Happy 2011!!!

Happy New Year Friends!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful time ringing in 2011!! And, hope you all are enjoy some yummy champagne...or, in our case, prosecco. ;)

Kevin and I are celebrating at home tonight and I couldn't be happier!! I'm loving this NYE, definitely one of the best I've ever had!! :) Plus, we get to hang out with these two...


...the pup in front is our little Molly and the pup in back is an adorable little Boston Terrier, Skittle, we are dogsitting. :)

Happy 2011!!!

Merry Christmas!!

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is....

---

Thanksgiving is a
time of gratitude to God,
our Creator and Provider,
whose guidance and care
go before us...
and whose love
is with us forever.

Thanksgiving is a time
to reflect on the changes,
to remember that we, too,
grow and change
from one season of life to another.

Thanksgiving is a time
of changing seasons,
when leaves turn golden
in Autumn's wake
and apples are crisp
in the first chill breezes of fall.

Let us remember the true meaning
of Thanksgiving.
As we see the beauty
of Autumn, let us acknowledge
the many blessings
which are ours...
let us think of our families
and friends..
and let us give thanks in our hearts.

~~Author Unknown~

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Time to Talk Turkey

Thanksgiving is almost here!! Yay, yay, yay!! I love Thanksgiving!!! I love that the holiday is about being grateful, giving thanks, spending time with friends and family....love all of it!!

Ok, on to the menu!! Yes, the turkey is the star of the menu but I'm more of a "sides" kind of a girl. Don't get me wrong, I love turkey but, Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without all the delicious sides!!

I think I finally have our menu planned out! Which is good since I've got to do my grocery shopping today...yes, I'm going grocery shopping 2 days before Thanksgiving - I'm kinda scared. Wish me luck, I'm - eeeekk!

Our 2010 Thanksgiving Menu

Smoked Turkey

White Wine Sage Gravy

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

Baked Brie en Croute with Apple Compote

Bacon Leek Stuffing

Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

Maple Glazed Petite Carrots

Pioneer Woman's Dinner Rolls

Desserts:

Nantucket Cranberry Pie

Autumn Apple Pie

Maple Pumpkin Pie

Now it's time to set my Thanksgiving Day Game Plan!! By-the-way, if you're looking for a Thanksgiving day game plan inspiration, be sure to visit Annie. She has some awesome ideas!!!

Bittersweet - Saying Goodbye to Sophie

Last week was rather bittersweet for our family. Kevin's grandmother, Sophie, passed away so we traveled to Maine (where Kevin is from) to attend her funeral. Though the circumstance that brought us together was very sad, we were also able to see friends and family we seldom see and that part of the trip was just wonderful. We love and will miss Sophie!! We feel very blessed to know we will see her again.

This picture was taken just last summer. Sophie was such an amazing person and always so full of energy!

Kevin's parents live in such a neat area, all the houses in their area are on a few acres and there are lots of wooded areas in between the homes. Every morning, Kevin and I went for a nice long walk - it was such a nice little treat for us. I don't know about you but mornings in our house aren't exactly relaxed so it was so nice that we were able to have this time. I think Maine is absolutely gorgeous so, of course, I had to bring my camera on our morning walks. ;)

I just love this little side porch, Kevin's mom decorates it for every season - this picture isn't the best but, she has orange lights on the tree.

This little area over looks a pond that isn't very full now, but in the Spring and Summer it's pretty full. In the summer, that bench is a great place to relax with a book and some sweet tea....that's right sweet tea in Maine. Ha!

One of the neighbors homes - love their Christmas decor!!

A little pond...once it's iced over, it's a great place to do some ice skating.

Yeah, I don't really know why I like this picture so much - I just love that little nest!!!

Kevin's parents house through the trees, you can just see their red front door. I love red front doors!! Not sure if our house could pull off a red front door though....hmmm....something to look into though.

Backyard garden, lots of yummy fruits, veggies and herbs come from this little garden.

Every week, Kevin's parents attend line dancing classes. They love it! They do all kinds of line dancing from Country (obviously) to Irish line dances. So, they invited us to go with them - we had a great time!! Some of those dances are kinda complicated!! It was great - lots of laughs that night...definitely what we all needed!!

Here were are after our class. Yeah, had to put my hair up - it turns out line dancing is a bit of a workout!!

Kevin's sister, Eileen, is pregnant with twins (yay, yay, yay!!!) and is on super strict bed rest....we visited everyday. We loved spending this time with her!! She is so much fun and you can't help but laugh when she is around. Eileen and Matt, her husband, are going to be wonderful parents! We just can't wait to meet those twins!!!

Love this picture!!

Yes, I'm on my tip toes....being short isn't very fun :(

Our last night there, Kevin's parents took us to dinner at The Dolphin Striker - the restaurant where they got engaged!! How neat, huh?!?!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I love, LOVE going to the theater so, when I saw How the Grinch Stole Christmas was coming to our theater I knew I'd have to put it on our "must see" list.

We decided to go Friday night...which also happened to be when we had the first snow fall of the season!! It was sooo perfect!! It definitely put us in the Christmas spirit and went perfectly with the play!! But, since it was super chilly outside and since we were running a little late due to the surprise snow storm (and since I was wearing a dress) we didn't have the chance to take any pictures at the Orpheum Theater. :(

We did get this picture before heading out....

I wasn't planning on wearing tights but, I had my heart set on wearing this dress so, when it started snowing, I thought it would probably be a good idea to wear them.

It was such a great show!! The costumes, sets, and props were a-mazing!! The actors and actresses were just phenomenal - especially the adorable kiddos!!! If you are a fan of the original book (or cartoon), I highly recommend the play.

Here's a couple of pictures I found on their website....

....how amazing are the costumes/make up?!?! Love it!!

Yeah....sorry this one is so small

Such an awesome cast!!

Happy week before Thanksgiving!!!

PS.....planning our Thanksgiving menu is on the TOP of my to do list today ;)

Show us Your Life - Bathrooms

I LOVE the "Show us Your Life" series!! It's soooo fun to see how other people decorate and, it's a great place to get ideas, tips and inspiration!!

So, I was kinda in a rush today so I just took some pics of my bathroom (ie, the master bath).

Walking in...




...I just LOVE that pic of me and my little Molly!! We took it the day we moved into our home...great memory!!




My tub - I *pink fluffy heart* baths!!!




I am in desperate need of a window treatment but I just have no idea!! We are planning to repaint so I think I will wait until then to decide....if you have any ideas on colors or window treatments, I'd love to hear them!! ;)




I just love these crosses! I picked them up at Hobby Lobby of course - the place I get most of my decor. ;). I really like seeing them in the morning when I'm getting ready and at the end of the day - great times to reflect.



Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!!!

Thank you to all those who serve and who have served. Your dedication to this country has made it a difference to all who call it home.

Thank you to my wonderful Husband for his service, I love you so much and am so proud of you!!

Here is one of my favorite quotes, I think it is just perfect for Veteran's Day ~

I think there is one higher office than president and I would call that patriot. - Gary Hart

What I'm Loving Wednesday....

Planning one of my best friend's baby showers!!!!

I am co-hosting it with another one of our besties - we've just started planning but we are already having soooo much fun!! And, in case you didn't guess from the huge blue font, she is having a baby boy! Yay!! So the shower will have a guitar/musical theme....and if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! ; )

Here's a few things we have so far.....

These are the invitations....I took out all of the names, addresses, registry...pretty much everything and I must say, they look much better with all the info in place - ha!!! But, I'm sure you get the idea. ;) Aren't these super fun though?!?!

Ok, so definitely NOT this cake....something kinda like it. I have tons and tons of ideas - I just can't draw so it's a little tricky explaining what exactly my artist vision is.

As for decor....we know we will incorporate more music and guitar-ish stuff too but, I just *heart* diaper cakes and would love to do something similar to this one but maybe jazz it up a bit with some fun musical stuff.....but NOT make it look cheesey.....I think I'm up for the challenge! Ha!!

I am soooo excited about this baby boy!!! Such a blessing!!!

Weekend Recap....

We had a wonderful and relaxing Fall weekend! It was pretty low key but that was perfect for us and exactly what we needed!!

Saturday is quickly becoming College Football Day in the Rooney house.....so, guess what we were doing Saturday?!? There were plenty of great football games on so it was perfect!!

Our first big game of the day.......

Virginia Tech

vs

Duke

And, Virginia Tech won 44 to 7!! Yay Hokies!!!

Next game was.....

Nebraska vs OSU

Since I'm from Oklahoma but now live in Nebraska, I was a little torn on who to root for....

Last big game of the day was with my Sooners vs Mizzou....the game started off soooo exciting and so promising!!

But alas, in the end OU lost :( 36 to 27. Yes, it was a sad day in the Sooner Nation...and a sad day in the Rooney house.

Sunday, we headed to church - after church, we had our traditional after-church-Starbucks. Church and Starbucks...perfect combo!!! Sunday afternoon, Kevin and I headed to our favorite, close to home, getaway - the SVE Vineyards. I just love that place! It's out in the country, totally reminds me of where I grew up and it's a tasting room for all sorts of local wines!! It's so perfect!

In front of their little fountain...

Their patio and view of the post-harvest grape vines.

They have these cute little nooks all over the place to sit in....

One of my favs, their pizza oven! Yum!! We had a margarita pizza that was a-mazing!! ....Especially with the Cuthills red wine we were drinking. Lol!! :)

I just love, LOVE all these adorable little wine themed signs they have all over the place...

This one is so true!! Ha!! ;)

....hmmm, I don't know about ruling the world though!!!! :)

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend too!!

Happy Tuesday Blog Friends!!

Football and Pumpkin Patch

It's been a while since Kevin and I have had a weekend at home together so we were super excited that we would both be home this weekend....it really is the little things in life, ya know. :)

Our Saturday was filled with lots of football watching, of course!! :) And, speaking of football, I have a small announcement to make....I am now the proud owner of a Nebraska Husker's t-shirt. My Sooners are, and will always be, the #1 team in my heart but I felt since we now putting down roots in Nebraska (and since Nebraska has always been my 2nd favorite Big XII team - soooo sad they are leaving the Big XII but that's another story for another blog post...) so really, it only seems natural....right???

Back to our weekend.....we had a few games to watch this weekend. Obviously, we had to watch my OU Sooner beat Iowa State

I'm happy to report the Sooners won 52 to - Boomer, Sooner!!!!

The Huskers played a really good game but in the end, the Longhorns ending up winning. :( It was a sad day in the Husker Nation.

Of course we watched Virginia Tech vs Wake Forest - the Hokies won 52 to 21!! Yay!!

After a wonderful Church service, we headed out to the Kimmel Orchard and Vineyard. It's an orchard, vineyard and pumpkin patch!! We picked apples, sampled some yummy wines and even found a pumpkin that is going make the perfect jack-0-lantern!! Perfect day trip!!

Apple picking!!

Although I didn't climb that ladder, I did think it would make a pretty picture. :)

View on the hike back from the apple orchard

This is where the search for the Rooney's 2010 Great Pumpkin happened - ha!!

The round one in the front is the winner!!! Yay!!

....now, we've just gotta start craving!!

Hope Everyone Had a Lovely Fall Weekend!!