I'm sorry to report that Mother Nature rolled in about 2 hours 2 soon and we did not finish the patio. I know I promised pictures, however I am just too depressed at the moment. Well, and my fingers hurt so bad just typing that I can't handle much more.
So, here's the short story. We started our patio project Friday and began with no intentions of finishing. Well after 30 minutes in to the project, we discovered we were in WAYYYY over our heads, so hired 2 laborers to come help. Then Carlos showed up, and we were FLYING! We got excited and really ambitious and realized we could finish the project in 2 days. Day 2 started a little slower because we were actually laying the pavers, but by 6 p.m. we were soo close. We were basically down to all cuts. The sky started to get dark, but the doppler and the internet (why did we trust that??!?) told us we still had several hours.. LIAR! At 7:45 the light show began in the sky and regardless of how little we had left, we had to quit. AND, as icing on the cake, I was out attempting to pick up a tool (before I was summoned home due to bad weather) when the weather came and by the time I got home the patio was covered with blue tarp. So, no pictures of my "almost finished" patio. Sorry.
BUT, the silver lining is that it is EASTER, the day of the RISEN SAVIOR AND LORD! Rejoice! Have a blessed day... pictures to follow!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Our last big project inside!
Well folks, these last few weeks have been busy ones! For Caleb, he has had 2 huge mid-terms this last week that has kept him full-o-Starbucks and MIA at home! For me, it's just life... teaching, TAKS tests, cleaning house, laundry, cooking during the hours my husband is home, etc. On top of all that, we decided it was finally time to tackle the last big inside project to make this renovation complete! Here's the project in pictures...
The "Before" Shot of the Kitchen
The Supplies
The Trusty Assistant
The Tile Saw Extrodanaire!
The Grout Queen
The "After" Shot... Kinda!
Well there ya have it folks! We spent a year deliberating over what material to use on our backsplash. We contemplated all travertine (the stuff on top), and all glass (the stuff on bottom) and in the end decided to use both! We love the look and I think it is a perfect complement to the kitchen and the rest of the decor!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Portuguese Chicken
Well, if you know me, you know how much I LOOOOVE to cook. Cooking is an outlet for me, and is often a ministry. I know that may sound silly, but through the CARES apartment ministry and now through our involvement in our Bible Fellowship Group (glorified way to say "Sunday School") I have been able to cook and bless the lives of the people we "do life with" every day. With that said, I am never shy to share a recipe and feel like everyone else should eat and enjoy the food that I cook. And must I say that a lot of what I make is a knock-off/redo/fixup/my own spin of some recipe I learned from either Food Network or friends. All that to say that I want to share with you a new favorite recipe of all my friends. Really, no lie, this might possibly be the most wonderful tasting chicken to cross my lips. And I've had lots of chicken, people. AND it's super duper easy.
This chicken has a story too. I got this recipe from a co-worker of mine, Sue, who is from New Mexico. She got the recipe from a cookbook put together by a bunch of Portuguese women who migrated to NM (and no I don't know why....) with their families. These Portuguese women would have an annual dinner for the community where they would showcase their food, and from this was born the book where I got this delicious recipe! Please cook, eat, enjoy and share this recipe. I like it plain, in fajitas, in a salad, in tacos, quesadillas and just about any way you can eat chicken. Just please, don't over cook and dry out the meat. It will still be delicious, but you'll have to eat it all right then and there because it will be too dry to save and reheat later. Well, without further ado... the recipe.
Portuguese Chicken
-2 T paprika (I use Hungarian, but they all work)
-1 T salt
-1 tsp pepper
-1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, makes it spicy)
-2-3 crushed dried bay leaves
-2-3 minced fresh garlic cloves (not the jarred stuff, it doesn't taste the same)
-1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
-4 chicken breasts
Mix all the spices and olive oil together to form a paste. Brush the paste liberally on both sides of the chicken, let it marinade for at least 30 minutes and no more than 4 hours. Grill until done and enjoy! **You can also pan sear it or bake it in the oven, but it just isn't the same. It is still delicious, but it doesn't have that wonderful grill flavor.**
And if you love it please leave a comment not so I can toot my horn but so that people will really believe me when I say its one of the best, easy and delicious chicken recipes.
This chicken has a story too. I got this recipe from a co-worker of mine, Sue, who is from New Mexico. She got the recipe from a cookbook put together by a bunch of Portuguese women who migrated to NM (and no I don't know why....) with their families. These Portuguese women would have an annual dinner for the community where they would showcase their food, and from this was born the book where I got this delicious recipe! Please cook, eat, enjoy and share this recipe. I like it plain, in fajitas, in a salad, in tacos, quesadillas and just about any way you can eat chicken. Just please, don't over cook and dry out the meat. It will still be delicious, but you'll have to eat it all right then and there because it will be too dry to save and reheat later. Well, without further ado... the recipe.
Portuguese Chicken
-2 T paprika (I use Hungarian, but they all work)
-1 T salt
-1 tsp pepper
-1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, makes it spicy)
-2-3 crushed dried bay leaves
-2-3 minced fresh garlic cloves (not the jarred stuff, it doesn't taste the same)
-1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
-4 chicken breasts
Mix all the spices and olive oil together to form a paste. Brush the paste liberally on both sides of the chicken, let it marinade for at least 30 minutes and no more than 4 hours. Grill until done and enjoy! **You can also pan sear it or bake it in the oven, but it just isn't the same. It is still delicious, but it doesn't have that wonderful grill flavor.**
And if you love it please leave a comment not so I can toot my horn but so that people will really believe me when I say its one of the best, easy and delicious chicken recipes.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
It's been too long, friend.
Indeed it has been too long! I have just fallen off the map here in blog world. I have been so busy at home trying to keep up with life in general and just haven't placed this at the top of my list. I miss blogging, really. I know it sounds silly, but this is really an outlet for me. I have been told many times that I write a lot, and it's probably because I really enjoy it. I enjoy recapturing the memories we have made as a small and extended family, and reliving all of the fun times with friends. Well, I'm going to not do the last few months justice, but here are some pictures to capture what's been going on with the Morris family...
My family (Katie) doing the Turkey Trot, sans my mom, who had knee surgery and opted to tend to the turkey at home while we trotted.
At a Dallas Stars Game, something we love doing together... I think Grant and Abby came with us to this one!
Our First Christmas in our First Home!
We went to Northpark to see the Trains... Olivia and Papa are enjoying all the fun trains, and Olivia made Papa wear the hat she was supposed to wear.
Erin and Ben, he's more interested in the trains!
Once again, more interested in the trains. What a boy!
"Big D NYE"... it really stunk this year as compared to last. There must have been some sort of burn limit because the fireworks lasted about 2 minutes. But we had fun with friends!
Laura and me on NYE, freezing and trying to entertain the boys. We played 20 questions for about an hour and a half!
Valentines 2009- We decided to keep last years tradition, but rotate. Last year, Trog and Caleb sent Mendi and me on a Scavenger hunt. Well, with Mendi being preggo and on bed rest, she obviously couldn't scavenge. We added Shane and Laura to the equation and sent all the boys out for a "day-o-fun!" The girls stayed home and made Mendi's baby shower invitations and a delicious dinner for us to enjoy that night when we reunited!
Shane and Caleb playing the gee-tar at Guitar Center.
Trog on the drums, the hair makes him look legit.
Lunch at Chammps.
Rock climbing. They look whipped.
My Spiderman... apparently Caleb is pretty good at this!
The Spread we prepared for them. It was delicious!
So there ya have it. I will try to be better. Next post will probably be on the latest updates we've made to our house. It is one project after the next... but I love it! Stay tuned....
Sunday, February 22, 2009
HELP!
Ok people.. I'm trying to add a "scrapblog" (i.e. embed a html code) to the header of the blog, since it would be much cuter than the current state of the blog, however I am LOST! Any advice?!!??
P.S... Our wonderful Valentine's Day extravaganza to come!
P.S... Our wonderful Valentine's Day extravaganza to come!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
25 Random Things About Me!
Alright folks, I thought to myself that I didn't want to be one of "those" who wasted their time to write 25 things about myself and here I am (smile). I thought maybe I was too boring to think of 25 things or that I was too busy... haha, yea right. Well, currently I am ignoring the laundry so that I can entertain the few who are interested in knowing 25 random things about good little ol' me. Here goes:
1. I LOVE to grocery shop, especially at a fun place like Central Market. It is therapy for me and I have been caught before by my husband (on the phone people, Caleb doesn't do grocery stores!) aimlessly walking the aisles of that blessed stores when I have had a markedly long day at work.
2. When I grocery shop, I always go to at least two place to get everything I need. Bargains are TOP for me, so I keep the ads and divide my list into two categories, stuff that's cheaper at Sprouts and stuff that's cheaper at Kroger. Is that weird?!?
3. I have never had real stitches. I got stitches from getting my wisdom teeth out, but those don't count because they are a given.
4. I have to write with proper grammar when texting. And I use punctuation.
5. My husband and I love to travel. We've been married a little over 3 years and have been to Banff, Disneyworld, California and Mexico, London and Paris, Gulf Shores, New York City, Washington DC, Cruise to 6 islands in the S. Caribbean and soon to be the Mediterranean in August.
6. I think I've been the primary cook in every home I've ever lived in...
7. I might could never go to the movie theater again and be okay with it (but my husband would kill me).
8. I've had a colonoscopy before and I'm only 25.
9. I've also had melanomic (is that a word??) moles removed... and I'm only 25.
10. I always wonder if I should put 1 space or 2 between sentences when on FB and the blog.
11. I had the greatest college roommates anyone could imagine, and I love them as much now as I did when we lived together! And Becca's having a baby... YAY!!!
12. I love to read. Currently I am reading The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks.
13. I have a problem with always needing the TP roll to be paper-side up... Any top-rollers with me??
14. I think people who eat tomatoes like apples are disgusto. Why??
15. My husband and I gut-remodeled our first home in 5 1/2 months and love each other more than we did before. And never had a knock-down, drag-out fight in the process. Don't ask me about shopping for furniture though... it brings chills to my spine. Love you hun!
16. I have checked the spacing between every number and the wording for each of the first 15 random facts, it must be equal.
17. I'm now wondering if I'm a little OCD.
18. I work with special ed. elementary kiddos and love them! Now, it does make me a little obsessive and crazy about every detail to me have my own children, but I continue to cling to the fact that my God knows every detail about each of my future Morris babies before they have ever been formed.
19. I would love to cook or bake for a living one day. My sisters and I have always talked about it: Megan would own it because she would be rich, I would cook and Erin would let us boss her around. I love my sisters!!!
20. I think I got the best deal when I married Caleb. He is incredible, adventurous, God-fearing, and an amazing leader to my bossy butt. God knew I needed a man who would cause me to desire to submit because of his wisdom in leading our home.
21. I hate mail.. currently I have at least 3 various piles throughout my home that need to be addressed. Halleluiah that I don't have to do bills, I just need to file and trash all this annoying paper. I really would love to go paperless.
22. Owning a home really does mean endless projects. It is true people, don't think for a second that yours will be "different" and perfect just like you borrowed it from the bank for the next 30 years.
23. Once upon a time I wanted to be a lobbyist in Washington DC and go to law school and wear suits. I think I was crazy, because I sure do love my corduroy, tees and jean jackets!
24. I love to entertain and have people over.. and really I love it when people love my cooking. Is that selfish or just really hospitible (haha..)??
25. I would be lost and eternally miserable if it weren't for the saving grace of my Lord Jesus Christ. I think logically there is no other way to describe creation other than the miracle of a Creator, my Creator.
....and one more to show really that I might be OCD:
26. I went back and checked all the spacing on each number and corresponding sentences. 2 spaces people, 2 spaces.
1. I LOVE to grocery shop, especially at a fun place like Central Market. It is therapy for me and I have been caught before by my husband (on the phone people, Caleb doesn't do grocery stores!) aimlessly walking the aisles of that blessed stores when I have had a markedly long day at work.
2. When I grocery shop, I always go to at least two place to get everything I need. Bargains are TOP for me, so I keep the ads and divide my list into two categories, stuff that's cheaper at Sprouts and stuff that's cheaper at Kroger. Is that weird?!?
3. I have never had real stitches. I got stitches from getting my wisdom teeth out, but those don't count because they are a given.
4. I have to write with proper grammar when texting. And I use punctuation.
5. My husband and I love to travel. We've been married a little over 3 years and have been to Banff, Disneyworld, California and Mexico, London and Paris, Gulf Shores, New York City, Washington DC, Cruise to 6 islands in the S. Caribbean and soon to be the Mediterranean in August.
6. I think I've been the primary cook in every home I've ever lived in...
7. I might could never go to the movie theater again and be okay with it (but my husband would kill me).
8. I've had a colonoscopy before and I'm only 25.
9. I've also had melanomic (is that a word??) moles removed... and I'm only 25.
10. I always wonder if I should put 1 space or 2 between sentences when on FB and the blog.
11. I had the greatest college roommates anyone could imagine, and I love them as much now as I did when we lived together! And Becca's having a baby... YAY!!!
12. I love to read. Currently I am reading The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks.
13. I have a problem with always needing the TP roll to be paper-side up... Any top-rollers with me??
14. I think people who eat tomatoes like apples are disgusto. Why??
15. My husband and I gut-remodeled our first home in 5 1/2 months and love each other more than we did before. And never had a knock-down, drag-out fight in the process. Don't ask me about shopping for furniture though... it brings chills to my spine. Love you hun!
16. I have checked the spacing between every number and the wording for each of the first 15 random facts, it must be equal.
17. I'm now wondering if I'm a little OCD.
18. I work with special ed. elementary kiddos and love them! Now, it does make me a little obsessive and crazy about every detail to me have my own children, but I continue to cling to the fact that my God knows every detail about each of my future Morris babies before they have ever been formed.
19. I would love to cook or bake for a living one day. My sisters and I have always talked about it: Megan would own it because she would be rich, I would cook and Erin would let us boss her around. I love my sisters!!!
20. I think I got the best deal when I married Caleb. He is incredible, adventurous, God-fearing, and an amazing leader to my bossy butt. God knew I needed a man who would cause me to desire to submit because of his wisdom in leading our home.
21. I hate mail.. currently I have at least 3 various piles throughout my home that need to be addressed. Halleluiah that I don't have to do bills, I just need to file and trash all this annoying paper. I really would love to go paperless.
22. Owning a home really does mean endless projects. It is true people, don't think for a second that yours will be "different" and perfect just like you borrowed it from the bank for the next 30 years.
23. Once upon a time I wanted to be a lobbyist in Washington DC and go to law school and wear suits. I think I was crazy, because I sure do love my corduroy, tees and jean jackets!
24. I love to entertain and have people over.. and really I love it when people love my cooking. Is that selfish or just really hospitible (haha..)??
25. I would be lost and eternally miserable if it weren't for the saving grace of my Lord Jesus Christ. I think logically there is no other way to describe creation other than the miracle of a Creator, my Creator.
....and one more to show really that I might be OCD:
26. I went back and checked all the spacing on each number and corresponding sentences. 2 spaces people, 2 spaces.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Other Updates on Life Since November...
Well, here ya have it folks, an update on life from Thanksgiving to now! We celebrated Thanksgiving here at our very own first home, which was an absolute blast. As the Morris family, we decided long ago that even though we live in the same town as our families we would not share holidays... we didn't want to be the crazy people driving from house to house to appease everyone else and not have a good time for ourselves. Well, I must say that it is WONDERFUL. Not that we don't love all of our family, but it is great to be able to really focus all our energy on just one family per holiday and the time is really quality! So, Turkey day came and the Hayes family (Katie's side) all did the Turkey Trot, sans mom who just had knee surgery and was babysitting the turkey in the oven! The Trot was fun, crowded as always, and I am so proud of my hubby who ran the entire thing! Then we started gearing up for Christmas, decorating the outside of the house and wrapping presents galore! Right before Christmas we celebrated Megan's B-Day (Katie's sister who lives in NYC) by going down to the Bishop Arts District to a darling restaurant called Hatties! We had a wonderful, Christ-filled holiday with Caleb's family! I got my very first I-Pod, which was quite exciting, and got to go shopping for some cute clothes! Caleb got some much needed new clothes and a present that actually came in the mail today, a Blu-Ray player! Following Christmas, we celebrated New Years by going to the Stars game and sticking around for the Big D NYE. I must say that compared to last year, it was a MAJOR let-down... quite a stinker of a New Years. We did enjoy ourselves with Shane and Laura, though. Then we celebrated New Years Day by having Christmas with my (Katie's) family, and celebrating her dad's b-day! Our big present from my parents was a new grill, which we love!! Since New Years we have hit the ground running with work and school for Caleb. It is the busy time of year for Katie with TAKS and it seems to always be busy at work for Caleb, which we are very thankful for! I know it is late to say, but we hope you had a wonderful Christmas season and are waiting hopefully and enjoying all of the rich blessings God has in store for you and yours in 2009!
PS... Sorry for the lack of photos, I can't find my USB connector thingy for the camera!
PS... Sorry for the lack of photos, I can't find my USB connector thingy for the camera!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Surprise Anniversary Trip in November!
Soo overdue, but here ya go! My wonderful, sweet, amazing, thoughtful, etc. etc etc. husband TOTALLY surprised me with a trip to NYC for our 3rd anniversary in November!!!! I was shocked beyond words, literally, which if you know me, NEVER happens! I thought he was going to be in Oklahoma and that my sweet friend Laura was treating me to a massage, when my husband showed up on my front door step, blind-folded me and whisked me away. I was surprised that he was there, but thought nothing of a trip. I just thought we were going to dinner and maybe a Mavs or Stars game. It wasn't until we were in the airport parking lot, my husband put a book in my hand and told me to take the blind fold off that I realized we were going to New York, right then!! The book was a sight-seeing book, by the way (I thought when he put it in my hand that he had bought me some cheesy self-help marriage book-haha!). Soo... off we went to NYC, where we stayed with my sweet little sister Megan and her husband Will! Here's my photo-journal of the exciting long weekend!
St. Patrick's Cathedral
At Magnolia Bakery-where the "thing" for cupcakes began! I got the hummingbird, which was absolutely delish!
Caleb eating his cupcake and wishing he had ordered mine... YUM!!!
NBC Studio Tour.. We couldn't take any pictures inside, sorry folks! But I will tell you that we got to see SNL and the Today Show.
A view of the Today Show from the Plaza, sorry no Meredith or Matt inside.
At the airport, still shocked and unable to comprehend the reality of what we were doing!
St. Patrick's Cathedral
At Magnolia Bakery-where the "thing" for cupcakes began! I got the hummingbird, which was absolutely delish!
Caleb eating his cupcake and wishing he had ordered mine... YUM!!!
NBC Studio Tour.. We couldn't take any pictures inside, sorry folks! But I will tell you that we got to see SNL and the Today Show.
A view of the Today Show from the Plaza, sorry no Meredith or Matt inside.Times Square.
Morgan Stanley, where the big-wigs like my little sister work!
Us in Times Square, chaos.
Us having a fabulous italian dinner before my husband's second best surprise, tickets to WICKED!!!
Central Park, my favorite.
More CP.
NYC American Museum of Natural History, where Ross works.
Amazing exhibit, this looks totally real but it's fake. I swear.
Another fake exhibit. Amazing.
A dinosaur.
Dino bones. Cool.
CP and the City from the Museum. 
Us eating pizza for lunch. I think we had NY pizza every day for lunch. My husband loves me for that.
Grand Central Station... it's a really cool place. AND it's really close to Bryant Park, which I adore.
More hubub in GCS. Gotta love those stranger-taken blurry pics.
Bryant Park. darling! We just people watched, my feet hurt because my husband packed all the wrong shoes. I forgave him and bought some new ones.
Us in Bryant Park.
Cooking dinner with the Davis' (my little sis and her hubby). There apt is soo cute! We used the apple peeler Megan bought that day and made curly fries.
Our delicious dinner. My sis has become such a homemaker- I'm proud!
A view of the city from CP at night. Megan and Will live less than a block from CP on the Upper West Side, so fabulous! We walked around for 2-3 hours that night just enjoying ourselves!
Now, where was that again?
Sisters!
Cool sky.
Upper West Side.
Bridge in CP.
Fountain in CP.
Us in CP. LOVE IT!!
Bentley, he loves me. He's Megan and Will's cat.
Us in Times Square, chaos.
Us having a fabulous italian dinner before my husband's second best surprise, tickets to WICKED!!!Wicked!
Inside Wicked!
Central Park, my favorite.
More CP.
NYC American Museum of Natural History, where Ross works.
Amazing exhibit, this looks totally real but it's fake. I swear.
Another fake exhibit. Amazing.
A dinosaur.
Dino bones. Cool.
CP and the City from the Museum. Us eating pizza for lunch. I think we had NY pizza every day for lunch. My husband loves me for that.
Grand Central Station... it's a really cool place. AND it's really close to Bryant Park, which I adore.
More hubub in GCS. Gotta love those stranger-taken blurry pics.
Bryant Park. darling! We just people watched, my feet hurt because my husband packed all the wrong shoes. I forgave him and bought some new ones.
Us in Bryant Park.
Cooking dinner with the Davis' (my little sis and her hubby). There apt is soo cute! We used the apple peeler Megan bought that day and made curly fries.
Our delicious dinner. My sis has become such a homemaker- I'm proud!
A view of the city from CP at night. Megan and Will live less than a block from CP on the Upper West Side, so fabulous! We walked around for 2-3 hours that night just enjoying ourselves!
Now, where was that again?
Sisters!
Cool sky.
Upper West Side.
Bridge in CP.
Fountain in CP.
Us in CP. LOVE IT!!
Bentley, he loves me. He's Megan and Will's cat.
Wall Street.
Must include my favorite New Yorker, Rachel Ray!! That's about as close as I got.
Watching the Aggies lose (probably, can't say for sure...) at the NY A&M Club.
More of the same. We got shirts, so we are legit.
Empire State Building
OHHH delicious... Best meal of the week, hands down. Pastis in the Meatpacking District.
Davis Family
Morris Family.
Pictures of the tickets to the show we never saw. Lets just say Radio City Music Hall is extremely selfish and decided to cancel the show because they didn't sell enough tickets and thought they could ruin the dreams of little boys and girls everywhere. Oh well.
Chelsea Market, where Food Network shops! Can you tell I love food and Food Network?
Chelsea Market Wall Paintings
The Oreo Sandwich.
Chelsea Market was really cool. Yummy food shops and cute food boutiques!
Me, wishing I lived close to Chelsea Market.
Our consolation prize, a tour of Radio City Music Hall. This is an insanely expensive Swarovski Crystal Chandelier.
Inside Radio City. It's really cool.
With a Rockette.
Costumes through the years at Radio City.
The classic toy soldier costume.
More of the chandelier.
Outside RCMH.
Beautiful CP during the day. Can you tell we loved it?
Must include my favorite New Yorker, Rachel Ray!! That's about as close as I got.
Watching the Aggies lose (probably, can't say for sure...) at the NY A&M Club.
More of the same. We got shirts, so we are legit.
Empire State Building
OHHH delicious... Best meal of the week, hands down. Pastis in the Meatpacking District.
Davis Family
Morris Family.
Pictures of the tickets to the show we never saw. Lets just say Radio City Music Hall is extremely selfish and decided to cancel the show because they didn't sell enough tickets and thought they could ruin the dreams of little boys and girls everywhere. Oh well.
Chelsea Market, where Food Network shops! Can you tell I love food and Food Network?
Chelsea Market Wall Paintings
The Oreo Sandwich.
Chelsea Market was really cool. Yummy food shops and cute food boutiques!
Me, wishing I lived close to Chelsea Market.
Our consolation prize, a tour of Radio City Music Hall. This is an insanely expensive Swarovski Crystal Chandelier.
Inside Radio City. It's really cool.
With a Rockette.
Costumes through the years at Radio City.
The classic toy soldier costume.
More of the chandelier.
Outside RCMH.
Beautiful CP during the day. Can you tell we loved it?Us in CP again.
The subway.
Sad to leave. Back to reality.
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