boyd, 

today you started 7th grade, your 2nd year of middle school. 

your classes are athletics, band, a study hall, texas history, and pre-ap math/science/lit/ela.

i'm sorry you had to start it online, due to the pandemic, but our fingers are crossed that you'll be back in the building with your friends and teachers very soon. 

we wish you a great year, a fun year, and a safe and healthy year. 

love, 

mom

today you are 12

boyd,
you turned 12 today,
in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.
i can't imagine that you will ever forget turning 12.
you went on spring break a couple of weeks before your birthday,
and you didn't return to school.
the world is turned upside down from the coronavirus,
but thankfully, we are safe and sound.
you got your first cell phone, FINALLY, for your 12th birthday.
your dad laid it on the couch next to you without you noticing, and then he called it.
you were so surprised and excited! 
you received lots of goodies and cards in the mail.
we picked up pizza from joe's. 
we made a chocolate cake with vanilla icing, and homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream,
all per your request.
i'm sorry that you didn't get to spend the day celebrating with family and friends,
but we will make it up to you.
your only request so far has been to go to cici's pizza when this is all over.
you are kind, funny, and fiesty.
and i've probably described you like this a million times over.
more than anything, we are so proud of you. 
we love you so much.
happy birthday bubba.

love,
mom

halloween 2019

i say this every year, halloween is my favorite holiday.
it's so much fun, it's so festive, and it's easy.
boyd and i ran into target for a very last minute, ill-fitting harry potter robe.
but, it worked, and he was happy.
he trick or treated with his friends nelson and phil (old/current neighbors),
and a few other kids.
they went around the neighborhood for a while, just the kids.
boyd is getting too old for his parents, but it's fun to see him do all of this on his own too.

love,
nicolle

golfing with dad

headed out for some golf!

love,
nicolle

first day of middle school/6th grade

boyd, today you start middle school. 

i'm not sure how that happened, but you are so excited, and so ready. 

have fun, study hard, and be kind.

love, 

mom

boyd's 11th birthday party

when we finally had boyd's party, a month later,
he had his friends parker and braden over.
we went to urban air, whataburger, and had a sleepover.
kevin surprised boyd with a whataburger themed party, and he loved it.

love,
nicolle

{11}

boyd is 11.
i remember when boyd was born, a childhood friend said, you'll blink and he'll be 4.
and at the time I thought, well, yes, but that's forever away. he's just a baby.
i have so long until he's 4.
then i blinked, and he turned 4, and i blinked again, and now he's 11.
and it just doesn't seem possible, even though it's all so very true.
and, this morning, i found myself crying, as i read an email from his school,
about the year end calendar, which also marks the end of elementary school. 

happy birthday bubba.
we love you so much.
you are so smart and witty, kind, stubborn, hilarious and still VERY inquisitive.
you love your friends and family and doggie, macaroni and cheese, bacon, sports, books,
gaming and WWII history. 
and cookie cakes. you love cookie cakes. 

love,
mom

mint chocolate chip cookies {christmas cookies}

this past weekend was one of my favorite weekends in a really long time.
except for me running to the grocery store, the 3 of us never left the house.
it was cold and rainy. 
i cooked a lot. beef stew and mexican stuffed bell peppers and salads.
we relaxed and watched football, boyd played video games, we ate.

boyd and i made our traditional christmas cookies yesterday.
i've told this story a hundred times, but...
several years ago we were making these cookies, and boyd looked up at me and said,
mom, will you send me this recipe?
i said, what do you mean send it to you, you live here.
he said, no, one day when i'm grown will you send me this recipe, it's our christmas tradition.

i still get choked up when i think about that, in a good and sentimental way.

mix up an envelope of betty crocker sugar cookie mix, as directed on the back of the package.
add 1/2 tsp mint extract (not peppermint), and about 8 drops of green food color.
stir this with a spoon.
this is a very thick dough.
add 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks and 1 cup creme de menthe baking chips.
this is where i now mix it all up with my hand.
i use the smallest of my 3 cookie scoops to scoop onto parchment paper, on a cookie sheet.
350 degrees, 9 1/2 minutes, top rack of oven.
makes about 50 small cookies.
enjoy.

love,
nicolle 

football

boyd's football season ended mid november, in the 2nd round of playoffs.
it was a bitter cold game, but we made it through.
it's always sad to see the season end for so many reasons, and it's also a good thing.
4 months of football is a lot.
but we sure do love it.

we're thankful for all of boyd's grandparents that came to the games.
it means the world to boyd!

my sister made it to a game too, but i can't find any pictures.
here is a picture from when she was here that weekend though.
boyd is so happy when his aunt shell is here. 

boyd isn't playing winter basketball right now,
but he's taking a basketball skills clinic, and he's loving it.

love,
nicolle

lasagna and enchiladas {low carb}

i ran across this recipe for lasagna, a few years ago, and the thought of it just didn't work for me...
until some friends made it and shared it recently, and now i've made it twice since then.
you sub pre-packaged oven roasted chicken breast lunch meat for the pasta.
it works. it's amazing. we love it.

our friends brought it when we had a bbq cookout over labor day. 

then i made it.

here is the link.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/easy-protein-noodle-low-carb-lasagna

and here is a copy of it, with a few of my notes.

i've learned the hard way to print out and/or write down recipes.
i have saved a few links that have disappeared over the years. that is a bummer.

if you're feeling really crazy, use chicken lunch meat in place of tortillas for enchiladas.
so good.

enjoy.

love,
nicolle 

halloween 2018

i think that when i look back at boyd's childhood,
i'll have the most fond and happy memories of halloween.
it's become my favorite night of the year.
boyd always has so much fun,
we have great neighbors and friends and family that he goes trick or treating with,
and it's festive without all the pressure of the other big holidays.
we love it. 

boyd's fall fest at school, a few days before halloween.

this year, halloween was cold and wet.

thank goodness the rain stopped just in time for trick or treating.
i passed out the candy this year, and kevin took boyd and a whole gaggle around the neighborhood.
boyd has said a hundred times already that he had such a great night.
these simple memories are what i want him to carry, always.

happy halloween.

love,
nicolle

brockles salad dressing

i grew up on brockles salad dressing/special dressing.
it was made by a dallas family, and sold in local grocery stores.
my mom always had a jar in the fridge,
and i can still taste it from my childhood.
the family stopped making it many, many years ago.
i found a recipe online a couple of years ago,
and just recently made some.
i've made two batches now. it's so good.

2 cups of mayo
4 T sweet pickle relish
1.5 oz blue cheese crumbles
1T garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
dash of buttermilk to thin slightly

whisk all together, and keep in a sealed jar in the fridge.
make a day ahead, as it's so much better after it sits.

tip: i like a brand of blue cheese crumbles from kroger called alouette. they are more white in color than blue. i've made this dressing a few times now, and a darker blue cheese tends to be a bit too strong. 

(my current favorite salad is iceberg, brockles, extra blue cheese crumbles, black pepper, pepitas)

enjoy.

love,
nicolle 

patsy

i miss my grandma like crazy.
she's been home for 4 months.
we've been missing her here for 4 months. 
she would not want me to be sad, but i'd be lying if i said i wasn't incredibly sad.
i just needed her a little longer.

as much as i learned from and about my grandma throughout my life,
she taught me so much more about faith and grace and dignity,
as she had one foot on this earth and one foot already in heaven. 

i was having a rough couple of days about a week ago.
everything made me cry and think of her.
i was at the grocery store, and when i came out to get into my car,
i looked down, and this was on the ground, right outside my door.

i'm almost positive that it was not there when i got to the store,
it was placed to where i would have stepped on it.
and, this is a story that if i heard it from someone else,
i'd think they were cooky or lying.
these things just don't really happen.

but after i saw this random keychain on the ground,
with my grandma's name on it,
i knew that she was telling me that she is still here,
she's not really gone anywhere.
she's ok and i'm ok. 

i now believe that heaven is parallel to earth.
that we truly are spiritual beings living a human experience.
i know without a doubt in my heart and in my soul,
that she is so very happy.
she is with loved ones.
she is still with us.

ps. patsy, i'll take all the signs that you want to give us. keep them coming. 

love,
nicolle 

fall football 2018

boyd is currently playing his 3rd season of tackle football.
he loves it, but it's been an interesting season with the weather.
tons of rain, tons of mud.
i sure do love this number 42!

i always love catching a good sunset at practice.

go cougars!

love,
nicolle