Family field trip

Part of the kid's never ending supply of Christmas gifts included tickets for all of us to go and see a Texan's game.  Well all of us, but Paul.  He didn't want to go and sit high up (he missed out on a good time).  So the four of us got tickets and were excited to see our very first NFL game in person.  Not one single one of us had ever been to a  NFL game before, except Paul.  Maybe that's why he didn't want to go.....he had already been to one.

So.....here is the highlights of our special day. 

We left the house early, picked Cris up and headed to the lot where we would take the light rail train to the stadium.  We met a couple of Aaron's friends in the parking lot who were tailgating and hung out with them for awhile before making our way into the stadium.

And of course we needed a selfie to commemorate the event!

And we needed some action shots!

 

And we needed to document the celebration on the field for winning the game

and the AFC South Championship........go Texans!

 

And we needed a last parting shot as we left of all of us and the field. 

We really did have an amazing time at the game.

I love this picture of us!

 

We got home and loaded up the car to take Aaron and Shay to the airport so they could go back home.  Then all of us (including Paul) headed out to go eat dinner together.

 

We really had a great time while the kids were here and it was nice to spend time as a family and have fun together.  Can't wait until their next visit......we have already started making plans of what we want to do.

Hello from Houston!

It's a new year. 

I love how fresh it feels at the beginning of the year and how sick of it I am by the end of it.

Just here to share some of the things happening with us the past week.  Our house has been busy with having the company here.

We began Paul's birthday with a family field trip to the Escape Room.

Waiting outside in the lobby waiting to see if we could escape in time!

Success......with only 31 seconds to spare.  We can't tell you what it was like because we don't want to spoil the fun.  The group we worked with was from England and we really enjoyed playing with them.  Each person in our group contributed to the solving of all the puzzles to escape.

The courtyard where the escape room was so beautiful and decorated for Christmas. 

We asked out team mates to take a family picture of us.

Actually, we asked them to take a couple of them!  It was fun being all together and spending the day.  We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon having lunch, opening our Christmas presents and celebrating our Christmas, and taking a nap.  Then it was off to the Winter Lights at the horse track.

We had no idea what to expect, but when we got there......this was the entrance!

Had to stop and document the evening with the birthday boy.  It sure was cold that evening!

It truly was a spectacular place to walk around

Paul and Shay were "walking like Egyptians" in front of the Egypt display

Here are Paul and Shay getting hatched from dinosaur eggs

Here is me and my best friend making out in front of the sunflowers

I look drunk.  Trust me I'm not.  I didn't even have a drink that day.

After walking around the lights and the carnival for a couple of hours....we headed out to get a quick bite to eat for dinner and then off to bed.

I made a LOT of chimichangas for the family the night after Paul's birthday.  These were supposed to have been enjoyed on his birthday, but due to a late lunch and a late night enjoying the lights.....we postponed it.  Doesn't matter when we eat them......just as long as we eat them when we're all together.

Stocked up on an awesome online sale for my lotions and potions.  Also scored a 20% off discount with the help from my sister.  This ought to take care of us for awhile.

Getting to use one of my Christmas gift from Aaron & Shay.....they know my current obsession with license plate items.  Luckily, we had just taken a wonderful family picture to put in it.

I now got to hang up the calendar I made for Paul and I with pictures from all our exciting adventures in 2015.  I also made one for Aaron and Shay with their pictures to enjoy in their home.  It will be so much fun each month to look at the pictures and remember the memories that made them happen.

And last but not least, I got out the travel pouch that I'll be using next

weekend to hold all the $$$ I hope to be winning!

Tomorrow we will celebrate the last day of Aaron's visit with all of us going to the Texans game (except for Paul).  Our plan is to have dinner together.  I'm looking forward to it.

2015 was a wonderful year for us......cheers to an even greater 2016!

A peek at our Christmas

Our Christmas was very, very low-key.

We woke up Christmas morning to the usual.  Paul went to work.  I had to finish cleaning the house.

Paul went and picked up the kids at the airport about 6:30 and then after Cris' arrival....the festivities began.

It began with the decision as to what china we would be using this year.  The china Mary gave me many years ago (on the left) or Paul's grandmother's china which is very old (on the right).  I used a little of both.  Don't get to use them.....only a couple of times a year, but I really cherish both of these sets.

Dinner was on the stove cooking.  The feast would be pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and crescent rolls.

We also don't do dessert often....only special holidays.  I think the pumpkin cheesecake was a big hit!

And our little Christmas tree with the stockings and a couple of presents for the kids underneath it.  We have decided to open gifts on December 28th......not only to celebrate Christmas, but to celebrate Paul's birthday.  Plus it gives the kids a couple of extra days to get shopping and buy their gifts.

After staying up very late playing Milles Borne......it was time to call it a night. 

 

Oh how I enjoyed this quiet Christmas spent with my little family.

Fun times

This week has been filled with doing lots of fun stuff.

Not the typical boring, only working, kind of week

 

Got to blow off an afternoon and go with Paul out to the

Restaurant Depot to see how much stuff will fit in the new vehicle.

 

Not too bad.  We totally filled that thing up.  Love our new car!

And I just noticed that my little pony is in the picture too.

I've gotten to go out and get stocking stuffers.  I love doing that.  So much fun to find economical and fun things to put in their stockings.  Hope they enjoy it as much as I do.  I have pictures of what I put in each one of them, however.......don't want to post them and ruin a surprise for someone.

The stockings are stuffed and sitting by the fireplace.  Looks like we got Texas sized stockings this year.  Hope someone remembers to put something in mine (other than the stuff I already bought myself)

And we went out and splurged $1.94 on a Christmas tree. 

After all, you can't have Christmas without the tree!

 

 

How we spent our day

Isn't funny how some days don't turn out the way you originally plan them?

Today, for instance.  I have housecleaning, laundry, paperwork, meal planning, and last minute stocking stuffers to get.

Instead, we decided we needed to take the new vehicle into the dealer and get an extra key made for it.  It had to be programmed and was going to take about 3 hours.....so we were going to go to Academy and pick up some of those last minute stocking items.

But no.....didn't make it to Academy.  Instead, we had to take the 120 mile round trip out to Deer Park to pick up the ONLY motor in Houston so we could get the vent hood repaired today.  It broke yesterday and really needed to be fixed today.

However, the trip to Deer Park included big bridges and driving through the chemical plants.

  (photos courtesy of my-co pilot)

We did manage to sneak in a quick visit to Academy after running that errand and before we stopped at the dealership. 

Didn't get home until 4pm and then the rest of my day has been spent doing some of the important things that couldn't wait.

It might not have been the way we originally planned the day, but at least I got to hang out with the husband.  Doesn't matter what we're doing......I always seem to have a good time hanging out with him.

Fa la la la la la la la......bah humbug!

Can't believe it's almost the end of another year and another Christmas.  This house won't be celebrating much of a Christmas.  But at least I'll have my whole family here again this year.

When I look at it.....it seems to have whizzed by.  But then, when I stop and really think about it -- I remember all the amazing fun we've had this year.  I have also remembered all the hard work we've put in this year.

This picture sits in my bathroom and I look at it each morning and am thankful for the life that my husband works hard to provide for us.  I remember the fun that we had on this trip and all the other trips we are lucky enough to get to enjoy.  I smile when I look at my handsome husband, the guy that I was so blessed to have found.  I look at it and remind myself that I just need to get my butt in gear and work a little harder and the next fun adventure will be just around the corner.

 

And trust me........the next adventure is just around the corner!

Soup Adventure....Day 2, etc.

Part of our reasoning behind the soup adventure was so that we would stop eating such big and heavy meals at 10pm at night and then go to bed.  That's our life.  Can't change the dinner time very easily, so we are trying to change the diet.

If you think eating soup every night is easy.....it's not.  Lots of prep goes into every pot of soup.  But, we are eating home made food and not canned stuff.  Yay us!

Tonight's soup was:

Here's the final product......a creamy soup filled with potatoes, chicken, and egg noodles, and veggies

VERDICT:  Paul liked it.  Me not so much.  I personally like the other potato chicken soup I make.  Not sure if we'll keep this one or not.  However, the crusty bread that we ate on the side with it was delicious!

Now to change subjects.  We managed to get out last Saturday night to see a special band that was playing Led Zeppelin songs and there was no cover if you brought in an unwrapped toy.  This was the 3rd year that we have attended this event.  The music is always awesome.

We didn't get there until 10:30pm and the opening band was still playing.  We were shocked to see it was a band of 14 year old boys.......and they were amazing!  These kids have a bright future.

And to end this evening.....I want to give a shout out to my little sister who surprised me today with my birthday present arriving in the mail.  This beautiful evergreen wreath -- which promptly got hung on the front door.  Thank you Penny......it's beautiful!

What makes it even more special is that it will be the ONLY Christmas decoration we are hanging this year.  Bah humbug to us!  No decorations at the Gainor house this year due to too many other things going on and I just don't feel like getting it all out and then having to put it all away again.

Besides that.......I spent a whole evening helping this girl get her brand new Christmas tree and decorations up in New Mexico.