June 2011 – Page 2

happy saturday

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Carol — No Comments ↓

We’ve been enjoying a low-key weekend over here, and it’s been so quiet without the kids around! Last night D. and I used a gift card and finally got around to trying Fireside BBQ for dinner. It was deee-licious! We shared a rib sampler appetizer and D. got a BBQ beef sandwich and I got the tri-tip sandwich with jack cheese, mushrooms and onions. Loved it!

This morning I took my time grocery shopping and then we had lunch at La Puerta Azul (I am addicted to their flautas, I swear). We had planned on doing a little wine shopping, but never got down to the store. It was blocked off by several police cruisers, so I have no idea what was going on. (Perhaps a jewel heist — maybe someone was trying to knock over a store and take diamond and moissanite rings?) So we were a little bummed about that, but neither of us felt like waiting for who-knows-how-long for the road to clear.

We’ve also watched a few movies. We attempted to watch Battle of L.A., but it was so horrible that after 15 minutes I decided I’d rather fold and put away the laundry. Drew didn’t even finish watching it and he doesn’t usually like starting a movie and not finishing it, even if it is terrible. However, we also watched Black Swan and Transsiberian — both of which I liked a lot.

I have to throw together dinner soon, and then maybe I’ll start “Catching Fire” — the second in the Hunger Games trilogy. The kids will all be back tomorrow, so I want to take advange of the quiet while I can 🙂

two!!!

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Carol — 1 Comment ↓

Today my baby is two years old! I can hardly believe it. Lulu is still such a peanut that she still seems like a little baby to me, and as my last she probably will always seem that way.

We had her party on Sunday afternoon and I think it went well. Although it was quite hot, the deck was comfortable with the umbrellas and the breeze from the woods. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and honestly prep was super easy. Here are a few photos of the way everything turned out.

We have a tremendous amount of Cub Scout popcorn that we need to eat before sales start again in the fall (argh!), so I decided to give bags away as favors. Why not, right? I made tags that said “Thanks for popping in!” which Drew thought was cheesy, but I didn’t care.

I kept the favors for the kids really simple. I wanted to avoid giving candy, and didn’t want to unload more junk on the other kids’ parents, so I put a silly straw, a clown nose, and a box of animal crackers inside a plastic popcorn box. Even though it didn’t seem like much, the kids all thought they were great.

I ended up hanging my banner on the hutch so there was some kind of decoration around the food table. I found a red and white checkered table cloth at Christmas Tree Shops (it was a steal!), so I used that and then I actually had an old light blue valance that I added toward the front of the table because it had a pretty scalloped edge.

Cooking the hot dogs in the Crock Pot was the perfect solution. They tasted great, I didn’t have to turn on the grill, and they were all ready at the same time. We ended up grilling an extra London Broil the night before, just to have a “grown up” option on the table. The popcorn looked adorable in the vintage-style bags I’d purchased and I arranged them all in a vintage picnic basket Drew’s aunt gave me years ago. Most people took a bag for the ride home instead of eating it with their meal.

I never did make the antipasto skewers for appetizers. I just served chips and salsa and bruschetta with baguette slices I toasted myself.

I was so pleased with the cake bunting! I’d seen several variations on Pinterest and was afraid that just one row wouldn’t be enough. But I think it was perfect. This was easy to do with ribbon. I know I promised a tutorial and I have not forgotten!

The red, white, and blue fit in well with Memorial Day weekend, too — an added bonus!

thinking of wmass

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Carol — No Comments ↓

Monson, Mass tornado damage — Photo credit: Holly N.

Although I now live in the Hudson Valley, I am originally from a small town in Western Mass. and my family and many of my friends still live in the area. It was completely surreal to turn on The Weather Channel yesterday afternoon and watch the tornado tear through Springfield and then hear that another one was hitting my hometown of Palmer.

Thank God everyone I know is safe, and there was no damage to my immediate family’s homes. Springfield is just a wreck, said people I know who live and work in that area. But my heart breaks for Monson, the next town over from Palmer. I know a few people who live there and to see the damage and utter devastation… well, there just aren’t words. My friend Holly posted several photos of the damage on Facebook, and the picture above is one of them. That church steeple was 137 years old.

I was astounded as I watched this video showing aerial footage of the area. That poor town is destroyed. We’ve been through blizzards and hurricanes, but this is something on another level. Of course, the people of WMass are very strong and they’ll get through this, but my thoughts and prayers are with them. I hope yours are, too.

perfect ten

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Carol — 4 Comments ↓

Ten years ago I married the macaroni to my cheese, the salsa to my nachos, the peanut butter to my jelly, the butter to my bread. It’s hard to believe it was that long ago, but I guess it really was! We’ve somehow managed to unload all three kids for most of the weekend (!) so Saturday we’ll enjoy a fun, relaxing day together getting lunch, buying comics, shopping for wine, watching movies, eating cheese and crackers, and not having to get up every five minutes when a little voice calls for one of us 🙂

Happy anniversary, sweetie pie! I love you and can’t believe you’re still putting up with my shenanigans!