Yee Haw, Y'all!

Well, there hasn't been a lot going on in the Davis house, at least not much to blog about. Mainly, we have just been prepping for the 10k Rodeo Run tomorrow. We are running the 6 miles with Sarah and Blake {though not literally, because I am sure they will both dart past us!}, and Lindsey, Allison, and Patrick are doing the Fun Run 5k. Needless to say, there will be a lot of people there and we are excited about it. Troy's mom is coming into town too, so we will hopefully have some much-needed cheering as we finish :)

The Rodeo Run kicks of the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo - maybe the biggest thing in Houston aside from hurricanes. We love everything about the rodeo: seeing concerts {we have tickets to Lady Antibellum and Darius Rucker this year}, eating at the cook-off, listening to live music, watching the rodeo events, and my favorite - the calf scramble and MUTTON BUSTIN! Here are a few pics I found online {sooo funny in person!}:

We have a jam-packed weekend - dinner with friends tonight, run tomorrow at 9:30, lunch, shower and rest, then head back to the rodeo for the cook-off that night. Then, we are planning to head to the Woodlands on Sunday for dinner with family. I am looking forward to March though, when things start to slow down a little bit and the weather {hopefully} starts to warm up. All of the back-and-forth forecasts are making me dizzy...and sick {which should make for an interesting run - sniffle sniffle}!

I will end with a recent pic of Tess; she has grown so much and I realized that I haven't posted any photos of her in a while :( Have a great weekend y'all!

I Hear Wedding Bells!

So, I get up with Troy this morning (okay, I didn't 'get up' per say; I just woke up and lounged in bed) and notice that I have a few text messages. I go to my inbox and notice that there is one from my sister, Mandy, at like 1:45am. It says:

"Brian asked me to marry him tonight. Holy Moly, I can't believe it. I said Yes!! Just wanted to let you know that. OMG love u"

I freaked out, jumped out of bed and ran into the kitchen where Troy was eating breakfast, balling my eyes out. "Mandy and Brian are engaged!" I yelled. Troy looked at me like I was crazy. I am sooooo happy, words cannot describe. Mandy is the most sincere, beautiful person and she has grown so much with Brian. They have been through a lot and I cannot think of a better person to join our family and to be Mandy's partner for life. We are, of course, excited about the wedding festivities - cannot wait!! And, if I know Mandy, I am betting that she will be getting hitched on some white sandy beach, which makes me even more excited :) Yay!!

Congratulations Mandy & Brian!

I'm Giving Up...

I was reading some blogs tonight and noticed a common thread - Lent. Lots of people, from different religious backgrounds, are participating in one of the more widely-practiced traditions of Lent - giving something up, something that will be hard to give up. So Troy asked me earlier this week what we should choose. Giving up vegetables or running, now that would be easy! But that would also defeat the whole purpose :) So we sat and tried to be realistic while still picking something that we would have to be dedicated to avoiding. So.... I settled on sweets and he settled on fried food. Not so easy for a girl with a sweet tooth and a guy raised on TexMex.

Usually, it is very difficult for us to be on different pages when one of us is attempting to change a habit, i.e. it isn't so easy to go for a run while your significant other sits on the couch eating queso and watching that episode of Grey's Anatomy that you missed last week. It is also hard to go to dinner and eat a house salad, hold the cheese, light dressing on the side, while your significant other orders a bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon. You get the point. So essentially, we are BOTH giving up fried food, and we are BOTH giving up sweets. Bye-bye Chick-fil-A chicken minis for breakfast. See ya later tortilla chips and flautas at any one of our favorite TexMex locations. Adios birthday cake tasting from any of the dozen birthdays we have coming up in the next 40 days. And those 4 BOXES of Girl Scout cookies that just arrived...ciao! Oh well though :) It is all in good spirit and we are actually looking forward to it. We have the 10k Rodeo Run next weekend (6 miles) so I am sure that the healthier eating habits will benefit us :)

I wonder what everyone else gave up for Lent...alcohol? Caffeine? Watching the Real Housewives?

Sassy Southern Housewife is Here!

It's Here! I have finally launched the blog I have been talking about for a while now - Sassy Southern Housewife! Beacuse I have refrained from posting anything on our family blog that Troy would cringe at, Sassy Southern Housewife is a place for me to discover and discuss great buys, recipes, finds, fads, and anything in between. We can chat, share, comment...

I suppose it is really just an outlet for me, but it should be fun :) I will have a special section for recipe archives and photography tips and tricks (since I am still familiarizing myself with my camera and all its wonderful bells and whistles).

So please check it out, maybe add me to your blog list, and perhaps I will post something you find relevant :) Today's post - a recipe for yummy sugar cookies and royal icing.

Love Actually is All Around

"General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around."

~Love Actually

Happy Valentine's Day, ya'll! We celebrated the day of love today by going to Home Depot (twice) to pick out paint for the dining room and bedroom, and new light fixtures for our bathroom...long overdue. We just sat down after a whirlwind of a weekend and we are exhausted to say the least. My sister came into town on Friday so we could celebrate her birthday, and my bestie from high school - Natalee - came in as well, with her husband Trevor, whose birthday is also the same day as Lindseys! So the 5 of us went out for fajitas and 'ritas at our beloved La Finca. It was a blast. They had to wear sombreros and got whipped-creamed by the waitors! Ha! Later, we celebrated with cake for 'Snow Bunny' (Trevor) and Nonney (Linds) and watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Thursday, I decided to make some sugar cookies I saw online. I went with a Valentine's theme (of course) so Troy could take some to work. I think they turned out really well so I will be posting the recipe for the cookies and the royal icing on my new blog tomorrow when I launch it (along with some fabulous finds to assist with the recipe)!





Since my sister was coming into town for her bday, I decided to make her some special cookies too. She LOVES butterflies so I tried to get creative with them. I have bigger plans for the next batch, but I think they turned out pretty cute :)



Saturday, I went to Sarah's Valentine luncheon and it was a blast. She made some delicious food and I got to spend some time with good friends. I forgot my camera in the rush out the door, but I am sure that Sarah will post some great shots of the food and festivities as soon as she sorts through them. We went with Linds and friends to a few bars Saturday night to celebrate Louise and her birthday in style. We danced the night away and although I took many pics, I will leave you with the first pic of the night. Posting others would just be embarassing :)



So as this day comes to an end and couples are heading out for nice dinners, we sit here at home, with the dog and the cat, watching NASCAR (what?!) and looking back on one of the best weekends we have had in a long time. I am going to pry myself off of the couch now to go whip up an alfredo sauce for our 'chicken fettucine alfredo' Valentine's dinner, so from our humble abode - Happy Valentine's Day!


"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart...Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived." ~Meet Joe Black

Show Us Your Life - Valentine's Dates or Ideas

Over at Kelly's Korner she is doing a 'Show Us Your Life' about Valentine's dates or ideas, and I thought I would partake.

Troy and I used to really celebrate Valentine's Day when we were dating because it was something exciting, romantic, and well, an opportunity to go all out. So when we got married about a year and a half ago, we vowed to stop going nuts and just cook at home or do something simple. Well, that hasn't happened yet! Last year, we went skiing in Santa Fe for Valentine's Day and it was so much fun!

Unfortunately, we cannot go skiing for Valentine's this year, but we are still trying to fit a trip in before the snow melts away. Our plans consist of me going to a girls' luncheon at my friend and fellow-blogger Sarah's house, then going for drinks for my friend Louise's birthday. But, Troy and I are going to celebrate by going to a Valentine's lunch at Truluck's (or The Grand Lux Cafe - my fave!). Dinner will be at home; I am hoping to whip up something yummy...

As with several of the gift-giving holidays since our marriage began, we are skipping the element of surprise for our gift exchange, told eachother exactly what we would like for a 'valentine', went online and purchased. Unromantic, you say? Thoughtless? Uninspired? Well, we figure that when you have everything you can possibly need (are on a tight budget and happen to be saving up for a pricey camera lens and a trip), sometimes it is the thought that counts. So my Valentine is getting a box of conversation hearts (that's what he asked for) and some dog training stuff for Tess. I am getting this camera strap, and couldn't be happier!

So happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope you all have a love-filled day, and don't forget the spirit of Valentine's - to buy a bunch of commencial crap last-minute and go to an over-priced, over-crowded dinner. Hehe, just kidding. Love those that are in your life, and tell them as often as you can....oh, and eat lots of chocolate :)

Action Jackson - A Prototype of Sorts

So I am working on an invitation with a super hero/comic theme so I tested some editing on a pic of Jackson so that I could see if I could get the right effect. What do you think? Is it comic book-worthy?

I will be working on some more, and may post them for your critique later :)

Another Busy Weekend - But Too Fun To Boot!

First thing's first - I have GOT to post these cute pics I took when babysitting Jackson last Thursday. I swear, this kid just makes my job so easy!















We went to Coppell last weekend for a long-overdue visit with Cliff and Rachel. They took us to a *phenomenal* dinner to celebrate our birthdays at a place called Ferrari's. Brandon and Tiffani met us there, and can I tell you that this place was amazing? We ordered everything from filets and pasta, salmon covered in a creamy vodka sauce, and my personal favorite, sea bass. Dessert was just as mouth-watering. We ended the night on an equally high note - a game of Cranium! And, the girls won :) We went out to Cliff's parents' house Saturday and I got to snap a few pics of this and that.

















We kept game night alive on Saturday by partaking in a hilarious game of Balderdash (I won!):










Now...How 'Bout them Saints?! Who Dat! We had all [most] of our bests over for a Super Bowl party on Sunday once we got back into town. What a game?! The commercials were pretty good (faves include the E*Trade baby "Milk-a-whaaaat?!", the Google commercial, Snickers, and Bud Light with T-Pain) but the game was even better. We had a few Colts in the room (ehem Patrick and Allison) but us Saints fans prevailed and we all had a really great time.

We have a few birthdays to celebrate this week, and with Valentine's Day creeping up, there is much to look forward to. And speaking of birthdays, a big shout-out to Jackson who is 10 months old!! Love you little buddy :)

Birthdays & A Little Bit of Art

Hello Monday - the start of a new week! Last week was absolutely crazy so I am glad to be here at home, back to the grind.

I drove to DFW on Thursday morning and came back Friday afternoon, braving the dreary rainy weather. That was all made better though with margaritas and Mexican food for Carolyn's birthday Friday night. Never underestimate the power of a good margarita! Speaking of good {stiff} drinks, Saturday night was an absolute BLAST. Blake, Allison, Troy and I did something completely new and right up my alley - ARTOPIA. Artopia is an event thrown by the Houston Press celebrating "culture, fashion, food, art, and music". We wound in and out of curvy warehouse hallways looking at art, sipping our drinks, listening to good music, and catching glimpses of a fashion show, band, or bellydancing/flamenco performance. We sampled good food, got some great freebies, and I snapped as many photos as I could:

Blake's brother Brian painted the main mural for the event!

At Blake's casa - Allison with Boomer

Sunday was a great end to the weekend. We went to the Woodlands to celebrate Troy's gma's birthday with family and as always, we ate good food, had good conversation, and even got a Wii game or two in. I got to snap some more pics (of course!), mostly of the birthday girl with Mr. Jackson:

We are looking forward to this weekend - visiting Cliff & Rachel and Brandon & Tiffani! We have a full weekend in store, going to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, cooking out, maybe a concert or two, and of course Joe Ts! Can't Wait! Here's to a speedy week...