This year Marvin and I wanted to be more intentional about our support of our friends in our community.  We wanted to show up for them in different ways.  On two different Fridays in January,  one of my preferred lender partners, Jen Aleman Salazar with Fairway Mortgage, and I delivered 60+ Sonic drinks to show some LOVE 🥰 to the staff at Beasley Elementary and 100+ Sonic drinks to the staff at Achziger Elementary.

Shoutout to the staff at Sonic who helped prepare the 🥤 drink order for us. We appreciate your hard work! The drinks were boxed up for us when we arrived to pick them up and they helped us load them into my car.

P.S. also, am I standing in a hole?

I am thankful for my partnerships with my lender and Sonic and that they were willing to also show some love to two local schools.

How are you intentionally showing some love and support today?

Decorating this year for Christmas was a bit different.  Quite a lot different actually, since we are celebrating our first Christmas in our new house.

It was kind of interesting trying to figure out what I wanted to put where.  I didn’t even use all the decor that I had but I think that it all turned out fine.

We started off with a new 9′ pre-lit tree from At Home.  Our old one had a whole section of lights that didn’t work and it was shorter.  We wanted a bigger tree to fill the space better .

My theme this year, I mean if I am going to label it, is “woodsy Christmas”.  I have always enjoyed decorating with snowmen and now I am adding Christmas trees to the mix. I like to keep things simple. 🌲⛄️ The snowman on the left was a gift from years ago. My friend bought it for me at Canton First Monday. The baskets are mostly from Hobby Lobby, most of the trees are from there as well. The house on the right side is from another dear friend, and the basket on the bottom right holds all of my travel patches.

The gorgeous table in my entryway was handmade by my dad.

On this bottom shelf, on the far right, is a closer look at the wire basket filled with sew-on patches.  I spy one from the Ford Theater in D.C. and another from Dick’s 5& 10 which is from our recent trip to Branson, MO.

In the corner of our dining room I have a small pencil tree from At Home and then I arranged some little snowmen underneath it. I think it adds a little fun to my dining room area.

We have a built in hutch in our dining room area and I have this little tiered shelf with some little snowman, mugs and ornaments as decor.  I absolutely LOVE a tiered shelf!

This year we hosted our first ever Christmas party.  I hope to be able to do more entertaining in the coming year.

We have a side table in the living room so I used it to hold the desserts for the evening.  I made Brookies and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

I also hosted Bake N Take which is our annual Christmas cookie exchange and baking party.  The ladies in our family gather and we have such a good time.

Obviously my mom was the hardest worker there. 😉

No holiday season would be complete without a special treat from my mom.  Her delicious date-nut bread.

We had such a good time welcoming family and friends into our home this holiday season.  🎄🥰

I’d love to hear how your holiday season went!

(((hugs))) ~lisa

I’m going to tell you about the ONE place you need to eat at if you are ever in Missouri.  Also please don’t eat for about 3 days before going….you’ll want to go with an empty stomach.

Several friends recommended the “roll throwing place” and as it turns out, that’s not the official name.  The restaurant is called Lamberts and it’s on the way to Springfield from Branson.  

We expected a wait but it actually wasn’t that long until we were seated.  We were hardly at our table more than a minute before the roll throwing began.  They say that they started throwing rolls because they used to hand them out, they couldn’t get to one of the customers and the customer said just throw the darn thing.  And so they did.    

The portion sizes for the entrees are generous but another unique thing about the Lamberts experience are their side dishes.  In addition to the sides that come with your entree, several of the employees walk around with various additional sides such as fried potatoes and onions, macaroni and tomatoes, fried okra, and black-eyed peas that they heap onto your plate.  They also come around with molasses for your rolls.  I told y’all you better come hungry!

I had the roast beef and it came with mashed potatoes and gravy, AND two sides.  That is in addition to the sides they were serving us while we ate.

Marvin had the fish with french fries and green beans. I don’t always like green beans but these were nice and seasoned.  So yummy!

We asked about sharing entrees and they said, because of all the additional sides that are given, there is a $10 charge for a plate.  Either way you go, you won’t walk away hungry.  If you do, it’s probably your own fault. 

They do not take reservations, it is first come first served so get there early and expect a wait.  It is worth it though!

Lambert’s Cafe II
1800 W State Hwy J
Ozark, MO 65721
417-581-7655

 

Have you tried La La Land Kind Cafe in Dallas? My friend Jessica told me about them and then I went (without her…oopsie!) and I took one of my daughters and one of my sons.

They have a really amazing story and their mission is Bettering the world through value based business and kindness. That is gold y’all!!

Located on lower Greenville, they employ young adults who have aged out of the foster care system AND they serve all-organic products sourced locally every day!  Another nugget of gold for y’all!

The store itself is cute and just the overall aesthetic is Instagrammable. So go check them out and while you are there, grab a cup of coffee and have a super yummy La La Cookie. You will thank me later.

La La Land Kind Cafe
📍: 5626 Bell Ave, Dallas TX 75206
☎️: 214.579.9550

(((hugs))) ~lisa

I made my super easy Ham and Cheese Quiche again and y’all, it is so stinking easy that y’all have to try it!

Visit this blog post for the recipe:
https://ourgrayhouse.com/2018/01/04/ham-and-cheese-quiche/

Have an awesome day!

~lisa

 

If you are ever in Mesquite Texas, I encourage you to check out Bull’s Pen Cafe.  

We were out and about early Saturday morning and decided to stop in at Bull’s Pen Cafe for breakfast.  We both had the #2 on the breakfast menu which is 2 eggs any style, your choice of hash browns, grits or sliced tomato.  And, your choice of toast or biscuits & gravy and choice of ham, sausage or bacon.  All that for only $6.99.  Our breakfast arrived hot, fresh and just as we ordered it.  

One of the cool things about Bull’s Pen Cafe is the fact that it definitely has that hometown feel to it.  Lots of locals greeting each other as they arrived for breakfast.  Lots of folks catching up on the latest.  It was a good feeling being surrounded by that.  Kind of like feeling you are at “home” but you are not.  It’s just a very comfortable feeling.

The Martinez family runs the Bull’s Pen Cafe and have been serving the Mesquite community with good food since 1989.  They have two other restaurants, the original Martinez Restaurant in Mesquite and Tino’s Restaurant in Sunnyvale.  We love all three.  And we’ve been eating at all three for years.  

Check them out and let me know what you ate and what you thought!

(((hugs))) ~lisa

 

 

Our Washington State grandkids were in town this past week and our grandson Bentley was just dying to go to LEGOLAND.

The hotel that the kids were staying at had a discount code so we were able to save some money on our tickets.  I purchased our tickets online, and if you book your tickets online at least 24 hours in advance, you’ll get the best pricing, children under 2 are free.

When you book your tickets, you also choose your entry time.  They space out the number of guests entering so everyone has a great experience.   We arrived a few minutes before our time slot, stood in a short line, they then take a few fun pics of your party before entering and then we were off.

Obviously, there are a ton of things made out of LEGOS.  The Dallas skyline including the AAC, the Cowboys and the Texas Rangers are among the designs you’ll see.

The guys all made LEGO cars and raced them down a ramp.

The kids can drive these police cars around a track, ride the Merlin’s Apprentice ride, play on the Ninjago experience and a lot more!

They also have a 4D movie with additional rain, wind and snow effects that really bring the movie to life and make you feel like you are a part of it!

If you are looking for something fun to do to beat this Dallas ☀️ heat with young kids, I suggest checking out LEGOLAND Discovery Center.

(((hugs))) ~lisa

 

 

 

Y’all – I cannot *not* tell you about this. I mean, we are friends, right?  And friends tell each other the best secrets. And sharing is caring so I HAVE to tell y’all!!  The Roasted Jalapeño Soup is amazing.  It’s a Fish City Grill original recipe, creamy and spicy and it hits the spot.

My hubby and I are in love with the Roasted Jalapeño Soup at Fish City Grill.  The first time we had it was several years ago.  We were meeting friends there for dinner and they gave us a sample.  My husband immediately ordered a bowl and we weren’t even all seated yet!  THAT is how good it is! .

And yes, I know it’s summer, so not a typical dish that you would want but do I need to say it again? It is THAT good!

If we are ever in the area, we do our best to stop by and get a bowl. Because #yummy4mytummy !! Have you ever been? What’s your favorite thing on the Fish City Grill menu?

 (((hugs))) ~lisa

Our grandkids LOVED the Forney Splash Pad!

The Forney Community Park has a family area and it’s like three parks in one.  There’s a great playground, a pavilion area with plenty of green space and then of course, the main attraction for us, the Splash Pad.   There are play areas for all age groups so the whole family can have fun.

You can also rent the pavilion or picnic out on the grass.  It is really a perfect spot for playdates and summertime fun.  Don’t forget to pack a picnic basket, a cooler full of cold drinks and some sunscreen!

What fun things are you doing this summer?

(((hugs))) ~lisa

I love my @Sephora birthday freebies!

During my birthday month, I stopped by Sephora to pick up my free birthday present for Sephora Beauty Insiders, and I chose the @bitebeauty lip duo!

It comes with a Mini Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Chai, Mini Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Glacé, and Agave Lip Treatment Sample Duo.

I tried the lip scrub that is part of the lip treatment duo, and it left my lips feeling so soft. I can’t wait to try the rest of the stuff!

What birthday gift did you pick up this year?

(((hugs))) ~lisa