A Steal of a Deal

One of the perks when visiting San Angleo is I can always find good sales for scrapbooking supplies and there still be stuff left! Here in the area, when a sale comes along it seems like all the stay at home moms beat me to them. A quick trip to Michael's resulted in 3 fun dog bone Jolee's Crystallized Swarovski Elements. From 4.99 to .99, who could beat that? Next stop, Ross. I don't remember ever leaving this place in SA without making a purchase. I found a few paper packs I've been eyeballing at the craft stores but never budged. Seriously, $15 to $20 regular price, I'd be a broke scrapbooker. These packs were $3.99 and under. Who could resist? I didn't. I always look forward running into these deals while I'm there.

This photo wraps up my joyful January, now onto my fun-filled February.

Destroyed and Reinstalled

Although our weekend trip to San Angelo is short, Luis manages to squeeze in a project. What seems like it may take a couple days to complete, with the help of his dad, mom and I, he was able to destroy and reinstall 2 of 4 window panes. This picture didn't come out as clear was I wanted but it tells my story. After a bit of struggle, he decided to take in the axe to destroy this window. The force destroyed a few bricks but nothing he couldn't handle. A new window pane installed, who needs a professional when we've got Luis.

Arrived

Our trip to San Angelo takes a good 4 to 4.5hours. On our way, Lexie doesn't have anything better to do than sleep. She curls up, finds warmth and comfort on my lap and sleeps the whole ride there. As if she didn't get a good nap, I find her curled up on a warm comforting daisy fleece blanket prolonging what she does best.

Working from Home

A few times a year, Luis packs up the laptop at work and takes it home. He takes care of corporate actions. He took the laptop home today specifically to make an election by 5am. It may take 10min for the election but it is a very important part of his daily duties.

Tea Time

My friend's friend recommended this tea. She lost 4 lbs in a month which made me interested. I don't drink tea in fact never understood why my parents made it part of their daily liquid intake. However, I was curious of how this one would help me out physically. I made the purchase at H-Mart, a Korean grocery market. Without delay, I boiled a bottle of water and added the green tea with roasted rice. To my surprise, the aroma was enough to make my purchase worthwhile. After taking a sip, I was heads over heals. The taste is refreshing and smooth, enough for me to say, move over dr.pepper.

Yogurtland!

Luis and I met here after work today for a little treat. It has been awhile since we've been to this place. They've opened 2 yogurt locations in Frisco but both are disappointing. We like to come here, the yogurt is not runny and they carry my favorite flavor, Taro! I added a few plain M&Ms and strawberries, perfect! I hope the next time we visit this place is soon. 

Yum-O!

At our old home, I discovered Rachael Ray. I've been hooked with her shows since. I enjoy watching her 30 minute meals and her talk show. I also subscribe to her magazine which is always a treat when it comes in the mail. As much as she loves to cook, I've not attempted to try any of her recipes. This year, I hope to do so.

Washed, Dried and Folded

Our laundry room is usually overflowing with dirty clothes, at least 2 weeks worth. Today, its organized and clean. A little break from this room is always a nice little treat.

A New Toy

In preparation to install unfinished hardwood floors to our home downstairs, Luis will slowly start to buy the necessary tools to help pull this big project together. So far he's purchased a belt sander, an orbit sander and a hardwood floor nail gun. I look forward to getting hardwood floors in our bedroom first.

Chick-Fil-A for Dinner

A normal trip to Chick-Fil-A would include a chicken salad sandwich, a large waffle fries, and a large Dr. Pepper with a refill. I would scarf it down in less than 10 minutes. Change took place tonight on our trip there for dinner. I ordered a chargrilled chicken cool wrap, exchanged my waffle fries for a cup of fruit and exchanged my Dr. Pepper for lemonade. I did not finish half a wrap and was proud of myself for not reaching over to snag a waffle fry from Luis' meal. I hope to continue this healthy habit.

On a Healthy Track

So one of my top 10 goals for 2010 is eat healthy. If you consider running a mile hard, you haven't faced healthy eating. It is rough, no french fries, no chocolate candy, no potato chips, no chicken nuggets, no soft drinks. The good thing is I love cucumbers, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles, pepper jack cheese, and smoked turkey. Eating healthy tied with excercising will help me meet another goal, loosing 10 pounds.

Can you Feel the Love Tonight?

I stumbled upon this cd while organizing the kitchen counter. I had the opportunity to go see the Lion King on broadway at the Music Hall at Fair Park a few years ago. I'm sure its no New York performance but I really enjoyed it and would go watch it again. The Lion King is my all time favorite Disney movie.

Like Sands thru the Hourglass

So are the Days of our Lives. I have kept up with this soap opera for almost 17 years now. It comes on at 1pm on NBC but unfortunately I'm working. I have it recorded and watch it before I go to bed. Through the years, the storylines have kept me interested, I haven't been able to let go watching it.

My Cricut Expression in Action

I spent the MLK holiday off in my scrapbook room to create and relax. I normally don't turn to my cricut for letters because face it, I have a ton of letter stickers. I decided to give my stickers a break and had some fun. I love my cricut expression and have my favorite cartridges for it.

Charmed

On my 32nd birthday, my sister-in-law, Elisa gave me a Pandora charm bracelet.  All the Brighton charms on this bracelet were also from her. I have not been able to add to this charm until today. After browsing all the charms at Brighton, I eyeballed the camera charm w/ a baby heart with cheese on it. I couldn't resist and walked out happy. I'm far from being an expert photographer but I consider this charm as my essence for scrapbooking. I look forward to filling up this bracelet with meaningful charms.

A Trip to Central Market

A trip to Central Market is very hard to come by since it's a pretty far drive from home but when I get the opportunity to go, I'm always excited. Its fun to explore this market. They carry a variety of yummy fresh foods we normally can't find anywhere else. My grocery list always includes tomatoes. I love the neatly stacked shiny fresh tomatoes here, so pleasing to my eyes. I picked up a loaf of rosemary bread which has replaced my normal zucchini bread and discovered tomato basil flat bread, which will be on my Central Market grocery list going forward. I can't wait until my next trip back to this place.

Cup of Hazelnut Coffee

Friday night trips to Starbucks has been replaced with our Keurig. I'm not a regular when it comes to coffee however I do find myself grabbing a cup when it comes to staying up late to scrapbook. My favorite flavor is hazelnut with hazelnut creamer and a hint of hazelnut syrup. One cup will last me thru the night till sunrise in the morning.

Inspirational Fun Mail

More often than not, bills are the only mail we receive. To break the normality, I've subscribed over a year now to one of my favorite scrapbook magazines, Creating Keepsakes. It provides inspiration, short articles from scrapbook experts, helps me keep up with the latest scrapbook trends, feeds me shortcuts and storage ideas, indulges me in ideas on how to approach different techniques and my favorite, takes me on a ride to a world of new tools and products. When I encounter scrapbook stress, I reach for my Creating Keepsakes magazine, my ultimate reliever. I never remember the exact date of delivery but today, I received this little sprinkle of joy. I'm off to flip through the pages to explore my little world of scrapbooking.

Camping Out in my Scrapbook Room

Due to the limited space I have now in my scrapbook room, we had to move out the IKEA chaise lounge. Send in the comforter and pillows and what do I get? Luis and Lexie all cozy and sleeping on the floor until I finish up my project then off to bed we go.

Spare Me

On our way to see Avatar, with the home building construction in our neighborhood, the tire on my babylex grabbed hold of a screw. Luis tried to fix it but found the spare tire with a messed up valve stem. A trip to Discount Tires solved the problem. They fixed the 'screwed' tire for free and Luis picked up a gadget to fix the valve on the spare. A little air and its ready to put back to its home.

Club Panini on Sourdough

Smoked turkey breast, smoked bacon, hickory smoked swiss cheese, roma tomato slices, and a slight touch of mayonnaise layered between two sourdough breads with a side of chips or veggie sticks/pickles equals a quick yummy dinner. When I get home late from work, I find Luis at the stove grilling paninis for dinner all I need to do is sit and enjoy! Yum-O!

Family Visit

My mom, dad and brother live in Arlington, approximately 50miles from here. When they come to visit, its always nice but time flies. We treated them to lunch at Gazeebo Burgers, a burger joint in Frisco. I took my mom on her first trip to Allen Outlets to shop around. We got home and the guys were watching football. I grabbed my camera and took a few fun shots of my mom. This was my favorite shot.

Avatar

The Lion King-IMAX, The Dark Knight-IMAX, Toy Story 2, and now Avatar-IMAX: movies we've experienced in 3-D. The experience is definitely amazing.  Red Box is now around so we find ourselves renting from there but when the opportunity arises for us to catch one at the theaters, we treat ourselves. Needless to say, The Lion  King will remain my favorite, we saw it on our very first date, 1.25.03.

Remote Control

I got a camera remote control for Christmas from Elisa. Thanks Elisa! Luis figured out how to set it up. We played around snapping a handful of shots. This is an informal unedited shot of my little family. I love this little gadget and will be experimenting with it so all of us can be in the picture.

Artic Blast

Oh the weather outside is frightful - tempuratures dipped this week and is expected to dip to the teens and stick around for a few days. There is nothing better to do in this weather than cuddle up with a loved one and a warm blanket on the couch, by the fireside, enjoying a bowl of soup and watching a movie.

Getting Organized

Lowe's, gas, restaurants , Target, Auto Zone, Sports Clips are receipts Luis normally finds piled up on his nightstand. In an effort to start the new year organized in this department, here he is sorting them out and giving them a trip to our cross cut paper shredder.

Snuggle Up

Lexie can play all day but when it comes to sleeping time she is an expert on where to find just the perfect spot to snuggle up for warmth.

Wait

While living in an apartment for 6 months waiting for our home to be built, we had the convenient luxury of enrolling Lexie in puppy training. She absolutely loves treats, here she is waiting for her 'take it' command.

Contreras vs Romo

Luis' love for soccer is beyond measure but he manages to pull away to watch the 'boys play. Their win today made them NFC East champs!

Warming Up with Lau

I miss my mom's home cooking.  Here I tried to recreate one of her specialties. I'm glad Luis is not a picky eater, we both enjoyed this for lunch today.

Family Time

The first picture taken with my new camera. Winding down in front of the tv on New Year's night. It helps to sit back and relax after a long day.