Rest, Meal #2 and 4-Day Countdown...

What a long week last week was!  I don't know what was going on, but the 5 days of last week felt like an absolute eternity...  

Brad has been working 12+ hour days, so I know that didn't help... Poor guy - Leaves at 4:30-5:00 am some days to get to the office, aka garbage yard and is hopefully home by 8:00 pm.  Never thought or talked much about "trash" during my pre-Brad days, but now it is a daily conversation.  And when you are married to the boss, the trash talk never ends... on and on....  forever.  So I was happy we really had no plans this weekend.  

Saturday we took some of his managers and their spouses to a DELICIOUS restaurant about 20 minutes away in Lacombe called Sal and Judy's!  It was to die for.  Kind of a hole in the wall, Italian place.  Had a great night meeting some of Brad's co-workers that he basically lives with up at the office!

It kind of reminds me of some place you would see on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"  Maybe it is the pink stucco?

Sunday was a day of church, brunch, the dreaded grocery store run, a nap, and getting ready for a SHORT 4-day week ahead.  I am loving St. Tammany - We are out for Parish Fair on Friday.  Don't ask me what the Parish Fair is, entails, the location of it, etc.... All I know is that teachers do not have to be at school!  WOOHOO - 

AND meal #2 last week - Another success!  I am totally impressed with myself.  

Homemade Margherita Pizza....  

http://www.thekitchn.com/easy-recipe-classic-margherita-pizza-recipes-from-the-kitchn-174103

You know our love for tomato, mozzarella and basil runs thick here in the Waincott household so I thought; I can do a PIZZA!  I will admit, that I bought the crusts (thank you Boboli).  But I MADE the sauce.  Again - I made the sauce folks!!  I was a tad concerned when the pizza sauce looked a tad hot pink/orange when it came out of the food processor, but it was tasty!

Brad loved it and is still alive, so win-win situation for all!  I will definitely make this pizza again...

 So yummy! (Ignore the hot-pinkness)

Heather - 1

Pan - 0

Oops!  Even lined the pan with foil.  I apologize if this was your shower gift!  Still is great; just has a "vintage" look now.

Have a great week everyone...  Headed to Dallas on Thursday and SO EXTREMELY EXCITED to see all my Dallas gang/brother, sis-in-law and sweet Marlowe, eat some real Tex-Mex (have not had any since June), and to celebrate the recent nuptials of our sweet friends Joe and Danna!

Cannot.wait.to.be.in.TX -

Love All~

H

 

Lost Luggage, Swamp, Fried Dough and Tears...

It is 7:00 pm the Monday after the parents left.  Still.in.mourning.....  And my eyes are feeling it -

Mom and Dad arrived Friday evening without any luggage!  BUT I DIDN'T care!!!  I was just happy to hear them walk through my door!  I was ELATED....  Mom swears that Dad was chatting it up with the Southwest worker at the airport in Amarillo, and she forgot to put the "transfer" tag on their suitcase.  (For those of you that know Steve (man of few words) - I thought this was quite funny)....  Usually it is Sharon that will strike up a random conversation with anyone or anything, but Steve-O must be turning a new leaf.... (Never say never!)

We were then off to dinner and the luggage came about 10:30 that night!  Mom was happy....

Saturday was a full day!  Breakfast at a cute, little quaint restaurant in downtown Covington - Mattina Bella.  Omelettes, Belgian waffles, bacon, toast and etc....  It was DELISH!

Mattina Bella

 Pretty cute couple if you ask me!

 So I come out of the bedroom in no make-up, my Master's cap and sweats and Mom looks like she is going on a dinner date.  Great - Thanks mom!  It was RAINING for Pete's sake!

 DELISH!

After breakfast, we drove around and showed them the sights of the burbs.  We drove by my elementary school and different neighborhoods Brad and I adore taking it all in....

We then set out on our 45 minute trek to our Swamp Tour!

Can I just say that my father was in HOG HEAVEN!  He was disappointed that the Swamp People cast were not driving our swamp boat, but he settled for "Mike".  Mike, our fabulous guide, had the thickest Louisiana accent I have come across in the two months I have resided here.  W.o.w people - I am talking THICK....  What a fun hour and a half tour!  The weather was GREAT!  Rainy, misty and perfect for the "feel" of the swamp!

 Mike....

A little snack of a hotdog wienie!

They also loved marshmallows!  

Dad in heaven.... He did have a question or 26 for poor Mike!

Fun afternoon!  

After the movie we headed to dinner and then to the movies!  Listen up people....  This movie is a MUST-SEE:

I might have only seen 3/4 of the movie because my eyes were shut tighter than they ever have been and Brad might have nail mark scars in his right forearm until he turns 80, BUT I am telling you - A.m.a.z.i.n.g!!!!  We all 4 loved it...  And still trying to figure out some of the characters and plots!  (It is 2.5 hours long, but it feels like an hour.)  If you are looking for a light-hearted, fun, relaxing movie - this is NOT IT!  I felt like I had run a marathon afterwards and Brad had to check the lock on our bedroom twice before I went to bed that night....  He was thrilled.

Sunday, aka GameDay around here, had arrived.  Up and out the door at 8:00 to make our Starbuck's stop before heading south.  Mom was like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning.  SO much anticipation!  She knew she was headed to her first Cafe Du Monde experience!

Waiting in line for a short bit! BUT so worth it - 

Did she like them you might ask?  I'll let the pictures do the talking....

Before the inhalation .... Sugar anyone?  Good lord!

Pre-bite

 Mid-Bite

Final bite.... 

Savoring the taste!

Complete SUCCESS!  Nothing is better than fried dough with sugar!  Complete with her BFF, her Diet DP!

Oh Dad - Being "funny!"  He made sure to tell us that they were completely overrated, but he sure did INHALE and I said inhaled all three of his beignets..... Hmm?

After the Cafe Du Monde experience, we walked around the French Quarter for a while window shopping and people watching and then headed to the game!  

The game was so much fun!  I forgot to take any pictures in the suite, but we had a great time - Brad and Dad talked football while Mom and I sat on the front row chatting about non-football topics (school, wedding pictures, MeMe, jewelry, wedded life, babies, how many calories Dad had consumed at that point in the day, etc.). We did do some people watching and cheered on the Saints!

After the game, we took Mom and Dad to the Hilton Airport to be able to catch their 6:30 am flight today.  As soon as we pulled into the front of the hotel, the tears started to form and the lump in the back of my throat was there.  I did my DARNDEST and tried to hold them back....  By the time we all four were inside the lobby, standing there, I was pretty much in hysterics....  People may have been staring.  Oh well.  Yep real mature you may think.  This is NOTHING new.  I pretty much cry every time I leave my Mom.  Painful yes, but I haven't experienced child birth yet.  It wouldn't matter if I lived 30 minutes from home or 15 hours from home, the tears are always a guarantee.  (Cody and Slade used to take bets, but they learned it's pretty much worthless).  

After I somewhat composed myself on our way home, Brad told me he had a solution!  I was THRILLED!  Moving back to TX closer to everyone, Mom and Dad were moving here, we won the lottery and he was holding out telling me..... WHAT??!?!?!?!?!

He said sarcastically...  "Your parents have a basement.  We could move in."  

Real funny babe.  Brad got punched.  

Love my Mom and Dad, but that's a recipe for disaster.  Dad would love for Brad to move right on in - A third male buddy in our family.   But he would kill me!:)

What a fabulous weekend with three of the most important people in my life.  Just what I needed to recharge and start a new week! 

Have a great week all~

H

The First Meal...

Well, I did it!  I cooked my first meal for Brad.....  Only took 61 days folks.  Brad would say it was well worth it and that my next meal I prepare will probably be mid-December!!  Haha - Hopefully not, but could possibly happen.....

Back up to our Dallas Engagement Party in March...  What a GREAT night that was!  I undoubtedly had the best hostesses EVER;  Tara, Stephanie, Lydia, Lori, Lisa, Lindley, Jeaneal, and Carrie!  What a great and BEAUTIFUL group of girls!  

Lisa, hostess extraordinaire, decided to gather tons of recipes from family members and friends and put together a cook book for me.  I WAS FLOORED at the amount of work and TIME she put into this book.  It is JAMMED PACKED full of everything you can imagine; appetizers, soups, cocktails, main dishes, side dishes, holiday meals, desserts, and etc....  A.Ma.Zing.....  Thanks Lisa!  So I pulled out the handy-dandy cookbook yesterday to prep for "the meal".  

The Hostess with the Mostess!

SO here is what I went with from THE cookbook of all cookbooks!

 

Caprese salad to start off with (our FAVE!), Lisa's Honey Ginger Salmon with Mom's Cheesy Corn Bake, Asparagus with feta, Foccacia Bread (from Albertson's - I am not that good) and last but not least, Lindsey's Warm Hershey's Deep Dish Brownies with Blue Bell Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (Brad's fave)!

Here is the chef and all the recipes I used!

The finished PRODUCT!  I was a proud wife....("About time" - Brad probably thought!)

Brad had already dug in pre-pic!

Anyone need some Cheesy Corn Bake... We have some leftovers. 

The gym is NOW calling.  Ugh....  AM still full! 

 

Happy Sunday Everyone.  Have a great week - Mom and Dad fly in Friday!  Cannot wait to see them....

Love All~

H

Three Burning Questions...

I have three questions to ask...  Here we go!

1.  Why in WORLD have I not been shopping at this place???????

Yes - I have heard of this store, BUT I also heard these three dreadful words:  "YOU GOTTA DIG!"  That was enough to turn me away.  I don't dig....  NOT at all.  I briefly look, try on, purchase and get the heck out!  Brad introduced me to this gem.  Holy Moly!  AMAZING - We have spent so much money on the cutest house accessories here.  To be honest, I really haven't even spent much time in the clothes department.  Their prices are unbelieveable!  $4.99 for a cute picture frame.  SOLD!  What place can you get picture frames, olive oil, a baking pan, a trendy top, skin care, boots, perfume, a bag of noodles and a Kit Kat?  HELLO!  

2.  What in the WORLD are Lovebugs?

Texans, you have no clue, not at all....  Well Southern LA is FULL of them this time of year I have been told.  They are everywhere, and I mean everywhere.  My school is right by Lake Pontchartrain in a huge thicket of trees, and man these suckers love it at W.E.S!  I picked at least 25+ of these bugs out of my kids hair last week.  DISGUSTING!  Here is a picture of the little jewels....

And yes, they display their awesome in-flight mating skills...  I am not lying.  If the kids only knew... The kids did tell me that if you pull them apart, they die!  Good to know...

3.  Last but not least, Why do grown men feel the need to wear a jersey?

I am sure I might offend some with this questions, so if you love your man in a jersey girls - STOP reading right now!  Unless you are under the age of 12 or a high school/college/pro football player,  - wearing jerseys should be ILLEGAL.  I just don't get it - Maybe reliving the good, old days?  It is insane...  I am all for team spirit - but let me tell you; there are cute vintage college/pro football shirts for guys and a plethora of pull-over collared college/pro logo'ed shirts out there!

AND I rest my case.....  Drew and Brittany Brees folks... 

Off to cook Brad his first dinner since the nuptials took place....  It's only been 61 days.  I have been busy people....  Pics to come.

Love All~


H

Go (Geaux) Saints!

9-8-2013.... 

I just thought it was an ordinary fall Sunday, BUT not around here people.  You cannot even imagine the days leading up to the Saints home opener against the Falcons.  Cars shoe polished, Saints flags hanging out of every car in St. Tammany Parish, Saints loot in every business you walk into, and just an incredible spirit in the air!  I am talking SUPERFANS here in Louisiana....  Men, women, children, old, young, babies, dogs, cats, etc. - EVERYONE is decked out in their black and gold.  

I have been to my fair share of Cowboy Games, but I am sorry, game day in Dallas vs. game day in the "Dome" - There is absolutely NO comparison at all.  NONE, ZILCH, NOTTA!  These people ooze passion, love and loyalty for this team. I felt like in Dallas it was a serious fashion show.  Like, what and who you were wearing, who you were with, the higher the heels the better - you get the point!  Don't get me wrong, Cowboy Games are fun, but Saints games are like fun on CRACK...

And we are off!  Left at 8:30 for a noon game...  These two Texans have to soak it all in!

Heading to the "city".....

Yes folks...  This is my awesome purse for the game.  The NFL has changed the whole "purse" rule this season.  The choices - A clear, Ziploc bag, a Clear Saints backpack or a small 4.5 by 6.5 inch clutch.  What girl has a clutch that small??  NOT this one. What a complete beat-down.  So there you have it, I traded in the Louis Vuitton for the fashionable Ziploc.  "A lot cheaper", Brad had to chime in.  Ziploc complete with powder, lip gloss, lip liner, gum, my bff the pick, and my other bff - My hairspray.  Don't leave home without those two.

Brunch at Bourbon House before the game...

Didn't know the Pope drank Miller Light?

Crazy energy!  So exciting....

Pre-Game! 

Thank you Progressive Waste...  Wouldn't be here without you! (And Brad:)

Thanks Saints for a super fun day and my first home opener.  Still trying to figure out the local lingo, such as "Who Dat!", but I am learning.

 

Great job and can't wait for the next game in two weeks with Mom and Dad!  Woohoo!!!!

 

 

Have a great week!

 

Love All~

 

H

 

Worth the Wait.....

Here it is 3:11 am Saturday morning.  I cannot sleep and therefore - here I am.  

It still seems weird that "It" finally happened.....  The "It" being him - AKA Mr. Wainscott.

I never thought I would get married at the ripe, old age of 35.  As a little girl, I always thought I would go to college, fall in love with the college hunk, move to a big city, be married by 24-26,  have my first baby by 28, the last one around 30 and live happily ever after.  DONE!  I crack up every time I think of that scenario!  Boy was I wrong!  Hahaha....  

Let's rewind....   My first year of college started on a volleyball scholarship to ACU.  (That lasted a smooth one year.  Talk about STRICT - You know it wasn't the best fit for me when at semester I begged to come home and waitress at K-Bob's.  Mom and Dad shot that idea down real quick).  I went home that summer knowing that I was never going to back to Abilene.  Had to tell the parents.  That was an awesome conversation.  I remember sitting my mom down in May of 1997, and letting her know that I didn't think college was for "ME". I needed to find myself I remember telling her.  Well, with your Mom being a principal and all, that went over like a ton of bricks.  I remember her saying quite curtly, "Well, you have to find something to do."  I then proceeded to tell her that I wanted to be a flight attendant!  (Random?)  LONG story short, we headed to Dallas one weekend to the American Airlines Headquarters.  I remember walking into my appointment/interview nervous as all get out.  The only words I heard were, "Well Heather - you are only 19, so if you decide to go down this path, you will be flying on American Eagles until you are 21 and could be stationed in Chicago or NYC."  Well that was scary enough to make me sprint all the way back home to small, cow-town Texas. 

When I knew a career at K-Bob's was probably not going to pan out, I decided to head to good, old Lubbock, Texas for the next 4 and 1/2 years of college at Tech!  What an eye opener that was!  Going from prison @ ACU (kidding - kind of) to complete freedom and chaos at Texas Tech, let's just say Steve and Sharon were less than impressed when my first semester grades rolled in that lovely day in December.  That was another fun conversation - A great Christmas that was I bet.

From Hereford, to Abilene, then to Lubbock and then off to Dallas/Ft. Worth....  Yes I finally made it to the city - but with no husband and no babies  - AND I was 29.....  I started to PANIC.  Big time...

Fast forward to the age of 34....  I had pretty much given up trying to find "him".  Yes I had dated some great guys (OK maybe one or two- or maybe just one).  And those somehow didn't work out for reasons here or there.  BUT don't you worry - I dated some (a lot) real idiots too.  (Just ask Cody, Slade and all my girlfriends - There have been some real doozies - For example, one boyfriend that dropped me off on the side of a busy street at 1:45 am, one guy that couldn't tell me what he did because he said it was "secret and classified information", a super -oober Tech fan that acted like he was on speed 24 hours a day, and the guy that tanned more than I used to, wore short shorts, used more beauty products that I did, and took longer to get ready than ME (red flag) - This LIST could go one for a lifetime, but I will spare you!)  Hey - we all live and learn....  And as strange as this sounds, God put those lovely gems in my life for a reason....  To prepare me for his best.  

And that was my husband...

I knew he was a catch the night of our first date at Al Biernat's in Dallas, but when the whole Hodges clan fell in love with him weeks later....  I knew I was done.  This was it.  My old life was forever gone and now he was my future.

Brad completely gets me...  As frustrating and Type A as I am at times, he gets me - (he may not like me at that moment).  He lets me be "Heather".  I am sometimes amazed that he picked me.  And talk about patient - This man has the patience of JOB!  Sharon thinks he is a Saint and Steve couldn't be happier that Brad has now taken over this lovely mess...  aka his daughter!

With all kidding aside, Brad is EVERYTHING and more that I have ever wanted, and trust me, my list was long.  He loves me unconditionally, puts my needs first, is patient, gentle, loving and the kindest man.  He loves Jesus, loves our families, is ambitious, a hard worker, and is going to be the best Daddy when we are blessed with that next adventure.  I am in awe of him every day and so extremely proud to call him my best friend; my husband....

(It's now 4:16 am - What on earth am I doing?)

To be cont.'


Love All~

H

Happy Weekend!

This long weekend was much NEEDED....  What a crazy and long week last week was!

Brad's Christmas morning had finally arrived - FOOTBALL SATURDAY!  I agree - It was good to see "Herbie" aka Kirk Herbstreit back on at 8:00 am. (But seriously, what in the heck is up with the red hair? - Gag...)

Brad's view of the day...

Well hello there KK!  Nice win TECH!  Woohoo....  Fun to watch for obvious reasons!!

After we went to the gym and had breakfast, I left Brad sitting in front of the big screen, eyes glued to the screen and was off for a "Heather's Day of Beauty!"  And yes, that consisted of nails, pedicure and an hour long massage....  Oh pure heaven!  It was a great three hours of the mindless reading of  trash magazines, eavesdropping on LSU crazies asking for purple and yellow nail polish on alternating fingers, and listening to zen music while my new friend Destiny went to town on these horrid knots....  What a great day!

 The home of Destiny and her amazing hands....

But then I get home and my husband was starting dinner!  Oh I am so glad I married a great cook.  Our agreement is - He cooks and I do the dishes!  I'll take that any day.... (You all know how OCD I am, if he did the dishes - it would all have to be rearranged afterwards, so I'll just do it "right" the first time!)  

We are missing Hibiscus and Al Biernat's in Dallas, so Brad brought it to us!  Ribeyes, sauteed zuchinni and Kraft shells and cheese!  Don't judge - I love me some powdered cheese or in this case gloppy, thick, orange cheese that comes in a foil packet....  After that meal, I made it to half-time of the LSU - TCU game and was out!  (Sorry Frogs - I was pulling for you!)

 And Brad was persistent about putting the wine in one of his many decanters. 

Sunday consisted of church and brunch.  We are visiting different churches and boy - that is difficult!  So many things to consider.  I know we will end of where God wants us, just ready to find somewhere to get plugged in and involved!

Brunch was in the cutest, little old house on Tchefuncte River - The Waterfront Bistro.  I was chatting with a lady at the nail place a couple weeks ago (not the LSU nuts), and she said this place was a must-go!  She was right - It was very quaint and the food was amazing...  Pecan toasted french toast for me and spinach omelette with roasted potatoes for Brad. A couple of errands (Bed, Bath and Beyond - ugh) and then home to nap and work on school stuff - 

Amazing....

Tomorrow is Labor Day and couldn't be happier!  Hope everyone has a restful and fun Monday....


Love All~
H