January Blessings

January is a great month because 2 of my favorite people have birthdays in January. You already know that Doneece's birthday was on the 5th and today is Ann's birthday. The way I see it is the Lord blessed me with 2 sisters. Ann may not be my blood sister, but she has always treated me like a sister.

Ann and I fought the same way that Doneece and I did when we were growing up. Actually, Ann probably taught me the correct way to fight with Doneece. Ann taught me lots of things and hopefully I have passed those things on to Doneece. Ann and I played a lot when we were growing up and even went on summer vacations together. By the time Ann was too old and cool to play with me, Doneece was the perfect age. I was the luckiest out of us 3 because I was in the middle.

I am extremely thankful to Ann for introducing me to my husband. Without Ann I would have probably never meet Jaime. I don't know where I would be without my Jaime and I don't really want to think about it. Thanks goodness Ann decided to go to law school.

Ann also gave me my first neice and nephew. When both Caroline and John were born I was able to go spend a week with Ann and just hang out. It gave me a chance to spend time with Ann and meet my sweet Caroline and John. Now those 2 kids have me wrapped around their little fingers. I can't wait for Ann to do the same for me and we will do it for Doneece one day.

I have had some unforgetable times with both of these girls. They mean the world to me!!! Happy Birthday Ann! I hope you have a great day and maybe get to blow out the candels on your own cake.

Adventures in Basketball

One day a few months ago Conner asked Jaime if he would coach him in basketball. Jaime of course agreed and now it is basketball season. David and Jamie are both coaching Conner's kindergarten team. Jaime says it is like "herding cats."

They started practicing 2 weeks ago. They practice on Wednesday nights. The following day Conner feel at school and broke his arm. He broke it right above the elbow and ended up having surgery. He is doing well and will have the pin taken out in a few weeks. Now Jaime is coaching a bunch of 6 year olds he doesn't know.

They are called the Little Rhinos. Don't ask because I don't know. The rest of the teams are the Little Bears, Little Spurs, Little Lions and so forth. I have never heard the rhino used as a mascot, but what do I know. The Little Rhinos had their first game on Saturday at 8am. No one asked me about starting that early.

It was so cute. They play on a lowered rim and don't dribble too much. They don't even keep score, but you know we did. Our team won. All the little kids did a great job and have great potential the be drafted in the NBA in about 13 years.

Poor Conner sat on the bench the entire game. I felt so sorry for him. I think he felt pretty sorry for himself as well. He said it was boring. I agree, sitting on the bench is boring. Only a few more weeks and he will be back in action.It was a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing the kids get better. The only problem is all the games are Saturday morning at 8. I might have to call and talk to the league about that.

Blogs, Blogs and More Blogs

Things are very slow here at the coffee shop. I mean very slow. I am starting to think we should have been closed for the holiday. We have had 5 customers so far this morning and it is almost 9am. Usually by now we have had 15-20 customers.

In the down time I have been catching up on blogs. I have about 20 that I check daily. Some are people that I know and others are friends of friends and some are people I don't even know. Today I found a new blog. It is Kelly at Kelly's Korner. Big Mama lead me to her and then I found another friend that reads her blog.

Kelly and her family are in need of some prayers right now. She just had a baby girl that is in the NICU and not doing very well. I also have another friend, Natalie, who needs prayers. Natalie and her family go to church with us and we are in Sunday School together. You can check both Kelly's and Natalie's blogs for updates on their families. Take a little time to pray for both of these families today.

I love finding new blogs! Jaime thinks it is weird that I read about people that I don't even know, but I really enjoy it. What is your favorite blog? Is there a blog out there that I should be reading? Let me know.

Tater Tot Casserole

I made Tater Tot Casserole again last night. It was just as good as the first time. I think this will be my new go to dish. It is super easy to make and the leftovers are great. Some of you asked for the recipe so here it is.

1 bag of Tater Tots
1 pound of Hamburger Meat
1 can of Ranch Style Beans
1 can of Spanish Rice
Shredded Cheese

Line baking dish with Tater Tots. Top with cooked hamburger meat. Next put a layer of shredded cheese. Drain can of Ranch Style Beans and mix with Spanish Rice. Layer mix of rice and beans on top of cheese. Top with cheese and then remaining Tater Tots.

I have messed with the recipe a little. Originally is said to bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, but mine was not even close to being warm after 30 minutes. Last night I baked it at 400 degrees and it took about 45 minutes. I think next time I will try and bake it at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. I guess you will have to find out what works best for you.

I was unable to find a can of Spanish Rice at my HEB, but I found Uncle Ben's Ready Serve Rice. It comes in a package and they have Spanish Rice. I used it and the recipe turned out fine. I also use about 2 cups worth of shredded cheddar cheese. For me, the more the cheese the better. FYI, I use an oval shaped Corningware dish. I have no idea what the dimensions are, but maybe it will help you out a little to know it is oval.

Good Luck with the recipe! Hope you enjoy it as much as Jaime and I. It has brought back a lot of good memories for the both of us.

Cotton Bowl Curse

It must be a curse because since I have been alive Texas Tech has been to the Cotton Bowl 3 times. They may or may not have been before I was born, but my brain is not large enough to keep up with stats from before I was born. In the 3 times we have been that I know of, we have never won.

I went with my parents in '95 to the Cotton Bowl and we lost. The only reason I know we went in '95 is because I have a Christmas ornament from the Cotton Bowl that says "Cotton Bowl '95" which Jaime broke this year, but was nice enough to glue back together. We will see if the "gorilla glue" can really with stand anything and hold the ornament together while being stored in the attic in South Texas.

Tech also went to the Cotton Bowl in 2005 which I don't remember at all. Unfortunately for me I do remember this years Cotton Bowl.

It all started out great. David and Wendee went with us to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl. It was all in my plan to get her hooked on college football. I did a great job packing snacks and drinks for our little tailgate party, which consisted of the 4 of us and Jaime (actually it was David, but who is really keeping up) even remembered to bring the washers.

We left the hotel early on the morning of the game in order to get a good parking spot and have time to tailgate. We ended up getting a great parking spot, perfect for tailgating. A great time was had by all at the tailgate.

After the tailgate it gets a little iffy. Basically the game was good when it was 14-0, but went down hill from there. Let me just say, we had a great time at the Cotton Bowl except for the whole football game part.

Doneece and Miguel finally made it to the game so that I had someone to cheer with. It didn't help us out, it just made us hotter. Who would of guessed it would be 85 degrees in January at a football game. Not me because I forgot sunscreen. Don't worry, the nice lady behind us (the one texting on her phone in the picture) let us have some of hers. Thank you nice lady behind us who gave us sunscreen.

I have checked the pre-season polls for next season and we are ranked 20th. I was shocked because we are losing a lot of key players. I guess we will have to wait until August to find out how good we are going to be. It is going to be a long 8 months.

Christmas Finale

I promise this is the last post about our Christmas. I know it is January 12th and I am still posting about Christmas, but that is how it is going to be. You can stop reading now if you are tired of hearing about Christmas. Believe me, I stopped reading this along time ago.

After a few days in Lubbock we headed to Corpus to see Jaime's family. We had a wonderful time with them and enjoyed being able to stay a few days and just hang out. Popsci was off work so Jaime and him were able to hang out a lot. We missed Popsci at Thanksgiving so it was nice that he was off work.

After a few days in Corpus we headed back home for a day. We spent New Year's Eve at our house with some of our closest friends. We have been spending New Year's Eve with them for the past 4 years. Hopefully the tradition continues forever.

We always have a nice dinner and then sit around and talk trying to make it till midnight. Some years are easier than others. This year I was ready for bed at about 8pm, but made it till midnight. After dinner we all sat outside by the fire and played washers.

Forgive poor Aliah for her hand sign. She doesn't know any better. She just knows it drives me crazy!!!It was a wonderful night. It was cold outside, but not too cold. He had wonderful evening with wonderful friends. Welcome 2009! I can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for those of us at the Nest.

I Was Wrong

I know I said that I would post everyday this week, but it just didn't workout for me. I had to work three days this week, which I know is not a lot for some of you. For me it is a ton especially since I have to be up at 4:30. By the time I get home and take care of things around the house it is time for dinner. Once I cook dinner I am ready to eat and go to bed.

This is how bad it is. There were two final football games on this week. Do you know how many I watched? None!!! I started both games, but didn't even make it close to the end of the game. This is very sad. I missed the final two games of the year and now have to wait till August for it to start again. I will be sad for a little while.

This week had been crazy busy, but lots has gotten done around here. Last weekend we got all the Christmas stuff taken down. That was my main goal. I was tired of it being up and ready for my house to go back to "normal."

Tuesday after work I ran a bunch of errands and went to workout. That never happens and I was very proud of myself. After working all I want to do is go home. The last thing on my mind it working out, but I did it and it wasn't that bad.

Wednesday was a day of chores at the house. I had a migraine that day so things got done very slowly, but they got done. The best part about Wednesday was making Tater Tot Casserole. It was always one of my favorite things grandma made growing up. It had been forever since I had it. It took a little long to cook, but I figured it out and next time it will be perfect. The meal turned out great. It was just like I remembered! I cried for a minute while eating. Grandma made it a lot and I loved it. She is to the point now that she doesn't remember making it. It made me very sad to think about all we have been through with her. From now on we will probably be eating Tater Tot Casserole once a week.

Yesterday was interesting. I woke up at 4:30 to go to work with a migraine hang over. My head didn't hurt like a migraine, but it didn't feel good. I made it through work okay, then on my way home Wendee called to tell me Conner broke his arm on the playground at school. Poor thing!!! He is having surgery this morning so please keep him in your prayers. He was excited about missing school, but not about surgery.

Jaime got a new T.V. for our bathroom for Christmas. He really wanted a T.V. in there so he could watch the financial news in the morning while he is getting ready. I know, it sounds like so much fun. Hopefully, I will not have to watch with him. Anyways, the cable man had to come and add a cable outlet in our bathroom yesterday. He was not very bright. I think he thought since I was a girl there was no way I knew what I was talking about. He must not know who raised me. He thought the motor for the jet bathtub was the cable. He then thought the sprinkler system was the cable. I continued telling him no and he would not believe me. I told him where the outlet needed to be mounted and he didn't believe me. Finally, he called another guy to come help him. He new guy completely understood everything right from the start and got it done. They did end up being here for 3 hours for a job that should have taken an hour. Oh well, it is done and the electrician is coming this weekend and the geek squad is coming on Tuesday. We should have a new T.V. in our bathroom by Wednesday morning for the financial news.

That is about it here at the the nest. I have more errands to run today and the plumber is coming at some point. I forgot to mention that the garbage disposal stopped working last night after dinner. Fun times! Hopefully next week I can finish up posting about Christmas and New Years, but don't hold your breath.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours. We had a wonderful Christmas in Lubbock with my family. We are so blessed to have family that loves us so much and takes care of us. We all received much more than anybody needs, but it was lots of fun.

We got up really early Christmas morning. We got up so early that I was afraid we might catch Santa still at the house. Fortunately, he had made his way out and on to the next house. We were over at Ann's by 7am and ready for the kids to see what Santa had brought them. They were both very good kids this year because Santa brought lots.

Both John and Caroline got horses and cowboy hats. Caroline decided a long time ago that she wanted a horse and Santa decided John needed a horse too so there would be no fighting over one horse. John also got a "big truck" which made his day.

After the kids did Santa and stockings we headed back to my parents house to open presents and eat breakfast. There were tons of presents under the tree. There looked like there was enough for about 5 families, but it was all for our family. We opened presents and then opened some more until there were finally none.

We were all famished after opening all the presents. My parents started cooking breakfast while the rest of us played with all of the new toys. The best present this year went to my sister's boyfriend. He got a Nerf Gun. It was a big hit with everyone. There were many wars before breakfast and after. There were even a few tears when he took the gun home with him. Let's just say Wal-Mart made a killing on Nerf Guns from our family. I believe 3 more Nerf Guns were purchased after Christmas.

We always have the same thing for breakfast on Christmas. We have breakfast tacos with eggs, bacon or sausage and cinnamon rolls. The grand kids have poached eggs made my grandma. I love Christmas breakfast. We always eat enough to last us till dinner.

Christmas afternoon was spent napping. After our early morning we all needed a nap to help us make it through the day. Christmas night Mom, Grandma, Doneece and I went to see "Marley and Me" while the boys went to see some action movie.

I can't say enough how wonderful Christmas was. We are so lucky to have the family we do and that we were able to spend time with them during this wonderful time of year. Thanks to all my family for everything.

Hello Again

So nice to see you again. It has been a very long time and I am sorry for that. I have been off work since the 22nd of December and have spent 3 nights at my house since then. We have been a little busy to say the least. Hopefully things will be back to normal now.

Since it has been so long since I have posted let's just pretend that today is Christmas Eve. We have to start somewhere. I have so much to tell and one post will not be enough so we will pretend that this week is Christmas Eve, Christmas, Christmas again and New Years. It will be so much fun.

Merry Christmas Eve! We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with my family. Jaime and I spent the morning wrapping up a few final Christmas purchases. I had a few more things I needed to get and Jaime hadn't even started shopping yet. He waits till the last minute to shop for every occasion. I always know he will be a little late coming home on my birthday because he has to stop at the mall. I guess all that really matters is he comes home and he always has a great present with him.

After wrapping up the shopping we stopped by to see the kids. They were so excited to see Jaime. He hadn't been around them yet so they had lots of fun playing. After a little play time it was back to the house to wrap the final presents. Thanks to my sister for wrapping all of Jaime's presents for him. He is challenged in the wrapping area.

Christmas Eve night was spent at my Aunt and Uncle's house. We had a wonderful Mexican dinner with margaritas. The food was from my favorite Mexican food restaurant in Lubbock. The food was great, but the company was better. Aunt Anita had a princess tent set up for Caroline and the kids and Jaime spent hours in the tent playing. They thought it was so fun to have Jaime playing with them in the tent. They all laughed and laughed and laughed.

As you can probably tell my favorite aunt has a twin sister who is my other favorite aunt. They are so much fun and the best aunts anyone could ever ask for. We had a great time and really enjoyed watching the kids open presents.

After dinner we headed to church. Christmas Eve services are my favorite part of Christmas. I love being there and really celebrating the reason for the season. I start crying when the church goes dark and the choir walks in holding candles singing O Come Emanuel. I can't help crying through most of the service.

It was a really wonderful Christmas Eve. Now it is time for bed so Santa can come visit us. Come back tomorrow to see what he brought us.

Back in real time. Happy Birthday Doneece!!! Thanks mom and dad for having another child so I had someone to fight with. Growing up wouldn't have been the same or as much fun without Doneece.