Coral Springs Fire Department Pasta Dinner

This weekend we were able to go out and support the Coral Springs Fire Department at their annual pasta dinner!  This year was cool because it was in their newly finished fire station!

We went over with Momma and, even though it was drizzling, there was a good turnout!  All of the Explorers (in-training firemen & women!) were there and everyone had on their pink shirts for breast cancer support.  Things like this really remind me of home when we had spaghetti suppers, pancake breakfasts, fish frys and all of that down-home community stuff!

We ordered our meals and even picked up some delicious cupcakes and cake pops to support breast cancer!  After we were done, we went home to watch the Razorback game (GO HOGS!), but we had a great time, the food was delicious, and it felt good to support these brave men and women who do what they do to save lives everyday!

Dessert first!  Loved all these cupcakes & cake pops!

All set up and ready to roll!

The new firehouse makes for a great dining room!

Love the big red fire engines!

"Save the Tatas" :)

Yum!  Writing this blog makes me hungry again!  :)

Tea Parlor Sendoff

While this happened several months ago, since I am new to the blog world, I wanted to share this post with everyone.  I was able to co-host a goodbye party for my good friend, Katherine, when she and her family moved to Atlanta from South Florida this past June.  We had all just done a small group together in our church and were sad to see them go!

The royal wedding had just passed and we were all pretty enamored with the idea of having a "Royal Tea Party"; this was the perfect excuse!  There is a beautiful tea parlor in Parkland that is in the middle of a fairly new shopping plaza but you would never know it from the looks of this place.  I literally felt like I had stepped into one of the old mansions back in Arkansas- it was so cool!  When you sit at your table there are huge hats, scarves and pearl necklaces that you can wear and try on- too fun!  We all got tea, of course, and some gorgeous trays of petit fours and tea sandwiches that were really delicious.

It was beautiful and I would suggest it for any sort of get together for girls (ie: baby shower, bridal shower, etc.).  Although, they have men's hats and there was the sweetest old couple next to our table!  I've included some pics from the party (excuse the quality, they were taken with my iPod).  Enjoy!

I felt like I was in my Grandmother's house!

Miss Lydia and her loot!

We had so much fun with the hats and scarves!

Rachel showing us the proper way to drink tea!

Katherine and Lydia- we miss y'all!

Pinterest?

I've been reading all about this Pinterest website from my friends for the past couple of months and everyone just raves about it.  I went on the website only to find out I had to be invited to join (fancy), so I put myself on the waiting list.  Now I'm "in" and have no idea what to do!


Has anyone else used Pinterest and do you know what to do with it?

Can't Wait for Fall!

Last week was such a tease!  South Florida got a "cold snap" last week...this is not breaking news.  Our cold snaps are with lows of about 62 degrees.  And even though it wasn't that cold, everyone was out in jackets and in Starbucks ordering hot chocolates!  It was nice to get a small taste of the upcoming season.  This time of year always makes me miss Arkansas; I LOVE fall in my home state!  I've been going thru my fall recipes and thought I'd share one for the crock pot (or a regular stovetop pot) that I got from my good friend, Katherine.  It is super easy and delicious!

Sausage & Potato Soup

1 lb ground sausage

1 onion chopped

2 cups water

15 1/2 can chicken stock

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of celery

2 cups milk

16 oz frozen cubed hashbrowns (I usually use a little more)

Brown sausage and onion

Drain and add to large pot of chicken broth, water, and potatoes

Bring to boil and simmer about 30 minutes.

In separate small pot, warm soups and milk while the other pot simmers.

Add all together at end, stir and serve.

Can add cheese and/or sour cream garnish.

Enjoy and Happy Fall!

Birthday Blessings

Yes, it happened again....the day I used to get so excited for...my birthday.  Does anyone else feel like the more birthdays you have, the less you want them??  In keeping with trying to see the lighter side of life, I can thank God for blessing me with yet another year of life.  This past Saturday, I turned 29!

I was fortunate to celebrate in so many ways and with so many people that I love and truly cherish in my life.  We had family visiting from Chile last week, so us girls got together for a delicious dinner @ Bahama Breeze on Friday night.  It was a lot of fun, laughter and food!

My sister-in-law, Paula and I

Saturday morning, my actual birthday, my in-laws took myself, Sebastian, my sister-in-law Paula and my two nephews out for breakfast.  I'm not sure if you know, but I am fortunate enough to share my birthday with my nephew and godson, Ignacio.  He turned 9 on Saturday!

My breakfast company :)

After breakfast, we came home and just relaxed- something I don't get to do too often!  We watched the Razorback game and lounged around, which was PERFECT!  After the game, we got ready for Ignacio's birthday party at Booomer's!  This is a huge video arcade/rock wall/go kart/mini golf/laser tag situation and perfect for a bunch of 8 and 9-yr-old kids to go nuts in!  We had a blast watching them race in the go karts and the water boats!  After that, Sebastian took me out to a VERY nice dinner.  Let's just say, when I asked the waiter where the bathroom was...he escorted me there...on his arm.    It was delicious and the perfect way to end my birthday!

I got so many cards and gifts from people I love, and I just want to thank each and every one of you for thinking of me on my birthday!

Our Two "Kids"!

As some of you may know, living in a South Florida apartment means that big dogs are a no-no.  There's no room for them to run around and let off all of that energy that they have.  This news was tough to take for an Arkansas girl!  I love big dogs and was ecstatic when we found a beautiful Irish setter/lab mix at our local humane society to give a home to.  Unfortunately, it didn't take long for us to figure out that our Pumpkin was just not in the environment she needed for a dog her size.  She tried to chew and claw her way out of our small apartment every chance she got, and we eventually had to take her back to be re-adopted by a different family, under the condition that they have a big backyard for her.  

After that heartbreak, and believe me, it was horrible, we knew that we still wanted a dog.  We both grew up with dogs and knew it was something we wanted in our lives.  We also knew that it would have to be a small breed.  After a lot of searching and researching, we found our baby!  After a couple of weeks of waiting and hoping, we got to bring this angel home:

Pixie's very first day with us!

How can you not love her?

Fast forward to Christmas of 2009- we are on a search for a small puppy to give to our nephew's as their big gift that year.  One night, after we had searched several different shelters, we came to a pet supermarket that was advertising puppy adoption from abandoned homes.  We found a VERY cute baby boy.  The only problem was, he had been rescued with his sister!  After a few pleases and my very own puppy-dog eyes, we were on our way with BOTH dogs!  The boy went to our nephews and we kept the girl.

Tater and her brother, Max

Tater's first day at home!

And we have been one big happy family ever since!

Welcome to my blog!

To any friends or family reading this...welcome!  Sebastian & I are coming up on 6 years of marriage this December and time really feels like it has flown by!  I realized that there are so many things in our lives that have happened that I have wanted to share with all of you, and just couldn't find the time or a way to do it. After some research and reading blogs from some of our family & friends, I've decided to give it a shot!  So I'll just use this first post to say welcome and I hope you enjoy!