Happy 4th of July!  We are so thankful for our freedoms. Praise God for the sweet land of liberty!

Watching the parade with our good friends has become a 4th of July tradition.

I used to love when my mom made sun-tea. It reminds me of summer time.
To help celebrate Independence Day, I made a fresh batch.
 It doesn't take long to make it in the Texas sun.
Here is how to make it in three easy steps.
 1. Fill a large pitcher with water, ice, and 3-4 tea bags ( I like to use the family sized tea bags). 

2. Place container in a warm, sunny spot, a back porch works well.
It is also nice to have a helper close by to make sure the tea in brewing properly.
 Our dog Texas loves to help by checking the tea after it has been out side for about 30 minutes.

3. In no time the tea will be a rich color and ready to enjoy.
Pour over ice and add lemon or sugar if desired.

Hubby had to work this morning, came home to eat lunch, and went back to bed because he has to work tonight too.  My strong baby had to work twice in one day  (love you babe).  While he was resting I thought I would make a Fourth of July cake.  I wanted to make one for Hubby to take to work tonight... and one for us too

I used a white cake mix, cool whip, blueberries, and strawberries to make a festive Freedom Flag Cake.
Don't you love red, white, and blue?

Ready to help feed the brave men and women that serve our city.
Happy Fourth of July! 

Here are some pictures from when our family came to visit.  We spent a few days on the Riverwalk.  We were very blessed by my Hubby's family.  All weekend they treated us to outings and fun memories in honor of his dad's birthday.

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Spring Time in South Texas.  I love Texas this time of year.  It is hard to beat the breath taking wildflowers that bloom along the side of the roads.  Hubby and I have been enjoying the nice weather by working in our backyard.  We are trying to plat some flowers, grow a garden, and make a comfortable outdoor living space. Here are some pictures from that last few weeks.  Enjoy!

Baby Longhorn

Mommy Longhorn

My little longhorn

Fire pit and sitting area.

First Rose of Spring

I so love my rose bush! :)

March 7th was our 2nd anniversary. We were looking forward to celebrating it by going to a Spurs game.  A few weeks before, Hubby's family was in town for his dad's birthday and we spent many days downtown in San Antonio (major fun trip-pics coming soon).  So we kinda just did the "downtown" thing.  Since the Spurs had been doing so well and we are both basketball fans we thought a game would be a great anniversary gift for each other.  We sat in the 9th row and saw the Spurs go against the Kings. Spurs won!  Never thought I would ever cheer for the San Antonio Spurs.  Being from Denver I am a Nuggets fan and San Antonio would beat was every year in the playoffs.  I told my Hubby after the game that I have grown because a few years ago I would never wear Spurs colors (see pictures below) and cheer them on.  As we all know we can learn a lot as time goes by. It was such a great night celebrating the marriage God has blessed us with!  Great seats, great game, great date:)  Vamos Spurs Vamos!!!  Go Spurs Go!!!

Snapping a picture before tip off.

Good ol' Manu waiting on the line (great seats huh?!?)

Standing a few feet from the court.
Mr. and Mrs. Estrada
March 7, 2009

It's been some time since I've added anything.  It feels good to be back.  Here are some pictures of the house.  Now we moved in about four months ago and these pictures were taken about that time.  It's exciting to see our house for the first time in the spring.  Little wild flowers are popping up and Texas (our dog) loves barking at the horses and longhorns that come up to our back fence. 

Living room with new couches and entertainment center

Kitchen- using a mini-fridge while we waited weeks for a normal size fridge :)

Backyard before Hubby added the fence

First dinner in our new house!

Every day we are reminded of God' goodness to us.  We really enjoy our house and love making it into our home!  Our prayer is that we can bring glory to God in the way we use our house for our family, friends, and others.

God has blessed us with a new home!  After about a year of house hunting, we finally signed on a house and have been working on turning it into our home.  It is so nice having more space and a clean slate to start from.  Hubby and I both like to decorate and so we've enjoyed putting this up. My mom and grandparents came before Thanksgiving and his family right after.  It was fun to have them back to back and have our first Thanksgiving in our new home.  Our dog Texas is loving the new backyard and the new furniture.  We are looking forward to having ya'll over!

A few months ago my hubby came and talked to our kindergarten class.  He showed them his car and brought them stickers and got to talk to them and answered their questions.  Before he left he came to my class (2nd grade) to talk to my kiddos too.  They all listened and asked questions as he showed them all his gear. Everyone got a SPD sticker and this coloring page.  Later I overheard a student say, "That doesn't look like the officer who talked to us."

There is a movie coming out called Courageous. It is being made by Sherwood pictures which is the same company that made Fly Wheel, Facing the Giants and Fireproof. So far, I have seen some of the video and it is gonna be sweet! It is about four police officers and the importance of family and playing the role of father in lives of their children. The clips that I have seen are looking like this could be the best one they have made yet! It's got action!!! Jump on the band wagon and get ready to go see this!

The fifth week of school just started.  For our marble count container needed something added.  So I took some fabric and a little ribbon and glued it around and empty frosting container.  It look better than just a plain jar and holds all our marbles that my bright students earn everyday!

I was blessed with the opportunity to take a trip to Colorado for about a week.  After landing in the Mile High City, my mom picked me up and we drove three hours to visit Rocky Ford, Colorado.  The next day we drove to Denver and had family night at the Rockies game!

Married to Ponch

Being married to Ponch is an adventure. He felt it was time that I learn how to shoot.  So he called some close friends who were gracious enough to let us go on their land and learn.  This one my first time ever to do something like this so I was excited and didn't know what to expect. Phil is an excellent teacher and we had a blast (literally) spending time with friends. 

Phil and I infront of the falls.

Group PictureHanging out to dry.

   What a group!

Youth Camping Trip




Back in June my Hubby and I went on Lifegate’s youth retreat at Johnson City. We have been helping out in the youth for about a year now and have really enjoyed seeing God’s work in these young lives. This was my first time camping in Texas and my first more than one night trip. I was a little nervous because I wouldn’t describe myself as a girl who can “rough it.” I confess I did pack my foundation but I did leave the mascara at home. We had a huge camp site with plenty of room for everyone who went. Pastor Jordan taught on humility. His talks were very inspiring and insightful. It was a great trip with all the typical camping activities, cooking outside, swimming in the river, s’mores, and getting rained out. I say that’s typical because every time I have been camping it has rained…down poured. Our second night many of the tens flooded. Praise God our tent was new (a gift from our wedding) and didn’t flood. So Phil and I slept in the truck and lent out the tent to another family. The group had planned to stay another day but we all pack up the next morning before the rain came again. It was a great time of teaching, fellowship, and fun. All the “little” things made the trip so fun like running out of Dr. Pepper, Rope Swing Olympics, and everything soaking wet from the rain. We are both looking forward to next year!

More Sewing Projects

I always look forward to the summer because I have a ton of projects brewing in my head through out the yearn but not a lot of time to work on them. At a recent trip to the craft store I found some really cute summer prints. The nice thing about learning to sew is whenever I want a new purse all I have to do is buy some new material. I found a shopping bag-like purse in a magazine and said "Hey, I can make that." So this project I made my own pattern and just went with it.

Summer Skirt

Here is a skirt I made for the summer. I love all the fun and bright fabric that is out right now. For years I've been wanting to sew a skirt. My mom had made me some growing up but this is the first one I've made. I tried sewing my own clothes is high school but I don't think any of those outfits lasted. I normally wear a black skirt so this green and purple pattern was a welcomed changed. I found a green zipper that matched the fabric and the purple is a pre-made bias double folded tape. It was easier to add then try to hem the end, plus I really like how the purplue brings out the flowers in the fabric.

Five with Phil

June 4 marked the five year mark for me and my Hubby. We had known each other for five years. It wasn't until a month later we officially started courting but the night we met it was love at first sight. We been together for five and married for one. I wanted to share some older photos from the past five years.

Our first "date" was at his sister's wedding in July.

November 2005 Odessa,Texas



May 2006 Midland,TX

December 2006 Littleton,CO

March 2007 Littleton, CO

April 2008 San Antonio, TX

July 2008 San Antonio, TX

November 30, 2008 Midland, TX

One of our first engagement photos.