My Latest Obsession Stitch Fix!

                                                           Try It and You Will Love It!

I can't believe this is already my 4th Stitch Fix!   I am really loving my stylist Sara and Stitch Fix in general.  I was a little skeptical at first but they have won mope over.  I live 45-60 minutes from any mall, so this service is a life saver!

First off,you need to sign up for an account with Stitch Fix.  You will be able to specify all of the details about your Fix. Price range, any particular pieces you need (a dress to wear to an upcoming event, for example), the type of clothing you want (office-appropriate clothes, big night out clothes, casual clothes, etc.), your style preferences (preppy, edgy, etc.)—you name it, you can customize it. I do not work so I chose casual, classic clothes with no wool (I live in South Texas) and dresses only when I ask for them.  

There is also a place to link your Pinterest Page , they will look at your personal style also to help with their picks.  I just recently started my Pinterest Page but I am doing a better job n

On my first fix I only kept one item because two of my five were to small. I did go back to my style profile and adjusted my jeans and jacket size a little bigger, I know what every girl hates to do!  There is a $20 stylist fee but if you buy any of the items in your fix, they will subtract your fee.  They will also give you 25% off if you buy all 5 items.  In my December box I had one shirt that I wasn't  crazy about, I mean it was OK.  I did the math and it was more expensive to send the blouse back because of the 25% off the entire box.

 They recently updated their service so now you can elect to receive shipments at a frequency that’s 
right for you — every 2-3 weeks, every month or every other month.  You can always change your 
frequency or cancel your subscription without a penalty.

My January fix was a thumbs up/ in my book.  I received three shirts, an infinity scarf and some earrings.  The first blouse is a Collective Concepts  printed tab sleeve  blouse in a melon color.
The second is a Papermoon Zelda Dolman Knit Top in black and gray.  This is a comfortable shirt.  My last top is probably my favorite!  The shirt is from a Skies are Blue in a sheer black with beautiful embroidery down the front.  The top does come with black cami.  This shirt could easily go from casual to dressy in an instant.  I also received some Leanne infinity drop earrings from Zad.  These are light weight, which I love.  The fifth and final item is a Octavia Herringbone Infinity Scarf in gray.  Talk about sold this a comfy scarf.  Hopefully I won't need it when I go to NYC next month.

You can always opt out of accessories, dresses, outer ware whenever you want.  If you refer anyone, they will also get a $25.00 credit.  I referred my daughter in college and I received $25 but I still ending up paying for hers.

My next fix will be here around the end of February.  I am going to ask for something to go to some shows on Broadway .  : )

I LOVE rolls!!!

I love homemade rolls , especially ones that are easy to make.  I have had a bread machine for years and rarely used it until recently.  I found a Hawaiian sweet bread recipe that I love (we'll get to that at another time) and an awesome dinner roll recipe.  I usually make these at family dinners because it does make two dozen.

Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

1 cup milk (I used 2% milk)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

Place the ingredients in the bread machine in the order that they are listed.   Select the dough setting on your bread machine.  When the cycle is complete, turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and punch down to get rid of all of the air bubbles.divide the dough into 24 even size pieces and shape into balls.  Place the balls into two lightly greased 9x13 inch pans.  Cover the pans and let rise for 30 minutes or until the rolls have doubled .  Bake at  375 for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.    Remove from the oven and  rub butter on the top of each roll.

 Get ready for to hear pass the rolls please because these rolls will be gone in no time at all!

Cinnamon Honey Butter Yum!!!

I could make a meal of the rolls and cinnamon butter at Texas Roadhouse, seriously!  I found this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it!  The recipe does make a lot of the butter so either eat up or be prepared to share.  I have a daughter that lives in Lubbock, so sharing was a better idea for me and my hips.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

1 cup butter softened
1 cup honey
1 cup powdered sugar 
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 half pint canning jars

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl using a mixer until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl to mix completely.  Using a spatula scoop mixture into a large pastry bag or a zip lock bag, then cut off the tip and squeeze into the jars. 

Keep refrigerated and serve at room temperature.


I am in heaven!

Couples Tower Isle...a Piece of Heaven!

We just celebrated our 20th anniversary and decided to take a tropical vacation.    My husband hates flying and said as long as we can drive.  I' m not sure if you know this but you can drive ten hours and still be in Texas.  There were only a few choices for tropical and I have been going to Port Aransas and South Padre Island all my life so that didn't excite me.
Finally, after a lot of convincing, we both decided on Jamaica and Couples Tower Isle.  There are a lot of things included here besides the alcohol and food.  We (he) could scuba dive, go on a tour to Dunns River Falls, go on a catamaran ride, wind surf, snorkeling, glass bottom boat rides, room service, shopping tours and they would take you to Margaritaville .
We flew non stop from Houston to Montego Bay in two hours.  Once we landed in Montego Bay and we headed straight to Club MoBay: we again got both the arrival and the departure service, and it was 100% worth it. The line for customs on arrival in Jamaica was going up the ramp; meanwhile, we had to wait about 10 minutes at most. I think we were on the shuttle to CTI before some of the people on our plane were even to the Couples lounge area.   We were given Red Stripes beer while we waited for our free transfers.  The commute to Ocho Rios is about 1 1\2 hours from the airport and they drive like crazy!  When we arrived at the resort, they were waiting on us with a cool washcloth and a glass of champagne.

This hotel was the hotel for the stars in the 1960's.  I love character and this hotel had plenty of character.  The hotel was completely remodeled in 2010.  We booked a Premier Ocean view room and were glad we did. We had a large king bed that overlooked the swim up bar and ocean , which we enjoyed. There was a desk and a large closet area to keep your belongings. Also there was a mini bar in our room fully stocked with regular bottles of Appleton's Rum and a whiskey, I don't remember what brand.  We also had bottle of wine, juice, soda and water but we hardly touched it.  Our view was breathtaking.  Waking up in the morning, ordering room service and sitting out on the deck was SO relaxing.  We did bring our IPAD but we didn't have good service in our rooms. We had to sit outside on our balcony to get service.

Food was very good for an all-inclusive hotel. We ate at all the restaurants, and on Saturday night, they had the most elaborate buffet I've ever seen with TONS and TONS of food. The detail and display of each item was so impressive. Lots of ice sculptures and fruits with designs carved into them. My husband raved about the lamb chops and I had snapper on several occasions and thought it was the best I've ever had! The breakfast and lunch buffets were really good. There is something for every taste bud - even a pool grill that has burgers. Bayside restaurant is over the water and really good. The Eight Rivers requires a more formal dress code, the guys wore linen pants and the girls wore maxi dresses.  The food here is amazing, we actually ate here twice. The drinks were NOT watered down at all. My favorite drink was the dirty banana and the guys enjoyed a Jameson slushie.  Every single staff member there were so genuine, friendly and helpful.  Over all they did a fantastic job at keeping the drinks filled and taking away our plates when we were finished.

The beach is kind of  small, but it was very clean and the water was beautiful. It was very quiet and private. The pool water was perfect! There are two pools offered, one is a swim up pool.  They offered activities throughout the day on the beach and at the pool bar, such as Jeopardy, Bingo, trivia, etc. They do have lots of water activities that you can do throughout the day as well. There is a private beach/island that is Au Naturel.  We took the boat over one day, but came back pretty quickly when we realized it was all or nothing! The island does have a pool with a bar and access to the ocean and they also bring a hot lunch over everyday. It doesn't have a "beach" area though. The

pier is suppose to be the 'topless' area but I never seen anyone there topless. We usually went outside around 9:30 or whenever the dive boat was ready.  We didn't have trouble finding chairs at the beach. As the day progressed, the chairs at the beach filled quickly. Each chair has a mat that can be used on top of your chair or to float in pool/ocean. They also operate under a flag system.  When you raise your flag, the waiter comes over and asks you want drink you would like.  There are two nice pools there.  One pool is the swim up bar pool (where we spent most of our time)and the other one is near the
 restaurant area.   The resort has a game room with pool tables, ping pong tables, and a TV. A lot of the guys would meet in here to watch games throughout the week. There was also board games to play. - There was a nice gym

Throughout the day, photographers will come around and ask to take pictures of you. You can view your photo in the photo shop and buy it if you like. The also have a wonderful spa and steam room.  The hot stone massage was excellent!  There is an Internet room with computers. There is also a wonderful spa with a  steam room. There are Jacuzzis over at the spa that are a little more private if you wish.

We also did the catamaran cruise and the snorkeling, which were both fun. It was so nice that these things were included in the price of the stay! I have never windsurfed before and that was a lot of fun, definitely want to do it again!  My husband scuba dove almost every day since this was included in the price.  He did tip the dive captain a little every day just because.   We also did the trip to Dunn’s River Falls one morning. This was nice because you did not have to sign up ahead of time; just meet in the lobby at 9 am. Everything is paid for on this trip except the tip for the guide that takes you up the falls.

 The evening entertainment was a bit hit or miss but the Jamaican steel drum band who perform there once a week are nothing short of brilliant. The Piano Bar was always a lot of fun!  All of your new friends from the swim up bar came out to socialize some more.   We would definitely recommend this hotel to others!

If you register for their Romance Rewards, you are eligible for trading places.  Trading places also you to go over to Couples San Souci for the day and check out their hotel for the day.

Needless to say, we have already booked again for this summer but this time for seven days!

Just a little over a month..........

I can not wait to watch my daughter and friends run in the Princess Half Marathon!!!

Who says I don't have a gift for the party?

 

This weekend we are getting together with our camping group and we are having a late Christmas party.  We normally don't give presents but I wanted to give each family a little something.
When we bought our house, there were a whole bunch of 12x12 tiles in the workshop in our backyard. I vinyled a few for Christmas decorations recently and they turned out cute.  I decided to personalize a tile for each family with their kids, names, pets and a few hobbies.  Before anyone asks, yes, drinking wine is a hobby especially when we are camping.

After I brought four tiles inside, I cleaned each one really good with alcohol and then let them dry completely.  Next, I opened my Silhouette program on my computer and tried to come up with a personal subway art for the family.  After, I cut the 12x12 vinyl out, it was time to weed out the picture. A good transfer tape is the key to moving the vinyl to the tiles as easy as possible.   Because I have shaky hands and my vision isn't great right now, four tiles took me most of the day.  I really didn't mind because at least I know they will not have another one just like it!

I really don't mind sharing them because I know the recipients don't read my blog.    I have really gotten my money out of my Silhouette Cameo.  The price was a little steep at first but I have made Christmas decorations, personalized Bubba kegs for a Disney cruise, personalized beach bags and made most of the decorations for my daughter's house at Texas Tech.  

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits are a great start to any day

It is so easy to pop open a can of biscuits on the weekend but let's face it, they don't compare to homemade.  The frozen biscuits are a good alternative but it still screams store bought.  Here is a good buttermilk biscuit that doesn't take long to make and your family will appreciate the effort.
Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
         

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

pinch of baking soda

1/2 cup butter, cubed and cold

3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.  Next, cut the butter into the mixture until it begins to look like cornmeal. Make an indentation in the middle of the dry mixture and add the buttermilk.  Combine the milk and dry mixture until it starts to pull away from the bowl. Try not to handle the dough too many times.  Place  the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Roll out with a rolling pin  into 1/2 inch thickness.  Cut out with a small biscuit cutter that is lightly floured.  Do not twist when cutting the biscuits out, the biscuits will not rise properly.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown