Another Winter Day

Today I was stuck inside for the day, because of the ice we got last night. So I spent my day, baking cookies, having a cup of hot tea, and reading a book! :) Redeeming Love, is one of my all time favorite books. Francine Rivers is an amazing author. I honestly can say I do not like to read, but I could not put this book down. It was fabulous!

I made Oatmeal Scotchies...delicious! The recipe is very simple.

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1/2t cinnamon

1/2t salt

1t baking soda
1t vanilla

1 1/4 flour

3 cups oatmeal

butterscotch morsels

Mix together and bake at 350, for 8-10 minutes.

Just for Fun

Earlier last week, when Texas was having its Winter Blizzard, I decided to have a photo shoot!Because of mine and Beau's fun personality, it was a real struggle to get a few good pictures. :) But this is what we came away with.

Come on Tori, focus!

Thanks to my poor, cold mom, for having patience with us! :)

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes

One Saturday afternoon, my mom and I were watching Ultimate Cakeoffs. A show about talented people making amazing cakes. This episode was about cupcakes.. So what did I do? I made cupcakes. I looked through a few cookbooks, not finding what I needed so I decided to create one myself. I just used a white cake recipe and just substituted the white for cocoa powder. Then I found a buttercream frosting and put a few tablespoons of peanut butter in it. (I do not have the exact amount, because of my lack of measuring.) They were delightful! Very moist and for a fancy touch I sprinkled chopped up chocolate bar on top. :)

Volleyball National Tournament

Every year our volleyball team competes in a National tournament. This year we made history! We got second place in Gold division, and that is something that our team has never achieved before. Nationals was held in Omaha, Nebraska. It was the best year ever. Our goal was to make it to the Championship game. We succeeded. Our next goal was to glorify the Lord in everything we do, we succeeded. We made His name known, in our wins and loses. The beginning of our long 15 hour trip.

Most of our team has been playing together since 6th grade. We have grown very found of each other. These girls are my best friends. We are all extremely close.

My roomies for the next 5 days! (:

"Team stretching!"

I will miss the seniors on this team. I love them all! These girls made my high school experience very memorable, and I loved every second I spent with them. This year we became Champions!

Homecoming '10

This post is a little late, but better late then never. Homecoming was in October. I always enjoy dressing up and being with my closest friends!
Volleyball girls at the Homecoming football game

Beau and I at the Pep Rally

My corsage was beautiful!

I love dressing up! I bought my dress from White House, Black Market. Its a dress that can be worn many more times (this was one of the reasons I decided to buy it). It was modest, elegant, and classy.

Let's Party

Homecoming is coming up soon! Beau (My best friend) and I have been talking about going with each other. He got the nerve to ask my dad, and then surprise me at practice. I was speechless, which is really rare for me. One of our coaches walked up with a Balloon/candy bouquet. I was quite confused, since it wasn't near anyone's birthday. I was especially confused when he handed it to me.

Then I realized, I was being asked to homecoming.

Football Player + Volleyball Player = Homecoming??? I think Yes! (:

Busy, busy, busy!

My summer has been busy, busy, busy! I can't believe it's almost over.

I got my license!!!!! I have been working on it for a while. I took the driving test and passed with flying colors, so now I am a legit driver! (:

My best friend/sister Taylor, left for college last Friday. So sad, I miss her so much! She is only 4 hours away so that is not too far, so that makes it easier. Also knowing that she is in the place where God wants her to be is very reassuring. (Please note the deer head in the background.. "you might be a redneck!")

Volleyball, volleyball, and yes, more volleyball! I got a month off in May, but since then I have been going like crazy. So far our season is great! We have a tournament almost every weekend and a game or practice almost every day. Busy? I think yes! Do I love my life? Yes!!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance for the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Col.3:23-24