Back and Pinning like crazy!

So.... I had just started when I took a long break. I could blame the busy holidays, busy family schedule, cooking, cleaning- you know- life. I could blame all those things, but I wont. I can only blame myself and say that I needed to take a much needed mental vacay.
Now that my world has righted itself I am back on my mission of defining what it means to be a perfect housewife in my house.
While on hiatus I did a lot of diy-ing, crafting, cooking, and creating. Basically, I was a slave to Pinterest. Stay tuned for some fun recipes and home decor tutorials.

TTFN!!
Stephanie

Sleepless in West Texas

I love sleep. I love everything about it. I actually feel giddy when I first slid into bed and stretch out. And if I have fresh sheets- watch out, because I may knock you over in my flying leap  to the bed- but hey- if you are in my room at bedtime- things have gone wrong and you probably needed to be knocked out anyway. Getting ready for bed is my favorite ritual- there is nothing like rocking comfy PJ's and brushing your teeth- and let me tell you- I can rock a cute pair of Pj's all day long! For 32 years and 2 days Sleepy Time was my favorite time of day. Sleep and I were a match made in Slumber heaven.

Fast forward three months and 7 days. Sleep is mad at me. Sleep avoids me, will not return my calls, and did not leave a forwarding address. Sleep did not want to move to Abilene. Big deal, neither did I, but I still show up in my cute PJs at bedtime. I am willing to stick it out and see if a lack of traffic noise actually is perfect to sleep to. But I get sleep's voice mail again, so I turn to fence jumping sheep and the occasional owners manual to lure sleep back to my bed. And even then, sleep only stays long enough to make me miserable. Sleep is the worst booty call ever!
I don't know why I can't sleep. I blame it on stress and caffeine. Which I wouldn't need if sleep would come back! But I digress... It is Tuesday morning, apprx 2 in the morning and I am still awake! Doesn't sleep remember that we have a kid to get to school in the morning? Sleep doesn't care. Sleep is selfish and wants to watch an American Pickers marathon on the History Channel. I am desperate for a good nights sleep. Any suggestions? I'll try anything to get back together with sleep.

It occurs to me... Sleep has turned me in to THAT psycho ex girlfriend. The one that refuses to give up and daydreams about our little sleep chillins. I don't know how I feel about that. Not proud, and maybe a little dirty. I should shower and stop being so desperate for sleep...

right after I chase Sleep down the street and beg him to come back.
Night...errr, morning?

Stephanie

The Most Thankful Thing

November is crazy busy- I always forget about how busy things start getting this time of year. In spite of the fact that Thanksgiving 2012 has come and gone, I want to talk about what I am thankful for.
 The Dallas Cowboys (really)
I'm a born and raised Texas girl. Until three months ago, I had only lived in one city... Arlington. Smack dab in between Fort Worth and Dallas, Arlington is literally in the middle of everything. It is also the home of the Dallas Cowboys. I love when they are winners, I hate when they lose. I love to get angry and voice my opinion to anyone who will listen about what is wrong and how I would fix the team. I  actually spend time pondering why a team that is so talented can't build a bond and kick ass all over the league. I love going to games and I will give you the stink eye times ten if you sport anything other than silver and blue. I love the victory high on Monday morning and I even love the hangover of defeat. The Cowboys give me hope every training camp and each week of the season I get to forget everything around me and I live and die by every call, play, and penalty. More than anything else though, the Cowboys give me perspective. Why? Because... win or lose, in the end there is usually never ONE thing that determined the outcome. It's the small things, from field goals to interceptions, and how you react to those things, that will determine how your season plays out.
Memories
I've heard it told that as long as you remember someone, they never really die. In my life, as in every one's life, I've lost people that I love. With some I was able to brace myself for the loss, and others left me scarred by the way they were seemingly ripped from my life. I'm comforted by the thought that I carry a piece of them with me that I can share with others. I can only hope to mean that much to the ones I'll someday leave behind.
Family and Friends
I am so blessed to be my parents daughter and my brother's sister. I adore my parents and my brother. They gave me such a wonderful and strong foundation upon which I have built my life. There are no words that can truly explain what they mean to me or what I have learned from them. I'm proud to be from my family. I know that the relationship I have with my immediate family is rare these days, and I treasure it. I know it sounds cheesy, but I really mean it when I say that if I can be as good a parent as they have been to me, then my life will have been well spent.
Love
Love comes from all places. I'm thankful for the love my husband has for me. He deals with crazy on a regular basis and never backs away from it. He really would do anything for me, even if I don't always admit that fact to myself.
While still talking about love, I am so thankful for the new love and newest member of my family, my brother's wife. I am nothing if not ferociously protective of my family, especially my little brother. I would give the world to prevent his heart from ever breaking. So, naturally, I was always wary of any girl he brought around, and usually voiced my opinion of said girl, be it positive or negative. Let the record show that I was always right. My sister-in-law has proven to be perfect girl for him. She loves my brother and makes him happy, and that is all I have ever wanted for him.

Wow... this post has been very long and very thought provoking on my end, and while I could go on and on about the things I am thankful for, I"ll stop with this... For each blessing I have been given, I thank God everyday.

TTFN
-S

What's for dinner?

So many of my memories center around the kitchen. Sitting at the kitchen table listening to my Mom and Granny tell stories and share gossip while my Granny cooked Sunday lunch. Dressing my little brother up in a suit and pencil mustache to "wait" on our parents while they ate a meal we made. Laughing as my best friend's mom made tea and burned toast-again. Slow dancing with my husband after washing the dishes. The kitchen is the heart of my home. I found that over the past few years I was straying from the kitchen. Maybe it was the golden glow of arches, or the allure of feeding my whole family in less than ten minutes-for less than ten dollars. Who knows why- all I know is that I would go weeks without turning on my oven. I had a beautiful kitchen that I never cooked in. Shame on me.
Something changed when we moved this past August (more about that later) I like to think that I had some kind of culinary awaking, but the truth is that I didn't know where any fast food place were at. So I did what came naturally. I ordered a pizza to be delivered. Ha! The next day while munching on cold pizza I came to the conclusion that I would just have to bite the bullet and go to the grocery store- and then actually cook the food I brought home. The first few meals were rusty while I worked around a new kitchen set up and brushed the cobwebs off of my cook books. Now, three-almost four- months later I can honestly say that my family eats out less than once a week. I plan out meals and play with recipes. I actually come up with some on my own- Say What?! I allow myself cheat days when we call up the local pizzeria or I dash on over to our favorite chicken joint for a bucket of assorted chicken parts. but mostly it's me- in the kitchen- making memories with.... well.... usually the dog. I rate a distant second to the smart phones and TV :) But.... I get 'em at dinner. No phones, no TV. Just people. Eating dinner together like a normal family. It;s not a big deal. It's not unique or visionary. It is, however, my favorite time of day.

I plan on sharing whatever it is that I concoct for dinner- the recipe-ish (I do a lot of eyeballing and improvising) and hopefully a pic. I hope you'll share with me what you love to cook and share with your family.

Have a happy night and bright morning!
-Stephanie

Only 7 days late...

I had every intention of beginning this blog on November 1. I have been thinking about it, researching blogs, and writing posts in my head for the past three months. I was going to introduce myself- you love me (naturally) and we were going to skip off into cyberspace and live happily ever after. Funny thing is, I got busy, then tired and lazy, and then family came to visit and turned my house upside down- you know how that is. So today, November 7th, I am making an honest effort here and at least starting this sucker. I hope you'll hang in there with me, because honestly, I feel very alone, even in a full house. So sad- I know. Pity party for one at my house. I'll tell you all about it.... tomorrow. I gotta snack to deliver, a text to return, and a teenager to pick up from school. All in the next 30 min.. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by!
Stephanie

**Update**
I did, in fact, text my dad back, make a snack run for my husband, and pulled into a front row parking spot at the high school BEFORE the bell rang. I impressed myself ;)