New Year’s Eve
I got another sparkly tank top as an option for New Year’s Eve. I like the way this fits a lot, but I might be too cold in this, even in the casino. The back of this is just plain black, so if I wear it with a sweater or something, it could work. I got the small in this shirt. It also comes in other color options.
I also got these faux leather leggings, but I don’t think I would pair these two together other than to just try it on. The leggings feel really strange, like plastic or something. They are a little tight, but will probably stretch if I wear them. They hide all the bad stuff, so that’s a bonus to these leggings!! I’ll be set if someone has a Grease Party! Lol! I got the medium in the leggings.
I’m leaning towards the leggings with my over the shoulder sparkly shirt for New Year’s Eve, but I’m going to keep this shirt, because you never know when you’ll need something sparkly!!
Sequins tank top: https://amzn.to/2QbnwLW
Faux Leather Leggings: https://amzn.to/2ZCA9T4
Sequined Tank
Sparkle and Shine on New Year’s Eve
What’s everyone doing for New Year’s Eve? We will be at the casino for the Roaring Twenties Party including a concert by ZZ Top!! I think I’ll be wearing a little sparkle and shine to the party! I love this over the shoulder sequined shirt!! This is a size Small and fits pretty well. It comes in other color options, too. I thought it would have more sequins, but when it’s on you really don’t need any more!! I won’t be wearing these pants because they’re too big, but I might wear the booties.
Shirt: https://amzn.to/2EZxNEi
Similar booties: https://amzn.to/2QqmSch
Hot cocoa station
This is the second year the office staff has put on a Hot Cocoa Bar for the rest of the staff. My favorite part of doing this is seeing the boring conference room turned into Christmas Central! This year’s fire place mantel looked better than the mantel at my home!! 
Costume Party
Halloween is my FAVORITE time of the year!! Our friends throw an annual Halloween Party and everyone is so creative. Even the food is Halloweeny!
I love planning out cute costumes and putting them all together. This year we went as a hunter and deer along with our besties. This may have been the easiest costume ever to make!! I’m also getting a lot faster making tutus since I make them for almost every costume lately!!
For the deer, I started by buying antlers, brown leggings and a brown shirt. Let me tell you, I will probably wear these leggings all the time. I love the way they fit and feel!! I used the cricut to make a big white oval, then pressed it on the shirt. You could use felt, too, but since I have a cricut, I just used that! All of that took about 2 minutes. The tutu is just tulle and ribbon. It takes a little longer, but it completes the costume.
My husband’s outfit was even easier. I just bought a green shirt and he already had the coat, crocs and camo looking pants. But I did have to buy him a rifle. The green shirt came in a package of two, so now I can make him something else with the cricut! Overall, the costumes were a hit!
Graduation Party!!
I never thought I’d be throwing an OU themed party, but everything sure turned out great!! You better believe all the OU stuff came down immediately after the party. Time to get some UT stuff up in our backyard!!!!
We served cheeseburgers, queso, cake, meat and cheese, and cookies. Everyone went home full!!
Moscow Mules on the Roof
The best thing about my loft is the roof. I feel like I have my own personal oasis to wonder over all the hopes and dreams in Downtown Dallas. What a view I have!!
What better way to enjoy my view than to have a Moscow Mule on the Roof. The Moscow Mule is the “IN” drink of the season! In fact, I’ve read that the copper cups are the most stolen cup at the restaurants and bars that have them. I didn’t steal mine, of course, I got mine from Sears. I chose to get the 20 ounce cups so I don’t have to make more than one.
Moscow Mule Recipe:
2 shots of vodka
Half of a ginger beer
Squeeze half a lime in the drink
It’s pretty important to serve the Moscow Mule in a copper cup. It makes all the difference in the world!!
Be careful though. This is a STRONG drink. Drink responsibly!
Sprinkler Party
My niece is TWO!! My sister had a great party for her. She always has really creative birthday parties for the babies. I’m always so proud when she can pull it off. My favorite part of the parties is when I get to baby sit them so she can get it ready. This time we went to Monster Yogurt in Casa Linda where they get to eat yogurt and play on the indoor playground. They were crying that they didn’t want to go home when it was time to go, and then didn’t want me to leave to go home myself once we were home!! My niece and nephew rock and I’m glad their parents plan special days for them everyday and not just on their birthdays!! 
Flip Flop Birthday Cake
Use sand buckets for the party favors
2 year old birthday shirts can be bought from H&B Promotions!
Nutter butter flip flops: icing and mini m&ms
Backyard Set up
Salted Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the last few years, we have had a cookie exchange with the girls at work. Every year, I try to make my own cookie. Last year, mine turned out so bad that I had to throw them away. It was a really simple recipe, so I’m not sure what possessed me to attempt to make a cookie from scratch this year. I followed the recipe EXACTLY the way that I found it on The Diary of Dave’s Wife website.
We also do a gift exchange at the party. I brought a leopard print santa hat and an iTunes gift card. I LOVE doing white elephant exchanges, but I always stress about what I’m going to bring. I have decided that everyone needs gift cards, so that is going to be my new go to for the future exchanges. At first I got the movie Elf and a thing of syrup in the exchange, but someone ended up stealing that from me. They didn’t want the syrup, so I ended up going home with syrup, a bottle of wine, and a corkscrew with a mustache top.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, (softened)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups of all purpose flour
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup Kraft caramel bits
1/2 cup crushed pretzels
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
cream the butter and sugars together
Add egg and vanilla and blend it all together
Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt
Stir in the chocolate chips, caramel bits, and crushed pretzels
Drop the dough on to a cookie sheet. The cookies don’t spread a lot, so you can put them fairly close together. I kind of smooshed them down a little bit on the cookie sheet and then added salt on top of them.
Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until kind of browned around the edges. (Don’t over bake)
Practicing for the Fourth
Thanks to Pinterest, I’ve started contributing to random parties that I’ve been invited to. Before that, I just graced everyone with my presence. Maybe that is why I’m not invited to a lot of parties…hmmmm…. Well, now that I’m becoming domestic, I’ve been trying to remedy that. Fourth of July is coming up, so I get to test my party etiquette. I looked everywhere for a pretty red, white and blue layered alcoholic punch to bring, but I could only find non-alcoholic ones. So, I decided to make these pretty strawberries instead. They turned out ok, but I think I can do better on the actual day of the party.
Ingredients:
DRY Strawberries
White Chocolate
Blue sprinkles
Vegetable Oil
Put white chocolate and a tiny bit of vegetable oil in a bowl. (I used too much vegetable oil, so I suggest using it sparingly.)
Microwave the chocolate for about a minute. Once it’s hot, stir it up until it’s smooth.
Get a bowl of blue sprinkles. This bowl was too small. I ended up getting a bigger one and filling it up. You’ll use more sprinkles than you would think you’d need.
Dip the strawberry in the white chocolate, then dip it in the blue sprinkles, then wait until the chocolate hardens to eat. YUM! I’m pretty sure these will be a hit at the party!!
Graduation Season!
I have decided that everyone I know must have had children in the same year. I must have gotten 20 high school graduation invitations this year. I am so proud of all of my friends’ children because it seems as everyone of them has excelled in their education. Yesterday, we went to Houston for a graduation party for one of my favorite young ladies. It seems like only yesterday her parents were getting married and now they have a daughter that is a high school graduate! It’s crazy how time flies. Despite her choice of where to go to college, I am so proud of her! She has become such a beautiful, responsible, caring, young lady! I know she is going to do well in her life!!
Fabulous after FIFTY 