Sweet Baby

Today I got a chance to meet our sweet friend's- Chuck and Chasity- new baby girl, Carlee.  Isn't she just precious?  Jordan and Chuck were at the station and I got wind that Chas was bringing her up so I decided to meet them there and have lunch with Lou, since I hadn't seen him going on Day Number 2. 

She is as sweet as she looks, people.  True Story.

      ^^^ These boys clearly work too darn hard for their own good.. especially Gary in the corner. J..you weren't supposed to look at me while I'm taking an 'action' shot..

<<< Chuck beaming over his brand new (and oh-so-precious) baby girl.  Who doesn't love ruffles on a baby's bottom? 



Chasity looking gorgeous!  I love this girl and I'm so glad I got to come up to the station to meet Carlee.  Too bad we live so far away.. Massey-Collins Reunion is in our future- I was sad to miss our summer Mexico trip with them this year because of preggo belly over here :) 

Good Saturday :)  C'mon Sunday!  J gets to come home.. Sunday morning worship and then on for a lazzzzyyy day- we have movies and Mike'n'Ike's on the schedule.  Hurry.

Getting Comfortable

Last night was our first real night to actually relax after this weeklong moving extravaganzaaaa.  (It really hasn't been so extravagant.  At. All.)  I actually came home from work and got right into my normal 'routine' (hair in a ponytail, jewelry off, comfy clothes on..and Chef's knife in hand.)  Jordan arrived home shortly following me- and after a quick shower- he was ready for dinner..beginning his usual dance around the kitchen- looking for anything he can stick his hand in to sample until it was time to build his plate.  This past week or so has been filled with moving the last few things out of the house and then arranging them at the Massey's- which was strategic since they haven't had a kiddo (or a dog) in their house in almost 2 years.  Finally, we got a taste of normalcy.  It was wonderful.  After dinner Jordan and I decided we 'needed' dessert.  Really- Jordan finds any reason to get some form of frozen decadence. 

Recently Jordan and I got new sunglasses.  We decided to show off the Jordan Shades & the Amber Shades

Tutti Frutti yogi bar.  Delishhhhhh :)  J and I vote the Mango and Raspberry to be the best tasting, with the 'Death by Chocolate' in a close second.

Enjoying (and annoying) my hubby with (more) pictures.

Just a side note for your pleasure.. this is my pantry/kitchen drawer/cabinets/spice rack.  I will never take advantage of my storage (no matter how large or small) again.  I am very grateful for this space in Bree's utility room.  Previously this stuff was crammed in the corner of her kitchen just 15 minutes before this. I think she is grateful, too.

Finally we are settled..or getting there, at least :)  Weekend?  Yes, please... even though I miss my Lou.  He is working a 48 hour stint this weekend.  I got a text today with this picture included.. sub-text was
"My morning.."

Two words.. Rock. Star.  (FYI, these boys are in training.. not a real car at the scene of an accident..)

Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday again.. thank goodness.  One more day and that means it's Friday.  Aside from the fact that Jordan has to work a 48 this weekend (sad face..tear..) I have nothing to do- an opportune time to relax.  A major change from last weekend when I didn't even get to sit down.  Boo.  But enough complaining about that.. this is Thankful Thursday, folks. 

This week I'm thankful for gobs of 'stuff', but I think I am most thankful for my A/C.  A/C in the house.  A/C in my car.  A/C at work (although I am constantly complaining about how fridged it is in this place..I am thankful for my fuzzy blanket that is always within arms reach.  My boss now calls me G'ma with my 'shawl'. Whatevs.)    I was listening to the radio yesterday morning and they made the statement that this is the hottest summer in 31 years.. going on day 25 (or 26..) 100+ degree weather.  Wow.  It read 117 degrees on my car dash on Monday.  Good gracious-that is hot.   I am thankful for the blessing of cool air to keep me comfortable while I work.  I know that not all people get the ease of working inside (i.e. roofers, construction workers, A/C repairmen..lol, and not to make light of our soldiers, mind you, working in full gear, in the actual 117 degree heat in the deserts Afghanistan)  I'm sucking it up to say thank goodness for my frosty workplace. 





This weekend while moving- Jordan did laundry.  If you refer to my first TT, he manages this duty in our house.  This is my folded laundry- oozing perfection.  Why take that away from him?

What are you thankful for?

On the Move. Sort Of..

Thats right- The Massey's are on the move.  Well- sort of.  Earlier this year I was blessed with an awesome job opportunity in Fort Worth.  I actually don't think I qualified for the position, but had a great reference vouching for me, and along with my incredible personality and whitty charm- I landed the job (insert SARCASM here, por favor..)  The only problem is that I live in Coppell.. exactly 27.1 miles from my desk in Fort Worth..do the math- that's almost 60 miles every day.  Traffic usually doesn't follow instruction very well- when I tell it to move on- it seems to remain at a stand-still (how stubborn!)  Long story short- with much prayer and contemplation- we decided to put our first home up for sale and make our way closer to my job.  Jordan only drives to the fire station every third day, so that trek wont be so bad for him a couple times each week.

House is sold..and we began to seek to find our new place- and we did!  A beautiful new loft right in the middle of downtown- 1.8 miles from work.  A loft will be a perfect place for the next year or so- we aren't too sure where we want to plant our roots yet- buying land..building a house.. so many ideas continue to run through our brains- but our new place is as big (bigger, actually!) as our little house here- so eventually growing into it wont be a problem- if you can read between the lines :) We thought we had the place within our closing needs- but came to find out shortly before actually moving in that the loft we chose isn't ready until the end of August.  UGH. After searching the city -high and low- we came up empty handed.  Thankfully I have gracious in-laws that opened up their home to us for the next month or so. Our stuff went to storage while we arrived 'home' at the Massey's.

Packing is so boring.. and if I never have to use a roll of tape again...

 But it's more fun with this.. Jordan is so good to me..and picked up my favorite.

 Our last 'date night' in our first house- a packing party of two!

 Daphnee helped Jordan grill the beef fajitas

 The Sous Chef expected to come inside when we ate!

Friday we packed and packed into the early morning hours..and then started over on Saturday morning at 5am.  17 hours later we decided to eat pizza for dinner on our fold out chairs and the top of a box as our table. 

My tired and sweaty Lou.  This look was either because he was ready to be done..or his reaction to my answer to his question "What do you want on the pizza?" "Anchovies."

Brittany was ready to be done, too.  She had worn herself out worrying all day- confused as to what in the world was going on.

One house, 2 dogs, 3 days, 4 raw hands, at least 5 stubbed toes, and over 50 boxes..we finally finished.  My husband gave me the greatest compliment of all last night..

"You are a rockstar.  Thank you for all you're hard work.  I love you."

Thankful Thursday (s)

Last weekend at Watermark, JP finished his series of four sermons titled LED: Dicerning God's will for Our Life.  This entire series is awesome and would recommend downloading it for your listening pleasure :)  JP is a powerful speaker-through tough concepts straight from the Word, matched with a little humor- It is often hard to believe that the hour and a half is gone so quickly.  This particular sermon he talked about Being Led Through God's Will.  Even if I tried- I couldn't do the sermon justice, so, again- go listen :)  I will pick out a particular part where he talked about his two little girls ages 2 and 4 years old.  He often seeks them out to lead prayer before dinner and he finds it so refreshing and rewarding to hear the innocence of their prayer. They are so thankful for just about anything and everything.."thank you for the trees..and green beans..and thank you for my sister..and my mommy and daddy..and thank you for the napkins.." JP can see her looking around the room trying to decide what she will be thankful for next..and the prayer finally ends when she runs out of 'stuff' to be thankful for.  I laughed out loud- but then was reminded that when I pray- what do I thank God for?  To be honest- most of what I pray for are requests and desires.  Aside from prayer before dinner in the evening-  I don't thank God for much else but the food I'm about to eat... and even still- I ask God to "bless this food for the nourishment of our bodies..(and yet again, another request) and forgive us for what we fail you.." So- I've decided to be thankful.. not just on Thursdays- but maybe this will help me to be more aware of my surroundings and everything that God has so graciously provided me.

Today- for my first Thankful Thursday post- I am thankful for my husband. My soul mate.  My bestie.  MY ROCKSTAR. :)  Why? You ask..Well..

He drives this really big truck for a living..

..and without a second thought about it- he runs head first into this..

...and also drives this- saving a life almost every shift.

At home- he does this..

and we have the beautiful yard to prove it.. the greenest grass on the block!

As well as this.. especially when I get home later than usual.  I must say- He is quite the cook! 

 Annnnddddd- this... I cannot tell you the last time I did laundry..Well- I take that back.  I tried to wash the sheets last week.  I couldn't get those hook thingy's back on the corners when I tried to put the sheets back on.  I got frustrated and quit.  "Thats why I do the laundry, Amber."  Okay.  You twisted my arm.

Along with these wonderful characteristics of this wonderful man, I'm also thankful for his incredible heart of gold.. his love and desire for me, as most of all- his love and desire for the Lord.  Although, of course, he is a sinner- as we all are- he is an awesome representation of a Christian leader of our family. 

I lobe you, Lou : (yes..I said 'lobe'.)

Thank you for all you do, you are amazing to me. 

Tarterless

Happy Friday, Folks!  and I must say.. TGIF times two! :) 

This morning I went to the dreaded dentist for my 6 month cleaning/check-up.   I really do adore my dentist office- ALL of them.  Those girls at CornerStone Dental are just precious, and my dentist, Dr. Kuhre, is so AWESOME!  After a multitued of absolute horrible experiences with the dental chair and the dentist standing over them- I am proud to say I do not feel like vomiting anymore when I know I have a dentist appointment coming up with Dr. Kuhre. A few months back I wrote about my grinding issue- and yes, I am still bringing sexy back with my mouth guards- every night.  In the same visit of getting fitted for my guards- Dr. Kuhre told me to be careful with my brushing- as I brush WAY too hard.  When asked how many times each day I brush, I replied "two or three.. depending on what I eat for lunch"  and he simply stated, "stop."  I looked at him like he just kicked my dog.  He said that I am brushing way too hard and should invest in a Sonicare Toothbrush if I wanted to keep my gums past the age of 30. 

Ok, sir.. you freaked me out enough.  I'm buying.  I walked out with my new brush in tow..and have used it everyday since.  This morning was the first time I'd been back since and my sweet dental hygenist kept praising me for my plaqueless and tarterless teeth.  She was down right impressed with my 'good looking teeth'.  I walked out VERY proud to say I have a clean bill of heal..err.. mouth! No cavities and no (further) recession of the gums. 

I heart you Sonicare.

Worth a Smile

I wanted to share a few things that have kept me smiling this week..well- so far :)

Kuddos to Jordan for making the stop at the store to pick up the famous pink box for his wifey because he Looooooo--oooo-ves her.  BUT.. not only did he pick up a box of tampons, he picked up the largest box of tampons I've ever seen.  For the love of Costco..eighty??!  And not to forget my FREE Schick Quattro- double smiles!

My favorite $4 drink at Starbucks is the Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte.  Nothing else compares..and when shopping for creamers at the grocery I stick with mediocre caramel or vanilla.. until now!  Cinnamon Dolce Cream- and yes- it tastes like my favorite drink!  SOOOOO.. my morning coffee while getting ready for the day is now 3759464281455 better than yours.  Smile number threeee :)  

 And today.. I couldn't get over these gorgeous clouds.  All I can think of are two words.

Toy. Story.

Hope my smiles inspired some of your own this week!

Groupies

This weekend was loaded down with Massey GrOuPiEs!

Start with Friday night- Our Supper Club friends came for dinner at the Massey's
We've been seeing quite a bit of these peeps lately- and I LIKE it :) 
"We don't have to see each other JUST once a month" 
Over the past year or so since I met them (well..the Cabrera's and Tapella's) I can call these girls my greatest friends..and their hubbies are in a close second.
SIDE NOTE: Jacqueline walked in looking like a Super Model.  Oh my crap lady- you are one gorgeous new momma!  Look at her:)

While I was finishing the last of dinner prep- we decided to solidify the trip we were brainstorming about last weekend.. a 'camping' trip..well- if you call camping A/C cabins- and to be sure not to offend Jarrett- flat screen tv's (Love you, Dway)

Broken Bow cabins are on the brain..browsing through and connecting eight calendars to find the perfect date.  It wasn't so much a challenge to much of our surprise! 

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

After SC at the Cabrera's in May, and a slow cooked brisket was on the menu, Jarrett has made requests for the Croc*Pot every month.  I decided after the last meal I served him- which apparently had TOO many vegetables..hehe- I would pull out my good ol'Croc and show that boy some meat!  I will say that Ashley's new hobby is quite impressive.  Although I didn't chop the sweet potatoes and asparagus into mush- he still cleaned his plate- veg and all! It's working, girl!

This was a first- but as she gets older she cant hear or see very well.  She ends up whining and pacing a lot when there is a house full of people.. so out came the baby gate.  Baby girl was pouty for the remainder of the night. 

STRRRAAAAAWberry cake for dessert(take it back to the 90's and say it like the Charms Blow Pop commercial that played on Nickelodeon every 10 minutes.)
Oh my goodness.  My favorite dessert.  Jordan's favorite dessert. and Roy Massey Jr.'s favorite dessert.  So, in other words.. its good :)

Recipe is up on Chocolate Broccoli for my July Supper Club post (if you're interested is pleasing your sweet tooth)

Saturday J was at work- so I ran errands and cleaned house- oh and suffered the misery of a migraine. I get them fairly infrequently- but lately they have hit me out of no where- about 3 in the past 3 months.  YUCK.  So- sleeping the afternoon away- dosing in and out while Clueless played on repeat on my DVR was pretty much the gist of it.

This morning, J came home after work and enjoyed a cup of coffee before heading out for church.  This past week we made plans with our community group for a lunch date on Sunday afternoon- and Pei Wei was the place of choice- right around the corner from the church. 

Lisa's (teething) sweet baby girl- Evi (spelling..sorry Lisa!)  She enjoyed putting anything and everything in her mouth.  By the end of lunch she was a pro at using the chopsticks!

 Lettuce Wraps for Lunch- my belly was pleased :)

Say cheese!  Well..sort of.  Thank you, Dallas, for your glowing smile :)
We missed our other groupies.. Brian (Lisa's hubby), Kevin and Shelley and Sarah and Ryan

Outside of my SPLITTING headache Saturday afternoon- it was a great weekend :)  I love weekends like these- complete with some of our closest friends and fellowship- gets me ready for the start of a great week..even though I'm still a little puffy from my migraine recovery. Blehhhh :)  Happy Monday!

The Fourth with Our Favorites

I believe I mentioned before that the (crazy) Tapella's- now a party of THREE with Baby Landon's arrival two weeks ago- were going to host us and about 15 other couples at their house for a Fourth of July Celebration.  We got the invite in the mail about 3 weeks before Landon came- and all I could think of was how very brave that girl is.  Of course, everything was just perfect- She never fails to surprise me- even with the birth of her first baby boy just a short time before. 

Yummy table full of SUGAR-y treats.  Cuppy Cakes to die for- the almond in the icing tipped the iceberg of deliciousness!                     

Goodie bags for our treats :) awesome. Sangria and fresh lemonade for the ladies and coolers of beer for the boys.. and we all (now) know how Jordan LOVES beer.

This would be the hostess with the mostest- and isn't she stunning?  LOVE her more than Jordan LOVES beer ;)

My sweet Diana- we were twinkies in festive red

My Supper Club Sweets

My gorg bestie- looking nothing less than beautiful :)

Jordan- enjoying his 1st cuppy cake and Chris (Diana's hubby)

My lovie bug ( a little blurry- but works well enough)
Make note of the jar of white gumballs in the background..

Baby Landon (gorgeous blue eyes!)

The Boys enjoying (more) cuppy cakes- Jordan.. thats your third.  STOP.

Pool time!

And...
The gumballs. 
Jarrett: "See how many can you fit in your mouth, Amber?"
Me: "More than you."
Chris: "I'll beat all of you."
Me: "Whatever. Bring it."
The stand off.. Jarrett vs. Chris vs. Amber.

SIGH.. Chris won with 14.. or 15. I thought my jaw was going to fall off after 10.

Ashley didn't know she was invited to play :) 

Mommy and Daddy Tapella love.. Landon is quite a lucky kiddo.

Burger (and dog) time!  The Fourth of July wouldn't be complete without these staple foods.

Hanging out by the pool- soaking in the sun!

What a fun way to celebrate with friends!  We love the Tapella's (and the rest of the crew loaded up in the T house over the weekend) Thank you sweet friends for your kind hospitality, delicious food, and for my baby Landon fix..until this weekend- Supper Club at the Massey's.