Christmas 2009

This Christmas was very low key for us and it was quite nice! We drove down to my parents' on Christmas Eve and got stuck in a snow drift 1/2 a mile from their house. Once that was over we just relaxed and opened presents once the boys got in from hunting.

The next morning we got around and headed to my grandparents' house. We did Mexican food for lunch since we did a HUGE traditional meal at Thanksgiving. The food was yummy and the clean up was SO MUCH EASIER than usual!

Every year my grandma buys a "gag" gift that one of the guys ends up with. This year Dad was the lucky recipient of this B-E-A-UTIFUL Christmas ornament. His face says it all!

I know y'all have seen the three of us before, but here's a shot of Mom, Gma and me. The dress I'm wearing is a Christmas gift from the hubs.

Mi familia.

This is my grandparents' cat, Skittles. I thought it was so cute that he was sunbathing on the festive bench.

Me and Marty. He was less than enthused about taking pictures that day.

We are having a small cousin get together at our house tonight. We are just having appetizers and playing games. That being said, do y'all try and stick with a theme when doing appetizers? For example, all Italian or something? I don't know why, but for some reason I think the food should "go together", but I've had the hardest time planning what to make.

We leave Thursday for Wichita Falls where we will celebrate New Year's Eve with one of my besties from college and then Friday morning we will drive the rest of the way to Marty's parents' house in East Texas.

So, in case this is my last post of 2009, y'all have a very safe and Happy New Year and I'll see you in 2010!

Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time...

This time of year means many things to me...holiday baking with my mom, ice skating and Christmas shopping with a few of my besties in OKC, The Rader Ranch Christmas Extravaganza, sprinkled with festive attire and a few holiday parties here and then my favorite part-the giving.
A couple of weekends ago I went to OKC to spend some time with my girlfriends. We ate sushi at Budda Tao, did a little shopping, had dinner at Cheesecake Factory, went ice skating downtown and then went to look at Christmas lights.
Here's a picture of Becky and I at the ice skating rink.

It was cold if you can't tell by my Rudolph Red nose. I fell once on my knee and decided that perhaps I am too old and unathletic for such things, but I sure felt festive while doing it!

The next day Becky and I went to Life Church in Edmond. Life Church is a non-denominal church that is based out of OKC, but has satelitte locations all over the nation. You can view sermons at http://www.lifechurchtv.com/. If you live in the OKC area and want to hear some amazing Christmas music, this is the place!

Afterwards, we grabbed brunch at The Bagel Cafe (one of my favorites) and then I loaded my stuff and headed to Norman to see Caitlin who was a camper of mine when I worked at Camp Balcones Springs. We had a late lunch at BJ's Brewhouse and then I headed back to Texas.

As you know if you've been following my blog, the hubs was gone ALL LAST WEEK to San Antonio. He got in Friday evening and we got around and went to The Rader Ranch Christmas Extravaganza. It was fun, but we didn't close 'er down like last year. Marty was tired so we got there about 9 p.m. and left around midnight. Here's a picture of Jocelyn and me before we left our house.


The following night we had another Christmas party. I was SO excited about wearing my dress, but am SO disappointed in the pictures. I look greasy for some reason-so frustrating! But, we had a great time and their tablescape looked fabulous! Just like something out of Better Homes & Gardens or something!

Marty and I in front of the fireplace. How do you make "dewy" not look "greasy"??? Any ideas??? I was going for a slightly smokey eye and nude lips. I failed.

And for your viewing pleasure...


My dad got these hats on a trip to Russia. We came across them last weekend and I kept thinking, "'Cause baby it's cold outside..." *lol* I hope you all have a VERY Merry Christmas! God has blessed us SO abundantly and I hope we've been able to give some of that back this year in some small way. I'm all about paying it forward! Speaking of which, I am planning on hostessing my first giveaway as soon as I reach 100 followers!!! So tell your friends!!!

Merry Christmas Y'all!!!

I Love...

My Husby...I know this is a no brainer, but Marty has been gone to a training in San Antonio for an entire week and it's ridiculous how much I miss him. I think sometimes I take for granted having access to him 24/7 and I forget about how well we get along and how much fun we have together. I always thought I wanted a job where I could travel all the time even if it meant us being apart. THERE IS NO WAY! He is such a sweetheart, I can't imagine having to be away from him like this on a regular basis. We have two Christmas parties this weekend and I am so excited for him to get back into town! We have a very casual relaxed party Friday night and possibly dinner with friends before that. And then Saturday night we have a fancy-cocktail dress type affair. I haven't told him yet that he has to dress up for that one!

The picture is from last winter. He would KILL me for posting it, but I love that he is holding Tyke and sporting his pj's. My favorite boys...

Prescriptives

Do any of you use Prescriptives skin care or make up? I switched over from Clinique a couple of years ago and my mom read yesterday where they were doing away with Prescriptives. I absolutely LOVE their stuff and am so saddened by this news.

So I need some advice...what brands/products do y'all wear? What are your favorites? I am SUPER anal about my foundation matching so I usually wear a tinted moisturizer or have them custom blend everything.

This is What I Know...and Quotable Friday

Hey Lovelies! This post is probably more honest and more real than I've ever been with you all. And, it may be more than you want to know to the point of being a bit boring so with that said...

Have you ever had somehing happen in your life that makes you step back and re-evaluate yourself. This particular instance is the loss of a friend. Not a death, but the dissolving of a friendship, a life long friendship.

I have never had many girlfriends. Growing up it was just easier for me to get along with the boys. No drama, no fuss and if they didn't like you or something you did they told you about it-fair and square. I always had one best friend from my hometown although, it wasn't always the same person. I COULD NOT WAIT to escape the pettiness of high school and move on to bigger and better things and hopefully friendships with girls. My freshman year of college was A-MAZING! I remember calling my mom after 11 of us had just made a trip to the city. Even though, there are times I long to be part of a larger circle of friends, I had much rather be one on one with one of my best girlfriends. I like to connect and really get to know how they're doing and sometimes I guess I feel like when I've been in a big group it can be more surface level friendship. I think that may be attributed to the fact that I am an only child.

My parents instilled a strong sense of self and confidence in me at growing up. Even during my super awkward coke bottle glasses, huge gapped front teeth and overly permed hair stage, I was a confident kid. And even though that confidence has waxed and waned at times in my life, people still tell me they think I'm a confident person. I've been called "fake", "too nice" and a group of kids in high school considered me "stuck up" because I wouldn't come to their beer parties. I didn't take my first drink of an alcoholic beverage until college and I am still very conscious of my hometown reputation. It was a town of 1,300 people so everyone knew anything and everything you did. On top of that, I was very close to a lot of the youth there and wanted to set a good example for them.

Since moving back near my hometown and to another Small Town, USA it has felt like high school all over again. There is a large group of girls here that do things together and are close to my age. I have what I would consider two friends here that aren't family. And I pray for God to bring new people into my life daily.

I keep in regular contact with two friends from high school, one I actually attended high school with and the other I met at a trackmeet and we became instant friends. I also keep in touch with two friends from college. These girls keep me grounded. It's just so hard because we're so far away from one another.

So, sometimes I think it's just me. Why is it so hard for me to have friends when that's the thing I long for the most? Growing up even though I struggled with friendships, God had always placed amazing people in my life. We've been here three years and I feel like it's still hard for us to make friends.

And then, there's my mother. The most A-MAZING God-fearing woman I've ever met in my entire life. We live an hour apart, but talk multiple times a day on the phone and spend A LOT of weekends together. She's taught me about life, loving others, forgiveness, kindness and she's my favorite shopping partner to boot! I thank God daily for our relationship and realize that although, most daughters share a special relationship with their mother, I couldn't ask for a more amazing mom. I thank God for the gift that she is to my life daily. And maybe our friendship is all I need...

Well, that's enough of that. Now, that you're all thoroughly confused...I guess this all stemmed from the fact that in the dissolving of the above mentioned friendship she said that keeping up with me and reading my blog "made her feel bad about herself". I guess this was my attempt to be more honest about what I'm feeling at this stage of my life and a combination of what I've thought about over the last few days.

I must share this quote I came across on another girl's blog for Quotable Friday. Fellow blogger, forgive my lapse of memory and please remind me if you come across this post and you happen to be the one I'm stealing this from! I apologize!

"I don't wake up and run to give me that extra boost of energy. I don't spend hours at the gym to relieve stress. And I didn't start taking yoga classes to spend even more time with my friends. The truth? I want to look good naked. Doesn't everybody?" ~Nike

Doesn't that just make you smile? Hope you all have a happy and safe weekend!

With This Ring...

My dear friend, Jeff Goins, is requesting that I, and any of you who feel compelled repost this article to get the word out about this selfless cause.

"Ali Eastburn decided to make a radical gift and give up her wedding ring to help dig wells in Africa. Since then, she has been challenging people to give radically to change the lives of people around the world. Right now, With This Ring is auctioning off the rings that people have donated from around the country (which you can see at http://www.withthisring.cmarket.com/)." *Blogger wouldn't let me insert the link so you could actually click on it from this post.*

They are also doing a 12 Rings of Christmas feature on the blog to highlight 12 of the rings and the stories behind each of them (Dec. 7-18). You can link to the blog at http://withthisring.wordpress.com/ (where a new ring will be featured each day for the next 12 days).

Now, this reminds us what true giving is really about. I don't know that I am at a point that I am unselfish enough to donate my own ring, but I am amazed and inspired by these people who are able to do so themselves.

I've been gone...FOREVER...

Hello Lovelies and Happy Monday! I have no pictures to post from Thanksgiving and the last week of our lives because my dad took my small digital camera on his latest hunting excursion. He is currently out of the country in the wildnerness in search of big game. Thus, my mom came to stay with us Saturday night and is here for the majority of the week.

Our company came in Wednesday evening and left yesterday morning and then another group arrived yesterday evening! I just love this time of year! I got my house mostly decorated, minus the Christmas tree-hopefully, I'll get it up this evening. Mom and I are going to make Christmas candy Tuesday evening and go see The Blindside Thursday evening and then I'm off to OKC for the weekend.

I will post pictures from all the recent happenings soon, I promise! In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely week and enjoy this wonderful time of year! Muah!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is my last day of work until next Monday, so I wanted to wish you all a VERY Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for this year including all the wonderful people in my life (which means you, too), my health, a roof over my head and clothes on my back just to name a few. God bless you all!

We are headed to my grandparents' tomorrow and this is what I'm bringing. This website is A-MAZING! I've used several of their recipes and they're always a big hit and taste SO yummy!

Winter Fruit Pasta Salad - Special Occasions - Eat Better America: "Pastabilities? Try apples, pears, cranberries and a tangy orange dressing. From eatbetteramerica.
Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:50 min
makes:8 servings

1cup uncooked small pasta shells (4 oz)
1medium apple, chopped
1medium pear, chopped
4medium green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)
1/4cup chopped pecans
1/4cup dried cranberries
1/3cup fat-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
3tablespoons orange marmalade
1/2teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/4teaspoon salt
1.Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cold water; drain.
2.In large glass or plastic bowl, mix pasta, apple, pear, onions, pecans and cranberries. In small bowl, mix all remaining ingredients; stir into pasta mixture.
3.Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving: Calories 150 (Calories from Fat 30); Total Fat 3g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 210mg; Total Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 11g); Protein 2g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 0%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 MyPyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils, 1 oz-equivalents Grains
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet."

Quotable Friday...

"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." - Rita Rudner

I love this quote! I have such a great time with Marty. Although, I feel like our crazy schedule has kept us from spending much quality time together. I will be looking forward to the holidays for that very reason.

We took this picture while in Fort Worth before heading to Cafe de Brazil with our group. He felt HORRIBLE and had coughed his head off the whole drive down, but he was such a trooper and we had a great time at dinner and then afterwards at Pete's Piano Bar downtown.



Have a beautiful, blessed weekend!

Question...

First of all, thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post. Seriously, y'all are a boost to my ego and I love you all!

Second, I can't remember if I've polled y'all about this before, but what do you do with all your digital pictures? I post the ones I want people to see on here and on Facebook, but I'd still like to have them in albums at home (I think). However, I'm a year's worth of pictures behind in printing them off. They're all still waiting on Shutterfly. So, if you don't scrapbook (or if you do) what do you do with your digital pictures? I'm not much of a scrapbooker, but I like to look back through photo albums and go "this was last year".

My First Half Marathon...

Wow! Let me just say...anyone who has ever competed in a half marathon, full marathon, triathalon or any similar event, I now have a whole new respect for you. The race was both amazing and awful at the same time.
We woke up at 5 a.m. on Sunday and were out the door by 6 a.m. We walked to the convention center in downtown San Antonio to catch a bus to the starting line. We waited in line for an hour by the time the bus dropped us and we made our way towards the starting line they blew the gun for the first corral to go. Luckily, Tamara was in corral 9, I was in corral 12 and Kristi was in corral 21. We had to take a quick potty brake between some poor individual's home and a fence because the port-a-potty lines were at least 20 people deep. By the time we stepped to the starting line they were on corral 7. So we had just enough time to stretch and calm our nerves. We all decided to start together in Tamara's corral. I know this may be a no no to some of you, but there were people with all sorts of bib numbers so we didn't feel too bad. The first several miles I was just overwhelmed with emotion. It was such a cool experience to be running with so many people. I think I heard that 31,000 people had signed up for the race, 26,000 actually showed up that morning and cross the starting line and only 20,000 people made it to the finish line. CrAzY! I kept fighting the tears back the first few miles. Seeing people run with signs like, "I'm A Survivor" or "In Memory Of...". I just feel so blessed to be able to have had the experience and I thank God every day that I am healthy enough to get out there and run. I started off ahead of my two friends and then Tamara and I fell in together after I stopped at the first water station. I heard someone say there was like 94% humidity when we started the race at 7:30 a.m. The temperature felt great, but as the sun begin to come out the hotter and more humid it got. Tamara and I ran together for probably the first 5 miles and were keeping a great pace, but I stopped at EVERY water station so we got separated at some point after mile 5. I hit a wall around mile 11, but picked up my pace from mile 12 to mile 13. However, the finish line was a huge hill and I slowed it way down for the last stretch. I had NOTHING left at the finish, but I didn't walk once and I FINISHED MY FIRST HALF which is a great feeling! It took me a while to recover afterwards. My second toenails on both feet were REALLY bothering me and when we finally got back to the hotel and I got my shoes off I saw why...they were purple and I'm 90% sure I'm going to lose them. Small price to pay I guess!
I'm pretty sore today, mainly in my back. The hot tub is calling my name!
Here are a few pictures...please ignore the sweaty glow and lack of make-up.

This was on Saturday before we left to get our registration packets. We stayed at Hotel Indigo downtown. I HIGHLY recommend this place. This lovely, chic boutique hotel was conveniently located and the service was superb!

Here we are Sunday morning pre-race.

Tamara and me, post-race.

And me with my #1 fan. She has missed very few of my races, so we figured we better not start now.

Lastly, the three of us, post-race.

My Results:
Chip Time: 2:18:40
Overall Place: 6901/20021, Gender Place: 3190/12585, Division Place: 403/1109

I didn't make my goal time, which, for my first race, I'm totally ok with. I don't think I'll be ready for another half anytime soon. The spring may be the earliest I feel up to another event of that magnitude. But, I can look back on this race with pride. It's like a sign I saw someone holding during the race said, "Your legs will forgive you...eventually."

*Ok, those descriptions are in order for the pictures at the top of my post. Anyone have any idea why when I upload pictures they're now in code form (aldkja;fa'da) instead of showing the actual picture? So, I'm unable to move them around, but they show up normal after I publish the post??? Strange...*

Rock 'n' Roll...San Antonio Style

So, I have continued to be a bad blogger...I don't know what my deal is...we are leaving first thing in the morning for San Antonio. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. I checked the weather and it's supposed to be 74% humidity with a chance of rain. This girl is used to the DRY Texas Panhandle...hopefully, I'll survive.

I promise to report back next week with pictures and with my first half marathon under my belt! Y'all have a fabulous weekend!

Tyke's Birthday

The Monday after our lovely Stillwater weekend was Tyke's Birthday. I had originally wanted to through him a Halloween themed puppy party, but we were too busy so he had to settle for a birthday cake. It's not really pretty, but I think he liked it. And, I know, I'm a terrible mother for serving it on a PINK plate, next year I'll have a blue one, promise!

I used this recipe I found online...

Peanut Butter Delight Dog Birthday Cake

1 cup white or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a cake mold pre-sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake according to size of pan.

Low-fat cottage cheese and shredded carrots can be used for icing. Store in refrigerator.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

A Couple of Week's Worth of Pictures...

OSU Homecoming was great! There were several late nights, cold weather, amazing friends and lots of fun! Enjoy the pictures as I attempt to get caught up in the blogging world. I am caught up at work and on the home front so I feel like I can blog away with reckless abandon!

Reality Show Boo hooing...

Did y'all think I was ever coming back? My sincerest apologies for being gone for so long and the blogging hiatus...I will blog about our trips soon, but for now...

I watched the Biggest Loser night before last. I'm not a huge fan meaning I don't watch every week, but I was flipping channels and started watching and then a couple of the girls started telling their "stories" and why they had turned to food. I was boo hooing like a little baby. So touching...I can't imagine facing what Abby has faced losing her ENTIRE family.

Needless to say I will probably tune in next week.

So, I hope you've all had a fabulous couple of weeks! What are your Halloween plans and what are you dressing up as?

Many Thanks...

You ladies just amaze me! Thank you for your sweet comments on my last post!

I am VERY excited today! We leave after work for my old college town to take part in the homecoming festivities with at least 5 of my best friends and their spouses and/or significant others! I know That said my blogging may be slightly limited over the next week. Tyke's birthday is Monday (and I didn't end up having throwing the puppy party for him because we've been so busy) and I am making him a cake I found online. I'll try and share the recipe with y'all on Monday. I have meetings in a nearby city next Tuesday and then the hubs and I leave for Ft. Worth for the TML conference on Wednesday. We finish up Friday morning early and then are staying in Dallas for the weekend just to play. So, I have a lot to do around the office before then. Now if I only had a new wardrobe to go with my upcoming travels, I'd be set.

The Wife from The Cobia Family was sweet enough to nominate me for the "Over The Top" blog award. I greatly appreciate it! Again, you are too kind!

RuLeS...

1) You can only use one word.

2) Share this award with 5 of your favorite bloggers.

3) Alert them that you have given this award.

4) Have fun!

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
   
2. Your Hair? Clean


3. Your Mother? Work


4. Your Brother? None
   
5. Your Favorite Food? Italian
6. Your dream last night? Nope
   
7. Your dream/goal? Career/Family


8. What room are you in? Office


9. Your hobby? Running


10. Your Fear? abandonment


11. Where do you want to be in 6 years? successful


12. Where were you last night? (Book) Club


13. Something that you aren't? conceited


14. Muffins? Blueberry


15. Wish list item? furniture


16. Where did you grow up? Texas


17. Last thing you did? run


18. What are you wearing? ORANGE


19. Your TV? off


20. Your Pets? adorable


21. Your Friends? FaBuLoUs


22. Your Life? busy


23. Your Mood? excited


24. Missing Someone? friends


25. Vehicle? Edge


26. Something your not wearing? necklace


27. Your Favorite Store? Express


28. Your favorite color? red


29. When was the last time you laughed? yesterday


30. Last time you cried? (last) week


31. Your Best Friend? several


32. One place you go to over and over? Colorado


33. One person who e-mails you regularly? Christie


34. Favorite place to eat? Crush
    

And my apologies, but I don' t have time to nominate and tag some of you other lovelies today, but I will try to next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Silent Victories???

Y'all, I keep reading things that say sometimes it's better to keep your accomplishments to yourself and not share them...and to an extent I agree with that, but I completed my first ever 10 mile run yesterday and I just have to share it with someone. You'll still love me, right?

I was SO not looking forward to this run because a) it was my longest to date and b) my running partner wasn't able to run at the same time so I was going at it solo. It's SO much harder to pace myself and push myself when I'm by myself. I had dreaded it ALL DAY LONG, but when I got off of work the weather was perfect. Mid-50s, hardly any wind...I always run better in cooler weather than warmer weather. So I started out on a familar route and ran 6 miles before my first water break. I stopped for a few minutes and grabbed my knee band because my knee had started bothering me around mile 5. After my break I set out on a undetermined route and ran a mile around our turfed football field, which relieved my joints immensely. By the time I finished it was dark and sprinkling. But, I finished and I felt pretty good. I was a little slow from my goal pace time, but I can live with that.

Now that this has become my "hobby" I find myself wanting the latest gear, workout attire, etc. I think it's just the girl in me. Hope y'all are having a wonderful Tuesday!

Quotable Friday and Another Blog Award...

Loving the difficult people in our lives has really been on my heart a lot lately. Here's a point from a sermon that I wanted to share for Quotable Friday. "Be creative in your hospitality; look for new ways to make others feel accepted and valued and loved." A good one to apply to the workplace or anywhere for that matter that I also try and live by is "Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully."

Y'all are just too sweet to me! Ashley at Ramirez Family gave me the Your Blog is Fabulous Award.

The rules are as follows.

1) Thank the person who nominated you for this award. Thank you so much, Ashley!

2) Copy the logo and place it on you blog.

3) Link to the person who nominated you for this award. (How do I do that again?) 4) Name 5 things I am obsessed with. 5) Nominate 5 FaBuLoUs bloggers.

Things I am obsessed with...

1) My Garmin Forerunner 305. I don't know what I'd do without it on Sundays when I do my long runs. (10 miles coming up this Sunday morning and it's gonna be cold! The high for the day is only 42 degrees and it's supposed to get down in the 20's during the night. So, I'm guessing at 6 a.m. it's still going to be pretty chilly!)

2) My iPod Shuffle. Yes, it's only a shuffle, but again, I use it every time I work out. I chose the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon because there is a band set up every mile of the race. And since you're not allowed to use any type of mp3 player, this was VERY important to me! I don't see how people run without listening to something.

3) My cameras. I have a Canon Digital Rebel and a Canon Elph and I typically carry at least one of them with me EVERYWHERE! (Too bad I haven't printed off any of my pictures from the last year. That's my only complaint with digital photography.)

4) Earl Grey Lattes. Since it's gotten colder I have one every morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Yummy!

5) Our Fireplace. Growing up I always wanted a fireplace so when we bought a house that was one of my requirements. We light a fire EVERY evening we're home in the fall and winter!

I nominate the following Fabulous Bloggers...

1) Confessions of a Domestic Goddess

2) Courtney at Starting Out

3) Mrs. Guru at Off the Beaten Path

4) Heather at Step Inside

Y'all have a wonderful weekend! I think it's going to be quite chilly in the panhandle!

A Manicotti Recipe

Ok, I have GOT to get better about taking pictures of what I cook because I pick recipes sometimes based on the little picture above them, but I never think of it until later.

Monday night I got home and had set out all of the stuff for stew and I thought, "that sounds boring". So, I pulled what I had and made crab manicotti. My friend, Laura, made manicotti ALL THE TIME in college and it was always so yummy! I was nervous about how it would turn out, but the hubs LOVED it! So, I thought I'd share it with you all.

Crab Manicotti

Ingredients:

8 Manicotti Pasta Shells

3-1/4 cup your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Progresso.)

1-15oz container of Ricotta

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1/2 can spinach (I would have preferred fresh, but I went with what was on hand.)

1/2 small can of chopped black olives

1/2 pkg of crab meat (or imitation crab if you are landlocked like us and 45 miles from a store big enough to offer the real thing)

A sprinkle of salt, pepper, Tony Chatcheres (spelling?), Parsley

Directions: Bring water to a boil and add Manicotti Shells. Cook for 6 minutes and then removed from water and lay on foil to cool. Shred crab meat and combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour and additional 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan, stuff shells with mixture and lay in pan, cover shells with remaining mixture, add another 1/4 cup of spagetti sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes on 350. Enjoy!

Family Birthday Fun...

Let me just start off by saying, I LOVE MY FAMILY...

Friday after work we headed south to my parents'. It had been awhile since we'd spent an entire weekend at their place so I think we were all having withdrawals. Here's Marty expressing his love for my fur baby.

Saturday, Mom and I were lazy, but we finally got around and went to lunch and a local arts and crafts show. I got some cute blingy bracelets (you can see a few of them in the below picture on my right hand). This picture was taken Sunday after church.

Sunday I got up EARLY and met Tamara and we ran 9 miles. Again, it was rough. For some reason mile four was hard for me and then I was fine until about mile 7.5 and my knee started giving me fits. The weather was perfect, though. Cloudy, wet and cool. I was so glad to have our long run out of the way before church. My Gma and JoePa met us at church and we all went out to eat for Gma, Mom and Joe's birthdays that were all last week and then they came back to the house for a while. It was a lovely time. I am so blessed to have these people in my life. Mom and I watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past after my grandparents left; it was really cute! I was not ready to come back to C-town and work on Monday morning.

Marty and Me

My house is in serious need of attention after being gone all weekend, but it was worth it. M has softball tonight and I'll be tuning into The Hills and The City...I know what you're thinking, but I love them both!

Quotable Friday...

This picture was taken by our dear friend, Robin, one Fall in East Texas. It seems we never make it back in time to see the colors change like this...

I know I missed 'Quotable Friday' last Friday, but this Friday, I'm back so the quote for the is one from my personal quote collection. It makes me think of Fall, nostalgia and it is hunting to season; to which means my husband has caught the fever and cannot wait to enhale the crisp fall mornings before sunrise.

"All things on Earth point to home in Old October; sailors to sea, travelers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken." - Thomas Wolfe

Hope you all have a beautiful, blessed weekend! We are celebrating the birthdays. My grandmom's birthday was Wednesday, Mom's was yesterday and today is JoePa's. So we are headed South to spend the weekend with my parents and celebrate with everyone on Sunday. Sunday is also my long run (9 miles), so wish me luck. My knee and ankle have been bothering me lately. I think it's all the pounding on the treadmill and street, but it makes me feel old to admit that I have joint pain!

Wishful Wednesday

Kelsey over at The Seattle Smith's is hostessing Wishful Wednesday.

Today 'I Wish'...My Pet Could Talk Because I've been dying to know...

1) If he's been cold the last few mornings we've gone walking. I walk Tyke on a harness (which he hates) because he's like a sled dog pulling on a lead if I don't, but his coat won't fit over his harness.

2) Why in the last two weeks he's gone from playfully chewing on his toys to full on devouring them. Included in the rampage were a pair of M's work pants, a button up shirt and his comfy work boots. Care to answer that one, my little darling???

3) And last but not least, if he thinks he's been abandoned when I leave him at pet resorts when we go on long trips.

I couldn't decide on just one question or picture. He is my furbaby after all!

4) L.C. (the cat) Why do you let Tyke bite and pull on your ears and harrass you when it'd only take one good swipe from your fully entact claws to make him lay off? You are a sweet kitty when you want to be.

Tired...

What a weekend! Friday we went to the high school football game in a neighboring town. We ate dinner with my dear friend, Randi, and her husband, Shea, at this lovely little Mexican place that I always forget the name of.

Here Randi and I are before the game.

Saturday I got around and drove to my parents' to see my dad. Mom was in Amarillo doing the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure with two of her friends. One of which is a breast cancer survivor. We had to admit my granddad to the hospital late Friday night so I decided to go check on my dad Saturday. He and I drove to P-town and met Uncle Bud, picked up a horse and had lunch before driving 45 minutes back to my parents only for me to turn around and drive to Amarillo to see Granddad who has limited visitation. I met Mom up there and we spent an hour with Gdad before driving back to my parents.

Sunday morning I had to get up to teach Sunday school. I had 12 2nd and 3rd graders. They were VERY rambunctious! I took a nap that afternoon and Marty went and dove hunted and rode his horse with Justin and Ben. Then I went to "Pumpkin Patch" out at the garden and toted home some LOVELY pumpkins for my porch. Does anyone have a recipe that makes your pumpkins look shiny and waxy on the outside? I know I've seen one, I just don't remember where.

It was SO hot Sunday evening. So, Tamara and I decided to wait awhile to run our 8 miles. I LOVE having someone to help me get through those long runs. She pushes me so much! My knees started bothering me towards the end. Do any of y'all run with those knee bands? I've been going to try them, but wanted to ask someone if they thought they helped, first. It was 8:30 p.m. by the time we finished and I was not hungry at all, but by the time I laid down in bed around 10:30 p.m. I was STARVING so I fixed some brown rice and steamed veggies. Then drifted off into a beautiful oblivion of sleep.

Monday I had a 3 mile EZ recovery run and work was usual. Nothing exciting.

This morning was my "rest" day from running so Holly and I took the pups for a walk around 6 a.m. How Tyke, my little Papillion, keeps up with Blue, her Standard Poodle, I'll never know, but he LOVES it!

Hope you all had a great weekend! And are having a great start to your week!

Mom is coming up tonight and we're going to get our nails done, eat pizza and watch Marty play some softball.

Sterling Silver and A Giveaway...

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I sell Silpada Sterling Silver jewelry. It's comes with a lifetime guarantee and if you get it and don't fall in love with it, they'll let you exchange it or refund your $$$, no questions asked. I thought I'd share a few the new pieces with y'all from the 2009-2010 catalog which you can view by clicking here. I had an open house last night and haven't completed the order, yet, so if you find something you just can't live without, send me an e-mail at cassirash@gmail.com What girl doesn't love jewelry?

Ashley at Live.Love.Laugh is giving away an adorable ring dish of your choice from Wise Impressions. This one is my favorite.

So click on her site Live.Love.Laugh and enter the giveaway! You have until next Monday, September 28!