Home!

I took a trip home recently! I have done a terrible job blogging over the past two months. And to be honest, as long as it is 100+ degrees outside (which means at least 90 degrees in my apartment...poor window a/c unit, it just can't keep up) I will be doing something to try to cool down!! So needless to say there hasn't been much crafting, but I have a few projects that will need to be done soon!

So as I said, I took a trip home recently. It was a fun trip over a long weekend. I was able to see my family, get a hair cut, have coffee with my bestie, get a pedi with mom, and eat a TON of food! Oh and I tried my first walk on stilts!

this was the dinner spread...ribs, gf cornbread, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, mac n cheese....

J on the pogo stick... I am in the background on stilts...hidden almost completely by his bounce!

Bug and his life sized stocking!

BW got this weird fake cat that meows and purrs. He loves cats but can be a little less than gentle so they don't tolerate him much.

This one loved him!

Pedis!!! The bowl had a light that changed colors...very disco-esque!

afterwards we had lunch on the porch... so nice!

they made a special batch of gf fried crab claws! heaven....pure heaven! I ate so much I thought I might burst :)

Mom and I at lunch

It was a simply delightful summer weekend!

here I go again...

This week I started training for another half marathon. I don't have the best of luck when it comes to training. I have trained for two and completed one. BOTH times I ended up with a stress fracture and wore a sweet space-looking boot for 8 weeks....not at all awkward (note the sarcasm)...

Soooo... I would really like for this time to be different! I have joined a training group in hopes that I can meet new friends and become a better, healthier runner.

Unfortunately, I will be missing the long group run this weekend so I am going to have to kick out 6 miles by myself...ugh... Anyone have some fun running songs they can share? My playlist is getting kind of boring.

My goals for this half marathon are simple... 1. no stress fracture 2. finish

Easy right?!?

Don't forget to write!

Last weekend was SUPER busy! One of my favorite couples is moving to Africa in two weeks...I am pretty devastated for myself but ecstatic for them! Rachel is my crafting buddy and fellow blogger. Her husband Will could also qualify as my crafting buddy as well because he provided some great company and laughs while Rachel and I worked. We had some great times over the past year. I can't wait to hear how Africa is and I REALLY want to be able to visit them!

This weekend was their going away weekend. I'm sure it was quite a whirlwind weekend for them. They actually had two parties this weekend (to read Rachel's take on the weekend and much better pictures, click here). The party I was semi in charge of was a potluck picnic and was pretty laid back. We planned for it to be at a local park and kept our fingers crossed that the rain stayed away.... and it did! Although, it was a little sticky and hot, we still had a great time!

The party was a potluck picnic...perfect for a warm summer evening! I wanted a cold dish that was easy. After searching a few of my favorite blogs, I came across this recipe for Southwestern Quinoa Salad. This dish was perfect...easy...cold...and DELICIOUS! I had a box of quinoa in my kitchen so it seemed just right. This grain is something the gf cooking community raves about but I was a little hesitant. I also don't think trying a new dish out at a party is always the best idea but thankfully this one worked!n (fyi...I loaded my pictures backwards and am too lazy to fix)

The finished bowl of deliciousness

All the veggies pre-quinoa...corn, onion, bell pepper, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro...simply wonderful! I could probably have eaten this without adding the quinoa!!

Cooked quinoa... this stuff really fluffs up!

I also got to play around with the decorations for the picnic. We have a fun wholesale florist here in town that I stopped by the morning of the party. They have two huge walk in coolers full of flowers to choose from. I can be a little indecisive when it comes to picking out flowers but I also cannot stand to be cold. I made my flower selection fairly quickly!

I don't remember what the green ones are but the white flowers are freesia. The smelled delightful!

While at the florist, I found some flower pots I thought I could use.

My flower vase is one of my mom's canning jars (usually full of yummy blackberry jam)

The finished decorations

and a few lanterns for the tree

I will miss Rachel and Will so much! I am a little sad that I forgot to get a picture of all of us together... I guess we will have to do that when I go to Africa!

a busy beginning of July

First off...I can't believe it is already July. Oh my, where has this year gone!?!

This month started off with a busy, busy weekend! After being on vacation during the last week of June, I came back to a holiday weekend with my brother, sister in law, and nephews came up for a visit. We had so much fun! It can be hard to entertain 3 boys in the summer heat...

An EARLY visit to the park....

It was really interesting to see how the number of dads and grandfathers out numbered the moms and grandmothers at the park. SIL came to the conclusion that the moms were ready for MOM TIME after a long week with the kiddos :)

BW enjoying a little swing time (it is really tricky to take a picture of a child swinging)

Bug is quite a climber!

On Sunday, the whole gang stayed together and hit up our local science museum. It was great fun for both the kids and adults. Of course it was nice to have 5 adults to 3 children. We spent time running around after them and having a little fun for ourselves!

The bubble exhibit was quite a hit!

I don't know what this is called. When I was little, I had a miniature version. It is basically a wall covered with little pegs that you push to one side and can then put your hand, an object, or in this case, your entire body into the pegs to create the shape. I think this one is supposed to be the Heisman pose....although it looks like this person is pushing down a small child... that produced quite a laugh!

flying lessons :)

We finally conquered the arch! It's certainly is a lot easier with the help of tall people.

It was great fun and a busy weekend! Unfortunately it rained on the 4th, which slightly changed my plans. I am so grateful the family came for a visit!

Something yummy!

Ok, so right now I should probably be doing some more cleaning for my July 4th cookout...but the cookies, brownies, and dips are made! So I decided to take a little break to share a yummy recipe that I made yesterday. I found it on one of my friend's boards on pintrest. I had some extra cilantro left after making fresh salsa last weekend. I usually use what I can and then toss the rest. But, geez, I hate to do that....enter this recipe... Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette! I didn't get too creative with how to use it because I really wanted to just use what I had on hand. It is amazing to me how much food I have but yet I go to the grocery store for more...

Back to the yummy vinaigrette...

It was super easy to put together! I love the use of a blender to mix things up and chop (less work for me!).

I was extremely excited that I had EVERY ingredient already in my kitchen.

mmmm....garlic is so yummy!

I kind of cheated and didn't chop my cilantro at all...but it was ok! The blender did all the work for me :)

It was delicious!

I marinated chicken tenderloins for a few hours in half of the vinaigrette. The other half was used as dressing for salads. I added the chicken (which I just cooked in a skillet on the stove), tomato, and onions to my salad. MMMMMMMM! So yummy!

A Good Morning Visitor

I went out for a morning run recently and found this little friend buzzing around my door. He was a little difficult to photograph... maybe he's not a morning bug ;)

Good Morning Mr. Bumble!

It's been a while

Well, I have been a terrible blogger over the past month. But not only that, I have also been a terrible crafter! I had a little break in the calendar with few events and took advantage of the down time. Of course, it probably would have been smarter to get a jump on some upcoming gifts but instead I took a little vacation :)

Before I left for vacation, I celebrated my mom's birthday and father's day. The difficult part of making gifts is definitely finding a project that fits the person. Luckily, my mom is pretty easy to please and create for...my dad, that is a different story! So for my mom I played around with some yarn. I found this free pattern and tried my best to duplicate it without spending a ton of money on yarn and needles. I was pretty happy with it except I didn't K1 P1 like the pattern said because I realized it about 45 minutes into my knitting and I DID NOT want to pull it out!

I should have measured my finished product. I think I ended up casting on around 60 stitches...also did not follow the pattern.

I decided to sew a little band for easy storage

TA-DA!

As for my dad, I created a CD with all the songs that remind me of my dad. Most of the songs are ones I remember him playing around the house or listening to as we rode to school in the morning. I had to add a James Bond theme song and a parody song about NASCAR ;)

A favorite activity....

This weekend was pretty uneventful, partly due to the extreme heat and partly because I didn't really have much energy. I have a vacation coming up in two weeks and I cannot wait! I hope it involves lots of relaxing, eating, and doing whatever I feel like :)

Although the weekend was fairly laid back, I was able to attend an outdoor concert in the park. I think I would go to one every weekend if there was one. I love making a picnic, listening to great music, and being outside enjoying nature. This concert was put on by the Alabama Symphony. It was the family friendly concert and included songs from Disney movies as well as classics like The Sound of Music. I loved it! There were three over the weekend...I am so sad I only went to one. I won't make that mistake next year!

our picnic goodies

There was a good crowd. I was so thankful for that cloud...the sun was a little warm but thankfully there was a nice breeze for most of the evening. Occasionally the train (which can be seen in the distance) came through!

The downtown skyline

There were kids dancing, jumping and rolling down the hill while the symphony played. So cute!

I might have dragged him to the concert but he thanked me at the end of the night for "making" him go :)

Finished Notecards

Remember the notecards I made on the last sew-turday. Well, I decided to make a set to give my grandmother for her 90th birthday. She is amazing! But also, doesn't really need anything...which made figuring out what to make her even more difficult! I personally love stationary and writing letters. I thought these would be perfect. She could write thank yous or hello notes and then use them all up.

This is the set

The ruffles

These are my favorites :)

These notecards were really fun and left a lot up to artistic freedoms :)

Home

I was able to take some time off over Memorial Day weekend and traveled home. I had a great time playing with my adorable nephews, spending time with the 'rents, and catching up with old friends! Mom's garden is in full swing. I brought back some blackberries and blueberries. I am thinking about making some muffins tomorrow :) I also visited some of my favorite spots around town.

The clapping hands are quite a hit!

My Tennis Ball Boys

Look closely...there is one that is almost ready to be picked. Can you find it?

Our Vegetable Loot :)

mmmm......there might have been a few more that were lost to tasting!

My brother made a gf dark chocolate cake...like a giant swiss cake roll!

Throwing a cast net. My boyfriend in high school taught me how to throw a cast net...just one of my special skills :)

Geese at the bay

This is the field right before you get to my parents house

Outdoor Pops concert

Simply adorable :)

I had a great time at home! I hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend as well!