Daisy Break

I missed out on snapping a picture today so I decided to take a daisy break.

Hardwood Plank Laying Complete

Luis finished covering the formal living and dining room with the raw hardwood. He journeyed over to the family room with all his tools to kick it off over there. As for now, from carpet to wood, what a difference! I really like it!

Paying Bills

Once a month I set out some time to gather all our bills and pay them. When it boils down to it, we are truly beyond blessed to be able to take care of these bills timely. I am thankful everday.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Pecans

If I say so myself, my first attempt to melt chocolate was unsuccessful so was my second and third. So I turned to youtube.com for help. Ah yes, it was the temperature. I had it on to high to where it wasn't melting the chocolate more like turning it into a play doh or burning it. I had a rough start. The half bag of semi-sweet white chocolate, down the drain. The hazelnut candy bar with plain hard shell M&Ms, down the drain. Then andes mint candy, down the drain. Finally after pulling out all the chocolate candy I had in my pantry, I had one last chance. I had one milk chocolate candy bar and a handful andes thin mints. I melted the chocolate successfully, dipped my strawberries and coated them with pecans. I loved how they turned out and Luis loved eating them. I can see myself dipping strawberries again in the near future.

Tet 2010

Every year Tet is celebrated at grandma and grandpa's home. The whole family gathers to celebrate, enjoys each others company, eat yummy food and sometimes gamble for fun. After dinner, all the kids gather to receive their li xi. Here along with a few adults, all the kids are fanning their red envelopes. A room full of smiles, what a joy!

Nail It

So it begins, the start of installing a hardwood plank. This is not your normal hammer and nail tool, this is an all out hardwood nail gun. It rests against the edge of the hardwood plank and Luis bangs a rubberhead hammer at the black end of it and a flying nail with teeth hugs itself to the plywood underneath. Who knew these are the tools needed to assist in this project, I sure didn't. I'm glad Luis knows what he's doing.

Li Xi

Every year little red envelopes gets stuffed with lucky money for Chinese New Year. They are given to the young kids by the adults. Although there really isn't such thing as lucky money, the kids enjoy receiving these fun envelopes with cash in it. I found these li xi envelopes on my trip to Arlington, although they were a little more expensive than the regular ones, I didn't hesitate to purchase them because I thought they were just too cute and adorable. I always look forward to handing them out to the kids.

A Beautiful Snow Day

There is something about snow that makes me enjoy being in it. It may be because I was born in Kansas where it snows every winter. Snow is never expected in Texas but today it was record breaking. It snowed all day! From my drive into work, the whole day at work with a window view, my drive home and through the evening it did not stop! I was fortunate to make it home early and was able to play in the snow for a couple of hours. This is the first time I built a snowman on my own, it was fun and I had a great time! Looking forward to another day like today.

Perfect Fit and Finish

Luis installed the final piece of plywood in the living/dining room area. He is ready to nail it down into concrete and begin laying the hardwood on top.

Everyday with Rachael Ray

Aside from bills in the mail and my Creating Keepsakes magazine, I also subscribe to this magazine. Her magazines are always packed with fun and quick recipes. I don't get to read her magazine very often however I do enjoy subscribing, receiving and having it around just in case I need a fun food read.

Migrated to the Family Room

Due to the changing weather and fear of damage to the hardwood in the garage, Luis had to move them into the house. He planted them in the family room and will be moving them out when he starts to pull up the carpet for this room.

Superbowl Sunday

We were invited to a friend's house to watch the Superbowl live from Miami, Florida. We had a great time with good friends and good food. Unfortunately the Dallas Cowboys did not make it this far but kudos to the New Orleans Saints for taking it home.

Hardwood Off the Home Depot Truck

Luis placed an order for 1300 square feet of raw hardwood at Lumber Liquidators. He will be kicking off a big project, replacing the carpet downstairs in the master, living, dining and family room area with hardwood floors. While I know it will be a long, detail oriented, time consuming project, I am certain the outcome will be nothing less than perfect. Who better to kick this project off then my sweetheart, Luis. I will be on the sidelines assisting and taking pictures, looks like I got the rough end of the deal.

It's More Bueno!

We normally eat dinner at home on the weekdays but on Fridays, we like to grab fast food. Our fast food of choice is Taco Bueno. My favorite on the menu is the chicken tortilla soup and a taco. Luis' favorite is the beef nacho salad. We also find ourselves here for lunch on Sunday too. We'd never leave the place without having chips and salsa.

Traffic Jam

I remember years ago I commuted from Arlington to North Dallas to work and what a nightmare it was to commute when the weather was a mess. My commute was 32 miles one way, on a good day, it'd take me 45 minutes and a bad day, it could take up to an hour and a half. Since then, I moved to Frisco and my commute to work is 15 miles. Let me tell you, what a treat! It normally takes me 20 minutes to get to work but today the rain made it a challenge on the drive in. From my garage to the garage at work, it took me an hour and 20 minutes.

Julio's Tortilla Chips

I absolutely love chips and salsa or any yummy dip for that matter. Our trip to San Angelo would always include the purchase of 2 huge bags of Julio's tortilla chips and 3 containers of Julio's salsa. I love the seasoning flavor on these chips and the salsa comes mild or hot. It normally lasts us until the next time we go back to San Angelo.

Stars Hockey Game

Luis had the opportunity to go watch the Stars play courtesy of his workplace. Although he would love tickets to any soccer game, he enjoyed the time spent watching the game. The ticket included a buffet dinner and a plaque of the team jerseys. The night ended with a Stars win, everyone walked out with a coupon to Chili's for free chips and salsa, right up our alley. I'm glad he had a great time!

Filing Our Taxes

Complete, now waiting for our nice refund. When I was single, I'd take care of this on my own, easy peazy. The past 3 years, I had no interest in this area and while married to an accountant, did I really need too? This year I decided to fasten my seat belt, sit in the passenger seat, and take a ride on my first experience filing jointly. I was surprised how the H&R Block program made the process so simple.