I've never promised gourmet...

"You can say this for ready-mixes - the next generation isn't going to have any trouble making pies exactly like mother used to make."

-Earl Wilson

Although the Iron Chef Sisters project is inspiring me to innovate a little bit more in the kitchen, the reality is that those types of meals are few and far between. Most of our dinners these days come from a bag. I pull a skillet meal out of the freezer and throw some rolls on a cookie sheet... voila, 9 minutes later, dinner is served. Hey... at least it's not fast food...

Weekend recap...

"Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn."
-Terri Guillemets

Although spending the last weekend of my Spring Break with my in-laws was not my first choice activity, we ended up having a really good time. It started out by meeting one of our best friend's Mike in his hometown near Columbus. He showed us around town, stopping at Jeni's Ice Cream for a crazy combination of flavors (I had "Violets and Meringue" with "Brown Butter Almond Brittle"!) and NorthStar Cafe' at Easton TownCenter (I had black beans and rice!).

 

Then we headed up to Toledo for the wedding. The boys had spent the morning golfing in the mud, while the girls went shopping. I had a new dress from Old Navy, complete with a pretty new necklace and new grown-up shoes.  

Rob's side of the family gathered around one table, and had a great time catching up with one another. I had the best time talking with Rob's great-aunts--I had only met them once before.

 

 

We celebrated, we ate, we drank, we danced, we laughed, we photographed, we had fun. And, then we went to bed!

 

All wrapped up...

"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift."

-Pierre Corneille

 

The wedding we're going to this weekend is for Rob's cousin. Although he and his cousin are close in age, they've never been close in distance, and therefore, haven't been close personally either. I've been with Rob for eight and a half years, and I've only met this cousin once. And, unfortunately, the couple's wedding registries were a bit lacking.

I was left scratching my head with what gift to give. While Rob was ok with just giving a Visa giftcard, I wanted to add a little more pizazz. And, without spending an arm and a leg... I mean, we're already traveling up there.

I'm pretty pleased with what I came up with (thanks Mom for the inspiration!). And, when I saw this tutorial on Jordan Ferney's Oh Happy Day blog, I thought a bright paper poppy would make such a cute package topper.

The many paradoxes of Spring Break...

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

-Mark Twain

• I want to celebrate the warmth of the season, yet the windchill has been 45 degrees.
• I want to relax, yet I want to feel productive.
• I don't want to think about work/school, yet I have to be ready for Monday morning.
• I don't want to spend much money, yet I haven't been on a shopping spree in a long time.
• I want to sleep late, yet my body is set on waking up early.
• I want to get those household chores done, yet I also want to sit and surf the web.
• I don't want to watch crap tv, yet the house is too quiet when I'm here by myself.
• I want to check off things from my to-do list, yet I can't quite remember what's on it.
• I want to go on an exotic beach vacation, yet next weekend we have to be in Ohio for Rob's cousin's wedding.
• I want to think ahead to my future career path, yet there are still two months before I can really put it in motion.
• I'm baking sugar cookies, yet I'm watching reruns of The Biggest Loser online.
• I've got fun errands to run, yet I just want to stay in my pajamas all day.
• I want to be crafty, yet three days at home doesn't seem like enough time to get started on a project.
• I want to read a whole book, yet I don't want to spend the whole day on the couch.
• I can stay up late, yet I'm still tired at nine o'clock.
• The days are long, yet the week is flying by.

Can't wait until summer!

Gratitude, Week 4...

"Who does not thank for little will not thank for much."

-Estonian Proverb

Looking back, I noticed that there are several repeats this week. But, I'm grateful for good repeats. It kinda feels like I've been a zombie this week anyway. Wake, drive, school, drive, dinner, sleep, repeat.

March 22: A published book of memories. Came home to find a package on my doorstep. Last week I took advantage of a big sale at MyPublisher.com and finally had my first digital scrapbook pages (circa 2003-04) printed as a book. Rob and I loved flipping through and remarking about how young (and skinny) we were back then. I also find it interesting to watch my progression of digital scrapping skills, even though they were all created in the same summer.

March 23: A much-needed good laugh. Wednesday night we put all work away and turned the computers off early (always a good thing!), and curled up to watch the Netflix movie Due Date. Now this is totally a guy's guy funny movie, but I've lived with a guy long enough that I get all of the jokes. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. It's so random and crazy.

March 24: Good quiz scores (and a quiet day!). The kids worked hard to complete the quiz (and quietly!), and it paid off because most of them did really well. That's good, considering we're all exhausted and disgustedly tired of being at school. [Wooden KIT of PINS from STUDIO FLUDD's Etsy shop]

March 25: Another reason to laugh. Today one of the kids in my 2nd period class said something really random (and rather inappropriate), but really funny. It was refreshing just to have a second to stop and laugh with my students. And, it was even better when a kid said, "well, now you've got a story to tell the other teachers at the lunch table." ["Live Laugh Love" print above from MeganRene's Etsy shop]

March 26: Officially springtime. I finally changed out the wreath on the front door--from gold Christmas decor to pastel spring flowers. Makes me smile every time I drive into the driveway.

March 27: A sweet, sweet breakfast. Rob promised me doughnuts for breakfast this morning, so we hit up the local Krispy Kreme, and waited for a dozen of the warm, melt-in-your-mouth treats. I only ate four. You can do the math to figure out Rob's share. That is, if you can stomach it!

March 28: Another package on the front step. This time was a baby gift for my friends Collin and Julia. These canvas growth charts are my new go-to baby gift. They're a beautiful and personalized heirloom. You, too, can buy one from GrowthCharts Galore. But be forewarned, don't buy one if I also know the person!