Birthday Princess Weekend

Here are some pictures from my birthday! : )



I went out to dinner with a bunch of my friends. The plan was to go out after, but due to excess wine consumption during dinner, the "going out" plan didn't quite happen. opps!







I think this is enough wine for dinner! haha



Blurry, I know, but I was trying to capture the jug of Carlo Rossi some girls had in the wine chiller! What is this college?



Megan and Nora Photoshoot:

Kerri and Katie make a new friend:

Who suggested we open another bottle of wine...bad suggestion...

I think this one is my favorite! : )






It was a great time and a great birthday!!!!

Kitchen Island

Yes, I know it is not a real kitchen island and it is just a microwave cart from Ikea.... But humor me and let me call it my kitchen island.



I have wanted to paint it, and I was torn between white and turquoise. A safe choice or a bold choice. Then I saw this picture in the newest Better Homes and Gardens (my favorite magazine!) and it was the push I needed to bravely chose turquoise!
( I can't wait until I get MY big white kitchen! one day!)



from: Better Homes & Gardens

So I hit up the Home Depot and got some swatches. The Yellow ones are for the step stool.



I was torn between these two (although on the computer they look the same!):



Then I got painting!



It is a bit brighter than I thought it would be, but super fun! I am still kind of one the fence, I figured I will give it a week....I always have white paint if i change my mind! : )

Coneflowers on Parade

Yes, I know that is like the dorkiest title ever....but these coneflowers made me super happy! I bought a pink one in the spring for my yard, but the other day at the nursery there were so many, I wanted to bring them all home! So many fun colors!

Oh and here are some Black Eyed Susans : )

Hot Date

So last weekend I had a hot date with baby Sean. I headed south to watch my best friend Nora's baby who just turned one. Baby Sean and Auntie Maden had a great time, and Auntie Erin came to play too.



After about 5 minutes of screaming that mom and dad left, we calmed down and then were happy and well behaved all night. We played inside for a while, then headed outside to enjoy the nice weather. We hit the swings, him in my lap in the real swing, Sean couldn't be bothered with any silly baby swing! Then we played wacky stroller and took a nice long walk. Then dinner time, bath time and bed time. It was a wild night.





Look at those chubby feet!



It was fun baby Sean, I can't wait to see what else you can do and what else you can say next time I come down to play!

Pesto Ladies Night

I had some friends over a few weeks ago for dinner. I was in serious need of some lady chit chat and wine after 2 weeks of cramming for my exam. I decided to use the occasion to try out a new recipe. The recipe was ok, not great, but I am still going to share it. It made a nice dinner, but I am not sure I would make it again, or if I did I think I would change it up a bit. Maybe I'll just keep trying pesto recipes until I find one I love. : )

Did I tell you I have been in the market for an apron? Anthropology always has super cute ones, but they are usually so thin, which probably wouldn't keep your clothes dry if you leaned into the sink while doing dishes. And the thick ones you can find places are usually boring smoring. BUT last time I wandered into Anthropology they had thick canvas one with a fun pattern! Yay!



We started with some summer wine of course. click for recipe





Arugula Hazelnut Pesto
from April 2010's Family Circle

2 cups baby arugula leaves
3/4 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/4 teaspoon salt

In food processor, combine arugula, basil, nuts and garlic. Process 1 minute. Gradually add oil and process until blended. Add cheese and salt. Process until smooth.

The recipe called for adding Salmon, but we added shrimp instead.

If I was too make it again, I would do more basil, less hazelnuts and a lot less cheese. I used pecorino romano since that was what was in the house. I thought you tasted too much of the cheese, and the flavor of the cheese alone kind of overpowered the sauce.



I only have mini food processors so I just split the recipe in half and used 2. haha

I also added steamed asparagus and diced tomatoes into the dish for a little added interest.



Ladies Dinner was also a nice occasion to use my fun new napkins. Yay!





The final product: Dinner and Friends!







Let's hope I passed so I can celebrate passing as opposed to celebrating just being done studying! : )

Finally, some nice end tables around here!

SO as you might recall from numerous older posts that I bought some end tables for my living room at a used furniture store down in North Carolina and have been working on re-finishing them.

Buying Them
Re-Finishing Take One
Re-Finishing Take Two

And they are finally done; sanded, stained, dry, resembled and neatly placed in my living room. yay! At the rate it took me to finish them, perhaps I should have just bought new ones...but it was fun! : )







hmm perhaps I should have removed the paper towels, cords and trash basket for the photo shoot!



And I present to you, the finshed living room! Yay!
What room needs a facelift next???? : )

a little break

So I am taking a blog break for about a week. I just have too much going on right now. Don't miss me too much! : )