best. weekend. ever.

This has been the best weekend CJ and I have had in a realllllly long time.  Why?  Because it was a homework-free zone (yeah, I'll be kicking myself come Wednesday night) and only a minimum amount of chores got done.  So, the house is a disaster, but we're still in good moods.

Friday night, we went out to eat, perused Barnes & Noble (one of our favorite spots), and then watched a movie at home.

Saturday, CJ worked.  I got a massage.  I sewed a little bit, which I hadn't done in months.  Then I discovered that Family Ties streams on Netflix.  Score.

Sunday, we had lunch with my parents, napped, went to the movie theater, and read.  And I watched more Family Ties.

Today, we slept in late, watched a movie, and read.  And, you guessed it, I streamed more Family Ties.  It just doesn't get much better than Alex P. Keaton, folks.

And, I cooked this weekend, using new recipes.  It was a win all-around.

Sunday night, I made these chicken finger french bread pizzas from Paula Deen.  I couldn't find the recipe on her website, but it's pretty simple.  Take some french bread, top it with pasta sauce (I used my homemade sauce made from our garden last year), chicken fingers (already cooked), mozzarella, parmesan, and spices (I used basil & garlic).  CJ devoured them (not all in one setting though).  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

This morning, I made this asparagus, spinach, & feta cheese frittata from Two Peas & their Pod.  The only thing I had to pick up at the grocery store was the feta.  And, I got the spinach from our garden -- the first we've eaten out of it this year.

It was delicious and I will definitely make it again, but it looked a bit like thin crust pizza.  Anyone know how to get it more fluffy?  More eggs?

And then I made these stuffed mushrooms with smoked gouda (courtesy of Christy).  CJ came home this week with a package of mushrooms wanting to stuff them with something, and turns out I had printed off this recipe a year ago and never used it.  This was actually the second batch I've made in a matter of a few days, because we demolished the first batch pretty quickly.

So, all in all, it was a really good weekend.  If only I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow -- and, you know, study for class.

just a quick trip...

I took a quick jaunt to D.C. this week, forgetting to tell anyone but my husband, parents, and co-workers.  I went out there Tuesday evening and returned Thursday evening, staying for a two-day work-related conference.  I learned one important thing:  it's good to be from Indiana.

There were no organized D.C. tours and I had homework to do on Wednesday night, so my hotel room was the closest I got to all the action.  If you squint hard, you can see the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial:

It took me until the next morning to realize I was right across the road from the Pentagon:

Here's what I really took away though --

When I flew in and had a clear picture of all the monuments, it hit me that I was 18 when I was last in D.C.  I was green, loved politics, and believed I could change the world (what 18 year old doesn't think that?).  I returned this week, age 28, jaded by politics.  So I can't decide if I want to go back anytime soon.  Do I need to return, to figure out what got me interested in politics and government in the first place?  Or should I stay back in Indiana where things are a little brighter?   Maybe I just need to wait until 2013?

multi-purpose room update

So we've basically turned our guest bedroom into a multi-purpose room.  It originally was just a guest bedroom, which turned into a guest bedroom + dumping grounds for everything that didn't have a home storage.  I was going to clean it out, but then I decided to take up sewing, we bought a treadmill, and it just turned into this multi-functional room.  And you know what?  Overnight, it's turned into my favorite room in the house.

I've lived in this house almost three years now, and I finally decided a few months ago that the house should make us happy, versus trying to impress all those magazine editors who are just knocking down our door.  So for our multi-purpose room, I went with things that make me happy.  (Hence the pink chair.)  Since I love art and couldn't pick just one picture to display, I ripped off an idea from Young House Love and CJ made shelves for me (found for free on Ana-White.com).  I bought myself some white picture frames and filled those shelves up with new and old pictures that make me smile.

Here's the finished product:

I took that picture of Arc de Triomphe in 2002.  I had to run out into the middle of the Champs-Elysees to get it, but it was totally worth it.

Since we didn't have a traditional wedding cake, I bought this W in lieu of a cake topper.

The painting next to it is from Painting Pony.  Check it out.  It's cool, I promise.  (CJ thinks I'm ridiculous.)

The Abbey Road photo, which is covered in graffiti, was the very first gift CJ ever bought me.

It's too dark to see, but the big photo is of Platform 9 3/4, which I'm going to find the next time I'm in London.

If I didn't have anything else to do, I'd totally spend all my time in here just staring at the pictures.  And the best thing is, if I get tired of any of the pictures, I just have to take it down and replace it with something new.

new bed!

The mystery project I've been hinting at, which has sat, unfinished, in our garage since Christmas, is our new guest bed!  CJ did a great job and I'm excited to get the extra storage space.   I'm still working on a bedspread, so it's not all the way done, but at least it's functional.

Storage space on one side for all of CJ's workout gear:

Storage space on the other for all my fabric:

Bridget's a fan:

Now we just need some guests!

(P.S.  Daybed plans courtesy of Ana-White.com.)

weekend plans

We spent our weekend doing what every normal, childless couple does.

Cleaning out rooms.  I'm super excited that our guest bedroom is finally shaping up!

Mulching flower beds.

And painting things.  Can't you tell how excited CJ is??

Be back tomorrow with a real project!

"my wife is off her rocker."

I found this gem in Goodwill a few weeks ago:

I'm pretty sure CJ was thinking, "My wife is off her rocker" as I held it up, all excited.  Instead, all he could do was shake his head as I kept saying things like "It has so much potential!" and "It's cool."  Personally, I think I've been reading a bit too much of Young House Love, as they decorate with a lot of ceramic animals.

I was going to be a bit different and paint him blue, but I just didn't like the color that much and decided to go back to white after just one coat.

And the finished product:

Don't you agree that the white is better?

CJ says it's just really tacky, but I think it's quirky and fun.  I have this sneaking suspicion that my fish won't make it to our next home or that Henry will "break" it soon.

may is here!!

Since January, CJ and I have been telling each other that we just need to get to May.  And it's finally here!  This week marks the last time -- ever -- that CJ and I will ever be in school together at the same time.   He took a final last night and is finishing up some minor classwork tonight, and that's it!  I feel like I can breathe at least a bit more than I've been breathing since August.  Our calendar looks so much better, and although there might be a few exceptions here and there, I can count on CJ being home most evenings again.  And now I only have three more months left of school!

Anyway.  Really the only productive thing we've done lately is getting our garden and landscaping sort of back in order.

We agreed that we always have too many tomatoes and that we would limit it to four or five this year.  So naturally, we planted nine.  We planted five pepper plants, which was about four or five less than I wanted.  (Peppers are expensive off-season!)  We also planted some lettuce, spinach, zucchini, and squash.

I'm super excited about my colored stakes too!

And my flowers have taken off.  I think I might have inherited my dad's ability to grow things.

Do you like my stone owls?  I'm super excited about those too.

I managed to successfully split and transplant several plants, but ended up killing one (to the top left).

We still have much work left to do -- new mulch, pull weeds in the rose bushes, plant a few new flowers, put down newspapers and straw in the garden -- but that will have to wait until this weekend when we don't have homework to do.