Yes I had one of each. & I walked out with three free booklets - Thanksgiving recipes, Thanksgiving tips, & olive oil facts.

Williams-Sonoma + fall samples = HAPPY me. I LOVE that store!

Music!

I know I have neglected this thing in a big way - I have reasons! We were in DC from the 5-9, then Houston the 11-14, & now I'm so busy with church stuff - lots going on! However, I have to tell you, I am really enjoying the Pandora mix I've got going on while doing church stuff & cleaning the house for a meeting tomorrow. It's playing stuff like Howie Day, Gavin DeGraw, Mat Kearney, Matthew West, Jon McLaughlin, Matt Nathanson, & even Jeremy Camp & GooGoo Dolls have made appearances. It makes work much more enjoyable!!

I will blog about our travels soon!

Just a quote I like...

Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.
George Eliot

monsters & gummies & kleenexes

Josh & I saw "Monsters vs Aliens" in 3D this weekend with my parents at the IMAX in Austin. It is a really cute & funny movie! I highly recommend it. Also see it in 3D too if you can. A few times I guarded my face because I thought I was going to get hit by something coming out of the screen! It was crazy.

Did you know there are adult gummy vitamins?? YES! I bought them at Target & they are yummy so now I can get Josh to take his vitamins! You can also buy specific gummies for calcium, Omega-3s... one of the specific kinds looked yummy, I might need to buy it... I mean, I'm sure I need more of whatever it was...

After this past week I really don't understand how there is anything left in my skull. I have blown my nose so many times I must have killer abs by now. Allergies I guess. Poo.

I think that is all for now.

one of those days

So lately I have been drinking French Vanilla Dunkin Donuts coffee. It is yummy & it smells delicious when I make it. I used to drink the HEB brand, but man... this is one category where the taste is so much better if you pay a little more for it.

I love to sign up for free samples (Walmart.com & startsampling.com) & get them in the mail. It's lots of fun, & what is better than free?

Yesterday I received my Seattle's Best Coffee sample (Vanilla Bean flavored). Today after working out I had staff meeting, so I didn't get home & showered until after noon, which always cuts the day short. I have been very busy (compared to my usual demands) lately, & today was no exception. That being said, I decided I deserved some coffee this afternoon. I never fix coffee in the afternoon (though sometimes I'll buy it at Starbucks if I'm there) so this was a treat. I fixed me some Seattle's Best.

Yes this is a long story simply about coffee.

Anyways, it claimed on the box to be really smooth... & indeed it is. It's pretty good. It doesn't smell near as good as my Dunkins, but if it is cheaper then I may just switch back & forth between the two.

I like coffee.

Fresh-ca

How did I make it through most of my life barely knowing Fresca existed? It's so refreshing... AND calorie-free?! No DIET Fresca? Somehow that makes it even more wonderful.

i'm seeing green

So, yesterday after church we & the McKennas went over to the Smiths for lunch, & they had this guacamole dip that I had never had before. It did not taste like your average guacamole... it was different (prob because it didn't actually have real avocados in it... but whatever). But it was GOOD. Way good.

I just got back from the grocery store. It wasn't there!!!

Tomorrow I'm so going to their HEB to find this guacamole. I can't stop thinking about it. I want it. I must have it.

yay!

Cool weather

Pumpkins & gourds

Apple cider (especially the caramel apple spice from Starbucks)

Orange, brown, & yellow

Stews & soups

Jeans & light jackets

I love fall!!

WHOOO!

I just want to say... I am ECSTATIC about this weather. It is AMAZING. Right now it's less than 80 degrees out, & it won't even hit 90 today, WHOOO!!! Fall is coming!! Although they say it is only a front, it will get warmer again, who cares! Today is a day for driving with the windows down, sitting outside at Starbucks, & wearing jeans without sweating!!

FALL IS COMING!!!!

Pickle Pants (& a discovery)

Yesterday I opened a jar of pickles & juice got all over my pants. Eww.

Did you know pickles are a super low calorie snack? They do have plenty of sodium though, so don't eat a jar for lunch or anything.

Speaking of food, I have a new yummy snack - 100 calorie packs of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen butter cookies! WAY YUM! I know some nutritionists don't like the 100 calorie packs, because they don't have many nutritional benefits, or whatever, but let's get real - sometimes you just need a sugary snack, & better to eat only 100 calories of it than more! Plus I love love love carbs, in any form (bread, crackers, cookies, cake, muffins, most sugar in general), so I got really excited when I discovered they are truly yum (& won't go straight to my hips :-) ).

I am in organize mode! I have been trying to transform our dining room-turned-study into my personal office, while also trying to clear out what we don't need/use in there & in Toby's room (aka the junk room, also our future baby room), so we can simplify & get junk up in the attic instead of around the house. It's quite the task! But I am motivated so I must run with it while that feeling exists. I hope to start painting/working on our bathroom after we get back from vacation, so I think that's my next project... it will be quite the transformation I think, so I will definitely put up pictures when it's done (but don't expect that to be too soon!).

I found a great new blog - Mom Advice (there is also a link to the left). She puts up great homemaker stuff, mom stuff, also posts where there are free giveaways (such as yesterday, a code for a free movie from redbox.com). Go explore!

juice & Disney World

I'm pretty simple when it comes to what I buy to drink around the house. Water, Diet Coke, orange juice, & coffee. But I have really enjoyed the Pomegranate Blueberry V8 Fusion lately. I was disappointed with the strawberry banana, it seemed too watery to me, but the pom-blu is a good flavor, plus it's healthy! I'm pretty picky about my veggies so this is a good way for me to get those veggie nutrients.

We got back from Disney World on Tuesday! It was so fun, I just love going there, & I was so sad to leave. That place just makes you happy. Magic Kingdom is my favorite of course, & we went to Hollywood Studios & Epcot as well. Here are a couple pictures.

Beautiful Cinderella Castle


Joshie & I in front of the Epcot ball



The Disney princesses dancing around in front of the castle



That's all for now. Josh & I are going to take Sage to the dog park then get Enchanted to watch! & tomorrow is our annual fun day... I'll tell you about it next week!

C

food is yum-may

I like the Ellen show. If I'm at home at 3 during the week it is guaranteed to be turned on (altho that channel is the worst with the bunny ears, so mainly I'm listening more than watching). So it's on & she was just talking about foods she likes & doesn't like. So NATURALLY I feel inclined to tell you mine, because, why not?

Likes!
-breakfast tacos (with salsa, I used to hate salsa, now I like it!)
-peaches (dewormed)
-grapefruit
-bread... all kinds... white... wheat... multigrain... pumpkin... cinnamon raisin... lemon... focaccia... ciabatta... Panera......
-soup
-mushrooms
-escargots

ok so that list could go on for a while. But my dislikes list is pretty specific.

Dislikes!
-lemon in my water
-onions
-tomatoes
-peppers
-hot spicy foods
-iced tea
-moldy cheeses

Is it bad that half of those are vegetables?

C

How I love those cinnamon crunch bagels...

I have a new store to introduce to Texas. Lush. This place is fun! Josh & I first discovered it in Victoria on our honeymoon, & when we saw it this weekend in Dallas, we had to go in! He bought me a bath bomb, a bubble bar, & my favorite, a massage bar. You rub it & the heat from your skin makes the surface of the bar turn into a creamy moisturizer! The scents are yummy too. They also have solid shampoos, solid soaps, gooey shower gels (that look like jello molds), & lotions, all organic. I'm not an organic-maniac, altho I would definitely shop at World Market if it were cheaper! But this place is just so great! You must make your way to Northpark next time you are in Dallas!

Josh & I also got to stay in a four-star hotel in downtown (the one that is connected to Reunion Tower - the rotating restaurant tower ball thing) for super cheap, ate bagels at Panera Bread (yumm!), & some cupcakes at the LA cupcake hotspot Sprinkles!! I just love Dallas. I love visiting there!

These past few weeks have been really busy with work, & the busyness isn't over yet, but it's been good, & I enjoy having the Lord use me to help people get connected with other believers in our church!

On that note, I'm off to a meeting!

C

Discovery Alert!

Today during my coupon shopping at Target, I sniffed my way through the Glade candles & picked out a candle to try; I had last bought the Angel Whispers candle, which smells good, but I wanted something new. So I bought the "Fresh Berries & Wild Raspberry" Glade 2-in-1 candle.

YUMMMMMM!!!!

I hardly want to leave my kitchen because it smells so good! Hopefully the bottom half, the raspberry half, won't disappoint. But for now... my sniffer is happy.

Brief. (Discovery!)

So. Good.

These things are the perfect amount of sweetness in just 140 calories! You must go get them. Eat them after dinner, as a snack, heck, have a yummy breakfast.

I will write more perhaps tomorrow. Tonight was a really good night, & I'm hopeful for what the Lord might do this week.

Please pray for Josh while he finishes up training this week in Alabama!

J&C

I'm an.. auburnette?

I dyed my hair! Yep. Cuz I'm crazy spontaneous, of course.

Actually, Josh dyed my hair. In the hotel bathtub. He was like, "So this is what married people do?" I think he had fun doing it. We accidentally dyed a towel in the process (do you get charged for that sort of thing?). It looked kinda nasty.

But really, since the 9th grade, this is the longest I have gone without coloring my hair - two whole years, people. & I got the itch to do it again. So I went the opposite way than before - not blonde, but dyed it a darker shade of brown with hints of red. I personally don't think it's super drastic, but I guess we will see when I see people's reactions!

I have a mission for you people. Travel to your nearest Houston or Dallas, go to Panera Bread, & order the Strawberry Salad (with or without chicken, whatever suits your fancy). It's so good... strawberry poppyseed dressing & lots of strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, pineapple (ok, so I took that part off)... I'm drooling just thinking about it. I can't believe San Antonio doesn't have Panera Bread. I think I might write them a letter & suggest it.

& also eat a cinnamon crunch bagel. You can thank me later.

Which (skipping the two sentences I just wrote, that is) brings me to my next point. I would love to find a salad dressing that is as good as the ones in restaurants. I think strawberry vinegarette is my favorite... we also had it at Drew & Adrienne's rehearsal dinner. I finally found one at HEB but it's not as good. & at Landry's Sunday, we had a honey mustard vinegarette, which sounds nasty, but it was so good. Anyone have any amazing salad dressing recommendations? (Obviously you don't, Kristin, cuz you eat salad dry as dry comes... I told Paige about that & we both think you're crazy :-) )

Toby has a new stretch these days. It's adorable. When he gets up from a mega nap, he always stretches big time, back arched, ears pointed backwards, & now, tongue out. It's so cute!

That's all I've got for today. Now I'm off to read my library book - I need to finish it! TOODLES!

J&C

(We leave Houston tomorrow - WHOOHOO!!)

Life in Houston

Weird again.

I've never lived in a hotel before. It's not so bad I guess, with free breakfast, a workout facility downstairs, & not having to cook dinner. I have already staked out the nearest Starbucks, Target, Sonic, Barnes & Noble, etc., & found some yummy cheap restaurants for us to try out. We were glad to know they have a Chuy's here... that is our new Mexican spot, I think. It's good... especially the FREE nachos between 4-7 on weekdays!! :-)

Today I went to Central Market. I have never been there before, but oh my. I just had the best time! I got to sample fresh mango & several breads (I could live in the bread section, you know). I bought a bit of strawberry granola, dried fruit, a piece of baklava, & a chicken salad sandwich. I think I'll be going back there soon... & definitely leaving with some of those mangoes!!

Toby the cat is also here with us... we couldn't leave him in SA without us, you know. That makes it more fun for me too, having him here in the room while Josh is at work.

God is teaching me a lot these days, & I can see how He is changing me. That is a good thing... but a long process. He is also refining us as a couple & showing us how to be married & how now our relationships with the Lord are to be shared with each other & how to be unified in that. I'm not sure how to explain it. All I know is that we have a lot to learn & I'm excited to see how our marriage looks next year, in 5 years, in 50 years; God willing.

I get excited about this time of the day... it means it's almost Me&Joshie time! :-)

J&C

P.S. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I can now do things in Josh's name without him there... like depositing his checks or something. It also still weirds me out when people (like bank tellers or the gym girl) call me Mrs. Roberts. I feel old!