Halloween 2011

Things have been so busy lately, I just assumed we wouldn't be doing anything for Halloween (which is a far cry from last year). We've been out of town a lot and haven't heard of any plans. I was excited to hear there was a dental school party tonight! It was last minute for us, but we pulled our costumes together and had a great time.

I was a pirate and Keith was Keith Stone, so smooth.

Surely you've seen the Keystone Light commercials. If not, take a look and you'll understand. Keith doesn't really drink, so it's funny this was his costume - everyone loved it!

Ashley and Jaycob - Black Swan and Allstate Mayhem. Both are excellent costumes!

Keith and Jaycob. I have to say, Keith was diligent with his beer box prop. He didn't set it down for long!

Posing with Amanda and Ashley, two very authentic swans!

One of my favorite costumes of the night: The giant inflatable deer. This is probably not comfortable at a a busy party, but it was hilarious!

I also have to share this photo from work today. We had a costume pairings contest and my partner and I went as Hawaiian punch - a luau girl and a boxer! Fun times!

All in all, it was a great Halloween. I love any excuse to dress up! I hope yours was safe and fun, too.

Another one ties the knot!

Happy Sunday, folks!

I'm currently very cozy on the couch with a warm blanket, football on in the background, laundry going, and a heart full of love from being around some long-lost friends this weekend. Collin is the last of my 'Magnificent 7' Tridelta sisters to get married. I have loved being a part of each of their special days. Here are the pics from our weekend down in Texarkana!

Our group, minus Bekah, at the rehearsal dinner enjoying our tasty margaritas! From left, here are the gals and where they live: Stacia from North Carolina, Meredith from Fayetteville, AR, Collin from Fayetteville, Jeni from Indiana, Kelsey from Dallas and Kendall from Memphis. Bekah came the next day from Fayetteville, too. It takes a wedding or a vacation to bring us to one spot!

Sipping margaritas reminds me of our college Cinco de Mayo traditions :)

Getting a hug from the beautiful BRIDE!

And, of course, a squeeze from the hubs.

The brunettes of the bunch - We've spent lots of time over the years teasing that Tridelt hair!

Speaking of hair....

Hah. I did not do this to myself! In preparation for an updo, the stylist gave me an impressive tease job. This is the largest I've seen it go! Don't worry, it was tamed...But, if I ever want to be Medusa for Halloween, at least I know it could easily be done.

All dressed and ready with Jeni! We were in the 'house party' group. I know most people haven't heard of this because I'm always asked what that means, and really - it's a southern thing! We helped out on the day of the wedding with welcoming guests to the church, handing out programs, making sure that guest book was signed, wrangling presents, etc. I had girls dedicated to this at my wedding and it was great!

But, back to what is most important!

The bride! Collin looked so beautiful!

(She texts with the groom)

Her dress was perfect for her coloring, slim figure and her personality. Loved it!

Stacia and Mere give her a hand before the ceremony - which was short, sweet and just simply perfect!

At the reception, the Deltas sing our song and pose with the bride.

The Zachs toast the day - The groom is on the left, and he is such a sweet, smart fella. I couldn't be happier for Collin!

Keith with Dr Clint - our dear, dear friend! They are inseparable.

The reception was in a beautiful, old arts building that was so cool! I should have taken pics of the space.

These are wonderful friends that I just don't get to see enough!

College Besties! I love you all.

The super-cool Hencys

One more pic with my precious husband.

What a great time! We danced until our feet ached and the shoes came off. It was a wonderful time celebrating an amazing couple. Best wishes to the new Holderfield couple!!


PS - thank you, Whitney for letting me barrow that gorgeous lace dress. It got so many compliments, I'm now ordering one for myself :)  <<<< For all those that asked, the Dress came from Dillard's and is Adrianna Papell. The website only shows the Navy one, so call your local store for the black version!>>>>

Southwestern Pizza Con Queso

Hey there, folks! I've got another pizza recipe for you. This is so incredibly easy and takes about 20 minutes to pull together. That's my kind of weeknight dinner! For us, a 20 minute meal is faster than driving anywhere for take out.

This is a Pampered Chef recipe that I stumbled on earlier this week when I was looking for a specific recipe. I skimmed the ingredients list and realized I had just about everything on hand except the chicken and the queso. After making the sausage pizza last week, I had an extra crust from the package of 2 to deal with soon. This was the perfect solution! I also learned a new technique that I'll be using in the future for prebaked crusts.

Southwestern Pizza Con Queso

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Ingredients:

1 pkg prebaked pizza crust

8 oz (about 2 cups) cooked chicken breasts, shredded (I bought a rotisserie chicken on sale and pulled most of it off

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 small red bell pepper

1 small green bell pepper (I bought a small container of pre-sliced bell peppers in all colors)

1 small red onion

1.5 Tbsp Southwest seasoning mix (I used Mrs Dash Southwest Chipotle, which was spicy!)

2/3 cup prepared Monterey Jack salsa con queso dip

1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 450.

Place pizza crust top side down on round baking stone (or greased cookie sheet). Bake 4-5 minutes or until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove baking stone from oven; turn crust top side up.

This technique keeps the crust crisp even after the saucy toppings are placed on it.

Cut bell peppers and onion into thin slices and toss with seasoning mix in a bowl. Add oil to skillet and heat over medium heat 1-3 minutes of until shimmering. Add vegetable mixture to skillet and cook 2-3 minutes or until tender.

Add chicken, cook 1 minute or until heated through. Remove from heat.

Spread the queso over the crust evenly.

Top with the chicken and veggie mixture and sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake 7-9 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cut into wedges.

Enjoy!!

Jessica & Brandon's Wedding Weekend

This weekend was a beautiful one for lots of reasons. The October weather was lovely, we were around lots of dear friends and I witnessed one of my very best friends tie the knot! Jessica and I have been close since the 9th grade and I just can't imagine my life without this fun, sweet, silly girl! Here are the pics from the celebration:

On Friday, we had a delicious bridesmaid lunch at the Clinton Presidential Library. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to manicures and pedicures - it was a great afternoon of girl time before things got busy.

Jessica, Kristi and Brittany at Jasmine's nail salon in downtown Little Rock.

Next up - the rehearsal at the church:

The wedding was a First Presbyterian Church in downtown Little Rock. It was gorgeous!!

I'm about to practice my bridesmaid walk down the aisle. I believe this is my 7th time to be a bridesmaid? I'm a seasoned pro at this stuff now!

Jessica and Brandon practice, too. Cute, cute!

These are my fab 5 girls that I love and adore! Lauren, me, Jessica, Joanna and Whitney.

High school besties! Elizabeth, Allison, Jessica, me and Jeni.

Next, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Vieux Carre. Toasts were made, memories were shared. The best part was Brandon toasting at the end - so heartfelt!

More girl pics!

There's the hubs! I love when the weather cools down and he wears sweaters.

The bride and groom ready for a big day ahead!

On to Saturday...Wedding day!!

The bride's beautimous sisters: Brittany and Kandace. They have a tri-fecta family with a blonde, brunette and red head!

Joanna helps Allison with hair. So glad she was there to help us all get gussied up!

The bride takes a moment with her new nephew, Harper. He's only a few weeks old! 

Oh, and how about her awesome hair!?

The bridesmaids and house party pose with our awesome hand-made aprons. Jessica's sister, Brittany, is so very crafty. She made each of these and they all matched our personalities!

Ta-da! We're ready! I snapped a pic with my sweet Jeni. She just had a baby six weeks ago and she looks so pretty!

I love my Whit Grounds!

The honoraries/house party wore sassy, short versions of our long dresses. Love them!

Jessica looked SO gorgeous!

The wedding was just perfect. The church looked amazing, the wedding party looked great, and the bride and groom were beaming. It was so sweet!

Now, on the reception!

Ahh-mazing, right!? WOW

The room was INCREDIBLE. 

Note to bride's planning a wedding: Lighting, lighting, lighting!

I loved the soft-seating area- so cozy!

My favorite part - the cake! Gasp!

On top of being stunningly gorgeous, it was a very tasty pumpkin cream-cheese cake that I could have eaten several slices of....if there was room in that dress :)

First dance!!

So happy to be married!

Celebrating with Lauren, Jessica, Whitney and Alexis, our long-lost New Yorker!

 

Jessica smiles with Lauren - my strong, amazing, superwoman friend that beat Leukemia in the last year!! She is so inspiring, and the same quirky Lauren we all love.

My other high school Lauren! It is always so exciting to hug and catch up with dear friends you never get to see!!

Family pic with my Mom and Dad - this may be on their Christmas card this year :)

Hubby pic!

Dear Alexis, we miss you. Come visit from NYC more often, and I'll come see you, too. Okay, thanks!

Dustin is always behind the camera!

Guy time: Keith, Dusty, Matt and Clint - all very good boys!

And they're off! This is not a great pic, but the bride and groom left to a crowd chanting the Arkansas Razorback fight song and calling the hogs - so fun!

It was a great weekend and I couldn't be happier for my dear friend Jessica. Best wishes to the Corleys!