May To-Do List Update

Remember when I used to post monthly To-Do lists....  Yeah, that was fun wasn't it?!?  I recently realized I never gave an update on our May To-Do list and it is almost the end of June...eek!  Where is the summer going??? 

Anyways, even though I'm almost a month late here is my May To-Do list recap:

1.Try out new recipes that involve items from our new herb garden (photos to come). I'm seeing a lot of pesto, grilled herb-topped fish, and minty lemonades/mojitos in our future!  I will be posting recipes soon, but I have been using the heck out of our garden and plan to continue!

2.Find the perfect maxi-dress for multiple trips we/I have planned for the summer.  Woo Hoo!  Dillards came through big time and I love the dress!  The dress below is the pattern I got, but my dress is mostly black with a pink, coral and blue pattern.  I paired it with a cute coral shrug and it has become one of my favorite summer outfits!

3.Continue to stick to the Weight Watchers plan (I've lost 10 pounds!!) and add in extra excercise.  I'm almost to 15 pounds!  If I meet my goal and at least maintain (or lose more) by my birthday, I've requested a Carnegie Deli cheesecake to celebrate!

Yes, you are seeing that correctly.  The cheesecake is approximately 4-5 inches tall!  Now, if that isn't something to bring to a celebration, I'm not sure what is!
4.Plan a little weekend trip for one of our less busy weekends this month - not sure where we could go, but definitely want to take advantage of our free time.  We didn't get this one accomplished in May, but I'm not giving up hope to do something by the time the summer is over!

5.Attempt to find ways to spend more time on our patio. I would love to have these chairs to sit in, but alas I have martini taste on a beer budget....  We did have a bbq with some friends but I just told Brandon last night that I would like to continue to have more bbqs throughout the summer.  And, while I didn't get the C&B chairs, we still made the most of the Walmart chairs we have :)

Summer Lust List

Since today is the first day of Summer, I thought I would share my Summer Lust List for all to enjoy.  A girl can dream right?  Technically, my birthday does fall in the summer season so maybe a couple of these items will show up on August 2?!?!


Steve Madden Serenite Sandal

In my quest for the perfect sandal prior to our NYC trip (still trying to get the post done and hoping to finish by this weekend - only two weeks late...) I found these sandals and just fell in love with them. However, I knew they were not very practical for long distance walking so I passed them up. I just love everything about the shoe - the gold details, the cute back, the color, everything!


Crate and Barrel Alfresco Fireside Chair

I know I've posted this chair before, but that doesn't mean I ever quit lusting for it!  I'm hoping C&B will have a huge end-of-summer sale and they will still have plenty of these boys in stock and they will offer them at a dirt cheap price!  Wishful thinking, I know!


The Vitamix

My sister-in-law, Natalie, got a Vitamix for Christmas and has been singing its praises ever since.  I never really thought much about the contraption until Memorial Weekend and now I feel like I MUST get one!  You see, she told me about how great it was for smoothies, but in my mind I thought my blender does just fine.  Whoa! Was I wrong!  While we were in KC over the holiday weekend, Natalie whipped up some of the BEST margaritas I've ever tasted with this bad boy and I'm not sure I will ever enjoy another margarita as much as I enjoyed that one.  Oh. My. Word. DELICOUS!


A White Kitchen

 

It is no secret that Brandon and I love white woodwork.  It is also no secret that we really really hate our 1995 orange-ish oak woodwork in our current house.  As much as we'd love to replace all the woodwork in our house, we know that house is not our "forever" house and it would be far too costly and far too time consuming to embark on that project.  But, I do think about a new house quite often and one feature I want in a new house (which we'll have to do ourselves because it doesn't seem like white woodwork is a popular feature in houses in our city) is white woodwork and quite possibly white kitchen cabinets.  I also love love love the shiny white subway tile backsplash.  I think it makes everything look so fresh and clean! Also, Mom, I'd like for you to note the wall color in this picture.  Just think if we had painted all of our walls THAT color!!

 

 

Crate and Barrel Court Dinnerware Set

If storage space was not an issue in our house, I would have multiple sets of dishes to use and change up every now and then.  I've always wanted a set of white square dishes (I know honey, I had white Fiestaware but that just isn't the same) and when I attended a recent baby shower, I was reminded again of how badly I want a set of white dishes.  It just seems that sleek white dishes are so versatile and go with everything.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Fiestaware (now in multiple colors) but I do believe there is a time and place for white dishes!

Raised Garden Bed

 

 

 

While I have been enjoying my cute little herb garden plot next to our deck, next year I would really like to have a raised garden bed.  Since we have pesky rabbits we had to put up chicken wire to keep them out of the parsley.  Now, I'm not sure if a raised bed will help deter the little stinkers, but I sure think it would help. 

 

 

The Fedora

 

 

While shopping (once again) for our NYC trip, I saw a lot of fedoras and really really wanted to purchase one, but Brandon didn't seem to think it was quite my style.  I think he was wrong and it would have looked so cute with just about anything and would have been perfect for the super hot days we had in NYC when my hair was looking anything but cute.  Oh well...

 

What are some of the items on your Summer Lust List? 

 



Fun Phone Photos - Vacay Edition

I'm still working on a full NYC vacation blog, but in the meantime here are a few fun photos from my phone:

• Here are Brandon and I at Top of the Rock, our first official NYC sight of the trip.  I had been to the top of the Empire State Building before, but never to the Top of the Rock. 

• Here is a view of Central Park from the Top of the Rock.  It was pretty neat to see the city from this vantage point at night.



 

• This is a picture of the intersection of Broome and Greene streets in SoHo.  Maks' dance studio is located at this intersection so I was going to tweet this picture to him (yes, I follow him on Twitter!) and say something cheesy, but then I chickened out because I felt like it would have been a tad stalker-ish.  I later realized he hadn't been tweeting the whole time we were in NYC so it wouldn't have made a difference anyway (see...stalker-ish!).

• And this, my friends, is a picture I snapped in the car after we picked up Koby from my parents.  I was trying to get him to come in the front seat with me (while Brandon drove) and he was having NOTHING to do with me!  Needless to say, he really enjoys his time in the "country".

A Little Tease...

I'm still coming down from my high of being in the Big Apple for the past several days!  I will be back soon with lots of pictures, I promise!!

It can't be the middle of June, right?

I can't believe it has almost been one month since I've blogged!  I also can't believe we are just about half way through June.  I remember when summer used to last FOREVER and now that I'm a grownup, with responsibilities of my own, summer just passes by as quickly as it arrives.  Sigh....

In my absence from the blog world, here's what's been going on:

• We spent Memorial Weekend in KC in order to catch a couple of my nieces' performances - a cheerleading performance at a T-Bones game and a dance recital.  We also did some shopping and celebrated my sister's birthday.  The boys got to play on my brother's new golf course, which is always a highlight for Brandon. 
• My work has been super hectic, but super exciting!  I spent the Month of May preparing for a big announcement!  That is right, we are hosting President George W. Bush at our Annual Meeting in November.  The announcement event was a really fun (and time consuming) project.  We set our board room to look like the White House briefing room and rounded up a few "Secret Service" agents to deliver media invitations and to "provide security" at the event.  We also had to set up a new registration website in order to comply with the security for the event.  I was in charge of getting the information loaded into the site and making sure it looked appealing.  I had help from our IT guy to make sure it functioned appropriately (and I also realized why I'm not an IT person...ugh!).   I can't wait for the actual event.  I'm not sure if I will get to meet the President or not, but just to see a living President will me a memory of a lifetime!
• Just this past weekend, we celebrated our brother-in-law's birthday, I attended a baby shower for a friend who is moving away (we'll miss you Tracie and Adam!), and we celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary!  Brandon did a great job of planning a fun evening to celebrate this milestone - we had dinner reservations and a reservation at the bed and breakfast where we stayed on our wedding night.  We had a great time reminiscing about the past five years and wondering what the next five might hold. 
• I started leading a Bible Study at our church last week and so far, so good.  I had a group of about eight women ranging in ages, but I think we had a great discussion and I'm looking forward to next time!  I just hope they are all looking forward to next time as well :)

I'm looking forward to getting back to a regular blogging schedule as soon as I figure out where the past month has gone.  If you can figure out how to slow time down just a tad I would love you forever!

Fun Phone Photos and Random Thoughts

 It's time for some fun phone photos and a few mid-week random thoughts:

• This is pretty much how I cook these days - accessing my favorite food blogs on the iPad (from work, not our own).  I wasn't making this particular recipe, but it I do love this site.

• We did a little shopping over the weekend and I came across this bracelet in Dillards.  I have been eyeing this type of bracelet for a while because it has a closure similar to a drawstring and it doesn't clank around when I'm on my computer, etc..  I think I've even heard them called the "No Man" bracelet because you don't need a man to get it on..ha ha!  Anyways, it is fun and it doesn't annoy me when I'm at work!

• And here is sweet Koby looking out the window as he watches his daddy hit practice golf balls without him.  Koby loves to chase the balls and bite at the end of Brandon's golf club, and as you can imagine, Brandon doesn't love the activity as much as the pup does.
  
  
• We had a going away party for two girls in our Bunco group on Monday.  Instead of playing Bunco, we had yummy finger sandwiches and cupcake fondue (such a fun idea) and played a charades game where we had to act out and describe famous people.  It was pretty entertaining!
  
  
• My weight loss is starting to plateau, which tells me it is time to step up the exercise...ugh!  I really do not enjoy exercising so it is hard to get myself motivated.  However, I do NOT want to gain the weight back so I'm pretty determined to get my hiney in gear!
  
• I've been missing Manhattan lately.  I tried talking Brandon into taking a day trip this past weekend but we obviously didn't go.  I know we visit Manhattan a lot in the fall because of football games, but we never spend very much time just hanging out at our favorite spots or enjoying the town we both love so much.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



Around Our Yard

I'm about to utter five words I never thought possible until we became home owners.  Are you ready?  WE LOVE DOING YARD WORK!  It seems each year we get more and more excited as we think of new things we can do in the yard.  One of our favorite weekend activities involves heading to the local garden center and browsing around looking for new shrubs or flowers to plant.  The past few springs we have mainly purchased and planted foundational items such as trees, shrubs, and a few perennials and have only planted flowers in pots.

{Front of our house - this bed has been redone at least three times since we've been in our house!}

{These hostas were transplanted from the bed above to the side of the house to help camouflage the meter.}

{This is a new bed we created last year and these bushes were also up front, but got too big for the space.}

{This was last year's big project - excuse the unpainted shed in the background!}

 Now that we have our foundational plantings established, we decided it was time to add some color. So, this year we took advantage of the garden center's annual flat sale and stocked up on all things colorful and pretty (not that trees and shrubs aren't pretty, but they don't provide much color).  You might have noticed the flowers in the picture above, which was our major purchase at the flat sale.

 

 
We decided on a mixture of cosmos for the back area because of their bright colors and because of their size.  According to the package, they should get about 18" - 24" tall and about 12" wide.  Since that space is so large, we wanted to make sure we chose flowers that were substantial and wouldn't get lost back there.  They are still pretty tiny, but we have high hopes for them!

 

This is another area that we developed this year, right off of our patio.  We planted the grass in the fall, but added the flowers this year.  We decided to go with marigolds and then a purple mounding flower that I can't remember the name.  You will have to excuse the poor planning on my part.  I didn't exactly get the marigolds spaced out too well and then we ended up having two of the plants die.  I'm hoping the purple flowers will fill in the holes as they grow larger!  We also planted the same combo around the trees up front, just to add a splash of color.

Speaking of the front, it is mostly shaded so it is hard to find annuals that provide color and can grow in the shade.  So, we decided to try out coleus and salvia.  They are both still very tiny so you might not have noticed them in the photo above, so here is a closer look.

 

The salvia will eventually bloom with little purple cone-like flowers.  We are hoping both of these plants get pretty large and fill in all the empty space up front.  

This past week I took a flower potting seminar at the garden center and had so much fun I ended up creating two different pots - one for up front where it is shady and one for the back patio where it is very sunny!  Needless to say, I was pretty proud of my work :)

{Front porch pot.}

{Back patio pot.  And a Koby cameo!}

Flowers and shrubs are not the only items we have growing.  We also have plants of the edible variety!  I have tried and tried and tried to grow herbs in a pot in our house and have never had any luck.  So this year we carved out a little bed so I could try my hand at growing herbs in the ground.

We are growing thyme, rosemary, basil, dill and parsley.  So far all the herbs are doing amazing and we have even used a few clippings.

I also decided to grow three different varieties of mint, but after doing a little reading we decided to contain the mint in pots on the deck.  Apparently, once you plant mint it is pretty hard to get rid of it and can take over everything in its path!

From left to right we have lemon mint, ginger mint and chocolate mint!  I can't wait to begin using these guys!

And finally, what might possibly be the crown jewel of the yard here is our strawberry patch!

We have had these plants for three years now and last year we had strawberries coming out of our ears.  We honestly had a hard time eating them fast enough and it looks like we may have the same problem this year.  Brandon had a strawberry patch growing up and I think this patch is a little sentimental for him as it reminds him of his youth.

So, there you have it - a tour around our yard.  Now we won't be making an appearance on the local garden tour, but as I mentioned above, we do love our yard and really enjoy working in it to make it pretty!

Saturday Night Fiesta

After a failed attempt to make it to the farmer's market due to the weather, a morning full of organizing closets (more on this later), and an afternoon of running errands, we decided to have a little at-home fiesta tonight to reward ourselves.  And yes, it is possible to have an at-home fiesta while on a diet and I will prove it to you!

First, you have to find an exceptionally delicious fajita recipe.  Of course, I didn't think to take pictures until after we had devoured our meal, so I'm stealing the picture from the website where I got the recipe.

{photo courtesy of Confections of a Foodie Bride}

When I saw this recipe I knew it would be a hit as we have become big fans of salsa verde and I was right - we both loved it!

Tomatillo Shrimp Fajitas

2 tsp canola oil
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
3 sliced onion rounds, 1/4-inch thick
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp, thawed if frozen
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa (or your favorite green salsa)
Salt & Pepper
8 small tortillas1 cup shredded cheese
Small handful cilantro, chopped
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping just as the vegetables begin to  brown.  Add shrimp and garlic and stir-fry 4-5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.  Add salsa and cook for 1 minute.  Fill tortillas with shrimp mixture. Top with cheese, cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Since I'm on a diet, we decided to opt out of chips and salsa and Mexican rice and just have a salad as a side.  However, you can't have a fiesta without a margarita, right?!?! 

Cue the Skinny Girl Margarita, made famous by my girl Bethenny from Real Housewives of NYC and most recently Bethenny Ever After.  There are only 100 calories for a 4 ounce serving and it was amazing!  Even Brandon thought it was pretty tasty :)

Now, we are capping off our night by watching 127 Hours.  Oh my gosh!  I've been on pins and needles, wanted to throw up, can't take my eyes off the screen and everything in between.  The movie really is pretty amazing, but so hard to fathom that it is a true story.  Another reason for me to stick to things like blogging, cooking, and reality TV and not engage in adventurous activities!

Yummy Blueberry Muffins

As you know, I have been doing Weight Watchers for the past month.  What you may not know is that I love eating baked goods.  Especially cake/muffin/cookie-like baked goods.  So, I've made it my mission to find tasty recipes for the said baked goods that don't kill my diet, and I'm proud to say I've started to find a few that are too tasty not to share!

The first recipe I want to share is for some yummy blueberry muffins.  This recipe uses a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, which provides a lovely texture, and it calls for unsweetened applesauce and very little butter.  And the best thing about these muffins is that Brandon loved them, too!


Blueberry Muffins
Courtesy of Gina's Skinny Recipes

Servings: 12 • Serving Size: 1 muffin • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 147.3 • Fat: 2.7 g • Protein: 2.7 g • Carb: 28.5 g • Fiber: 3.4 g • Sugar: 12.3 g

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries (about 6.5 oz)
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, melted butter, vanilla and applesauce. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.  Gently fold in blueberries.

Pour batter into 12 lined muffin tins and bake at 325° for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes.
*The muffins may seem a little high in Points value if you were just thinking about it as just a muffin, but combined with a cup of low-fat or fat free yogurt and some fresh fruit, it makes a great breakfast for just six points (which is a typical meal for me). 

So Much To Say...

...and not enough time to say it!!  Here is a quick recap with more details to come:

• Brandon and his sister ran a half marathon over a week ago
• We have done some fun yard work
• Our summer schedule is already filling up and it is not even Memorial Day yet
• I've been cooking up some pretty tasty things lately
• I have a few "shallow" yet fun things to blog about (i.e. my spring/summer favorite items)

So, bear with me as I find my way out of the craziness! 



Fun Phone Photos

It's time for a random post full of stupid pictures from my phone and iPod:

Late last week, our friendly duck couple showed up at the office.  These ducks come waddling around about this time every year.  They often stand guard at the doors leading into our lobby and quack at all of the guests who are attempting to enter the building.  I sort of felt like the duck papparazzi as I was trying to get a good picture of them.  They kept turning their backs to me and quacking something to themselves as they tried to get out of the way.  Now if only I could catch them taking the babies to the nearby river!!

 

You know what they say about the tube of toothpaste during pre-marital counseling, right?  Well, after four years and 11 months of marriage (technically yesterday), I still choose to not make the squeezing of the toothpaste tube a big deal.  I know of some couples who buy and use two completely different tubes of toothpaste in order to avoid an argument...YIKES!

 

 

 

This is where Koby decided to settle in for a movie the other night.  My mom always jokes that he finds the softest spot in the house to sleep and I must say, I can't argue with her.  But, he's so darn cute that it is hard to make him move!!

 

 

 

Quick Trip has finally decided to offer styrofoam cups as an alternative to their plastic cups.  This is a big deal because we have a QT that is just about three blocks from our office and we have a Sonic, which  also provides styrofoam cups, about two miles away.  I often find myself going to Sonic to take advantage of the foam cups because the drinks stay colder and don't get watered down like they do with the QT plastic cups.  Yes, the foam cups at QT cost more than the plastic cups, but I don't end up throwing away half of my drink.  Also, Sonic charges significantly more for their drinks (with the exception of Happy Hour) and with the cost of gas, my drive to QT will cost less than my drive to Sonic (Brandon you should appreciate my rationale here!).  So, next time you are in QT, thank the kind clerks for bringing foam cups to their store!

 

 



May To-Do List

After a brief hiatus in April, I'm back with another monthly To-Do list.  I've given up on the built-in idea in our basement.  While I think it would be awesome and I know we would love it, I wish we would have done it four years ago.  I am hopeful we won't be in our house for much longer (five years was our original goal and we are creeping up on that goal, but I know we will surpass it) and we already have a perfectly fine set-up as it is.  So, that item will NOT be making another appearance on this list.  And, this list is more fun and no so task-oriented:

1. Try out new recipes that involve items from our new herb garden (photos to come).  I'm seeing a lot of pesto, grilled herb-topped fish, and minty lemonades/mojitos in our future!
2. Find the perfect maxi-dress for multiple trips we/I have planned for the summer.
3. Continue to stick to the Weight Watchers plan (I've lost 10 pounds!!) and add in extra excercise.
4. Plan a little weekend trip for one of our less busy weekends this month - not sure where we could go, but definitely want to take advantage of our free time.
5. Attempt to find ways to spend more time on our patio.  I would love to have these chairs to sit in, but alas I have martini taste on a beer budget....

 

{Alfresco Grey Outdoor Living Collection from Crate and Barrel}

 So, what is on everyone else's to-do lists this month?