What I've Been Up To...

Soup

Last week I had a few days off before Thanksgiving. My friend, Amy M, recently blogged about making homemade soup and freezing the soup in individual serving sizes for later. I LOVE this idea. I’ve done it before but with my crazy work schedule (the past 2 years), I haven’t had much time. In the past, I've used Tupperware containers for freezing soup. Amy has a much better idea.

Amy suggested using freezer bags. She said, “Simply put the desired amount in a baggy, let the air out, and seal it. Then lay the baggies on a cookie sheet inside your freezer so they can freeze lying flat. After they are frozen stack them up and store them (standing up) in a small basket.”

GREAT idea! I made 4 pots of soup, Chicken Gumbo, Shrimp Etouffee, Corn Chowder, and Turkey Chili. I also made labels for my soup baggies. Clearly, I know what is what; I just love labels. :) I followed Amy’s directions for freezing and storing and here’s the result. Yay… I’m so excited. This will be perfect for nights I arrive home late and the hundreds of days I don’t feel like cooking.

NYC

I’ve been planning outfits for my NYC trip. It's all about the outfits and photo opportunities. I'm just kidding but not really. :) My sister and I used to pack this way for summer camp. One year the camp sent letters home saying, "Camp is not a fashion show. Your kids don't need to change outfits twice a day." Whatever, I despise being told what to wear. One year my district manager purchased polo shirts with our company logo on the pocket. He asked us to wear them to a meeting, I didn't wear it, not happening! Anyhoo...

I can’t wait for NYC this year. My sister and I put together a tentative itinerary. Our itinerary is so great; I get the chills when I think about it. We love to be anal and organized. You can check out my other anal itinerary for Danielle’s visit to San Antonio here.

Day Outfits~ Unfortunately, I'll have to wear a coat because it will be cold.

Night Outfits

Christmas Decorating

I decorated the townhouse for Christmas on Saturday and Sunday. Yikes, it’s a lot of work. I’ll post more on this subject later.

Hope y’all are having a Happy Monday.

P.S. Don't forget to enter my skincare giveaway. It's ending tomorrow at midnight.

San Antonio River Parade, Thank You, & New Blog Design

San Antonio River Parade

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Besides my boredom issues on Thanksgiving Day, I had a nice weekend. Friday night I went out with my brother, Jarrett, his girlfriend, Kate, and Dr. Mark. We had a great Italian dinner on the Riverwalk and watched the Christmas Parade on the river.

If you're not familiar with San Antonio, there is a mall that wraps around one end of the Riverwalk. My sister designed the mall Christmas decorations. Aren't they great?

Thank You

I've received a few blog awards. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Be sure to check out these fabulous blogs...

Thank you Shoshanah at From L.A. to LA for the Dragon Loyalty Award.

Thank you, Mrs. MFC for the Fabulous Sugar Doll Award.

Thank you Angela & Danielle for the Happy 101 Award. I’m supposed to list 10 things that make me happy...

My Faith
Family
My New Church in San Antonio
Old Friends
New Friends, especially my blog friends
Chinese Kids~ they’re SO stinkin’ cute
Upgrades to First Class
My Niece, Daisy the Maltese
Vacation
Pink Christmas Decorations

New Blog Design

Thanks to the very talented Danielle at The Design Girl for my new Christmas look. As always, I LOVE my new look. If you’re looking for a Christmas look, head over to The Design Girl. Her custom designs are amazing. You can also purchase a CUTE Christmas pre-made template. For the next week, if you purchase a pre-made template and mention “Peeptoe Jill”, you’ll receive the design for only $20.00!

Thanksgiving Day

I hope y’all are having a nice Thanksgiving Day. We’re having a nice day but honestly, I think Thanksgiving is a bit boring. We eat, the guys watch football, and we sit because there’s not much to do and all the stores are closed. Cry, Cry.

So, I decided to make a craft this year after Thanksgiving lunch. I purchased a pattern and several fabrics to make a shopping tote. I cut out the fabric pieces and realized I’m missing a couple important supplies (webbing and interfacing, huh?). Unfortunately, it’s the most boring day of the year and the stores are closed. Hmmm...

Fabric for Totes

I don’t want to be a total Thanksgiving Scrooge. I am thankful for many things this year...

~I’m thankful for my family, Mom, Dad, Pawpaw, Mawmaw, Jenn, Ryan, Jarrett, and Daisy.

Photo from today~ Jenn, Ryan, & Daisy couldn't join us but they hit the seafood buffet in Iowa.

~I’m thankful for my IRL friends, my blog friends and the new blog friends I’ve met in person this year. This year I got to meet Angela, Amy M. and Tippa. Last year I got to meet Danielle, Jessica, and Kate.

~It’s hard to believe that a year ago I had no intention of moving to San Antonio. In one day, April 16th, I started thinking about moving and by the end of the day I had 95% decided I was moving. I’m so thankful the opportunity to move presented itself and I’m here.

~I’m thankful that after 11 years and tons of layoffs, including a major layoff this year, I’m still with my company. Although Corporate America can be a pain, at the end of the day I’m a “company girl."

~I’m thankful for my visual merchandising job.

~I’m thankful for my new church.

~Last but not least, I’m thankful for the guy a Ford that volunteered to wash my filthy car yesterday.

There's No Place Like Home

I’m SO happy! Since I moved to San Antonio in June, I don’t have to travel for the Holidays! YAY! I grew up an hour outside of Houston. My parents moved to San Antonio in 2000 because they wanted to retire in here. Ever since I left for college at age 18, I’ve been traveling for the holidays. Even though a few years my trip was an hour, it counts. ;) I’m so beyond happy this year! For the record, I live about 20 mintues from my parents NOT with them.

Today I’m making a Sweet Potato Pecan Pie and Asparagus Casserole. Both are new recipes for me; I’ll let y’all know how they turn out. Also, I have to stop by the Godiva store to purchase and ship Christmas gifts to my visual merchandising customers and my car is in the shop. The A.C. and Heater stopped working. Poor car, I drive it too much. It's only a year old and has almost 30,000 miles. I hope my car is ready today because the rental car is junky but I’m thankful for it.

Hope y'all are having a Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Giveaway and Perricone Discount

I have to confess, I’m obsessed with skincare and looking young. Don't even get me started on the sun and tanning. :) So, I’m extremely excited about this giveaway. I’m partnering with Perricone MD to offer y’all a chance to win a jar of Perricone MD Cold Plasma, a $150 value.

“Cold Plasma is a universal skin care product; suited for anyone, no matter how old your skin is, what your skin type is, or whether you’re male or female.” This product addresses the 10 most visible signs of aging... firmness, elasticity, clarity, radiance, smoothness, texture, redness, blotchiness, fine lines & wrinkles, and dryness. Wow~ Cold Plasma covers everything!

Wouldn't it be great to try this product for free? Also, it would also make a GREAT Christmas gift or stocking stuffer!



Perricone MD is a US based company created by well known clinical and research dermatologist (my favorite kind of doctor) Dr. Nicholas Perricone. He has developed an award winning line of skin care products and supplements based on his research and experience. To learn more about Perricone MD and receive your Perricone Discount, you can visit the Perricone website.

Rules:

1. This giveaway is only open to US readers

2. 1 entry- Leave a comment on this post

3. 2 entries- Leave a comment on this post and become follower of my blog. If you’re already a follower let me know.

4. 3 entries- Leave a comment on this post, follow my blog, and post about the giveaway on your blog.

5. The Perricone MD giveaway will end December 1 at midnight.

Nashville~ Part 2

Saturday morning we slept late, which is always my vote! Amy M. is such a wonderful and gracious hostess. She made yummy tea biscuits for breakfast on Saturday morning. When Danielle and I arrived at Amy’s house on Thursday night Amy had gifts for us. She’s sweet!

Cute Christmas Towel, Tennessee Christmas Ornament, Plum Purple (so in right now) Makeup Bag, Lip Gloss, & Candy


Saturday we started the day at Sonic. Danielle had never had a Sonic drink. Every time we’re talking on the phone, I’m ordering a Route 44 Diet Coke. Amy and I took Danielle to experience her first Route 44 Diet Coke. Of course, she loved it!

Next Amy took us to the country. She grew up in a beautiful home on the most amazing land. We walked around and took tons of photos.

This is my favorite photo from the country. I hope Amy doesn't kill me for posting it. This is her Grandmaw's backyard. Every Saturday her Grandmaw washes her undies and hangs them to dry. That so cute!

Saturday afternoon we headed to the city and met Tippa. She’s great and she has a Maltese! We walked around Music Row, had a good dinner, and took a horse and carriage ride. It was so fun! I love Nashville. I would live in Nashville in a heartbeat!

Carrie Underwood signing autographs in a bookstore. She's so pretty!

I Heart Nashville!

Last night I arrived in Nashville! I love this place. I met Danielle at the airport and we headed to Amy's house. Amy is so sweet, soft spoken, and so calm. Danielle and I are definitely not calm. :)

Today we shopped all day! Amy took us to some cute local shops and we headed to the annual Christmas Village.

Excited about The Christmas Village

I ran into some old friends from my church in Sugar Land. They moved to Nashville 5 years ago. I love it when these things happen.

We sampled and purchased the famous Tennessee T-Cakes

Can't pass up the photo opportunities on the way out

Tonight we're relaxing, baking Pumpkin Bread, & watching Love Actually, which I actually don't love. Amy doesn't love it either but it's one of Danielle's favorites. So the question is... Do you love Love Actually? Please take my poll in the sidebar.

I Love this Show

I usually stick to girly (trashy) television shows. Last year I was hanging out at my friend Lindsay’s house. She had Curb Your Enthusiasm on the TV. I was hooked. I couldn’t break away from the show, which is extremely unusual. When I watch TV 99% of the time I’m doing something else like playing on the computer, doing an expense report, looking through a magazine, painting my nails, etc...

Curb is so interesting, random, and funny. The problem is I’m too cheap to pay for HBO. It just doesn’t make sense when I spend at least half the week in hotel rooms. I’ve caught a few episodes in hotel rooms but not enough.

This is sketchy and I probably shouldn’t even write it. A couple weeks ago I had a dream I was making out with the main character in Curb. Yes, that would be the guy in the photo above. YIKES! I promise he’s not my type or what I’m looking for. I just really love this show.

Last week I purchased Season 1 and I love it. Do y’all watch Curb? What show is not your typical show but you completely love it?

P.S. Guess what, I just heard that Curb will be airing on the TV Guide Network starting February 2010.

Flatware & Gross

Flatware~

Thanks for the advice on the flatware. I don’t know why this is such a hard decision for me. My decision has been between #1, the Dover and #3, the Louisiana. I’ve been leaning toward the Louisiana pattern. I like the girly, vintage look.

#1, The Dover

#3, The Louisiana

My BFF, Tiffany, has advised me to purchase all the girly household items while I’m single. Someday when I get married (not that I’m dating anyone right now), I can say “Well, I already have this set and it wasn’t cheap so we might as well keep it unless you want to buy a new one.” I really hope Tiffany’s husband does not read my blog. Bless him, after they were married he moved into her house. It is the girly-girl house! They have a pale pink master bedroom and a pale pink master bath.

I still haven't made my final decision on the flatware. I'd like to see and touch both patterns before deciding. I'll let y'all know what I pick.

Gross~

Saturday night I went to a festival with my friend Shelly. The festival is called Wurstfest and it’s held in New Braunfels, about a 30 minute drive from San Antonio. I wasn’t exactly sure what Wurstfest had to offer but I love a good festival.

Oh my, it was the last weekend of the festival and it was packed. I haven’t experienced a crowd like this since the early 90’s when my family went to Disney World on July 4th. There was a lot of sausage, beer, and drunken people. I probably won’t go back next year; it’s just not my scene. I like a place with atmosphere, fancy (local) food, and good wine.

I was shocked and disgusted when I saw a vendor selling this...

Yep, Chicken Fried BACON

GROSS!!! I’ll admit, a chicken fried steak tastes good. However, I haven’t ordered a chicken fried steak since 1994. I was in college and went to Chili’s one night with a few friends; Amy S. was there that night. Amy S., I'm sure you don't remember this. I have such a random memory. I can't remember important things, like the things I've learned in my history classes over the years but I remember the last time I ate a chicken fried steak. Anyway, the chicken fried steak in 1994 tasted delicious but I felt very sick after eating it. I haven’t had one since but Chicken Fried BACON. You might as well glue it to my butt and thighs.

Oh.. gotta run the 2 hour special event Keeping up with the Kardashians- The Wedding just started. Hope y'all had a great weekend.

Advice??

Clearly, I’ve in a blogging slump the last 2 weeks! Lately I spend over 50% of my life in a car (my own or a rental), the airport, the airport runway, on an airplane, or at work! I haven’t had much to write about. However, there is one little project I’ve been working on... everyday flatware!!!

Since I’m in my 30’s and I only have 3 dinner forks, I have been researching flatware patterns. I think it’s time to have a grown up set and more than 3 dinner forks. Although, I have enjoyed telling people over the years that most of my friends registered by age 30 and I still have THREE dinner forks. Anyway, I’ve narrowed my search down to 2 patterns. I’m definitely leaning toward one pattern more than the other.

Since y'all have such great taste, I’d like to hear your opinions on the flatware. Even though I’ve narrowed my decision to 2 patterns, I’m posting 3. One of the 3 patterns has never been in the running. Which flatware pattern do you like the best? Can you guess which one I like the best? Which one do you think was never an option for me?

Here are a few clues to my style... Pictures of my dinnerware & my Grandmother's vintage Silverware that I love & borrow on occasion...

Option #1- Dover

Option #2- Sheraton

Option #3- Louisiana

New Find

I received a $20 gift certificate from the Vera Bradley store for my birthday. I was supposed to use it during my birthday month, October. Surprise, Surprise, I had no time in October to use the gift card.

Yesterday after church I ran into Vera B. and nicely asked the sales associate if I could use the gift card a day late. She let me! Yay!

Tons of new items have arrived at the Vera B. store since I was last in. I was happy and it was so hard to narrow my decision down. I picked up these super cute wine bottle labels. The package comes with 6 bottle labels and 6 gift tags. The Vera B. sales associate told me the labels are great if you're giving a bottle of wine as a gift. She also suggested using the labels on your wine bottles if you're hosting a dinner party, especially if you're serving cheap wine. Ha Ha... great idea!



I also picked up a cute clipboard to use while I decorate windows at the mall and airport. Speaking of windows, I just finished the Christmas windows at the airport. In addition to working on the windows 7 hours last week, I worked on the windows Saturday afternoon and didn't finish until Saturday night. I missed a Halloween party. I was kinda sad because I love costumes. Oh well, maybe next time.

Does anyone else love the new show Leave It To Lamas? Shayne is so funny; I want to be her IRL friend. ;)