Have you started thinking about Christmas shopping?

I haven't started the shopping part yet, it's still a bit early as far as I'm concerned, but I already know what I'm going to get for my sisters. Gift giving gets more fun as we get older I think - maybe we appreciate the thought behind the gifts more than we have in the past, or maybe we've gotten better at picking things out for each other!

If I didn't know what to get them already, these are a few things I think they would love!



Cute gloves for Melissa. She lives in cold weather country now and would put them to great use!

(these are from J.Crew - love the pom-poms!!)









Unique vases and a cute apron for Paige. She has a fun style and these vases would look perfect in her room! She also loves to cook so the apron is a must.

(both from Anthropologie - one of my favorite places on Earth)







And a comfy, stylish sweater for Kellye. She has a really distinct style and this would be perfect!

(Victoria's Secret online)

Now if I can just narrow things down and pick something for Jared! Any ideas on good gifts for guys!?

Schrute Bucks for everyone

Thursday night = The Office. It is by far one of THE most hilarious shows I've ever seen - laugh out loud hilarious. It is one of the few shows that we watch religiously every week, we even rent the past seasons that we haven't seen to watch them, it's that good.

It took us a couple of episodes to get into it though. It's the kind of awkward humor that makes you almost feel sorry for the characters, like they're real people. But after a couple episodes I was totally hooked. Dwight is by far my favorite, and I'm so glad Pam and Jim are finally together!

Any other Office addicts out there?

When I grow up -

Or am I already grown up? I'm not sure what the age limit is but I'm assuming 25 is on the edge somewhere.

But when I grow up, I want to be an artist - and this online quiz confirms that I should be one! I want to do all kinds of art - painting (oil on canvas) is my main love, but I plan to add photography, pottery (yes I will have my own potter's wheel), and graphic design to my repertoire.

One thing's for sure - someday all our kids' friends will want to come to our house to play in my fantastic art room.

You Should Be an Artist

You are incredibly creative, spontaneous, and unique. No one can guess what you're going to do next, but it's usually something amazing. You can't deal with routine, rules, or structure. You're easily bored. As long as you are able to innovate and break the rules, you are extremely successful. You do best when you: - Can work by yourself - Can express your personality in your work Find out what you should be when you're grown up -

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

"That's why her hair is so big - it's full of secrets"

So I've discovered something great and I can no longer keep the greatness all to myself.


Problem - my hair has zero volume - ZIP! I think it's because my long hair weighs it down (makes sense right?) or it's just not thick enough.


I've tried tons of "volumizing" products, roundbrushed it to death, attempted to use velcro rollers numerous times, all with the same results. It looks great for about an hour and then comes the blahness.









Then I came across an article in Glamour talking about this product that works every time, for $5.99 I figured I would give it a shot - and boy am I glad that I did!

I'm pretty sure this is for old ladies who don't wash their hair regularly but hey, it works, so who cares! You just spray it into your roots (when your hair is dry), let it dry for a minute and then "fluff it" with your fingers, voila! Volume all day! I'm seriously in love with this stuff, no joke.

It goes on kind of powdery looking but goes away when you "fluff it" so no worries. I got some at Walgreens but I'm sure you can find it in just about any drugstore, just look for the old lady haircare section. Love it!

Welcome to the Neighborhood

This post is dedicated to our new neighbors. I especially enjoy that the beat of the music they play is amazingly emphasized by the rattling trunk. Welcome to the neighborhood fellas.


On a side note, I love this site - http://www.weblogcartoons.com/ . There are some pretty funny cartoons, like this one, that you can add to your blog for free!

Family Time

We are headed to Tyler this weekend for some time with the fam and a haircut!

With five girls in my family we've been to a lot of hair stylists - but Matt Pierce, who owns the Atelier Creek Salon in Tyler, is hands down the best there ever was - you heard me, THE BEST! So every 8 weeks or so I (happily) make the 160 mile trip for a little hair therapy.

Yea, I could probably try to find someone here in College Station but that would mean giving up the catch up chat session we always have - even if I'm 10 minutes late, our constant negotiations about how blonde I can go, being able to take my shoes off and grab a coke out of the mini fridge if I want one, not to mention the life lesson talks mixed in with how fabulous we think Cameron Diaz looks with dark hair. He's an amazing stylist, but I think I value being able to kick back for a couple hours and speak my mind more than anything. (I also love getting my hair washed by someone else, it feels so good!) So I'm glad to make the drive, and plan to keep making it till I'm out of driving range!

Here are some recent famliy pictures that Megan took of us that I absolutely love. I just think candid pictures just seem a little more refreshing and expressive than the standard family pose that everyone has hanging over their fireplace, but that's just me. Have a good weekend!!

On the back porch at my parent's house.

My sisters and I.

Boom Goes the Dynamite

Last weekend we had some people over to grill and watch some football, it was really fun! During the game I kept saying "and... boom goes the dynamite", but apparently no one knew what I was talking about - so we busted out the laptop during half time and laughed for a good while at this poor guy's expense.

I feel bad for him I really do, but when you think you had a really terrible day at work or really messed something up big - just be glad you aren't him!

(Hopefully this is an audition tape and not a live show, surely!)

Special thanks to Russell for showing me this way back in the day!