Happy Valentine's Day

So today is the annual day o' love. We truly aren't huge participants in this holiday but don't totally ignore it either. I gave Tonto a cute card with the pics of the pups and the girl. He reciprocated with an amazing card this morning and left a card and chocolates for the girl.


Little tip: if you want to impress a woman, leave sweet Valentines for your kiddos. :-)

Sixth grade is apparently the year Valentine's Day parties cease in our school district and that makes me so sad, y'all. Luckily for me, Rambo is at school today and they're having a very special day of fun complete with exchanging Valentines, treats, sweet bandanas and bubbles!

Last year we just took cards but Rambo received lots of treats from his friends so we upped our game this year and included Milk Bones. The Puppy Posse may or may not have done some quality control testing of said bones. :-)

My decorations this year are pretty much the same last year with two exceptions: first, I finally unpacked the last box of goodies from my grandparents house and found this amazing red glassware. I felt like it definitely needed to join the festive party, for sure.

And my mom gave me this apothecary jar, which I think will be perfect for changing out seasonally. I picked up these styrofoam balls at Hobby Lobby for next to nothing. They have all kinds of colors and are a great option since the glass is very thin. Next up will be St. Patrick's Day and I'm not sure what I'll use then but I think Easter eggs will be cute as well. Yes, I decorate for every major and minor holiday. :-)

And, finally, the little heartbreaker himself in his new holiday themed neckwear! 

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 13:34-35 NIV

Giddyup Cowboy

Last Friday evening was the annual awards gala of the local Ad Club - otherwise known as the ADDY awards - so Tonto and I had a nice evening out. And even took a picture! 

Well, Taylor actually took the picture but I think it turned out well. The enthusiasm on Tonto's face is, honestly, almost overwhelming. :-)

It was held at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and has a Western theme. This meant Tonto got to wear boots and jeans and look at the exhibits so, basically, this was the best awards show ever for him. And John Wayne even made an appearance!

Before the presentation began we had a chance to view the exhibits, which was really nice. I hadn't been to this museum since I was in fifth grade so let's just say it had been a few years. My recollection was somewhat foggy though - ironically - I can remember exactly what I wore that day and that we had lunch on the banks of the river. Funny what the mind remembers years later!

Can I just tell you how awesome it was to learn you can actually have your name put on your boots? Who knew?

And I'm not big on guns but these were awful puuurty :-)

We eventually made our way back into Knox Hall and enjoyed a delicious BBQ dinner. And then the main event began...and my camera died. Oops!

I've gushed about the amazing group of folks I get to work with every day and, though I know awards can be subjective at times, it was nice to see our hard work recognized. Totally blessed to work with this group - thank you, Jesus!

Rambo Bowers

Though we paid a full breed price, he's apparently half boxer and half goat.

This is a nightly occurrence, friends. If you're ever in need of random entertainment, just head to our house. :-)

Happy weekend!

Somewhat Weekly Top 10

Welcome to the randomness of my mind, folks...

1. I've been doing Beth Moore's new study on the Book of James and, y'all, it's absolutely amazing. I realize that the bluntness of James is more than some really want to study in-depth but I really can't recommend it enough. Life-changing applications abound.
2. The weather in Texas is absolutely bipolar this winter. While I realize this could describe weather in Texas during most seasons/years, it seems to be more pronounced this year. I mean, really, should my child even need to ask me each night if she should wears shorts or pants to school the next day in, say, February?!?!
3. I'm going through one of those seasons where I just really want to buy clothes. A lot. Like I said, this is totally random...
4. While in a church committee meeting last Sunday morning, I realized that somehow I have actually become a full-fledged adult.
5. Mama Bear is also in full force this week as my girl has been treated unfairly at school by an adult. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but sometimes you have to fight for your child. You know?
6. Both my girl and I got new cowgirl boots this week (thank you, Tonto!), which has apparently come as a complete system shock to my man. :-)
7. My urge to plan summer vacation is almost overwhelming. Clearly I'm looking forward to some R&R but, seriously Casi, pace yourself.
8. I have absolutely no idea what we're doing this weekend. Strange but also kind of awesome at the same time! Tonto and I are attending an awards gala Friday night, though, so maybe we'll get a cute picture together since my allergies prohibited that at Barkin' Ball.
9. Related to #6 - there are some seriously overpriced boots for sale in the world. As Tonto said, "for that price, they better sing and dance for me." Couldn't have said it better myself.
10. I've been really sappy/emotional lately. This is rather odd for me, to be quite frank, but I'm just really in a season of being so thankful for my people - both those who have two legs and those that have four. :-)

Pup Finery, Part 3

One of the errands we ran last weekend was to Hobby Lobby as the girl had a language arts project due yesterday and needed some supplies. One of the unwritten rules of visiting this particular hobby store is that you must pick up new pup finery (aka snazzy neckwear) before exiting.

Because Perkie and Rambo are small, they almost always get one bandanna and I cut it in half. Otherwise, they look like they're being strangled by a large piece of cloth. And that, my friends, is not cute no matter the pattern...

The girl chose SpongeBob for the smaller guys this time as Perkie is modeling below.

And that's the best photo you'll get of camera shy Perk. And, no, my hallway isn't that dirty. Not sure why it looks dingy but we'll blame it on the flash.

Rambo, on the other hand, has never met a camera he doesn't like.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Lucky for him, he's absolutely adorable so there's no shortage of folks who are willing to serve as his personal photographer. Besides, if he ever lands an acting gig, we can add "Photographer to the Pet Stars" to our resumes. Obviously that would be a game changer, friends. :-)

Miss Prissy is a full size pup so she gets to have her own style of pup finery. The girl also picked this one out. Clearly she felt Priss needed to brighten her wardrobe for the spring.

Such a sweet girl who doesn't have a mean bone in her body...

...though she can knock you down without ever meaning to touch you. It's hard to be a big boned girl in small spaces. :-)

Honestly, dressing these four-legged babes up really made our weekend. Perhaps that's evidenced by the fact that we took multiple pictures of them? Clearly we're easily amused. And I'm totally ok with that...

Happy Wednesday!

It Was Super!

So, yes, I went to Louisiana last week and I'll share some of that trip soon but there's a lot going on this week and I need some time to really think through that post so I'm going with fluffy stuff until then. Cool? Great!

So Saturday we did a lot of running around and Tonto totally spoiled both of us at Cavender's. Love. Him. (Not because he bought us things but because he is a softie with such a good heart.)

We ran a bunch of other errands and even went to the grocery store. It wasn't riveting but these were things that needed to be done and, quite frankly, I truly love being productive on the homefront so it was right up my alley.

Sunday came around quickly and Tonto headed to work (the beauty of being out on FMLA when a schedule is made...lots of erratic shifts :-) and the girl and I headed to church. It was a great morning and we had a nice lunch but then the exhaustion hit.

And I slept pretty much all afternoon.

Occasionally I would wake up and find Rambo intently watching the Puppy Bowl. As soon as it was over, he bounded off the bed and started trying out how new moves on Perkie. I found it amusing. She did not.

But I did finally wake up (feeling much better, thankyouverymuch) and the Super Bowl had already started. Who knew the game started so early? Not I, friends...not I.

So I decided it was time to prepare the main event. And we got to cooking...while watching lackluster commercials. Seriously - where was the funny factor?

By the time Tonto arrived home, though, we had some awesome snacks to enjoy while watching the Patriots lose. My dislike of a certain QB prohibits me from admitting in written form that he and his team won.

Clearly I'm not competitive. At all.

But these, y'all, were delightful...

...and we, of course, had some veggies to round out all the meaty goodness...

...and the dairy group was well represented also, friends...

But we most certainly saved the best for last.

Thank you, Gambino's Bakery in Lafayette, for delighting our tastebuds...

...and leaving a sweet taste in our mouths even though that team won. :-)

So I Went to Louisiana...