Update on some great events!

Brian graduated! The two year program flew by and we are so grateful we made the decision to go ahead with his graduate degree. It wasn't always easy, but every sacrifice we made was so worth it in the end. We are so grateful to have been able to live with Brian's parents during this time to save extra money and pay down our student loans. Brian did really well and worked so hard. He graduated with a masters degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Houston.





This is just because he is so darn cute.


Funny story: we didn't realize that cords were really only for baccalaureate degrees so we went ahead and bought Brian's "honor" cords. Luckily we realized before Brian walked at graduation that it is a bit taboo to wear the cords as a graduate student. Unluckily it was too late to return them so the only time he ended up wearing them was for this picture...but we're thinking it might help make a good wise man or shepherd costume in the future :o).



David turned 18 months old on May 1st. This picture shows how he feels about nursery. We actually took it before church that day but it cracks me up because his attitude didn't prove much as the day went on. He actually does great in nursery if we stay with him but literally seconds after we "sneak out" he really puts on a show. Poor kid.



Stay tuned for pictures of the Aquarium in downtown Houston and shots of Brian's trip to France!

7-Up Biscuits

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Here is the absolute best biscuit recipe I have ever made. And ironically it is also the easiest biscuit recipe I have made. Don't let the ingredients scare you away. These biscuits are equivalent to KFC or Popeyes (depending on which chicken place you buy from, if you are in the south, you probably choose Popeyes :o). They really turn out pretty too, just like the picture. I would have used my own picture but they got snarfed before I had the chance. I don't think I'll go back to Pillsbury tube biscuits. These aren't "healthy" but the ingredients are more natural than that of tube biscuits.

2 c. bisquick
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. 7-up
1/4 c. butter

Cut the sour cream in to the bisquick mix with a fork (like shortening in pie crust if you've ever made your own crust). Add the 7-up. This should form a really soft dough. NOTE: It still should be doughy though. It will stick to your hands a bit but if it is too wet it will totally stick to your hands big time. I ended up using more mix than the recipe called for to get the right consistency. Use a little flour or extra bisquick on a board or counter top to help pat your dough into about a 1/2 to 1 inch thick large circle. Cut biscuits in circles using the edge of a glass or a biscuit cutter. Melt butter in a 9x9 (square) baking dish. Put dough circles in dish on top of melted butter. The biscuits will be nice and cozy in the pan sort of squeezed next to each other. Bake at 450 degrees until golden brown. Do not bake these biscuits spread far apart in a large dish.

Couponing

I just wanted to share two awesome couponing websites with anyone interested! We had a preparedness fair in our stake and Tiffany Ivanosky from TLC's Extreme Couponing show came and talked to us. She lives right here in Spring too. I don't know her personally, but she and her husband seem so nice and have these great websites to help people out.

You may not have an H-E-B in your area, but the websites only mention this store every now and then. All the others you should be familiar with.

mylitter.com

iheartthemart.com

Enjoy all you frugal shoppers!

Congrats to a friend!

This may seem really odd, but I can't post a comment on my friend's blog and I really want to. So here's to you Vivian! You can read about her birthing experience here.

Vivian had her second baby without an epidural and it reminded a lot of when I had David. I don't know how I will deliver my second child, but I wouldn't mind having an experience like hers!

David's Hunt

David was really excited for this little Easter egg hunt we had for Playgroup last week. Isn't he cute? Notice the great quality picture...my friend took it with her nice camera. Also you can catch a bit of my baby bump in the second picture for those of you that wanted to see it. By the way, now is a great time to visit Houston! We only have two or three weeks left before we hit horribly hot weather. Right now it is a bit too hot for my taste but would be nice for anyone craving a little sunshine and warm weather...oh and humidity and bugs and pollen. But you can't have it all right? Also, can anyone tell me why I can't post a comment on other blogs? Does anyone else have that problem? I guess if you do I'll never know, seeing as how you couldn't leave a comment about it.

The Forgotten Garden

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was a perfect novel. Full of mystery, some romance, some sorrow, GREAT writing...I loved it! I also haven't read a fat book in a while and I loved how deep this book went in to the lives of the characters. The ending was so satisfying. I can't wait to read another on by Kate Morton. Her writing is so lovely. This book is a great read for sheer enjoyment and entertainment.



View all my reviews

Family Fun

My last post was a bit of a downer. David is doing much better. We ultimately decided not to get another x-ray. He still limps but we think he'll be fine. We're glad he is at least walking on his leg now. So I thought it would be fun to post about a few things that we have done together in the last little while.

We had spring break about a month ago. Brian was busy with rehearsals pretty much everyday, but we did take a day trip to Galveston to play on the beach and feed the birds on the ferry. The beach in Galveston isn't that great but for someone like me that hasn't really been on a great beach it was just fine! We had such a good time. Here are some pictures of it:










A few of the above pictures are from a trip we took to the Woodlands waterway. One of the videos below shows a live band that they had on the square that day. The waterway is a favorite place of ours because it is nearby and free.