{Texas State Fair // 2014}

The weekend before last we went to the Texas State Fair. It's a family tradition for us to all go together with Nate's family. We went on Sunday morning when they first opened to try to avoid some of the long lines. We always park in the back, close to the rides. We let Mason ride all of the kid rides first while we scope out where the new fried food stands are. Priorities!

 
Mason rode 5-7 rides and then we headed over to play games. We were trying to find a game that Mason could win on his own, and we did. But then Nate started playing a game to try to win Mason a giant Sonic the Hedgehog. It only took $30 bucks, but he won! I think that was the most expensive stuffed animal we've ever bought! But the look on Mason's face was priceless! 









After games we made our way to the indoor green-house area. They have trains that circle the center of the building and Mason always likes to see those. They also have a guy carving out huge pumpkins...but it was so crowded we couldn't make our way over to it.



While walking back from the greenhouse we spotted a Fletcher corn-dog stand. Always a must when we're there! Fletcher corn-dogs are a Texas State Fair staple! And always so delicious! We ate our corn-dogs on the go while we trucked over to the Texas Bluebonnet Stand. It was one of the award winning fried foods this year and it was by far our favorite! Below is a description from their website - 


Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet by Isaac Rousso
The Deep Fried Texas Bluebonnet is a blueberry muffin, scone-style batter that is stuffed with cream cheese, blueberries and sweet morsels of white chocolate. It is baked and deep fried to a perfect golden brown. This mountain of flavor is topped off with whipped cream, chopped white chocolate morsels, powdered sugar, blueberries, and a delicious blueberry glaze.
 via

So dang good!! We found some tables in the middle of all of the food stands, so we parked it and tried a few things. We were right by the #dallasbig sign so of course we had to get pictures...





Nate grabbed us a churro and a drink while others opted for fried milk and cookies. The churro was great, the fried milk and cookies not so much. Later we tried the funnel cake ale - it was actually good. I don't normally like beer...but this one had a great aftertaste! Nate also tried the fried cuban sandwich and others tried the fried gulf shrimp boil. The foods are always interesting!!

After stuffing our faces we headed over to see big Tex; another Texas State Fair Staple. We were among the other 5000 people trying to get a picture! ha.



Next up was the cars!! We always love checking out the new cars & trucks coming out!! Mason likes to "drive" them, too! This area was pretty crowded, but we managed to see what we wanted to see. 







Then we started making our way back towards the parking lot...using up our tickets as we went. Which meant more food! Oh and my MIL and I checked out the Cupcake Winery truck! 


Such a fun day and so many great memories made. 




Have you ever been to the Texas State Fair? What's your favorite part about it? The rides? The food? The shows?

 

{A Grateful Heart // VOL 9}

Happy Monday! 

It's been almost a week since I posted here! Not for lack of having anything to post about...but actually the total opposite. I'm overwhelmed. Last week was a busy week and I had absolutely no time to post. I've spent hours upon hours editing hundreds of pictures between my phone and two different cameras. It's quite the task! 

In the time I've been away from here we've baked some yummy Fall goodness, crafted, went to Jellystone Park for Fall Fiesta, visited the Pumpkin Patch, got Mason a costume, etc. Lots to catch up on in the coming days.

But for now, it's time for A Grateful Heart Monday...a link-up with Ember Grey. But even amidst the chaos there is so much to be grateful for.

 
This week I am so grateful for Grandparents that are present. Mason is blessed with some of the greatest. My parents are amazing and my in-laws are amazing! Nate's parents booked us a camping trip to Jellystone Park and it was this past weekend. We love it during their Fall Fiesta time. There is so much to do and Mason has a complete blast. I am so thankful that they carve out a weekend to spend with us. I can see how much it means to Mason and in turn it means even more to Nathan and I. We make memories that I know Mason will always remember. 

I am grateful for...

+ grandparents that are present
+ great weather
+ seasons
+ nana buying and reading a new halloween book to mason in the dark with only a flashlight.
+ family time
+ good camping spots
+ making memories
+ having a day to catch up
+ fresh baked goodies

What are you thankful for this week?

{Currently // Vol 2}

Reading // Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - I'm only about 6% into this book. I don't know if it's because I am exhausted when I finally get to read a bit or what, but the book seems very hard to follow so far. I've had to re-read some parts of it. I'm not giving up though. I've heard good things about this book. 

Feeling // Grateful, yet undeserving. {always}

Eating // All things Fall and fried! ha. I say fried because we went to the Texas State Fair over the weekend and of course we had to try all of the new award winning fried foods. I'd say it was unanimous that our favorite this year was the Texas Bluebonnet. Other things tried by the family were the Funnel Cake Ale {actually had a good after-taste for a beer}, Fried Cookies & Milk, and Fried Gulf Shrimp boil. Of course we had to get a Fletcher's Corn dog...it's tradition!

Thinking about // This ebola break out and how a nurse is now infected with it after caring for the man that died of it last week. It's so scary and so sad! Prayers are with them all...the infected, those that cared for them, the families, ALL of them! 

Looking forward to // Jellystone Park this weekend for the Fall Fiesta! We may be knocking another thing off our Fall bucketlist as well!

Praying//  Lots of things! So many on my prayer list. Can I pray for you?

Listening //  Greater by Mercy Me has been on repeat lately! I just love it and the lyrics...man are they true?!!! 

Watching // Tons! I love that Fall shows have started back! Right now I am loving the Walking Dead, Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Scandal, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Resurrection, Forever, BlackList, Nashville, and Manhattan Love Story.

Loving // Life lately. I'm so blessed and just thank God every day for all that I have been given. I have a sweet little boy who fills my heart with so much joy, a husband that loves me something fierce, an amazing family, I work from home, Mason's school is awesome, our church is awesome. So much to love!  


What are you up to lately? If you've written a 'currently' post lately leave the link below! I'd love to read it.

{A Grateful Heart // VOL 8}

Linking up with Ember Grey for a Grateful Heart Monday. 

This past weekend we went to the Texas State Fair {post w/pics to come}. It's a family tradition for us. Today I am thankful for those traditions. 

+ state fairs

+ tradition

+ family

+ my little boy's happy heart

+ direction

+ rain
+ cooler weather

What are you grateful for this week?

{A Grateful Heart - VOL 7}

  Linking up with Ember Grey for A Grateful Heart. This has quickly become one of my favorite linkups and posts to write. It's refreshing every week to sit down and think about all of the positives and all of God's little blessings big and small. I encourage you to check out this linkup. It's open all week which makes it easy to fit into your blogging schedule.  

 

+ park adventures

+ abundant grace

+ making treats with mason

+ suppers with my little family

+ a hubby that makes me laugh like crazy

+ hearing 'the marriage prayer' by John Waller

+ rain that we are supposed to get this weekend

+ snail mail

+ festivals & fairs

+ first responders 

 

What are you grateful for this week?

{Fall Bucketlist // Nature Walk}

Happy Wednesday! We checked another item off of our Fall 2014 Bucketlist yesterday...



Yesterday on the way to pick up Mason from school I had an urge to take him to the park and on a Nature walk. I was in jeans and a blouse in 96 degree heat, but I was not going to let that stop me {yes, it hit 96/98 yesterday...in October. Texas! Ugh!}. Once we got in the car I asked Mason if he would like to go to the park and he couldn't contain his excitement. He was bouncing up and down and smiling ear to ear! 

I love to see my sweet boy so happy!

We went to an old historic park in our town that we love so much. There are many trails and a lot of the park is shaded {win win}. Mason and I didn't find much on our nature walk, but we had the greatest time. We found a stick we plan to use for a later project, tons of acorns and some pretty yellow leaves. We like to find the acorns with 'hats' on and draw faces on them! Mason gets a huge kick out of it. 

We didn't go too far into the trail since it was just he & I {and I wasn't carrying my pistol...oops}. We were in a great area...but you just never know what can be lurking in the woods. Plus, I've seen one too many scary movies in my days...
 
About 5 minutes into our park trip Mason says... 

"Mama, can we have this date every day?"

I couldn't even handle the sweetness!

 Also linking up with Ashley & Jess for it's the little things

...


FALL 2014 BUCKETLIST

+ visit the pumpkin patch

+ go on a hayride

+ make caramel apples

+ decorate my porch {crates, hay, pumpkins, etc}

+ carve pumpkins

+ make fall crafts

+ decorate the house for fall

+ pick out halloween costumes

+ stay in a cabin somewhere

+ make a thankful tree

+ share the Thanksgiving story with Mason

+ find a corn maze

+ bake fall goodies

+ go to fall festivals

+ go to an aggie football game

+ roast marshmallows

+ lots of fires in our chiminea

+ go apple pickin'

+ have a scary {but mason friendly} movie night

+ make lots of crock pot meals

+ do my bible study on the porch

+ host a fall party/get together

+ make a pumpkin chunkin' game

+ stock up on my favorite fall scentsy bars

+ take a scenic drive {where the leaves actually turn pretty colors}

+ go to the farmers market

+ go on a nature walk

+ take fall pictures of mason

What's on your Fall Bucketlist this year?

{Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and Fall Porch}

Happy Monday!! 

What a good weekend we had! I barely took any pictures, but believe me it was good. I also knocked a couple of things off our Fall Bucketlist; bake some Fall goodies and decorate my porch. The porch is still a work in progress, but I love it so far! 

For the Pumpkin Whoopie pies I used this recipe.

Ingredients - 

1 Moist Spice cake mix
1/3 cup of butter, softened
1 can of pumpkin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1 container of cream cheese frosting

Directions - 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl mix the cake mix, butter, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, and milk. The consistency is pretty wet.
3. Drop dollops on the cookie sheet. Try to make them the same size so that when you sandwich them together they are a good fit.
4. Bake for 10-11 minutes.
5. Let them cool completely and then put icing one the bottom of one and sandwich another with it. 

ps - this mixture makes a ton of cookies! I ended up using 4 cookie sheets and made the last ones huge just to use up the mixture.












And...the start of my Fall porch...


 
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

+ visit the pumpkin patch

+ go on a hayride

+ make caramel apples

+ decorate my porch {crates, hay, pumpkins, etc}

+ carve pumpkins

+ make fall crafts

+ decorate the house for fall

+ pick out halloween costumes

+ stay in a cabin somewhere

+ make a thankful tree

+ share the Thanksgiving story with Mason

+ find a corn maze

+ bake fall goodies

+ go to fall festivals

+ go to an aggie football game

+ roast marshmallows

+ lots of fires in our chiminea

+ go apple pickin'

+ have a scary {but mason friendly} movie night

+ make lots of crock pot meals

+ do my bible study on the porch

+ host a fall party/get together

+ make a pumpkin chunkin' game

+ stock up on my favorite fall scentsy bars

+ take a scenic drive {where the leaves actually turn pretty colors}

+ go to the farmers market

+ go on a nature walk

+ take fall pictures of mason

Have you checked anything off your Fall list yet?
Have you baked any Fall goodies?

{My Boys}

Happy Finally Friday!!!! This has been one of those weird weeks where the days seem long, but then you look up and it's already Friday. Wild how that happens. I'm just glad it's almost the weekend!! Tonight we may be going to the Diesel Nationals, maybe looking at campers tomorrow and going to the Pioneer Days in a neighboring town and Sunday is church!

Just wanted to share some recent pictures of my boys! They're both growing at incredibly fast speeds. Gunner outweighs Mason by at least 15 pounds! Mason weighed 36.6 a week ago and Gunner was over 50 lbs a few weeks ago when we boarded him! They'll both be eating us out of house and home soon. ;)











PS - it's so hard trying to get pictures of a 5 month old pup and a 4 year old boy! 

What are you up to this weekend?

{A Grateful Heart // VOL 6}

Linking up with Ember Grey for A Grateful Heart. If you haven't checked out this linkup I encourage that you do! We all have something to be grateful for, right?

+ church

+ grace

+ online friends that have become the best of friends

+ my husband and the way he loves me

+ suppers at the table with my sweet little family

+ the peony project community

+ reading "you are my i love you" before bed with my sweet little mason lane

+ this linkup

+ productive days and a clean house

What are you grateful for this week?

 

{One Mama to Another}

Hi Friends!!!

I'm not here today. I am over at Amanda's blog - Keeping Up with the Haneys for her new series From one Mama to Another. I'm so grateful to Amanda for letting me guest post! Head on over and say hi. :)