Hey all!!
Well, these past few weeks have been eventful. We've been taking advantage of sunny days with friends complete with lots of food (and drinks!), and this past weekend we loaded up the crew and headed down to Port Aransas for Sandfest 2011. We had so much fun!! It was very relaxing, the weather was gorgeous, the company was great, and the sandcastles were awesome. It was one of those weekends where I just kept telling myself, "I don't want this to end" and "I wish it could last another day." Although the next festival isn't for another year, we're all looking forward to heading down there for a weekend during the summer and enjoying it all over again!
A few posts back I made a wish list of items I want in my backyard and I've finally checked one of those items off! I went to Hobby Lobby and they have all of their paper lanterns on sale! I have regular string lights that I'll hang them on so I didn't need to purchase any of those. Anyway, I loaded up on 8", 10", and 12" lanterns in blue, yellow, green, orange, and pink. They're absolutely perfect for Spring (not that we've had a Spring season), Summer, and a Fiesta party I REALLY want to have. I'm holding off on hanging them up outside because I'm using the blue, yellow, and green lanterns inside my home for a baby shower I'm hosting this weekend, but they'll definitely be going up very soon.
Oh, FYI, I'm hosting my very first baby shower this weekend for a very close friend of mine. She's coming into town and won't be back until after little Liam enters the world, so I figured "why not?!" I've only had about three weeks to prepare for this little shindig, one of which where I was out of town for an entire week, but I think it's coming together nicely. Guests will only have to go through the agony of playing games twice and they're not all that bad. It's at 2PM so I'm having appetizers and finger foods. The decorations have been ordered and delivered! I really just need to clean the house, prepare the food, and put up decor...oh wait, that's all of the hard stuff that I still have left to do! Geez...please wish me "Good Luck!!"
From time to time, I have what I like to call "pothead" moments. I am NOT a pothead, but these moments have to deal with food and I feel like they would occur after someone has lit up, hence, "pothead" moments. They occur when I'm thinking about food, particularly when I'm thinking about a dish I've recently had. So, I caught myself thinking about cream cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon and thought that the combination would work well with chicken. I found myself at HEB right after work buying absolutely everything I would need to make this moment a reality. I halved and seasoned both sides of one chicken breast, then sliced it to create a pocket. Next, I chopped and seeded a large jalapeno and pulsed it with about 3oz of cream cheese in a food processor. Scoop cream cheese mixture into the pockets of the chicken, wrap with bacon (I think I ended up using about 4 slices) and secure with toothpicks. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for about 25 minutes and eureka...cream cheese and jalapeno stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon! It was delicious and Rick even liked it, and it's hard to introduce him to anything new! Try it out!!!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Fun In The Sun
Rick and I took full advantage of the beautiful sunny days we had this past weekend! The entire weekend was so awesomely AWESOME and I never wanted it to end. :(
Saturday was a day full of sun, drinks, and friends hanging out lakeside. I forget how much I love being by the lake. It's so peaceful and relaxing. It makes you forget about absolutely everything else that's going on and you just enjoy your surroundings. And, I can't remember ever swimming in March but we sure did enjoy being in that water! Being out there also made me realize how much I actually miss living lakeside. I don't know that the first house we buy will be lakeside but I do know that we'll be living lakeside at some point during our lives.
Yesterday was another day full of sun, drinks, friends, and, my personal favorite, barbeque!! We hit the volleyball around, threw the football around, listened to music, played Rock Band, ate some good food, had delicious cold drinks, and we talked about our upcoming trip to Sandfest and our annual camping trip to Garner. And after all of that, my hubby still took me to Baskin Robbins so we could share a chocolate ice cream cone! "Awwww!" J/K...kind of, but not really
This past weekend was just one of those weekends where nothing was going to get in the way of having fun and nothing (and I do mean NOTHING!!) was going to spoil a good day or night. It was one of those weekends that ended with me saying, "Damn, I love my life!!"
...Now, time for a movie recommendation...
"The Switch" starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman
Go rent it, NOW! Yes, I'm a chick-flick kind of person and, yes, Rick watches chick-flicks to amuse me but even he said, "that was a gooood movie." I laughed, I shed a tear or two, then I was happy, then I might have shed another tear, then I was happy again. It also made me realize that I definitely want a 5 year old child in my life! :)
Saturday was a day full of sun, drinks, and friends hanging out lakeside. I forget how much I love being by the lake. It's so peaceful and relaxing. It makes you forget about absolutely everything else that's going on and you just enjoy your surroundings. And, I can't remember ever swimming in March but we sure did enjoy being in that water! Being out there also made me realize how much I actually miss living lakeside. I don't know that the first house we buy will be lakeside but I do know that we'll be living lakeside at some point during our lives.
Yesterday was another day full of sun, drinks, friends, and, my personal favorite, barbeque!! We hit the volleyball around, threw the football around, listened to music, played Rock Band, ate some good food, had delicious cold drinks, and we talked about our upcoming trip to Sandfest and our annual camping trip to Garner. And after all of that, my hubby still took me to Baskin Robbins so we could share a chocolate ice cream cone! "Awwww!" J/K...kind of, but not really
This past weekend was just one of those weekends where nothing was going to get in the way of having fun and nothing (and I do mean NOTHING!!) was going to spoil a good day or night. It was one of those weekends that ended with me saying, "Damn, I love my life!!"
...Now, time for a movie recommendation...
"The Switch" starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman
Go rent it, NOW! Yes, I'm a chick-flick kind of person and, yes, Rick watches chick-flicks to amuse me but even he said, "that was a gooood movie." I laughed, I shed a tear or two, then I was happy, then I might have shed another tear, then I was happy again. It also made me realize that I definitely want a 5 year old child in my life! :)
Monday, March 14, 2011
R.I.P. Spring Break
So, I've been out of college for almost 4 years (yikes!!) and I really miss Spring Break. It's not like I have any business being out on the beach for an entire week partying my butt off the whole time, but I do miss the idea of it. Getting away from school or work, lounging or playing in the water all day, sipping a margarita or another alcoholic beverage of choice...*sigh*...I wish I could do that! Instead, I'm enjoying a nice, long week at work. Eh, at least I have Sandfest to look forward to. It's only a short month away! Rest In Peace, Spring Break. You were great while it lasted!!
In my last post, I wrote about wish list items and getting my backyard and patio ready for spring and summer. Well, I totally forgot to mention that I wanted new plants because ALL of my plants from last year had died during winter. I went to Home Depot yesterday and found some really good deals on filler plants for my hanging pots, and I found the cutest, tiny, little sago palm tree. I'm so excited and giddy about my new plants and palm tree! Next, I'm working on finding the perfect hammock. I'm checking stores like Academy, Home Depot, Lowes, etc., but I'm also looking on Ebay, Amazon, and Craigslist. I'm always looking for a deal and hopefully I'll find a deal on a hammock and have it hanging in the backyard in a couple of weeks.
How gorgeous was the weather this past Saturday?! We didn't get to do much on Saturday. I was at the gym all morning and Rick was working, then we tried to rest for a couple of hours before heading to a wedding that afternoon, so we kind of missed out on it. I thought yesterday was going to be just like Saturday so we planned to barbeque, but yesterday was quite the dud and we skipped the barbeque. This upcoming weekend, however, looks like it's shaping up to be super gorgeous! Gorgeous barbeque weather!! Although, I wouldn't mind having a picnic in the park with dogs...I guess we'll just see how it goes. I think this weekend is a plan-less weekend and I'm looking forward to just enjoying it. Geez, how pathetic am I? It's only Monday and I'm already talking about the weekend!
In my last post, I wrote about wish list items and getting my backyard and patio ready for spring and summer. Well, I totally forgot to mention that I wanted new plants because ALL of my plants from last year had died during winter. I went to Home Depot yesterday and found some really good deals on filler plants for my hanging pots, and I found the cutest, tiny, little sago palm tree. I'm so excited and giddy about my new plants and palm tree! Next, I'm working on finding the perfect hammock. I'm checking stores like Academy, Home Depot, Lowes, etc., but I'm also looking on Ebay, Amazon, and Craigslist. I'm always looking for a deal and hopefully I'll find a deal on a hammock and have it hanging in the backyard in a couple of weeks.
How gorgeous was the weather this past Saturday?! We didn't get to do much on Saturday. I was at the gym all morning and Rick was working, then we tried to rest for a couple of hours before heading to a wedding that afternoon, so we kind of missed out on it. I thought yesterday was going to be just like Saturday so we planned to barbeque, but yesterday was quite the dud and we skipped the barbeque. This upcoming weekend, however, looks like it's shaping up to be super gorgeous! Gorgeous barbeque weather!! Although, I wouldn't mind having a picnic in the park with dogs...I guess we'll just see how it goes. I think this weekend is a plan-less weekend and I'm looking forward to just enjoying it. Geez, how pathetic am I? It's only Monday and I'm already talking about the weekend!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Jealousy and Wish List Items
The first day of Spring is March 20th, and I've noticed a lot of people talking about and making plans for their Spring breaks. *Sigh* Can I just say that I am uber jealous? This is definitely one of those times when I wish I were still in school or... would have become a teacher! LOL! Those teachers get the best holidays! Some government/bank holidays, Spring break, Summer, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/New Year's break. At this point, I don't know why I didn't think of becoming a teacher when I was in college or making a career change a couple of years ago. I know there's much more to being a teacher than the holidays but they are a huge plus, I'm sure. As of now, I'll think of myself as super jealous of those getting a Spring break but also lucky to be able to look forward to an extended weekend at the beach in April for Sandfest 2011. So, the countdown begins... 40 days until Sandfest 2011!!!
And now for my wish list items...
We moved into our house in May of last year and didn't have a whole lot of time to get our backyard set-up the way I wanted to and it's looking like we might not get around to it this year either. :( There are a few items that I think I could probably DIY and do it for a fairly decent price. Then, there are those items that I would LOVE to have but can't justify spending the money for them. There's also the issue of us being in a rental house, instead of a house we're paying a mortgage on, that hinders us from doing permanent things such as building an uncovered deck off of the covered deck to create a sitting place for our firepit.
We currently have small twinkle lights strung under the cover of our patio but I would really love to string lights away from the patio to create more light and make the backyard more welcoming. I love large, colored lights and paper lanterns!
I also love these paper lantern towers I found on Martha Stewart's website. I want to make tons of them and line them along the fence. They are too cute!!
In our first house, Rick and I had a hammock and we loved it! I really want a hammock that is supported by trees...
...but we only have one tree so I guess I'll have to settle for a hammock swing. Either way, I want a hammock!!
The biggest item on my wish list is an outdoor canopy with a chandelier and a dining table. I really want to have outdoor dinner parties and this would set-up would complete the entire thing, but I know I won't get it anytime soon. Big sad face! Oh well, a girl can wish, right?!
My last wish list item is a new barbeque pit. We love hosting barbeques and I love nothing more than grilled fajitas, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, and jalapenos! I would love to have this grill!
I'm definitely going to try to DIY the light strings, paper lantern lights, and paper lantern towers. Hopefully, next will be the hammock and new grill, then I'll keep wishing for the outdoor canopy, chandelier, and dining table!! LOL!
I think the wish list will at least provide a little more motivation for me to work harder so that I can finally have these items in my backyard, and host the perfect, outdoor dinner parties I've been dreaming about.
And now for my wish list items...
We moved into our house in May of last year and didn't have a whole lot of time to get our backyard set-up the way I wanted to and it's looking like we might not get around to it this year either. :( There are a few items that I think I could probably DIY and do it for a fairly decent price. Then, there are those items that I would LOVE to have but can't justify spending the money for them. There's also the issue of us being in a rental house, instead of a house we're paying a mortgage on, that hinders us from doing permanent things such as building an uncovered deck off of the covered deck to create a sitting place for our firepit.
We currently have small twinkle lights strung under the cover of our patio but I would really love to string lights away from the patio to create more light and make the backyard more welcoming. I love large, colored lights and paper lanterns!
I also love these paper lantern towers I found on Martha Stewart's website. I want to make tons of them and line them along the fence. They are too cute!!
In our first house, Rick and I had a hammock and we loved it! I really want a hammock that is supported by trees...
...but we only have one tree so I guess I'll have to settle for a hammock swing. Either way, I want a hammock!!
The biggest item on my wish list is an outdoor canopy with a chandelier and a dining table. I really want to have outdoor dinner parties and this would set-up would complete the entire thing, but I know I won't get it anytime soon. Big sad face! Oh well, a girl can wish, right?!
My last wish list item is a new barbeque pit. We love hosting barbeques and I love nothing more than grilled fajitas, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, and jalapenos! I would love to have this grill!
I'm definitely going to try to DIY the light strings, paper lantern lights, and paper lantern towers. Hopefully, next will be the hammock and new grill, then I'll keep wishing for the outdoor canopy, chandelier, and dining table!! LOL!
I think the wish list will at least provide a little more motivation for me to work harder so that I can finally have these items in my backyard, and host the perfect, outdoor dinner parties I've been dreaming about.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Totally Forgot to Mention...
Our snow day of 2011!! During the night of February 3rd and through the early morning hours of February 4th, snow fell and STUCK in good ol' Central Texas. Or course we had minimal accumulation but it was so nice to see the white fluffiness all over the streets, yards, and houses. Here are a few pictures...
Monday, February 14, 2011
Spring Is In The Air!
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone has a lover for the day or night, and if you don't, I hope you aren't one of the many that complains about the day. Yes, it's a commercialized, Hallmark holiday, but it's nice to have a day to spend with your loved one that doesn't revolve around an anniversary, birthday, or another special date. I love my husband every day of the week but it's nice to love him a little extra for Valentine's Day. *Stepping off my soap box now*
How beautiful was this past weekend?! It made me want to be outside all day long...and I kind of was! I was out and about on Saturday shopping for new home decor items before heading off to Couples Shower that evening. As for yesterday, I cleaned the house and did about 8 loads of laundry, then headed off to Wal-Mart (horror story!) for a few groceries and a rake! LOL, the weather inspired me to get started on yard work. I didn't technically use the rake but I did do some work on the some of my plants that were harmed by mean ol' Mr. Winter. My poor yard has suffered too. I have nothing but dead grass and leaves. I figured since the weather is about to warm up, I'll get started on making my yard green and beautiful again.
Let's move on to this horror story of grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. My gosh, it's a horrible place to shop at for groceries! I've never really like their meat or produce, but it was extra horrible yesterday. There were huge families with running and screaming children EVERYWHERE, about half of the items I wanted had to be substituted for something else due to their shelves not being stocked, and their prices were NOT cheaper than HEB. I usually shop at HEB but I wanted to buy a rake, so I figured I'd just kill two birds with one stone...huge mistake. I drive the extra 10 minutes to shop at the new HEB off 337 and 46 in New Braunfels because I feel like it's a better store with a better environment, and I've never been so right about that. Lesson learned! I'll just make two stops the next time I need two completely different items. I will avoid grocery shopping at Wal-Mart as much as possible from now on.
I head off to Houston tomorrow for work and I'm kind of excited about it. I haven't been to Houston in about two months and it's about time I head back out there for business. The good news is it's a short trip and I'll be home late Thursday afternoon, but the bad news is I'll be losing a couple of good-weather days to start working on my yard. I really want to rake up the leaves in my front and back yards (this will be an awesome workout)and get fertilizer spread along with a round of Revive before it rains this weekend. I guess I have a full day of yard work coming up on Saturday! How sad is it that I'm already looking forward to Saturday and it's only Monday? Oh, well!
Have a great Valentine's Day, everyone!
How beautiful was this past weekend?! It made me want to be outside all day long...and I kind of was! I was out and about on Saturday shopping for new home decor items before heading off to Couples Shower that evening. As for yesterday, I cleaned the house and did about 8 loads of laundry, then headed off to Wal-Mart (horror story!) for a few groceries and a rake! LOL, the weather inspired me to get started on yard work. I didn't technically use the rake but I did do some work on the some of my plants that were harmed by mean ol' Mr. Winter. My poor yard has suffered too. I have nothing but dead grass and leaves. I figured since the weather is about to warm up, I'll get started on making my yard green and beautiful again.
Let's move on to this horror story of grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. My gosh, it's a horrible place to shop at for groceries! I've never really like their meat or produce, but it was extra horrible yesterday. There were huge families with running and screaming children EVERYWHERE, about half of the items I wanted had to be substituted for something else due to their shelves not being stocked, and their prices were NOT cheaper than HEB. I usually shop at HEB but I wanted to buy a rake, so I figured I'd just kill two birds with one stone...huge mistake. I drive the extra 10 minutes to shop at the new HEB off 337 and 46 in New Braunfels because I feel like it's a better store with a better environment, and I've never been so right about that. Lesson learned! I'll just make two stops the next time I need two completely different items. I will avoid grocery shopping at Wal-Mart as much as possible from now on.
I head off to Houston tomorrow for work and I'm kind of excited about it. I haven't been to Houston in about two months and it's about time I head back out there for business. The good news is it's a short trip and I'll be home late Thursday afternoon, but the bad news is I'll be losing a couple of good-weather days to start working on my yard. I really want to rake up the leaves in my front and back yards (this will be an awesome workout)and get fertilizer spread along with a round of Revive before it rains this weekend. I guess I have a full day of yard work coming up on Saturday! How sad is it that I'm already looking forward to Saturday and it's only Monday? Oh, well!
Have a great Valentine's Day, everyone!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Awaiting Valentine's Day
Yep, you read it right, I'm anxiously awaiting Valentine's Day! I'm a person who loves LOVE, and loves any excuse or "commercial" holiday to celebrate love. I don't expect to go out to this crazy dinner and spend an insane amount of money, but I do expect to have my date night and alone time with my hubby. With that said, I'm trying to figure out what we're going to do! I go from one idea to another and then to another, but I always go back to one main idea: cooking a romantic dinner at home together followed by a night of sitting around the fire pit. Absolutely NO TV!! It actually sounds perfect for us because it's been a while since we've cooked dinner together. Cooking a meal together is something that I wanted us to start doing at least once a week but schedules and activities have gotten in the way. I think Valentine's Day just might be the perfect "excuse" to get my cooking night! What is everyone else doing for Valentine's Day, or are you one of those people who really don't care about the holiday?
The Super Bowl was this past weekend and I must admit, it was a pretty exciting game. We got together with our closest and best friends for an afternoon of food and football. Rick and I were going for the Steelers and it sucked to watch them lose. Even worse, it sucked to lose money because they lost, LOL! At least the Black Eyed Pea's halftime performance was entertaining...in my opinion anyway!
The Super Bowl festivities were great until that cold front blew through and it brought something with it that knocked me on my butt. I'm still not sure what it is that I'm "allergic" to but I know I don't like it! Coughing, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat; gross stuff! I rarely ever get legitimately sick where I have to take off work or just sit around and do nothing. The last time I was sick like this was the week of our wedding back in October of 2009! I go through periods where I don't feel so hot but I never really, really get sick, so it sucked that I had to take off work because I couldn't move without coughing or sneezing. And as my luck would have it, I'm finally feeling better just in time for the next cold front to blow through tomorrow morning. I just can't wait to see what allergens come in with this front (enter sarcasm). I feel like I'm always complaining about the weather...well here's another complaint: I'm tired of cold fronts! I'm ready for these cold fronts to go somewhere else and give my stuffy nose and sore throat a break.
Alright, enough complaining. I'm off to eat a cupcake and get some rest before heading back to work tomorrow.
The Super Bowl was this past weekend and I must admit, it was a pretty exciting game. We got together with our closest and best friends for an afternoon of food and football. Rick and I were going for the Steelers and it sucked to watch them lose. Even worse, it sucked to lose money because they lost, LOL! At least the Black Eyed Pea's halftime performance was entertaining...in my opinion anyway!
The Super Bowl festivities were great until that cold front blew through and it brought something with it that knocked me on my butt. I'm still not sure what it is that I'm "allergic" to but I know I don't like it! Coughing, sneezing, runny nose, sore throat; gross stuff! I rarely ever get legitimately sick where I have to take off work or just sit around and do nothing. The last time I was sick like this was the week of our wedding back in October of 2009! I go through periods where I don't feel so hot but I never really, really get sick, so it sucked that I had to take off work because I couldn't move without coughing or sneezing. And as my luck would have it, I'm finally feeling better just in time for the next cold front to blow through tomorrow morning. I just can't wait to see what allergens come in with this front (enter sarcasm). I feel like I'm always complaining about the weather...well here's another complaint: I'm tired of cold fronts! I'm ready for these cold fronts to go somewhere else and give my stuffy nose and sore throat a break.
Alright, enough complaining. I'm off to eat a cupcake and get some rest before heading back to work tomorrow.
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