It is hard to be believe that making out on a youth group trip (and subsequently getting caught and in a lot of trouble) has brought us to the point we are at today. Almost 11 years later we are celebrating 5 years of marriage. These years have been full- buying our first home together, living with roommates, graduating college, lots and lots of good food and drinks, some fights and tears, a half-country move, new jobs, a Mini dog and so much more. So much to celebrate and so much more to look forward to in the next 5 years. Thank you to so many of our friends and family who have supported us through the best times and the worst, we couldn’t have done it without you!
I love sending gifts to people but wrapping it all up is half the fun. I have a big roll of brown packing paper that I use to wrap up ugly boxes to send through the mail- does the job but could use some prettying up. This time I used rubber stamps and neon paint, just dip and stamp. I also made a few sheets of stamped tissue using a regular ink pad.
Cinco De Mayo- a great excuse to drink margaritas and eat mexican food. Throw in some baby donkey pinatas and you have yourself a party. I decided I wanted to make a big pinata a few days ago, but once I got one coat of paper mache on I realized there was no way I could finish it before party time. A quick google search and I found these donkeys which turned out even cuter and I was able to make them at my desk at work. A few mexican flags and viola! Party!
Bloody Mary’s- not just for brunch. Honestly, it’s alcohol where you are getting a serving of veggies in… almost virtuous if I do say so myself. Also low(ish) sodium, since I am not supposed to be having the real ones anyways.
Fill a glass with ice, add 2 oz vodka, a dash of worcestershire, a dash of horseradish, a dash of tabasco (if you are not using spicy V-8) fill with tomato juice, squeeze in a lemon wedge, stir around with a big hunk of celery. Add a pretty straw and drink your almost-salad! Also, if you are lucky you can have sodium and you should add some olives or a pickle spear for a garnish. Yum!
Because it was such an out of character 80+ degree day out today I spent a good chunk of the afternoon outside, enjoying the heat. I walked to the post office and to Target to pick up a few things and then walked the awkward mile home carrying a 30-pack of toilet paper…
Since our building has not turned the AC on yet it is rather warm up here on the 26th floor and the only things I can bear to think about eating are ice cream and salad. because I have my degree in nutrition I deduced that salad would be a better choice for the evening meal.
This is what I made:
Raw zucchini salad with kumquats and herbs (have you had anything like this before? if not start with this recipe- you will be hooked)
Italian Potato salad found here
Caprese salad (I assume you already know how to make this, but if not, just combine tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and a bit of olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Good mozz and oil make all the difference!)
Now for a nice glass of wine while I work up an appetite…
One of the more useful things I have made recently- a bright heart tote. Already broke one of the straps off and had to sew it back on, so buying a $2 tote may have not been the best idea. Whatevs.
These are the kinds of things I make with my spare time.
…You people really want me to start taking more days off?
Dave said he wanted Do-Rite instead of a birthday cake this year. And well, what the boy wants, the boy gets. I got my lazy ass on the redline at 6:45am so I could attempt to be back before Dave hit snooze 10 times and finally rolled out of bed. I didn’t quite make it, but the donuts were delicious regardless.
Clockwise from top left we had: chocolate frosted, St. Paddys day special creme de menthe, maple frosted with candied bacon, cinnamon crunch, pistachio something-or-other (my favorite!), and boston cream. Yum!
