Anniversary

Seventeen years ago I married the person I know God created just for me. There are so many ways to describe how I love him. He is the calm to my type A personality. He is my own personal comedian. He is my comfort and person I love to spend all my time with. I think sometimes he knows me better than I know myself. When I think about the last 17 yrs I think about all the different roads we have walked together, adoption and the birth of our twins being the two biggest. These two events brought us even closer. To stand there with him when a judge granted our petition to adopt or to have him by my head when our babies were born made me love him more than I can put into words. Sometimes I'll be thinking something and he will say it outloud. It's a joke for me to say, "Get out of my head!" when he does that. I feel so blessed to call him mine!! 

Saturday: 

We had a full date day planned!! Riley was so excited because he had made us plans to go to a four hour cooking class. Then it got cancelled and he was so disappointed!! I was too! We decided to just spend the day hanging out until our dinner reservations. We love overnight trips but we felt that leaving the grandparents with all five kids might be a little overwhelming for them right now. Plus we never sleep well other places and our bed is pretty hard to beat! We started the day at a place called Brewed. It was so cute and very urban chic! We decided to each get a plate and share it. We had bacon, eggs, biscuits, jalapeño grits, and chicken n waffles with maple thyme syrup. We also had there pot of pressed coffee with fresh cream. It was amazing!! I loved he decor! 

After breakfast we ran some errands. Riley ran in someplace for a few minutes and I stayed in the car. I entertained myself taking selfies lol

There was a Carters in the vicinity and Riley said we should go look at some summer clothes for the twins. Twist my arm!! He knew I had just sold their last summers wardrobe and needed some things before the heat hits. 

My one request for the day was to grab icecream. I have been counting calories, working out and eating a really lean diet. I hadn't had any icecream in three months. He said, "Ok but first I want us to run into another store so I can show you something. I had no idea where or what we were doing! He drove up to Busy Body's. It still didn't click. Then he said, "I picked out a new elliptical but I want to make sure you like it." I think I squealed!!

Our old elliptical has 13 yrs of miles on it and it squeaks so terrible that it drives me bonkers. We've tried to oil it a few times and it still doesn't work. I was so happy!! I loved it and it will be here in two weeks!! Talk about a wonderful surprise! I actually sold our old one today to the most adorable older lady. I told her it squeaked and she told me that once she took her hearing aids out she wouldn't hear it anyway. Lol!!! After we left the store for exercise equipment we headed straight for yogurt land!! It was our lunch so we had room for dinner! 

After icecream we walked around downtown, enjoyed the shops and each other's company until dinner time. We ate at Texas de Brazil for dinner! It's our favorite place! Although I had to pace myself because I can't eat like I used too and I didn't want to leave miserable. It was all so good!!!! Afterwards we headed home to put our kids to bed and watch recorded family feud episodes lol! We love that show!! Happy 17 years with my best friend and love!! 

Emile Henry Bread Cloche

This Christmas my husband bought me the best gift....An Emile Henry Bread Cloche!!! It's been on my wish list awhile! He originally ordered it on Amazon but it delivered shattered. Then he ordered it at William Sonoma and it to delivered shattered. So then he went to the William Sonoma store and had it delivered directly to them. This one was a keeper! He said that he was panicked that it wouldn't arrive in time. They called him on Christmas Eve day that they had it!! I wondered what special errand he had that day! 

The bread cloche is amazing and worth every penny! It mimics a steam injector oven. Making hand made bread is so fun and tastes so good! No bread machines for me! The bread comes out with a beautiful flaky crust but tender inside. The way it works is you made your normal dough and let it do a 20 minute rise. Then you do the second rise in the bread cloche 45 minutes. Be sure to flour the bottom platter of the cloche well so the bread doesn't stick. Using a bread lame (much better than a knife) cut an X in the top and bake in the cloche. 

Mixing the dough with a bread wisk. 

Second rise (the lid goes on for 45 mins) 

Bread lame

Once baked!! Beautiful and perfect!! 

Texas hurry and bring Spring!!

Just when we thought we weren't going to have a bad winter or any school days to make up Texas went and threw us for a loop!! Last week we got freezing rain and the schools were able to make the call the night before. Let me tell you we had some happy children who got two excused days off from school (hello four day weekend)! I kept the boys home a third day (unexcused) because it was snowing and if it continued I really didn't want to get the babies out in it. I gave Brit the choice since we can walk to her school. She didn't want to lose her perfect attendance and her district had a two hour delay (11:20 start). So I threw the babies in their play area and let Brady babysit for the five minutes it took to walk her to the stop sign and watch her walk the rest. Her first period is a portable so I could see her walk in. Then I raced back. Brady is an amazing big brother and most his morning looked like this. 

On Thursday everyone went back to school! I was so happy my hair appointment didn't get cancelled!! I didn't want to have roots for my upcoming anniversary weekend! During my appointment though I started to feel really bad. I got hit with a sore throat and chills. I knew we had another storm system moving in but I also knew I had had strep at the beginning of the month. My ear acted like it was draining so I thought well it prob is this weather moving in and upped my normal dose of allergy meds when I got home. 

Here is my car selfie after my hair appointment. Be gone roots! 

Thursday night was a little rough because I was running fever and my throat killed. Friday morning I knew I better go to the doctor. Riley took the boys to school and ended up coming back home instead of going into work. He felt bad and decided working from home sounded better since he had no conferences or meetings. I was able to get ahold of our doctor as I was taking Brit to school (my doctor even answered the phone) and she said come at 10:30. When I got home I told Riley I had made an appt. At this point it had started to snow outside. Riley decided he better go to the dr too and was able to call and go in with me. My MIL was at my house with the twins and I was so happy because the day turned into one crazy mess!! We left around 9:45 and I'm glad we did because what normally takes 10 mins took all 45 minutes. The snow was falling like crazy. We got to our doctors office and sure enough both of us had strep. We snapped this fast selfie of us on our way out the door of the office. The picture does not convey how bad we felt. I didn't have on any makeup either which you know I'm sick if that happens. 

We had no idea that it would take almost THREE hours to get home (4-5 miles to our house). The snow was coming down and in downtown Ft Worth it was stacked! The schools started calling saying the boys would have a 1pm dismissal and Brit a 2pm dismissal. 

 

My FIL had managed to get out of downtown before it got this congested and went to my house to help with the twins. At 12:30 we called him and said can you go get the boys we are so stuck and won't make it across town in time. Thankfully he could get them. We literally pulled into Brits school right before the bell rung. We took a gamble and turned down a street that I knew would take us to a Main Street to get us home. We are pretty sure that one street saved us an HOUR of sitting time or my FIL would have been getting her too. By the time we got home we were sick and frazzled with five kids to care for. Thankfully the older kids occupied themselves with Wii and we tag teamed the babies. 

Now it's Monday and the boys/hubby are off to school and work. I still feel bad but hoping to get a few things done because this weekend is my 17th wedding anniversary and the start of spring break! Riley is home all next week and we need to sit down and plan our "stay-cation". I'm hoping the weather is nice so we can do several outings! 

Ok, I'm off. I hear the babies waking and I need to go see if Brit is ready for school (her school starts an hour and 20 mins later than the boys). 

-Kriss