Halloween 2015

I think it's fun to dress up for Halloween!  I typically try to go for a different Halloween costume and this year I decided to be a sno-cone!

Check it out...

Our small group had a little party and my friend Lindy wasn't sure what she should dress up as, so I told her that she should be a bag of jelly beans.  I told her about how I did it one year and told her that I would help her with the costume.  Here is the final result...

Isn't she just the cutest?  I even made nutritional facts for the back...


We assembled her costume in the Chick-fil-A parking lot because we had to ask them for a very large, clear trash bag.  The ride over to our party was the BEST...



Lindy was padded very well just in case we had an accident!



She's a very fun gal that I love very much!



Jon was Wilson from Home Improvement.  I made him a nice little fence to hide behind.  I didn't have a hat like Wilson wore in Home Improvement so I said that Jon was the "modern-day" version of Wilson with the baseball cap on.



A son-cone and Wilson...



Here is James and Joy, another couple from our small group.  They were from Mary Poppins.  :)



At the end of the night, Lindy thought it would be fun to roll around in the grass and pop her balloons.  It was one of the funniest things...



And then they all fell out...



A fun time was had by all!

Love,
The Sno-Cone Lady

The Day I Met Pioneer Woman!

I'm not the type of person that gets star-struck at all.  I don't have anyone that I would just stand in line for two hours to meet.  However, ever since Pioneer Woman got her show on the Food Network, I've become a huge fan!  I've been reading her blog for years and have always been a fan, but now I feel like I'm an extreme fan!  Her cooking show is just the best, her cookware is exactly like what I would design one to be, and her cinnamon rolls and other recipes have turned me into a cooking machine!

She recently came to Raleigh back in October and I drug Jon along with me to go meet her to get my cookbooks signed.  She was everything that I dreamed she would be and more!

Here are some pictures from the event...

This was the first picture I took.  You can see her from afar because of her hair.  :)

The thing that was so sweet about her was that she was genuinely so kind and thankful that each person came to see her.  She never seemed fake or seemed like she was tired from all of the people.  I can't imagine how much her hand must have been hurting after she signed all of the books she did.

Jon and I stood in line for close to two hours just to see her.  I took pictures as we got closer and closer.

And when I saw her boots, I decided I must have a pair!  Thank you, Santa for bringing me some for Christmas!

I honestly thought I might cry when I met her because that is what I've started doing as I age.  When I get really excited about something or get moved, I tear up....and then sometimes those tears turn into a little bit of happier tears that follow.  Sometimes my husband looks at me like I've lost my mind.  I'm just easily moved.  :)

I held it together though!  

I even brought her my favorite apple fritters for her to try.  If you've never read her blog, she is hilarious!  One time she wrote about apple fritters and the story sounded EXACTLY like something I would do!  To read the story, click here.

I really don't remember what we talked about.  I just remember telling her that I brought her apple fritters because I loved that story.  She seemed to get a good laugh out of it.  

I also wrote her a note (because I figured I would only get to stand beside her just to get my picture taken) telling her how much I loved her blog, how thankful I am that she inspires me to cook, and how I felt like we could be soul sisters because we have the same sense of humor.  I also let her know that if she wanted to get rid of one of her floral mixers that she could send me one.  Don't worry, I included my address and phone number!  ;)

I sure do love PW!  

If you've never checked her out, you should.  She's my favorite!

Love,

The Wanna-Be Pioneer Woman  :)

Thirty.

 I'm excited about what's to come in this decade!  I have officially hit 30!  My parents schemed with my husband and came to Wake Forest to surprise me for my birthday!  It was great!  I had been telling Jon that I wanted to eat at Texas Roadhouse a lot lately and we never got to go so he told me that we were going to go there to have dinner the day before my birthday.  Little did I know that my parents would be there when we showed up.  As soon as I saw them I started crying because that's what I do now.  Anything that touches me makes me cry. I'm an old soul.  

We had a delicious dinner together and then I got to show them where I worked afterwards.  The next day we had a yummy breakfast, went shopping at a barn sale, one of my favorite boutiques (thanks Dad for telling the lady it was my birthday to get a discount!), a nursery, and had dinner at the Olive Garden (I live for their salads!)

Here's Mom and Jon...

And me and Dad...

My parents left that Sunday morning to make the track home and then that night I had a surprise party from my small group!  They pulled out all of my favorites...

Mexican food...

An amazing cake from my favorite bakery...

Yellow cake with chocolate frosting and Oreos in the middle...along with rocky road and cookies and cream ice cream!  Hello, sugar!  

And they even had presents, balloons, and these napkins!  

I'm just sad I didn't get a group picture!  It was a fabulous 30th birthday and I can't wait to see what this decade has in store!  Thank you everyone for making it so special!

Thanksgiving 2015

We had a very thankful Thanksgiving in 2015!  We started our fun weekend off by taking a tour of my parents land and shooting some guns!  Here's a big field that makes me want to sing like Julie Andrews...

Doesn't it look like Dad is singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music...."

He wasn't, but it sure looks like he was.  

We had a nice little trek through the woods and many prickly bushes...

And then we decided to shoot at some targets...

This is my feelings about guns because I hadn't been around them in a long time...

Jon looks good with a gun...

And I'm a real Barney Fife!

Dad smoked us all!

Jamie enjoyed herself too!  Charlie's Angels baby!

I think Jon liked this one...

Dad teaching us safety lessons or asking who wants to shoot first....

I also got to meet little Emery Ruth, too...

She's a doll!  Doesn't her owl hat look precious on her?

We had a yummy Thanksgiving dinner and then took family pictures...

Sister...

The fam...

We also got to see Ethan play basketball...things are getting a little more competitive the older he gets...

We also spent a lot of time with this cutie...

And we got to go to our first Tennessee game in four years!!!  

Jerry even dances during the games...

And we started a new tradition of making gingerbread houses!  I loved this!!!

Even the guys helped...

It was a Happy Thanksgiving indeed!  I'm so thankful for our time with family and friends!  We are so very blessed!