Tailgating Shower

This past weekend Joe and I had a fantastic time at our first wedding shower and it was a blast! The fun event was hosted by my aunts and uncles Elvera, Dot and Dan, Marilyn and Carson, Flora and Tommy, my cousins Kristin and Jared, and dear friends Rodney and Jerri. It was a Tailgating shower which is really fitting for me and Joe.

The shower was super fun but it was kind of bizzaro in that I have not had a party centered totally around me since my high school graduation party, and before that my 8th grade birthday dance (and that was even shared with several other girls). We had family from my moms side, dad's side, Joe's family, friends and we were really the only connection for everyone being there. It takes some getting used to.

The event was held at Marilyn and Carson's new house and was decorated so well.

There were lots of outside games for everyone to play and I have to say my cousin Blaine and I completely dominated the bean bag toss.

Later we opened gifts and were amazed by all the wonderful things our friends and family had gotten us. We are truly blessed to have wonderful people in our lives that support and love us.

While every gift we got is appreciated I want to point out one thing I got from my Grandma. As many of you know I am obsessed with pretty antique glass pieces; my Grandma also loves this glass and has gathered an assortment of it. One piece of hers that I have always loved is a bright green bubble glass pitcher and matching glasses. She got this piece from a friend a while back and has lovingly taken care of it and displayed it throughout the years. At the shower I was incredibly honored because she passed the piece along to me and will cherish it in the future. Thanks Grandma, I love you!

Again, I want to thank everything that was able to attend the shower, we had a wonderful time and appreciate your coming and spending time with us.

The wedding is approaching REALLY fast - 149 days to go, WOW! Get ready for a party!

Celebration Sunday

I love my church, Ark Family Church. It is an incredible blessing to have a church home in Conroe where I feel comfortable and am challenged and inspired by on a regular basis. I never expected to find myself in a church like the Ark - its huge. Golf carts offer rides to the front door every morning, there is a book store AND a coffee shop on the first floor. The church brings in famous singers and authors on a regular basis. Needless to say, the Ark is pretty different then what I grew up attending.

Joe and I both grew up in small churches and started looking for a church home after I moved to Conroe a couple years ago. We went to several different churches found one that we both enjoyed. Then some friends from work recommended that we try out the Ark. Joe and I were pretty skeptical but agreed that we wanted to check it out. The band was phenomenal. The preacher and his wife seemed nice. I liked it already... THEN in the middle of the sermon, Pastor Clayton showed a clip from The Office (one of my favorite TV shows ever). With Michael Scott's smiling face on screen, I knew I had found my new church home. Since the first service we attended, Joe and I have found ourselves more and more happy with the Ark and have seen our spiritual lives grow as a result.

All that being said, the purpose of this post is not just to gush over my church. Its to let you know about a super cool event that the church is having this coming Sunday (Oct. 24). Its Celebration Sunday and singer Chris August will perform at both the 9:30 and 11:15.

At 11:30 the outdoor events begin. There will be tons of inflatable bounce houses for kids, rides, a climbing rock wall, yummy food (including funnel cakes), and much much more. At the Celebration Sunday this past spring I was blown away by all the fun activities available for kids.

I HIGHLY recommend attending if you have kids that can walk but aren't old enough to drive. Its a great event for the entire family.

A Bo-Hot Ending to the Summer

A couple weekends back the Bo-Hots got together for a trip to Rockport - it was the perfect ending for short summer season. My mom and aunt Marilyn (their name from home is Borchgardt, pronounced bo-heart), along with me, my cousin Kristin and sister Megan really had the best time all weekend.

We kicked off the road trip at Marilyns were we each got our matching, and branded, cups for the weekend. A couple orange juice, bloody marys and mimosa's later we were ready to go.

Destination: Rockport, Texas.

Tools: Drinking Making Station

Several laughs, stories, and wedding planning later we had arrived. After a quick stop by a local boutique/ gift shop to buy hats and look at shoes we headed to our home for the weekend.

Unfortunately mom, who was in charge of coordinating our accommodations, forgot to jot down the condo number. Thankfully she knew it ended in a 7... or a 3... or something like that. Kristin was in charge figuring out which condo it actually was. That consisted of walking up to the random condos, trying out the key and running back to the big blue van when the key didn't work. After several tries we found it.

We were fortunate enough to stay in a fantastic condo on the bay side of Rockport, complete with a beautiful view.

We quickly got settled, changed into bathing suites, filled up the cooler, made the drink of the day, and headed to the water. While we did not have sand, or even steps, we could use to slowly get into the water, we did have floats to lounge on, a rope to connect us to the pier, and of course a cooler filled with iced down drinks.

Time passed by and beer passed through us as we stayed in the water for HOURS. It was a blast spending time with everyone without distractions or to-do lists. That being said, being in the water presented us with a few problems.

First, kids being pulled by boats next to us shouted out that we needed to watch out for an alligator that was in the area. This especially concerned Kristin who would jump anytime a foot accidentally hit the bottom of her float. Thankfully we did not have any encounters with alligators or other animals over the weekend.

Second, the cooler was on the pier (which was about 2 feet - at least - above water level) and there was not a ladder leading up to the pier. This meant in order to get a new drink we (usually me) had to balance ourselves just right on the float, while doing a half pull up and half stretching as far as humanly possible. Then we had to feel around the cooler for a bottle - most of which were laying flat rather than straight up and down. Not only that but there were different types of beers so we had find the particular flavor of choice for the person who needed a refill. Despite our challenges with the cooler, we didn't seem to have too many problems almost completely emptying it. This directly leads to our third, and largest challenge.

We all got in the water by jumping off the pier with the exception of Marilyn, who found a ramp type thing. The ramp was covered in seaweed and really slippery so she placed the float on the ramp, sat on the float and pushed off the ramp. The slipperiness came in handy when getting into the water. However once the cooler was empty we needed to get out of the water. Without stairs or a functioning ladder we were left with the option of pulling ourselves up on the pier or using the ramp which was so handy when getting in the water. Kristin and Meggo pulled themselves up and mom, Marilyn and I (wanting to be helpful and provide a push from behind) went to the ramp. Marilyn slipped once or twice attempted to get up but made it to the top of the ramp first. Mom was next. We had a few more problems because unlike Marilyn who started on the edge of the ramp and used the pier to support herself, Mom started in the center of ramp where there was absolutely nothing but slippy slime to grasp onto. Finally mom got out and it was my turn. My sweet sister came to give me a hand but without a grip (besides her hand) I ended up pulling her into the water with me. I am not sure why at this point we didn't say "hey, its hard to get out here lets just pull ourselves onto the pier", but it honestly did not cross our - or at least my - mind.

At this point everyone was laughing so hard and loud that a nice man from the pool (which was at least 100 feet away) ran over to make sure we were ok. So nice and gentlemanly. After assuring him we were all ok in the best of health he left and I started to help Megan get out, the same way I did with Marilyn and mom. First time Megan slipped like the rest of us and we all dissolved into laughs. Unfortunately on the second try, when I pushed Megan, her foot slammed into the wood post and she got a huge splinter in the big toe and the toe nail on her... umm... pointer (?) toe split in half. Mom, Marilyn, and Kristin had no idea we had an injury so they continued laughing. After convincing them we really needed help, they pulled Meggo out, and I climbed onto the pier. Kristin played doctor (she is one in real life too) and Megan, ever the trooper, limped with us to the pool to rinse off.

So a book later, you know the three major challenges we faced as we floated in the gulf. The 1 minor challenge was take a group picture of all of us while we were in the water. I only bring this one up because it was The Picture of the weekend and still makes us laugh when we talk about it. FYI this took place prior to the ramp incident. The plan was I would get out set the camera up on a post on the pier, position everyone so they would be the shot, set the timer for 10 seconds (the max amount of time), and run and fast as I can down our ramp, over and to the end of the ramp the group was tied to. I would jump in and pop up in just enough time for the camera to go off. Apparently the rest of the group did not fully comprehend the plan because between my running and jumping in they bust out laughing and stopped looking at the camera. Way to go team. Nevertheless, we got a great, fun shot of the group.

After a quick dip in the pool (and the rescuing of a chair by mom) we decided we would get cleaned up, head to Crab-N for dinner then come back to the condo for a night a games. Dinner was fantastic - the crab cakes were to die for - so much so that we got like 8 orders to go so we could freeze them and bring them home with us). Megan, who hates fish, actually ate, and enjoyed, raw oysters. Way to go Megan! Kristin had the genius idea that we should order a bottle of wine to have with dinner. I agreed to split one with her because a bottle of wine was absolutely necessary after mimosas, the drink of the day, and more beers and we could count. Thanks Kristin.

Back at the condo we had a blast playing catch phrase (Megan and I dominated), and Bananagrams, a super fun game mom taught us.

The next morning I think most of us had flu like symptoms so we started slow with breakfast and a few games of bananas. Megan got hit hard with allergies so she decided to take a nap and the rest of us headed to the pool with our new, fruity, drink of the day. Mom and Marilyn enjoyed relaxing in the water and setting up competitions for Kristin and I to participate in. We did synchronized swimming, handstands, breath holding, and every other type of activity they could think of. Once Megan joined us we had a diving competition that seemed to last for 2 hours. Finally we decided we would head back to get cleaned up, get dinner and go out to a local bar.

Once we were ready to go, Krisitin, Marilyn, and mom surprised me a Megan with pretty princessy veils and told us that night would be our pre-bachelorette party. The veil was so fun and pretty and fun to wear and it was so thoughtful of them to make them for us.

First stop was Moon Dogs for dinner. They had the best calamari that I think I have ever had.

After dinner it was time to go out and get the party started. We went to Alice Fays on the Bay- this is the same place that provided us with a bus ride home after Kristin bachelorette party a couple years ago.

The night started out slow but picked up pretty quickly. Not to be boastful but I've got to say that the Bo-Hots were unquestionably the life of the party - and the dance floor! It was a SUPER fun night and set the standard really high when it comes time for the actually bachelorette party. Mom, Marilyn, and Kristin, thank you all so much for the night, it was a BLAST!!!

Sunday come too quickly and none of us were eager to leave. We slowly packed up our things, played a few games of Bananagrams and made the treck back to Brenham.

The entire weekend was a blast and is sure to be an annual trip for all of us.

Passed Along Plants - Thank You!

If you have spent very much time with me you know that I love good deals, buying things cheap, and most of all, free stuff. I go to garage sales, I coupon regularly, and I happily and thankfully accept passed along items from my mom... grandma... and others....

The plants in my yard are no exception to this rule. When I first moved into the house I eagerly accepted plants from friends and family. Some have withered away but others have thrived. One thing I did not expect with these passed along plants is the happiness and memories that they bring me. These plants are so much more meaningful to me because they did not come from Home Depot and cost me $4.39 a pot. They absorbed the character of their previous home and remind me of their past owners/stories when I water/prune/weed around them.

This post is in honor and thanks to those of you who have shared with me these green vessels of life. At one point you dug a hole for them, planted them, and showered them with love. Then you decided it had gotten to big, you had to many, or you just wanted to share and you dug it out, repotted it, and passed it along to me. I thank you. There is no way I would have bought the variety of plants that I have today from Lowes.

My very first passed along plants came thanks to Hurricane Ike and Joe and his dad. In Joe's parent's neighborhood, 2 young trees were uprooted from the neighbors yard. With their (the neighbors) okay, Joe's dad loaded them up along and headed north to Conroe. At least 2 weeks before I moved in, before the water was turned on, and final papers were signed on the house I had my first two trees. One died, the other has survived to become the funny shaped tree. I cut the other tree down, attached a birdhouse to it and it became home to baby birds. I am thankful.

A couple months after moving in, my mailman told me about someone on his route that was completely redoing their yard. I got the lady's phone number and made plans to help pull out plants the following weekend. I got monkey grass, elephant ears, firebush, some shrubs, and more. Today the firebush is very popular with butterflies and hummingbirds. Speaking of the mailman, Stephen, he gave me a truckload of monkey grass, baby herbs, a tree, and little magnolia plant. Best mailman ever? I think so!

My aunt Marilyn gave me a beautiful rose bush (which by the way is the best looking thing in the yard in the springtime) and some bulbs. I love them! She also helped me pull some plants out of Kristin's yard when Kristin first moved in (Kristin gave us the ok). Marilyn's thoughtfulness is on display in each flowerbed around the house.

Dorothy Maurer gave me some bulbs the same day I picked up my baby rabbits from Doug Maurer. They are a very generous family indeed. My uncle Jimmy sent me some 1 foot tall oaks that were sprouting in his yard. All but one died but the one that lived is not taller than me! (also is this picture is the cut down tree with the bird house and the firebush).

Joe's dad pulled me a flowering vine that has truly exploded. The purple flowers look really cool too... Thank you!

Finally, my mom constantly gives me plants that have really made a huge difference in my flower beds. I love the variety I have gotten from her. Everytime I go home (to Brenham) I take a walk around the house to see what new plants can take a bit of. Thanks Mom, I love you!

There are 3 points to this story. The first is to thank you for sharing your plants with me. I love them, and I think of and appreciate you as I water them and await their blooms. The other is if you have blooms to spare I will gladly make a home for them in my yard! And finally, if you have plants to share with others share them. This passing along of a little piece of you is a gift that keeps giving and it lasts longer than the jelly of the month club.

Back to Normal

Several months ago at Aprilfest, some of you may have noticed that my very sweet, very pretty, very black and brown rottweiler had a gigantic white spot on his bottom. The white spot was paint that previously called home the freshly painted wall in the garage. My adorable Boomhauer had decide that rather than sprawling out on the cool concrete floor or soft rug in the middle of the room, it would be way more comfortable to sit with his back pushed up tight against the wall.

Hence the white spot on his behind.

While the wall was quickly mended with another coat of paint, Boomhauer's coat wasn't such an easy fix. After 3 long months, the paint is almost all gone and I am happy to report that the guy is just about back to normal.

Wedding Weekend!

This past weekend was full of wedding festivities. Friday night started out with me and the three M's (Mom, Meggo, and Marilyn) at the Brides Against Cancer Wedding Dress Event.

The event was... interesting. It started with a runway show complete with a dancing man on stage. Seriously... Check it out!

We tried on lots of dresses but neither Megan or I left with the perfect dress so the search will continue. It was a fun night and a great way to kick of the search for THE DRESS. Thanks for the fun guys!



The rest of the weekend was filled with handiwork and I've got a mean blister to prove it.

Mason jars came out along with 17 gauge wire and I got to work wrapping, twisting, and looping.

All Done!

I am still looking for bunches of these prisms so if you see some cheap (garage sale cheap) please pick them up for me. I am finding them on things like lamps, candle holders, etc.

No Cake Plate? No Problem!

After (attempting) to make a cake for Joe's big day, I realized I did not have a pretty cake plate to put the finished product on. I've seen tons of cake plates I have liked, I just have not purchased any because they take up too much space in the cabinet. I like to be able to stack things and the pedestal on the cake plate makes it hard to stack.

Something I have tons of is pretty glass plates and other dishes that catch my eye when I am at garage sales. Thankfully I was able to come up with a quick and easy fix for my lack of a cake plate.

All you need to make one of your own is: a pretty plate (that is large enough for the cake to fit on), a glass or ice cream sunday type dish (pedestal not required but its a definite plus), and a hot glue gun.

Note do not use a painted plate or glass.

Place your plate upside down.

Place your glass in the center of the plate (the bottom side). Determine how the glass fits best (it may work best upside down like mine did).

Put hot glue on the plate where the glass will go. I put it on the plate instead of the glass because my aim is not that good. If you have better faith in the sturdiness of your hands, by all means apply the glue directly to the glass.

Place the glass on the plate and push down.

Add more hot glue to any spot that looks like it may need it.

Let the glue cool, then turn the piece right-side up. Wa-la you've got a plate for a cake!

Make sure when you move this plate around that you hold the glass as well as the plate portion of the cake plate, I don't really know how strong hot glue gun glue is.

The finished product. Please do not judge my cake. It looks pretty rough!

Once you are done with your new cake plate, you can unassemble by gently pealing the glue/ glass off the plate.