Master Bedroom Renovation - COMPLETE!!!

We've been in our home for 2 years and one month and one week now and LOVE IT! We have a beautiful subdivision, great neighbors and a lovely home. We've added our touches to different areas since purchasing, but our bedroom was the "next big thing" on our list of plans. (pool next?!?!)

Anyway, it started with needing new bedroom furniture. We had been using a beautiful set from my youth - solid wood and in great condition - but it was time to trade up a little. :) I blogged previously about it, but we settled on Bassett furniture and I (we) do love it! We also put Plantation Shutters throughout the front of the house and wow they look great!!! (baby steps for the entire house - ouch $$$!)

So now - what to do with the walls? Here were some of our color choices:

 We decided to go with Behr Ultra in Vast Desert on top and bottom and keep our white chip chair rail / mouldings.

 Oh - one more color palette to check out - the dark chocolate was pretty - but would have drowned out the beautiful color of our bedroom suite.

 So for the past few weeks we have been working on getting the room painted and the BIG accent wall stenciled. Stenciling was Robert's idea and I. LOVE. IT! So finally, after getting after it all day yesterday and reinforcements (i.e. Robert) coming in yesterday afternoon - our bedroom make over is COMPLETE and it's BE-U-TEE-FUL!

The stenciled wall and the plantation shutters. Love!

 Our new bed (still looking for bedding....but in no rush!). The stained glass piece I did a year ago really stands out even more now!

 Looking towards the master bath.

 Happy 10th birthday to Miss Sophie!!!! We love you, baby girl!

 And one more look, with the Mr. relaxing.

I was physically and even mentally exhausted yesterday. We rewarded ourselves with grilled T-bones and some Michelob Ultra. Well worth it!!!

Oh Canada!

Howdy friends -

I'm on a quick trip up to Calgary for some meetings and I have to say - the weather's been GREAT so far. I had a lovely dinner last night at Milestone's out on the patio. Looking forward to something similar tonight as well!

The flight was terrible - economy class for 4 hours is NOT FUN! :( Yes, I'm spoiled, but really - the seats are incredibly tight. Hence a neck ache, headache and everything else! :)

Good news is - I'll be back home in time for some crawfish, beer and hopefully some DANCING!!!

Have a great week!



Our 2nd Anniversary Day

As usual, our anniversary day was full of stuff -- like work. And baseball. But we made the most of it!

Robert and I were able to meet up for lunch and he showed up with these beauties! A lot of flowers that we used in our wedding arrangements - hydrangea's, spider mum's, vendellum roses, curly willow. He's so thoughtful and pays a LOT of attention to the DETAILS! :-)

 They are gorgeous and smell amazing!

We went to lunch near my office, to Cantina Laredo. I haven't been there in YEARS, and it was still pretty tasty! 

Matt had a 5:45pm baseball game which they ended up LOSING. :( It looked like it was their first time to play baseball. Darnit!

When I got home I was surprised by these beauties!

We then headed to Koto for some fabulous sushi. Koto is special to us because it's our favorite sushi place in Houston AND it's where one of our first meals together came from. Robert brought it over shortly after I moved into my own apartment. We weren't dating yet, but I guess you could say he was courting me. :-) Two months later we started dating!

He gave me a beautiful card that made me laugh out loud and then cry. It was a GREAT Anniversary day! xoxo

Two years ago today I.....

married my best guy friend! :-) And I'm so happy he's put up with me for the last 730 days and that I've managed to put up with him all this time too! ha ha

The journey of marriage is fun, exciting, hard, frustrating and even shocking. I mean who knew you could really grow to love someone more every day than the day before? And who knew that the first year or so can be so hard? I mean, didn't you know that person inside and out before you moved in together or got engaged or walked down the aisle or whatever the case may be.

With all that aside, I love waking up next to him. I love knowing I've got someone to talk to, b*tch at or with, laugh with, travel with, and simply to love.

And a marriage isn't just the two of us, it's the family and friends that surround us and support us every day.

It's the parents that unwillingly and unquestionably love us.

 It's the 14 bridesmaids and groomsmen that stood by us.

It's our sisters and brothers that keep us grounded and will kick anyone's a$$ if we need them to!

It's the friends that we laugh with. (who shook you all night long????!!!)

It's to being showered with love and best wishes, and even rice!!!

It's all those things and a whole lot more! So thank you to everyone in my life that loves me, even if it's just a little, because you're loved and acknowledged in return a lot!

 



And a Shiner wedding just isn't the same without the Hobo Band!







Here's to Happily Ever After, babe and 730,000 more days together......

You're "old" now too Jenny Lynn!

:) So my 'middle' sister Jenny turned 30 on April 11th and I was GLAD to welcome her into her 30's as she so lovingly gives me grief for being "old" ALL THE TIME! :) Especially around March 13.

Robert, Matthew and I were able to make it down to Wharton and meet up with my parents. Mom brought up some of my 30th birthday party decorations, so she and I hung a few around Jenny & Nick's house! :)

There's the birthday girl - looking beautiful as always. She's carrying baby Hudson, so couldn't celebrate with libations just yet!

We then headed down to El Campo for a birthday dinner celebration at Greek Brothers.  The food (steak night!) was excellent and the service very good!

 Mom made a yummy red velvet cake for dessert. Jenny was also sung Happy Birthday by the duo on stage. Turned out the kid was one of Nick's students from his Boling High School teaching days!

Happy Birthday Jen! Love you loads!  

2012 Garden Update

I have to say our garden is looking good! Although I'm a little worried about my tomato plants - I think they should be looking greener and healthier. They may be in need of some Miracle Grow. They do have flowers on them and two have tomatoes already hanging!

Our strawberries have caught on nicely! (they were transplants from our old garden to the new one) One plant is going to give us a nice picking, based on the number of blooms it has!

The zucchini and cucumbers have tons of flowers on them. Our snap peas are 6 to 8 inches tall already!!! (those were grown from seeds!)

Robert saw our first potato plant yesterday -- YAY! Even that is success enough for me since I've never grown a potato before! I remember picking them in Mamo and Papo's garden, though.

Spinach, green onions, carrots have all sprouted!

The bell and jalepeno peppers each have a bud and some of the bells are already 3 inches+ and growing!

And our corn - it's come up just how I'd hoped and right now is near a foot tall!

My garden makes me happy!!! I love mother nature!

The baby's here!!!!

So it's 1:36 a.m. on Friday, April 6th 2012 and I am in dreamland and DANGIT, my alarm goes off. I KNEW I cut it off the night before because I consciously made the effort to cut it off so I could sleep in and OMG it can't be 5:30 already, but wait - it's my phone, and it's RINGING! And it's my mom saying Jill is at 7cm and the baby is coming today! Holy Good Friday!! The baby is coming!

Welcome to the world, Maxwell Edwin McDonald. You arrived at 11:05 a.m. and are so-loved. I'm an Auntie again!!!

Here's our little 'glow worm'... weighed in at 5 lbs 4 oz and 19 inches long. He's a tiny boy!

Here's a close up of this cutie while his Auntie Mo was holding him! No one knew whether it was a boy or girl ..... or so we thought. Jill and Thomas knew from week 12!!! I was wondering how Jill would be able to NOT find out....and then how in the heck did she keep the secret?!

And this is him, one day old stretched out in his crib at the hospital. Jill and Thomas were able to take little Max home on Sunday. All is well. The Easter bunny did good for the Chumchal family this year!

And here is Max with his Auntie Mo. And if' you're wondering, Auntie Mo comes from my nickname, Jamo. :) I was introduced to Brody as Auntie Mo, and now that he's talking up a storm it's Mo Mo, but I SWEAR ONE DAY that 2nd "Mo" will be dropped! :) It's cute! He's such a sweetie!

So Max -  let's get this straight now - It's Auntie Mo & Uncle Bert!

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Ingenuity and Ignorance and Genius!

Let me start out by saying this post is soley based on the observations and opinions of me, myself and I. Enjoy some of the sights around Houston I've witnessed within the last 18 months. :)

I classify this one as IGNORANCE. I mean who is going to forget their Dr. Pepper on the back of the truck? That's sacrilege! Yummy DP! This one is DEFINITELY classed as GENIUS! It's awesome. (as is the man driving the cooler!) This one I will reserve the classifcation, but still think it's funny! :)

IGNORANCE at it's best. Don't see what I mean? Then look at the NEXT picture. *sigh*

What is WRONG with some people?! Whatever were they thinking? Not to mention this is breaking so many laws. You NEVER put the forks facing out. Could you imagine if someone rear ended this truck? BAD NEWS, jack!

Hmmm - ingenuity, perhaps? (yes, that's adults in there!)

Ingenuity. Nope, that's not Matt and his friend breaking into someone's yard, it's them going across into his friends yard rather than walking around the street. LOL

Ignorance? Ingenuity? Tough call..... (ladder out the window cruising down I-10)

And last, but certainly not least, taken on Sunday April 1st (this is no april-fool's here, folks). It's a guy who is cruising down I-10 with his back glass and back hatch strapped down with bungee cords and oh yeah, his back window is a piece of plexi-glass. Certainly falls under Ingenious!

What did you do this weekend?

This is what I did:

Houston's Mighty Mud Dash 5K!!!!

I claim that I was peer-pressured into it, but in the end, it was a good time. MUDDY, but good! Bethany, Elaine, Liz and I descended upon the course at 9 a.m. and we finished in 50, yes FIFTY minutes! That's not bad, especially considering that some of us are more out of shape than others. (i.e. myself)

Here's our BEFORE picture:
I was very pleased, I have to say. I have been working out since February, however I have not run a long(ish) distance since last September, so for me to finish WITH OBSTACLES in about a 15 minute mile - that was a big accomplishment!

I'm so proud of myself, I may just go do it again, but withOUT the obstacles! :)

Here's our AFTER picture: (just as funny as the before)