Team Francks

Things that make me happy today...

1.  It's been raining and raining and raining.  I looooooooooooooooove the rain!

2.  This weekend is National Scrapbook Day.  Lots of fun stuff planned.  Our church is putting on a big scrapbooking event.  I'm super excited!  I'll also have a NSD freebie on my scrapbook blog on Saturday.

3.  Raisin Bran

4.  Having American Idol recorded so I can fast forward through the highly obnoxious Jamie Foxx performance.  ugh.

5.  A cute baby boy who has learned how to get up on all fours but can't figure out how to go forward or backwards so he just stays on all fours and rocks back and forth.  Its beyond cute!

What makes you happy today???

My Texas Baby...

Having a baby in Texas was totally worth it be able to take these kind of pictures!  Can you stand the cuteness?? 

Little man and I spent this afternoon frolicking through the bluebonnets... I loooooooooove this picture so much... its going to be big big big and hang in my dining room... I have a bunch more that I'll post later and I might find a different favorite but for right now this is the winner!

P.S.  I really wanted to take a cute bare bum picture of him on a blanket in all the flowers... but his daddy would have had my hide... sometimes you just have to pick your battles :)

Pretend you're on an island vacation...

Here's a new recipe I tried this week and its a new favorite.  It's soooo fun and tropically.

pina colada punch

This is very simple and very tasty drink, but make it the night before your party, so that it's really slushy!

1 frozen pineapple juice, make as directions on the can

1 quart bottle Pina Colada Mixer (found in the alcohol section... I believe most are non-alcoholic mixers)

1 2-liter bottle 7-up or Sprite

Mix the juice in a gallon size ice-cream bucket or large plastic bowl. Add the Pina Colada mixer and mix well. Put in the freezer for several hours until completely frozen. An hour before serving, place the frozen mix in punch bowl and pour the 7-up over top, breaking up the frozen juice mix. (We usually add another two liter of 7-up about half way through the night. It's still very pina colady.) Enjoy!

 

 

Picture "borrowed" from Sentiments from my Kitchen

 

Download Pina colada punch

1 frozen pineapple juice, make as directions on the can

1 quart bottle Pina Colada Mixer (found in the alcohol section... I believe most are non-alcoholic mixers)

1 2-liter bottle 7-up or Sprite

Mix the juice in a gallon size ice-cream bucket or large plastic bowl. Add the Pina Colada mixer and mix well. Put in the freezer for several hours until completely frozen. An hour before serving, place the frozen mix in punch bowl and pour the 7-up over top, breaking up the frozen juice mix. (We usually add another two liter of 7-up about half way through the night. It's still very pina colady.) Enjoy!

 

 

Picture "borrowed" from Sentiments from my Kitchen

 

Download Pina colada punch

midweek musings...

1.  I want to finish our vacation recap...later.

2.  I'm so not in to American Idol this year.  I know.  I'm the minority.  I still watch it faithfully every week but I'm just not loving it... I don't feel connected to anyone and i really don't care who wins.  So why am I still watching it?  Who knows.  Last season just rocked.

3.  Little buddy had his six month check up yesterday... 19lbs, 27 3/4 inches... still a tall baby.  He's so pleasant and wonderful and growing like crazy.  His new thing is scooting everywhere... everywhere.  Heaven help me when he starts crawling.  Our Dr. also thought his first tooth would be in within the next two weeks... its right on the surface and she said any time now.

4. I tried out for another scrapbooking design team... I honestly didn't think I would make it... but I did... and I'm thrilled.  But I'm also done.  No more design teams.  Two is my max.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to have my big toe back in the industry...

5.  I need a new laptop... so we've been saving for awhile and I think hopefully in the next month or so we can get me a new one... but my husband is determined that I'm getting a Mac this time.  I don't want a Mac.  I don't see myself as a Mac kind of girl.  But my husband is a Mac kind of guy... he's been a fan long before Mac's were cool.  Do I really need to switch?  I know my way around a PC.  I just don't see the need to change.  So if you're a Mac person WHY do I need one?  Ugh.

6.  Paula Abdul claps so weird.  It looks like a seal.  But I like her.  She has a tender heart.  And the world needs people who have tender hearts.

7. Spring is here.  And so are the Bluebonnets.  And they are fabulously beautiful.  And this weekend little buddy is getting his pictures taken in them. I know its so the tacky Texas thing to do.  But... when In Texas do as the Texans do. 

8. Things are bad at my husbands job right now.  I hope his co-workers don't read this.  They laid off some people and people are getting salary cuts.  Its so stressful right now. Stupid economy.

9.  \We're doing major cut backs.  We're getting rid of our cable... netflix... we're cutting back on the minutes on our cell phone (we both have to have them for work)... we've already made cut backs on entertainment and extra's.  It hurts but I hope that it will be a good thing for us.

10.  I need to go wash clothes that are covered in sand.

Ciao.

Monday: New Orleans

Monday was the day we dreaded all week... the end of vacation...

We flew in and out of New Orleans and drove over to Gulf Shores (Thank you Southwest for $39 tickets!)

We looooooooooooooooooooove New Orleans... when we lived in Louisiana we went on a fairly regular basis... we had lots of visitors and they all  wanted to see New Orleans so it was a regular stop on the tour.

We haven't been since we moved and we had a couple of hours in between leaving Alabama and our flight so we stopped for a couple to see a few of our favorite places.

First on the stop was Cafe Du Monde... famous for their beignets and coffee (or in our case hot chocolate)... I love the people watching, the outdoor musicians, the yummy food and the pigeons everywhere.  It was sooo fun to be back.

Next on to the French Market where you can buy anything... masks, alligator heads, voo-doo dolls... anything your little heart desires.

Sites of the French Quarter... I love all the balconies.. all the architecture... so beautiful...

 

And we ended the tour with a quick trip to Bourbon street looking for a Louisiana flag but we didn't find what we were looking for.

 

Sadly we ran out of time and didn't get any pictures at Jackson Square... my other favorite place.

It was a quick visit but a perfect way to end our trip... Laissez le bons temps rouler!

And a couple of my other favorite pictures of the day...

 

We got home at almost midnight... its always fun to go and see but always so nice to come home!

Saturday Adventures

We spent the morning at the pool (but the water was a bit too cold to enjoy).

The afternoon touring Fort Morgan (a big deal during the war of 1812 and Civil War).

Watching the pretty dolphins in the bay.

Eating the best fried shrimp ever.

It was a very good day indeed.

Fort Morgan:

My attempt at getting pictures of the dolphins... as you can see it didn't go so well:

Fabulous day!  sad the days are flying by so fast!

My favorite picture of the day...

Is there anything cuter than baby toes in sand?  I think not.

Oh and we're in Gulf Shores, AL... soooo much fun..... more on that later.

wish you were here

We skipped town for a little bit of work and hopefully a lot of fun... be back soon!

Easter and the not so fun weekend

When I imagined our first Easter as a family of three it was the fun weekend we had planned, church on Sunday in matching outfits for the boys, Easter dinner with friends and reflecting on the true meaning of Easter with lots of fun mixed in.

It was NOT:

Me getting sick with the flu Friday night and throwing up all day Saturday

Sleeping all day Saturday and Sunday... missing a party, dinner with friends and church.

An Easter dinner that consisted of soup for me and frozen pizza for Joey

The Easter bunny finally making an appearance Sunday night right before little buddy went to bed

Little man dressed in this very creative outfit by his daddy... including his striped orange kangaroo shirt, red and blue floral shorts and blue socks

I guess all you can do is laugh and be glad there's a next year!

Plus I was already feeling homesick when I read my sister blog and saw the pictures of the big Easter Egg hunt my mom had at her house yesterday for my nieces and nephews complete with bunny invitations and personalized stuff animals for each grandchild.  Sigh...

But all in all the meaning and what the day represents is still there despite my less than stellar weekend.

I hope your day was nice, your dinner yummy and your Easter meaningful. 

 

p.s. He is way too young to be giving me this kind of look when I'm trying to take his picture... 16, maybe... 6 months, no.... makes me laugh.

Happy Easter

President Gordon B. Hinckley on the Miracle of the Resurrection

“Here was the greatest miracle of human history. Earlier He had told them, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life’ (John 11:25). But they had not understood. Now they knew. He had died in misery and pain and loneliness. Now, on the third day, He arose in power and beauty and life, the first fruits of all who slept, the assurance for men of all ages that ‘as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive’ (1
Corinthians 15:22).

“On Calvary He was the dying Jesus. From the tomb He emerged the Living Christ. The cross had been the bitter fruit of Judas’s betrayal, the summary of Peter’s denial. The empty tomb
now became the testimony of His divinity, the assurance of eternal life, the answer to Job’s unanswered question: ‘If a man die, shall he live again?’ (Job 14:14).”

It’s such a glorious day in which we celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Happy Easter!