Smells like a baby...

We had dinner with Carson last night! Dad and Cindy picked us up along with some Swinging Door (delicious BBQ), and we headed over to Sean and JoDee's. While Sean and JoDee had a quick bite I was able to love on this little man. He is so incredibly precious, I can't even put it into words. I loved holding his tiny, warm, swaddled little body. I could feel big deep breaths every once in a while. Then I would feel a little arm repositioning. Robby and I were shocked at how tiny newborns are.

I was swaying with him in my arms until he fell asleep. That was our cue to leave, so the new mom & dad could get some rest.

Robby, Robby the sausage man

My husband has a passion for all things smoked and meaty, so I was not surprised when he told me he wanted to try out some sausage recipes. We had the meat grinder attachment for the Kitchen-Aid mixer and had just recieve the sausage stuffer in the mail. Robby found some sausage casings (I will spare the details) at a local BBQ shop, so we were ready to go! It turned out to be a little more of a process, but we had a good time working together...

Robby washing out the casings. Look at all of that meat!

We made 5 lbs of breakfast sausage and a total of 25 lbs of linked sausage. 1/2 of it's smoked and the other half is green (means not smoked - I'm learning!). We used two different seasoning blends and marked the packages, so we will know what we like for the future. I can't wait to try out our experiment!

Carma comes to town

It's a pretty big deal when we have extended family in Texas because all of my side and most of Robby's side lives out of town. My cousin, Carma, who lives in Atlanta, but travels all over the country teaching different courses, is in College Station, TX right now working. She made the quick trip down last weekend to hang out with us (Dad, Cindy, me, and Robby). We did what we do best and had plenty of meals together. It's fun to take out of towners to our favorites. It just makes you feel like they know some of what you do/where you go when they go back home.
We ended the day with one of my favorite movies, Sliding Doors, back at Dad and Cindy's. During the movie Sean called with news that this little guy was on his way.

We headed home shortly after the movie ended, as we knew Dad & Cindy might be in for a long night of excitement!

Thanks for coming to Katy, Carma! It was really nice to catch up and see pictures of your sweet new pup, Max.

Jon Ross

Friday night we went to The Last Concert Cafe downtown to watch the amazing Jon Ross. He is a good friend from high school. When I tell you he is talented, I'm not just saying it in a "he's a good friend, so we are supporting him kind of way." He is truly talented. I am so proud of him for getting up on stage in front of a room full of people and pursuing his dream. We are all in your corner cheering you on...

Right behind the stage a big group of women were celebrating a birthday and when Jon Ross got on stage they all turned to him and just stared. He is a cutie, but his voice just forces you to stop and listen.

Me & JJ

Happy Birthday Carson!

My step-brother, Sean, and his wife, JoDee welcomed their baby boy this morning around 8 o'clock. Congratulations and we can't wait to meet your sweet new boy!

Tap the Rockies

We have been catching extreme air on the slopes over the past few days. Not really, but we have been on the slopes! We went to Keystone, Colorado for a 3 day ski fest. My friend Lisa's family has a condo there and she graciously invites us every year. It seems like the trip gets better and better every year, which at the time hardly seems possible! We arrived in Denver on Wednesday evening and made the 1 1/2 hr drive to Keystone. The weather was starting to get a little icy. A few flurries were falling and our driver, Chad (Jeff's sister, Tracy's, boyfriend - got that?), said he could feel our Dodge mini-van slipping along I-70. We made it to the condo and game planned for the next day. It included a little of this:

and a little of this:

Lunch was on the mountain at LaBonte's beach. Yep, a beach on the mountain minus the water, sand, and warmth, so basically it was just a few lounge chairs and picnic tables.

By the end of the day we were feeling the muscles in our legs big time, so we settled on a beer tasting and dinner at the local brewery. All of the fermenters are located right smack in the center of the restaurant. It was a pretty cool atmosphere with delicious food and beverages. After dinner we finished the night with a friendly game of Battle of the Sexes. It was pretty much rigged for the boys to win:)

The next day we were back at it.

On the lift with Robby!

Bring on the black diamonds - we are ready! 1/2 of us were anyway....

Tracy, Chad, and Lisa coming down Last Hoot. They did awesome!

Here is Robby relaxing and cheering on the black diamond crew...

... and Jeff ("GO LISA!")

Overlooking a black from the middle of the mountain.

Robby got a little too extreme and took a spill on Mozart (blue run). We were almost at the end and he saw a little jump on the side that looked too good to pass up. He hit it and barely missed the landing. He did a face plant in the snow - boots and poles everywhere. I was right behind him and calmed once I saw movement. He thought he heard a pop and is not sure if something is cracked or bruised. We avoided a trip to the ER, but he definitely has a sore chest.

We finished out the day of skiing with a Mexican feast at Dos Locos and a 5 hour stretch of Taboo. If you have never played this game, go buy it (or borrow it from us)! It is SO much fun.

Action shot!

The 3rd day was easy skiing. The mountain was pretty crowded since it was a Saturday, so we stuck to mainly greens and just cruised.

Enjoying the sunshine bundled up on the mountain

Me, Robby, Lisa, Jeff, Tracy, and Chad

Robby accidentally went down a blue on his first ski trip 3 years ago and as you can imagine it ate his lunch. He wanted to make sure he claimed victory and I can proudly say he did!

After our final day of skiing, we dined at Red Mountain Grill and got our bags packed up. The trip went way too fast and we didn't want it to end, but we had two hyper pups that missed us and couldn't wait to see us:)

On the way to the airport we stopped at a little cafe, Blue Sky Cafe, to meet Lisa's Aunt and Cousins. It was fun to meet Lisa's family, and the breakfast was amazing.

Okay, I think we are ready to go back!

Wilton Course #1 Finale

We just finished up our last class for Course 1. It was a really good time, but we all agreed it was a lot of work getting an iced cake and a double batch of buttercream icing in several different consistencies and colors together every week! We are really excited about the other courses, but might take a month or so off. They offer every course (#1-4) each month, so we shouldn't have a problem getting in. If anyone is interested, these are offered at Hobby Lobby and Michael's. Below are a few pictures of my final cake along with Sara and Amanda's!