Elf on the Shelf

If you didn't know already, this has been a pretty challenging year with my Kindergarten class. My class is sweet but very energetic and rowdy. I have 14 boys and 6 girls - that should say it all. So, I thought this would be the perfect year to have an elf on the shelf for my classroom. If you don't know what this is, learn now. The person that created this is a true genius. It is a small elf and a book. You are introduced to the elf by reading the book and then naming the elf. My class chose the name, "Jingles." Jingles first appeared on Friday and after we read the book and discussed Jingles, the kids were perfect. The book discusses how the elf is there to spy on you for Santa Claus. Each night he goes to the North Pole to talk to Santa and comes back to your house before the next morning. He moves everyday and the goal is for the child to find them. I can only hope that this might make my next two weeks a lot easier and the kids will be working really hard for Jingles and Santa. If you have small children, go out and buy this immediately. You can purchase them at Borders and Barnes and Noble and a variety of places online. Happy Holidays, Skylar

Girly Girls

Today I ventured out to Southlake to see Paige and Piper. For those of you that don't know, Paige is a dear friend from TCU. We met in the education department and we became instant friends. Paige was my matron of honor for our wedding, She and her hubby, Taylor, live in a beautiful home in Southlake. They just welcomed Miss Piper Elizabeth on August 28th. She is three months old today! For our first outing together, I  met them at their house and then we went to the Southlake Town center and ate at one of my faves, Mi Cocina. Piper was so good. She laid on Paige most of the time and even fell asleep so we could catch up and have some real girl time. After we finished eating we went to a few shops and then headed back to the house. Piper has gotten so big and adorable. She is a very happy baby and is talking up a storm. I hope there will be more girl outings soon:). Here is a picture that I had Paige take of me and Miss Piper. Such a sweetheart, love her!  

I love fall!

Why I love fall:

-Using my crockpot to make my favorite recipes
-Boots- of all kinds
-Fall fashion- dark nail polishes, silk blouses, scarves and loose fitting sweaters this year
-Pumpkin bread
- Holidays
-Texas- OU weekend
-The state fair
-Leaving the door open and letting the dogs come and go as they please
-Long walks around the neighborhood
-Sunday morning coffee on the patio with Austin
-College football (especially the Horned Frogs)
-No more mosquitos
-Relief from the heat
-Eating on the patio at our house or at local restaurants

Happy Fall! I hope everyone is enjoying it.

Where did October go?

Lately...

1. Getting the house organized. We inherited a few pieces of beautiful furniture from Austin's grandmother. She is moving out of her home and into either a retirement home or assisted living.
2. Wishing for cooler weather. I want to start wearing sweaters and using my crockpot more. Both of these things really do require cooler temperatures.
3. Watching lots of college football and Ranger's baseball.
4. Working.
5. Traveling. Last weekend we went out to Horseshoe Bay and spent the weekend with the Clark family. It was a great time with friends and the boys went wake boarding. Yes, wake boarding in the lake in October. Austin was in the Harlingen area this weekend for a good buddy's bachelor party and next weekend he is going to New York to visit Chase with Chris.
6. Hanging out with friends. I went out to Southlake on Friday night for Taylor Kelly's surprise party. Paige threw him a Mexican fiesta with catering from Joe T's. She did a great job and everything was amazing.  I helped Paige with baby Piper, and loved every minute of it. Piper is such a cutie pie!

That is basically our month of October. I cannot believe it is almost November but can't wait for the upcoming holidays with good food and family!

With lots of love,
Skylar

Ready for Fall

I can't even begin to tell you how ready I am for cooler weather. Cooler weather = crockpot weather. If you know me well enough, you know how much I LOVE to use my crockpot. Here is a recipe that I am dying to try and I will as soon as it cools off a bit. Here it is, I had to share. Enjoy!



Prep Time: 20 minutes


Other: 6 hours

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 (1.25-oz.) envelope chili seasoning mix

1 (12-oz.) can beer

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

3/4 teaspoon salt

Toppings: shredded Cheddar cheese, finely chopped red onion, sliced fresh jalapeños

Preparation

1. Cook first 4 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 minutes or until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in beer, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon mixture into a 5 1/2-qt. slow cooker; stir in corn and next 6 ingredients until well blended. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours. Serve with desired toppings

My Little Cheerleader

We went to the Texas Co-Op today in Dallas and saw a Longhorn cheerleading outfit for Mya. I have wanted to get one for her for a while but they never had her size. She has it on for the game today and will be wearing it next weekend for theTexas - OU game. Here are some pictures we took of her cheering for the Longhorns. Don't worry, if I find a TCU cheerleader outfit for her, she will have that as well. Go Horns!!!

Since the last post:

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It has been crazy around this house with weddings, out of town trips, football games and WORK!! Here is a synopsis of our last two weekends. Sorry I don't have any pictures; we are becoming increasingly worse about capturing things on camera. We need to be better in the future:) 

Over Labor Day weekend Austin took me to the Four Seasons in Las Colinas for a nice getaway. It was amazing! We laid by the pool and had some cocktails and then had dinner while watching the TCU game. If you ever want to get away, this is the most perfect place. Before we left for the Four Seasons, we had a little mishap with our golden retriever.  Maggie was playing in the backyard, and when Austin went out to get her he realized that she was bleeding a lot and licking her paw. He then saw that she had pulled out one of her front toenails. The toenail was enormous! I felt so bad for her. We were already having them boarded at the vet for the night so we had her looked over. They put some medicine on it along with a coagulant and said she would be fine. She has been doing better but hasn't been moving as fast as she normally does. 

The last part of the holiday weekend we drove over to Tyler to see Austin's family. His sister and cousins were also in town, so we all got together at his Aunt's for a great BBQ dinner Sunday night. It was a good time with great people and fabulous food. We then went and saw his adorable grandmother, Nene. She has been in the the hospital recovering from surgery. She is doing well and getting stronger every day. 

This weekend we went to the UT game in Austin. We stayed with our good friends, Chris and Myles. The live out in the Lakeway area.  We were so jealous of the beautiful area and scenery that they get to enjoy every day. We ate on Lake Austin at the Hula Hut and tailgated before the game. We had a good time, and it was great to see some friends. We can't wait for all the upcoming horns games and always love going to Austin and catching up with friends.