Sweet Surprises

This weekend I went on a lovely date with my fabulous husband!  We decided to hit up The Heights first since that is where I will be working and spending a lot of time.  Our first destination was the Art Car Museum...we lived in Houston about 5 mins away and this was our first trip there.

We also found this super charming place called Dessert Shoppe on 19th in The Heights, and it was incredible.  They had all kinds of yummy, caloric fabulousness, but Nick and I decided on cupcakes.  It was an amazing choice, but I bet everything there is wonderful.

We also saw Dinner For Schmucks, which was hilarious.  I love Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, and the movie really was excellent...as my brother put it, "it is a comedy that actually has a really good plot"!

Dinner was interesting, to say the least.  We decided to try Tokyohana only to find that it had some sweet surprises and some disappointments as well.  To begin, I have never been to a restaurant where a magician walks around.  I am being very serious, there was a magician who walked to each table doing card tricks.  I haven't quite decided if it was off-beat and fun or just odd and a little disturbing.  Anyway, food was ok, the portions were huge, as was the price, and it is the only hibachi restaurant I have ever been to that makes you pay extra for the soup and salad.  It wasn't a bad experience, just not as good as we would have liked.

We had a very successful date, did lots of exploring in The Heights, and enjoyed a day where it was just the two of us!  On a completely different note, yesterday was of course Sno-Cone Sunday, and my brother joined us and spent the evening with us.  He has since decided that he will always join in on Sno-Cone Sunday and Selina, his girlfriend can't wait to come next weekend!  Weekend was amazing, and unfortunately my summer is officially over and it is back to work for me...

And so it begins...

Although the end of summer means I have to go back to work, which is completely bittersweet, it also means that TV is about to start rockin' again!  All of the fabulous shows that go on hiatus for the summer are getting ready to come back, and I can't wait!

Grey's Anatomy: The last episode was so intense that Nick refused to watch it with me, so where will this season take us?

Private Practice:  I have just recently gotten into this one, but I hated how the season ended!  Dell should NOT have died, and that is all I have to say about that!

Brothers and Sisters:  Oh, how I love this show!  Plus, Dave Annable is so ridiculously gorgeous!  I will miss Rob Lowe and Balthazar Getty, but this show keeps me coming back for more.

I am totally aware of the fact that this entire post is about TV and I am not ashamed, because even if you don't like to admit it you too have TV shows that you are addicted too.  It is a guilty pleasure, and I would just like to add that my life doesn't revolve around TV...I promise!

Love is in the air...

So, this coming Friday will be the 13th and also marks a year and a half of married life for Nick and I.  This is amazingly awesome because we got married on a Friday the 13th!  Needless to say it is kind of exciting, and is the inspiration for today's post.  Obviously, I love my husband but a few other things I love include:

• Our wedding wall!  We have this weird cut out thing in our house that I had no clue what to do with, and then my best friend, Sara, gave us a sign that inspired everything!  It has all kinds of memories, and serves as a constant reminder of the best day of our lives.

• Going along with the whole wedding thing, I still love our wedding invitations!  We did not go the traditional route, but I still think they are the best thing ever!  I love that we are crying by the box for those who could not attend.  In case you can't tell, the invitations have us on them!  A local artist created them for us after talking to us and learning what our interest were.  Nick has on flip flops, a soccer ball, and a finance book.  I have a camera, paintbrushes, and a book.  Since we like to travel there is a suitcase with stuff about us on it like the UST star, Viva Italia (that is where we honeymooned), a Don't Mess With Texas sticker, etc.  They were amazing and completely us!

 

 

• A more recent love is that I will be teaching in The Heights this year!  There are so many aspects to love about this...I am at one of the best schools in the district, I am a Vanguard teacher so I will be teaching GT and Pre-AP kids, Nick and I can carpool, and the people at this school are incredible, plus, I just adore The Heights!

Sno Cone Sunday!

Our lives are crazy, hectic pretty much all of the time.  In all honesty, I don't know what we would do with ourselves if they weren't though.  In all of the madness since the last post, Nick and I have decided to implement Sno Cone Sundays into our beautiful marriage!  It is our time to relax with each other and eat the best summer food ever invented.  Plus, it would make a kick-ass name for a Sno Cone stand, especially if we were to play on the pun with sundae.

Our sno cone stand of choice...it is the best out of like 4.  We have become sno cone aficionados!

Up until Sunday, though, we were all over.  Of course we went to the MLS All-Star game against Manchester United.  We were lucky enough to be on the field during warm-ups, which meant we got to be up close and personal with players and coaches.

I also got a picture with my two favorite Dynamo players, Geoff Cameron and Cam Weaver.  Yes, they are that tall and I am that short!

We also had my adorable nephews birthday party this weekend...they are turning 6 and 9!   Nick and I got the best present too!  We found this rocket that is 7 ft. tall and shoots 100 feet into the air, well after putting it together and much debate about whether or not it would work it turned out to be a huge success and went about 150 feet in the air!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it shooting up, but that would be my nephew Tripp grabbing his butt in the above picture, haha!  It was a good time, lots of family, and an Olympic themed party at my brother's, who lives on 10 acres so there is always something to do.

Also, this weekend some of the other season ticket holders at the Dynamo game gave us part of the Houston Chronicle, and low and behold...

Nick and I are in the picture!  I have no idea why we look so angry, but it is pretty awesome!  The couple in front of us couldn't believe that the time they go to get food there is a picture taken (they sit right in front of us).

We had a wonderful week since the last post, and this week is not any less hectic.  My summer is coming to a screeching halt, and this is my last day of nothing to do.  I have new hire orientations, 6th grade orientation at my school, and I start back to work.  So long summer, hello new adventure into not only a new school district but also to public school...

ABC's...

Saw this on Emily's blog and thought I would do it as well!


A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: It changes at certain times of the day on its own.  We have it follow a schedule, and I have no idea what it is on now but we are always comfortable!

B- My BEDROOM theme is:  Mostly light blues and cream.  The furniture is a dark wood, but it is still a work in progress.

C- The CAR in the driveway is:  My lovely Camry.  I can't wait for a new car, but there is always something we seem to want more, and since it drives fine I guess I can't complain too much.

D- My DESK looks:  A little more cluttered then I would like.  It is a huge, beautiful glass desk, but with all my recent purchases for my classroom laying on it it is not as clean and organized as usual.

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is:  Usually around 9:00 unless I have to be somewhere or something to do.  Unfortunately this will be changing in a couple weeks.

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is:  My hair.

G- My GARAGE is filled with:  Nick's tool chest and tools, all kinds of yard stuff, 2 cars, a dresser waiting to be refinished, etc.

H- My HOUSE is:  full of love!  It is taking a lot longer then we wanted to decorate, but I love it and the memories, hopes, and dreams that it is already full of!

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see:  Our bed, which is not made, the book I just finished reading on my night stand, and some of Nick's clothes on the ground (which I will make him pick up tonight, haha).

J- My favorite JUICE is:  Orange.

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is:  The bar!  It is huge, and makes for the perfect spot to have family and friends hang around and to put out food, snacks, flowers, etc.

L- The LAST person who visited my home was:  My parents and brothers

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was:  A credit card offer.  I get at least two a day.

N- My NEIGHBORS think I'm:  Friendly and neighborly I hope!

O- If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: Not much, we are in serious need of grocery shopping.  We do have lots of fresh veggies though, and probably more condiments then necessary.

P- My last house PARTY was:  July 5th, we had family over for a post 4th of July party.

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is:  Last night I made chicken Alfredo, which was very quick and so yummy.

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is:  The living room!  It is cozy and where we spend most of our time, and the kitchen is right next to it.  I love all the rooms though, except for the naked formal living/dining area in the front of the house.

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use is:  Pantene.

T- My largest TELEVISION is:  I think 42 or something, it is the only TV we have in our house.

U- UNDER my bed you will find:  Our bed is the only bed with nothing under it, the "real" guest room has giant pictures under it because our wedding reception was an old theater so our pictures were like the movie posters and the eventual nursery has a daybed with a trundle underneath it.

V- The last time I VACUUMED was:  A week ago, and we will vacuum again this weekend.

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see:  Our garden and the dog house.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: Money, but who doesn't.  I would love to get my dream, huge dining room table, take a trip to London like now, get a new car, have a baby, the list goes on and on.  However, Nick and I are beyond blessed so we have no complaints.

Y- My YARD is:  The front yard is lovely with green grass and bushes and our tree, the backyard, not so much.  With rain and rain and more rain combined with mud and dogs it is a little sad looking.

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: Anywhere from 10 to 12 depending on what is going on; however, when summer is over I will be going to bed by 10.  I am an old lady who needs her sleep!

All-Star!

As I have mentioned before, soccer is a huge deal in our house, with our families, and even with some of our friends.  Therefore, there is a lot of excitement since the All-Star game is in Houston tonight and they are playing one of the most well known teams in the world, Manchester United.  Well, Monday night there was a party to kind of kick-off All-Star week that we went to with some friends, but it was also a charity event as well.  We had a great time seeing the majority of the players, supporting a good cause, and watching some awkward stand-up comedy.  Bobby Boswell, a Houston Dynamo player, had different professional sport players get up and do stand-up for charity.  It was hilarious, awful, painful, and thoroughly enjoyable.  Dave Anderson of the Texans was by far the funniest one though, hands down!

Some of the MLS All-Stars

One of my most favorite players, Geoff Cameron!

Needless to say, we will be at the All-Star game tonight with my dad and brother.  We will even have the opportunity to be on the field during warm-ups.  

On a side note, I finally got a peek at my classroom for next year and a chance to meet my principal.  I can't wait to really be a part of the school, be for real in my room, and start a new adventure!  I am even more pumped to be teaching in The Heights...the lunch spots, the after work dinner and hang out spots, and just getting to drive through The Heights is exciting to me (especially since I was driving through Baytown before)!

Weekend Love

I can't help but wish at times that Nick was a teacher too so we could enjoy all summer like a giant weekend!  On the other hand, our weekends are that much more precious and fabulous.  Plus, I had no idea that going to a new school district was so crazy.  I have several orientation/welcome/information things I have to go to, and since I will be at a Vanguard school I have several GT/Pre-AP trainings to do.  This being said, my summer is slipping away faster then I would like and is making me appreciate weekends again already.

This weekend was full of whoopie pies and Lady Gaga!  Nick and I decided to not only try and make whoopie pies, but to also use our cake decorating and piping kit.  His dad basically manages all kinds of restaurants, and for a while he was in charge of all the Baskin Robbins and Dunkin' Donuts in the North Carolina-Virginia area.  This meant he actually went to Donut University and learned how to do all kinds of cool stuff, i.e. decorate cakes.  Well, we have cake decorating stuff that he gave us and we have never touched so this was an opportunity to at least play with the piping bags and tips!  Without further ado, here are our whoopie pies...recipe from Bakerella.

Classic Chocolate Whoopie


1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, sift together, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• In another bowl, beat butter, shortening and sugar with a mixer on low until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes.
• Add egg and vanilla and beat for two more minutes.
• Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk and beat on low until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour and milk and beat until combined.
• Using a tablespoon, drop batter on baking sheet two inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes each or until pies spring back when pressed gently.
• Remove from oven and cool for about five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

1 Tbsp of batter should make about 48 two-inch cakes or 24 pies.
2 Tbsp of batter should make about 30 four-inch cakes or 15 pies.

Salty Peanut Butter Filling


3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (or crunchy)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

• Beat peanut butter and butter on low until creamy using a mixer.
• Add sugar and salt and beat on low to incorporate. Increase speed to medium and beat for about four minutes until the filling is light and fluffy.
• Spread filling on flat side on one cooled cake. Top it with a second cake and press gently.

They are so yummy and crazy sweet.  It makes a lot, and since they are so super sweet you can't really just eat them one after another; therefore, Nick's office loves us and the yummy whoopie pies!


Next there was Lady Gaga!  You can say what you want about her, but:

• She can truly sing...she sings the entire show while dancing!  No lip singing, recordings, just her
• She dances for most of the show, and she dances well!
• She has amazing musical talent when it comes to instruments!
• While eccentric, her message is clear: Don't judge others, love yourself, and Jesus loves everyone!  I don't think anyone can argue with that, and many of those who don't like her are judging her so I guess they should stop and think about why they dislike her.

Anyway, we had a good time and thought the show was great!  There were some interesting people there, but the concert was fantastic.