Jonathan and Megan Lenz

Glorious Day

2011-02-25T13:51:00.000-06:00

it is absolutely beautiful outside today!

the sun is shining and i cannot wait to be on a patio somewhere

it is perfect weather for the rodeo cook-off this weekend...hope to make it but we shall see if the hubs if feeling up to it...considering he's "sick" but playing golf today...hmmmm

can't wait to meet jwh for a drink in a few short hours

can't wait to meet some of my fav ladies tomorrow for food, drinks, sunshine and shenanigans...always good times to be had with them

ready to hit the backyard full force and cut back all the dead from the lovely freezes we had this winter and start deciding on what will in the flowerbeds...

ready to get some MAJOR projects tackled in the upcoming weeks: base cabinet for TV, dresser for entry...i am in DESPERATE need of storage for our china...=), the guest bath will be painted with new linens, and the office is getting a bookcase and overhaul!

this is what sunshine and pretty weather does to me...makes me want to knock out projects and get things in order! i love spring time!

today is Go Texan Day at school...the kiddos are sooo presh in their outfits...i truly love this place. =)

i think that is all the rambling for now...hope you all get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather we are having! it will be pool time asap!

What's Cooking...

2011-02-24T12:02:00.000-06:00

well we are home from Vegas and finally feeling rested! I do NOT recommend landing at 10:45 PM on Sunday night and having to be at work on Monday at 7:30 AM...

last night was the first night back that I didn't have something planned...so I actually cooked us a meal. after eating out all meals for 7 days in a row it was time for a nice healthy home cooked meal!

so i hopped on to the trusty allrecipes.com and found a couple of healthy pasta dishes to try...
i called J and he told me to surprise him...i decided on Greek Pasta with Tomatoes and Beans..

Ingredients

2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes

1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and chopped (We only used about 4 ounces)

8 ounces penne pasta

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

** And I added grilled chicken breast for protein**

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes and beans in a large non-stick skillet. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Add spinach to the sauce; cook for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts, stirring constantly.

Serve sauce over pasta, and sprinkle with feta.

Jonathan loved the meal and so did I...it was quick and easy and I am having the leftovers today for lunch..and I am NOT a huge fan of leftovers!

Tomorrow is Go Texan Day at school and I can't wait to see all the kiddos decked out as well as wear my boots...

So excited that Rodeo Season is here!

Happy Thursday!

Nothing Says Love Like....

2011-02-11T08:02:00.000-06:00

a new water heater??? Yep that's right. Our lovely water heater decided it was time to start leaking from the attic into our guest bathroom....oh just one week before we leave to celebrate the hubs 30th bday..

so yesterday afternoon the hubs set out to get a new water heater and have it installed all before I got home..because let's face it..who takes a cold shower when its 70 degrees much less 29 degrees outside.

it amazes me that those things are SOOOOOO expensive! you can buy one for 250, 500 and up to a 1500 for a water heater...you've got to be kidding!

All in all the water heater is installed i took a HOT shower this morning and the house isn't a wreck. The bathroom walls and ceiling have to dry before we can really assess the damage and determine what the plan is for that room. All I can say is it's agood thing I have a Spring Break again, so I can tackle that lovely painting project. I do have a few colors in mind and ideas already but I am not sure I want to totally re-do that bathroom from blues and browns and to blues and gray or neutrals and colorful towels...we shall see.

Is anyone else wondering where the heck Spring is? I am tired of these 25 degree mornings in Houston. Supposedly it will reach 72 next week...I'll cross my fingers that the groundhog got it right this time!

Happy Friday!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

2011-02-01T09:16:00.000-06:00

that's right i mentioned changes in the previous post about 2 weeks ago and can finally share the the most recent change in the Lenz household.....

i decided to change jobs and get back to working in the schools. Many people scratched their heads and looked at me with disbelief but when you are not looking forward to going to your job everyday a change MUST be made. I am fortunate enough to work in a field where currently my profession is in demand..so it worked out perfectly. made a few phone calls my old boss had me a new job in no time.

So things are going great. I am less stressed, happier and get to wear normal clothes again everyday. I am truly happy that i made the switch back..happiness is worth something!

In other news I am still going to boot camp and trying to get back into shape..few more pounds to lose and a few more areas to tone..seeing results is the best reward. I had originally set out to run a half marathon with Meredith in April and soon realized that it was a long shot. So I have decided to set smaller goals to build up to a half marathan at some point. It is something I would love to accomplish. In March one of the elementary schools in our neighborhood is doing a 5K...I think I can handle a 5K..roughly 3.2 miles. My goal would be to do it in under 35 minutes. The training will begin because I have never ran more than 2 miles at a time outside on our trail next WEEK because the weather this week is insane! Temps in the 30's and possibility of SNOW on Friday?!? We live in Houston right?!?!?

Stay bundled up fellow Houstonians it's only going to get colder as the day continues on!

well hello again....

2011-01-16T17:49:00.000-06:00

im not going to bore you with the usual well we have been super busy spill because everyone has been. i checked and it has been 2 months since my last post which is quite pathetic. to say that i havent missed blogging would be semi-true. i get on and still read all about your fabulous lives but i find myself not having much to say....it seems that when i was in the school setting with young kids everyday i needed the outlet of blogging to connect with adults and have adult like conversations. i called my mom almost as soon as i pulled out of the parking lot and we talked almost the whole way home. since i have been working with adults with dementia..once i get in the car my brain is done..i am all talked out...nothing to say because i have been reasoning with adults who are confused for 8 hours straight. to say that mom and my friends havent had to adjust or have been asking me if everythins is okay would be an understatement..i dont blame them for being worried or concerned because it was a complete 180 from what they had become programmed into by me. but i think everyone is on the same page now...im trying to be a better daughter, friend and wife and taking into consideration that i cant not totally go from one extreme to the other.

with that being said 2011 is all about contentment for me. content in life, content in where i am in life, content in the fact that the hubs and i are doing very well at this point in our life and content in life is pretty stinkin good. :)
although this will be hard for me it is for the better (for me and J). i think it wears on him a little that I am always adding to the never-ending "to-do" list....and i can honestly say right this very second that i have pretty much everything i NEED. now that doesn't mean my "want" list isn't a mile long but i need to be more realistic and be CONTENT with all I have because we are super blessed and super fortunate to be where we are today.

i have so many pics to upload from the past few months from thanksgiving to my brother graduating college...do we feel old!..to NYE and this past weekend..those will come soon.

hope everyone enjoys the rest of their sunday...more posts to come...as changes are headed to the Lenz casa and NO we are not expecting...just to put that little idea to rest. ;)

Wordless Wednesday At Its Finest....

2010-11-17T17:31:00.000-06:00

It's been a stressful week so I am going to post some pics from the past few weeks.

Homemade Chicken Nooodle Soup...mmmm

My coworker Tamara and her man Brian

The love of my life...isn't he simply precious! 

Silly May-gen...that's his new line.

Michael & I on Halloween

The hubs and I on Halloween....

That's a short recap, but sushi and wine are calling!

What a Great Day...

2010-11-15T17:07:00.000-06:00

This post is entirely dedicated to the amazing Greer Family. Today is Meredith's amazing mother's last day of CHEMO treatments! HOORAY!! This has been an incredible year for their family and I am so happy to say this is her last treatment! So see ya Chemo you will not be missed! Her mom has been so incredibly strong and inspiring during this journey. She is truly a woman of inspiration and strength. Words cannot express how truly GREAT our GOD is.

Meredith made shirts for this special day..here are the backs of the Greer girls...

Last treatment..hooray!

Could not be better way to start the week! Love you Greer Family!

Lovies...

2010-11-09T20:03:00.000-06:00

So since I seem to have a VERY bad habit of only blogging once maybe twice a month..here comes another update from our busy lives....bulleted style due to the fact that blogger DOES NOT want me to upload pictures....

we have celebrated halloween

cooked yummy dinners 3 nights a week
hung out with friends
celebrated birthdays
started more house projects...to be revealed hoopefully next week
i have surpressed the urge to start pulling out our xmas decor
starting to figure out holiday plans with both families...what a headache!
gone to a concert or two
and just having fun living life.
Friday we saw the movie Due Date and it was hilarious! We litterally laughed about 90% of the time. it's a must see in my book..and btw when did Robert Downey Jr. get it together..he's looking awfully handsome..
After the movie we went to Scott & julie's to meet their new baby Cole. He's super precious just like his big brother is..Slate..aka the LOVE of my life. I don't think I could love a child anymore than i do him..he is the coolest 2 and a half year old...
saturday jonathan headed to katy for a poker party for his brother's bday...he had a great time...and i headed in town for a girls day because i am not much of a poker player...
sunday was a day of shopping in san marcos for my brother's bday..he lives in san antonio so we met him there for a little bday gathering. can't believe my brother is 23!

Seriously upset that blogger is not cooperating currently...tomorrow will be a post of pure pictures...im off to find a delish vegetarian recipe to make tomorrow night..wish me luck!

Time Flies....

2010-10-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

when you're having fun...and even when you might be having a little less fun. I cannot believe it is already October. In Texas the past few weeks we have been spoiled with some oh so fabulous weather. I have tried to be outside as much as possible enjoying the weather from running to going to the park and tailgating for football games..i have made every attempt to be outdoors.

The past month has been non-stop. Jonathan and I have been on the go..and i would say that's an understatement. From being out of town to out with friends..we haven't had much down time..which quite honestly i have thoroughly enjoyed. I love that i have made so many new friends and am reconnecting with old friends. I will say that without a select few of them...things would have been much worse.

Now that things have started to "slow" down..I am making a conscious effort to be more active and eat more healthy. We I have been a cooking and grilling machine the past few weeks. I promise to post recipes because everything has been excellent and super easy!

My friends Jenn, Heather and myself have started a bootcamp here in Greatwood. Our friend is the personal trainer and he is AMAZING! It is on Thursday night and Saturday morning...yuck I know but Justin is great and I know it will be something to look forward to... I have been running roughly 6 miles a week...i swear its the weather! I hate to run but with the cooler evenings we have been blessed with..I find it much easier to go out for a run. All in all I just want to be healthy again and having my abs semi back would be icing on the cake...well since we arent indulging in sweets too much around..you know what I mean.

How's that for a catch up of the last few weeks?!?!? The Lenz casa is very busy...hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather...

I'll leave you with a few random pics...

Race for the Cure...Jenn, Mer + Slade, Me

Me, Jenn, and Tina at the FBCF....

Jenn & I ready for the Fair

BK & I on my birthday...love this girl!

Scarf Swap

2010-09-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

When my friend Meredith posted about her 2nd annual Scarf Swap I knew I wanted to participate again. Last year it was so fun and I am a sucker for scarves...I have a small (10+) collection of them in my closet.

This year I was paired with Caitlin. She is also a newlywed who wears boring scrubs like I do so I knew I wanted to give her something that would give her scrubs some color...

Here is the scarf I gave her:

And here is the one she sent me:

I was so excited to open up my package and find this scarf...too funny that we sent each other the same one but in different colors! Thanks Caitlin I can't wait to wear it hopefully this weekend.

Tomorrow is Wednesday...yay!!

That's a Fact Jack....

2010-09-01T18:01:00.000-05:00

It's a fact that I am currently obsessed with all the new fall collections that are making their way out into our stores and my inbox. From the colors and textures to the overall style I.AM.IN.LOVE. Only problem is now that I am working at a SNF full-time I wear black everyday..that's our uniform. Not that I am complaining but it is going to be a bit harder justifying buying clothes as often as I was if it not black...but I am still going to covet the following items...

i would gladly take any of these items from jcrew to just show a few...

or these any maybe these might be making an appearance to the lenz house very soon....

are you noticing that NOTHING i have posted is black?!?!

since these two are grey ..thats fairly close to black isnt it?!?! maybe i could swing it.

not having much luck with the dress hunt online...im meeting an old friend next week for a little retail therapy...lets hope i score a few cute dresses for the weekend!

and since i didnt actually post a pic..here's one of the hubster and i in chicago this past July.

weird lighting but it was late after we enjoyed a drink at the Lounge on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. Have a mentioned how much I love that city and want to go back already?!?! Too bad our annual conference is in Philadelphia..boo! However our next vacation will be to a beach/desert locale...it is in the works. I can hear the angels singing in my ears....

Incidentals...

2010-08-31T18:04:00.000-05:00

Gotta love em...never fails when a little extra cash is laying around it is quickly spent by something not fun! You see in our backyard there are two gazebo/canopies...well that oh so lovely storm that came through earlier this week ripped them to shreds.

exhibit a:

The other gazebo that covers our grill area no longer has a canopy.

So after some measurements, digging through folders, locating manuals, two new canopies have been purchased...im happy but would have much rather spent that small fortune or something more exciting!

The next incidental purchase this is coming soon will be a new fan for the living room

exhibit b:

a few weeks ago i was in the office doing lord knows what and I heard a nice crashing sound. I immediately assumed it was J. I looked outside and everything looked ok. I looked into the living room and the fan was resting nicely on our ottoman. Luckily no one was sitting on the couch. We are now on the hunt for a replacement fan. Finding the right one has been a challenge so far, but I am headed to a lighting store next week...hopefully I will get lucky. Just dont feel like spending 200+ for a fan...

Oh the joys of homeownership.

Im off to find a super cute dress for my birthday next week...cant believe it is September tomorrow!

Back to the Basics....

2010-08-30T20:44:00.000-05:00

So it's been awhile..roughly a month since I lasted blogged...and honestly I don't have the urge that I once did to come home and share random tidbits of life..

You see when I was working with kids all day long I felt the need and want to get on here and interact with ADULTS! Since I have started working with adults and have made the switch to working with adults for at least the next year or so I have adult conversations all day long...I don't crave the adult conversations as much as I used to because now I talk with them all day long. I will admit that I am pleasantly surprised with the love of the adult population. They are so genuinely thankful and appreciative..it is refreshing. Dont get me wrong once the hubs and I are ready for our own kids I will probably head back to the schools in order to have the schedule and time off. But that is def a few years off...JJ and I are enjoying being newlyweds and traveling right now...we are both not ready for the responsibility of caring for another individual...and we are okay with that.

In other exciting news one of my of grad school friends is preggers!!! She is having a girl and I am co-hosting a baby shower for her here at the house at the end of September. I cannot wait to shower that sweet mother to be! I have been in full planner mode and cannot wait for her to see everything we have come up with for the shower. We are all crossing our fingers that her fam will be relocated back to Houston before the baby baker makes her arrival in December!

As this summer comes to an end I am relieved, sad and excited...relieved in the fact that the triple digit temperatures are subsiding and fall is headed our way hopefully soon. Sad because summer is one my favorite times of year and it has been an amazing one. Lots of great memories from Summer 2010. I am excited because that means my birthday is right around the corner! I must admit that at first I was in denial..26..sounds so blah! But if its anything like 25 then I am happy to celebrate another year. I have decided that this year we will celebrate the whole week! Terrible I know, but why not?

So all in all the past month has been busy between traveling, making the switch from kids to adults, and doing a few things around the house. But this blog is going back to the basics....the happenings of your average husband and wife..and all the fun that comes with marriage, homeowning and being in your 20's.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Monday. If you haven't entered in Meredith's Scarf Swap..you should! Last year I received 2 beautiful scarves and they are two of my absolute faves!

Here's to hoping Tuesday will be better than Monday.

Curiosity Killed the Cat...

2010-07-28T17:27:00.000-05:00

I have a question or questions for those of you out there. I know the following questions will get answers from both sides, which is completely fine and am open to them. So however you feel please have some restraint if you feel very strongly against my opinion but answer them honestly.

Can married people not go out with friends without their spouse????

Can married people not go out and have fun anymore??

Can married people not have friends of the opposite sex without people thinking there is something going on?

My answer to these questions is simple...yes. I think it is perfectly fine to have a night out with friends without your spouse being there. Since when did marriage equal staying at home and falling off the face of the earth?? Just because people get married doesn't mean they can't have fun still...i mean come on people! Now with the last question...I have always had super close guy friends my whole life. My bestfriend is a guy..we have been friends since we were about 8 months old. He is someone I would do just about anything for on the face of this earth. A few of Jonathan's friends have even become extremely close friends of mine. We talk on at least a weekly basis.

the reason I bring this up is because a few weeks ago I spent the weekend with some grad school friends (girls & guys). They live in houston, but in town so I just spent the night. The hubs was out of town with softball so it was easier and safer. On both nights I saw friends of mine from high school and got asked the same questions over and over "arent you married" "where is your husband" "you are out without him"...and the list goes on people. So it really started to bother me that all of these people were what seemed to be bothered by the fact that I was out, having fun and not with my spouse. I spoke with the hubs after the fact about how people kept asking me those same questions and he didnt mind me going out with friends etc. I know I shouldn't let other peoples opinions bother me so much, but I do..I am working on it currently, but it will be a long road I am sure....

So there you have it. Maybe I am in the minority here but we will see how you feel.

And We're Back....

2010-07-27T18:59:00.000-05:00

Refreshed, revamped, relaxed and just feeling good. Although I am still wanting to be in Chicago! I think I told him several times that I would move there in a heartbeat. LOVE IT THERE!!!! I am already trying to figure out when I can get back there...I am thinking when my brother graduates in December would be a perfect time!

Sorry for the hiatus, but it was something that was not planned but was needed. Our life had been kinda crazy the past few months and now I think everything is going to calm down for a bit! Thank goodness.

As my summer is coming to a close that means two things: MUST make a decision about my job and MUST start getting back in shape and watching the carb intake...yikes!

Needless to say this summer has been an amazing one so far. We have traveled, which is was the alterior motive to working in the summer to be quite honest. We made a decision to reap some of the benefits of me working...why not?!?! what else should we be doing in our 20's??

Pictures to come soon! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer like we are...happy tuesday! Thank goodness it is a 4 day work week for us..

Wordless Wednesday....

2010-06-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

I am sick in bed..oh joy! Could not be worse timing between work, an out of town wedding and July 4th festivities this weekend....must feel better like yesterday...

Hope you are enjoying your Wednesday fellow bloggers.

Home Sweet Home...

2010-06-16T13:52:00.000-05:00

We are back from vacation and loved every minute of it...a post about that to come later...just wanted to say hello and let those of you know we made it back safe and sound.

Wishing I was still in Scottsdale...

instead I will settle on the neighbors pool to soak up some rays after I workout...gotta get back in shape..WOW!

Giveaway Winner...

2010-05-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

Well this post is a bit delayed that is for sure. It is not that I forgot, but with the school year over today I have been in overdrive trying to get everything finished for today and I have been trying to catch some sunrays afterwork.

I also decided that I would send everyone a little something for summer. Who doesn't like to receive something in the mail?!?! However not all of you will get the towel. So the winner of the beach towel is:

Mrs. Hesson at Meet the Hesson's.

email me at m_odom12@yahoo.com and I will get this in the mail to you shortly!

Hope Friday and I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing 3-day weekend!

Holy Matrimony!

2010-05-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

Today JJ and I have been married one year. I cannot believe that a year has passed already..guess the phrase "time flies when you are having fun" is very appropriate. We have enjoyed the past year so much and have made so many incredible memories. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for us.

So happy anniversary JJ! You are truly a blessing and I thank Him everyday for bringing you into my life.

Here is a little trip down memory lane...well I am at work so these will have to work for now.

right after he proposed.

waiting on his bride...

probably my favorite picture of all time!

Happy Monday!

Can You Feel the Heat?!?! Summer Giveaway.

2010-05-19T21:23:00.001-05:00

Since summer is ~~fastly approaching~~ is in full swing here in Houston..I started to think about some of my favorite things about summer.

I love being at the beach, being poolside, hanging out with friends on patios and of course enjoying llong summer days without a care in the world. Even though it is stiffling hot here I enjoy being outside for the most part. There is just something in the air about summer that makes everything seem better or not as important. What are some of your favorite things about summer???

I was browsing through Home Goods the other day and stumbled upon some oh so fabulous over-sized beach towels. I immediately put two in my shopping cart. Thinking this would be the perfect way to kick off summer. Well lucky you..I don't need two because JJ could careless about what his towel looks like. So I am going to have a giveaway!

The giveaway includes a beachtowel, nail polish and a surprise for the winner.

The beach towel is a multi-colored paisley print

The nail polish is called Princess.

So here are the details:

1 entry for becoming a follower

1 entry for commenting about your favorite part of summer

2 entries for anyone you send over to the blog that enters the giveaway.

3 entries for blogging about the giveaway.

The giveaway will end on Tuesday May 25th and the winner will be announced on Wednesday May 26th just in time for Memorial Weekend.

So long spring and hello summer..well it kind of slaps you in the face as soon as you walk out the door here.

Happy Hump Day.

Currently Coveting....

2010-05-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

Since I mentioned in my last post that we are headed on a vacation to celebrate our anniversary I have been going through my closet to see what I have, what doesn't look cute on me anymore and what I need to pick up before our trip.

What simply amazes me is that I love shorts and right now I am only liking two of the pairs I own. 3 of them are either too short, faded or just not cute anymore...so what is a girl to do. I don't want to spend 40 bucks on ONE pair of shorts...so I am thinking I might hit the outlet with my ID badge in hand and see if I can find something for 20-30 bucks. The 15% teacher discount should hopefully help in this department.

I am also wanting one more pair of shoes whether it is wedges or another pair of gladiators in either gold, brown or silver I need well let's be honest want one more pair for the summer. here are a few I am liking currently:

These are Nina's and right now they are offering 30% for ATN followers..

these are from Gap. Not too bad for 30 bucks.

Also from Gap for 30 bucks.

I am also on the hunt for come cute white denim jeans or capris. The problem I have noticed is that the pockets show through and I most certainly hate that! I don't like the fact that you can see through the fabric.

Any help would be greatly appreciated ladies!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T09:21:00.000-05:00

T-minus 21 days until we are here....

so until then I will be catching rays poolside, so I am not as pale as I am today...

Busy Bees Part 2

2010-05-18T17:33:00.000-05:00

My oh my oh where does the time go? It has been almost a week since my last post and I feel like it has been several weeks. Time is flying by..I have 7 more days at my school until summer vacation..now if I were only not working this summer then life would be complete. However I was given the option that if I did not work then my spending would have to be cut back dramatically! So basically I need to work to support my habits...filling out an application as we speak to turn in and then I start in early June...whew! I am quite excited about this new opportunity. I will be working with the geriatric population, which will be nice for a change. Not that I am not loving the kids still..just need a change for a few months. Working with children is the best form of birth control on this planet. And that is all I am going to say on that topic.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that JJ and I had been hard at work well that continued through this weekend. We mulched the front and back and planted more flowers. Well we were able to get almost everything completed before Saturday afternoon. JJ mentioned to me several months ago that we should do a crawfish boil at the house..and at first I was reluctant, but decided it would be a fun way to see some friends that we hardly see. So in lieu of a house warming party we had a crawfish boil. Now I say "in lieu of" because I did not want people to bring us gifts. We just had the wedding less than a year ago and I did not want people to feel obligated to bring us another gift since they just had for the wedding. JJ agreed so it was decided no housewarming party. I don't mean to sound trite, but I just wasn't comfortable calling it a housewarming party for the sheer fact that we did not want our family friends to feel the obligation that goes along with that specific party.

Well it rained like cats and dogs on all night friday and into the morning on Saturday and I was starting to get nervous. Luckily Jenn, Brian, and Tina came over early and helped me stay calm and get everything set-up for the day. It was a wild and crazy day filled with lots of great memories. I can't wait until our next event..well maybe I can. Here are a few shots from the day.

Tina, JJ and I trying to figure out the best way to cover the tables...

Some lifelong family friends...

couldn't have done it without them!

So all in all it was a great day. We didn't stop the entertaining Saturday night. We had Round 2 on Sunday evening, but it was much more low-key, but we had to finish off that crawfish. I think I can say without a doubt that we will not be eating crawfish for a few weeks!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as we did.

PS The countdown is on...6 days until our 1 year anniversary & and 8 more days of working...

Wordless Wednesday..well sort of....

2010-05-12T11:50:00.000-05:00

This is how I feel today!

This is what I am ready for....

Happy Wednesday!

Randomness at its Finest.

2010-05-08T09:35:00.001-05:00

I simply don't know where the time is going...it has been two weeks since I have blogged, but it sure doesnt feel like it...Oh wait I do know where the time has gone...between finishing up projects around the house, long days at work trying to get caught up from the insane amount of ARDs I have been sitting in to hanging out with friends this little blog has been on the backburner.

So here comes one of the most random compilations of news and thoughts I have probably posted yet...

To say we havent been extremely busy would be an understatement, but most people are this time of year. So I am not going to complain because I am enjoying everything we have been doing, but I am starting to run out of energy..literally yesterday I was trying to write a report and thought I was going to fall asleep in my office. Not good!

Last weekend we headed down to the river to celebrate Brian's birthday and Cinco de Mayo. Jj and I headed down there on Friday to help Jenn and her mom get everything organized for Saturday. We had a great time cruising on the boat and icing cupcakes that night. Well Saturday was a bright and early morning. We set everything up and hit the water for a quic hour before everyone showed up. It was a great day filled with great friends. Here are some pics from the weekend. There is never a dull moment at the river...

icing the cupcakes....

hubs holding onto Gracie..

Jenn and Danielle.

A little bit of Double Dutch...

There is NEVER a dull moment when Morty is around.

We closed out the evening with some CatchPhrase..I was the winner 4-1. Thank you very much.

It was a wonderful weekend and just what the doctor had ordered.

This past week we have been on the go. Tuesday night I meet up with Jenn and Lindsey for some shopping and dinner. We shared some great conversations and chips and salsa as well. I just LOVE Lupe Tortilla's! Yum! Wednesday night I meet Danielle at Memorial City Mall for some shopping. Well we didnt hit the jackpot and walked away with one of the items on both of our "lists". Then we headed out to grab some mexican food and well that was an adventure since it was Cinco de Mayo. We ended up waiting about 45 mins at Escalantes for dinner. It was delish though.. Thursday night we went to the Astros game and although their record is quite dismal at this point we had a good time. So now you know why yesterday I was ready to fall asleep at my desk. Luckily I didn't, but I did get about 10 hours of sleep last night..so I am feeling refreshed and ready for a day in the sun! This pale pale body desperatly needs some sunlight on it! Especially with our vacation approaching fastly.

Lastly I just want to take a minute and thank the Him for taking care of some very important people in my life. One of my bestfriends had her gallbladder removed and we are hoping this will solve a lot of her health problems. And another one of my bestfriends mom was diagnosed with cancer and underwent radiation this past week. She was able to "ring the bell" on Friday and celebrate one milestone down on her journey. I am so thankful that He has been listening to all the prayers lifting up these two ladies and keeping them and their families strong.

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Busy Bees..

2010-04-26T21:05:00.000-05:00

JJ and I have been quite busy lately like most people these days. Everytime I look at the calendar we are headed somewhere or doing something. I like staying busy honestly because if I sit to long then my mind starts to wander about more porjects to do around the house...see where this is going??

Two weekends ago we headed to College Station to celebrate Emily's Ring Dunk. Now Emily is practically my little sister. I have known her whole life. She is one of the most precious and genuine people I know. I truly love her and love having her in my life.

Emily is NOT a beer drinker..i repeat NOT a beer drinker. Well the instructions for the ring dunking are the following:

1. Pour 4 beers in a pitcher
2. Let beer set in for a few hours until it is room temperature...YUCK! Apparently this makes the beer flat and easier to chug?!?!
3. Drop ring in pitcher and chug!

Shes on the far right...looking a little nervous!

Well Emily was a ROCKSTAR! She chugged her pitcher in 49 seconds! She beat a guy! Thats right a GUY! We were so proud! haha. I am so glad my family was able to be apart of her day!

Sunday afternoon JJ and I headed out for a little shopping. He was a man on a mission. He needed socks, shoes and so on. Well he hit the jackpot. I found a few things, but he NEVER goes shopping so I figured I would let him load up at Marshalls. We found a few things for the house, so that was a plus. After Marshalls we walked done to HomeGoods to see if there were any little items we could find. Well we found a picture for the mantle that we both love and are very excited about! I can't wait to hang it up. It matches perfectly with the candles and the new orange in our kitchen...more on that in a bit.

We ventured down to Houston Garden Center and picked up some plants and flowers that were all 50% off..so all in all we struck the jackpot on Sunday!

This past week was pretty hectic for both of us with work. We were definately looking forward to the weekend...then we got a wild hair and decided to knock out our water leak damaged kitchen. JJ retextured, kilzed, and painted the ceiling..I am so proud of him for learning how to do this! You can't even tell there was a water leak!

what water leak??? SO proud of him!

Since the ceiling had been tackled that meant I could start on the walls. Well the paint situation was a nightmare! Jenny and I painted one wall on Friday night and it looked like a fiesta...so on Saturday my mom and I kilzed the walls and set out to find an orange/terracotta color that would not be quite so shocking! So we ended up at Sherwin Williams and got two samples. Luckily we loved one of them and started painting. We were able to get one coat up on Saturday. AFter church on Sunday Jenny and I did the second coat. Man were we tired come 6 o'clock! I am still tired...my whole boday ached.

The inspiration for the final paint color.

I woke up this morning and walked into the kitchen praying I would like it because let me say this...there is no way in the world I am painting in there again! No way no how! Luckily I walked into the kitchen and liked it and am ready for everything to be back in its place..I am recruiting some friends to help with that process...they love to decorate..so they dont mind! love you girls...

So here it is Monday and I am beat. I sat on the computer all day logging therapy sessions and am happy to say I am waiting on the system to fix a few errors and then it will be complete!

Fellow Houstonians...did you hear it might get into the 90's later this week or early next week? Since the weather is climbimg up there I decided it is time for a summer giveaway! Details tomorrow! I need to pick up one more item for the giveaway!

Only 4 more Mondays to my fellow teacher friends...crazy to believe! What is even more crazy is that JJ and I's 1 year anniversary is less than a month away!

What's In My Mailbox...

2010-04-13T17:30:00.000-05:00

It seems that today I received several emails regarding sales, new items, and limited time offers. Doesn't it always seem like you receive these emails when you need to the least? But since they were all just sitting there waiting to be opened I couldn't resist...........I will post a few of the emails I received..you never know it could just be what you are in the market for right now..or I could very well get you and your bank account in trouble.

So here is my disclaimer..I am in no way encouraging your shopping; however, if you do purchase something feel free to let me know!

#1 Up to 40% off Selected Women's Styles..from none other than Nordstrom.

I am really liking these white Steve Madden Sandals..just perfect for summer! And they are only 40 bucks..seems like a deal to me!

#2 There's No Better Time to Get Naked...spoken from none other than Victoria's Secret.
I know the title is quite alarming, but I am a fan of VS. I am not going to post any pictures from there, but if you are in the market for those items then have at it.

#3 New Colorful REVAS....oh how I am lusting over these fabulous new colors.

One of each please. I will have to say that I would love a white pair or orange or pink..now I just need to figure out how to convince the hubs that they are very worth the price..that might take a while!

#4 What's New in the Garden? Best Buys...oh how I love Crate & Barrel. I love them from their pillows to kitchen items..they have such great stuff! We registered there and it was a slice of heaven!

Go check out there new garden items. They have some great pieces that would compliment any outdoor setting.

Well there you have it. There is nothing better than some online browsing first thing in the morning. Now I just need to work the husband for some of these beauties!

Tomorrow is Hump Day! Woohoo!

Summer Lovin'

2010-04-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

After some online browsing, magazine flipping, and people watching I have decided I am ready for summer. I am ready to sport some form of a tan while wearing shorts, wedges and a cute top. Well if you are in Houston you know that summer is knocking on the door and before we know it it will be 90 outside accompanied with the ~~grueling~~ humidity.

I also can't wait to be entertaining as much as possible this summer. We have been hard at work trying to get everything back in shape and looking pretty. So far so good. Like everyone else we are battling weeds and trying to figure out how to best defeat them. There are a few things I would love to add to our backyard for a little extra color. But all we need to accomplish in the backyard before our first event at the Lenz Casa is plant a few more items..which are TBD and mulch. Those are the biggies to check off the list.

This week we are planning on tackling the kitchen ceiling..it needs to be re-textured, kilzed, and re-painted before I can paint the walls. So I am crossing my fingers that it all goes well and I can paint the following weekend. I am very ready for the white walls with spots of different paint samples to be one lovely shade of terracotta.

Thankfully this week should be less stressful with only 1 ARD on the books, I should be able to have a productive week. Again I am going to cross my fingers..as the weeks dwell down I am noticing that I am stressing a bit more each week..which is typical since I am trying to close out my first year successfully.

After a long day in the yard I am headed to nice relaxing evening with the hubs and crashing early...

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. I know we did. And since a post is not a post without a picture...

Isn't he just precious! This is one of friends kids who requests my presence about 3 times a week. I babysat him about two weeks ago and love him so much! I mean how can you say "no" to that face?!?! I know I can't and don't most of the time..that's why I get to spoil him and then give him back to his parents!

My How the Time Flies...

2010-04-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

It is has been a solid week since I last posted...funny thing is that I have wanted to post, but haven't had much to say or had the energy after work. But here we are on a rainy Saturday morning and I am feeling the itch after reading everyone else's posts to get to it.

Several of my closest friends have been going through trying times the past few weeks and even months. I lift them up in my prayers every night hoping that He will ease their minds. One of them it seems God has been working very hard in her life and has been easing her and her families prayers and all I can say is..thank you! Sometimes God says "no," and as much as we want Him to say "yes" we have to trust in His plan for us. I have come to realize through their trials that prayer is a powerful thing. There is no prayer that is to small for Him. So I will continue to pray for these lovely ladies and watch Him work in their lives.

Easter weekend was a bit hectic, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. We spent Saturday with my family and some long-time family friends. We went to church around 3 and then headed into town for an evening of delicious food and wine and even an Easter Egg Hunt. I know you are thinking.."how old are you guys" well lets just say the youngest "kid" there was 21! We grew up with these families for years having egg hunts for about 10 years...so it was nostalgic and brought back several wonderful childhood memories. On Sunday we drove to Port Arthur to spend the day with Jonathan's family. It turned out to be a beautiful day and once again Grandma cooked a delicious meal. She never disappoints.

This past week has been a hectic one. I had 8 yes 8 ARDs this past week. Needless to say the paperwork alone was enough to make my eyes tired. So after a long week of ARDs and meetings..I needed to relax. Jenn and I with the addition of JJ for a bit had a very early dinner because none of us had lunch and then she and I went over to Town Center to walk around for a bit. We definately needed to after the amount of food that we consumed!

So here we are on Saturday and I am hoping the rain will pass, so we can enjoy the crawfish boil christopher & danielle have planned for this afternoon.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Only 7 more weeks of school..guess I better get to finding a summer job..yikes!

A glimpse of the Easter Decor....

2010-03-30T19:52:00.000-05:00

I am sure JJ can't wait for Easter to be over! The house isn't bursting with Easter decor, but there is some in all the common areas...is that a bad thing?!?!?

I have to admit that since moving into our home I have thoroughly enjoyed borrowing and buying decor for every season and holiday! But the way I see it is...these pieces are investments..you only have to buy them once and they last for several years. I also will only buy things if they are on sale or very reasonably priced..I do have a limit set on things. I mean I am talking I have spent as little as 1 dollar to as much as 15 bucks...nothing outrageous.

So here are a few pics of the decor....

a birdcage and a few glass birds sitting inside..this will stay until Spring is over.

apothecary jars on the dining room table filled with grass, eggs, and a chick.

I will have to say that finding these apothecary jars for under 15 bucks was quite the challenge, but i was patient and found all 3 at various Home Goods and Marshalls. I told you I was bargain shopping....

I am happy to say that I am very very very content with the inside of the house..I am sure JJ is grinning! But honestly it is so easy to get wrapped up in "we need this, and this and this and this..." But as long as you are bargain shopper minded you can find great deals out there!

*******

The last thing I want to do with this blog is to post pictures of new items and for it to come across as bragging...that is not the point and I hope you fellow bloggers realize this. I simply post the pics to show the few readers I have the changes that are happening at the Lenz casa...so I do hope that is how it is perceived in blogland. Enough on that soapbox.

*******

A few new recipes that we tried over the weekend coming up in tomorrow's post!

Things That Make Me Happy...

2010-03-30T19:15:00.000-05:00

The Lovely Mrs. Hesson gave me the Happy 101 award last week. Thank you Mrs. H. If you are not currently reading her blog you should be.

the rules:

1.) When you have received this award you must thank the person that awarded you this in the new post.

2.) Name the 10 things that make you happy

3.) Pass this award on to 10 other bloggers and inform the winners

1. JJ

2. my family

3. wine nights with the girls

4. fresh flowers

5. a sunny day

6. watching sports with the hubs

7. gardening

8. the beach

9. my kiddos at school making progress...

10. a clean home.

The 10 lovely ladies I am passing this onto are:

1. Jenn

2. Danielle

3. Meredith

4. Kim B.

5. Jen

6. Heather

7. Kim R.

8. Lindsey

9. Julianne K.

10. Jenn W.

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the fabulous weather this past weekend! I am desperately hoping it lasts for a few weeks! It's a short work week for most of us...thank goodness! The school year is winding down and it is time to start making decisions for summer work and next year...life is crazy, but a good crazy.

Pics to come later this week.

Tomorrow is Wednesday!!!

Bag Lady...

2010-03-26T12:49:00.000-05:00

yep that's right I am a bag lady. I LOVE bags...I use my LL Bean tote to tote around my therapy session materials, I have a bag that I take with me to and from school to carry my agenda and any paperwork that needs to be addressed, I have a bag specifically for dry cleaning...see the pattern??

well after I just looked over my weekley OKL email with shopping deals..I found the most adorable bags from the brand saltbox...i am in LOVE. Here are the two I am l.o.v.i.n.g.

I am dying over this orange one that they are calling "market & beach tote"

and this tote & and matching cosmetic bag is to.die.for!

Now if I could just get the hubs on board with this purchase I would be ordering right now!!

Come to think of it I don't have a "beach bag/bag for the river house"....I might be onto something here!

Hope everyone has amazing weather like we are having right now in Houston! It is in the upper 60's and simply gorgeous!

Happy Friday Bloggers!

Spring Forward

2010-03-23T18:46:00.000-05:00

As I previously mentioned JJ and I have been slaves to yardwork the past few weekends. We are getting closer everyday. Luckily the weather is cooperating and Houston is hanging in the upper 60's and low 70's, which is a nice change from the weekend where the highs were in the low 50's with wind gusts of up to 30mph..yes you read that right...30 mph! So bad that on Sunday a gust moved me and the heavily loaded cart in the Garden Center at Home Depot...

So here are some pictures of our progress we have made:

a new hanging basket that I can see from the window above our kitchen sink.

we added geraniums and marigolds to pots around our patio.

we planted 4 knock-out roses under our bedroom window as well as some more marigolds. There are already some blooms that are about to open! I'm excited.

JJ picked these out all on his own. I turned my back for one second and the cart was loaded up at Houston Garden Center....

and this was a last minute addition to the cart two weekends ago...we shall see.

AND this one is just for grins...we have 10 stems of asparagus growing under our kitchen window. The previous owners loved to cook, so we are assuming they planted the seeds...

they are kind of hard to see, but they are there...not sure about cooking them and eating them just yet.

tomorrow I will post an project that had planned on doing tonight, but I ran out of soil, so I need JJ to stop and get a couple more bags.

also stayed tuned for a spring giveaway later this week.

Crossing Things Off...

2010-03-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

i LOVE LOVE LOVE To-Do Lists for the sheer fact of crossing things off. There is such a sense of accomplishment when you do get to take that pen and cross something off of the list....sheer satisfaction.

We have several to-do lists...short term, long term, before the crawfish boil we are planning on having in May and so on....

i am not so sure that the hubs loves them as much as i do...but i do believe they are growing on him.

our list may or may not have about 10 things "to-do" before the crawfish boil but we have checked off some big items...

we planted flowers in backyard and cut down the banana trees
we chose a paint color FINALLY for the kitchen
we hung the calendars and corkboards in the office...

i could not be more happy with the fact that we are one more box away from being organized! i can feel the productivity happening now...

and i did find some pretty perfect candles for the mantle..it is complete!

Easter/Spring decor is also in full force at the Lenz casa, but with the kitchen being a wreck due to kilzing and working on the ceiling the decor is now scattered across the house until we are finished.

Hoping to post pictures of the yard this week..weather permitting!

Just hoping now that it is officially Spring..we will have some more gorgeous weather before the 95 degree heat heads our way.

Happy Spring.

peace.love.family

Rodeo Round-Up

2010-03-21T20:09:00.001-05:00

This post is LONG overdue, but better late than never..right...

On Monday (the 8th) I went to the Rodeo with Tina and her friend Monica to see Tim McGraw and boy did he look nice...ha!

Tina's dad scored up great tickets right behind all of the bullriders..nice seats if you know what I mean....

I haven't seen Tim McGraw live in about 8 or 9 years, so needless to say I was excited. And let me tell you he did not disappoint. He not only walked around the entire arena while singing..he also sang for over an hour which is not typical for the rodeo. What was even better was that we knew all but ONE song the whole night. Here are a few pictures of Mr. McGraw...

The next night JJ and I went with some friends to see Darius Rucker..aka former lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish. He indeed sang 2 Hootie songs which was great. I am such a Hootie fan and apparently so was the rest of the crowd because everyone was belting out those two songs.

So by Wednesday afternoon the Hubs and I were beat! We ordered pizza and crashed early that night.

We love going to the rodeo and the cook-off...it is always a great time.

I am hoping to be better with blogging now that Spring is here (although you would not have known it this weekend) and there are several fun activities planned for the upcoming months.

Spring Break is over and I am quite sad about it...but that means only 9 more weeks of school until summer! YAY!

peace.love.family

Time for a change...

2010-03-17T22:37:00.000-05:00

that's right ladies..it is time to chop off the locks! i ALWAYS had above the shoulder hair...then we got engaged, so I HAD to grow it out...well we have been married for almost a year and surprisingly it is still here.

well after tomorrow morning the long locks will be no more! and i honestly i am so ready for a short new do for spring and summer.

here is a picture from a few summers ago that i am leaning towards...

we shall see what tracine whips up tomorrow! so ready for shorter healthier hair!

here's the deal...

2010-03-16T14:09:00.000-05:00

i planned on taking pictures of the yard and posting them..well its raining plus it has been a VERY annoying day so far...so I am going to sit on the couch and relax from this headache and hopefully will post later.

hope everyone had a great weekend AND I promise to post pics soon!

ps thanks to all our friends and family for coming over sunday and kicking off spring with us! it was a blast!

Let's Make a Deal...

2010-03-12T13:09:00.000-06:00

I promise to update soon, but in the mean time. I will share the upcoming plans for the weekend!

JJ and I are planning to finish ridding our yard of weeds and mulching the flowerbeds. I am also planning on planting flowers and and some knock-out roses as well.

We love our backyard..dont get me wrong..but it needs a bit more color! So that is the plan.

My sweet husband told me last night that if I would let him play in a golf tournament this afternoon that I could go buy the roses I had been eyeing for a few months now..and the rest of the flowers for the flowerbeds and pots...so sweet right??? In all honesty I would MUCH rather him play golf then softball. He gives 100% to all hobbies, but softball is a bit more abusive on the body than golf is...

So Saturday we will spend in the yard and then Sunday we are grilling out for some friends and kicking off it the spring! Thank you for gorgeous clear blue skies!

So here's to my spring break fastly approaching and starting the weekend off at Home Depot and Houston Garden Center.

Updates coming soon....

2010-03-11T12:57:00.000-06:00

I am hoping to get to the updates tonight! it has been super busy in the lenz casa the past few weeks and now is starting to slow down a bit...yard work, rodeo, house projects...you name it we have been wrapped up in the hussle and bussle of being homeowners! we are loving it..to know we are the ones doing it all is really rewarding.

only one more day then spring break! yay!!! we can do it fellow public ed workers!

Happy Birthday to my Buffer!

2010-03-04T08:22:00.000-06:00

Sending some birthday love to one of my very best friends..Jenn! She is amazing...I have blogged about her before..she recently got engaged! She is turning the BIG 2-5 today! So hop over to her blog and wish her some birthday love.

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to Jenn

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother!

2010-03-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday! I am so glad it was a gorgeous day to celebrate! She had lunch with some friends at a fabulous place in town. Apparently it is amazing..she raved about it all day. She was showered with love. I don't want to go on and on about how great she is..because well simply put: she is. She is the best mother I could have ever imagined. I tell her and my dad weekly that Ben and I are so blessed...She loves her family unconditionally. She is and will always be the mom I hope I am when we have our own kiddos. So in a nutshell she is pretty stinkin amazing...

With two of her best friends last year.

At one of my bridal showers.

Mom and Ben at our wedding...

Mom and Dad dancing the night away. Aren't they just precious?!?

Happy Birthday mom...hope you had a fabulous day!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.....

2010-02-18T21:12:00.001-06:00

Lots of things have been on the brain lately. You name it I am sure it has crossed my mind...

Trying to workout more so far this week I am two for two...i am on my way to getting ready to start bootcamp in no time at all...

Trying to finish shopping for JJ's birthday this Friday..I have two things so far and he knows one of them! He can be hard to shop for, but most of the time I typically come across something great.

Trying to finish up the office wall project. I showed you the vision and inspiration before, but have since been sidetracked...found 2 corkboards at Hobby Lobby...just need to get the dry erase calenders and we should be set...

Trying to plan our 1st anniversary trip. Any suggestions? We have decided that we like to do 2 or 3 shorter trips (4-5 days) then one all out week long vacation. So we are planning one in June and one in August...I have the August location picked already! Crazy huh...

Trying to decide where to hang some of the real good steals I have come across lately..I need to just set aside an afternoon and knock it out! I am thinking I will have to get the mom over here asap! Pictures to come soon of the new decor once it is up!

And finally I have decided what I will sacrifice for Lent. No I am not Catholic, but I do believe in Jesus. I normally "give-up" cokes, candy, sweets and so forth..but honestly that is willpower and I have limited my intake of those items tremendously. I have decided to...sacrifice the 10 or 20 dollar shirt I see at Target or Gap or wherever I am. It may seem like something lame or silly, but lately I have just grabbed a shirt here and there and not given it a second thought. And I need to live without those items. I have plenty of clothes and my closet is already exploding...so I thought why not. By sacrificing this I will save money and get my shopping under control.

Friday is JJ's birthday! I can't believe it is already mid-february! We are getting together with some great friends for some yummy food! His choice...Carrabba's! I can't wait. I have been saving my carbs all week for this dinner! PLus the wine...

Couldn't resist...we will be drinking it up this weekend!

Happy Birthday JJ! I hope it's one of the best ones yet.

peace.love.family

The Things You Do for Love...

2010-02-15T15:49:00.000-06:00

My hubs puts up with a lot from me. He takes everything in stride. As I mentioned previously that my grandmother passed away, so it has been rough for him since Wednesday. I have been unconsolable for the most part. But he always knows when I need a laugh, hug or kiss. He just knows. He has been great the past week..he has just let me be and go about crying and cleaning like a crazy woman and cooking meals left and right because if I stop for one second I fall to pieces. Well on Saturday my mom called and we had some misunderstanding to put it nicely. I got off the phone and he looked at me and said "you were rude to your mother." and I said.."no i wasnt. she is making me feel like i cant be sad." and he proceeded to say back to me again.."you are being rude." sometimes it takes the truth put ever so bluntly to make you realize "hmm maybe i was rude." so i called mom back and apologized. like i said jj puts up with my crazy erratic behaviors and he does it effortlessly most of the time.

so yesterday for valentines day..i headed to san antonio with mom to watch ben (brother_ play baseball and break the news to him about grandmother. what a husband..to let me go out of town on valentines?!?!? quite the contrary..as i was leaving yesterday morning he was all sweet and told me he would have a surprise for me when i got home. now i am sure most of you are thinking..you left your husband on your first valentines as a married couple to go watch your brother play baseball??? well heres the deal..i think valentines is highly OVERRATED! there i said it. I think it is insane that there is a special holiday set aside for you and your loved one to pronounce your love for one another. It should be done 365 days a year..not just once. I would rather him come home with a 10 dollar bouquet of flowers anyday of the week than just once a year on valentines day..so there you have it. that is just how we do things at the lenz household..

in highly exciting news the husband has started to work on fixing the ceiling and walls in our kitchen after our lovely waterleak and he is doing an AMAZING job i must say! he is going to finish the rest this evening and we should be looking at getting started on painting the ceiling and walls in no time at all! AND I think we have even agreed on a color..we just have to test it out.

I am just so proud of him and all the work he has done around here! He deserves an award or something for his hard work.

That is all for now. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

peace.love.family

My Grandma O

2010-02-15T09:16:00.000-06:00

Friday evening my sweet grandmother left our world to be with Jesus. Her passing was unexpected because I literally saw her 6 weeks ago and she was in great spirits. She was telling jokes and giving my dad a hard time about how he is turning gray! She was her usual self. However since we have been home she has been in the hospital two times and was placed on hospice last week. She did go peacefully in her sleep, for which we are so thankful. After 15 years she has rejoined my grandfather in Heaven...

It is still very hard for me to believe she is no longer here with us. As I try to remember all of the great memories with her I begin to cry. She was an amazing mother who raised 3 boys, took care of my grandfather after 3 strokes and always had dinner ready. She was an amazing cook...you name it and she made it. I will hold those memories close to my heart as we celebrate her life.

enough already....

2010-02-03T17:52:00.000-06:00

with the excuses. i typically don't make excuses because I HATE when others do. however it seems i have been making excuses for the whole not working out thing...honestly i do not enjoy it at all. it is not that i am lazy because i used to workout and was in good shape. now by the time i get home i am simply not motivated! well after joking around since november that jj and i have been wearing our "winter coats" i am tired of joking about it. jj loves to workout and be in shape and he typically is, but he has been sidelined for various injuries...

it is time to get back on the wagon for good! i need to make the life change to workout 3-4 times a week and actually do it. i eat pretty healthy for the most part..minus today since i have been home! i dont drink cokes but maybe once every few weeks, we dont really keep sugary items around the house unless i buy a brownie mix or cookie mix occassionally at the store...

so here is the plan..i am going to keep doing my kettlebell workout 2 times a week and workout with Jenn two times a week. that should be enough to get my abs back! i miss them soo much! PLUS bathing suit season is fastly approaching and i would like to maybe take off the cover-up this season!

ultimately i would love to add in a day or two of jogging but lets not get ahead of ourselves. i loathe jogging.... but maybe if i had some good tunes on my ipod that i havent located since we moved i would like a LITTLE more??? hmmm....probably not!

happy hump day ladies! only two more days in the work week...ahhh sooo excited for the weekend! lots planned, but most importantly my butt will be parked in front of the tv on sunday! well i do pace a LOT during games. so maybe i can turn the pacing into lunges? ha!

peace.love.Colts.

the skinny...

2010-02-02T19:46:00.000-06:00

so it was an action packed weekend here at the lenz house..but i am going to sum it up in bullets!

friday night jenn and brian came over for our dinner date..we headed to Corelli's where Herb and Michelle met us for some yummy italian food. it was an interesting night FULL of laughs
saturday morning i headed to jenn's and then we set off for the woodlands. rachael, jenn and i had a blast. we walked the bridal show, the mall and ate lunch all by about 1:00! we weren't wasting time. we hit the jcrew and francesca's and picked up some goodies! we got to see one of the dresses for jenn's wedding along with the color which was exciting!
we dropped rachael off and headed over to highland village. had some success there and then headed to galleria..we shopped until we literally dropped on saturday! she found some items for the wedding, so it was a successful and productive day! gotta love checking things off the to-do list!
i spent the day sunday with the parentals at the katy home & garden show...VERY briefly i should say. it was NOT worth it! luckily we got in for FREE..definately will be going to the Houston Home & Garden Show next time. sometimes convienent doesn't always mean it is worth it.
we ate dinner with the parentals..my dad makes a DELISH roast..so we devoured that and headed home.

needless to say it was a very busy and productive weekend. i found some inspiration for DIY projects around the house that are on our "to-do 2010" list! we shall see.

i am thoroughly enjoying planning with Jenn. It has been so fun and exciting. some say she is doing things so early, but in all honesty she has a lighter school load from now until august. So i told her to do all she can while school isnt super hectic like it will be next year due to student teaching and coursework! i remember planning on my breaks from school and it always seemed so stressful. she is doing amazing..making appointments and finding a distinct vision for what she wants! it is going to be beautiful.

we are doing a food drive in honor of the super bowl this week at school. needless to say the Colts box is OVERFLOWING...i made a donation today and have another 10 or so cans to take tomorrow! the jersey is clean and ready for Sunday....

that about does it for my weekend re-cap! hope my fellow houstonians are staying dry this weather sucks!

peace.love.COLTS.

something to think about....

2010-01-28T10:54:00.000-06:00

it seems the past few weeks i have been on an emotional roller coaster...great things happen and then something brings that lovely high to an abrupt stop..makes me wonder why can't we always be on that "high"..wouldnt life be so much easier?

we had a meeting at west region that was pretty interesting..got me thinking about the future and where i see myself employed in 5 years, 10 years and so on. One thing i do know is my love for children and working with them. That remains the constant. There is nothing more wonderful than hearing a child say his/her "r" sound correctly after endless weeks of drill or hearing a non-verbal child give you a sound. You see to me that is one of the greatest gifts in the world. I love helping and shape these children..it is powerful. I mean don't get me wrong there are the occassional moments when you get kicked, bit, and hit and you are suddenly put right back into reality that it is not all roses...with anything there are moments you want to scream. But when God gives you the ability to help influence a child in a positive manner it is powerful. These children give me hope and inspire me daily to be a better person. They inspire me to dream big and realize that you can do anything you put your mind too. I just want to thank God for giving me this blessing because I don't think I appreciate it enough.

So as I sit at my desk waiting for the next group of kids to come barreling through my door, I simply smile because no matter how bad my day is they sure know how to turn it around.

We have to seize every moment we can to make a difference. It is a powerful thing.

i can hear them running as we speak...oh they sure can make me smile! even though they shouldn't be running.... ;)

There's a HOLE in my Kitchen

2010-01-26T18:04:00.000-06:00

that's right there is a HOLE in the ceiling of our kitchen. On Sunday during the Colts game..more on that in a sec..I walk into the kitchen and scream "OH S*** we have a water leak!" JJ asked me what?? I said we have a water leak!

Called my dad immediately because he is an insurance adjuster...three calls later dad was at the house! I may or may not have interrrupted their gathering for him to come over, crawl in my attic and check out what was going on up in the attic. I LOVE YOU DADDY! and yes I still call him daddy....

Needless to say 60 bucks later the pipe is fixed, we have a hole in our kitchen and we are waiting for everything to dry out.

The brightside is that we now are going to forced to have our ceiling repainted and the kitchen as well, but believe you me this is NOT the way I pictured having that part of the house repainted..no sir!!!

As I am trying to see the good in this not soooo good situation I am thinking of paint colors..the decor and accents in the kitchen are a green..not bright, but green. So I am trying to come up with a paint color..the kitchen is currently a dark brown and not that I don't like, but I am tired of it and it is not the warm inviting color I have invisioned..

So..terracotta orange? a nice warm yellow? what are your thoughts? any colors you are loving for a kitchen? Don't think I am not headed to the nearest Pottery Barn to scope out their new colors for the year because I am headed there tomorrow.

So after all the tears and phone calls we do have water again..thank you lord! I simply have to remember that things happen and it's not the end of the world. There are far worse things happening everyday and as I type this....sure makes me count my blessings.

PS The COLTS are headed to the Super Bowl in Miami!! I was of course sporting my Peyton Manning jersey on Sunday and as I paced back and forth and almost changed from my jersey to my t-shirt to bring better luck..the Colts pulled it out! Can't wait for the Super Bowl. The Saints better bring their A game..

peace.love.COLTS.

Here we go...

2010-01-26T17:36:00.000-06:00

Ok I have been away from the blogworld for far too long. A lot has happened and there is so much to discuss, so this will be bulleted and may just be a 2-parter!

First and foremost my bffe Jenn got engaged on her cruise about 2 weeks ago! Little did she know that I knew it was happening..her mom and I conspired but only for good! As soon as she emailed people letting them know I immediately planned a surprise brunch for her the day she came home! Needless to say it was a great surprise and she was so excited! Her mom, future mother-in-law and friends all came over to help celebrate this special and exciting time in her and brian's life. I cannot gush enough about her. Jenn and I have been friends for about 2 and a half years now and have been inseperable since. We have so many mutual friends it's crazy. And I can honestly she is one of the most amazing people I know. She is selfless and does so much for others and I CANNOT wait to be doing things for her. She never asks for anything and it will be fun surprising her during this process. Needless to say JJ and I are so excited for her and Brian that I can hardly stand it. Here are a few pics of the bride to be and I over the years...

at the fray concert this summer

rodeo cook-off last february

at the river this past summer.

and as one of my bridesmaids...

So needless to say it has been quite fun at the Lenz house sharing this time with Jenn. If you head over to her blog you can see her inspiration and ideas for her May 2011 wedding! Simply cannot wait.

I have not vanished...

2010-01-23T21:04:00.000-06:00

I am here and have plenty to blog about but it seems like I am always putting it on the backburner...maybe tonight I will find the motivation to sit down and knock it out! It is not like I don't have any exciting news to share like my bffe got engaged and I threw a surprise brunch to celebrate last weekend or that the hubster surprised me with a new phone on thursday or that we went bowling last night and had a blast!

so more pics and lots of more words to come! going to hang with the hubs tonight...

AFC Championship game tomorrow at 2...so GO COLTS!!!

To Bake or Not to Bake??

2010-01-15T20:44:00.001-06:00

Ok ladies I need some help from you fellow bakers...has anyone ever made a breakfast quiche or breakfast casserole? I am looking for a recipe for this weekend! Or any other yummy breakfast recipe will do..

hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far! I know I am! It has been a superb day so far and the weekend has just begun!

also so excited about my 3 day weekend! oh the joys of public education!

AND good luck to Jennifer who is running her marathon this weekend! I commend a person who actually enjoys to run!

Lost & Found

2010-01-12T20:17:00.000-06:00

It never ceases to amaze me how the lost & found pile at school grows and grows with big winter coats as the days pass by and the weather being so cold out..don't the parents write the child's name in the jacket so it could be returned?

As I wandered into school on Monday..LATE as usual..luckily I am hourly and my day doesn't start until I walk into the door persay..I noticed that several kiddos didn't have coats on and had on short sleeve shirts..made me want to pass out the jackets in the lost & found pile...needless to say I would have probably been in the hotseat shortly after. Whatever happens to lost & found items? Do people eventually throw the things away? Do they keep them for themselves after no one has claimed it after a few days or few weeks? Makes me wonder...

As I am sitting in my now almost completely organized office I am staring at a blank wall that is lost...it needs me to find some inspiration to make this office my definition of perfection. As I flip through catalogs and pictures online...I get a little more lost. Maybe afterall I do just want the picture from the PB catalog I eyed a few months ago. The catch is it would cost me several hundreds of dollars to do it and I don't think JJ is going to just let me run out and do it. SO here is the picture...if anyone has seen anything similar for far less money please let me know!

this is my ultimate organized wall for the office! i feel like i could sit down and get some serious work done! bills would be paid on time and not lost in a random stack and i wouldn't feel so overwhelmed whenever i walked into the room....

I have a few more ideas I am looking into for other rooms in the house..we are working on a project for above our bed, but it will take some time and i am narrowing paint colors for the guestroom and guestbath..a nice soothing blue/turquoise is just what the doctor ordered!

hope everyone is having a great week so far!

ps the homemade chili and chicken noodle were HUGE hits over the weekend. we are eating leftover chicken noodle as i write this! plus it was healthy! even better!

tomorrow is wednesday! woohoo!

Did I hear that correctly??

2010-01-07T10:23:00.000-06:00

A deep freeze is headed our way today and for the weekend at least. It is quite crazy that the temperature will be a record low..the record is from the 90's i think.. all i can is man it is going to be ~~chilly~~ FRIGID is a better word i do believe. The plants and pipes are wrapped, but I have been thinking about food for the weekend because I know we will not be leaving very much this weekend. Hmm..what is in our pantry? Nothing warm and exciting. So along with all of the OTHER crazies in Houston I will be hitting our HEB on the way home from work..should be quite a treat! I am however making a list so it shouldn't be too terrible!

Homemade Chili for dinner on Friday:

2 lbs of turkey meat
2 cans dices tomatoes
2 packets of chili seasoning
2 cans of kidney beans
cheese
1 bag of fritos
1 onion
1 box of cornbread

Homemade chicken noodle soup for saturday:

1 whole chicken
1 jug of chicken broth
1 bag of carrots
1 bag of egg noodles
1 celery
seasonings to taste

Sunday??? Not sure yet..maybe leftover brisket, or whatever you can find!

pizza is a staple for us
milk for mac & cheese
and anything else that i find!

Hopefully I won't be there for hours, but must get food!

tonight we will be watching the BIG Game and I will be cheering on the Horns..I mean I am from Texas and would much rather see them win then Bama..even though I am an SEC girl at heart.

I am looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend drinking hot cocoa by the fireplace watching movies and just hanging out with the hubs. Should be a perfect weekend weather permitting.

PS we may not have school tomorrow..that is the word on the street. I cannot confirm or deny this for sure..but there is a possibility! So i am crossing my fingers that I can stay all nice and cuddly in bed tomorrow morning.

WHICH WICH TODAY ONLY...

2010-01-06T11:22:00.000-06:00

Today only you can get a WHICH WICH sandwich for 99 cents! it is in houston only..but seriously that is a steal! just scarfed down my super cheap sandwich and it was a delish. some restrictions apply like usual..extra toppings are still extra and it is limit one per customer! So you and your hubs should order and pay seperately!

enjoy!

Bring It 2010!

2010-01-04T16:48:00.000-06:00

I do not typically make new year's resolutions because I do not normally keep them. This year I have decided that instead of new year's resolutions..I have decided to make "life changes" persay. I am not talking about anything drastic, but making small steps towards being more healthy and active.

DRINK MORE WATER!! Since I have been off of work and we have had company we have sodas in the house granted it is diet..still I went from maybe one a week to one every other day! YIKES!!! So adios sodas.
BEING MORE ACTIVE. We have some great walking trails and we got some great workout stuff for Christmas. So it is time to get back into the swing of things.
EATING MORE HEALTHY and portion control. When I am at work I typically don't snack or eat crap because it is not around. Well since it has been the holidays there have been a LOT of sweets..so I need to gain some will power in the sweet department!
Be a more patient driver..now this will be hard, but it will take time. Since we live in the 4th largest city in the USA..there are plenty of bad drivers. I am not the best by any means but it seems like commom sense to not pull out in front of people who are going anything faster than 0..maybe it is just me???
Lastly I need to be more appreciative of everything that Jonathan does for us. I am appreciative, but however sometimes after he has done something super amazing I can find the smallest thing wrong. I mean how terrible is that??

So there are my life changes that I am going to start working on this year and years to come. It is not going to happen overnight that is for sure, but the results will be worth it in the end.

Off to enjoy my last afternoon before it is back to the grind tomorrow.

2009 Recap!

2009-12-31T17:25:00.000-06:00

To say that 2009 was a good year would be an understatment! This past year was one for the record books..the best one yet! God truly blessed us this year. Here is a recap of our year:

Jonathan and I were married in May, which many of you already know..best day of our lives to date. So from January to May we or I spent a lot of time with some of my favs planning our wedding.

We traveled to Napa for our honeymoon and we cannot wait to get back there. It was one of the best vacations so far that we have taken together. Tons and tons of beautiful vineyards that you could go every year for a long weekend and never see all of them.

I graduated from graduate school! After two long years...I walked across that stage and received my degree..it was a great day! I owe some major thank you's to my grad class. Those ladies are truly amazing. And I owe a big thanks to my non-school friends who supported me everyday.

In August I landed a job and started to work full time in an elementary school in Houston. One of the best decisions I have made to date. To have holidays off has been a blessing. It has allowed me to focus on our house and family.
In October we bought our first home. Talk about stressful, but so glad we did it. We are now 10 minutes from both sets of parents and our location couldn't be anymore ideal for us.

We also took honeymoon part 2 to Cozumel in October. We traveled with a great couple and had an unbelievable time in Mexico. Also trying to get the hubster to approve another beach vaca for 2010!

We hosted Christmas for JJ's family this year. It was a great day..we ate and exchanged gifts and drank a LOT of wine. It was so special to have his family at our home.

That is a short recap of 2009, but that is what we accomplished this year. I have decided that 2010 will be a relaxing year for us. I want to travel and enjoy being married to the one I love. Like I told Mer and my family..I am taking 2010 off! Laying low is the plan and just enjoying life.

I hope everyone has a fabulous and safe New Year's.

Handy Man..who knew?!?!

2009-12-23T22:02:00.000-06:00

As I said before I would post pics of the latest project the hubster tackled.

The sign reads:

Merry Christmas

From Ours to Yours

From The Lenzs

He did the whole thing himself! He finished the candy canes today as well! So proud of him!

Here are two pics of our guest room complete for now!

Disregard the big red box..that is his mom's xmas present!

So there you have it..that is what we have been up to as of late!

peace.love.christmas!

what we have been up to lately....

2009-12-23T10:34:00.000-06:00

life has been pretty non-stop at our house the past couple weeks. we have had christmas with some friends and family, christmas parties, ornament exchanges, christmas shopping and looking at christmas lights.

since december 1st it seems that we have had something every night of the weekend and even week nights...sadly i dont have many pictures to show yet..still wanting on some ladies to email me them!

i had my potluck lunch at school and am officially off until january 5th! it sure is nice working in public education..good choice megan!

monday i met jenn for lunch and christmas! she got us a precious ornament that says "our first home"..it is on the bar as we speak! i promise to post pics of it!

yesterday i picked up reyann and we went shopping and made homemade sugar cookies! it was quite an experience! a 12 year old out baked me yesterday and i am ok with that. then we had dinner with her fam.

so needless to say we have been on the go! this afternoon jonathan's godson is coming over to do christmas as well.

did i mention we are having christmas here for jj's family?!?! starting to stress a bit, but i know it will be fine and a fun-filled day!

and now that jj finished his latest project for the yard..i will post a pic of that this afternoon after i have finished wrapping presents and cleaning the house!

peace.love.christmas.

Shout Out

2009-12-10T08:07:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to give a little blog shout out to the hubs. He is surprising me more and more everyday with the things he accomplishes around the house. He has truly embraced being a homeowner. He is building things and tackling projects I never thought he would want to take on. He recovered our dining room chairs, he hid the wires behind our tvs that are hanging on the wall, installed a dimmer switch for our entry light, the list goes on and on...he is now in the process of making something that I beyond excited about..I simply could not love him anymore.

Happy Thursday everyone! I only have to show up to work 6 more days before the break...ahhhh the joys of working in public education!

peace.love.christmas.

Music Update

2009-12-07T20:27:00.000-06:00

i added Christmas music to the blog! the first song is for JJ because he loves Elvis! I love instrumental..manheim and transiberian are two of my favs! someday the moms and i will go to one of those concerts!

i also finished shopping for my mom and brother today! another two people off of the list! now i just need to tackle my dad, his dad and his mom. Luckily I know what I am getting them!!

jenn and brian came over for dinner tonight! it was so good to catch up with them and chat for a bit. they both are wrapping up finals this week, so a quick prayer for them! then they head out on their cruise! lucky ducks!

jj is working in the Christmas cards. it is his thing. he got it from his dad who sends out 100's of them every year. one less thing I have to worry about!

i cant believe it snowed on friday and it will be in the upper 60's by the end of the week! disguisting!

headed to relax and do some online browsing!

peace.love.christmas.

Bliss.

2009-12-07T09:02:00.000-06:00

Since the weather is yucky rainy and dreary here today i wanted to post another photo of the snow on friday.

My parents neighbors. JJ sent me this picture on Friday while he was moving in their plants, so I could enjoy the snow! Gotta love him!

Happy Monday.

peace.love.christmas.

Christmas Cheer Part II

2009-12-06T19:30:00.000-06:00

As promised here are pictures from our busy but very fun weekend.

the snow on the ground at my school. the kids loved it!

Our Christmas Tree.

Our entry table with my snowman village. I think I have a problem...

Our entry with the big red bows on the chandlier and star from Pottery Barn.

Kitchen/Bar

Our mantle. Handmade stockings by my Nanny. Early Christmas present from Jenny...3 red hurricanes..just what the mantle needed! They are perfect.

Kitchen Table. Disregard my pink puffer and laptop!

Our trees and shrubs out front.

Garage with lights. The hubs did this today in the rain...i love him!

Close up of the front door and windows!

So that's what our weekend consisted of..very productive!

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

peace.love.christmas.

Christmas Cheer

2009-12-05T23:56:00.000-06:00

A recap of our day bulleted style.

slept til about 10ish.
wrapped the front trees and bushes with lights
put out decorations in the house
JJ installed a dimmer switch for our chandlier in the entry after I casually mentioned it this afternoon. it is amazing how something so small gets me excited!
finished the bows for the wreathes on the front windows
decorated the tree
mantle decor is about 80% finished.
hid wires behind in the tv hanging on the wall in the bedroom (JJ and a friend)
cooked a decent dinner.
tried the new bud select 55 not too bad
received a giant box from the grandparents..it is our first legit package to be delivered! however we are NOT to open it before xmas morning! I promise nanny!
made a HUGE mess after having the house cleaned yesterday!
I did not have any starbucks today..probably for the best i take the day off from the insane calories in those delish drinks!
met a new neighbor and LOVE her!
BAMA beat the Gators! YAY!!!!!
UT beat Nebraska in an ugly win!
the officiating was terrible in the Rockets game tonight that I am considering not watching anymore!
Christmas is less than 3 weeks away! Can't wait.

I think that is all for tonight. I will post pics of the tree and yard tomorrow!

peace.love.christmas.

I must admit

2009-12-03T12:26:00.000-06:00

i was quite shocked to hear about the tiger woods drama.

i will not be making a point to discuss scandals here on the blog, but is anyone else already tired of hearing about it??

its not like he is the first person to do this..he is a man... i am in no way saying whatever happened is okay because it is not, but arent there better stories out there than this?everytime you turn on the tv there is a new update! i find it sad that people are so consumed with the wrongdoings of others...

yes he is a pro golfer and in the spotlight, but he and his family do deserve to handle this privately. what would happen is everytime a man or woman cheated it made headline news..there would be no other news!

suffice to say, what he did was wrong if he indeed did cheat on his wife, however i am tired of hearing about it already!

how about the news takes a turn and focuses on good things happening around the world instead of focusing on all the negative??? i mean it would be comforting to hear something good every once in awhile....

that is all..no more talk about these scandals anymore!

it is looking like we are headed for snow tomorrow..should be interesting at school!

PS i did buy a heater for my office last night..couldn't handle it anymore. and i also snagged another cup of hot chocolate from starbucks yesterday..this could be a BAD addiction this winter..2 days in a row. will i make it 3 today?

Unbelievable...

2009-12-02T10:18:00.000-06:00

the weather that is.

it is insane to me that it feels so nice outside. minus the fact that my office is freezing along with my feet and hands.

i am loving this weather!

thanksgiving week was amazing. waiting on emily to send pics. we ate and ate and ate. i dont think i have ever consumed so much food in a single weekend.

the barbers were in town and life was great. they bring out the best in my family. but i do feel bad for JJ sometimes because when the barber clan is in town anything goes.

i think it is hard for him to figure how he fits in with that crazy mix of people. the odom clan is more loud and wild and crazy with the barbers than normal. people pick at each other but it is okay. we have a weird dynamic but i love it. so hopefully as he spends more time with them over the years we can find a nice place for him to fit in.

we shopped, got our hair done and shopped some more. i have finished shopping for JJ and started for my mom. i know what i am getting my brother and NO clue about my dad. oh well there are plenty of days left to figure it out.

the rest of the weekend and so far this week the hubster has been working hard. we made another trip for flagstone, hooked up the fireplace, programmed all the remotes and have cleared out most of the garage. JJ is a rockstar around the house..he has taken homeownership by the reigns and surprises me everyday with new projects.

i am hoping to decorate the house this weekend for christmas, but need to make another trip to find lights for the exterior. lots of inspiration is swirling in the Lenz house!

had my first cup of hot chocolate from starbucks yesterday and it was delish...probably stopping again today!

sunny 99.1 is set on the radio and i have been enjoying our fireplace. life is good.

now if i could just find that easy button for our home office life would be superb!

december 25th will be here quick!

PS. there is a chance of "snow" in houston friday morning...

PSS..quick prayer request for my dear friend Jenn. she is okay, but is facing some decisions and she could use the extra prayers right now.

peace.love.christmas.

Life is Pretty Good...

2009-11-24T08:05:00.000-06:00

Life has been pretty good for the Lenz's lately. We are celebrating 6 months of marriage today..I am celebrating with oral surgery, but in 2 weeks I will have a crown and will no longer be missing a tooth! So needless to say things won't be very exciting tonight when J gets home from work. We finished the dining room chairs, picked up our headboard for the guestroom, starting laying stones for the path around our house to the backyard, picked up a new TV and finally set-up the desk! We had a very busy weekend! I love seeing the progress at the house and watching it transform into our home.. JJ cleaned the house yesterday before I got home since he was having a guy's night to watch MNF..there is no better feeling than walking into a clean home after a Monday! Thanks JJ!

Tonight and tomorrow I will be prepping the house for the Barber fam. I will finish hanging pics, washing sheets and making sure the house is tidy. I cannot wait for them to be here tomorrow! It will be so great having them here for 4 days! Emers and I are getting cut and color on Friday and then meeting the rest of the family at our favorite place..Lupe Tortilla's. I can taste those delish beef fajitas now!

I am working on a giveaway, but it will have to wait until after Thanksgiving. It is going to be some of my favorite things for the holidays. A random assortment of goodies. So be sure to check back on Monday.

I have been so terrible about posting pictures lately and will hopefully get back on the bandwagon this week since I will be off starting today at 12!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Almost forgot again! I am thankful for the Lenz family. They are a great blessing in my life. They are loving, caring and treat me like one of their own. Thanks for welcoming me into your family with open arms. Love you guys.

Help..

2009-11-19T12:19:00.000-06:00

Ok ladies I am needing some help..any tips on where to find a cute sweaterdress for less than oh I don't know 70 bucks?!?! I have a grey one but was hoping for another one a little more colorful. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

On a side note I hit the jackpot at Hobby Lobby and Target last night with my mom. Scored a 9 ft lighted garland for 8 bucks, 4 plain wreaths for 16 bucks and the ribbon for the bows for 5 bucks for 90 feet! I have also officially checked two more people off the Christmas list...yay for progress! Now I just have to buy for another 6 people.

I have also just realized that our event calender for the remainder of the year is getting quite full and I have already double-booked us on two nights! Yikes! It will be crazy but fun this holiday season.

And last but not least...I am so thankful we decided to move into the neighborhood we did. It is absolutely heavenly that I can be at my parents house in 10 minutes!!! We have eaten dinner with them twice this week and I am simply loving it! Thanks for the meals mom and dad! I am eating leftover tortilla soup from last night and it is delish!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Thursday! I for one am super ready for it to be Friday!

ARGHHH

2009-11-17T22:09:00.001-06:00

That is how I feel after today. It seems that even though we have been productive around the house lately that the list keeps getting longer instead of shorter..why is that?? Why do we add two more things when we cross off one? We did have a VERY VERY productive weekend and a BIG thanks to Danielle and Jenny for coming over Friday and knocking out two more rooms in our house..now we just have the guest bath to finish before Christmas Day. Should be relatively easy..we shall see.

Saturday I got up and hit the Nutcracker Market and I was NOT disappointed. I think I will be skipping Sugar Plums next year and just go to the Nutcracker Market..so many more vendors and deals to be found. I did check some people off the christmas list so that was a plus..just need to shop for oh the rest of our families! I came home and we did yardwork and tackled two of the dining room chairs. They look great! They are however a little bit more difficult than anticipated..but we are saving a few hundred bucks by doing it ourselves so thats a tremendous plus! Jonathan stayed up until about 1 setting up his gym while I passed out on the couch around 11...so pitiful!

Sunday was pretty relaxing..until the Colts v. Patriots game...wowza! Thank you Colts for making a come back and beating those Patriots! Ahhh feels so good! Jonathan however was a bit less happy about the win as he is a Patriots Fan..can't win them all honey. The Colts played pretty sloppy but pulled it out in the end.

This week is an indirect week which means I can get caught up on all the paperwork and not do therapy! Well I would rather do therapy and NOT do the paperwork! Oh well it must and will get done!

I have been bad about saying what I am thankful for each time I blog. These people are pretty stinkin amazing. I have known this family since I was about 8 months old..I have known them longer than my own brother! They are practically my parents..I even spent the night at their house when my brother was born. They are my family, they are always there when I need them and I love them almost as much as my own family. They are a few of the only people I let call me "Meg or Meggy." I have given their son..my longest friend stitches on his head..that is how much we love each other. I was so blessed to have Emily as a bridesmaid, Alex as an usher and Suellen co-host my bridal luncheon. And to top it off they will be here for Thanksgiving..so today I am very thankful for the Barber Family...simply put if my parents would have had to leave us to someone if something happened to us..it would have been them. Love you Barbers.

Sweet Emily..

I would do anything for him...now if I could just have him back in Texas..

Mom #2..how could I not love her?!?

Two of my favorite men telling me how beautiful I looked. Thanks for the tears..

Look how far we have come...

Hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather..yay for sweaters and cords!! I LOVE THIS WEATHER!!

PS I am thinking for my 100th post there will be a giveaway...so stay tuned!

Success and Not so much Success

2009-11-13T12:22:00.000-06:00

I accomplished a lot yesterday. Ran by my doc's office to pick up some samples of my thyroid meds because let's just say I am not the most pleasant person to be around when those lovely pills run out, picked up the fabric to re-cover the dining room chairs and then headed to some shops until danielle got off of work. Hit DSW..nada, hit Pier1 didn't find what i was looking for but did find stemless wine glasses on sale for 48 cents, so I picked up 6 for my mom and I's craft project. I then walked down to Home Goods to look for some placemats/table runner/tablecloth??? At this point I have not seen much that I like. So we will see what goes on the table in the next few weeks. Do any of you ladies know of a good place to find table linens?? I am stumped! I then headed to MCM to meet up with danielle to hit the Gap. Bought my dark wash straight leg jeans and I am sporting them today! I am loving them more and more...now I just need some boots! (I have some black leather ones, but am thinking some flat ones would be a good gift this year) After we walked the mall and did some window shopping we parted ways...it is still weird that we don't live about 100 yards away from each other.

I then prepped the two rooms that are going to be painted today. My mother-in-law kindly offered to head over once she gets off of work around 1 and then danielle is coming over after work as well too. Should be able to knock it out tonight! Then I get the lovely task of setting up the office this weekend..oh joy!

I am looking forward to tomorrow though...heading to the Nutcracker Market in the AM, hopefully there will be some better goodies at this event.

All I can say is thank goodness it is FRIDAY!!!! Pizza, bevies and painting is on the agenda tonight! Happy Friday!

How Did I NOT know this?!?!?!

2009-11-12T13:57:00.001-06:00

I am browsing Hobby Lobby's Ad to check out what is on sale and then i am scrolling down the left side of the nav bar and there it is "Print Coupon" i am in utter shock and disbelief! How is it possible that I did not know there was a 40% off coupon off of regular priced items on the website! I mean COME ON!!!! Granted half of the store is always some percentage off, but there is still plenty there that is not! Thought I would share this relevation of sorts with the blogging world!

Since we are hosting Christmas this year..this might just be what I needed to get some items for the house! Good grief Hob Lob how did I NOT know!

Peace.Love.Shop

I mean how can you not with all these coupons!

Fall into the Gap..

2009-11-12T11:53:00.000-06:00

Where else?!? I have my 30% off coupon in hand and will be heading there very soon! They have some super great pieces on sale right now too. Love the boyfriend sweater for only 16 bucks. Love the corderoy jackets on sale for 30 bucks...more importantly I am loving that Gap has gotten it back together. For awhile there I was less than impressed, but am totally loving their fall/winter clothes! Check out these lovelies:

I would gladly wear any of these..i am thinking the red is PERFECT for Christmas Day at our house this year! I am thinking new jeans + plaid shirt + boots will be precious! Now let's hope for some cooler weather!

Any of these V-necks would do the trick too!

And these super cute red booties would be super cute with my red plaid shirt!!

A trip to Gap to pick up my straight leg jeans is for sure on the books today! Hopefully I can contain myself!

I am also heading to Interior Fabrics to pick up the fabric for our dining room chairs. Jonathan is going to tackle that project this weekend, while Danielle helps me finish painting the gym tomorrow after work! It will be very busy around the house the next few weeks as we wrap up the projects and get everything together for the upcoming events.

I PROMISE to post pics after this weekend. Some major projects will be finished, so I will be more likely to add pictures!

PS..YAY for Thursday!

Patience My Child...

2009-11-08T21:29:00.000-06:00

If only I had some! I have tried on several occasions to be more patient with my family, friends and Jonathan. But let me tell you...it is most certainly a virtue that I do not possess. After JJ and I moved into our house we made two lists: "short to-dos" and "long to-dos" most of the BIG projects are on the long list, so it is always exciting to cross something off the list. Like I said previously, JJ crossed some items off the list this weekend. And trust me I am so proud of his hardwork around here..homeownership suits him well. However there are some projects I am more eager to get finished. Our office is the "holding cell" if you will for items we don't know where we want to put yet. The desk has not been set-up and the walls have not been painted. After a nice chat with Jenny (JJ's mom), she has agreed to come help me finish up the last two rooms over the next few weekends. I think once the office is painted I will have a more clear vision for the space. But man it would be so nice to have an EASY button about now.

So we woke up around 9ish headed to HEB, came home and watched some football. I left around 2 to meet Jenn to head to Highland Village for a few things. I did find the second Christmas gift that I have purchased for JJ today. I have only bought for him! I have a list now, but still have no clue what to get our dads. Everyone else I at least have some ideas for..any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! My mom has been asking what to get JJ and I said you can't go wrong with Home Depot giftcards..there is so much we need for the house for the yard and what not, so although she loves giving thoughtful gifts she might have to go with practicality this year!

So what are some items are your wishlist this year?? My list is evolving..Uggs, jeans....I really haven't thought about it much this year since we have been so busy! My mom informed me she is done shopping for me already..i was shocked! I am thinking a quick trip to the Outlets in Cypress will take care of a few of the gifts I need. We shall see in the upcoming weeks.

Thankful Part 3: My extended family-grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and so forth. I am thankful for them because although we don't see each other often we always pick up where we left off. We may be a small family, but I wouldn't trade them for the world.

My family at the reception.

Claire, me and my brother. Claire read a scripture at the wedding.

My Aunt Pat doing the blessing at the reception. It was so special to have her be apart of our special day.

Dancing to "We are Family"

So there is a snapshot of the Odom and Gustavson Clan.

Have a great Monday everyone..

Shop Til You Drop

2009-11-07T23:38:00.001-06:00

So after work on Friday I zipped over to the Stafford Center to meet up with my mom and Terri to get our shop on for the afternoon. I quickly found my mom checking out some jewelry. She found some precious gold bracelets and turquoise bracelets. We snatched them up and headed to the next booth. We found several great items, but nothing really to give as gifts. I found a cute glittery gold tree to add to my collection for a steal, a cute stocking to hang on the door and a dip mix for JJ. There were other cute items there, but nothing was really striking my fancy if you know what I mean. Terri bought some precious baby items for her niece's daughter. I grabbed a few business cards to keep in handy for the future, but this year was not near as successful as the previous years. We grabbed dinner and then I headed home. I came home to a husband who had cleaned out the garage, put all the storage bins in the attic, cleaned out and set up the gym and so on...he had worked his tail off! Sadly I passed out on the couch around 10..i was beat! He kept on working and slept slept slept..it felt so good!

So of course we were up bright and early at 8am this morning! So we started back on the projects this morning. We emptied more wedding presents and finished the attic up. We now have more storage then I know what to do with! So since JJ had finished all of his "honey-dos" he headed out to the softball park and I headed over to my parents. We had a more successful day that is for sure! We hit the jackpot at Home Goods..found the one last pillow I needed for the guestroom..pics to come soon. We found fabric to get started the next few projects around the house: recovering the dining room chairs and a few others. We then headed over to Town & Country to hit Pottery Barn..i STILL had giftcards! Needless to say I got some great items for the holidays and the giftcards are dunski! I can't wait to start decorating for Christmas! It still amazes me how much stuff we still have at my parents house! All of the china and crystal is there and will be there until we have the proper storage for it. On the books for tomorrow is football and a little shopping with Jenn.

I have been slacking on the things I am thankful for...so I am going to state the obvious..I am Thankful for my husband. Put simply- he rocks. We balance each other out to a "t." I am crazy, annoying, frustrating at times and he puts up with me! He knows exactly what I need at the end of the day..without me even asking. We are not perfect by any means, but at the end of the day I couldn't imagine going home to anyone else. OK OK enough of the mushy hoopla.

Sorry to only post wedding pics, but I am slightly obsessed with them...I love this candid one.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and got a lot accomplished like we did! Go Colts! Let's keep that undefeated season going...

I promise to post pics of the house soon! We are trying to finish up a few things..but it will constantly change I am aware. It will be a work in progress and I think I am okay with that..for now!

Peace.Love.Shop

Honestly...

2009-11-06T12:40:00.001-06:00

Just got off the phone with my mom and said she that I needed to share more about myself then what I had shared earlier in the week. Some more interesting details about me, stuff you would not know already. Well I thought I had, so here it goes again...

1. I love all things sweet: ice cream, brownies, candy, cake and so forth. I have the biggest sweet tooth!
2. I am a picky eater. I do not like to try new things..but boy I sure do get pressured wherever I am and whomever I am with..
3. I do not like attics. We Jonathan is working on expanding our attic and I want NO part of being up there!
4. I am the supreme prepster. I do like trendy, but however I stick to me staples from JCrew and Gap. Thanks to some severe pushing by my mother I do have some very cute items that I would normally never buy!
5. I tried on straight leg jeans from Gap yesterday and loved them! SHOCKER to me! Might be going back next week to pick them up once I have the 30% off coupon.
6. I do not like to wear hats. I think I look terrible in them! However the hibs thinks I look great in them..so i am stuck!
7. I LOVE things that are monogrammed or personalized. I am having a baby blanket monogrammed for a friend of mine. She gave me my first monogrammed item with my new initials and now I am returning the favor.
8. I LOVE that I am not creative, but my husband and mother fill that gap for me.
9. I LOVE sports. I love going to games and watching them on TV.
10. I LOVE popcorn! It is my favorite snack! It also doesn't matter if we have just gone to eat if we go to the movies afterwards..I need some popcorn! Is that crazy or what!?!

Ok hopefully these 10 truths were more insightful! have a great weekend ladies! i am heading to the sugar plum market this afternoon! Can't wait to see what treasures await.

It's Here.....

2009-11-04T07:51:00.000-06:00

i already have my eye on some items! Hurry they won't last long!

It's beginning to Look a Lot like......

2009-11-03T21:51:00.000-06:00

Something I am looking so very very forward to this week is the Sugar Plum Market hosted by the Fort Bend Junior Service League. It is an annual shopping market to jump start the holiday shopping! It is this Friday and Saturday. So if any of you ladies has some free time to spare..I would head to the Stafford Center for some shopping or browsing if you like. You can buy tickets at any Fort Bend Randalls or at the door.

It is something my mom and I do every year! One year JJ went in a wheelchair and my mom was on crutches..long story..broken ankle and foot surgery. Soo many people asked if they had been in a double accident. So we came up with a wild and crazy story of me beating them up or something. Needless to say this event is a MUST in the Odom house. We love browsing all the vendors and picking up precious gifts for ourselves and friends..we try to buy on a one to one ratio..doesn't happen very often! I typically try and find a small something another to give to all my friends...hopefully I will be successful! Hopefully I will find something to giveaway in another giveaway I am hoping to do by the end of the month! We shall see.

This year I will be going on Friday afternoon with my mom, Jenn, Terri and whomever else decides to join! Should be a fun-filled girls afternoon of shopping and maybe dinner and drinks afterwards..

Ok that is officially all for tonight!

Bring It On

2009-11-03T19:42:00.002-06:00

Ok another brief post today. Hopefully I will include some pics by the end of this one. Katie gave me an award that I have not even blogged about, bad blogger number 1, we had friends over Friday AND Saturday and I haven't posted a single pic, bad blogger number 2, the house has changed oh so much and I haven't taken a single pic, bad blogger number 3! Man oh man did I fall off the wagon, so much so that the hubs even commented.

So thank you Katie for the blog love! Sorry it has taken me a week+ to get to doing this!

Here are the rules for the award:

1)You must thank the person who gave the award and list their blog and link it.

2) You must share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.

3) You have to present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.

4) Last, you must tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.

10 Honest Things About Me

1. I am incredibly for Christmas! It is my favorite time of year. Jonathan and I hit up Starbucks and drive around looking at lights...
2. I am a people pleaser..it bothers me sometimes. I put EVERYONE else before me.
3. I have the most amazing family in the world. No Lie.
4. I am some pretty amazing friends as well.
5. I am a shopper. I Love it! Some say I have an addiction...but let's be honest people you don't get to take your money with you to Heaven.
6. I love my job! I love my profession..I love learning new things in my field.
7. I cannot believe I am married, a homeowner and 25 all in one year! I am blessed.
8. I absolutely 150% HATE drama.
9. I enjoy entertaining.
10. I could not imagine my life without JJL. I am living the dream.

So now I must tag some lovely ladies to be Honest with me:

Sarah at Make It Luxe

Jenn atLove, Life & Laughter

Kelsey at The Seattle Smith's

Danielle at The Lenz's

Kim at J & K, a Journey

I know some of you ladies I have done before..but it always feels good to be a little honest!

Ok so that took care of the FIRST bad blogger. Maybe some more posts tonight.

I love how some many fellow bloggers are doing a Give Thanks tidbit leading up to Thanksgiving. So I am going to join in. I am thankful for my family. Without them I would not be the person I am today.

My Dad and I before he walked me down the aisle.

My mom putting on my pearls from JJ.

And my sweet brother. Isn't he handsome!

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Funkity Funk Funk

2009-11-03T13:16:00.000-06:00

So much to blog about, but i surely dont have the motivation. Quite honestly I am lacking motivation at school, at home and everywhere in between. we had a great weekend with tons of great friends and fun pics to post but I am not feeling the blogging at this time. The hubs has been a grilling machine and doing projects left and right around the house..so much progress has been made. it has evolved so much since Saturday! i have changed the guest room that I posted about..found a headboard idea that I am entertaining but just not feeling the motivation. Maybe a nice little jog around the lakes by our house tonight will do the trick?!?!

Marvelous Mondays...

2009-10-26T22:56:00.000-05:00

Well considering it rained ALL day long it wasn't so marvelous.

The school was flooded all around and I needed my umbrella to walk from my building to the main building where I spent most of my day. Mondays are my least favorite day of week not only because it is Monday, but I typically spend all day in the conference room with ARD after ARD meeting. Well today was no different..first ARD 8:30 am..finished just shy of 10:30. Second ARD at 1:00 pm and finished just shy of 4:00 pm. PD I am contract and stop getting paid at 3 pm..so that was a nice bonus for my day. Jonathan was waiting so patiently for me at the apartment to empty out the last few items in there and to turn in the keys..what a feeling to not have that weighing over us anymore! Now we can concentrate 100% on the house and get things in order. For instance we have a HUGE stack of mail sitting on the counter, some ours and some the previous owners..so exciting..

On the books for this week is a NOT so fun meeting in the AM. This mother is well..let's just say she is impossible. That's all. So in order to make it through the meeting without crying or screaming I am going to reward myself like I previously mentioned. I informed the hubs that some damage may be done tomorrow afternoon, but not to worry I will drop off his dry cleaning and go to the grocery store as well. We need so much food it is not even funny. The rest of the week will be spent moving boxes and finally beginning to hang pictures on the walls. Saturday Jenn and Brian are coming over to cookout and pass out candy to the little ones in the neighborhood. Jonathan and I are not much for dressing up and going out..but who knows we have been invited to several parties, but have NO costumes! So we will see how the week plays out.

Stay dry fellow houstonians and i can't believe in a less than a week it will be November! Thanksgiving will be here before we know it! I can smell my dad's kitchen now!

Where Did the Weekend Go???

2009-10-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well bloggers it has been quite busy here since Thursday morning..

we had a garage sale at Jonathan's parents on Saturday morning..bright and early they woke me up at 6am! Fun times! We made more money than I thought we would so that was a HUGE plus!
College football was so-so in our house this weekend...the VOLS almost upset Bama! Shame on that line and kicker..you have one job!

The Horns won so that was a plus!
The Ags beat Tech...thank you!!!!

NFL football was more successful: Colts won again and are still undefeated! The Texans won..barely! We went to the game and it was definately a great game. It was a nice cap to our weekend.

after the game we wento to fill up Marty's truck and Jonathan's car one more time before we must be out of the apartment on Monday. We have one more small trip tomorrow and then we are out of that dive! Ahhhh simply can't wait!

Saturday I went to Carson's 2nd Birthday Party at Dewberry Farm. Such a cool place for a party! Tons to do and see for the whole family. Carson's sweet momma also told she is expecting baby #2! So excited for her and the tich fam. Carson will be a great big brother! I am praying she will have a girl! Can't wait to find pretty little pink dresses! I will resist for now!

Mer and I at the Farm.

Our house is a wreck and it is starting to annoy me! We are going to add more storage in the attic tomorrow and will take all of the bins and what not to the attic finally. Then just maybe we will get a car in the garage!
My sweet momma has been and is such a tremendous help with all the house projects! I think she is more excited about it than I am! She has been so great to us during this time and I am I so blessed to call her my mom. Love you sweet mom.
One day we will have the house ready for some friends to come over and see the house..just not going to happen anytime soon. I almost want to wait until after the first of the year..after all the holiday parties and so forth.

That is all for now. Must finish watching the Yanks and go to bed! It is going to be a long work week. Several meetings tomorrow with a dreaded one on Tuesday..I will be rewarding myself with something Tuesday afternoon..pedicure, Uggs, something good because this mother is..well you can fill in the blank.

Nighty night.

To UGG or Not to UGG....

2009-10-21T22:05:00.000-05:00

I am thinking I might breakdown and by some Uggs..or a brand similar..doesn't have to UGGs persay. So as I am looking at the 7 different colors I am thinking either Chesnut, Chocolate or Black??? Decisions Decisions Decisions...

Chesnut

Chocolate

Black

And last, but not least..tall or short?? I am leaning tall..but comments are definately welcome!

Wishful Wednesday...Vacation...

2009-10-21T21:22:00.000-05:00

'I wish' .... I was going on vacation tomorrow, and I would want to go Italy!!

Our goal is to be in Italy long enough to see everything we want to see..we want to travel by train and tour the countryside. It is a dream vacation for Jonathan and I to say the least and something we are planning on doing before we have kids because there is no way I could leave a child behind for 2+ weeks.

Another reason we want to go is for the food and wine. We both love a good Italian meal with wine! Nothing sounds better..we even had spaghetti tonight! I LOVE anything pasta and garlic bread related!

So thats the place we are "wishing" to go to at some point! Several other locales are on the list, but that is sitting at the top!

Houston is headed for some wet weather..oh joy! I truly am wishing right about now that I had some rainboots! I would have seriously gotten some good use out of them by now! So remember ladies your umbrellas the rest of the week!

PS has anyone else noticied that gas prices are on the rise again?? All I can say is annoying!

I am so THANKFUL tomorrow is Thursday!

Oh what a beautiful day...

2009-10-19T22:08:00.000-05:00

I love waking up to a beautiful day..albeit it was pitch dark out when I left for work, it was a crisp fall day! I am really loving this weather. Wore my brown cords and lovely purple scarf just for the occassion. The morning portion of my Monday was less than stellar..by 10am I was ready for a cocktail..no bueno! I immediately called Tina and said we need to meet up after work. She is my bff from grad school and knows exactly what is going on when I call and say "can you believe this?!?!" The afternoon flew by with no drama with parents, kids or co-workers so it was smooth sailing. I met Tina at Marshalls and we scored some books and games for our clients..we decided next time we wil buy for US and not our clients! Good thinking! After that I met J at the apartment to clear out some more junk and give Jamie back her ellpitical that we stored for the summer...that was a sight! It was much easier to get out than to get into our apartment that's for sure! Our garage sale/donation pile is growing by the day..I am hoping we make 150 bucks..that will be a success for me! Speaking of selling items..my friend Katie who lives here in the Sugar Land area is selling her year old couch and loveseat. They are in great condition. Here are some of the pics:

It is a great set for any room. It is a cotten blend, not microsuede. Leave me a comment if you are interested and I will give you details. She is selling the set for 650 bucks! That is a steal!

She is also selling a 100% Authentic Louis Vuitton Montorgueil GM- it is perfect condition. I have seen the bag and it is amazing! I don't think the hubs will go for it though.

SO if anyone has any questions about these items just leave a comment and I will forward you her information!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a magnificent Monday!

Wowza

2009-10-18T00:23:00.000-05:00

Short and sweet...thank you Yankees for pulling it out and winning game 2! Could you imagine sitting in that open-air stadium for 5+ hours in 47 degree weather with the addition of rain in the late innings??? NO THANK YOU! I mean I am quite a trooper when it comes to sporting events, but that is pushing it! I would have definately let JJ take a friend to that game..although once that adrenaline is going you don't really feel the blistering wind and rain drops on your face!

Must get sleep..early morning tomorrow to tidy up before Jenn and Brian come over for brunch! I am super excited to wear the apron she gave me at one of my wedding showers! Pics for sure since it will be the apron's official debut!

Nighty night blogland...

Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous..

2009-10-17T21:25:00.002-05:00

Beware there is some serious topic jumping ahead! And orange since the HORNS won today!

It was a wonderful day in Houston today! Clear blue skies, mid-70's with a nice breeze! It was so refreshing to wake up to this weather. I didn't have to worry about my make-up melting off my face or breaking a sweat before making it to my car! Jonathan and I were quite productive around the house today: TWO trips to HEB, unpacking boxes, finishing up the laundry, and making another trip to the apartment to get more clothes..it seriously amazes me how much we have! Needless to say I found clothes that I had forgotten about and then cleaned out some more clothes that I haven't worn in a year or so. Now that the closets are in order, I feel I can move onto other rooms to get them in functioning order..gym & office! They are both still in disarray and I am just not motivated at this time to open anymore boxes! We still need to bring over his desk from the apt and then maybe I will tackle that room. Jonathan wants to paint it as well, so we are trying to decide neutral or something a little more fun! We shall see that he comes up with and go from there.

As I am watching the Yankee game..it is making me want to go to NYC so badly..how can I convince the hubster that we need to go this year?? I truly don't think it will happen, but I can always hope and dream of that gorgeous Christmas tree all lit up! Such a sight that i will someday see in person whether it be with Jonathan or girlfriends..I will be see it! If you can't tell I LOVE Christmas! Our house will be a little winter wonderland that is for sure. I love everything about Christmas..spending time with family and most importantly the celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Does it ever amaze anyone how early stores start putting out decorations for holidays now??? It never fails I feel every year the stores are putting the decor out earlier and earlier. Can't we get through Labor Day or heck even Halloween before Christmas ornaments are on the shelves? Then what blows me away even more is that it is all 50% off?!?!? What in the world is all I cay say are these stores thinking. To see it all out in July is crazy enough, but for it then to be 50% off from July through January is even more mindboggling to me. I mean don't get me wrong the 50% off suckers me more times than none, but its still pure insanity. Maybe it is just me, who knows!

I received a blog award from danielle earlier this week and almost forgot to blog about it!

To accept I must answer these questions and spread the love to 7 fabulous bloggers!

1. Where is your cell phone: on the couch
2. Your hair: in a ponytail with my favorite JCrew headband.
3. Your mother: words cannot express the love I have for her.
4. Your father: who encouraged me to find something I loved to do everyday.
5. Your favorite food: Mexican
6. Your dream from last night: no clue thanks to Nyquil
7. Your favorite drink: Corona with Lime.
8. Your dream/goal: to be surrounded by loved ones everyday.
9. What room are you in: living room
10. What is your hobby: shopping, putting our new house together, hanging with the hubs
11. What is your fear: that our children will not be able to communicate...
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years: owning a private practice and to have a family
13. Where were you last night: Dinner with JJ and my daddy
14. Something you are not: patient.
15. Muffins: chocolate chip or blueberry
16. Wish List items.: trip to Italy...that's on the LIFE wish list! I am actually pretty content right now.
17. Where did you grow up: Richmond, Texas
18. Last thing you did: made dinner.
19. What are you wearing: jeans, long-sleeve henley and new balance shoes.
20. Your TV: in front of me with the Yankee game on.
21. Your pets: we have a saltwater tank with 2 clownfish, 2 damsels and a peppermint shrimp..pup to come next summer.
22. Your friends: a blessing.
23. Your life: simply amazing.
24. Your mood: happy!
25. Missing someone: my brother.
26. Vehicle: Mazda 3s
27. Something your not wearing: make-up.
28. Your favorite store: Pottery Barn, Nordstrom, Target
29. Your favorite color: tie between blue and pink.
30. When's the last time you laughed: talking to my mom.
31. When's the last time you cried: over the weekend when we watched Brothers & Sisters
32. Your best friend: couldn't ask for anyone better.
33. One place you go over and over: Target
34. One person who emails me regularly: Tina and Jenn are a close tie.
35. Favorite place to eat?: Lupe Tortilla's..cannot get enough of those beef fajitas!

So there you have it! 35 random facts about me. Thanks Danielle for the award. Also she is hosting a super cute giveaway on her blog, so if you haven't participated be sure to before tomorrow! It is for a precious apron in pink or blue! You know you need it! Take a peek:

Must go make sure I have everything I need for brunch tomorrow! So excited to cook up a yummy meal on my gas range..it will be the first legit one since we have been in the house! Is it bad that I want to sample the champagne???

Fantastic Fridays...

2009-10-16T13:58:00.000-05:00

There seems to be a pattern to my post titles..I simply love to hear what word the kiddo chooses each morning. Each one usually picks a different word..so it is jumbled half of the time. Just wanted to do a quick blog before my lovely Friday afternoon PLC meeting. Just wanted to share a few things I am loving these days:

In no particular order either...

this fantastic weather that arrived this morning..it's in the 70's! FINALLY!!! A reason to wear a long-sleeve shirt! Fall you are here!
My new Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit. Mer "twisted" my arm to try it out since I had run out of my MAC make up from the wedding and I am totally 100% NEVER going to use anything else! It is heaven on my face. I truly love that it is oil-free and there feels like nothing is on my face.
The fact that the Barber's are coming in town for Thanksgiving! This family is such a tremendous blessing to my life and my family's! So excited to be sharing this holiday with them!
I love coming home to our new house everyday..it's so fulfilling/rewarding to know we have our own house..
I am loving the show Brothers & Sisters once again this season! It is been excellent so far. Tears, joy, tears and more laughs.
I am loving that the Colts are undefeated!

I think that is all for now..must head out for my meeting! So tell me what are you loving these days??

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Thrilling Thursdays..

2009-10-15T21:09:00.000-05:00

per the second graders that did the announcements today! It has been a crazy but productive week at the Lenz Casa. We have emptied a few more boxes, emptied the suitcases and done a ton of laundry! It sure does feel great to get things checked off the to-do list. On that note, the hubs has been checking things off left and right! He has fully embraced being a homeowner and I love seeing him get excited about projects around the house he has completed. He has become quite the handy man! Speaking of the hubs, I was feeling pretty sickly by the time I got home yesterday..he let me sleep and lounge while he cleaned out some boxes at his parents. He called to tell me he was on his way home and had a surprise for me..yay! He made me close my eyes and placed it in my hands! I opened my eyes to this:

Such a great surprise! If you know me, you know I love anything Snowman! They are "my thing" when it comes to Christmas time! He told me he got it because I was feeling sick and he wanted to make me feel better..what a hubster! You see Jonathan and I decided that we would wait to buy yard decorations once they went on sale this year because it seems silly to spend anywhere from 50 to 150 bucks on yard decor this first time around. So the plan is to check out other people's yards to determine what we want and go from there. Our front yard isn't incredibly large, so we won't need a lot to decorate. I am thinking a few reindeer and lights and then we should be set! Who knows I need to get through Halloween first!

I am going to leave you with a picture of our guest room..it is a work in progress, but you can see the direction we are headed in with the bedding.

We are working on trying to decide what kind of headboard we want at the moment. I want something light and clean. This bed will have its first overnight guest next month with Thanksgiving on the horizon. Granted it will be my brother, but still I am excited for him to come stay here with us! It will be fun having him around for the long weekend since he is in San Antonio attending St. Mary's University. I am sure he will expect some gourmet breakfast every morning and I will laugh and say Shipley's is about 2 minutes away! Joking..I will make our staple breakfast that we enjoy every holiday..Sarah Lee's Coffee Cake..yum yum yum. Sure does make me want to run to HEB right now..

Happy Friday everyone!

Wishful Wednesday...Talent

2009-10-14T21:09:00.000-05:00

So the Lovely Kelsey hosts this weekley edition on Wednesday's and this weeks topic is Talent. There are tons of talents I wish I had..singing, designing like my mom can, organization, but the one talent I wish I could claim that I am would be to be bilingual!!! Houston is the fourth largest city in the US. So we are quite the melting pot of cultures and languages. I truly wish I could speak Spanish, not only would it be a tremendous asset to my profession, but just to be able to conversate with Hispanics when we travel would be nice. Luckily Jackie speaks Spanish and she handled all the talking for us while we traveled, but I know it was frustrating for her at times since she was having to translate everything for us. And the spanish language itself is beautiful to me. That may sound weird I know, but when I listen to my superviser speaking Spanish to parents and students, it makes me want to learn to speak it. I mean one would think after 3+ years of learning Spanish in high school I would be able to conversate, but no such luck!

So there you have it..I wish I could be bilingual.

PS Kelsey & Erin I am incredibly sorry that I have not mailed your Chi Covers, but they will be mailed tomorrow! Thank you for your patience!

OHHHHH MEXICO!

2009-10-14T19:55:00.001-05:00

Well what can I say about our trip..it was amazing, perfection, relaxing, and well-deserved. I know I know we just honeymooned in May and we are already going to Mexico?? I am sure you are asking yourselves how did she swing that?? Well truth be told..this was our honeymoon part 2. As many of you may not know, our original honeymoon plan was to head to Mexico for a week of all-included bliss! Well then the lovely Swine Flu rolled around and nixed that. So we quickly planned a short getaway and made a deal to use our flight credits to go to somewhere beachy and tropical..little did we know it would be in October..a mere 4 months later! Well our fab friends Jackie & Rooter invited us to join them on their first anniversary trip to Playa Del Carmen for a 5 day getaway..we quickly agreed and booked our flights. This was my first AI experience and I think I will do it from now on! It is fabulous..all the food and drinks you can consume all day every day! It was the perfect reward for all the stress and hardwork we had just gone through! Needless to say I would love to be able to travel several times a year to amazing places..

Here are a fee pics from the trip..Jackie has some amazing pics from our snorkeling adventure, so more to come!

Soaking up the sun

I told them it was our honeymoon, so they decorated our room and gave us some champagne!

View from our balcony.

They had a really cool fireshow on the Greek Themed Night.

The hubs got up at like 6:30 to take this picture of the sunrise!

On our last night after two dinner! Lobster Pot & Hibachi Grill...i was super full!! Never eaten so much food in my life! I probably gained around 5 pounds during this trip!

So there is a snapshot of our trip..now it is back to reality!

What is up with this weather??

2009-10-14T19:41:00.001-05:00

Ok I have been an incredibly BAD blogger, that I did not even post the scarves I got from Arrie! So let's start off with that! She sent me two precious scarves for the Scarf Swap hosted by Meredith.

This one is the softest Houndstooth you have ever felt! I simply cannot wait to wear this winter! It goes with so many of my sweaters and tops.

This scarf is very colorful and will be worn several times to work! It has greens and yellows galore and it's simply beautiful! Thank you Arrie!

Jonathan and I still have some more boxes to empty and items to sort out for our upcoming garage sale in a few weeks, but we are truly loving our new house! We are still in disbelief that we are married, homeowners and I am employed (finally!!)! Once the boxes are cleared I will post pictures of our house! We are thinking about having some form of a get together for close friends and family..we will see.

Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

PS Several more posts to come tonight..

Magnificent Mondays...

2009-10-12T12:36:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy one to say the least. Lots of emails, phone calls etc to return. Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday. It is also a very special Monday..it's Meredith's birthday!

We have known each other for let's just say almost 20 years and we are closer than ever! She is one of the most important people in my life. She is one of the most incredible people you could ever meet..caring, giving, loving..you name a positive adjective and that is her! Anyways..don't want this to sound like a personal add or something, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEREDITH! Hope you are having a fabulous day with your precious Carson and family.

Adios Turquiose Blue Water and Hello Overcast?!?

2009-10-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

We are back from Mexico and quite depressed about it..granted we came home to our new house, but it was super hard leaving that gorgeous blue ocean! Post to come tomorrow with pics..hope everyone enjoyed their weekend..we sure did!

Off to watch my Colts beat up on those Titans..yay!!!

Chi Cover Winners...

2009-10-05T11:49:00.002-05:00

First I just want to thank everyone for following, commenting and blogging about the giveaway! It makes me want to do more giveaways! So I took everyone's name written up to 3 times and drew two names out of hat..how fancy I know! So drumroll please....the winners are:

Kelsey @ the Seattle Smith's

Erin at House of Turquoise!

Send me an email with your address and I will put them in the mail hopefully tomorrow!!

Thanks for playing ladies and I hope to have another giveaway after our vaca!

It's Official..we are homeowners!!!

2009-10-02T12:36:00.000-05:00

Jonathan and I are now the proud homeowners of this one-story home!

It's a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house and we LOVE it! Obviously we should! This afternoon my mother-in-law, my mom and Jonathan will begin the painting process! I am heading over there after work to help as well. My two friends Jenn and Tina have also offered to come over tonight and help us do whatever we need..what great friends! We are planning to hopefully wrap up the painting portion of the process tomorrow and move in our furniture on Sunday. Let's just hope Mother Nature can hold off on the downpours this weekend for us so we can get it done!

More pictures to come soon once we are in the house!!

Have a great weekend ladies!

Quick Update

2009-10-01T11:39:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone for commenting, becoming a follower or blogging about this giveaway. Needless to say I didn't expect so many hits for this giveaway that I am uping the anty to two Chi covers!

Also looks like we will be closing tomorrow morning instead of tonight which is fine..we are very ready and anxious to get the process of closing over! Pictures to come once I have my laptop back....

Hope everyone is having a Terrific Thursday!

My First Giveaway....

2009-09-29T21:30:00.001-05:00

I am not sure about you ladies, but once I finish using my Chi I was always scrambling for something to rest it on so it wouldn't burn anything or leave a mark on the countertop. I typically would lay it on a towel..not the best idea, but it worked. It always seemed I would be using it and then needed to pack it up for a trip..hence the towel. Well a few months ago I stumbled across this lovely item. Who knew that someone had made such an item?!? And quite honestly I LOVE IT! It is so nice to not have to scramble for something or worry about burning a whole in something in my suitcase. So ladies the rules are simple to win your very own Chi Cover.

The Rules for My First Giveaway Are.....

1. Become a follower of this blog

2. Leave a comment

3. Mention this giveaway in one of your blog posts.

Seems pretty easy to me. So if you do one of the abovementioned rules, you will be entered once, if you do all 3 you will be entered 3 times.

I will announce the winner next Monday October 5th..as we are moving this upcoming weekend into our new house and will have limited time on the computer!

Thanks for playing.