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!