Five on Friday

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TGIF!  I am so glad that it is Friday. I saw a great e-card last week that said, "I don't think I have been this excited about a Friday since last Friday."  How true is that?  Love doing this link-up because it helps remind me of all the good things in life.  Sometimes I can be a negative nelly so anything that helps me be more optimistic and positive is great for me.  Here we go:

1.  Magnolias

Magnolia Flowers

As much as I complain about the heat in Texas, one thing I love and would dearly miss if I ever left here is the smell of magnolias.  Magnolia trees grow like weeds in Dallas.  Our neighbors on both sides of us each have massive magnolia trees in their front yards and they are both in full bloom.  Every time I walk outside I can smell the scent of the flowers.  In the morning it's so heavy and fragrant that it's almost like syrup in the air.

2.  Baseball Games

Steve and I are heading out to The Ballpark in Arlington tomorrow afternoon to watch the Texas Rangers play the Blue Jays.  I even decided to be the best wife ever and told Steve I would be the driver so that way he could have his beers and not worry about it (I usually make him drive out there and back).  I don't think I have seen anyone grab an offer so fast!

Ballpark in Arlington

3.  Wine Clubs

We visited the Santa Ynez Valley a few years ago and fell in love with the area and the wines.  If you've ever seen the movie Sideways, that is where it was filmed.  It has some of the most wonderful sauvignon blancs and pinot noirs that I have ever tasted, not to mention the entire area is incredibly beautiful and it's way more laid back than Napa.  Of course, we had a join a few wine clubs at our favorite wineries and I love it when my wine shipment comes in!  You never know what you will get so it's like Christmas every three to four months.  Just got one from Foxen Winery yesterday.

Santa Ynez on a Cloudy Day

Foxen Wine Shipment

4.  Trip Planning

As you can probably tell if you've looked at any of my posts, I love to travel.  Fortunately, Steve is on board with this and he loves to explore new places just as much as I do.  We've got a big trip coming up in a few weeks to Spain and we finally have everything set from the hotels, to the plane tickets, restaurant reservations, etc....  I'm also starting to think about packing and what clothes to bring.  Hard to believe that in a few weeks I will be sitting on a Spanish plaza in Madrid, sipping sangria and munching on some of the most delectable green olives ever (they marinate them in saffron oil over there -- they are to die for and I don't even really like olives!).  I have to admit that I am a bit anal about trip planning but I actually find it enjoyable.  I love learning about new destinations, studying what there is to do, where to stay, what to see, the history, etc...  I am in full on planning mode for next year already (I said I was anal, remember?) so I've been spending a lot of time watching videos and reading websites and TripAdvisor reviews about Santorini.  I don't know if I can imagine a more beautiful place than this:

Oia, Santorini Island

5. A Day Alone

Maybe this sounds weird but I'm sure some of the other ladies out there can relate.  My husband has to attend a work event on Sunday at The Ballpark (two games in a row for him!).  That means that I have the entire day of Sunday to myself.  What to do?  It doesn't happen very often that I have an entire weekend day to do whatever I want.  I love spending time with my husband and family but I love that time just being alone as well.  I think my plan will be (i) early morning run, (ii) make myself a nice, light breakfast, (iii) a little shopping at the mall (I'm still looking for those new white skinny jeans I need after I ruined my other favorite pair), (iv) an afternoon pedicure, (v) a swing by my favorite gourmet grocery store and (vi) cook a nice dinner for when Steve gets home that evening.  Sounds like a perfect day to me!

My meditation

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

SPD: Egg White Muffins

Finally got around to doing a Saw it, Pinned it, Did it with Katie and Steph again!  This is a great one b/c it's super easy and fast and you can customize it any way you want!

Egg White "Muffins"

Finished Product!

I've seen various recipes for these egg muffins all over Pinterest.  Some are healthy (like the egg white version) while others are not so healthy (using the whole egg, sausage, cheese, etc...).  The great thing is that you can make these in advance, put them in plastic baggies and eat them for breakfast on the go everyday.  I'm trying to watch my calories right now (bathing suit season, right?) so I made a healthy version.  I really love these b/c I try to eat scrambled egg whites with spinach at least 2 to 3 times a week but I invariably seem to be running late in the morning and don't have time to make them.  Now, I just grab my plastic baggie and reheat these for 30 seconds at work.  Voila!  Also, you can use whatever ingredients float your boat.  The below is just what I happened to have in my fridge and I thought sounded tasty.

What you need:
Regular size muffin pan (not mini muffin)
Pam spray
7 egg whites
4-5 Tbls thawed chopped frozen spinach
4-5 Tbl chopped onion
4-5 Tbl chopped artichoke hearts
4-5 Tbl crumbled fat free feta
salt/pepper to taste

Makes 4 muffins

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Spray muffin pan well - make sure you get the sides b/c these babies want to stick.  Mix all ingredients well and beat with a fork.  Pour into muffin tins in equal amounts. You can pretty much fill them right to the top - they do puff a little when baking but not much.  Bake in oven about 30 minutes.  Let cool, remove from pan and put in plastic baggies for later.  Again, use or substitute whatever ingredients you love! I reheat one each morning at work in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds and that's it.

Straight out of the oven

Decision Made - 2014

Steve and I have saved over 400,000 American airline miles over the last few years.  That is a lot of traveling on our own dime and work trips (90%+ in coach).  We know that we want to use them on a big splurge trip next year but have been having a crazy hard time making up our minds about where to go.  We've debated over at least 10 different places and we've been all over the map - literally -  including Italy, Ireland, Tahiti, Thailand, Bali, Vietnam, Provence, Morocco, Egypt and one or two more.

This weekend, we finally made a decision after much debate, discussion and glasses of wine. We will be skipping our usual annual trip to the Caribbean in April/May.  We love the Virgin Islands but we've been going there every year for the same week for the past 8 years and we're finally ready for a change.  However, it's so hard for me to let go of my beach trips, sunsets and relaxation time so we decided to go someplace we've never been before, whose cuisine we love and where we can still get both history, culture, amazing sunsets and beach time!

Here are a few hints from Google Images.  It will be 5 nights on this island:

Twinkling Lights at Night

White washed buildings overlooking the Aegean Sea

Cliffside Villages

Amazing Sunsets

Lots of cats and lots of steps

But they still have beaches

And beach bars

And 2 to 3 nights in this city:

Look Familiar?

Probably pretty obvious.....and we actually have enough miles for two round trip tickets in business class!

My Hometown - Dallas, Texas

View of Dallas from our car last weekend

I was born and raised in a suburb of Dallas, Texas and my family has been in Texas for at least the past 6 or 7 generations.On my mother's side of the family, my great grandparents lived in Athens, Texas and moved to Dallas during the Great Depression to look for work.  Interestingly enough, they were both deaf mutes that met at The Texas School for the Deaf and married after graduation.  So, at any rate, my family has been in Dallas since the early 1920's.  

My husband and I moved back to Dallas in 2001 after attending college and grad school in Austin.  We lived in an area called Uptown for a few years that's mostly known for it's young population and cool bars and restaurants.  In 2004 we moved to East Dallas near White Rock Lake and have been in the same house ever since then.  Our neighborhood is actually quite old - most of the homes were built in the 1920's and 30's.  In fact, my grandmother has memories of attending parties in our neighborhood when she was in high school.  Kind of weird, huh?  Needless to say, I know a lot about Dallas and if you ever visit, here are a few suggestions of things to do, places to eat and places to stay.

I'll start with food since that's my favorite topic and probably the #1 thing Dallas has going for it is good restaurants.

Casual Restaurants:

• Il Cane Rosso Pizza in Deep Ellum - amazing thin crust Neapolitan pizza.  Has been featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives

  

  Il Cane Rosso Pizza - Yum!

• Boulevardier in Bishop Arts - great little casual French bistro in an up and coming neighborhood near downtown Dallas
• Bolsa in Bishop Arts - another great casual place serving farm to table cuisine with a great cocktail menu.  Really cool outdoor seating area as well.
• Porch on Knox/Henderson - comfort food at its best. Very laid back place with a nice patio.  Amazing brunch.
• BBQ Joints - I'm not a big BBQ person but it seems wrong to not include any so I'll throw out a few names of some good places in Dallas, including Pecan Lodge located in the Farmer's Market, Sonny Bryan's located in the West End and Lockhart BBQ located in Bishop Arts.

Fancy:

• FT33 in the Design District - unusual farm to table cuisine.  One of the city's newest hot spots.  Really creative food and presentations.
• Stampede 66 in Uptown - This is a Stephan Pyles' restaurant who is a well-known chef in Dallas and  has made Southwest cuisine upscale and modern.  This place is a wonderful restaurant to visit if you're looking for great Southwestern food with very "Texas" themed decor.

  

  Stampede 66 Restaurant

• The Mansion on Turtle Creek near Uptown -  Dean Fearing no longer cooks here but the new chef, Bruno Davaillon, hasn't missed a beat.  This is a great place to go for a romantic dinner but be prepared to take a hit in your wallet. It is very pricey (think $50 for an entree alone) so special occasion only!
• Lucia in Bishop Arts - This is probably hands down my favorite nice place to eat in Dallas.  It's actually still fairly casual and the servers wear jeans but I consider it a special occasion place.  It is super hard to get a reservation here but they keep 4 spots at the bar and 2 outdoor tables open for walk-ins. Get there early for a spot and be prepared to eat a ton of some of the most amazing Italian food.

Things to Do in Dallas:

Dallas isn't exactly a cultural capital of the world but there are some cool things to do in the area.  My top picks are:

• Nasher Sculpture Center in Downtown - This opened a few years ago and is a great space and has a beautiful outdoor sculpture garden.  The Dallas Museum of Art is also next door so doing both a great way to kill an afternoon.



View of Nasher

• 6th Floor Museum and Dealey Plaza in Downtown- I know, it's a little morbid to see the spot where Kennedy was assassinated but it's part of history and the 6th Floor Museum, located in the book depository building where Oswald supposedly shot Kennedy from (I wont' even get into the various theories) is very well done.  In Dealey Plaza, they have some good informational signs about the assassination and you can even walk up to the famous "grassy knoll" and look around.



Dealey Plaza and 6th Floor Museum

• Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth - If you make it to Fort Worth, this museum is worth a stop.  It has one of the best collections of paintings (Renaissance, modern and post-modern) in the Southwest and the building and ground are gorgeous.
• Mesquite Rodeo in Mesquite, Texas - If you really want a true Texas experience, then head out to the rodeo.  Frankly, I haven't been in years but its is pretty fun.  A really good thing to do with kids. 



Rodeo!

• Shopping at Northpark Center - This probably sounds stupid and pointless but Northpark Center is one of the best shopping meccas in the U.S.  It's huge and it has pretty much everything from department stores to small boutiques (Intermix, Kate Spade, Madewell, Free People, etc....). It also has tons of restaurants - not just a food court.

Places to Stay:

Hotel Zaza in Uptown - This is a cool, hip place to stay with a very young vibe. On the weekends it can be very crowded at the pool with a large party that goes until 2am but it's in the middle of the action.  You can walk to tons of bars and restaurants in Uptown and take the trolley to downtown as well.

W Dallas at Victory Plaza - If you're attending any events at the AA Center, this is your hotel as it's located next door.  Again, has the young, hip vibe so it may not be your place if you don't like the thump-thump music in the lobby kind of thing.

Mansion on Turtle Creek near Uptown - Yes, it's also a hotel.  This is much more quiet, upscale and demure.  Definitely an older crowd that stays here but its has a gentile southern atmosphere.  Wonderful room service.

Doubletree Center near Northpark - If you're looking for a more affordable option and something closer to the shopping at Northpark, then this is a good option.

My last tip?  Don't come to Dallas in August unless you enjoy feeling like you are living in the 9th circle of hell.  The heat and humidity during the summer here is brutal.  We're talking 105+ degrees with high humidity.  It's miserable during that time.

Five on Friday

Another Friday...thank goodness.  Looking forward to a weekend with absolutely no set plans, no appointments and no commitments.  That hasn't happened in a long time!



1.  Dinner with the Hubby.  There is nothing I love more than having a nice, quiet, romantic dinner with the hubby after a long work week.  We have reservations tonight at Boulevardier, a little French bistro, which is located in a really hip part of Dallas called Bishop Arts.  I love to walk around to all the little funky stores and then sit down to a nice dinner with a bottle of red wine, escargot and some roast chicken or steak with frites.

Who could be cuter than this?

2.  Farmers' Markets.  We plan to swing by the Dallas Farmer's Market this Saturday and wander the stalls and see what fresh fruits and veggies are in right now.  I am thinking a tomato mozzarella salad and some fresh Texas peaches may be in my future.

Dallas Farmer's Market

3.  Kendra Scott Jewelry.  If I have time and the inclination, I may run up to the West Village and get some new earrings at the Kendra Scott boutique.  I think I want need something pink....or maybe coral

Come to mama

4.  White Skinny Jeans.  I am on the quest for a new pair of white skinny jeans.  I had an old pair from Banana Republic that fit me perfectly and were my go-to pair.  I have a hard time finding skinny jeans that fit me well b/c I am very petite, have a badonkadonk and I have large calves thanks to running (and I hate when jeans are super, super tight on my calves as they ride up on my calves when I sit down and then I have to tug them back down again when I stand).  Unfortunately, I had to throw out my white skinny jeans last week.  I was wearing them out to dinner and when I got home, "surprise!!!", Aunt Flo had showed up for a visit.  I don't think anyone noticed when I left the restaurant (it was dark in there, thank goodness) but I certainly couldn't wear them in broad daylight - she really showed up.  Stain stick, 2 washes and even bleach couldn't fix them.  I am off this weekend to try Ann Taylor Loft, B. Republic, Diesel and a few other places to see what I can find..

Nice and crisp

Not sure who this chick is on google images when you search "white skinny jeans for women"
but she needs to get over herself

Probably won't go for the distressed look in the middle but not too bad

5.  The Movie, Before Midnight.  I loved Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.  Even though there is no real "action" in these movies, I love the story line and the dialogue is so well written.  I'm not much of one for sappy romantic movies but this story always gets me.  Maybe because it seems so realistic and I think Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have great chemistry.  Well, the last movie in the series is finally out and is showing at The Angelika theater.  Hope to squeeze in the time to see it on Sunday afternoon.  It's been getting phenomenal reviews!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Five Random Facts About Me

Not much going on in my life except work, the usual errands, running/working out and patiently waiting for our summer vacation to arrive.  So, figured I would post five random facts about myself for your edification (though it's really not that edifying at all).

1. I grew up with a horse and cow in my backyard.  That's correct.  I actually grew up in what used to be a small town called Murphy, Texas outside of Dallas and we lived on over an acre of land.  My older sister was really into animals (she still is, actually) and we had a back pasture with a small barn that my family built with their own hands.  We had a palomino horse named Taffy and my sister raised a steer for an AG project named Jinx.  Jinx was corn fed and he was delicious.  I know that sounds terrible but I'm not a vegetarian and never will be and I grew up knowing exactly where the meat under the plastic wrap in the grocery store comes from and how it got there.

Not Jinx but this is what he looked like

2.  I had kidney stones as a teenager.  It only happened one time and I pray it never happens again.  I was about 17 or 18 and was hanging out a friend's house when I suddenly doubled over in excruciating pain.  Let me just say that if you never have kidney stones, thank your lucky stars.  They hurt....a lot.  Like a 9 out of 10 on the pain scale.  My friend's parents rushed me to the hospital where I spent the night on some great painkillers until the stones passed.  The attending physician told me that most women say having kidney stones is more painful than childbirth.  Good to know.  At any rate, the stones I had (which you retrieve by literally peeing into a strainer that catches them - nice, I know) were from sugar.  They are usually from calcium so mine were unusual.  Apparently I drank way too many sugary sodas at the time.  Since that time, I have never had a full 12 oz regular soda - ever.  I gave them up cold turkey and have never had kidney stones again.

3.  I used to have a pet snake.  What can I say? I went through a weird phase in my sophomore year of college.  I worked at a pet store when I was attending college and that's how I learned about snakes.  I thought they were kind of cool so I bought a small boa constrictor as a pet.  He lived in an aquarium in my apartment.  He was okay for awhile but they grow pretty fast and they start getting more aggressive.  Plus, even though I am very "circle of life" about animals because of my upbringing, I could never really get over dropping live mice into his abode.  It creeped me out.  So, I sold him back to the pet store and got a cat instead.

Gross

Much Better

4.  Mary Kay was ever-present in our home.  My dad worked for Mark Kay Cosmetics for over 20 years.  No, he didn't sell makeup.  He was in the accounting department.  You've probably heard that they have an over the top culture at MK and you would be right.  They used to have tons of corporate events and we got to go to a lot of them, including the national sales meetings and other stuff.  It's a bit like a cult (or at least it used to be) - they had singing, chants, cheers, etc....  Women would faint on stage when they found out they had won the pink cadillac.  We always had MK products as my dad used to get boxes and boxes of free stuff every few months so it was like Christmas all the time.  I used to think all, or at least most, companies were like that until I left home.

So true.

5.  I used to hate flying.  I used to think flying was really cool.  In fact, when I was really young, I wanted to be a pilot or astronaut but my horrible eyesight took care of that career path.  Then, when I was in my early twenties I was on a Southwest flight that hit some bad weather.  The plane literally dropped God knows how far and people were screaming.  It freaked me out so bad that I didn't fly again for a really long time - several years.  After I graduated law school I decided that I wanted to visit Europe for the first time so I sucked it up and flew.  I was terrified to get on that plane.  I think I went to the ladies room and peed about 12x before we boarded and I was nauseous and sweating profusely.  I couldn't sleep at all.   However, I loved Europe so I realized that I could either let my irrational fear control my life and my ability to travel and explore or I could just get over it.  It took a few years but I finally got past it.  Flying does't bother me much anymore but I still hate turbulence and freak out at the smallest bumps.  A glass of wine does seem to help, though.

Five on Friday

Haven't posted in awhile as I was at a work retreat in the middle of the TX hill country all week and could barely get a signal, if at all.  Thought I would do a quick Five on Friday and join the link-up when I saw it.





1.  Monogrammed necklace from Bellevue Newport.


Saw this on Alizadventures.blogspot.com  and loved it.  Finally broke down and ordered the gold one for myself this morning along with a pair of cute studs (earrings that is).

2. Souffles.  Taking my mom to lunch on Monday for souffles at a little French place here in Dallas.



3.  Spain.



We leave for Spain soon will be spending 3 days in Madrid, then 3 days in Pamplona to see the Running of the Bulls (we have rented a balcony - none of us are crazy enough to run) and then Steve and I will have 2 days alone in the seaside town of San Sebastien.  We're going with a few friends and have named this trip "Operation Toro".

4. Baseball Season.

I love going out to The Ballpark in Arlington to see the Texas Rangers play.  So nice to sit outside with a cold beer and a big turkey leg and watch some B-ball.  Go Rangers!

5.  Daffodils.

Love this arrangement with the burlap, daffodils and limes. So adorable.  Must make this happen soon.