happy birthday ryan!

My big brother's birthday was today. We celebrated at my parent's house with all the family. My Mom prepared a delicious meal. We had Turkey Tenderloins wrapped in bacon (grilled by my Dad), potato casserole, brocoli, fried okra, and rolls. Mmmm!!

But the best part was what Ryan picked for his "birthday dessert."

Mom's famous Eclairs

Here is the birthday boy, his wife, Ashley and baby Carson! Aren't they a cute little family?

Before we left my parents house I asked my Mom to take a picture of me and Matt. I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately, so I'm really trying to take pictures everywhere we go. Matt was ready to go home and not really in the mood for pictures so I threaten him a little!!

And it paid off because I got a good picture out of him!!

I know this post is supposed to be all about Ryan's birthday, but I just had to post these sweet pictures I took of Carson. He is Ryan's pride and joy, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

Happy Birthday Ryan!!

which one do you like best?

I went birthday shopping with Matt tonight and picked out these Ray Ban sunglass. They are a brownish/black marble color. I love them because they look black with black clothes and brown with brown clothes. The only problem is that I found out this color doesn't come with polarized lenses. And I'm pretty sure I want polarized lenses since they are better for your eyes.

So now I have to decide if I want the same sunglasses (with polarized lenses) in.....

Tortoise

OR

Black

Which one do you like best?

Or should I just forget about the polarized lenses and get the original ones I pick out.

meal planning monday

Monday: Ryan's (big brother) B-day Dinner @ my parent's

Tuesday: Goulash, Cornbread & Fried Okra

Wednesday: BBQ Sandwiches & Chips

Thursday: Chicken Parmesan, Garlic Toast & Green Beans

Friday: Corn Dogs/Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich

Saturday Breakfast: Hobo Pancakes & Bacon

Saturday Lunch: Chick-fil-A

Saturday Dinner: Babe's for Drew's Birthday Dinner

Sunday Lunch: Birthday Lunch @ Chipotle w/ my family

Sunday Dinner: Birthday Dinner with my hubby!!

early birthday celebration

We met all of Matt's family in McKinney tonight to celebrate my birthday and Stan's birthday a little early. We went to a restaurant downtown called Aparicio's. It was delicious!!

Stan and I both got a free sopapilla for our birthday. I haven't had one of those things in forever. It was soooo yummy!!

This was the best picture that we could get with all the kiddos. Aren't my nieces and nephews so cute??

And here's Stan, a.k.a Grandaddy, with all the kids. It's really hard to get 4 kids to look at the camera at the same time!!

Happy Birthday Stan!!

Thanks for a great night. And thanks for the birthday presents. I love you all of you!!

grilled peanut butter sandwich

On Sunday's I usually make something quick and easy for lunch. I had on our menu to have leftovers today, but that just didn't sound very good to us. Matt and I have both had sore throats this week, so I made some soup and grilled cheeses. As I was making the grilled cheeses I was reminded of one of my favorite lunches as a kid....

Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich

It's as simple as a grilled cheese. Butter the outside of the bread. Spread the inside with peanut butter. Grill on the stove over medium-low heat.

This just might be what I eat next Sunday. I'm not sure if I'll be able to talk my husband into having one.

Have you ever had a Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich or am I just totally weird?

What was your favorite lunch as a kid??

speaking of college football

Since I was just on the topic of college football (and it still happens to be on our TV), I thought I would share this with you.

Matt is watching the USC vs. Ohio State game, and the Ohio State band just performed. They are known for spelling out Ohio in cursive on the field. I had never seen it before, so I thought it was pretty cool. Here is a video of it, if you have never seen it.

Matt says that this is the only good thing about Ohio State. Hah!

But of course if I'm going to show a video of a random college band, I have to show you a video of my college band.

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.

If you have never seen the Aggie band, it's worth your time to watch it. It's very different from your typical college band. The Aggie Band is military style. The video doesn't do it justice though. Watching them perform on Kyle field is a true experience.

Gig 'em Ags!!!

college football

I miss being in College Station on game day.

I miss seeing the whole stadium in Maroon.

I miss singing the Texas Aggie Fight Song and War Hymn.

I miss seeing the stadium look like it was moving while singing said songs.

I miss the Yell Leaders.

I miss the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.

I miss being apart of a huge crowd.

I miss watching live football.

I miss tailgating before and after the games with my roomies.

I miss Kyle Field.

I really liked college football when I was in college. See.....

(This game was rain delayed, and I even stayed the whole time!)

Now.....mmm.....not so much.

Since we are a A&M/Baylor house, I can handle watching a Baylor game and/or an A&M game.

But college football on TV all day long. Give me a break!!

Can you guess what we are watching right now?

our new obsession

We can't get enough of this popcorn.

It is our new obsession.

I think I'm going to go pop a bag right now!!

birthday month

September is "Birthday Month" at The Link Home!

My birthday is on September 20th and Matt's birthday is September 29th.

But it's not just our birthdays........

My big brother's birthday is September 14th, Matt's dad's birthday is September 16th, and I share my birthday, September 20th, with my little brother.

You read that correctly. My little brother and I have the same birthday, exactly 4 years apart.

And we have a little nephew due October 4th. If he decides to come a few days early we'll have six September birthdays in our family!!

Instead of buying birthday presents this weekend, I ordered six Christmas presents off Etsy this weekend. Hah!!

tv starts this week!!

I'm so excited for TV to start back up again. I have a small addiction to quite a few shows.

This has been a recent development for since I rarely watched TV in college. The only show I ever watched in college was Grey's Anatomy. Since I graduated in 2007, my TV show list has grown tremendously. The only reason I have even have time to watch TV is because of our DVR. I love it!! I can tape shows all week and watch them whenever I have time. When I'm bored on the weekends. I usually have a show to watch!!

Here's some of the shows I'm looking forward to....

So You Think You Can Dance (starting TOMORROW!!)

Biggest Loser (starting September 15th)

The Office (starting September 17th)

Dancing with the Stars (starting September 21st)

Grey's Anatomy (starting September 24th)

Amazing Race (September 27th)

Private Practice (starting October 1st)

And I'm off to set the DVR right now!!

the white shoes rule

These shoes are some of my favorite summer sandals. They go with almost everything, and I wear them all the time!! I'm not ready to give them up yet, just because it's Labor Day.

I'm convinced that whoever made up the "no white shoes after Labor Day" must not be from Texas. In Texas it is still hot in September, so therefore I am still wearing my summer clothes. If I'm still wearing my summer clothes, then I have some outfits that only go with these white sandals.

So whatever.....

I'm breaking the rule.

When the weather cools down, I'll gladly put my white sandals up. But for now, they are staying out!!

meal planning monday

Happy Labor Day!!

Monday Lunch: Chick-fil-A

Monday Dinner: Grilling Fajitas @ my parents house

Tuesday: Grilled Southwest Shrimp, Baked Potatoes, & Corn

Wednesday: Swiss Stuffing Chicken, Veggies, & Rolls

Thursday: Ravioli(from Sam's), Green Beans, & Garlic Toast

Friday: Beef Quesadillas, Homeade Salsa, Black Beans & Rice

Saturday Breakfast: Sausage Crescent Roll-Ups

Saturday Lunch: Potato Skins & Fruit

Saturday Dinner: Chicken Cor Don Blue (from Sam's), Mashed Potatoes, & Zucchini

Sunday Lunch: Leftovers

Sunday Dinner: Early Birthday dinner with Matt's Family

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

I've been testing my kiddos this week on their letters and sounds. I'll show them the letter and they have to tell me the name of the letter and then the sound. This always brings lots of funny stories. Here are some from this year...

• C- "It looks like a circle with a bite out of it."
• X- "Ummm....I don't know....Can I just call it a K."
• W- "Hey...Why is that M upside down."
• n- "Oh, that's is an upside down n.

And here are two of my favorites from past classes....

• M- My student couldn't remember this sounds, but I knew that she knew it because we sing a song were it says "Mommy makes milkshakes mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. So I said to her, "It's the sound you would say if your Mommy made you a milkshake." And she said, "Oh ya, Yummy!!"
• U- I teach my kids to pretend punch themselves in the tummy to make the "U" sound. They will "punch" themselves multiple times and say "uhhh uhhh uhhh" over and over again. They love it. When I asked one of my student what U says, he "punched" himself and said "Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!!

pla-no

Last year one of my students called playdough, "pla-no" all year long. He along with the rest of my class loved playing with "pla-no", so this year I decided to do a fun playdough activity on the first day of school.

If you don't know how to make playdough. Here is a very easy and cheap recipe to make homemade playdough.

1 c. flour

1/2 cup salt

1 c. water

1 T. oil

2 tsp. cream of tarter

Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a heavy saucepan. Combine water, oil and food coloring and slowly pour into flour mixture, stirring constantly, and cook over medium heat. Cook and stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Turn out onto wax paper. After it cools a little, keep in a Ziploc bag.

For my first day of school activity, I printed this poem on a small piece of paper and stapled it to each baggie.

This ball of playdoh is fun

But it’s magical as well.

With a few squeezes,

The future it will tell.

If it changes color,

A great year is ahead for you and me.

Squeeze it now!

What do you see?

Then, the morning before school started I poked my hole (with my finger) in each ball of playdough and dropped one drop of food coloring in it, then covered the hole up.

All the kids playdough changed colors, so it's going to be a great year!!!

quick and easy dinner

I love this meal because it is super quick and easy.

It is especially quick if you already have some ground beef browned. I just pull it out of the freezer in the morning and keep it in the refrigerator.

Skillet Tacos

1 lb. ground beef

1 can tomato soup

1 c. Pace chunky salsa or picante sauce

1/2 c. water

8 (6-inch) flour tortillas cut into 1-inch pieces

1 c. shredded cheese

Brown beef in skillet. Pour off fat. Add soup, salsa, water, tortillas and half the cheese. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 minutes or until hot. Top with remaining cheese.

Enjoy!!

meal planning monday

Monday: Skillet Tacos

Tuesday: Crispy Chicken Salad & Bread

Wednesday: Swedish Meatballs, Rice, & Veggies

Thursday: Chicken Poppyseed Casserole, Veggies, & Rolls

Friday: Hamburgers and Homemade French Fries

Saturday Lunch: Pizza

Saturday Dinner: BLT's & Chips

Sunday Lunch: Chicken Spaghetti, Veggies, & Rolls

Sunday Dinner: Dinner at The LeBlanc's

two weeks late

Two weeks ago we had Matt's family come over to celebrate Nicole's birthday, but I haven't had time to blog about it. So here it is.....

We had Spring Creek BBQ, homemade baked beans, chips, watermelon, and the famous homemade "Chucks Pickles" (I'll have to blog about that recipe later. Apparently they are the greatest pickles ever, but since I HATE pickles, I wouldn't know.) Oh, and we had Grammy's corn dip and Italian Creme Cake, too. Delicious!!!

I didn't pull my camera out until we went out to the pond behind our house to feed the ducks. It practically ended up turning into a photo session.

Ellie was feeding the ducks only the middle of the bread. I guess since she doesn't like the crust on the bread, she figured the ducks wouldn't either!!

Matt is so good with his sweet nieces and nephews. He had a blast feeding the ducks and the tons of turtles that live in the pond, too.

Seriously, is this face not the cutest thing you have ever seen??

The Links-Matt and Katy

The LeBlancs-Bryan, Nicole, Emma, & Ellie (and Ethan on the way...)

The Reeds- David, Jennifer, Peyton, & Preston

The Other Links- Stan & Alisa...aka Granddaddy & Grammy

All the little ones

I sure do love our family!!!

Emma loves our sweet Izzie girl. She would not put her down all night. Izzie loved being loved on all night, but she was worn out after the evening.

I love my sweet Preston & Ellie. I can't wait to have another nephew added to the family in October!!

While Matt, Ellie, and Peyton played the Wii, the rest of us played a little joke on Preston. He had been carrying around Granddaddy's Blackberry, so we decided to call it to see what he would do. He had no idea he was actually talking to his Dad who was in the same room. It was hilarious to watch him.

We feel so lucky to have such great families. We are truly blessed!!

random friday night thoughts

• I survived my first week of school. Actually there was nothing to survive, because my kids were amazing. It was seriously the best first week of school I have had in my 3 years of teaching. My kids are precious. I'm so excited for this year. It is a complete change from last year.

• I'm really ready for fall to be here. Today a cool front blew in, and the 86 degree weather was much more bearable at recess than the 90/100 degree weather we have been having.

• Also, I'm kind of ready for football season. I'm getting sick of Rangers games being on in our house. I'm ready for a new sport.

• It's almost birthday season here!!! September brings quite a few birthdays in our family. My older brother is on the 14th, Matt's Dad's birthday is on the 16th, me and my little brother are on the 20th (yes, we have the same birthday), and Matt's birthday is the 29th. Whew!!

• We booked our hotel for our one year anniversary trip to San Antonio in October. I'm so excited to spend a long weekend away from home with my hubby!!

• I just found out today that a good family friend of our (and the grandmother of one of my students) has cancer. I really hate cancer. Why does it have to exist?

• I have jury duty in October. I actually had it on the 2nd day of school, but I got it postponed. I have no idea what to expect. I have never done it.

• I can't wait for the new season of The Biggest Loser to start on September 15th. I just watched a preview and Daniel from the Orange Team is back. I follow Jillian and Bob on Twitter (I know, I'm a dork), and they have both said it's going to be a great season!!!

I told you my thoughts were random!!!

And since I don't really like posts without pictures (especially two posts in a row), here's a random picture to go with my random post....

pudding sandwich & chick-fil-a nuggets

I want to do a better job this year of writing down all the funny things that my kids say at school. Kids really do say the darndest things. Every now and then I plan on posting a few of my little "Kindergarten Funnies" on my blog so I can go back and remember them.

The two choices in the lunch line today were:

• Ham and Cheese Sandwich OR
• Chicken Nuggets

One of my little boys that got a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch also got vanilla pudding for dessert. As soon as he sat down he got his "spork" and starting spreading his pudding on the bread of his sandwich. I'm pretty sure he thought it was mayonnaise. He didn't seem to care though because he ate it all up!!

One of my little girls that got chicken nuggets had eaten all of her food on her plate except her chicken nuggets. (which is odd because chicken nuggets are a Kindergartners best friend) I told her she need eat her nuggets before she went outside. She then told me, "Oh..I don't like these kind. I only like Chick-fil-A nuggets. Ya know the ones with the dark crust."

I didn't say anything back, because I actually agreed with her!!

Oh and I have 2 kids that can't say their "L's" so they call me Mrs. Wink!! I love it!!