Birthday Week and BBQ...

Last week was AMAZING! We celebrated my Birthday for 6 days straight! We ate at several of my favorite places, my mom and our friend Chandra came in town, everyone made sure my quarter of a century birthday celebration went perfectly! I could not be more grateful! 

Saturday, some of Jeff's family friends, Liz and Robert, and our mutual family friends, Mark and MaryAnne threw us a Bar-B-Q to celebrate our upcoming marriage (only 25 days away! :D but who's counting). I debated for weeks what to wear because I had a huge dilemma... the BBQ would be held on a Saturday! SATURDAY=BAMA GAME DAY! I needed to dress cute but had to wear Crimson because to not wear Crimson on game day is not really an option around our house. I was so happy when my mom found me these jeans!

It was so much fun and we had such a good turnout. Mark is an awesome cook and prepared fried fish, fried oysters, sausage, brisket, and shrimp étouffée... It was to die for and I ate many more plates full than I care to share. Not to mention Liz made a fabulous Italian Cream cake and a strawberry cake! I'm unsure who enjoyed them more...me or Georgia ha. Hayes loved being outside and LOVED playing in the dirt! One of my favorite parts of the day was how much time I got to spend with Emma. She tends to be shy when there is a lot of people around but Saturday she spent tons of time sitting in my lap and talking to my family. I was thrilled because I always tell them so much about the kids and loved having everyone in the same place! 

My Aunt Sharon, Uncle, and cousins Mason and Morgan came out and I was so glad they did! It was so nice having them there! It started at 3 and we all stayed until around 9 talking, watching Bama and the Rangers, playing washers and eating more food every time we passed the food table! We are so blessed to have such good friends and family! 

my mom and Aunt Sharon (sisters)

Happy 25th!

We all know how bad of a blogger I am BUT I could not let this day pass without telling
Miss Natalie McCarty...soon to be STEVENS... HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY!

Nat I can't believe you are halfway to 50! JK but seriously I am so lucky that you are one of my best friends. You are one of those true friends that if anything ever happened I know I could always count on you to be there. I have so many great memories with you and I cant wait to share many many many more together!

I love that this one little ginger bread house took us all night to make and we were so proud of the finished project!

I love that you are about to marry JEFFREY and yalls sweet little zoo family!

I love that you always make tees or tanks for every event...it wouldn't be a real party without one!

I love how you always are down for a party and everyone getting together when we are all intown. You definantly pull the group together and we can always count on you to arrange the plans!

I love how you are such a great big sister and there for Kaityln whenever she needs you.

I love how GWGs can always count on you to provide us with more pink things than we thought were possible....

and we ALL love it too!

I love how you are a BAMA fan and never miss a game with Jeff!

I love how obsessed you are with kids and think they are your own!

More than anything though, I love that you are on of my very best friends!

I hope you have a great 25th birthday Nat!!!

How Do You Roll...

It's no secret that Jeffrey and I love food and that's exactly what this post is about... We have a new restaurant in town. It's like a Subway for sushi... It's called How Do You roll. Fabulous idea and such a fun and different date night.

Homeowners...

Such an exciting time for several of our friends... Check out these new homeowners! 

B and Cale

Molly and Tim

Meh and Al

Ali

Since I can't make it to see each and everyone of their new homes just yet I decided to make some housewarming gift baskets. Alison recently relocated and now lives in Dallas so I thought I would send her one also! All I needed was a few baskets, mason jars, mini cookies of all sorts, popcorn, mini bottles of champagne and cake vodka... because what's a celebration without champagne and cake vodka am I right? I had so much fun putting them all together and waiting to hear from everyone as they received them! 

I got to take B and Cale theirs in person on Saturday and I'm so glad I did! Their home is BEAUTIFUL! Sad I didn't take any pictures while I was there but Im certain I will be going back to Katy to visit them very soon!

I had some extra sweets and decided to send them to the sweetest little girls I know... Emma and Georgia! I added in a few Halloween ditties, some love for Erica and Hayes, and their treat was ready to be shipped! 

Congratulations my friends! Enjoy your new homes!  

Weekend Wrap-Up...

Here is our weekend in photos...

I got my nails done Thursday to get ready for the Bama Game...

Friday Jeffrey and I went to dinner at Los Cucos and then went to see The Debt... It was a great movie and I would totally recommend seeing it

Before the movie I saw this cupcake and just had to have it...

Jeffrey waited patiently while I ate it...

Then after the movie I tripped and fell on our way out... I got this lovely scape and a sprained ankle...

Jeff was such a saint and took really good care of me... Im not sure what was hurt worse, my ankle or my pride...

Saturday morning I met, Rach and her sister Sarah for brunch at one of our favorite places...

I'll give you three guesses where we went  after brunch and the first two don't count...

We hung out and watched football there until the Bama game and then moved our party to Mike and Rach's, ordered pizza and watched the games.

Today has been low key, church, lunch with the soon to be in laws, nap, icing my ankle, and doing a million wedding things that I have put off for far too long!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!   

Freezer Friendly...

Yep that's right... At the Jeff Stevens home were all about freezing meals! Mike and Rach recently got a cookbook called Dinner is Ready and once they tried it out I was just dying to get one! So while I was in Pennsylvania Jeffrey called and informed me that he had a surprise waiting at home for me. When I returned from PA I was beyond excited at the sight of our garage... There it was... A GARAGE FREEZER!!! I have been crying in my beer saying how I really really wanted to make meals and freeze them but there was just no room in our freezer inside. Jeffrey, you're the best!!! 

Dinner is Ready is a cookbook that gives you freezer friendly recipes so that you can cook enough meals in one day to last you a month and keep them in the freezer until you are ready to prepare them. We are LOVING them! Everything we have had has been delicious. Tate and Mimi were a HUGE help and I couldn't have done it without them! The meals are for families so we split them with the girls and I can't say thank you enough for all of their help! I looked like a crazy lady at the grocery store and felt like one after seven hours worth of cooking! It has been so nice though coming home and not having to fully prepare a meal and not having all of the dishes to do... go ahead... TRY IT!

Labor Day Weekend...

Friday we loaded up and headed to Fredericksburg Tx to celebrate Madisen's QUARTER OF A CENTURY Birthday!!! Her hubby and our good friend James organized the whole thing to be a surprise for her! Most years we spend her birthday at Girls Weekend but this year we had GW in July so I was thrilled to still be able to get to celebrate with her! 

When James first asked us to go I thought no way no how will I get Jeff Stevens away from Corner Bar on the start of college football weekends... But I had to ask... WHAT! He said YES? Could my ears be deceiving me?! This was music to my ears and he deserved a hug around the neck! Eek now the hard part would be keeping the secret from Mad and deciding what I should wear. 

I have always wanted to go on a wine tour and stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Fredericksburg so this was the perfect opportunity to do so! 

Jeff and I arrived before James and Mad so that we could get the key and be there to surprise her. I wanted to jump out and yell SURPRISE when she walked in but Jeffrey thought we would scare her senseless if we were in a dark bed and breakfast yelling out at her when she least expected it... He made a good point. So instead as they walked up I turned on the porch light and threw the door open and said surprise!!!! Her face was priceless... She looked very confused ha. 

The Baylor v TCU game was in full swing so we went to Buc's bar just around the corner to play shuffle board and watch the game. So proud of my Baylor Bears for pulling off the win! 

Saturday morning we went to the best little breakfast place called the Sunset Grill. We all loved our meal but must admit we were all jealous of James and the deliciousness he ordered! He got Eggs Benedict but not your ordinary version... Right in the middle of his English muffin and egg was a crab cake! 

After breakfast we watched the first half of the Bama game then went to Becker Vineyards for a wine tasting and grape stomp! I was in heaven. 1) I LOVE wine! 2) Since seeing the I Love Lucy episode as a young girl I have been determined to go to a vineyard and stomp grapes... Dream come true! So much fun! After our stomp and tasting we sat on the porch and enjoyed some woodfire pizza. 

That night we went to Crossroads Steakhouse for dinner, more wine and the boys even had a few "old fashion" drinks in true Mad Men style. After we returned to the B&B to watch the end of the LSU Oregon game and called it a night. 

I do not know how we got so LUCKY but my girlfriends and I must have done something right because our significant others had no trouble becoming quick friends! 

This weekend was so much fun and I did not want it to end. I miss our couple friends so much living in CS because most of our friends here are boys and single! Rach, I know you can relate ha! No dinner dates, game nights, or bowling with other couples for us...unless Erica and Daniel come in town or we go to Corner with Mike and Rach. Mel & Marsh, Mendy & Alex feel free to read this and be very jealous y'all missed out this weekend haha...just teasing! Looking forward  to spending time with you all in the upcoming months! 

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY MAD! We LOVE you!