Monday, already?

Weekends for the Payne family tend to go by way too fast.

This past weekend, Will decided that we need to go to Sweetwater, which is unusual because it's normally me that makes him go to Sweetwater...... Oh well! :) My mother enjoyed it no matter who made the decision to go home.

Friday was family night.

My mother, father, Will, and I went out on the town :) Sweetwater recently got a new place.. which doesn't happen, ever! It's called Aroma's on Oak Street, next to SPAC. From what I've heard, they have wonderful coffee. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so I can't confirm this. They have a really neat atmosphere, and seating outside! Seems to be a nice place to hang out for sure.

 Dad and I at Pmom's house

 

Mom and I at Pmom's house

 

 

Saturday came, and it was off to Abilene we went! Layla and Romi accompanied me, and we had a blast. Layla finally got an iPhone, hopefully she'll stop complaining now! ;)

If you're a Thai food lover, like myself, you've got to try Bangkok Thai in Abilene. Absolutely the best Thai food in West Texas! I stick to my usual, as does Layla.... but my mother is much more adventurous than us and says that everything is good. I stick to Satay Chicken, Spring Rolls, and Chicken Fried Rice. Wonderful, just wonderful! Don't worry Diet, I haven't forgotten about you... just figured you needed a day off.

Satay Chicken Peanutbutter Sauce and Cucumber Salad

 

Spring Roll and Sweet Sauce

 My little Romi had her charm turned up Saturday while we were in Abilene! As if she isn't already the cutest little girl I've ever seen, this face just melts my heart.

 

I'm the first person to admit, that I'm a mommy's girl.... there's no question about it.

This is the cuteness that my mother and I woke up to Sunday morning while Will went fishing....

 This week, as well as the next, I'll be busy cleaning house and getting ready for Will's 26th birthday party. This is the first time in 3 years that he's been off to celebrate his birthday, so I've got to do it big!

What do you do to get ready for an adult party and what are some good ideas?

Can't wait to see what you have to say.

Happy Monday! :)

 

In-Law Visit

Welcome Back! :)

Talk about a fast weekend..... this past weekend, Will was on call at work, so he spent most of his Saturday working. I spent my Saturday morning shopping, which is not my forte, surprisingly....

There a shop in Odessa, called Wild Wild West, it's absolutely awesome! I bought two pieces of furniture and some shutters for decoration :)

I saw this last weekend and just knew I had to have it!

It's much more turquoise in person.....

 

This is our new buffet, absolutely love it!

 

These are the shutters I got to go with our newest piece of artwork, from Hobby Lobby

 

Thanks again to Tricia Holcombe for helping me this past week! I couldn't have done it without you :)

 Here's a few more pictures of our new decor

Table from Kirklands

 

PAYNE letters and cross from Hobby Lobby

 

Everything from Hobby Lobby, except our photo and frame (thanks Carnival Cruise Lines!)

 Wil's grandfather worked for Texaco and owned a few gas stations, so I figured it was appropriate and a fun touch to our dining room.

 

 Will's mother, grandfather, and two sisters (Laura and Kristen) came to visit today on their way home from New Mexico, so glad they had a chance to stop! We just love seeing our family. My mom came in as well before everyone else showed up. Sure wish she'd move to Midland already! :(

I cooked steaks, green bean casserole, creamed corn, brown sugar baked beans, and yummy mashed potatoes! We had sugar free yellow cake with chocolate icing (sugar free as well) for desert.

Green Bean Casserole

 2 cans of cooked Green Beans

2 cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can of French Fried Onions

1 Tsp of Soy Sauce

1 cup of Mile

1 Tsp of Pepper

(makes 6 servings)

 Mix all ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl, minus 1 1/2 cups of French Fried Onions, those come in to play later.

 Place mixed ingredients in the serving dish of your pleasure and cook in the oven at 350F for 25 minutes, stir and add remaining French Fried Onions. Cook for 5 more minutes, then you're ready to serve!

 I had to make mine ahead of time due to timing.... How do you handle pre-mixing/making?

I tend to make notes on my foil before I wrap it up :)

I tried to snap a picture of the finished product, but Will got to it before I could! :(

We had a wonderful visit with Will's family, sure wish they could have stayed longer! For now, I'll end this with a photo of Will and his Grandfather. We take a picture of the two of them everytime we see him. We just love him!

Happy Sunday, y'all!

Have a great week!!

First Post

Hello!

Thanks for stoping by to read my first post!
I've been reading other blogs like Fun With the Fullwoods and Keeping Up with the Cyperts and they inspired me to make my own! You should definately check them out if you haven't yet. Talk about some good reads!

Anyway, Will and I have been married for a year now... I can't believe it! And we've been in our house for almost 2 years, but have yet to really make it "home". My mother in law, Deborah, is bringing 2 of Will's sisters and grandfather to see us on Sunday, which means I've been in panic mode! Between cleaning, cleaning, decorating, and more cleaning, this week has been hectic.

I work with a wonderful woman named Tricia, who has the most decorated house I've ever seen! Everytime I walk in to her home, I think to myself "Oh my goodness, I wish this was my house!". It's so "home-y" and welcoming, I just love it. So once I found out that we had company coming, I knew who to go to to help me decorate..... We went to multiple stores yesterday, and I'm going to hit a few more today... but for now, here's a few "before" pictures of our house, pre-Tricia :)

Here's a view from the front door of our living room 

Here's a view from our dining room into the living room

I wonder what I was watching on TV?

Lastly, here's a view of our dining room from our hallway

I'll post more pictures once we're finished decorating... I'm so excited! Some of you may be wondering, "why is she decorating for her in-laws if she's lived there for almost 2 years?" Well, truth be told, this will be the first time my in-laws have seen our house! EEK! I've got 1 more day to pull everything together before they show up...

I'll be sure to post plenty pictures of our updates, and the wonderful recipies I'm making for our family dinner.

Thanks again for stopping by!