Wordless Wednesday

Break's Over!

Okay, so my mom told me last night that if I don't get those @$*& coconut cookies off the top of my blog soon, she's going to lose it!! And trust me, her losing it is never good!


I've got a lot to catch y'all up on before we get back to my normal, every day (or once-in-a-while) blogging . . . let's get started!




MY Birthday -

I blogged a little bit about my big day and as usual, my birthday was fabulous!! Okay, so it wasn't exactly a day . . . it kinda turned into a few weeks, but that is certainly okay with me! Those few weeks were filled with lots of good friends, some margaritas and wine (not of the same night, of course!), yummy food, shopping, and one sombrero!






I also got to enjoy these *gorgeous* tulips from Adrian and David . . . Thanks, guys!! I loved them!!




Swim Team -

The big thing going this summer is SWIM TEAM!! Boogie is loving his first year as a 'Stingray' and the best part about joining the team for him is that he gets to wear these awesome goggles!!

Awesome, right??

He practices 5 days a week (if we make it to all of them!) and it's incredible to see how much improvement he's made! By the end of the summer, my little one will be swimming like a fish . . . or 'Stingray', I guess!

Dress Up Time -

Lately, Bella has been all about accessorizing and dressing to the nines!

She can't stay out of her dress-up box - which I love and can't get enough of! Every day she has a different outfit on than the day before - today, she's already been an angel, ballerina, butterfly, and train conductor!

When she's a 'butterfly', she likes to run around the house giggling!

Zoo Mania -

Just because it's hotter than hell already, that doesn't mean that we aren't hitting up the zoo every chance we get!

This day in April, we caravanned (is that even a word?) to the zoo with four other mommies and their kiddos - yeah, it was a little crazy, but we all had fun!!

This little one and Bella are quickly becoming bffs and she knows better than to leave any food of her's unprotected when Bella's around - even during a quick cat nap!

The Kiddos

(Boogie is on one end of the bench and Bella's on the other )

The Mommies
(this pic was actually taken by Boogie Bear!! We had all of the older kids snapping away hoping that someone would get one good shot!)

Mimi came to visit -

One Sunday - maybe 2 Sundays ago - Mimi made the one hour drive over to our place, ate lunch with us, run some errands with me, then lounged around the house with her fave niece and nephew. The kids absolutely adore her!!

. . . so do Bill and I!!

New Incredible Burger Joints -

Anyone every heard of Smashburger or Mel's???

Y'all these burger places are super yummy!!

Smashburger has the most amazing truly homemade, backyard grilled burgers ever and their Smashfries are (in a gloriously angelic singing voice) to die for!

Mel's is everything you love about a small town in one spot! Friendly staff, amazing food, and out in the middle of nowhere . . . seriously, it's a small trek. But totally worth it!

Now, I didn't have the burger here, but my boy Steven did . . .

The Mel Burger

1lb of fresh ground beef, 1/2lb of bacon, 3 slices of American cheese, and all of the trimmings

. . . and he totally conquered it in no time flat! Next time he's going for the Mel's Mega Burger, so he can have bragging rights, his pic on the wall of fame at Mel's, and - most coveted of all - a Mel's t-shirt!

By the way, the onion rings are totally slammin'!!

Cat in The Hat -

The Chic-fil-A in The Woodlands is *THE BEST* Chic-fil-A ever!

This past week, the Cat in The Hat stopped by for a visit and we caught up with him for story time and giggles with Abby and her growing posse . . .

Abby's oldest was chosen to help the Cat in The Hat cook 'Green Eggs & Ham'! It was hilarious, as you can tell!

Bella loved it, too!

Who knew some poor college kid in a hot Cat in The Hat suit would be such a big hit with my little ones? I was thinking they'd be terrified of him!!

Mother's Day -

My Mother's Day was great!!

The kids and Bill let me sleep in until 9:30 and then we went to brunch, shopping, and then rushed home for our much loved Sunday afternoon nap time!

Bella gave me hugs and sugars and cuddles all day long!

Boogie built me this amazing tower made of building blocks and kept wishing me a "Happy Mother's Day" from morning til night!

My BIG gift from my sweet family were tons of plants and flowers for my flower beds out front! I can't remember the name of the flower I love so much - it's that really gorgeous plant that has tall shoots this time of year with a big ball of either white or purple flowers on top - sounds familiar to anyone?? I had a ton of the white ones and wanted some purple ones, too, so that's what I got . . . plus some Impatients to give the beds some more color.

I love my flower beds and Bill for doing all of the digging and manual labor!!

Well, I think y'all are all caught up . . . I'll blog some more soon!

It's nice to be back!!

Chewy Coconut Cookies

Occasionally late at night, I get a very strong urge to bake something and Sunday night was that occasional night!




Besides basic ingredients like flour, sugar, and eggs, all I had in my pantry was shredded coconut, so I hopped on RecipeZaar.com and found me a highly rated and easy coconut cookie recipe!

Chewy Coconut Cookies

1 1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 c coconut

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Add the egg and vanilla, mix thoroughly.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix well.

**Laine's Note - if the dough looks a little dry, try adding some milk only 1/2 tsp at a time!

Stir in the coconut.

Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. **Laine's Note - I like to let the balls chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Once the dough is chilled and the oven is hot, bake the cookies on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet until slightly golden around the edges and the middle is just barely set.

Cool on a cooling rack completely.

**Laine's Note - makes 30 cookies using my cookie scoop



These cookies are super yummy! Enjoy!!

In the Break Room

I'm sure y'all have noticed that I haven't been posting anything lately - not to worry, my break is almost over!

When I get back to work, I'll post all about Boogie's first days on swim team - video included!, a have a new cookie recipe to share - anyone a fan of coconut?, and some 'sew' cute pics of some dresses I made for Bella.

Stay tuned in, be patient with me, and I'll give y'all lots and lots to read about.

I'm headed back to the Break Room now . . . adios!

Wordless Wednesday

Your Opinion Matters!

I'm thinking I should go blonde . . . what do you think?

oh, let me know later, I've got to run -
Hugh Hephner is calling . . . .

Annual Bluebonnet Pics

One of the reasons why I love being a Texan . . .

Brenham, Texas

I snapped pictures while the little ones explored and played in this breath taking field of the State Flower of Texas - the Bluebonnet! Enjoy!

Bella doing twirls while I sing to her 'Ring Around the Rosy'

'Pretty Flower,' she exclaimed!

I love this picture of my sweet Boogie Bear!

Boogie doing his hiney dance!

And finally, my signature pic . . .

. . . the self portrait!

Last year's Bluebonnet post with tons of pictures from years past . . . check it out!!

it's MY birthday!!

Happy 28th Birthday to me!!

Trip to the Zoo!

One of our favorite Christmas presents is our Family membership to the Houston Zoo - Thank you, Grammie and Grandad!



Monday morning, I woke up to a long list of things to do around the house - clean the kitchen, do the laundry, sweep the floors, clean the bathrooms, and it goes on and on and on . . . - so I threw some snacks in my purse, grabbed the kids, and drove to the zoo as fast as possible!

I was secretly hoping that the House Cleaning Fairy would swing by my place and surprise me by doing and then checking off each chore on my list while we were away. Yeah . . . that didn't exactly work out, but it was nice to imagine.



Anyway, we had a ton of fun at the zoo - like always! - and - like always - I had my camera in hand and was able to snap a shot or two of the fun.

Bella was 'tweeting' at these birds. : )

Boogie's favorite thing to do? Cranking out a souvenir penny with an animal imprint on it.

Bella got a little nervous around one of the monkey exhibits.

My Boogie loves his giraffes!

So, she's in this no-smiling-for-the-camera phase. Nice.

Yes, Boogie wants a life-size statue of an orangutan in his backyard!

That leopard walked back and forth, back and forth, and Bella loved watching it!

Upon seeing the cheetahs, Boogie said in a very sweet voice, "Awww, what cute cats!" What a goof ball!

Bella watching a monkey eat an apple that some 6th grader on a field trip threw down.

This pic wasn't my idea - Boogie requested it, because he liked all of the animals on the sign!

Always nice to see my little sister at the zoo!
Love you, Mimi!

Thanks, again, Grammie and Grandad - we love our membership and we'll be enjoying it again on Monday when The Pink Bears - with kids, minus margaritas - field trip it to the zoo for a little play date!

Mercer Botanical Gardens

Read my blog much? Then you must have read my post about Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens . . . click here or here to refresh your memory!

On Sunday we skipped the park and the trails and visited the other side of Mercer - the Botanical Gardens. We were blown away with all of it's gorgeousness!

Just look . . .

There were tons of good spots to enjoy a picnic lunch, or to pose for bridal or family pics, or just to sit and relax.

Bella loved this swing in the shade - trust me, she did!

And Boogie Bear got a kick out of the different sculptures and statues around the gardens.

If you've got a free moment, put on your walking shoes, grab your camera, and head over to the Botanical Gardens at Mercer - you'll love it!!