Happy 4th of July!  We are so thankful for our freedoms. Praise God for the sweet land of liberty!

Watching the parade with our good friends has become a 4th of July tradition.

I used to love when my mom made sun-tea. It reminds me of summer time.
To help celebrate Independence Day, I made a fresh batch.
 It doesn't take long to make it in the Texas sun.
Here is how to make it in three easy steps.
 1. Fill a large pitcher with water, ice, and 3-4 tea bags ( I like to use the family sized tea bags). 

2. Place container in a warm, sunny spot, a back porch works well.
It is also nice to have a helper close by to make sure the tea in brewing properly.
 Our dog Texas loves to help by checking the tea after it has been out side for about 30 minutes.

3. In no time the tea will be a rich color and ready to enjoy.
Pour over ice and add lemon or sugar if desired.

Hubby had to work this morning, came home to eat lunch, and went back to bed because he has to work tonight too.  My strong baby had to work twice in one day  (love you babe).  While he was resting I thought I would make a Fourth of July cake.  I wanted to make one for Hubby to take to work tonight... and one for us too

I used a white cake mix, cool whip, blueberries, and strawberries to make a festive Freedom Flag Cake.
Don't you love red, white, and blue?

Ready to help feed the brave men and women that serve our city.
Happy Fourth of July! 

April Showers and Flowers

So today we were going to run a 5K.... yeah did not happen. Not only were we not motivated enough but

it also has been raining all day... yes! Well anyways I though I would post this picture. This was taken in a field by our home. I think I am going to enter it into our local paper for a contest! I married a Texan and have been here for almost two years (wow!) but I still kinda shake my head when thinking about all things Texan. This is the first thing I have found here is south Texas that makes it a beautiful place... the wildflowers. I have never seen anything so beautiful and so many! Praise God for His creation.

Skunks Beware!

My Husband is awesome. He provides for our family in every way. There seems to be one creature that he keeps um... protecting me from... skunks! His skunk kill is now up to 2! The first "Skunky" as I name it was on our honeymoon. We went to Ft. Davis for our honeymoon and drove one night to see the Marfa Light. (More like Marfa Yeah Right!) On the way there he runs over and kills "Skunky." Fastforward to this morning. I take Texas outside and right away it smells like a skunk. Over where my husband parks his truck right by the marks made by the tires was a d-e-a-d dead skunk, Skunky II. Now I'm pretty sure that he was ran over, plus I've seen enough CSI to know when I'm looking at evidence. Ok to be honest I've been covering my eyes every time I have to pass by. Hubby didn't even know what he did. When I told him, he commented on what a great hunter he is and that I should cook it and serve it to his parents and sister tonight. (I will never be that country!) That to say this is a tribute for all the skunks that have been sacrificed to my husbands tires and all the skunks out there. P.S. Both cases were complete accidents. My husband is very sweet and would NEVER intend to hurt innocent animals.

Texas Adventure

Before...

After...

Our beloved red heeler is almost two years old. Some of his favorite hobbies include sleeping on the couch, sleeping on the bed, sleeping on top of my Hubby and I while we watch movies, and chewing up the house. He loves to chew and has become very good at it. Phil suggusted that we document his progress. This little Tiger we named 'Tegere.' Keep in mind this is the third one Texas has owned. This particular one was given to Texas on Tuesday and lasted till Friday.

Snow Much to Blog About... Tuesday

It seems silly that I get the song "Snow" from the movie White Christmas stuck in my head. Although I love the song's harmony it seems silly living in south Texas because we never get snow. Never say never (hey I think that's a song too right?) It snowed/iced for awhile. You know you're a teacher in Texas when the whole school is excused to "play in the snow." For a minute it felt like home in Colorado... for a minute. I was surprise to see the snow piled up on our doorstep. I really do like the Texas winters. They are such a relief from the harsh summers. The best part about Texas snow ... no shoveling!

The Eyes of Texas ...I Mean the Ears

Our special dog, Texas, had been scratching his ears. Normally, I'd think "He's a dog, right? No problem!" After a week of nonstop scratching, he started to cry every time he would mess with it. I let it go for another week thinking that he's just being "Texas" and will get over it. As much as I love him and as many cool things he can do, he can be very stubborn and weird at times. One afternoon while shopping with a friend, I shared about this "issue" in our household. My friend use to work at as a vet-tech and suggested that I look inside his ears and see if there were any black spots. I looked and sure enough the inside of his ears were covered in black spots. My husband thought it was time to take him to the vet. I am thinking of all kinds of problems he might have, fleas, bugs, mites, worms... Once at the vet's, the doctor took a quick peak inside Texas' ears and said "He has allergies." A shot and 10 day prescription later, we were home. "That's it?" I thought "Allergies? I can deal with that!" Our dog has allergies. Texas is now doing much better. He no longer has any black spots (no pirate pun intended) and is successfully living with allergies.

Saturday Afternoon

I love seeing all the fall decorations in the stores. I made a trip this weekend to Hobby Lobby. I love going here and being inspired by all the "crafty" things. I had just finished a section of pages on our dog when I found a ton of pictures that Phil's mom and sent us. I decided to make a scrapbook just for our pets so we can look back or even one day show our children all these pictures. I picked the 6x6 size album for its size and price. I have to say I have really enjoyed playing with different size albums. The 12x12 can hold more pictures and the 6x6 took no time to complete. I finished this all on Saturday before we went to meet friends for dinner! Happy Scrapping! -D

Doggie Play Date

This is Texas' new friend. She is a loving, full energy dog just like Texas. She belongs to a friend of ours from church. Texas had so much fun playing at the playground. I thought this picture was just the sweetest thing! I love the expression they each have on their faces. Love is blind but friendship closes its eyes! -D