Please Remove Your Shoes... Your Comfort is Meaningless to Us!

Tonight's post was inspired by an article I read recently on social media listing reasons why you shouldn't wear shoes inside the house. 

Now I know for some of you this probably sounds absurd! The majority of our friends and family allow shoes inside the house. In fact, throughout my entire life I can only think of a total of 2 houses I have ever been to that requested that their guests remove their shoes before walking around inside their home. So as you see, this was not a tradition or anything that Colt and I grew up with.  Quite honestly, I don't exactly remember how Colt and I decided this. It's not like we discussed this topic while house hunting 3 years ago. All I can remember, is that once we found the house we wanted to purchase, it's like we both knew instantly and agreed that our house, that we would make into a home, would be one without the wearing of shoes inside. 

I am a little on the OCD side. Colt and I both are very sanitary and do everything in our power to keep germs at bay. Colt deals with quite a bit of allergy issues and therefor, not wearing shoes inside the house seemed like the most logical thing to do in our home. I once read somewhere that Good Morning America did some kind of test and found that, "The bottoms of shoes were dirtier than toilet seats!" That has always stuck with me. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. If you really think about it, our shoes literally step everywhere! Our shoes step in water, oil, gas, animal waste or droppings, gum, vomit, mud, bars, daycares, schools, parking lots, bathrooms... the list goes on and on! Yuck! We just couldn't fathom stepping in all these things then bringing all that dirt, bacteria and germs into our home and stepping everywhere in the house. So you see, our decision was made for us.

Just a few of our shoes lined up in our foyer by our front door. 

From day one we have taken off our shoes once walking inside the front door. We've asked for our guests to remove their shoes before entering inside our humble little abode. Now I know this is an unexpected and sometimes uncomfortable request for some of our guests. If you've visited our home then you already know our rules. If you haven't visited our home yet, we usually try to give our guests advance notice regarding our request. That way, if our guests are uncomfortable with walking around barefoot, they are able to make appropriate accommodations. For example, we have loved ones who prefer to walk around in socks, we've had guests bring their own house slippers and we have had some guests who prefer to have had a pedicure before taking off their shoes in front of others. Our home is always open for the ones we love and we want all our guests to be happy and comfortable however, this is one thing we haven't budged on. 

Now you may have asked yourself, "Well, what happens when Terminix or painters or the AT&T U-verse guy or home repair guys or the insurance adjuster comes over?" Simple. We also ask them to remove their shoes. Even the washer and dryer guys and the men who delivered our refrigerator as well as the men who mounted our tv when we first moved in were asked to remove their shoes. You'd be surprised to find out that most of these people bring little booties to place over their shoes when they walk into a house. They don't automatically put them on and wear them, but once we asked them to remove their shoes, they willingly do so or the majority will walk back to their van and get their booties. The booties look like scrubs doctors wear for surgery. It's perfect! 

Don't get me wrong though, being diligent about not wearing shoes in the house can also be a pain in the neck!  For example, our shoes for just us two, will pile up by the front door, back door and garage door quickly!!! Before you know it, there are 654795025 shoes that are out and need to be taken back to our closets to be put away. It is quite a task. Colt and I always have the best intentions of taking our shoes back up to our closets at the end of the day, but we usually forget or are just too tired and lazy and put it off for tomorrow. Thus, the shoes eventually start piling up. There have been a few occasions where I have had to get a laundry basket to pile all our shoes into so that I can take them back upstairs and put them away.  Also, it can be quite annoying when you've already put on your shoes and tied them, or put on your boots and realized you left something upstairs. In that case I usually call out to Colt and beg him to bring down the item I forgot. If it's just me in the house, then it's a huge hassle and a few unladylike words may come out. It's especially annoying if this happens AND I'm already running late! Grrr! First world problems! Haha! 

I also vacuum and steam clean our floors as often as I can. Between our hectic work schedules and school schedules, we don't always get this chore accomplished weekly. I don't know if the shoe thing has anything to do with it, but I can honestly say that Colt and I hardly get sick. I was sick for the first time in 2015 back in December and I work with 5 and 6 year olds daily! (I am also a firm believer in frequent hand washing!) 

All our family and friends that come over are always very obliging to remove their shoes, and for this we thank you. We appreciate that you love and care for us so much that you respect our wishes. 

If you are interested in reading the article I read on social media and the reasoning behind not wearing shoes inside the house, you can do so here.  Good Housekeeping published an article regarding reasons not to wear shoes inside the house. You can find that article here. My favorite quote from this article is, "When you remove your shoes, you're subconsciously telling your brain that you're done for the day and it's relaxation time. Go ahead, you deserve it."  If you google this topic, you can find some other pretty cool reads. 

Just a few shoes by the back door. We are getting better about not leaving as many shoes out! 

Floors are not more important than people and we want all our guests to feel welcome and comfortable in our home so we do have new socks for guests to use if they prefer. Emily Post Institute says that removing your shoes is something you can ask of guests so in that case it's a win-win! Hah! 

Thanks for respecting our wishes and our home! We love you all! 

Birthday Month

Birthday month has been fulfilling, busy and eventful so far! Colt and I are finally getting back into the groove of things. Well, mostly I have been getting back into the swing of things. Colt had this past week off from school so he has been enjoying an extra week of sleeping in, late nights, relaxing days and catching up on sleep and errands. 

Last weekend, my mom and I dropped my uncle off at the train station in downtown Fort Worth and he headed back to San Antonio. I know you must be thinking... who still uses the train to travel?!?!  I tried it out a few years ago when I went to visit Colt while he was still living in San Antonio and it was a pleasant experience! It's definitely not as quick as a plane ride, but it's cheaper and so relaxing! There's even a dining car on the train where you get to eat lunch and dinner with other people. When I rode the train, I got to dine across from a man who had lived all over the world and he kept me entertained throughout all of lunch with his amazing stories about his life and adventures. If you're not in a hurry to get somewhere, I definitely recommend traveling by train at least once in your life. 

After the train station, my mom and I went and did a little birthday shopping at University Park Village by TCU. It was lovely weather to be outdoors, walking around and shopping. The weather wasn't warm but it wasn't too cold. It was a perfect Sunday. Our last stop was the Kendra Scott store where we bought ourselves some new birthday jewels. During your birthday month, you can buy a piece of jewelry for half off so we weren't about to pass that up! Us Capricorn girls sure do like sparkles!  My birthday is on the first and my mom's is on the 12th of January so we prefer to celebrate all month. ;)

The first week back at work after the holidays is both exciting and exhausting. It's exciting because I actually do miss my students and I can't wait to see them and hear all about what they experienced over the break and hear what wonderful gifts Santa brought them. It's also exhausting because for 16 days I didn't have to set a 5:30 AM alarm clock, stand on my feet all day and let's face it, I'm just not used to working! Last week, I was discussing with my students what their New Year's Eve traditions were and we read books about New Year's traditions and resolutions. I explained to them that a resolution is a promise you make to yourself to learn how to do something or become better at something. We did a writing assignment regarding what our resolutions would be for 2016. Some of my students wrote they wanted to learn how to use an ax or learn how to cut down a tree or learn how to drive a car! They definitely have some big goals and aspirations for this year. My kiddos are just so sweet and too cute for words! This is just one of the many reasons I love my job! 

Being back at work also means I get to see lots of people I love spending my work day with. I really am so lucky to work at such an amazing school with some of the most brilliant people I know. These ladies are just 2 of the wonderful people I teach with! Love, love, love them! 

One of our goals this year is to make and eat healthier food choices. The first step to that, in my opinion, is to not eat out as frequently as we have been. The month of December was basically an "all you can eat contest"! With all the sweets and goodies at work, and at our loved ones houses and at our house, while it was delicious, it wasn't exactly the best choice. We were eating out 1-2 times a day especially over Christmas break. It was just so much easier and convenient to have food picked up or delivered. I have to admit, I've really never been much of a cook but I'm trying! I've been researching healthier recipes and trying out new things in the kitchen. It's definitely a lot more work and time and prep but I know this is what's best for us and our bodies. While we aren't perfect by any means, I am proud of some of the food choices we've been making this past week. For me breakfast and lunch are easy to meal prep for. Dinner is where I tend to struggle. Let's be honest, after waking up early, working a full day, driving in traffic, and working out or having to grocery shop after work, I don't exactly feel like standing in the kitchen for another hour or so to prep and cook dinner. The struggle is real, folks! Here's a few of the recipes I've tried this week: 

Turkey Chili

Healthier version of Stacked Enchiladas

Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Bake

Breakfast Muffins filled with mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, jalapenos, turkey sausage, herbs and egg whites. 

One of the nights though we did eat out. Colt's dad's birthday was last week and we met up with his parents for an Italian dinner at Taste of Italy. Dinner was delicious and we had a fun evening laughing and catching up. I meant to get a picture of all of us and I completely forgot. I didn't realize I forgot the picture until we got home. Such a bummer! 

Yesterday, Colt had to be up and out early in the morning. He had to go to a class at TCU so he was gone most of the day. The entire day was cloudy and COLD. I spent my day cuddled up in our warm, flannel bed watching movies! 

Anyone else love flannel sheets in the winter?!

Colt got home around 2:30 PM and we were both starving. Leftovers didn't sound appealing so we opted for burgers from Whataburger. Hey it's called balance, right?! ;) (I told you we aren't perfect! lol) We rented a movie OnDemand called, "Sicario". It was actually pretty good, full of action and kept us on our toes! I love getting to hang out with my best friend and cuddle up under the warm blankets watching movies all day! It's the best! Colt opted for a nap after the movie, and I continued watching movies like Titanic! I haven't seen that movie in SO long. Hours later we were hungry again and at midnight decided to have a date night at Pluckers. We bundled up and ventured out in the 28 degree cold. We had a great time eating wings and celery! Woo hoo. Go us! 

So one of our favorite shows ever is Shark Tank. We are obsessed with all the "sharks" as well as some of the amazing products we see on there. We have a stainless steel fridge and fingerprints on it drives me INSANE. I've researched and Pinterest-ed so many ideas for cleaning stainless steel. I've tried every homemade concoction as well as every thing that is sold on the market and haven't found one thing I have loved until I was over at my friend Shannon's house. She recommended I try this product they saw on Shark Tank called, "Einshine".  I was equally as interested to try it and give it a whirl. She put some of the liquid in a jar for me to take home. I finally tried it out and let me tell you... I. Am. In. Love. It works wonders. I was so impressed. I was telling my family all about it and sending pics. I was sold and I ordered my own bottle from Amazon. I also love the fact that it's more of a healthy, natural product for your home. I wish I had a before and after pic but I only have the after. It's so shiny and spotless. My OCD heart is full! 

Like I said, we love the Shark Tank show and we have ordered several products from the show already, another product being the "Squatty Potty". Colt is seriously head over heels with the Squatty Potty and he swears by it! I ordered something online recently that I saw on the show and unfortunately, it was backordered so I probably won't be receiving it until the end of the month or February. I'll update you with what it is and what I think of it when I receive it in the mail! 

This afternoon we went over to my parents house and met up with my parents and sisters for a late lunch-dinner. My mom made cornbread, broccoli and cheese soup, and chicken and dumplings. All homemade. It was delectable! We had a really great time joking around and visiting with my fam. Colt brought us Braums and then we chatted for a little while longer before Colt and I headed back home. So basically we had a cheat weekend instead of a cheat meal... hey, baby steps, right? That's all that matters! I hope we are at least a little bit of encouragement to someone out there! Hah! 

Tonight we've been meal prepping for the week and catching up on some DVR. Colt officially starts his spring and second semester as a business student tomorrow. I am so proud of him. We are now a quarter way through this program! Time is flying fast! I'm sure before we know it, he will be finished with the program and graduating! 

God is good all the time, all the time God is good. 

Wishing each and every one of you a restful night, a productive week and many blessings! 

We love you all! 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, friends! 2015 was a great year. It was full of opportunities, family, friends, fun times, and lots of memories. We look forward to beginning a new year and working on healthier sleep habits, healthier food choices, making time for more exercise, making time for family and friends and focusing on us as a couple and bringing even more prayer and faith into our daily lives. We cannot wait to see all the blessings and wonderful things that 2016 has in store for us and for all of you! 

We rang in the new year at our house. We kept it pretty low key and relaxing.  Colt and I provided the decorations, food and drinks. My parents, sisters, my sister's boyfriend and my uncle came over. My uncle is my mom's brother who lives in San Antonio. We have always been close to my uncle growing up even though he lives 5 hours away. He has been a positive role model and major influence in our lives. We have been so blessed to have strong family values. 

Anyone else eat 12 grapes at midnight? One grape for each month of the year for good luck! 

Unky and me

Cheers to sisters

Unky and mom

New Year's Day is my birthday and this year we celebrated my birthday right at midnight on NYE with champagne, cake, ice cream and opened presents from my family. SO much fun! Thank you to all my friends and family who took the time to call me and text me right at midnight. You sure do know how to make a girl feel loved! 

We stayed up until 4 AM the night before so New Year's Day Colt and I slept in. It was lovely! I came downstairs and woke up to presents from Colt and a homemade brunch. He even made funfetti pancakes with a pink candle in it! Isn't he the best?!

New Year's Day we didn't do anything too fancy. In fact, it was quite the opposite. We ate leftovers, snacked all day and spent the day relaxing on the couch side by side and watching the Twilight Zone New Year's Marathon on SyFy. It was nice to spend my special day with my favorite person in the world. We weren't rushing to get dressed to go somewhere, we weren't out in the cold waiting to eat out at a fancy restaurant, I didn't have to get dolled up. It was wonderful to spend quality time with my best friend. I wouldn't trade these special times for anything in the world! 

Later that night, Colt ran out to pick up some dinner while I was showering. After showering, I found this on our bed. What a pleasant surprise! This guy continues to amaze me day after day.  I love him so! 

New Year's and my birthday were simply wonderful. What a special and great way to begin 2016! A big thank you to my darling husband for his constant love, support, for making me laugh daily and for always making me feel like the most important person in the room. 

We are ready for a new year, a new start and new adventures. Here's to new ideas, new success, lots of love, smiles and no regrets! 

Fresh, new kitchen chalkboard for the new year

Happy New Year! We love you all! 

Christmas Week

Merry Christmas Eve! Things have been quite hectic around here with get togethers, outings, wrapping presents and enjoying all the joys of the holiday season! Above all, we in the Miranda household are finally on the upswing from being sick. Colt was sick with a terrible cough for about 2 weeks or so. Soon after that, I also fell sick. I even had to miss a day from school last week to visit the doctor. Having to miss a day from school days before Christmas Break is so stressful! There was so much to get done last week and I wasn't sure how I was going to get everything I needed finished before school let out. In the end, everything worked out, as it always does. Gotta have faith! 

Last Friday, I decorated the tables in my classroom for our holiday party rotations. I used butcher paper to make the tables look like Santa's belt! It came out super cute in my opinion! 

My students were so sweet and thoughtful to bring me Christmas presents on our party day. I don't know what I did in life to deserve such an incredible job with the most precious students and supportive parents, but I am extremely thankful and definitely blessed! One of the cute things I received was this monogrammed tote bag. Anyone who knows me, knows I love all things monogrammed. Obsessed! I can't wait to use this lovely bag to carry all my goodies this week! I love it! 

Here's what else we've been up to this Christmas Week! Saturday I slept in due to being so exhausted from the last 3 weeks of school. Things were so busy at work and it felt so nice to be done for 2 weeks and not have to set any alarms. Colt was sweet to surprise me and bring me homemade breakfast in bed. It was such a lovely surprise! I'm the luckiest to have him! 

We lounged the rest of the day and watched Christmas movies. It was definitely a great start to our Christmas Break! Later that night we got dressed and met up with some friends from TCU at the Cowtown Bowling Alley. It was such a fun time hanging out, bowling and chatting with the girls! 

Bowling fun with friends! 

After bowling, Colt and I were starving and we noticed there was a Griff's burger right next door! We used to eat Griff's many years ago as kids so it was quite nostalgic for us! We had to stop! 

We were so excited to taste those greasy fries! 

On Sunday we attended church but went home quickly after that. I wasn't feeling well again and I decided to lay down for a nap. I slept for hours!!! Colt's grandparents were hosting a Christmas get together at their house that evening and sadly I had to miss it. It's such a bummer being sick during the holidays.  :(  Two Sundays ago, before I got sick, our friend Shannon hosted a jewelry party at her house. We love sparkly, pretty things! Champ and shopping is one of our favorites! 

On Monday, we met in downtown Fort Worth to have dinner and drinks at the Cheesecake Factory with our friends Rusty and Cheryl. I have been friends with Cheryl since 7th grade! When we are together, it feels like nothing has changed. It feels like we are still those sweet, 12 year old girls in Catholic school girl uniforms. Cheryl and I have remained friends throughout the years and were in each other's weddings. They say if a friendship lasts 7 years, it will mostly likely last a lifetime! We love the Collins family! 

Oreo cheesecake. Heaven on a plate. 

Tuesday, Colt and I met my mom for an early lunch. We enjoyed chips and queso and a delicious fajita meal at Los Molcajetes. Colt and I had to run to the mall to run a few errands and we found out my mom did also. So what better way to spend the day than shopping all day with your 2 favorites?! We made a pit stop at sonic for Happy Hour Sonic Drinks then made our way to the mall. We braved the crowds and horrible traffic. We stopped at that "At Home" store that everyone seems to be talking about. We bought a few things and shopped up and down the aisles, but all in all, I wasn't too impressed. I'm undecided as to whether or not I'll go back and shop there again. After that we had to go to Neiman Marcus so we were off to head to another mall! Two malls in one day is a girls dream! Colt was such a trooper. He chauffeured us all over and shopped til he dropped. I was so proud of him. It was such a fun time. We finally made it home around 9 PM. Nine hours of shopping and we finally called it a day! Whew! 

Later that night, Colt and I stayed up late baking homemade sugar cookies, watching Hallmark Christmas movies and prepping for Christmas with Colt's immediate family the next day! 

Festive cheeseball snowmen! 

Colt and I are so addicted to these things! We tasted one and haven't been able to stop munching on these!!! 

Yesterday, we drove out to Denton to attend Miranda Family Christmas with Colt's parents, siblings, their spouses and nieces and nephews. Unfortunately, once again I was feeling sick. Tuesday I started to feel ill but yesterday it was worse. I was so terribly congested and had so much sinus pressure in my face. I tried to make the best of it but wasn't feeling 100% at all. I hate being so sick that I cannot smell nor taste all the yummy foods. My sister in law, Ria, suggested I try this nasal spray called, Nostrilla. She said she swore by it. I was so desperate to breathe again that I thought what the heck! On the way home, we stopped at Walgreens and picked up the nose spray. Let me tell you, I am so glad we did!!!! Not too long after I used it, I was able to breathe again! It was so nice to finally get a good night's rest and breathe through my nose instead of my mouth! Thanks for the recommendation, Ria! If you've never used this stuff, definitely give it a whirl! 

Today, Colt and I slept in again. We finished up the rest of our wrapping and ate a light lunch. I updated our kitchen chalkboard as well. 

We are relaxing and enjoying the quiet moments before the hustle and bustle of this evening and tomorrow. Later this evening we will be attending Christmas Mass with my family and then go out to dinner afterwards. Tomorrow morning we will head out to my parents house to open gifts and eat mom's homemade breakfast! Saturday we will be going out to Haslet to celebrate Christmas with my extended family. I am excited! I cannot believe how quickly this month is passing by. Advent and the wait is over... it's time to celebrate Jesus' birth! What better way to celebrate the arrival of Christ than spending it with our dear loved ones and participating in all the festivities! 

Colt and I are watching Michael Buble's Christmas special on our dvr and I am enjoying this delicious cup of hot cocoa until it's time to get dressed in a few! 

"For to us, a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!" Isaiah 9:6

Wishing you all a very merry and blessed Christmas, from our family to yours! 

We love you all! 

May Your Days Be Merry & Bright

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write... 

It seems that in this digital age with people keeping up with each other on social media and emails and text messages, snail mail is sadly becoming a thing of the past. One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is mailing and receiving Christmas cards! 

We have a community mailbox on our cul de sac, so I usually consider it a chore to check the mailbox. I'm too lazy to walk all the way down the street to check it, and when I do remember to check it on the way home from work, I almost never have the mailbox key with me. It's unofficially become Colt's job to check the mail daily. ;)

December arrived and I have checked the mail almost every single day. I love reaching in to the mailbox and pulling out lots of envelopes addressed to: "The Mirandas" or "Mr. and Mrs. Colt Miranda" or "Liz & Colt"! It makes me giddy to drive the rest of the way down the street, pull into the garage and run in to the kitchen, quickly turning the kitchen light on. I love ripping open the envelopes and seeing the faces of all our beautiful, smiling friends and family. We love getting to see how much all the little kids have grown in such a short year since last December. We also receive the good ol' fashion Christmas cards that aren't pictures. We love reading the notes that our loved ones write in those! 

Of course, I also love taking Christmas pictures and choosing the perfect card to send to our family and friends. When I was a little kid, my parents had us take Christmas pictures every year. This is a tradition I plan on continuing throughout the years. 

Photo credit goes to Taylor Mackay. He is an amazingly talented and gifted photographer that is in business school with Colt. Taylor took time out of his hectic schedule, during finals week, to snap a few shots of us in Downtown Fort Worth on a late Sunday night. Thank you, Taylor, for your time, your generosity and your talent! We are so grateful!!!

Below is the Christmas picture and card we chose to send out this year, along with a few pictures that didn't make the cut! 

Although it's been said, many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you!