Never was there a story of more woe....

Than that of Juliet and her Romeo.


Another outstanding performance today by Texas Ballet Theater at Bass Hall. Season tickets to the ballet has turned out to be one of the best purchases I have made all year (well, last year). The sets, the costumes, the music, the DANCING....all amazing and captivating. I was once again..moved to tears. Originally this was to be a romantic date for me and my Charlie, but I totally forgot he was going to be away at the Olympics when I bought the tickets....so Sarah became my Valentine's date. She was great. She behaved so well, and was so good during the performance. I know the storyline was a little deep for her and sort of went right over her head, but I know she loved it anyway. She came home dancing in the living room for a good half hour, so it inspired her! What a wonderful afternoon with my Sarah!

Happy Valentine's Day

From My Sweets to yours.....

Happy Valentine's Day!

Vancouver 2010

It all starts tonight! I LOVE the Olympics!


I can't wait to watch the skating, the skiing, the ski jumping, the snowboarding, all of it! I especially love when they do the profiles on the athletes. I think their stories are always so interesting. I can't wait to see Team USA tonight sporting their Ralph Lauren in the Opening Ceremony. Go Team USA! My hubby has been there now for almost a week and I think we have gotten more snow here in Dallas than they have in Vancouver. I told him I would ship some up there if they get desperate! He is working at the bobsled venue.

If I was going, which I am not this time...I would have to have a pair of these. They are so cute and I have heard they are the hot item that everyone wants. Charlie wasn't sure what to bring back as a souvenir for the girls. I say these!

Snow Day #3

This morning I woke up at 4:30am and checked outside. The ground was already white. So I went back to bed, just knowing it was going to be a great morning to sleep in and a fun snow day with the girls. Our local ISD had other plans. They decided that it would be a good day to have everyone venture out into the 4+ inches of snow and therefore making the day a lot more stressful. SO normally I would have just the kept the girls home anyway...but I had to go to work. This was my first day watching the shop while my in-laws are on a buying trip to Europe. If they were still in town, I would have stayed home from the beginning.

But, in the end it all worked out. They cancelled school a little early. I got my kiddos, and we made it home safe. I did have to shovel snow for about 15-20 minutes to get my car in my garage, but I did it and got my workout in for the day! Go me! So we went inside and before you could say "It is great to be home", we were back out in the snow building this:



Here are some other pics from this frigid, snowy, stressful, but oh so beautiful day. It is still snowing almost 20 hours after it started. We are now up to about 9 inches. It is gorgeous! We get a real "for real" snow day tomorrow!

Valentine's Bingo

Here is yet another fun crafty thing I am doing this week. I love being the room mom for Sarah's class and one of my main duties is getting to help plan the 2 parties they get to have a year! So I successfully pitched the Bingo game idea to the teachers for the holiday party and they loved it. So much so, that they wanted me to create a Valentine's version of the game for the Valentine party! It is super easy to do....I just grab free clipart from the web and make a game board out of it and then mix the pictures around until I have enough that are different. I them cut out each picture and put it in a baggie, so the room mom's can "draw" the picture and announce it to the class. We will use conversation hearts as the game pieces! Super easy and the kids love it!

Full Valentine's Mode

That is what we are in at my house! It all started today. Sarah and I hand-made Valentine's for each child in her class and for her teacher. I have been dreaming of this day since I new I was going to have babies. I was just waiting for her to get old enough to really be able to make them herself. Store bought valentines can be cute, but can also be boring. They also don't capture the spirit of making something and doing it with love. So this year I vowed would be the year that we made them from scratch. What fun we had!

It took us about 2 hours to make 22 valentines.
What do you think?

Can you tell which is mine and which belongs to my six year-old?
I am not sure if she is really pretty craft for 6, or if I am not-really that crafty for 33.
They were not Martha, that is for sure, but we both liked them!

I love these with the "vintage" Holly Hobby valentines and paper doll valentines form the 50's. Thanks mom for saving all those!

Sarah loves doing arts and crafts and we both got inspiration from each other. What a fun afternoon.

The Valentine fun is just beginning. We still have a Valentine Bingo game and heart-shaped cookies to make for her party at school. I am in charge of her party at school being the room mom. They will decorate cookies, make visors, play a bingo game, and exchange their valentine's. Thankfully Lauren's daycare party is low-key and I am just taking apple slices for that. Our Valentine's week will be capped off with going to see Texas Ballet Theatre's rendition of Romeo and Juliet! Oh yeah..... and I will make the girls heart-shaped pancakes Sunday morning!

Times Ten Wine Cellar

Last night I had an Alpha Chi Omega alumnae wine tasting event at the Times Ten Wine Cellar in Ft. Worth. We got to sample 8 wines that are bottled under the Times Ten Wine Cellar label. They are all Texas wines and the vineyard is actually in Alpine, TX. That is west Texas for those that may not know. All of the ones we tried were very good and I will say she was very generous on the tasting portions. Probably too generous considering we were tasting so many. We tasted the following:

2008 Rose
2008 Sauvignon Blanc
2008 Chardonnay
2008 Gewurztraminer
2007 Grenache
2007 Cathedral Mountain Vineyard blend
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Petite Syrah

My favorites were the Chardonnay, Grenache, and the Petite Syrah. I actually bought a bottle of the Petite Syrah. I didn't really write down the notes she gave on them, but I do remember a few things. The Rose she said was good with Mexican food. The Grenache was good to have with pizza. The Cabernet Sauvignon was good to have at weddings because most people like it. The Petite Syrah is probably their best wine and most popular.


I highly recommend this place. It was very interesting to hear all about the vineyard and the wine business. I learned a little about different types of wine and it has a great atmosphere. They even have a party room that is very nice and would be perfect for small wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, or just any sort of private party. The tasting room was very nice and can be made private if you like. She said that you can find their wines mostly in Ft. Worth, but there are a few restaurants in Dallas that have it. The ones she mentioned in Ft. Worth that stand out to me are Reata and the new Tillman's Roadhouse. She even said Central Market would be carrying their wine soon.

So a very fun evening and a perfect little GNO!

Happy February

This time of year is not usually my favorite. It is cold, the scenery is gray and bleak, you have to lug around your coats everywhere, there aren't many places to go to get the kids out of the house, and the list goes on and on. At the top of my list (in Olympic years) is the fact that my husband leaves me for a whole month to go to some far off place to work. I was lucky enough to go with him to Torino back in 2006, but that was a treat!

Me at the Ladies Short Program. I literally got off my train after having traveled a day and half and went to the venue. Just in time!

Charlie and I in fair (and foggy) Verona after the Olympics were over.

Last time he did this it was Bejing, the time before that, Greece, and the list goes on and on. This is now his 6th Olympics to work and although I am glad it is just in Vancouver, he is still going to be gone for a month. So I have decided, that rather than wallow in pity for myself...I am going to make this month a great month. It is going to be a busy one. Here is what is on the calendar:
1.)I have some AXO alumnae commitments
2.) I am planning the Valentine's party for my daughter's Kindergarten class
3.) I am working (and holding down the fort) at Le Petit Hameau (my in-law's shop) while they go on a buying trip to Europe for 2 weeks
4.) I am going to try and get Sarah to all her activities, play dates, and birthday parties
5.) On Valentine's day, Sarah is going to go with me to see Romeo and Juliet at the Texas Ballet Theater. I know it is going to be a little deep for her, but maybe she will just focus on the costumes and the music and not ask a bunch of storyline questions!

So it will be busy. On top of all that, I am also going to try and start eating in a new way. In a nutshell, my new way is to be eating better. Not really a diet, but just to really think about what it is I am eating and if it is healthy for me. I am going to try some vegetarian recipes which is a little scary for me. I have this longing to be a vegetarian. Although I think it will never become a reality for me, I think it is the smartest eating habit. Not only is it the best for you, but it is good for our planet. I just have a hard time diving in to it b/c I am not a real big vegetable lover. So I am going to try some things. I am going to make myself try things like veggie burgers, recipes that call for soy milk instead of regular milk, and I am going to try to make a salad at home that really does taste like one I would get at a restaurant. I know to some, my ideas are very beginner, but that is what I am. I am taking those baby steps to healthier eating. If anyone reading this has any wonderful recipes to share with me, please pass along. I will tell you upfront, I am not a mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, or butternut squash lover, so recipes that don't revolve around those few things would be great!

If I make anything or try a new recipe that I have found that is super great, I will share! This is the perfect time to do this because my husband would be like "What are you making?", "We are having what tonight?", "I am not eating that!". This is my time while I am cooking for one to give it a test run.

My friend Holly over at 504 Main blogs about this type of thing from time to time, so check her blog out if you are interested, too. After reading her blog, I have been inspired to really search into this topic a little more.

Ate my last girl scout cookie last night. Looking forward to making "healthy" cookies instead!