Amazing Grace...

This past weekend was my little sister's communion ...for those that may not understand this concept it the first time a child of the congregation accepts the body and blood of Christ and officially becomes an active member of mass....it's pretty cool stuff ... on a side note phil and i saw mr. klepac who so brilliantly played at my sister's mass .. too cool for school :) ...

The Cavazos

how sweet ...

my mama ordered a bounce house for the little kiddos ... it was sooo hot outside!

One of the 50 million cakes my mom had ... why?

favors that we made for the guests ... candles from scratch with the help of my sweet mother in law :)

just another sunday...

Even though Sunday is bittersweet because it indicates the end of the weekend and the beginning of yet another work week ..... i like to think that sometimes it's more sweet than it is bitter :]

Phil surprised me by taking me to the Houston Urban Market ... awesome! i cannot wait to go again in October! It's a collection of designers and shop owners that sell really cool things (most of them at a discount) ... i had my eye on a matching set of chairs for my living room, but they were snatched up before i could make up my mind ... oh the tragedy :(

This is a giant letter C made of brushed aluminum ... the dealer told us he bought these letters from a business that went out of business before it even opened .... sad day for them .... happy day for the Cavazos!

this is a cheese stone from India ... who doesn't love cheese and stones!? :) when i saw it i immediately started day dreaming of dinner parties or family gatherings and my cheese serving stone being a conversation piece ... wrap it up, i'll take 3! (just kidding i only took 1)

These are wooden horse figures from India .... not quite sure what to do with these fellows ... i tried it out on the wall b/c it had a hook ... hmm ... i don't know if he will live there ... i'm sure that i can work them in somehow

These were unframed prints taken by a photographer based out of San Antonio...i am in love with these. i am pretty sure they will live in our bedroom over our nightstand dressers (another story) ... i just need to find frames. This dealer also had antique aggie boot spurs ... so cool!

okay so i brought it home and wanted to use it immediately ... not to shabby i could eat my cheese like this everyday!

Sunday dinner

i was impressed by my salad ... spinach, strawberries, pecans, feta cheese, balsamic vinaigrette

so i wanted homemade dessert ... but one that didn't take forever to make or an oven. this is cheesecake pudding (jello - no sugar mix) mixed with milk instead of water above a layer of graham cracker crumbs and topped with blueberries .. delish ... happy Sunday!

Mama .. you know I love you

This is a "slideshow / movie / presentation" that I made for the mamas that we honored at our Derby Day / Mother's Day luncheon! I thought I would post for your watching pleasure ....

My Old Kentucky Home

Some of you may or may not know....but there are few things in this world that I get really excited about ... one of those things is planning an event .. be it small or grand ...I, Dominique Cavazos love to plan. The other is the Kentucky Derby. Way back when I was asked to volunteer at an event called Derby Day ... at the time I had absolutely no idea what any of this was about. All I knew was that I needed a large hat to wear that day in order to be festive.. hmmm. So on that first Saturday in May I showed up at the Hilton in College Station and walked into a ballroom to get some volunteer hours on my sheet .... little did I know that an obsession would be born.

As far as I could see into the room there was not a single lady that did not have a beautifully crazy hat on .... and I fell head over heels for this wacky southern tradition. I have since dreamed of the day when I will be able to sit in a "box" at Churchill Downs sipping on a mint julep and watch the most exciting 2 minutes in sports first hand. Until then I will spread the word of this oh so fabulous event and host "watch parties." This year I hosted a Mother's Day / Derby Day luncheon that went off without a hitch!

There is nothing that I enjoy more than to plan a party .... I obsess for months....weeks...days .... I special order crazy things (and rush the delivery; thanks again Phil :) and it is incredibly important to me that every detail is taken care of ....

With that said here are some pictures of this past weekend (I am sad that I didn't get to take all of the pictures that I wanted to take ... but I figure there will be another Derby Day at the Cavazos House and I will surely get all my pictures in...before I start drinking mint juleps)

 This was our "bar" area in the kitchen ... self serve!

The silver cups are Mint Julep cups ... you don't serve a mint julep unless it's in this cup .... these were the special ordered ... rush delivery purchase ... they are silver plated and I want to drink everything out of these ... hmmm maybe I'm onto something

 Baskets that I made for every Mama to take home along with an arrangement of roses...

I call these "naked" Bourbon Balls ... pre-dip

Post dip ... yum :)

Our permanent "Mama" gallery ... these were some of our favorite pictures

My little brother ... after the race ... he drew the winning horse ..

 and just some basic derby decoration ...

I am already pumped about next year ... I am picking out recipes ... and looking at venues ... so very excited can't wait :)