The Corral

I missed a weekend at the ranch to travel, however if you've ever had Longhorns on your property as pets you know they surprisingly hide quite well in the brush.

My two pets Freckles and Soltero have not been around as often because, like camels, they do not need water as often as the rest of the cattle on the property do....

For the month of December my goal is to transfer them into a smaller pasture so I can see them more often as the holidays are arriving and its time to spend some quality time at the ranch.....

I'll keep everyone posted on the "disappearing" longhorns......

Never a dull moment on Christmas Vacation!

What can I say about an unplanned Christmas vacation

Things to be Grateful for....

TWO male Oreo bulls

Layla, the "ranch dog"

 Little brothers who can fix major water leaks....and water to nourish our cattle

Dads who still want to work at the ranch and blue Texas skies

Healthy cows!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nursery

As winter has arrived, I await many new babies and all Girls! and girls just want to have fun.....
With their arrival, comes shopping time for some favorite items....Here are some of my favorite classic gifts as well as *extras that every baby girl needs in her wardrobe.....

For Mommies to be, there are 2 pairs of shoes I can highly recommend for those swollen days and hospital stays and just need to be comfy days!

For a basic flat shoe (and when I say flat yes you can feel the ground right under your toes) I recommend Yosi Samra.  They fold up nicely into any bag and even some small handbags!

http://www.yosisamra.com

However, if you want to splurge and what new mommy doesn't deserve a splurge after giving birth, get yourself a pair of these.  You can't imagine the color options (I personally own taupe even though I truly need some blingy ones).....

www.tieks.com


And finally for the princess in your life!

1. Baby Giraffe blankets (or anything from this line is perfect even for the home)http://www.littlegiraffe.com/
2. Aden and Anais swaddle blankets https://www.adenandanais.com/
3. #1 Baby Bottles http://www.tommeetippee.us/
4. Every one needs a boppy! especially nursing moms http://www.boppy.com/
5. Baby Bath Products-my Mommy friends swear by it! http://www.mustelausa.com/
6. Butt Paste - the answer to everything! http://www.buttpaste.com/
7. Modern BIBS!!!!! http://www.copperpearl.com/
8. A Baby Bjorn - carry your baby hands free! http://www.babybjorn.com/?market=us
9. My newest favorite line of baby clothing (the fabric is incredible!) http://www.kickeepants.com/shop/pc/home.asp
10. If you don't have your diaper bag yet, Petunia Pickle Bottom is the place to be.  Although I adore the fabrics, the best material is their glazed coated canvas.   http://www.petunia.com/diaper-bags

**Splurge Get her some Yosi Samra shoes since she will need them to be as stylish as her Mommy!**
http://www.yosisamra.com/sammie-metallic-rosegold.html?

** another splurge for a blanket or baby bedding-A Bella Notte blanket **
 http://search.laylagrayce.com/search?w=bella%20notte%20baby%20blankets

And where to shop?
I have to admit since I live on the border, I don't have many options to shop in a baby store however if you stop by San Antonio any time soon, these two stores are incredible at both their inventory and their service!
Bambinos can be found in Alamo Heights in the Lincoln Heights shopping center!

bambinosboutique.com

Nursery Couture 
Be brave enough to hit 1604 traffic and make this one of your MUST STOPS for baby stuff!
http://blog.cadenlane.com/nursery-couture/

Thank you to my glowing Mommy to be cousin Lisa for helping me with this post! More to follow!

A Book Walk Through my Home !

When I get to heaven I swear there's going to be a huge ranch with a lot of cows, a huge kitchen and book shelves lined with books to read!

Here are some of my favorite titles:

1. The Break by Estela Gutierrez (who I'm blessed to know personally AND she's from South Texas!)

2.  The Tao of Martha: My Year of Living or Why I'm Never Getting all that Glitter Off the Dog by Jen Lancaster *hilarious

3.  Where'd you go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

4. Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline

5. The Martian by Andy Weir *technical vocabulary but I enjoyed it nonetheless

6. Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson

7. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

8. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty *couldn't put this down

9. Happily Ali After by Ali Wentworth *love the laughs!!!!!

10. Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me (and other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling * I don't even watch the show and I loved this book!

11. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

12.  Adultery by Paulo Coehlo

**some of these books are quick book versions of chick flicks**

Not sure if I should have added Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James  (honestly you only need to read the first book and watch the movie because what is better than being flown in a helicopter from Portland to Seattle just to have dinner, really?)

Here is a list of books I plan to read only because they are sitting next to my bed in a basket:

1. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez

2. Wildflower by Drew Barrymore

3. Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling

4. What Maisie Knew by Henry James

5. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

6. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

7. The Vacationers by Emma Straub

8. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert

9. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

10. The Recipe Box by Sandra Lee

11. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

12.  Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

13. Unmasking Juliet by Teri Wilson 

14.  What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

15. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee *everyone has to read this considering the story behind the publication of this book

16. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes *my friend Georgina loved this book 

17. A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan 

Books that make great gifts (even though quite frankly any book makes for a good gift :) )

1. Anthropologie has this set and although I only bought one I highly recommend them even if they are used for color in a room http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-books-cookbooks/35447085.jsp#/  (I got the Sense and Sensibility-great color in any room of the house)

2. Shiny Happy People by Neil Roake

3. The Secret Lives of Baked Goods by Jessie Oleson Moore

4. The Pioneer Woman Cooks Dinnertime by Ree Drummond *she's living my ideal life in Oklahoma

5. For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker *for your girlfriends

6. Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle *my all time favorite blogger ever and she's from San Antonio!

7. The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle

8. Nobody's Cuter Than You by Melanie Shankle

9.  Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home by Emily Schuman

10.  Trophy Cupcakes and Parties by Jennifer Shea 

11. Domino: The Book of Decorating by Domino Editors

12. Cookbook Book by Annahita Kamali and Florian Bohm

13. Charley Harper's Animal Kingdom by Todd Oldham 

14. Cupcakes and Cashmere by Emily Schuman 

15. The Pastry Queen (any of her cookbooks are fabulous) by Rebecca Rather

and who can forget the little ones:

1. Read all About It! by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush Hager

2. Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond

3. Julia, Child words by Kyo Maclear and pictures by Julie Morstad 

for the religious at heart (My Mom was a huge fan of St. Francis of Assisi probably because our home looks like a zoo)

1. Francis: The Journey and the Dream by Murray Bodo *have not read it yet

2.  The Lessons of St. Francis: How to bring simplicity and spirituality into your daily life by John Michael Talbot with Steve Rabey

3. Embraced by the Light by Betty J. Earle *interesting perspective on near death experiences and a fast read

for the educator at heart:

1. The Children in Room E4: American Education on Trial by Susan Eaton

2. I am Malala: The Girl who Stood up for Education and was shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

3. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews *already watched the movie but I'm intrigued by the book

4. The Holy Tortilla by Carmen Tafolla

5. Ladybugs on a Mission by Hilda L. Trevino *written by my elementary school teacher! 

This is a walk through my collection of books (future posts will include "ranch" themed books and my ultimate favorite collection of cookbooks) Stay tuned.....

I am having a blast learning about blogging just by pressing buttons! I've appreciated all of the advice and recommendations and hope to improve my blog with time.  I'm hoping the holidays are going to bring some relaxation time for this blog however things during the holidays always get hectic no matter how hard you try to "relax."