weekend wrap up

Not a whole lot going on this past weekend. Just tried to enjoy being at home and not having much of a plan. Bill, however, has been gone on his annual golf trip with some friends from AR. They go to different golf courses on the Robert Trent Jones golf trail. They play 2 rounds a day, eat dinner, then travel to their next destination.

Friday night was girls night out. I went out with some friends to Gloria's. After 10pm at this restaurant, it turns into a salsa club. We stayed around to watch and participate (mostly involuntarily). Girls nights are always fun!

While he was away, my dad and I decided to go to the SMU football game on Saturday. It is so strange to me that this university is in the middle of a big city. Having gone to UofA, a college in a small city in the northwest corner of Arkansas, is in what you call a "college town." The whole town revolves around the university. You get treated different there. You get treated like a student, not just another person trying to make it in a big city. Don't get me wrong, SMU is a great school, on a fabulous campus, and in a great city. I just prefer the "small town" feel that my university had.

Now you want to talk about different, going to this football game was WAY different than attending an SEC game. The stadium was small, and the stands were not full. I couldn't figure out where the student section was until the second qtr. We sat in the 17th row on the 40 yard line, coveted seats at an AR game, for less than $40. We had room to stretch out our legs, no one sitting next to us, and a clear view of the field. So as much as we commented on the differences between this and that, we had a great time. It was super hot out, so we didn't end up staying the entire time. But we enjoyed brunch together before hand at Breadwinners, one of my favorite places. Checked out the merch at the bookstore, and enjoyed our favorite sport together. SMU won, if you were wondering.

Saturday night the Rangers played. As you saw in my previous post, they won the ALCS! It is a super exciting time in Texas and for the Rangers going back to the world series. Game 1 is on Wednesday in St. Louis.

Sunday I spent most of the morning cleaning and getting things put away. I ran a few errands and gave myself enough time to lay out a little before the Cowboys game started. I know you're thinking, lay out? Yes, here in TX it was almost 90 degrees on Sunday, so I took full advantage to get a little sun before it turns wintry. Then I watched the Cowboys game. Now, looking back I should have kept laying out, because the game was so disappointing. We lost in the last 2 minutes of the game. I can't even talk about it, it frustrates me so much.

So, that is my eventful, uneventful weekend. Bill and I are looking forward to another weekend at home this week. The Razorbacks play in Oxford and the Cowboys play here. I'm feeling crafty again, so I might take on another project! Stay tuned...

ALCS Champs... again!

Last night the Texas Rangers won the American League Championship for the second year in a row. We are headed back to the World Series, and this time, we're hoping to win it all. Last year, the Rangers lost to the San Francisco Giants. We've got unfinished business, and if you ask me, I have a pretty good feeling about it. So, it all starts Wednesday. We find out tonight if we'll be playing the Brewers or the Cardinals. GO RANGERS, ANTLERS UP!

3rd Annual Pig N' Gig

I hate being behind on the blog. Things just are non-stop these days. Between Cowboys games, and traveling to Fayetteville for Razorback games, and everything in between, there just isn't much time for blogging. Not to mention, our Internet has been acting up lately. So here we go, I'm going to try and catch up on some blog worthy things that have happened lately.

A couple weeks ago, we hosted the 3rd annual Pig N'Gig tailgate before the Southwest Classic matchup between the Razorbacks and Texas A&M. Things got started the Friday night before. Michelle and Larry showed up early afternoon and we headed to the stadium to go on a tour. We ended the tour by walking on the field and got to take some pics on the Arkansas endzone. I don't know how to rotate pics, so here is my pic on the "A" in the endzone.


Carla and her sister Johanna got in late Friday night. We all went to bed pretty early since we were headed out early the next morning to get to the tailgate. We backed out of the driveway to head to the stadium at 6:50am! Once everything was set-up, people started showing up and the party got started. Now, of course, things didn't get as rowdy as they would if we didn't have an 11am kickoff, but we made the most of it. We had sausage balls, fruit, muffins, brisket breakfast tacos, John Daly's, and much more.

Me and my cuz. We missed his friend Chance, who typically finishes out the Razorback sandwich.


The entire Pig N'Gig host committee. My aunt, uncle, cousin, husband, step-mom, and Dad.

A new addition to the tailgate this year was Squares. You paid $1 a square, then we drew for the numbers. There was a halftime and final score winner. Congrats to JT, the overall winner!

Kelly, Priscilla, Amber, Me, & Emily Jean

Best friends a girl could as for...Meesh, Jo, & Car

Me and the Hubs with Boss Hog

The game started off a little dicey for the Hogs. Going into halftime, the Aggie's were up by 18 points. I did not have a good feeling in my stomach about the outcome of the game. I was preparing myself to put a smile on my face around Aggie fans after the game. But, after halftime, we made some major adjustments and came back to make a BIG WIN! That makes 3 in a row for the Hogs. Just another way to say, "welcome to the SEC" Ags!

Final score: Arkansas-42, Aggies-38

The Razorbacks receiving their trophy from Mr. Jones

Overall, it was a huge success. We were more prepared than ever this year. We had to deal with an unfortunate start time to the game, but given what the circumstances were, we still had a good turnout. We are already planning for next year, and could not be more excited that it will be a conference game!

Go Razorbacks!

tasty tuesday: buffalo chicken pasta

I know I'm a day late... so sue me. I didn't have anything tasty to report yesterday other than $1 tacos at Fuzzy's Tacos for National Taco Day. Plus, my internet wasn't working last night. I digress...

Today I bring you Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad. My husband loves Frank's Red Hot. Ya know, the commercials with the old lady that says, "I put that s*** on everything!" I found this recipe on, you guessed it, Pinterest and I had to try it out. I whipped it together real quick after I got home from work. Literally took no time at all. The hubby loved it, and so did I. I'm sure it will get even better as it sits. I'm sorta looking forward to trying a little itty bitty taste in the morning for breakfast. It calls for a cup of olive oil, but I think I'll add less next time. I love olive oil, but you could really taste it and it seemed a little excessive. I served mine up with some King's Hawaiian Rolls that I had on hand to sop up the extra sauce!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

feeling crafty: fall wreath part 2

I've been falling behind on my blogging lately. Mostly due to our annual tailgate for the Arkansas vs. Texas A&M game, which was this past weekend. Hopefully I'll do better, but can't make any promises. Don't forget... I told you football season is busy around here. Anyways... if yall will remember several weeks back I told you I got to feeling a little crafty; feeling crafty: fall wreath. I was inspired by a picture I found on Pinterest to create my own Fall wreath. Here is the picture I designed my wreath from.


As described in my previous post, I was surprised at how simple it was to make this wreath. After making my own, I actually made one for a friends wedding shower that I helped host. We hung the wreath at our front door as guests entered. I, of course, used her new last name's initial in place of my own. So here we go, here is a picture of my masterpiece...


Not exactly the same, but I feel like I did a pretty good job. I took fall leaf garland that I bought at Michael's and attached it to a grapevine wreath with floral wire. I also bought 3 "Fall Picks" and stuck those in at random places around the wreath. I feel like the top of the wreath needs a little bit more, maybe another pumpkin. I might add to it. I also bought a plain white initial "D" that I sanded down and spray painted with metallic gold. I attached this with a ribbon.

If you're looking to find a simple fall craft to spruce up your front door, I highly recommend this one. It's super easy and easy to personalize. I'm already looking forward to making one for Christmas.

Happy Fall Y'all!

bill flies an airplane

For those that don't know. My husband is in flight school to get his pilots license. He's been working on this for several months now. He typically gets up early in the morning to meet his instructor and fly. On Thursday he flew by himself for the first time. He sent this email to me and his family after the flight...

"Quick update on my training.

I wasn't able to fly for 3 weeks because of the usual issues. But yesterday I went back up for 2hrs with my instructor and did 8 or so full stops at 52F. The winds were crossing the runway so my CFI stayed in the plane and it was a great experience. A few planes working in the pattern and it was fun to watch everyone navigate with the wind. With my confidence back up I was given permission to fly solo this morning from ADS to 52F.

I arrived early at the baby bird this morning and waited until 7:00 to taxi out. The winds were 10@330 so I took of on runway 33 behind all the big planes. Its a different perspective going that way but it made my trip to 52 F a little bit shorter. As I climbed above 1200msl the winds really picked up and I could tell I was going to have to crab into the wind to go out above Lake Lewisville. My indicated airspeed was 120mph but I was probably only doing 100mph because of the headwind.

I have never landed on runway 35 at 52F so I did some more thinking about that on the way over. As I entered the pattern I couldn’t help but think about the trees at the end of 35 but they were easily cleared with only 20 degrees of flaps. My airspeed was right at 65mph on final so I didn't see the need let out more flaps. The ground effect was pretty strong and the little bird floated down 1/2 the runway before landing. I had to fight the urge to drop the nose and bounce it so just listened to the whine of the stall horn as I coasted down the runway.

As I taxied I could see the weather rolling in, so I made the decision to not shoot any more landings at 52F. I was concerned about the winds continuing to pick up and possibly shifting across the runway. As I left 52F it turned out to be a good decision because the winds were definitely picking up. As I flew over the lake I could see some white caps that weren't there before. As I came back over the lake I got handed back to ADS tower and they asked me to make a left downwind for 33. My only experience landing on 33 has been to make a right traffic pattern over the tollway and those large buildings. I definitely like the left pattern better. It was easy to pick up the runway on final and I felt like the runway had a tracker beam drawing me to the numbers. I did a no flaps landing and was asked to expedite my runway exit for some waiting traffic behind me. No doubt they were going faster than me so I scooted out of the way.

I always laugh when the 150 comes peddling in as some biz jet is sitting idling at the hold short line. I always wonder if those pilots would trade places to go pleasure flying in a 50 yr old C150 instead of jockeying around grumpy customers. Being able to fly out of ADS is a privilege I hope isn't taken away from us."

He is really enjoying this new challenge and I am just praying for his safety. :)

what i'm loving wednesdays

I am loving Fall TV shows starting back up! It's almost a little overwhelming. There are so many new shows I want to try out, then there are the shows that I've been watching for the past 10 seasons. Let me fill you in on some of my favs...

The Rachel Zoe Project. Who doesn't love RZ? I die. This season she is without her trust sidekick Brad, but she is preggers and still full of personality. She has a new clothing line coming out, and I basically want it all. Too bad it's all WAY out of my price range. Ba.Na.Nas.

Another fav is Modern Family. This show is seriously hilarious. This is one show that the husband and I actually enjoy watching together. I typically have to DVR all my shows and watch them after he goes to bed. When Modern Family is on, I know that is something we both enjoy.

Some other favorite fall shows are, Desperate Housewives. I started watching this when it first started, and rumor has it that this is the last season. This show has had its ups and downs, I think ending it this season is probably needed. Some of the plot lines have gotten a little strange, but I do still love all the characters. Another fav is, Grey's Anatomy. I've been watching this one since it began too. I have a feeling it could be coming to an end as well. I just can't help but love the drama week to week.

There are several new shows I've wanted to catch this season. All of them comedy's. First is 2 Broke Girls. This premiered on Monday, but I missed it. I've heard nothing but good reviews on this one. Also, The New Girl. I did actually watch this one. It was just ok. I am going to give it another episode to make up my mind if I want to continue watching. The acting was just sub-par. And finally, Up All Night. I missed the first episode of this one too, but caught the second episode tonight. It was pretty funny. I like these 30 minute sitcoms.

Now all we need is some fall temps outside to go with the fall shows! Happy Wednesday!

tasty tuesday: so much to share

I've been real behind on my Tasty Tuesday posts, so I have several things to share with y'all. Lets jump right in!

First up is Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken. I've really been trying to utilize the crock pot a little more lately. The crock pot is one of the best inventions ever. I would hug the neck of the person who came up with it. I'm convinced it was a really smart woman. I digress. So, this is one of the best crock pot recipes I've ever made. Super simple, and you can cook it on high for about 5 hours and it's all done. I used Mexican rice instead of white rice. It came out more like a gumbo, but it was super delish. I topped it off with a dollop of sour cream and some shredded cheese. YUM!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Up next is Chicken Roll Ups. Again, a super easy recipe to throw together. I can see this being a big hit when I have kiddos running around wanting dinner ASAP. But until then, the husband approved it and that is all that matters. I used the jumbo crescent rolls, instead of the small ones. That means you get to add more of the yummy goodness into the inside. This is a picture of my chicken roll ups, but here is the link to the recipe.

Chicken Roll Ups

Ok, finally I made these amazing Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups. Who doesn't love Pei Wei lettuce wraps? Well, these are pretty darn close. Did I mention healthy? When I got finished making these, my initial thought was, "Bill is soooo not gonna enjoy this!" Well, I was wrong. He went back for seconds. WHOA! Next time I'm going to make some brown rice to go along with it to complete the meal. PS: the recipe calls for turkey, but I used ground chicken.

Asian Lettuce Cups

So y'all know they say the way to a man's heart is thru his stomach? Well, these are all hubby approved recipes, so I highly recommend them. Have yall been watching Pioneer Woman's new show on Food Network? This post makes me think of one of her latest episodes, "Lad Approved Meals." Sometimes its hard to please the husband with your cooking, and for the most part I've been lucky, but when he goes back for seconds you know it's a success. My heart always flutters a little when he asks for more. A wife's job well done. :)

emmy style - top 5

Confession: I didn't even watch the Emmy's this year. I just can't get into awards shows. However, I do try to pay attention to the fashion. Here are my top 5 looks from the 2011 Emmy Awards...

5)Katie Holmes- She isn't her usual polished self, and I sorta like that. She caught a lot of grief for the fact that she wasn't very glammed up, almost dressed down, but the simplicity of the look makes me like it even more. I love the color, and the simple belt to go along with it.

4)Lea Michele- There was A LOT of red on the carpet this year. I mostly liked the back to her dress. I would have liked this dress even more if it had a longer train. Then again, it might have been too much with the big shoulders, low back, and train. Either way, it was a lovely dress.

3)Cat Deeley- Gotta love the glitter. I definitely would have worn my hair in a different way. Glam it up girl!

2)Evan Rachel Wood- This dress reminds me of my mother's original Barbie Doll, and the fancy evening gown it game with. It looked perfect on her.

1)Nina Dobrev- And, my favorite of the night. This beautiful red gown with amazing structural details. I wish I had somewhere to wear this!

Happy Monday!

weekend wrap up

Weekends seem to fly by these days. With all the football I have to watch, errands to run, and projects to get done around the house, the weekend just feels like a big blur. Now I'm sitting here watching Sunday night football and listening to the thunder, thinking how I can't believe it's already time for another work week! Good news is, Monday's after a Cowboy victory are much more enjoyable than if we've lost.

We're actually celebrating two wins this weekend. The Razorbacks played Troy on Saturday night. Bill took my Dad with him Saturday morning to head to Fayetteville for the game. I stayed home since I've been gone the past 2 weekends. I painted the second guest bedroom, did some re-decorating of the guest bath, made a much needed trip to Ikea, and of course watched football. The Cowboys played San Fran and won in overtime. It was a stressful game, but thank goodness they pulled it out. Unfortunately, we came out with several injuries.

I thought I would take the time to give y'all an update on our child... Lucy dog. She is a funny creature. She loves her crate. It is her safe spot. She has an old pillow of ours, and she positions herself at the very back of the crate, and snuggles herself into the pillow. Sometimes in the mornings, its hard to tell if she is even in there. Speaking of mornings, she is not a morning dog. Guess she takes after her momma. She's typically pretty grumpy in the mornings. It takes a miracle to get her to do her business. She is very protective of us. She barks at every car, person, or leaf that blows by the front of our house. She is the most ferocious dog that is scared of her own tail. Yup, she is scared of anything that is out of the ordinary. Most of all, she is terrified of trash trucks. Friday's are not good days for her at our house. She is definitely a baby though. She loves to cuddle with me on the couch, and she gets more attention than any pet I know. We love our little pup.

Hope everyone has a great week!

catch up: football has begun

oh my goodness. I am so behind on the blog. I've been out of town the past two weekends, and my weeks have been super busy. I wasn't kidding when I said things get busy when football season starts. Two weekends ago Bill and I traveled to Fayetteville, AR for the Razorback's season opener. It was over Labor Day weekend, so we got to enjoy a long weekend with all of our friends. We got into town Friday evening and hung out with friends at an old college hangout. Then Saturday we woke up and had breakfast and got ready for a long day of tailgating. We split our time between some of my friends tailgate and Bill's friends tailgate. The weather wasn't too hot, so it was a perfect way to kick off the football season.

Me with my bestest friends, Michelle and Carla

Old and new friends.

Me and Lori tailgating

Me and Bill before the game

The Razorbacks won but we were all so tired from being out all day tailgating, that we just hung out at Cory's house after the game. On Sunday we woke up and headed to Beaver Lake with Cory and Amber. We met at a friend of theirs lake house to enjoy the day. Unfortunately the weather changed overnight, and it was cold and windy. We enjoyed the day anyways, and stayed the night at the lakehouse.

Since Monday was Labor Day and I took Friday off, I had a quick 3 day week and traveled to Little Rock. I drove down on Thursday night after work by myself. On the drive up, I hit a raccoon on the interstate! It was a raccoon on steroids in my opinion. I decided not to pull over, since I was alone and on a dark interstate. When I woke up the next morning, I found some damage to my brand new car. Bummer! It isn't too bad, but still upsets me a lot.

On Friday, I spent the day with my mom helping her get things ready for a bridal shower we threw on Sunday. Friday night I spent the night over at my best friend Lori and Trevor's house. We stayed up getting all the tailgate food prep done and dancing in the kitchen to our favorite college rap songs. I know, so corny. Bill came down Friday afternoon and went straight to the farm to spend time with his family.

Saturday morning, we got up super early to get ready to leave for the tailgate. We got to the golf course by 7:30am! All the girls rode together, as tradition, and the boys followed. We spend the entire day moving from tailgate to tailgate to see all of our friends. It was super fun, as always! I love LR tailgating. It's taking tailgating to a whole new level.

All the girls at the tailgate. Such a wonderful group of ladies.

On Sunday, mom and I finished the preparations for the shower we were throwing. It began at 1pm and it was lovely. It was good to see some people who I have not seen in a while. After the shower and helping clean-up I got on the road back to Dallas. While the shower was going on, Bill and my step-dad went to play golf.

So, that has been my last two weekends. Football. There is another game in Fayetteville this weekend, but I'm sending my dad in my place with Bill. I just couldn't be gone 3 weekends in a row. I have plenty to do around this house to get ready for fall and the Texas A&M game. We will have lots of company at our house, and want it to be perfect.

Cowboys Kickoff Luncheon

This week has been a whirlwind! We had our annual managers meeting at work. We bring all 30 plus managers of our Pro Shops into town for a couple of days to talk about the upcoming season, and have a little fun. For the past couple weeks, I've been an assistant buyer/event planner. It was quite rewarding to see the meeting go smoothly, or as smoothly as it possibly could, and that the managers all had a good time. We all met at the stadium for the 1st day. The buying team got to do our presentation that day. We like to have fun, so we came up with a trivia game for them. After the meeting we took everyone to Hard Eight BBQ. I haven't talked much about Hard Eight on the blog, it deserves a post all to itself, but its basically the best BBQ that you can imagine. Then after dinner we all went bowling. It was tons of fun hanging out with all our awesome managers.

The second day we met at our offices. For lunch, all the managers were invited to attend the annual Cowboys Kickoff Luncheon.


This is a pretty special event to get invited to. Actually, most people have to pay for tickets to attend. It is a big benefit for a charity near and dear to the Cowboys and Jones family, Happy Hill Farm Academy. At the event they announced the entire team of players and coaches. They gave away annual awards to players, and coach Garrett and Mr. Jones spoke to get everyone exited about the upcoming season. It was pretty exciting to be around all these people, including past and present players.

Working in this business it is easy to get acclimated, and accustomed to being at events like these, or being around players, coaches, and just Cowboys in general. But, there is always that feeling way down deep inside that is screaming and jumping up and down for joy and excitement when I get to attend something like this. Everyday I wake up, I get to say I work for the Cowboys. I work for the Jones family. I wake up every day and have to earn my Star just like the 'Boys on the field. (cheesy I know) I hope I never take what I have for granted when it comes to this job. It has truly been a blessing, and it is exciting every day to go to work and be a part of the Dallas Cowboys.

What's next? Well, Bill and I are headed to Fayetteville for the Razorbacks season opener! Lost of pics to come next week!

feeling crafty: fall wreath

So, I told yall in a previous post about my love for Pinterest. There are a lot of dreams when it comes to Pinterest finds. You see a house you love, you pin it. You see a place you want to travel to, you pin it. You see a yummy recipe, you pin it. But, when it comes down to it, have you made that beautiful looking pie, have you re-purposed the flea market coffee table, or bought the pretty ring you found? Well, maybe... but for most of us, its all just a collection of dreams.

Hold the phone, because I actually got crafty this weekend! I think crafty people are cool. I envy their patience to stain a piece of furniture, or paint a canvas. I found this wreath while searching through Pinterest and thought it was really pretty. This person made this wreath, gave all the direction on how to make it, and even included how thrifty it was to make it herself rather than purchase a pre-made one. So, I thought I would give it a try. Here is the wreath I found on this crafty person's blog:

Pretty right? Screams fall, and by far the cuter than the ones I've seen in stores. So, off I went to Michael's to get my materials. I spent entirely too much time in that place. But, I wanted to make sure I got everything I needed and that it would all match up. Once I got home, I tackled my craft project, and it was super fun, super easy, and super fast. It turned out really cute, and I was sorta proud of myself when I stood back to check out my work.

Here's the disappointing part of this post... I'm not going to post my final product just yet. I actually made 2 of these wreaths and one is a gift for someone and I don't want to spoil it. Plus, its not quite fall yet, and I can't put it out on my door. When its gets to be fall (which in Dallas, it could take until October) I will post a DIY fall wreath instruction blog. Then, you will see my fun wreath. Until then, you should try and make your own. This may be my new thing. Wreaths for ALL holidays, seasons, and whatever else I can think to make a wreath for.

Happy Monday!

what i'm loving wednesdays

I love Mexican food. I could probably eat it every day. There are some weeks, I stop to think about what I've eaten and realize, "dang, I've had Mexican food 3 days in a row." Just a couple of weeks ago, when I was in San Antonio, I literally had Mexican food for at least one of my meals every day. So, maybe I got a little tired of it then. But, its by far my favorite cuisine!

So, what I'm loving this week, and every week for that matter is: Blue Goose Cantina.

Bill and I started going to BG (Blue Goose) when we first moved here 3 years ago. Then several months ago, Bill and I, along with several other friends started meeting every Thursday for margaritas. We don't really even have to talk about meeting up there, its just sort of a given that we'll be there. Tomorrow is a special BG Thursday. Our friend Mayra, who moved here from California after training camp last year, is moving back home this weekend. So, tomorrow is her "going away" party, and her final BG. At least until she comes back to visit!

I'm also loving FALL CLOTHES right now! This 105 degree heat has got.to.go. I bought a few cute things for fall last week during tax free weekend and it got me very excited about sweaters, boots, and football. Some of my favorite looks are on my profile for Pinterest. You can find them here: http://pinterest.com/aldavis628/feeling-fallish/

Happy Wednesday!

tasty tuesday: 2 in 1

Its 2fer Tuesday! Since I missed last Tuesday, and had a couple of recipes I really wanted to share, I decided to give you 2 tasty recipes this week.

A couple of weeks ago, I was really craving one of my all time favorite salads from one of my favorite restaurants. In LR where Bill and I grew up there is a restaurant called The Faded Rose. Seriously the best food! They have a famous salad there called Rose's Creole Soaked Salad. I started searching the Internet for an imitation recipe and stumbled across a blog of a woman who shared the same sentiments about this tasty salad. So, I tried it out and boy was it pretty close to the same thing. I didn't take a picture of my salad, but found this one that looked pretty similar. It's all about the flavor though. This one, you have to try!

(my version of) Rose's Creole Soaked Salad

2 heads lettuce greens, preferably different kinds (romaine, Boston, iceberg or curly top)

2 large medium-ripe Creole tomatoes (beefsteak or Jersey)

1/2 cup chopped olives (I love olives, so I used more)

3-4 green onions, chopped

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 /2 teaspoon salt

1 /4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 /8 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley

1 /2 teaspoon dried basil

Wash and dry lettuce. Wash tomatoes, pare ends and cut into chunks. Place in a large bowl. *Seriously use a large bowl! Add olives and green onions. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice and seasonings; whisk with a wire whisk or fork or combine in an electric blender. Pour over salad and toss to mix thoroughly. It's OK to bruise the chunks of tomato a bit; their juice is an important part of the dressing. Just don't mash them. Cover salad bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. *The salad has to soak, hence the name "soaked salad. Don't skip this part! Serve in individual salad or dessert bowls and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the bottom of the salad bowl over each portion.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

In one of my recent posts, I told yall how I was obsessed with Pinterest. Well, I found this recipe on there, and it was amazing! I wouldn't typically make a dish like this, due mostly to the fact that my hubby doesn't like seafood. I happen to love seafood, so a compromise was made. That's what marriage is all about right?

Roasted Tomatoes w/Shrimp & Feta

This dish was amazing! I was truly surprised. This was super easy to make, and super delicious. You could taste the lemon and fresh herbs. The feta made a creamy sauce. While the shrimp and tomatoes cooked, I whipped up some angel hair pasta to toss with it. It made the meal so perfect. Add some crust bread to soak up all the juices and you're good to go.

So, there ya go. You could make both of these recipes on the same night and you've got yourself a full meal. I think both of them would be ideal for last minute company.

Happy Tuesday!

bootcamp

So, I've been a little MIA this week. I told yall when football started, things get crazy. I also started a new adventure this week... bootcamp. That's right, bootcamp fitness.


Another perk that comes with working for the Cowboys is, that I can go for free as long as I attend 10 out of the 20 classes offered. Jay Johnson is an ex-military guy that formed his own bootcamp workouts. He is also the official trainer for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. They offer classes in the morning and after work. The workout is outside, so I've been going in the morning when its not 5 million degrees outside.

Being sore is the biggest understatement of the year when it comes to how I felt after my 1st workout. It was brutal! This workout is non-stop, hardcore, pedal to the metal workout for an entire hour. I'm really excited to see the results in 4 weeks. I just might go in for another month!

This is Jay. Doesn't he look like he could whip you into shape?


I'll be back to my normal blogging (cross your fingers) next week!

football is back

Hey ya'll! As you know Cowboys had their 1st pre-season game this week. Boy, was it good to be watching football again! I was so ready. The game was Thursday night, and one of my co-workers was not using his tickets, so I invited my dad and step-mom to join us. We got to the stadium with food on our minds. Our seats are on the club level at Cowboys Stadium, and they always have "special" food in addition to the normal concessions. This week they were serving up BBQ brisket! Who can pass on brisket nachos, right? This was the only picture I took at the game...

Brisket nachos, bbq sauce, cheese, jalapenos. It doesn't get much better than that!

The Cowboys won, and it was actually an exciting pre-season game.

On Friday night I went out with the girls. We had dinner and margs at Gloria's then headed over to Blackfinn to do some dancing. It was a fun girls night out! Saturday I ran some errands and we had my dad and step-mom over for dinner. After dinner we had our "planning committee" meeting for the annual Pig and Gig tailgate for the Arkansas vs. Texas A&M game. Sunday, we cleaned up the house and Bill wasn't feeling well, so we just hung out watching tv. It was a good relaxing weekend.

I haven't given yall an update on my child, aka, my dog in a long time. So here she is in one of her favorite spots. Lying on the floor behind the couch. She usually puts her head underneath the couch like she is hiding. She's a mess, but I love her!

what i'm loving wednesdays

I'm obsessed. Basically, addicted to one thing in particular lately...


Have you ever wanted a website where you can save everything into one place. This is it. You see a recipe you like, pin it. You see an outfit you like, pin it. You see ideas to improve your home, pin it. Pin anything you like. I'm not even going to explain it anymore because its so super simple to figure out. I promise you won't be disappointed if you sign up!

So, I'm also loving one other thing this week. Blue Moon.

What's better on a hot summer day?

Happy Wednesday!

tasty tuesday: strawberry pie

Ok yall, lets get serious... you can ask my mom what my absolute favorite dessert is and she will, without hesitation, say strawberry pie. I've never been a big cake fan. I've always preferred fruit desserts more than anything. Peach cobbler, cherry crisp, apple pie, and of course, strawberry pie. This is no ordinary strawberry pie. It's my Gram's (mom's mom) recipe, and I'm about to let you in on the best thing you've ever eaten. Best part about it? It's super easy to make! Let's get started!

Gram's Strawberry Pie:

-1 Pillsbury Pie Crust (you could make you're own, but that little dough boy does a pretty darn good job)

-1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened

-1 1/2 quarts strawberries

-3/4 cup of sugar

-3 tbs. all-purpose flour

-1 tbs. cornstarch

-1 pint Cool Whip

Bake your pie crust according to package directions. Let cool completely before filling.

While the crust is cooking; wash, drain, and hull strawberries. Set aside. (To be honest, I never hull the strawberries)

Spread softened cream cheese on cooled pie crust. (The cream cheese has to be room temp. I always forget this part!) Layer half of the strawberries on top of the cream cheese.

Mash the other half of the strawberries. In a saucepan, over medium heat, cook sugar, flour, cornstarch, and mashed strawberries, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Mine always takes a little longer than this. Don't get impatient, the sauce pretty much has to come to a boil to thicken. If you don't let it get thick, your pie will be runny) Remove from heat and cool slightly before pouring on top of strawberries in the shell. Chill in refrigerator for about 3 hours or until firm.

Top with Cool Whip before serving. Enjoy!

I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed. Its the perfect summer dessert!

coat of many colors

Ya'll know the story...

Joseph tended his father’s flocks with his half brothers. Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. One day he gave Joseph a special gift -- a beautiful robe.” AKA “made him a coat of many colors.” In that time, everyone had a coat. These coats or cloaks were used to keep warm, carry belongings and even to serve as security for a loan. Most coats were plain and about knee length. However, the coat Jacob gave his son was colorful, ankle length, and probably more like what royalty wore.

Several weeks ago I get a message from Bill's cousin on facebook. She wanted to let me know that her daughter, Maggie, who was a flower girl in our wedding made me a Jacob's coat of many colors during Vacation Bible School. She brought it home and proclaimed that this was for Allison, because she is the most fashionable person in our family. How sweet is that!? I told her that it completely made my day, and was honored to be named "most fashionable." So, Bill's Aunt and Uncle came to visit a couple weeks ago, and brought the coat of many colors to me. Are you ready to see this? It is by far the most fashionable thing I own...

Love it! I will treasure my coat of many colors forever and ever. Thank you Maggie, I love you!

i'm back!

Hey peeps, I'm back from San Antonio. My stay was extended a little longer than I assumed. I was supposed to come back on Monday, and we ended up staying until Friday! Boy was it a busy, hard-working, long, hot week. The first 2 days we were there, we were busy bees getting everything set up for camp to start on Thursday. I was in charge of one of our merchandise trucks that sat right outside of the Alamodome. This was not a cool job, it was flat out H-O-T-T! If brought a whole new level to sweating it out. The kids that worked on my truck were the best. We made working in the hot SA heat fun, and they surprised me at how much they enjoyed the job. By the time I left on Friday, I felt like I was saying goodbye to my own kids.

This is a picture of the truck I was on most of the time I was there.

The first night we were there, we went to a place called Mi tierra. They are open 24 hours, so it made it a good spot, since most nights we didn't get home and cleaned up until after 10pm. This is officially my new favorite spot in SA. I also learned the its Jerry Jones' favorite spot as well. We ended up eating here twice during out trip.

We did get to enjoy one day off during camp. It was definitely much needed! So, Monday night we decided to go out and have some fun. We explored the Riverwalk and had fun hanging out knowing we didn't have to be up early the next day.

My truck decided to name themselves "Trailer Trash." So, here are my trailer trash peeps! Look how cute they are!

I really never had time to watch much of practice, it was constantly go, go, go. However, on Friday we had a special lunch for all the training camp employees. It was pot luck, and we had some amazing brisket, baracho beans, rice, and desserts. So, everyone got to eat at watch the morning walk-thru before the doors opened.

While this wasn't my first training camp to work, it was my first time to work in the San Antonio part of training camp. It is always a lot of work, and you don't realize how tired you are until you finally get a chance to sit down. But, while its hot and hard-work, it's a lot of fun. And, it sure is good to be talking about football again! Can't believe our first pre-season game is this coming Thursday!

So, that was my training camp experience. I'm super glad to be home and sleep in my own bed, hang out with my hubby, cuddle with my dog, and catch up on my DVRed shows, all while sitting in the AC!!! This week will surely be busy, catching up on email and work I've missed while gone, but I'll try and get back into my blogging routine.

Have a happy weekend!