New marshmallow flavors!

Peppermint and gingerbread. The gingerbread is pretty intense.

New houses

This year's gingerbread houses.

Didn't look like that to us

Shippers venture out on busiest day of year - YNN - Your News Now
We went to the 78704 Post Office on South Congress this morning at 11 and had only a 3-person wait.

2011 Christmas Musical

Aaron, The Allergic Shepherd

What we learned in Spanish Class today

Jingle Bells in Espanol

And now we can't seem to stop singing the chorus:
"O, cascabeles, cascabeles, tra la la la la,
que alegria todo el dia, tra la la la la!



Oh what fun!

saved

The sweet Jewish girl down the street saved me - she's selling chocolate-filled advent calendars to raise money for her high school German Club

The Govt trying to shut down family farms AGAIN!

Farmers fear proposed new child labor rules

The clone trooper invasion

At the 2011 Chuy's Christmas Parade

The Secrets to a Perfectly Moist Meatloaf

I'm making meatloaf for the kids for the first time tonight. As usual, I'm winging it for the recipe but I thought that I'd confirm what I felt should be the appropriate cooking time and temp. I was right.

The Secrets to a Perfectly Moist Meatloaf

My recipe is based on the meatloaf that my mom used to make when I was a kid and the meatloaf that they serve at Shady Grove restaurant here in Austin. I'm using 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground pork, 1/2 lb cooked penne pasta, 1/2 lb cooked peas, diced carrots, and corn, 1/4 cup medium salsa, a LOT of freshly ground sea salt mix (it tastes JUST like Lawry's Salt which was my old standby for meat seasoning), some fresh ground pepper, and 2 TBS of minced garlic. No bread crumbs (that's what the pasta's for) and no egg. When it's time to serve it I'll pour some queso on top of each slice.

I think they'll like it!

Twilight

Sitting in the theater waiting for Breaking Dawn to start at midnight.

KLOVE's encouraging word of the day

Today's Encouraging Word - Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Romans 12:9 NLT

Disappointing Pho!

Took Giselle to the local Vietnamese restaurant and now eating some very mediocre pho! They use fake crab instead of "real" fish balls even. But the pork spring roll was good.

Gabrielle Swank - The Journey Continues

If you have a daughter who you are considering having vaccinated with Gardasil, please watch these two videos first and then rethink your decision.

first http://youtu.be/RamAjYlR70s
and then the one below


Thank you, and pray for strength for those suffering from the adverse reactions.

Homeschool Field Trip

Texas State Cemetery! It's really pretty cool!

Upwards Soccer Closing Ceremony

All done for another year. Thanks Coach Marty for another awesome year!!!!

The finished product!

I think the neighbors will be quite pleased with this!

Work in Progress

Painting 101 - Today's lesson is Murals

Trick or Treat!

2011

Finally!

The crepe myrtles are finally blooming and they smell fabulous!

I hate Sprint Picture Mail!

OK, so Sprint Picture Mail totally blows chunks!  I just cleared all the pictures off of my SD card in my phone since I prefer to back them all up on the computer rather than leaving them on my phone.  Well, when I put the SD card back into my phone it synced up with Sprint and deleted most of those pictures out of my Sprint Picture Mail and now those pictures are deleted off of my blog!
I sure liked it a whole lot more when in the olden days of Blogger that all your pictures were saved to Blogger no matter where they posted from and then they were saved in a public or private (your choice) photo album in Picassa.  That way if you change phone services all your pictures aren't GONE!!!!
I'm a bit peeved at the moment about this, to say the least!!

BTW, all of my blog pictures that were posted NOT using Sprint Picture Mail are, in fact, still saved in my private Picassa photo albums.  But any and all pictures posted via Sprint Picture Mail are NOT saved on Picassa!

Night Welding!

Don't look at the light!

Deck Progress

Make aluminum welds while the wind doesn't blow!

Cake

Giselle's first cake entirely all on her own.

October field trip

The Texas State Capitol

Lunch

Today it's at Maria's Taco Express. Breakfast tacos for Paul, breakfast gordita for Giselle and a fish taco for me. On the upper patio of course!

Upward Soccer week 2

Doesn't look like a winning day for either team.

Part 2 of the San Antonio field trip

A tour of the Toyota factory! No cameras allowed inside!

Field trip to Homeschool Day at Sea World San Antonio

Feeding the dolphins!

Upward Soccer week 1

Giselle's game was a tie 2 - 2, and Paul's team lost.

Tree Watering Tips

Try to save our trees!

Saturday night at the car races!

I see many of these in our future.

Retro Doritos!

Taco flavored returns and it goes great with the retro Mountain Dew I've been lately!

Dinner

Suggestion courtesy of The Daytripper

Hey, what happened to the beach?!

Galveston Sea Wall

Moody Gardens The Aquarium

Pyramids!

Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid

Inside of the pyramid

Stewart Beach

First beach stop.

It's a Fiesta!

We're on this next!

The last day

The last day of the last VBS of the summer!

Flashback

This was an awfully fun song, back in the day!

Tonight's Side Dish

Pipian squash, orange California Wonder bell peppers, and Rosa Bianca eggplant sauteed in bacon grease and butter. This went along with fried eggs and bacon. Everything but the bacon came from Finca Pura Vida; the bacon was from Full Quiver Farms. A farmers market summer dinner! Oh and an orange watermelon from FPV for dessert!!

a funny dog video

You know it's hot outside when your dog tries to bring the pool inside the house!





Silly dog!

Hot Summer Night Fun

City of Austin - Parks and Recreation: Pool Special Events
Giselle is going with friends to go see Despicable Me at Deep Eddy Pool tonight - movie fun in a 68 degree spring-fed pool.

Happy 3rd Birthday Waylon!

Enjoy your hog leg!

2nd Slurpee

Watermelon lime isn't that good.

It's that day again!

Free Slurpee day at 7-11 because it's 7/11 !

Biscuit Brothers

CD release party at Central Market 7/10/11. I never get tired of these guys!

The sage in bloom is like perfume

Deep in the heart of Texas!

Ben's Annual Pool Party

Fun in the sun!

Memories to last a lifetime!

A special opportunity

Hatching Cicada

Our first one of the year. Giselle's going to be angry about missing this!

Dr Laura post

I know that I haven't posted any Dr Laura blog links in a long time but the one that she wrote on Tuesday was so awesome that I just HAVE to pass it on!  It's on the incorrect and the correct way to apologize to someone that you have wronged.  I can't paste it here due to copyright laws but here's the link to the exact post 
http://www.drlaurablog.com/2011/06/21/how-to-say-youre-sorry/


 ==

Bible verse of the day from KLOVE radio

Thursday 6/23/2011

Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

~ Proverbs 12:15, NLT | View in context |

Great video for Fathers Day!

They played this at church yesterday and we all loved it. I couldn't share it from the iphone and I forgot about it until this morning. I hope you like it.

Tomato Games at the farmers market

Paul came in 2nd in the race and 1st in the throw!

Yeah Baby, it's Summertime!

101 and 28% humidity at 7 pm. It was a great day at the park! Lot's of ice water!

Last day of OHUMC VBS 2011

Closing ceremonies

Biscuit Brothers

Filming "Watermelon" at Old McDonald's Farm

IKEA

Lunch with friends!!!

Babysitting Owen

Eat, sleep, poop, and grow; it's good to be a baby!

My great-nephew Owen, son of my great nephew Thomas and his great wife Christi!!

Birthday party

Manicures for 7 girls!

Tres leches cake

My first try and it was a total success! Thanks to www.marriedtoamexican.com for the base receta; of course I had to modify it. Giselle's birthday cake.

Waco Field Trip Day

Stop 3 - The Potter's House at Heritage Homestead Craft Village in Waco Texas

 http://www.homesteadheritage.com/ 

Waco Field Trip Day

Stop two - Dr Pepper Museum