weekend catch up

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Things have been crazy town in the Stringer household these days... so I am finally catching up.  I realize that all my pics will be little gems found on the internets but until I find my camera charger, this will have to do!

Two weekends ago, we had some WM friends over for dinner and indulged in "fancy grilled cheese" sandwiches.  Loved it.  My fave: pepperjack, bacon, avocado.  The mister's fave: cheddar, bacon, jalapenos.  AND, have you seen America's Next Great Restaurant?  I'm kind of rooting for Meltworks - sure would love a restaurant solely dedicated to innovative grilled cheese sandwiches!

Mr. Stringer had a free hotel stay we had to use by the end of the month, so we stayed in the Big D last weekend for a night.  We had margs at Cyclone Anaya's (one was enough!), had pork chops at Smoke (amazing), enjoyed some latin croissant's at Zaguan for breakfast, and hit up the C&B outlet (was a bit disappointed).  On Saturday, I met up with my bff Steph and her sweet college friends for a fabulous lunch at Nieman's (chicken salad was legit).  We finally did some much-needed yardwork before a night of tivo catch-up and italian at Palio's (love this place since it's byob).

We finally bought some new furniture!  We are picking up these gorgeous shelves on Wednesday and I cannot wait to put them together!  Maybe I will finally find my camera charger and post an 'after' pic next week.  Here is my vision!  Can't wait for Mr. Stringer to take me shopping at Central Market for some vino!

In other news, my friend Melanie is home from Japan - I got to see her this weekend!  What a blessing.  Also, my bracket is shot.  I'm betting yours is too.  Oh well - there is always next year.  I also bought two new albums recently.  I big time reccomend both of these treasures (21 and Closer).


*I love the intro pic - we had national training a few weeks ago and I took a course on writing.  We happened to cover the power of a comma in our training... and this is a perfect example!  Poor grandpa!

monday musings: i heart the bachelor

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Did you kids happen to catch The Bachelor tonight?  Not quite what I was expecting... I mean, I was expecting him to pick Emily, but did not expect the awkwardness of the ATFR show.  Little Miss Emily sure didn't seem as perfect after the final rose... but I still have my hopes they might make it.  I'm too pooped to stay up late and watch the big Jimmy Kimmel reveal of our new Bachelorette, but rumor has it the coveted title will be filled by Ashley H.  Not sure how I feel about that, but I'm sure I will watch.  What are your thoughts on tonight's Bachelor?

Shifting gears...Japan update!  Continue to pray for my friends.  Pray that fears are calmed and rest can finally be found between all of the aftershocks.  Melanie was originally scheduled to come home at the end of the month... but maybe sooner if possible.  Please keep the people of Japan in your thoughts.  The images on CNN continue to amaze me and I can hardly imagine what is going through the minds of Japan's people.  We are all reminded that homes have been destroyed, possessions have been lost, and families have been devastated.  Even though we are oceans apart, we can all relate with the emotions of the human heart.  My heart aches for all who have been affected, but I'm hopeful for relief and restoration.  Stay tuned!   

monday musings: i heart weekends

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Ahh, this weekend was fabulous.  I love weekends with the mister.  He finally had one weekend free from work and we ventured out of town for a short get-away on Friday night.  We hit up FW and dined at Brownstone {i heart Top Chef Casey}.  The food was so good, Mr. Stringer said it just might be his second favorite meal EVER {after MESA}.  We indulged in grandmother's bisquit pan, pork shoulder, chicken stuffed chicken w/ pepperjack cheese grits, and the most amazing polenta {bacon-cheddar-chive}.  We highly recommend hitting up this restaurant if you can!

On Saturday, we ventured to the Kimbell Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum.  Both were decent museums {considering they were free} but I wouldn't make a special trip to visit.  Following our cultural experiences, we finally checked out the big hype known as Joe T. Garcia's.  It was a little chilly and windy, so we missed out on the awesome patio, but overall the food was decent and the margaritas hit the spot.  

The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet with pizza and a movie {Invictus} followed by countless episodes on Netflix streaming of my newest additiction {Greek}.    

I hope you kids had a fabulous weekend....counting down the days until the next Friday!   

monday musings: i heart pioneer woman

Wow, this week has been straight up crazy-town... so sorry I have neglected my precious 8 followers!  I'm gonna cut to the chase and update you on my Monday Musings, Tuesday Tunes, and Friday Fun all in one day!  So here goes!

I had the opportunity to attend the Pioneer Woman's book-signing event last Monday w/ my performance manager.  Seriously, I think I have the coolest manager - she is like Martha Stewart part 2.  Her cookies and cupcakes are always to die for.  I love that I have found someone else in my accounting world who loves cooking, baking, and crafting as much as I do.  Check out the yarn wreath she made...incredible!  Way to step out of the box GT and make some killer flowers!  Can't wait to make another wreath soon!

Please tell me you have heard of the fabulous Ree Drummond

{the gorgeous soul behind the Pioneer Woman} 

I have loved her blog for such a long time.  She is so genuine in her writing approach and inspires me to keep blogging and let my voice be heard.  Her food is amazing and her story is even more impressive.  I'm reading her newest book 'Black Heels to Tractor Wheels' and it's such a good read.  Check her out and I guarantee you will fall in love with her photography, recipes, and overall spirit!   

monday musings: happy v-day

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It's Monday again.  Feels like the weekends are just way too short these days.  Had a fabulous weekend full of some super special people.  Friday night dinner at Jasper's w/ the mister was great - the pork loin and corn was pretty amazing.  On Saturday, I cruised to Main Street Bakery for lunch w/ mom and dad.  I just love that they live so close and I get to see them all the time.  Saturday night I painted w/ the bffs.  Let's just say this painting might be hanging in the garage where no one sees it!  Ha!  I'll post a pic later.  On Sunday, we had brunch w/ the Stringer side of the family at Cafe Brazil - delish.  I scored some pretty great b-day pressies, but nothing was as good as spending so much time with good people.  Love it. 

I did have to treat myself to a few fun finds on Sunday.  I hit up Nordy's Rack again and found these awesome DVF jellies for super cheap. 

It's V-Day.  The mister and I never really celebrate it since it's super close to my b-day {and neither of us are mushy}.  What are you doing for the big V-day?  Anything special???

monday musings: i heart yarn wreaths

I am obsessed with yarn wreaths.  I have made so many since this one {here is the tutorial}.  Over Christmas break, I made one of these beauties for pretty much anyone I had to get a gift for... and made a few extras for myself including these below.

{happy v-day!}

{office french doors - love the color scheme - thanks LP for the idea!}

On Saturday, I attended the Star Wars watching party I mentioned with my WM friends... and brought some crafts to keep me busy {just in case}.  My friend Amber and I made wreaths... of course hers is purple and gold {geaux tigers!}

{it turned out great!}

{sorry, dull lighting - but it's super cute!}

The rest of the weekend was good {but super quick}.  I made some brownies and cupcakes for my parent's Super Bowl party - still waiting on the official results from Mama Landry if they were a hit.  The Star Wars bash was pretty fun and I actually enjoyed the movies {didn't think I would}.  I wish I had taken pics of the party because the St. Clairs went all out with decorations and a royal red carpet outside.  Loved it!  Then I headed to the airport Sunday morning {and missed all of the crazy Super Bowl madness in the Big D} for my trip to Langhorne, PA.  We ventured to a local tavern in small town america {Yardley} to enjoy the big game and rather lame commercials.  I was pretty disappointed - the only really good commercial was the Darth Vader kid... so I will leave you with that!  Happy Monday, kids! 

monday musings: i heart gnosh

Happy Monday, peeps!  Hope you had a fabulous weekend... mine was crazy busy even though I felt we didn't have that much planned.

Yesterday, I had my painting class at Gnosh that I mentioned last week.  It was so much fun!  I went with two girls from my small group and we had a blast.   

Here is what the painting was supposed to look like:

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And here is my creation:

And here is the lineup of all of our creations:

I think they turned out great and look so cool because they are all so different.  I can't wait to go back with my bffs for my bday celebration in a few weeks.  We will be recreating this painting:

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Hope you have a happy Monday and good start to the week!  I'm counting down the hours until The Bachelor tonight - I've been on pins and needles for this week's drama to unflold.  Love it!

monday musings: i heart the kitchen

Ahh, it's Monday again...hope my little blogger friends are well rested and ready for another CRAZY week!

This weekend, I focused on resolution #3.  I'm recently obsessed with crock pot enchiladas.  My MIL Lee has made these before but I finally buckled down and gave it a whirl these past 2 weekends.  I jazzed it up a bit because I love my food with a little kick and it was a hit for friends and family.  Basically, we just layered tortillas, frozen chicken, green enchilada sauce, cream of chicken soup, tomatoes, and peppers - then cook on low for 10+ hours and you have a masterpiece.

I also dabbled in some brownie-making on Sunday and whipped up 3 batches {sorry no pics - camera is dead} including chocolate peanut butter, dark chocolate raspberry, and dark chocolate orange.  I got rave reviews from my small group gals. 

Which, let me just brag about this group of women.  They are incredible.  They keep me going when life gets tough.  They encourage me daily.  They are real and authentic...they don't skirt around tough issues and always challenge me to be a better friend, wife, co-worker, sister, daughter, and self.  We are so blessed to be part of something so wonderful and so much bigger than ourselves.

Hope you have a great Monday and start to another week! 

monday musings: i heart nordstrom

The mister had a work event on Friday night...so I did what I know how to do best...shopping!  I'm a huge fan of good deals - it's all about getting a good bang for your buck!  I've recently discovered a deep love for all things Nordstrom {but only on sale - including fab finds from the Rack}.  I recently purchased this gorgeous watch for half-price at Nordy's after Christmas.  Pure love.

So I ventured to the Rack on Friday night and fell in love with some new brands, including Halogen, Bobeau, and Audrey & Grace {although you can't find it at the regular Nordy's}.  I walked away with some great finds, including an embellished cardi {a Stringer wardrobe staple} and a loud necklace {also very much a staple in my outfits}.  All for a decent price!  I always thought Nordy's was way out of my price range, but I'm thinking this just might be my new spot to find good work clothes that aren't your average finds.  I also spotted and hearted {my new fave phrase courtesy of You are My Fave} a gold-metallic MK purse at Marshalls {not this exact one, but pretty similar}.  For some reason I am really digging gold these days...especially paired with white.  I think I can rock it... but we will see. 

What do you think?  Worth the {reasonable} splurge?     

blogland themes

I'm a woman of structure...I like things planned out and organized.  So, to keep my visions aligned, I've come up with some themes for my little blogland.  No guarantee to post something for all my themes each week, but at least I'll have a guide.

Mondays Musings: weekend wrap-up / what's happening on a crazy Monday

Tuesday Tunes: top 3 jams {new/old school, any genre, no judgement!}

Whatever Wednesday: anything to get me through hump day!

Friday Fun: top 5 things from the week or what's planned for the weekend

I hope you will join me throughout the weeks - would love to see your musings, tunes, fun finds, and anything else you have to say!  There may be a few {random} posts here and there... but I'm excited to have some fun topics to blog about and really get into my 'blog voice' {shoutout to Lee!}

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