Deck the Halls with LEAVES AND BERRIES!

That's right, I put my Fall decor up!  I told you guys I wouldn't wait too long!  I just love the way it makes my house feel, and love all the colors!  After I got it all out though, I could have sworn I had more!  Guess that means I can go shopping?!

Here is a few pictures of what we did this year!

One of the new Bath and Body Works Candles--You have to try this one, 

it is quickly becoming my favorite!

Salt and Pepper shakers I got last year!

Cookie Jar to match the Salt and Pepper shakers!

Tom the Turkey with another awesome BBW candle!

Bella even got in on the action!

I am also planning to do some cute outdoor Fall decorations!  Think hay bales, corn stalks, mums, scarecrows and pumpkins!  It's going to be great!

--Ashley

Homemade Salsa!

Yesterday I made a whole bunch of homemade Salsa!  I made it last year and people seemed to really enjoy it so I did it again!  I am lucky enough to have a boss who has a huge garden and plenty of Roma tomatoes to go around, so she shares with me!

I made a large batch but I share with my family and neighbors!

This is my own recipe that I kind of just made up last year when I was looking to make Salsa for the first time.  I knew what I liked and didn't like about certain salsas, so I just picked what I liked and combined it for one AWESOME salsa!  Not too chunky but not pureed soup either! Perfect flavor, salty, spicy and fresh!! Give it a try!  Trust me, it is much easier than you think!!

115-130 Roma Tomatoes
10-15 Jalepeno Peppers
2 Large White Onions
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
Juice of 4 Limes
2 Large bunches of Cilantro
4 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Cumin

All of these measurements of ingredients are just a base line.  You can add as much or as little of each ingredient you would like! That is the beauty of making your own salsa!

Cut all tomatoes in quarters and get rid of all seeds and extra juices.

Cut all jalapeno stems off and then in half and get rid of ribs and seeds if you wish.  The more ribs and seeds you have the hotter it will be!  Also, cut with caution----gloves are always a good option!

Cut onion into large chunks.

I used my KitchenAid food processor and it works like magic, so I highly recommend one for your kitchen!  Put ingredients in one at a time and blend to your liking. I like a good chop on mine, but not pureed into soup either!

Once you have all your tomatoes, peppers, and onions blended pour them together into a large bowl and mix.

Next I added the Salt, Cumin, Lime Juice and Garlic.  Mix well.

Lastly I chopped the Cilantro with a large knife and mixed it in.  I like a larger chop on my Cilantro, plus if you put this in the blender it would bruise it!  Better to go the old fashioned route for this part!

That's it!  Very simple!  I bought smaller round Tupperware containers to store mine in.  Perfect size to share with friends and family! Divide it out into whatever container you choose and put it right in the fridge.  It will be even better in the next couple days as it has time to sit and marry all the flavors!!  Now go stock up on some tortilla chips, you are gonna need them!

Have fun with this and let me know what you think of the recipe!!

--Ashley

Breakfast Burritos & Breakfast Sandwiches for the Grill!

Breakfast Burritos

These are as simple as it get folks!

10 Tortillas
1 pound Ground Sausage
8 Eggs
1 bag Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
Tin Foil

1.  Brown and scramble sausage
2. Scramble Eggs
3. Assemble all ingredients on tortilla and roll making sure there is lots of cheese to hold it all        
    together!
4.  Wrap in Tin foil, making sure all of the burrito is contained and covered!

After they are assembled you can refrigerate until you need them!  We did them the day before a morning tailgate, and they were perfect!

When you are ready to eat, just pop them on the grill for about 5 minutes on each side!  Since everything in them is already cooked, they just need to be heated through!  So easy!  These would be great not only for tailgating, but for camping as well!

Breakfast Sandwiches

These are also extremely simple and delicious!

12 pieces Texas Toast
1 pound of bacon
8 Eggs
Bag of Hashbrowns
12 pieces sliced cheese
Tin Foil

1.  Cook Bacon
2.  Scramble Eggs
3.  Cook hashbrowns
4.  Butter outside of bread slices
5.  Put first piece of bread butter side down on tin foil.
6.  Layer cheese slice, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and then another piece of sliced cheese and then the
     second piece of bread, butter side out!
7.  Roll tin foil onto top of bread and flatten it down a bit and roll tightly with the tin foil, making  
     sure all bread is covered and sandwich is completely contained!

After they are assembled you can refrigerate until you need them!  We did them the day before a morning tailgate, and they were perfect!

When you are ready to eat, just pop them on the grill for about 8 minutes on each side!  Since everything in them is already cooked, they just need to be heated through!  So easy!  These would be great not only for tailgating, but for camping as well!

Our First Tailgating Adventure of the Season!

This Saturday we took to the road and ventured South to our old stomping grounds of Ames!
We went tailgating with Jake's sister and her husband and his nieces and nephews, and had a blast!

We left Friday right after work and took Doug to Petco!! He loved it, and I also had a lot of fun!  He got a new ball, new harness and of course some treats!  We then went and had dinner with Jake's sister at an awesome little BBQ place that was delicious!

 It was an 11:00 A.M. game, so needless to say we were up BEFORE the sun was!  With the truck loaded down with food, drinks, grills and games we were off like a herd of turtles!  We didn't get too far before our first hiccup!  The truck may have started smoking, but we didn't let that slow us down!  After all of us getting out of the car, standing on the side of the road at 6 in the morning **BRRRRRR**** we let the smoke subside, and we got back in and kept on truckin'!

Jake's sister and I made all the food the night before and wrapped it up so we could just throw it on the grill, which made our lives SO much easier at 6:00 A.M.! We made breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches, and they were both delicious!  Click HERE for the recipes!  We also stopped for coffee and donuts before heading to the stadium!

We also had mimosas (because we are THAT classy while tailgating, HAHA)

All in all, it was a great weekend spent with family, and we can't wait for the next home game!

August Stitch Fix!

For those of you who haven't heard of Stitch Fix, it is a Subscription type monthly styling service. When you sign up you take an in-depth survey about your sizes, style, and how much you want to spend, and then your personal stylist sends you 5 items to try once a month (or as often as you would like as you can now sign up to get it at different intervals).  You can leave a note for your stylist stating specific types of items you need, or anything else you think she should know for that month!

The fee  is $20, and that includes free shipping and free returns. And if you keep any of the items they send you, you get to deduct the $20 fee from the total. (If you keep all five items, you also get a 25% discount, which luckily I have been able to take advantage of numerous times!  Something I wouldn't have normally kept because of price, I get to keep because it is ironically cheaper to keep it then to send it back and not get the 25% off!  WIN!

Here is what to box looks like when it comes! So cute, right!?  Makes me so excited when I see it on my porch after work!  

When you open the box you will see an Invoice showing what each item costs and what your total would be if you kept all 5 items, as well as a personally written note from your stylist saying why she picked what she picked, which I think is so nice and maybe helps to understand why she may have chosen an item that you are completely confused by! 

You also get a styling card that shows you how to style each piece you received in multiple ways!  This has really helped me pull from my own closet and incorporate my new things with things I already own that I may have not put together otherwise!

This month I kept all 5 items--what can I say, my stylist has been on point, and I have recently been clearing out all the cheapy/old/worn-out CRAP out of my closet and trying to build it back up with quality--NOT QUANTITY.  I think this is something that comes as you get older, and doesn't cover just clothing but all areas of your life! I would rather have fewer nice things than a closet full of stuff I can wear once, and then it looks terrible after washing once! 

HERE IS WHAT I GOT!  

(Please don't mind the pictures, normally I take pictures of me actually wearing the items, but have had some issues getting those up onto my blog from my phone!)

**Pomelo**--Wilco Solid Quilted Vest

Did I mention, I love vests! I own all kinds of vests, but none in this AWESOME color!  They are so easy to throw on over a sweater, t-shirt, anything really!  Plus, I am always cold, so vests are not only fashionable for me, but practical! :)

**Market and Spruce**

--Corinna Striped Heathered Dolman Top

This shirt is my new go to! Soft, pretty, comfortable and can be dressed up or down!  Definate keeper!

**41Hawthorn**--Aspen Boat Neck Striped Cotton Tee

This isn't something I probably would have picked out in the store, but its great!  Its comfortable and casual but still slightly dressy!  It looks SO CUTE under the pink vest!!

**Kensie Jeans**--Sophia Skinny Jeans

I am a jean-a-holic!  I wear them everyday, but it is still so hard to go to the story and find just a GOOD pair of jeans!  I don't know how Stitch Fix has been able to do it for me twice in a row!  These are similar to the last ones, but still so different!  These have a little more going on, with light whiskering on the thigh and goldish/copper accents!  LOVE LOVE LOVE

**Tart**Fernanda Animal Print Infinity Scarf

SOOOOOO SOFT!! Holy cow!  I wear this, and literally pet it all day long! haha!  As much as I like this, to me it was a little expensive for a scarf at about $40ish *forgot the exact price), but it was one of those situations that it was cheaper for me to just keep it and get the 25%, than to send it back and keep the other 4 items.  Love that part of Stitch Fix!!

Like what you see???  Try it for yourself!  I promise, if you fill your survey out correctly and honestly and give your stylist great feedback, you will not be disappointed.  

 I think my best tip would also be to create a Pinterest board and link that to your Stitch Fix account! My stylist has used this every time she has sent me anything and she has been spot on with every Fix!  She has even told me to keep pinning because she loves looking at it to get ideas of what to send!

Click HERE and get signed up today!

July Stitch Fix

For those of you who haven't heard of Stitch Fix, it is a Subscription type monthly styling service. When you sign up you take an in-depth survey about your sizes, style, and how much you want to spend, and then your personal stylist sends you 5 items to try once a month (or as often as you would like as you can now sign up to get it at different intervals).  You can leave a note for your stylist stating specific types of items you need, or anything else you think she should know for that month!

The fee  is $20, and that includes free shipping and free returns. And if you keep any of the items they send you, you get to deduct the $20 fee from the total. (If you keep all five items, you also get a 25% discount, which luckily I have been able to take advantage of numerous times!  Something I wouldn't have normally kept because of price, I get to keep because it is ironically cheaper to keep it then to send it back and not get the 25% off!  WIN!

Here is what to box looks like when it comes! So cute, right!?  Makes me so excited when I see it on my porch after work!  

(*Doug was pretty excited about it too!  How precious is he though?*)

When you open the box you will see an Invoice showing what each item costs and what your total would be if you kept all 5 items, as well as a personally written note from your stylist saying why she picked what she picked, which I think is so nice and maybe helps to understand why she may have chosen an item that you are completely confused by! 

You also get a styling card that shows you how to style each piece you received in multiple ways!  This has really helped me pull from my own closet and incorporate my new things with things I already own that I may have not put together otherwise!

This month I kept all 5 items!

HERE IS WHAT I GOT!  

(Please don't mind the pictures, normally I take pictures of me actually wearing the items, but have had some issues getting those up onto my blog from my phone!)

**Pomelo**--Aniston Floral Print Kimono Cardigan

LOVE LOVE LOVE 

**Pomelo**--Alan French Terry Asymmetrical Zip Cardigan

Seriously, you should feel how soft this is!  

This is going to get worn a ton this Fall/Winter with skinny jeans and leggings!!

**Papermoon**--Melanie Lace Detail Button Down Blouse

So classy and so easy to thrown on with skinny jeans and sandals in the Summer or flats and a cardigan in the Fall!

**Just Black**--Adorra Ankle Length Skinny Jean

These feel like you are wearing sweatpants--if you haven't caught on by now, for me to LOVE something it has to basically feel like I am wearing pajamas, and these fall into that category! HA! 

They are very plain, dark and simple.  Nothing fancy about these ones, but its nice to have at least one pair like that in your closet! 

**Pixley**Munroe Feather Pendant Necklace

I couldn't get a good picture of this necklace but it is a very pretty, gold feather on dainty gold chain and is longer in length. 

Like what you see???  Try it for yourself!  I promise, if you fill your survey out correctly and honestly and give your stylist great feedback, you will not be disappointed.  

 I think my best tip would also be to create a Pinterest board and link that to your Stitch Fix account! My stylist has used this every time she has sent me anything and she has been spot on with every Fix!  She has even told me to keep pinning because she loves looking at it to get ideas of what to send!

Click HERE and get signed up today!