Who is Henry Vane.

The man in the photo for 300.

(1589-1655). To be honest I haven't had enough to to really research the guy behind the photo. I did find out that he has a facebook page. Sounds like quiet a crazy life with castles, wars, quarrels, and yes even taking his own life. I thought I had it crazy but reading about his life makes me thankful that I don't have to go through half of of what went on back then. One of my favorite plays is Romeo and Juliet but I always thought it was a little exaggerated but I can kinda see the time now. Henry was on his way politically. Knighted  in 1611, comptroller (1629) and treasurer (1639) of the household and secretary of state (1640). So, what happened you ask?

"Vane's appointment as secretary of state was opposed by the earl of Strafford. In the latter's trial, Vane, with genuine or pretended reluctance, testified that Strafford had advocated the use of the Irish army against Parliament. As a result he lost favor with the king and was dismissed from office."
- education.yahoo.com

But wait it gets even more interesting. How you might ask stay tuned to see how his kid turned out. Oh yeh, here is a pic of the castle in the fam!!

Roots Body Soul

I'm so excited about my new project, Mind Body Soul. Let me explain a little.

I'll start with Roots. I have always been curious about why my ancestors came to America and where I came from. Luckily I have a few great family members that have done tons of research that I can start with. One of them even dates back to 1178. How cool is that?

Body. This one kinda started last year with the 5k training. Those of you who don't know I am not athletic at all. Last summer I was watching Losing It With Jillian and decided it was time to get healthy. And there started my couch to 5k program. This year I'm thinking bigger...half marathon bigger. I was planning on the White Rock but somehow it is sold out. Err. So, not sure which one I'm going to do yet but in the meantime I have a few 5ks in mind.

Soul. Last but not least knowing God. I'm starting with Ezra & Haggai. The church I go to have this amazing womens ministry. We are using the Precepts books which so far I highly recommend. The book of Ezra is about God's people taken out of their Land, temple is destroyed, people return, start rebuilding temple, discouraged by enemys, stop building temple, encouraged by Haggai and God, and the rebuild the temple in a nut shell so far. What I'm getting out of it is to trust God b/c he has a bigger plan than I do.

Easter!!

Boy was Easter busy this year. We had so much fun! Saturday we went to the park with Matt's fam. It was so nice to just hang out and have fun. I brought the Chicken Salad of course my fav and Matt's parents brought burgers! Matt and I bought the girls gifts this year and put then in huge eggs. They were soo cool. Then we played a little ball. I had the bright idea to bring Pepper. Seriously maximize the second pic. It is perfect.

Then we went to the Rangers game at the Dr Pepper ballpark. That place was packed! This year they added popcorn and peanuts to the teddy section which is amazing.

The year my fam came over for Easter dinner. We tried the honey baked ham. Honestly I liked the ham we did for new years better. One good thing was you didn't have to put it in the oven at all.

Blizzard in Texas?

We had a foot of snow last Thursday. Seriously the coolest thing that has ever happened in Dallas. For those of you that don't know me I am a want a be country nature girl. I see myself as a Paula Deen meets Bear Grylls. Ok, maybe not so dangerous but you get the point. The most extreme I go is rock climbing with a guide. So, back to this snow. Check out our snow man we made after a night of more snow. This winter has been crazy so much for global warming. Happy Vday everyone!

The The The Grinch @ The Gaylord

This year we got to go to the ICE exhibit at the Gaylord. Man are some people just talented. It was pretty cool. I really liked the theme this year, The Grinch. If you plan on going maybe try earlier in the day. That place was packed the day after Thanksgiving. In the store after they had the coolest Texas Christmas Lights made out of wait for it shotgun shells. They were so cool. A little pricey, but pretty unique. So I just did a search. They totally marked them up. Matt said hobby lobby has them too:)

 

Love the pie!

This weekend was full of love for the pie. We celebrated my sisters birthday on Saturday were my mom made a Lemon Pie. Man do I have a lot of practice before my meringue turns out like hers. Then on Saturday I made an apple pie. By far my favorite pie. This time I tried the pillsbury recipe. Well, one it saves time with the crust and two it is pretty hard not to mess up. I still can't get the pretty flute edges, but honestly it still tasted amazing. I sliced the apples with a thin mandolin. I like my apples nice a thin. So, I think that is key. Has anyone tried apple pie with a slice of cheese on top? It kinda scares me but it kinda sounds good. I usually just have a scoop of ice cream with mine.

Anyways, check out http://www.pillsbury.com/pie for great holiday pie ideas.They even have a tutorial which I totally should have watched first. It shows you just how to flute the edges.

Here's the recipe (http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=11187)

INGREDIENTS
Crust
1    box (15 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
Filling*
6    cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (6 medium) - i like McIntosh apples
3/4    cup sugar
2    tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4    teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4    teaspoon salt
1/8    teaspoon ground nutmeg
1    tablespoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
1.    Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
2.    In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
3.    Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

Happy Halloween

Dracula

Last night we went to go see Dracula at the new Opera House in Downtown Dallas. It was a great experience. When we arrived the parking couldn't have been easier. I must admit I'm a little afraid of heights. So, as we walked up the stairs I freaked out a bit. Then our seats were right on the edge which are great b/c there are no distracting heads in front of you but boy was it scary. As the lights dimmed this huge chandelier was taken to the catwalk area. Everyone applaud. When the host came on he said I've never been upstaged by a chandelier before then just stood there and watched it go up up and away. It really set the stage for something magical. Then the musicians came out and the movie began. It was really spectaular. I hadn't seen/read Dracula before let alone the old b&w one which is the one they played. It wasn't to scary; it was even comical at times. The orchestra really made it special and brought a whole dimension to the atmosphere. The guy that composed it was even there. I was expecting a lot of mistakes at the House since the whole Texas Stadium fiasco, but it all ran pretty smoothly. Sorry I forgot to charge my mini camera to take pics. I did wear my cowboy boots again and Matt wore a suit. The attire for the night ran from jeans to cocktail so if you ever go just wear what you like.

Boots

With my birthday money this year I decided to buy my first pair of cowboy boots. I looked some online and found some really cute ones at Sheplers. So, I knew I could find a some there. At first I couldn't really see any I liked and felt a little overwhelmed. Right when I was about to give up a sales lady came and helped me out. She showed me these gorgeous eagle ones that I just feel in love with. I'm so glad that she pointed them out. I missed them. Then she told me me few tips about size and care. I ended up getting one size bigger and I'm glad I did. They are so comfortable.

Then I had to get a dress. We went to Dillards and then again I couldn't find a thing until the sales lady to the rescue. I ended up finding 2 dresses and I would have gotten 3 but they didn't have my size. The prices were pretty good there if anyone is in search.

Check out my aperture on my photo. Maybe I did learn a few things in class!

Happy Birthday Matt

Casino Night at the Allcorns! My family and Matt's came over to help celebrate Matt's birthday this weekend. We pulled out the old poker table, had a blackjack table, and even a roulette wheel. We served mini roast beef sandwiches with crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms. I also found these egg rolls in the freezer section at MarketStreet that were pretty good. Well, that was until I burned the last batch. My dad's crab cakes were delish! The mushrooms were ok nothing to write about but the beef was yummy. We just got the Boar's Head kind to cut prep time. Best decision. Matt's mom made his favorite cake...German Chocolate. Tracy was the high winner of the night and both our dad's were the biggest losers. Then we finished up with a good old game of bingo. Laura won bingo. We even had a magic show with my Dad and a cirque du soleil with Matt. All and all it was a fun night.

Dad's Birthday

It was my Dad's birthday. We had everyone over for and ice cream sunday party. Yumm!

Rough Riders

Go Rough Riders! This summer we are having a blast at all the games.

Family/Camping Trip

We had a blast on our trip last week. Thank you to everyone that let us stay with you!

Our first stop was in Clovis where we stayed w/ Matt's grandparents and got to see some family.

Then we went to Taylor's Graduation party. It was at this really cool wildlife place. We got to see all kinds of animals. My favorite of course was the wolf. After the party Tracy and I hit Mcadees for a green chile burger. Man are those suckers good. I wish our McDonalds served them.

The next morning we had to hit up Wecks. I almost at the whole omelet it was so good. We also had a special show with hot air balloons. One even landed right by us.

Then it was off to Farmington. On the way we took this shot of a cool route 66 sign.

Once we got to Farmington we hung out w/ Matt's other grandparents, Jackie, Rick, Drew, Shelby, and Jacob. We had so much fun. We pulled out Ladder Ball and played all night. Shelby rocked at it and won twice after Drew traded her in for Rick. It was so funny. The next day Jackie got me hooked on Twilight. I read it the while the guys went fishing and golfing.

Then it was off to Mesa Verde to go camping. About halfway there we realized we left the camera so we had to by plastic ones so pardon the blurriness. After we got camp all setup we went to go see the park. We ended up going on this huge hike without knowing it without sunscreen or water. That night we couldn't get the grill hot enough to cook our dinner so off to town. The next day we went on two guided tours full of ladders to climb and holes to squeeze though. I had my first taste of an Indian Taco. Boy was that yummy. I'm going to try to make some flatbread this month to see if I can make it as good.
One day we headed into Durango for a day of adventure of river rafting and rock climbing. It was so much fun. Our guides were amazing if you ever need any. After that we went to a night at the movies by out campsite. The small town theatre was so cute.
After camping we stopped in Farmington to stay the night and ate some awesome Green Chile Soup. Then headed to Albuquerque to help Tracy pack up. We stopped in Clovis for a night and got to see more family.

Good Bye New Mexico/Colorado. Until next time.

Update

Bad luck. So, Matt and I have had our share of bad luck lately. First the computer, then sprinklers line, then a busted car tire, then the front door of the car now the kitchen sink. Boy am I glad I'm a saver or I'd be pissed. Hopefully this is it for the year. They all just add up so fast. Yah know. We did find an excellent sprinkler guy if you need one in the Little Elm area.

One more week until our trip. I have planned it down to the second. Super excited. We are going to go rock climbing and rafting. I'll post pics when I get back!

Weekend

Matt and I had a low key weekend. Saturday we went to Babe's with my family. It was fabulous as always. Sunday we went to United early to pick up a roast beef to throw in the crock pot. Then we thought it would be fun to go for a bike ride. It was so much fun. There was a huge hill that totally kicked my butt. I thought I would never make it to the top but I did and I was even able to keep going. We made it to the pond and rode around for a while. It was really nice b/c no one was out yet. There were tons of ducks out. They were so much fun to watch. Then we went back home ate some hot dogs and then off to Hollies to work on the girls bikes. We had a lot of fun just hanging out in the front yard. After that our roast was done. Boy was it good. It just fell apart. We cooked it with mushroom soup this time. It was so easy and I didn't have to mess with making gravy at the end. Hope everyone had a great weekend. Next weekend I decided we are going to have both families over for a BBQ. I'm so excited. I found this cream of corn recipe that is suppose to be to die for. I can't wait to try it out.

Valentines Weekend

We had a pretty fun weekend. Matt went to a poker night friday while I made some valentine cupcakes with an old friend. They were pretty cute if I do say so myself. My tv recordings have been piling up so Saturday morning I had a mini Jon & Kate marathon. I love that show. Their new house is awesome. Then Matt had me go on a scavenger hunt like our first valentines day. We ended at Abeulos my favorite! It was kinda sad how empty it was. Then we went shopping and played our new wii games we got for vday. For dinner we went to Kobe with matt's family. It was so much fun. I love those places that cook in front of you. I even tried Dragon Rolls. Yummy. I need to go to more Japanese restaurants. Then Sunday Matt made me breakfast and then I went to a movie with my sis and her sis in law. We saw Confessions of a Shopaholic. It was very funny. Almost as good as the book ;) Then I went shopping again. Ok, I never shop..so I was going through a withdraw. I found some pants that I have been wanting. Perfect color, size, and texture. Today I have to work, but tonight we are grilling out with one of Matts buds. I can't wait...yumm steak!! (and more wii)

Boy did the weekend go by fast.

Pepper

No recent pics; so I thought I'd put an old one up. Wasn't Pepper the cutest puppy ever!

Christmas

Ok, I know it is way passed Christmas but here it is.

We first had a mini Christmas with Matt's family b/c his sister was going to Okie for the holidays. Look how cute Matt is as a reindeer.

Then Christmas Eve we had Matt's parents and Tracy over for a ham. It was so much fun. We got to use the china and our new dinning room table.

Christmas day we went over to my parents.

Holiday Party

Matt and I got all dazed up and went out to my office holiday party. The party planning was a lot of work but we had fun. Can you believe I have almost been working there for 3 years? Crazy to think about. Where does the time go?

Christmas Tree

Here is a pic of our tree!!! All we are missing is a topper, but I can't find any I like.