HELP!!!!!

I am apparently having a senior moment, and can't remember how to change the font color on blogger. If you know, please let me know....I changed my template, but can't figure out the color font change.

Thank you!

A mini photo shoot

I love taking pictures, in fact it is my passion, my hobby, and sometimes, makes me a little money on the side. I always seem to get a negative reaction however from Cassidy when I say, "Hey, can I take some pictures of you?" It usually has an eye roll, followed by, "But Mommy I really don't want to have a picture taken of me." Which then I follow with, "But Daddy would love to see a pretty picture of you, and if you do, I will get you a prize." And that is usually what makes it happen. Anyway, we are off on Christmas break, and while Daddy is working, we have been finding things to do. Yesterday, Cas wanted to go to the park and play a little. I figured it would be a good idea to get out of the house, and enjoy some nice weather. Glad we did, because today I woke up to rain and overcast skies.

Anyway, back to the park. We have hundreds of parks around the area we live in, but which one do you think my munchkin wanted to go to? Our subdivision park. I was o.k. with it since it is close, and if the weather got bad, we could hurry home, but it always makes me laugh. It is probably the smallest, and not the prettiest park close to us. Anyway, we headed to the park, and were having a great time. Cassidy let me take some pictures of here, although she did finally ask if I would put my camera away and really play with her. Which all of you will be proud to know I did. We played for a long time, and then, I told Cas it was time to go. She begged to go down the slide one more time, and that is when it happened...she scraped her back all up, and was bleeding.

We rushed home so I could asses the damages, and after a little hydrogen peroxide, and some Littlest Pet Shop band-aids we were on the mend.

I guess the good thing about the whole trip is that I got to spend some wonderful quality time with Cas, and I did get some good pictures (before our little accident).

Let me know what you think of them...













Until Next post!

Mickey and Minnie Mouse? That's awesome!

Cassidy's school had a Breakfast with Santa, as they have done in years past. But, this year, I think Cassidy's favorite at the event were the Mouse Family, as in Mickey and Minnie. She LOVED it! She took pics with Mickey and Minnie with no problem, but Santa was a little iffy! Oh well, he still came to visit!



They have crafts to do, and cookies to decorate as well. We invited our neighbors from across the street, and their two kids really enjoyed themselves.





Until next post!

Christmas Light Display 2010

***Note, the above and below images are not of our home...I don't have enough energy to put up this many lights =-) ***

Two days before Christmas, we decided to go check out some Christmas lights. There were quite a few amazing displays if I do say so myself. Cassidy really enjoyed them this year since she is tall enough in her car seat to see out the window. She has grown like a weed, so it makes it easier to enjoy the lights for everyone. Mike found a website that showed the best Christmas displays by zip code, so we decided to check out the one's he found. One of them was actually on an HGTV Crazy Christmas light special. It was amazing! I would love to say I would have the ability to do it, but don't think I would ever have the time. What do you think? Did you have a favorite display? Sorry if the camera work is a little jerky, I didn't have my tripod with me! Enjoy! This first one was featured on HGTV. The couple that did the display last year moved, and downsized a little bit, but it was still amazing!

Here is some video, and after that, there are some still pictures as well.

Enjoy!

Christmas Morning

So we had a quiet Christmas morning here at home. But it really began Christmas Eve, the stockings were hung by the chimney with care. In hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there. The children were tucked all snugly in bed, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. (OK...so our only child actually fell asleep on the couch watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but that didn't sound as good as my entrance to this post.) But anyway, we had a wonderful Christmas Eve. We went to the children's service at church, and Cassidy really enjoyed herself. We baked cookies, finished wrapping gifts, and made sure that everything was ready for Old St. Nick.






Once that was done and the evening was upon us, we started watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Or at least we tried, we had a bad storm blow threw and knocked out power at the house for a while. After calling the the power company a couple of different times, we finally had our power restored. For a minute Mike was afraid he was going to have to pull out the generator. (I really didn't want a repeat of Hurricane Ike. Two weeks without power was long enough!). Anyway, the power came back on, we finished almost all of the movie, and our little angel fell asleep. Luckily for us, it was about 8:30 when she fell asleep, so Santa was able to come before 10:00 that night.



Anyway, back to Christmas morning, I awoke before anyone in the house. I went into the living room, turned on the Christmas lights, and enjoyed the peace and quiet. The lights twinkled on the tree, and it was absolutely beautiful. Finally, a little before 8:00, Cassidy and Mike woke up, and that is when the fun began...I don't want to bore you with a lot of description in words, (since I just did that), so I thought I would share it in pictures!

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!





Merry Christmas!
Until next post!

A little bit of Christmas

This past weekend, my sister and her family were in town, and boy did we have some fun! They got in last Thursday night, and were with us until Monday. (Poor things got stranded in Houston since their flight got cancelled, but stayed in a hotel near the airport), Anyway, we had so much fun, letting the girls play, shopping, decorating Christmas ornaments, shopping some more, and just hanging out together.

My office every year has two Christmas parties, one for adults, and one for kids. Both of the parties are always amazing. The adult Christmas party had a special guest this year, Mr. Clint Black. (Boy do I wish I was related). Anyway, it was amazing and so much fun! There was also a comedian and boy was he funny. I can't remember his name, but when I do I will let you know. He has been on t.v. a few times, and I can see why.

This past weekend was the Kid's Christmas party. It was at our office. There was no holding back. They had a room entirely devoted to decorating Christmas cookies, there was face painting, there were dancing elves, you could make your own Christmas ornament, you could decorate a snowman, and they even had goodies for the kids to bring home!

We had a blast! Here is a pic that I had on my computer at work, the rest are on my home computer. (This was a gingerbread house that the kids could decorate) I will get more pictures uploaded soon.




Until next post!
Shelley

This Fall

This fall...



We have been...



Learning how to...



Jump rope! And it has been fun!

Writer's block

Lately, I have been away from my blog, for no other reason than writer's block. I know it is disappointing, but I just haven't had much to say. It's not that we have not had a lot going on, believe me we have, I have just been having trouble putting my thoughts into words. Today is our Thanksgiving luncheon at work. Last night I stayed up making mashed potatoes. I got them all ready and will warm them in the crock pot. It was a first for me. I have never made mashed potatoes from scratch, and certainly have never made them in the crock pot. I will let you know how they turn out, and if they are good, will share the recipe. I figured it was easier to be up last night than wake up at three a.m. to be whipping up some taters!

We are heading out of town to be with family for Thanksgiving. We are driving to Missouri. Should be fun since we are leaving about 2:00 am. and driving eleven and a half hours...did you hear that last part? I know, I know, I did say 2 AM. Not normal, but for family it is worth it. Anyhoo, I took Cas yesterday to start part of her "surprise" for her Daddy's Christmas present. I could tell you, but I would like to think that Mike checks on my blog every now and again. Probably not, but it is a nice thought. I am very excited for part of his gift, I think it will be great when it is done. =-)

It seems like before we know it we will be ringing in the New Year, I am just hoping to enjoy it a little bit. I LOVE the CHRISTMAS time of year. Well, I promise I will post more pictures soon. I do have one that Cassidy's teacher took recently. It's amazing to me how everyone else can get good shots of Cas, and when I try I get the cheese smile from her. I guess it's because she is my daughter, and when someone else is taking them, she is not thinking of that. So this picture was taken by Cassidy's teacher at school, the day that they had their Halloween party. I know that because Cassidy's hair is curly, and I had placed it in sponge rollers the night before.

Enjoy!


(Above taken by Cassidy's teacher Mrs. J)

***I promise if the recipe turns out good for the potatoes I will post it tomorrow...we will see!

This second picture is one that I took when we were just hanging out recently in the backyard. Cassidy was swinging on the hammock in the backyard. I can safely say she has my blue eyes! YAY!

From October Outside Fun

Until next post!

Papa Wineger

In October, Cassidy's Papa Wineger celebrated his birthday! We were luckily enough to be a part of it. Gammy and Papa live just about two minutes away, so Cassidy gets to see them on a regular basis. We invited Gammy and Papa over for a birthday dinner, and presents. Mike and I cooked the entire meal except the dessert, and we had a lot of fun playing too. Thanks to Gammy and Papa, they enjoyed the same meal that Mike and I learned at our Viking Cooking School class, which was a birthday gift to Mike and I. We had Asparagus Bisque, Steak, Salad, grilled mushrooms...it was YUMMY!

Thanks to Gammy and Papa for coming and being our Guinea pigs! Happy Birthday Papa we love you!

A learning lesson and a Halloween party

This past weekend we had a lot going on. We had a Halloween party, and a birthday party we were supposed to make. Both on Saturday. Well...we made it to one. The Halloween party, then out of the depths of the earth, I think my child was taken over by a Halloween monster. She was not listening, or doing what she was supposed to. So unfortunately, we ended up missing the second party. It was a difficult decision, but one that had to be handled the way it was. We don't spank Cassidy, we reprimand with taking away "treats" or things she really wants to do. That's what happened on Saturday.

Before the big "to do" we were having a great Saturday, don't you think? (Thanks to my friend Mike, and Margie (whom I just met). My pictures are still in editing, so we are lucky that others took pictures as well.

We played wrap the mummy...I think Cas did really good...we won't tell that Mommy helped
=-)...





We played pin the tail on the cat...



Are you peeking?????



We had fun playing with friends we have known for a while, and meeting new ones.






We are headed out of town this weekend, before our Trick-or-Treating fun, to see some old friends. I am SUPER excited, and think it will be a blast. I will definitely have more pictures for that, if I don't have more pictures this week before that.

Until next post.

Matt Family Orchard

Right outside The Woodlands is a place called Matt Family Orchard. Today, I was lucky enough to take a trip there with Cassidy and her Kindergarten class. We had a great time. We picked out pumpkins, sewed our own pumpkins, went on a tractor ride, and even got to eat lunch there. Not to mention that there was a great play area as well. The kids enjoyed riding the bus there, and really enjoyed the orchard. Cassidy's favorite part was the play area. The kids really got to stretch their legs.

Anyway, I am not going to ramble on in this post. Here are the pics...Enjoy!







Until next post.

The Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

This past weekend here in Houston, the weather was amazing. Not to hot, not to cold, just right. =-) With that being said, we decided to go to the Houston Zoo. They are currently renovating parts of the Houston Zoo, and should be done with a new exhibit, called Africa in December. But what they do have open is beautiful. It was "Boo at the Zoo" this past weekend, so everything was decorated great. They even had giant candy corns (one of my fav Halloween candy).

From Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

After seeing all of the decorations, we immediately went to see Toby the Red Panda bear. He was awake, and even now has a friend. Sorry the pictures are a little blurry, I was taking it through the glass. (This first picture is what he really looks like.)

From Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

One of Cassidy's favorite animals are the flamingos. They are definetly funny little birds. But they are pretty.

From Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

We even saw baby flamingos, did you know they aren't pink?

From Houston Zoo

Another fun animal we saw was a stork. I don't know if I had ever seen one before. They are pretty cute in their own way.

From Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

The elephants were in their enclosure, and we got to see the new babies that have recently been born. Baylor and Tupelo. Tupelo weighed 273 pounds and was born October 3rd. Baylor was born May 4th. Anyway, they were adorable. Sorry the pictures aren't great, but we were taking them in their enclosure, with them behind their cages.

From Houston Zoo

From Houston Zoo

We also went to the sea lion show. Cassidy and Mike have always loved both seals and sea lions, and we can't ever come to the zoo without seeing the sea lion show. It is always a lot of fun.

From Houston Zoo

We also saw a ton of other animals, so without further or do, here are all the other pics!



Until next post!