Rylynn Rae Frederick

My sweet niece was born on March 24, 2011. Now we have Jake 4/24, Kiley 8/24 and Rylynn 3/24. Happiness all around for this uncle and aunt! We are so proud of Kristi, Joe Bob and our little princess. We can't wait to meet her.

I have to share pix b/c they're too cute not to. I love her so much already, I can only imagine the love Kristi and JB are feeling right now! Congrats bro & sis! We love y'all and baby RyRae!

Here's the newest little Frederick.

Isn't she just precious? Our perfect little angel. We love you, Rylynn Rae!

Home

I got to come home for Ashley's baby shower, and I stayed the week to spend time with family. It's been a non-stop weekend and week, filled with work, family time and good friends. Ash has 8 more weeks until little Auburn makes his debut. We can't wait. Seriously. Holley has dubbed him little "Aubs," and I must say — I think it's stickin'.

Tread has been my faithful little large work companion. As I've been working from Mom and Dad's house, he sits  faithfully outside the kitchen window and keeps watch. The wildflowers are in full bloom. It's gorgeous here. I'll have to take some pix.

I love going to Daddy's church. The new building is so charming with it's barn-like look, wrap around back porch and authentic picnic tables designed and built by sweet Kerry and Daddy. Thank you God for Kerry. We're glad he's happy and free of pain now by your side. Everything about the new Gracelife Fellowship building is that much more special knowing that Daddy put so much time and hard working into getting it where it is now. There's still lots to be done, but it's so warm and inviting. Right down to the mason-jar arrangement of bridal bouquet. I love being home. It has been too long.

Bunks and I spent some quality time together last night. We played basketball, talked, made snacks (or David did), laughed our heads off ... and spent the night filling out scholarship applications. My baby bro is such a great writer. I'm so proud of him. He's amazing.

I miss my hubby and puppy.

That's the only downside to my weekend/week. But they are keeping each other good company, I know.

See you Saturday, lover & pup. Miss y'all.

Glossaholic, seriously.

I love my lipgloss, lipstick, liner, Chapstick, balm, moisturizer ... the list goes on. Given my obsession for all things that contribute to pretty, plump lips — you can imagine my excitement at finding a new fave! Ready?

Hard Candy's Glossaholic lipgloss. I bought out the colors in stock — "Rise & Shine Energizing Coffee Cafe" and "Lush." Rest assured I'll be going back for more. When a girl find a gloss that's just right, vehicles, purse(s), backpack(s), desk drawers, bathroom counters, kitchen nooks, gym bags and pockets must be stocked. See how fitting the title of this blog post really is? For fellow gloss-lovers out there, I have to say this particular gloss is a close second to my current cheap fave — COVERGIRL Wetslicks Crystals Lipgloss.

This gloss sticks on your lips, but doesn't stick to everything else. Know what I'm talking about girls? I hate glosses that are so sticky you end up picking up every fly-away hair, fuzz, string, bug and who knows what else that the wind blows your way. Not so pretty by the time you arrive at your would-be-destination. But if the gloss isn't somewhat sticky, you find yourself re-applying, oh, every 30 seconds. No need for re-applying with this glossy must-have, the applicator brush is so big you can cover your lips with just one douse. So, take my word for it. This is a gloss worth stocking up on. Try it out!

Here's what Hard Candy has to say about their fabulous gloss:

Glossaholic: Sequin Saturated Shine Lip Gloss
SUPER HUGE MEGA WATT LIPS: one dip covers your lips! Ginormous applicator with gloss cup deposits gloss to your whole mouth in one swipe! These super lustrous lip glosses are infused with prisms of color that make lips appear fuller and plumper. Out of this world hyper-reflective prisms of pearl make lips sparkle like crazy! Feeling tired or wired? Two Glossaholic sparkling clear top coats are infused with mood altering elixirs to help you Chill Out or Rise & Shine! – You can wear alone or as a top coat.

That's all for now. Until next time, pucker up and enjoy! XO.

P & the blow dryer

Purdy has a love/hate relationship with the blow dryer. I started blow drying the curls on the top of her head so that they'd stay. Now every time she hears the blow dryer go on she gets all fired up and comes charging! It's too cute! I hope y'all get as many giggles out of this clip as Jake and I did (and still do).

When Purdy throws her head back and howls it reminds me so much of the pup on Fox & The Hound when he's "trackin'." OK - I'm smiling and giggling again. Time to re-watch.

Crazy how you can love a litte dog so much! XO.  

In LOVE with spin

I've recently taken up spinning again. And I LOVE it. I've been spinning three to four times a week, and it's great cardio! My knee has been doing wonderful because there's no impact, so I don't have the horrible aching and pain that I'd have when I would run. The spin instructor on base here in Kingsville is amazing. We've been jamming out to Lady Gaga and having a great time! If you're in Kingsville,  you should consider joining us!

Jake bought me my first pair of spinning shoes for V-day. I love them! It makes the workouts that much more enjoyable! Hadn't blogged in a while and just wanted to share.

XO. Love you all!

Can't live without ...

Bible doctrine.
Jake.
Purdy.
Coffee.
In that order.

BD: Life makes so much sense with bible doctrine. The quest for happiness is only found in tranquility of soul that comes through faith, rest, humility and obedience. It's so neat to watch God's perfect will and plan unfold in our lives. Jerhemiah 29:11-12.

BB: My best friend, my soulmate, my lover, my constant and my Marine. Jake had his first flight in the jet today. I'm so proud of him. He was so fired up and loved every second. Thank you God for giving me this amazing RM.

P: Never thought I could love a little dog so much. She is so adorable and makes me so happy. How did we survive before her! She can make anything better! Love our snuggle time. Jake brought her in this a.m. as he left for his flight at 5:30 and she snuggled right up until 8 a.m.! Such a little bear!

Coffee: Thank God for coffee. Nothing like a fun mug and a nice cup 'o joe. Always does the trick. Thanks, Daddy for passing down a love for coffee. Mmmm.

ATX Weekend

I went down to Austin on Thursday for Holley's birthday. I was planning on going down Thursday after work but because of the weather, I had to take the day off and head out early. Thank goodness I did because it started snowing and the roads iced over about 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. Right about the time I would've made it to longhorn land. \m/

Holley and I had a really fun seeester day on Thursday (and most of Friday, too). We shopped the malls on Thursday and made our usual Mandola's, Starbucks and Nordstrom e-bar runs. I treated Holley to lots of "prizes" for her birthday (on top of her two presents), and I had so much fun doing it! She'd sneak things in my bag, and I ended up buying two of most things instead of one! Oh well, what are sisters for, right? <3

Friday we made our ritual Trudy's brunch stop - Snowbear in tow. He'd never been. Crazy that he's been in ATX this long and has never experienced Trudy's brunch and migas. We corrected that. I guess we'll let him continue to call himself a longhorn. ;) He opted to skip out on shopping. I have no idea why. Holley and I slid/fishtailed/whatever (on ice) all the way to the Roundrock outlets. A little snow and ice can't keep us from the stores. No way. Makeup, sunglasses, workout gear, running shoes, heels, accessories, manicures, Starbucks ... you name it ... we got it. We can't remember when we've had so much fun. What a fun birthday week - for Holley and ME, TOO! Hee hee.

Friday afternoon our bestie arrived for the big ATX move-in. I rushed over to Mesa Verde to help her unload her car and Kem's into her new 3rd floor apt. I'm definitely counting the four flights of stairs (one-way) as exercise for the day. Friday night KK and I met up with Snowbear, Holley, Scott and the Denton crew (Joe, Kem, Mamo & Papo) for dinner at Carrabba's. Flying Saucer followed for Joe, Scott, KK and I. Fun times.

Saturday morning the moving madness really began. Movers got to the apt at 9:30. They were finished by 10:30ish. We unpacked and started decorating. Then the girls took a break to go shop for the necessary decor KK needed. We flew in and out of stores. I must say we made record time - even though Joe & Papo disagreed. We had dinner at Kona Grill in the Domain on Saturday night. It was delish. Then back to unpacking and decorating until about 2 a.m. Holley came to the rescue on KK's closet at about 10:30 p.m. It's all organized, color- and season-coded. What a girl. Holley and I had to make a 1 a.m. run to the gas station for water and "snacks" consisting of twizzlers, chocolate and gummies. We have a little of our mama in us - we admit. ;)

Sunday - coffee with the girls at KK's newly decorated apartment. Then I struck out for more decor shopping with KK. (OK, OK - we threw in a few extra "fun" shop stops, too.) We can't help ourselves. Met up with the Snowbear and H for froyo at the Triangle. Back home to Kingsville after that. It was the best weekend ever. I loved every second. I was so excited to see Jake and Purdy, though. I missed those two like crazy.

Here's a quick look at the almost-finished living room ...

XO & hook 'em.