The Allison Show

I love really good, artisian bread {Hello, Carbs!} which is sometimes hard to find in Sticks, TN.  So when I really, really need bread here is my go to recipe.  I adapted it and made some changes from a family recipe. All you need to make this recipe is a stand mixer {or a hand mixer and a seriously buff arm} and your oven.  Ingredients: 5 cloves of garlic 2 cups water 1 oz rapid rise yeast 2 tablespoons butter {room temp} 4 teaspoons oregano 4 teaspoons basil 1 1/2 tablespoons salt 1/8 cup of white granulated sugar 1 egg white {room temp} 6 1/2 cups bread flour 1 tablespoon olive oil {to oil the bowl the dough rests in} Directions: Saute 5 cloves of garlic in a little olive oil until they are soft and pale tan - not brown.  DJ has a hard time with this step as he likes brown garlic. Set aside to cool.  In stand mixer, dump 2 cups lukewarm water and 1 oz {4 little packets} of rapid rise instant yeast. Let that sit til the yeast is dissolved and foamy, about 3-4 minute

I love getting to work with other Moms and their businesses.  I know how hard it is to work with kids so I try to support Mom owned busniesses whenever I can.  I also LOVE jewelry so if you are like me then this post is perfect!!  Amber is a 30 something mom of two of the best kids ever and owner of Simpli Stamped ! In addition to making jewelry she is an avid photographer and blogger. She loves all things beautiful and strives to find joy wherever she goes.  You can find Amber at: Simpli Stamped Facebook Simpli Stamped Blog When she gave me the opportunity to review anything in her jewelry shopped I was thrilled!!  After looking at all the pieces, I stumbled upon her Custom Work page!! I decided to combine a couple of designs I had seen into the perfect ncklace for me.  I asked her to stamp a disk with Choose Joy and include a pearl.  Then I had to wait {im}patiently for her to make the necklace and then for USPS to take their sweet time delivering it.  But it was so worth

I happen to love the 4th of July!!  As our Nation's birthday, it makes me hopeful for our future!  We decided that we shoudl have some friends over and BBQ!!  My friend Katy brought over her 2 kids and we babysat my friend Michelle's son cause he is afraid of fireworks.  Katy had some great party ideas for the 4th! We made red, white & blue punch.  The secret to the punch is to layer the drink with most sugar on bottom, then the one with a little less, and top with the one with the least suagr.  So we used cranberry juice, blue raspberry G2, and diet 7 up.  Fill your container with ice and then add the drinks one at a time. For the the jello jars.  Make blue raspberry jello according to directions and pour into the canning jars.  Let set about 30 min.  Then make white chocolate instant pudding according to directions and pour that  on top.  Let set up about 30 minutes again.  Then top with raspberry jello and thats it!!  Super easy and super fun!!  For dinner we h

Well I survived my first 2 roller derby practices.  I am crazy sore but that is more from the fact that I don't and haven't worked out regularly in like 15 years.  Sunday's practice was fun.  We learned to fall on one knee and to glide on 1 knee.  We started to lean how to get comfortable on skates.  We did a bunch of side steps which is really hard to do in skates.  We also did TONS of squats which my thighs hate. I learned it is really hard to stand still on skates.  I can skate fine but just standing there my skates want to roll. At the end of practice we were doing kicks.  Stand on 1 leg and kicking our other leg.  Since I am so wobbly, I was mostly just trying to stand still.  The girl next to me went to kick and her skate she was standing on slid back and she fell to the ground.  She ended up breaking her ankle and needing surgery.  YIKES!!  But that reminded the trainers to tell us to listen to ourselves and our bodies.  If we are sore or need a break take one.  And

Well I just got my email and I made it into the Little City Roller Girls- Fresh Meat Boot Camp!!  I'll have practice Sun from 11-2pm and Monday from 6:30-8:30pm.  Plus I am HIGHLY recommended to go to open skate Tues and Thursday nights.  But we'll see.  LOL. I think this will be the push I need to get in shape once and for all.!!  Bye baby weight.

So now that try-outs are tonight, I am kinda scared.  LOL  I practiced on a pair of roller blades that Blake got at Goodwill for $1 a year ago and I can skate fine... BUT can I really do this? I am sooo not in shape.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Editted after try-outs Well it was pretty good.   There was 6-7 girls there trying out.  2 were awesome {probably did derby before}, 1 skated pretty good, me, and the rest couldn't really skate {ie didn't know how to glide etc} so I am fairly sure I will make the boot camp.  But who knows? LOL

I saw on Facebook that our local roller derby team is holding tryouts on Monday.  They just want to see you skate a few laps and then they teach you a fall.  if you "pass" you make it in their Boot Camp program.  Then in 3-4 months when you pass Boot Camp, you get on the actual roller derby team!!  How fun.  Plus it sounds like the perfect way to get in shape and lose baby weight. Well I told Hubby and my Dad and they both said: A- You'll die. B- You don't  know how to skate C- You are a wuss D- You are not in shape.  At all E- You haven't been on skates in years. Like 12+ years and then it was roller blades. So while these are mostly true statements, nothing makes me want to do something more than by having people tell me I can't.  So I am going to try out. Thanks for the support Guys!!

Between now and 11:59pm (Pacific Time) tonight you can get a FREE Father’s Day card from Treat ! Just use the code TREATDAD and enjoy a free, customized, card. This offer applies to all new and returning customers. Here is how it works: ·          You choose your card from their hundreds of Father’s Day designs . ·          Personalize it with photos, nicknames, inside jokes, whatever you want to add. This is your chance to make it YOUR card. Be creative. Be funny. Be sappy. Make dad laugh, cry, or just smile. ·          Use the code TREATDAD to get this special deal. (Note: This offer is good all customers, whether this is your first time or 100 th time using Treat). Treat will truly brighten your day…and your dad’s! So check them out now and take advantage of this awesome offer! Note: You can choose the “Send it to me first” shipping option to receive the card free. If you choose “Mail it directly to the recipient,” you will be charged

 This is the first in a multi-part series on couponing!!  They will be guest posted by Katy of The Frugal Chicks.   I will also be posting some info about organizing your coupons and the different binder/organizers out there. Enjoy!! ~Allison _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________  Change the way you menu plan, grocery shop, the way you eat, get ready for a NEW outlook on the grocery store! ~ No more late afternoon runs to the grocery store to get what you need for dinner ~ No more weekly menu with its accompanying list of groceries to be purchased regardless of price ~ No More Huge monthly Shopping trips ~ No more wholesale club size Mustard to store somewhere... ~ No more running out of dish detergent, toilet paper, paper towels and spending a fortune on them. Get ready for using coupons to buy items and stock piling when items are at the lowest price point.  Someone loose a job?  Los

Title: A Secret Wish Author: Barbara Freethy   http://www.barbarafreethy.com/ Description: Three women, three birthdays and one unforgettable night that will change their lives forever. One night in San Francisco, three women make a birthday wish believing it can't possibly come true.  Three women, three birthdays and a night of events that connects them in unexpected ways ... I absolutely loved this book!!  As a woman who just turned the big 3-0, I really connected to all main characters, who are all turning a milestone birthday on the same day.   Liz is turning thirty. She is a nurse but is lacking in the love department.  She is not a risk taker and because of that keeps settling for jerky, "safe" boyfriends.  Will she ever have that crazy, amazing love? Angela is turning 35 and wants a baby.  But after failed attempts at in-vetro, will she have to give up her dream of being a mom? Carole is turning 40 and realizes that even though she appears to have it a

  It seems like the last month or so, all I "hear" about online is "Mommy" Wars. * Breastfeeders VS. Bottle Feeders.   *SAHM VS Working Moms.  *"Veteran" Moms VS New Moms.  *Cloth Diapering VS Disposables.  *Moms VS Women who choose to not Procreate.  When did parenting become a sport?  It has even  boiled over into Women VS Women.  Can't we all just get along?  Why do we as women feel the need to not only belittle each other but see it as socially acceptable? I was reading The Bloggess the other day and saw that she had been on CNN, to talk about the Hillary Rosen/Ann Romney dispute.  Which I actually think it is kind of funny.  If you haven't heard {cause who has time to watch the news when you have kids?} Mitt Romney has been saying "well my wife thinks this is economically important to woman or my wife says this about the economy..."  To which Hilary Rosen said "What does Ann Romney know about the economy? She has never worked

1.  What was your first car?  A '95, Hunter Green Ford Taurus.  HORRIBLE!! 2.  Who was your first crush?   I guess a boy named James in 6th grade. 3.  Where was your first apartment away from your parents?  I moved in with a friend my senior year of high school. 4.  Where was your first airplane flight to?  I flew back to San Diego from Sacramento. 5.  What was the first school you attended?  I started kindergarten at La Mesa Dale. 

I have successfully potty trained 4 kids.  WHY does #5 have to be the deal breaker? I have tried all the usual tricks and nothing is working.  He wants to wear underwear but then pees (mostly poops) in them.  We have tried:  ~buying his favorite character underwear ~sticker chart ~ Sitting on the potty every 15 minutes. {he will climb off and walk out of the bathroom to poop in his underwear} ~M&M's each time he at least tries (1), more for pee (3), even more for poop (5). ~getting a toy and he can't open it til he is accident free for 1 week Did I miss anything??  Last week he was accident free  {day/night, nap time and going out} for 3 days and then poop in his underwear twice in 1 day.  Everyday for 3 days.  Finally I put him back in diapers.  He was mad and threw a fit but I can't deal with anymore poopy underwear.  I guess when he is really ready he will just do it right?  No one has ever had a first grader wearing underwear right??  Right??  I would lov

1.  Where did you go on your favorite Spring Break?  Palm Springs, CA 2.  Who were you with?  My mom and 2 sisters 3.  What/where was your lamest Spring Break?  Started great but I ended up sunburning my eyes and couldn't open them for 3 days and was in excruciating pain. 4.  What was the craziest thing you did on a Spring Break?   Went snow skiing. 5.  What do you love about Spring Break?  It is warm and sunny but not yet hot and humid.

Ever have one of those days when you would kill for coffee? Well after taking two kids to get the oil changed and repair a recalled part {that was supposed to take maybe an hour and took 2 1/2} I would possibly killed the mechanic for a Starbucks coffee.  So why don't we do a giveaway??  I don't want anyone to feel the stress and consider homicide.  Here's what you'll win:  A handmade fleece coffee cozy and a $5 Gift Card to Starbucks!!  Best part??  There will be 3 winners!!

1.  What is your earliest memory? I was 5 and my sister was born 2.  What hair style did you wear when you about 10 years old?  Straight with bangs 3.  What was one of your favorite recess activities?  Being with friends.  Every couple weeks we would change what was cool.  One week it was dodgeball, next it was double dutch,  then it was handball.. 4.  Who was your favorite teacher?  My favorite teacher was my AP Environmental Science teacher.  She was young and great with us high school girls. 5.  What was one of the funniest styles or outfits you sported as a kid?  leggings and sweater. 

Author: Cheryl Douglas Book: Shameless, Book One in the Nashville Nights Series   For me, the most exciting part of being a writer is watching the characters come to life. My current series, Nashville Nights, was inspired by my love of country music. I enjoy all types of music but the romance writer in me is drawn to country music when I’m looking for inspiration. Every song tells a story and many of those stories revolve around lost love or people who’ve triumphed over adversity to experience love. Sounds like a romance novel, doesn’t it? The first book in this series, Shameless, delves into the life a country singer who’s finally ready to face his demons. He hopes his journey of self-discovery will help him re-kindle a relationship with the woman who left him a broken man, his ex-wife. When I first started to write this book, I already had a clear picture in my head of who the hero, Trey Turner, would be. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with each of the secondary chara

1.  What/where was your first job?  Burger King 2.  How old were you?  16 and 1/2 3.  How did you get there?  Parents drove me or I took the bus 4.  How long did you work there?  Almost a year. 5.  What did you like/dislike about it?  Loved it because SD BFF worked there too.  Hated it cause I did the work of 3 people and most of the other employees spoke Spanish.   And it was fast food.  EWWW  dirty and greasy.

1.  What is your favorite drink?  (How often do you drink it?) Dr Pepper is my fave but I'm not supposed to drink soda. I have started juicing and I love my "pink" juice which is apples, pineapple, pears,a nd strawberries. 2.  Who is your favorite team?  San Diego Chargers 3.  How do you like your steak?  Medium 4.  What is your favorite toothpaste?  Colgate Optic White 5.  Where is your favorite place to shop?  Target

1.  Do you like to cook?   Yes I do now.  Except when I am tired from working all day. 2. What is your favorite dish to make?  Love to make lasagna from scratch 3. Do you like cooking for others?  I have 5 kids and a bakery.  I have to cook for others 4. Are you a baker-or mainly just a taster?  I have loved to bake since I was little. Cooking not til I was an adult: like 22+ years old. 5. What food will you NOT cook under any circumstances?  I don't cook red meat.  Hubby is the one grilling the steaks. LOL

1.  Where is your favorite repeated vacation place?  San Diego 2.  How long do you like to go on vacation? As long as possible. 3.  Where did you go on your favorite vacation?  Vegas for my 30th Birthday 4.  Where was your most recent vacation?  Vegas for my 30th birthday 5.  If money were no object, where would you like to go?  Fiji

As you know I own a cupcake bakery, but you may not know that I LOVE Girl Scout cookies.  I would eat boxes and boxes except Hubby doesn't let me.  LOL  So I decided to combine my loves into Girl Scout cupcakes.  I picked 5 variety of cookies: Thin Mints, Savannah Smiles, Tagalong, Do-Si-Do, and Samoas.  I also think that the first step to cooking or baking is he Semi-Homemade approach.  Take a box cake mix or dinner kit and spice it up and make it your own!  So instead of posting a bunch of recipes, I decided to instead post a way to take either box mix or your fave cake recipe and make it Girl Scout cookie flavor. Thin Mints!!  Start with chocolate cake batter that is ready to be scooped.  Using a standard ice cream scoop, fill it about 3/4 full with batter and place in cupcake tin.  Then crush some Thin Mint cookies {KID job!!}and sprinkle on top of the batter.  Bake as directed.  For the frosting take a plain vanilla or if you are making homemade buttercream {2 sticks

1.  Fast food restaurant?  McDonald's 2.  Casual dining restaurant?  5 Guys Burgers 3.  Expensive restaurant?   BeniHana 4.  Family-friendly restaurant? Fatz 5.  Restaurant that you could go to everyday? Chinese food here in TN, Taco shops in CA

I had a post planned about Lent and my plans to give up cupcakes{that way I wouldn't have to go to work} but instead I read this and want to share it.  I don't know who the author is but I will do some research and update later.  I found it on the Momastry Facebook page.  If you haven't go read their blog NOW!!  Like really leave mine and head over and read Don't Carpe Diem   and then go read A Mountain I'm willing to Die On.    And then you can come back and read my blog post but by then you may never come back because you will have been sucked into the awesomness of Glennon.  So maybe read my post and then go get lost... Here is:  An Ode to the Overwhelmed   And as you stand there   Late again Because you forgot to allow time to park And the elevator was slow And you left 10 minutes late to begin with With your shoes that pinch And your pants that are a little too small Since you started eating white bread again And as you paw through your bag Loo

1. Do you collect anything?  Not really.  I have tons, and I mean TONS of books though. 2. What’s your favorite hobby?  Photography.  I tell people that is my next career after baking. 3. What is your style of organization?  Either sloppy mess or crazy OCD organized.  Depends on what it is and if I have the money/room/time to get stuff and keep stuff as organized as I would want. 4. If you didn’t have any limitations, what would you be passionate about?  I would love to be able to travel all over the world!!  Imagine the awesome pictures I would take and the people and places I would see!! 5. What hobby have you been thinking about trying, but haven't yet?  I want to learn to sew, I would love to have a clothing store maybe.  I also want to start making all natural soaps and scrubs.

You may have seen me doing the Fast Friday Facts from This is Me Challenge .  Well her special Valentine's Day challenge is Your Love Story... And I found it especially fitting since I first realized I liked DJ on Valentine's Day!  So here is our love story...  {Wanna join in on the fun?  Had over and check out all the cool stuff on the This is Me Blog} It was 2/14/2000.  DJ was a co-worker of mine at Henry's {market like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's}.  I was a senior in high school and a bagger/helper/do everything worker.  DJ worked in produce.  ~I hate Valentine's Day by the way.  I was mad that I had to work, and mad that I wasn't at home eating Ben and Jerry's.  I was running around the store and saw DJ.  He called my name and I thought he was going to tell me to get back to work {we were always saying that to each other} so I snapped What? He said all sweetly Happy Valentine's Day.  AWWWWWW.  We started dating a couple weeks later and here we ar

1.  Do you like Valentine's day?  Not really.  Now that I am married it is better but I still don't really get into it. 2.  What is one Valentine tradition you have?  Don't have any. 3.  Who do you want to be your valentine?  My Hubby. LOL {unless I can have an actor...;) } 4.  What was the funniest valentine you ever received?  One year hubby gave a me a bear that was dressed like a inmate and had a ball and chain on hit foot.  LOL 5. What do you want to get from your valentine this year?  Home cooked dinner and time without the kids!!

No I don't mean Super Bowl {hideous by the way!!} or Valentine's Day {that post is coming later}but for me the beginning of Feb means one thing: TAX REFUNDS!!!!!! Woo Hoo.  So what is the first thing I do with my tax check {besides deposit it Duh!} Shopping!!  These have plans have been swimming around in my head since October when my mom moved out.  We moved the 3 little boys downstairs and they share a HUGE room that is seriously about 400 square feet.  Blake and Kayla both have their own rooms upstairs.  Blake needs a bed, Kayla and little boys need furniture {end tables, tv stand, dressers...etc} I headed over to the internet to start shopping {who shops in stores any more??} I decided to start my shopping at Become.com.  You enter your search info and they search all the stores that sell products that match that description. Yay!! I found these super cute  off white distressed bedroom dressers   I think they would be perfect in Kayla's room.  But then my ADD kicked

1.  Do you have/have you ever had any pets?   As a kid I had mice, a rat, fish, As an adult I have had dogs 2.  What’s your favorite animal?  My fave animal is the chimp! 3.  What animal scares you the most?    I am not really afraid of any animals.  4.  If you were an animal, what would you be, why?   I would be a chimp since they are most like animals. 5.  What’s the most exotic animal you have ever seen before?  I used to work at SeaWorld so I have seen many wild sea animals up close like Manatees, Dolphins, Whales, and sharks!  I have also rode on an elephant and a camel.

~~~~~ Previous Post ~~~~~ You'd think leaving Vegas at 6am would be a quiet time at the airport but it wasn't.  I went to a kiosk to print my boarding pass but it told me I had an invalid number.  WTF??  So then I stood in 2 lines and finally got checked in.  Ran to my gate, waited about 20 minutes and then got to board.  Then sat on the plane for 35 minutes because there was too many bags in the back hold and some needed to be moved to the middle hold.  Hello Colorado!!  Snow on the ground. I was supposed to have a 62 min layover but since we left Vegas late, I missed my plane to Chicago.  But the awesome stewardess booked me a new flight from CO to Charlotte and then from Charlotte to Tri-Cities.  But now I have a 2 1/2 hour layover and a 3 hour layover in Charlotte.  Instead of getting home at 430pm, I got home at 845pm.  Lame but at least I made it!!!!!!!!!  Vacation was awesome but I was ready to be back.   Next is CO BFF's birthday in May!!!  What we will do t

~~~~~ Previous Post ~~~~~ After resting for a while, we decided to head to Freemont Street which is a little older and more ghetto part of Vegas. This was pre-drinking I swear!!!!!!!!!!!! All of the casinos on Freemont Street were handing out Mardi Gras beads and I got a bunch thanks to my Birthday crown. After we spent some time hanging out, we went back to our hotel and started making our own drinks!! My special cup. And with our special "concoctions"  LOL  It was Malibu rum {with real coconut flakes in it}, champagne, Watermelon pucker, and grenadine.   I kept forgetting about the coconut flakes and thought there was floaties in my drink.  LOL ~~~~~  Last Post ~~~~~