Anniversary Gift Ideas

Our first wedding anniversary is quickly approaching (middle of next month).  We are planning a trip (still undecided as to where - yeah, we need to get on that) but I would also like to get KC a gift as well.  I think it would be cool if we could stick to the 'lists' of what to get for each anniversary.  I was doing some web-browsing and found out that there are 2 different lists for Anniversary Gifts.

There is the Traditional List and the Contemporary List (found here):

Anniversary Year	Traditional Gift	Contemporary Gift
1	Paper	Clocks
2	Cotton (Calico)	China
3	Leather	Crystal, Glass
4	Linen (Silk)	Appliances
5	Wood	Silverware
6	Iron	Wood objects
7	Wool (Copper)	Desk sets
8	Bronze	Linens, Lace
9	Pottery (China)	Leather goods
10	Tin, Aluminum	Diamond
11	Steel	Fashion jewelry
12	Silk, Agate	Pearls, Colored gems
13	Lace, Moonstone	Textiles, Furs
14	Ivory, Moss Agate	Gold jewelry
15	Rock-crystal/glass	Watches
16	Topaz	Silver holloware
17	Amethyst	Furniture
18	Garnet	Porcelain
19	Hyacinth	Bronze
20	China	Platinum
21		Brass, Nickel
22		Copper
23	Sapphire	Silver plate
24		Musical instruments
25	Silver	Sterling silver
26	Star Sapphire (blue)	Original pictures
27		Sculpture
28		Orchids
29		New furniture
30	Pearl	Diamond
31		Timepieces
32		Conveyances (e.g., automobiles)
33		Amethyst
34		Opal
35	Coral (Jade)	Jade
36		Bone china
37		Alabaster
38		Beryl, Tourmaline
39	Cat's-eye	Lace
40	Ruby	Ruby
41		Land
42		Improved real estate
43		Travel
44		Groceries
45	Alexandrite	Sapphire
46		Original poetry tribute
47		Books
48		Optical goods (e.g., telescope, microscope)
49		Luxuries, any kind
50	Gold	Gold
51
52	Star Ruby
53
54
55	Emerald	Emerald
60	Diamond, yellow	Diamond
65	Star Sapphire, Gray
67	Star sapphire, purple
75	Diamond, diamond-like stones, gold
80		Diamond, Pearl
85		Diamond, Sapphire
90		Diamond, Emerald
95		Diamond, Ruby
100		10-carat Diamond

So I can choose from Paper or Clock if I stick with the 'lists'.

• For clock I was thinking Watch (because I'd like a new watch too :-) ) and then realized that Watch is actually listed for 15yrs.  Hmm, so I guess that means I can't do watch.  I could get him a clock, but we don't have many clocks around the house and I don't know where I would put a clock.
• Ok, so paper.  I've done my share of picture books and photo albums so that's not going to work.  I've done tickets to sporting events before as well (and with his wacky summer Ultimate schedule, who knows where we will be on what weekend).  I love the idea of the architectural letter pictures of last names as seen on a few etsy shops.  I purchased a few prints from one of these shops for a wedding gift this past year and they looked great (I think it might be more for me than for him though)!

What did you get your SO for a first wedding anniversary gift? Did you stick to the traditional or contemporary list or just get something you thought he/she would like?  Any suggestions for me?

P.S. A 10-carat Diamond after 100yrs?!?!  I wonder if anyone has ever been married for 100yrs.

It's Monday already?!?!

It was a great weekend. It felt like we got to do everything we could have wanted to. Sunday was a rather uneventful day with grocery shopping and cleaning the house, but Friday and Saturday we kept busy.

Friday night started off with dinner at a Sushi restaurant that another couple wanted to visit. We don't hang out with just them often so it was nice to just sit and visit. I've never been much of a sushi snob, but this place was definitely not at the top of my list of sushi restaurants to visit again. The other couple said the same thing and said that it was better the last time that they went.

 

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While there we were talking about TV and movies, etc and they recommended Netflix. We had been talking about it for some time and they finally convinced us to give it a try. I started our account last night.

Following dinner we headed to the bowling alley.  Let's just say that my bowling skills are weak to say the least. The first game left much to be desired but I picked it up for the second game.

At the start of the second game the cosmic bowling began. I'm glad we weren't staying much longer, it was really hard to see the ball go down the alley until it got to the pins.  At least I got to wear clown shoes!

Saturday morning started off early with a 5K charity run.  I turned in a time of about 27:30. While it's not the best time, I'm happy that I finished and under my goal of 28 minutes. Week 1 of 10K training has been completed successfully. On to week 2!

Saturday night we went downtown to Beerfest.  There were many (many) beer vendors and you could try as many 2oz samples of whatever you wanted.

There were two 'lines' of endless tents, jam-packed with people.

We tried many different kinds of beer.

Had lots of fun with friends.

Made lots of jokes and laughed the whole night (KC probably said something entirely inappropriate).

Saw some interesting people.

Went home with dirty 'beer' feet (apparently I like taking pictures of feet this weekend!).

And enjoyed every last minute of the night.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well!

*All pictures from personal collection.

Finally Friday!

Thank goodness it's Friday!  It felt like a really long week.  I don't seem to have too much to blog about lately and I'm getting frustrated with WordPress  (and the lack of customization options)  and considering moving to blogger.   I feel like I need to find my direction and audience if I'm going to keep blogging though.

Now on to happier things!

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This weekend looks to be exciting!  I'll be running a 5K tomorrow morning and we will be going to the Beer Festival tomorrow night, which is always a good time.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. One song that always takes me back to my youth is anything by the Beetles, it was way before my time, but when we were in middle school, listening to the Beetles was the cool thing to do.  Then when I became a Band Geek and marched over the summer we did a medley of the Beetles.  As geeky as it may have been for other people, all the cool kids were in band at my school so it was so bad.  I loved Marching Band, it was so much fun to do all summer.


2. My first concert ever was a New Kids on the Block concert.  Oh yeah, Hangin' Tough.  It was pouring down rain and they slid all over the stage.  I think they only played like 5 songs and then called it quits.  Joe was so dreamy!
   


3. If I could create my dream music festival I'd want these bands to be there: Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Kenny!  Yeah, I'm a country music girl!


4. The best make-out/"boot knocking" song ever is something I've never even thought about.  But if I hear that new song Bedrock one more time, I'm going to swear off the radio and only listen to my iPod for a year.  That song drives me crazy.


5. The best concert I've ever been to was the first Kenny Chesney concert I went to with my sister and lots of cousins.  We practically had the worst seat in the house, but we got to see Kenny Chesney (from behind :-) ) and Rascal Flatts for the first time and I was hooked on country.  I loved spending time with the girls in my family!


6. A memorable musical moment for me was when I was in 4th grade and played my very first (and only) flute solo in the middle of our band concert.


7. The song on my iPod that's getting the most play these days is pretty much anything by Lady Antebellum.
   

New Friend Friday

Hi to everyone stopping by from New Friend Friday as well!

A 6 Mile Run?!?!

So, you might remember when I tried working out with Jillian.  For a few weeks I worked on completing the workouts at each of the levels.  While I was feeling it during the workout, I wasn't feeling satisfied with the workout as a whole in the end.  I've been reading on Twitter about a lot of people doing C25K, and another friend who just completed a half marathon so I was inspired to start running again.  Last year I did a 5K and felt great.  I have a few already planned for the year but wanted to do more.

I decided I was going to work on be able to run a 10K.  6 miles?!?!  Yikes!  I found a program on MarathonRookie.com and today was the first day!  I successfully ran my 25 minutes this morning.  I'm hoping to keep a little tracker widget on how many miles I've run throughout the training program.

The training schedule:

7-Week 10k Training Schedule

Week 1: Monday - Run 25 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 30 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 3 miles, Sunday - Off

Week 2: Monday - Run 30 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 35 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 45 minutes, Sunday - Off

Week 3: Monday - Run 40 minutes, Tuesday - Run 3 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 40 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 4 miles, Sunday - Off

Week 4: Monday - Run 30 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 35 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 60 minutes, Sunday - Off

Week 5: Monday - Run 3 miles, Tuesday - Run 50 minutes, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 35 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 70 minutes, Sunday - Off

Week 6: Monday - Run 20 minutes, Tuesday - Run 3 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Run 20 minutes, Friday - Off, Saturday - Run 75 minutes, Sunday - Off

Week 7: Monday - Run 20 minutes, Tuesday - Run 2 miles, Wednesday - Off, Thursday - Light 20 minute jog, Friday - Off, Saturday - Race Day, Sunday - Off

The unfortunate part is that there are no actual 10K races in the area for a while (like November).  I would much rather do my running in the spring, it's so hot in the summer and the fall is hit or miss.  The result?  On "Race Day" KC says he is going to sit at the trail and wait for me to make my 3 laps and cheer me on, isn't he sweet.

I'm hoping that in the end I'll be able to finish and run more races throughout the year.  I am running the Angels Among us 5K, Saturday the 24th (fits in perfectly with my training schedule) and I'm hoping to run in the Komen Race for the Cure, Saturday June 12th.

In preparation for all of this running, I convinced KC to venture to a Nike Outlet nearby and a Dicks Sporting Goods so I could buy some Dri-Fit attire.  I had great success, Dri-Fit capris were 50% off and a few Nike Pro Dri-Fit Shirts.  Also some socks from Reebok that I hope will help with blisters.  Only probably with shopping at the outlets, is that You can't find it online afterwards, so you'll have to take my word for it!

Anyone have any running tips to share?  Blister tips (on toes)?  Are you trying a new program to help shake up your workout routine?

P.S.  I've been trying to integrate a google calendar in a post or a widget but haven't had much luck.  I'm just using the basic (free) WordPress platform, no plugins or anything.  Anyone know if this is possible?  Do I need to upgrade WordPress or anything to get this to work?  Your help would be appreciated.  I like the WordPress interface but there are some more options on blogger that are drawing me there.

Thoughts for Thursday

1. I've been having a tough time getting up at 5:40 to go to the gym in the morning over the last 2 weeks.  I wish I could get my motivation back.  I am starting 10K training next week and I really want to succeed, I need all the motivation I can find.
2. I got my wedding album in the mail last week from Blurb.  I was a little disappointed because everything was rather dark, and I can't decide if it was the pictures or the printing.  I was a little disappointed with the pictures to begin with, so I'm thinking it's them.  I've decided to try to lighten the pictures up and make a new one.  I just hope I finish before our 1st Anniversary!
3. I drink about 1-2 Diet Cokes a day and am making a conscious effort to cut back and it's torture some days!  I made it 2 days without any and had a small one last night.  Hopefully I can keep it up!
4. Last weekend we painted the Living Room and Family Room and I'd really like to share it with you but we don't have furniture yet.  2 more weeks!
5. KC and I are planning a trip to NYC for June 18th-21st, so far we planning on going to the Today Show, a NYY vs. NYM game, and a Broadway show.  Any restaurants you would suggest we visit while there?
6. I've been reading Twenties Girl, but I'm losing interest.  Any suggestions on another book to read, next on my list was the new Emily Griffin book and that's not coming out until May.  What did you think of My Sister's Keeper?
7. I still want a sewing machine, I think I'll ask for it for my Birthday.
8. KC's parents anniversary is next week and I feel like we should get them something.  He never does, though and I always get my parents something.  I was thinking maybe a flower arrangement or something.
9. Our first wedding anniversary is coming up in a month and I need some ideas for an anniversary gift.  I feel like I've used all my 'Paper' ideas already!
10. Sometimes I wish I could make new friends easier.  There are so many boys in my life and more girls or couples would be a relief some days.  I'm too shy to come right out and meet people, but once I get to know you sometimes I don't shut up!  :-)

And because I don't like to post without a picture, here's Miss Maya.  I was working from home the other day and she joined me in the office looking out the window and giving me her typical head tilt.

Have a great Thursday!

Date Night

Sunday night after a long weekend of house-work and painting, KC and I went out to see Date Night at the theater.  We both absolutely loved it.  Most of the people in the theater were couples, young and old and everyone in there seemed to enjoy it, most people stayed through the credits!  If you're looking for a funny movie to see or just a good date-night movie, I would definitely recommend giving this one a see.  Now if only I could decide which movie to see next.

Here's the description from Yahoo!:

Phil and Claire Foster are a sensible, loving couple with two kids and a house in suburban New Jersey. The Fosters have their weekly "date night" -- an attempt at re-experiencing the spice of the dates of yesteryear, involving the same weekly night out at the local Teaneck Tavern. Their conversations quickly drift from barely-date talk to the same chore-chat they have at the dinner table at home. Exhausted from their jobs and kids, their dates rarely end in fore- or any other kind of play, let alone romance. After seeing two of their best friends -- another married couple with kids in suburban New Jersey -- split apart from living the same life they themselves lead, Phil and Claire begin to fear what may lie ahead: a state of bland indifference and eventual separation. In an attempt to take date night off auto-pilot, and hopefully inject a little spice into their lives, Phil decides a change of plans is in order: take Claire into Manhattan to the city's hottest new restaurant. The Fosters, however, don't have reservations. Hoping to be seated sometime before the clock strikes twelve, they steal a no-show couple's reservations. What could it hurt? Phil and Claire are now the Tripplehorns. The real Tripplehorns, however, it turns out, are a thieving couple who are being hunted down by a pair of corrupt cops for having stolen property from some very dangerous people. Forced on the run before they've even finished their risotto, Phil and Claire soon realize that their play-date-for-parents has gone awry, as they embark on a wild and dangerous series of crazy adventures to save their lives -- and their marriage.

Laundry

Last night we spent about 30 minutes folding laundry and that was a small pile compared to normal.  On our bedroom floor you can generally find at least 1 if not 2 baskets full of clean unfolded laundry most days of the week.  I feel as though I shall forever be haunted, by laundry.  We each wear about 2 outfits a day, 1 to work, plus workout clothes.  Somehow (including sheets and towels), this amounts to an average of 7-10 loads of laundry a week for just the 2 of us.  That is crazy!  It's a never-ending battle.  I have no problem actually doing the laundry, it's the folding that I loathe.  I don't mind the washing/drying, even though that requires just as much work because about 1/2 of our clothes don't get put in the dryer, they get hung to dry.  I simply hate folding/hanging!  I tried to implement a nothing comes out of the dryer without being folded rule but KC doesn't get that.

Laundry is one battle I may never win.  I can't even imaging what life will be like when we have kids and all the laundry that comes with them.  If someone would just come in and fold my laundry (and clean the bathroom, but that's another story), I would be ever so happy and keep the rest of my house spotless, I promise!

Anybody have any laundry (management) secrets to share?!

Friday Fun!

I haven't had too much to say this week.  It's been a little bit of a boring week so I decided I'll participate this week again in Fill in the Blank Friday and Five Question Friday.

We have lots planned for this weekend, so I'll probably have lots to say next week!

I'm so happy that it rained last night and washed away some of the pollen.  My red car is no longer yellow!

I hope that you all have a great weekend!

Fill in the Blank Friday!

1. The strangest thing I've ever eaten was Rattlesnake - it was kinda chewy and a little gross.


2. My best Female friend is Marcy, she keeps me sane and really understands everything.  She just needs to move back to the East Coast.  It's hard to only talk to her every other week or so because she's all the way out in CA.  It's hard to pick just 1 though.


3. If I could live in a different era it would be Early 1900's because I'd love to know what it was like to live in 'simpler' times and what my Great Grandmother lived through.


4. I like when people do things for others without being asked.  I love the car insurance (I think it's Allstate) commercial where someone see's someone do something nice and pays it forward and so on.


5. If you only know one thing about me it should be that I will try my hardest to please almost anyone.


6. My favorite book of all time is currently 'The Help'.  I just finished it and I really liked it, so it's moved to the top of my list.  I couldn't put it down.  Before that it was probably To Kill a Mockingbird, but I haven't read that in a while.


7. The one beauty product I couldn't live without is cover-up, I don't wear much else but cover-up, blush and eye-shadow.  My face is a little red lately so the cover-up is a life saver.


8. Blogging is new to me and I'm enjoying it.  It's my 'secret' from my friends and my own little world.  I hope to make many more 'blog friends' and continue blogging for a while.  I just hope there are people out there actually reading what I write.  :-)


9. If I could star in a movie with any actor/actress I would want to work with Anne Hathaway, I like her in some of the roles she's played and reminds me of myself a little.


10. One of the best feelings in the world is laying in bed cuddling with KC and Miss Maya jumps up to join us.  We're one little happy family.

Five Question Friday

1. Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?

Anne Hathaway - Same as above - I don't really have a good reason except that I like her. :-)

2. Did you ever go to summer camp?

Every summer for about 5 years I was at a Basketball or Soccer camp (some years both).   I loved going to camps and meeting new kids and improving my sports skills.

3. What sends you running and screaming in the other direction?

Lots of things.  Bugs (the more legs the farther I go), any type of surgery on tv, Reptiles (and their nasty tongues).  Last night we watched 'Life' (narrated by Oprah) and there were Komodo Dragons on the show.  They were huge and had some gross looking tongues.

4. What is something you do that drives your spouse nuts?

Hmm, right now I would say it drives him nuts that I won't kill the spiders and gross bugs that seem to be around.

5. What is currently your favorite song?

Lady Antebellum - "I Was Here" or Britt Nicole - "Walk on Water"

New Friend Friday!

Click on over to participate yourself or let me know if you stopped by from there.

1.  The strangest thing I've ever eaten was at a restaurant in Kenya called Carnivore...all you can eat meat.  I tried ostrich meatballs, goat and crocodile.  The goat was pretty tasty .

2.  My best friend is the greatest.  He's funny and sweet and pretty darn cute.  Oh yeah...and by the way Craig...it's you :) .

3.  If I could live in a different era it would be the 1950's because  I really like the idea of cooking in heels and pearls, plus I feel like things were probably simpler then...not perfect, but simpler .

4.  I like when people practice random acts of kindness.  It makes the world a happier place to .

5.  If you only know one thing about me it should be that I love Jesus.  I'm not perfect in my faith...I actually struggle often, but I'm trying to love others the way He did...without judgement and/or expectation.  It's a work in progess .

6.  My favorite book of all time is "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst.  I had the entire thing memorized when I was a kid .

7. The one beauty product I couldn't live without is it's a tie between under eye concealer and blush.  I just can't decide.  I have olive toned skin, so I look like death warmed up without any blush, but I also get terrible dark circles, so I don't think I could do without that either.  Oh...and P.S.  any suggestions for miracle working dark circle removing creams are much appreciated :) .

8.  Blogging is something that makes me very happy.  It's been such a great way to express myself creatively, and my blog has become sort of like my "baby" and I enjoy putting time into it and watching it grow and change.  And more than anything I've made so many great friends through blogging and you all encourage me daily with your sweet comments. .

9.  If I could star in a movie with any actor/actress I would want to work with Zooey Deschanel.  I have a total girl crush on her...along with every other girl in the known world.  I think she'd be so much fun.  Although, I might actually choose Morgan Freeman.  He's pretty much awesome .

10. One of the best feelings in the world is when Craig comes up and hugs me in the middle of a fight, and all my frustration melts away and I feel safe and loved .

Living Room Makeover - Search for furniture

There are only 2 rooms in the house that we haven't painted yet, the Living Room and the Dining Room.  Since they are adjoining, they need some sort of coordination in my opinion.  The problem is with the way the rooms are setup.  The Living Room as 2 big doorways (1 to the dining room and 1 to the hallway) on 2 walls, and 1 wall is a big window, leaving us with 1 plain wall to work with.  We've had a sofa against it and a chair in another corner and we'll keep the same look.  The current furniture though, is just not my style, it's much more 'cushiony' then I like.  There is nothing about this room that screams 'Lauren's style'!  It was just everything that came from the apartment that didn't fit elsewhere.  Since we weren't sure what we were going to do with the room we just put the stuff in there for now.

Personal Photo

It's now 3 years later and it's time for a makeover.  Last weekend we tackled the task of finding a new sofa and chair for our living room.  I should mention, that I am picky!  I don't like to put it that way though, I just like to say that I know what I want and what I don't want.  That sounds much better.  We started with looking for a patterned chair.  If you remember from my clothes post, I tend to stick to solid colors and no patterns, and the same falls true for decorating my house.  I was determined we were going to get some sort of pattern in that room.  We started with a trip to Target where I had seen some patterned chairs that I liked there.  In the store we saw this chair and decided that we were going to get this one:

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The real task was finding a sofa and chair for the room.  There is one main street that has a minimum of like 6 furniture stores, no lie.  We visited a few of them but nothing was really what I wanted.

Some were too light, too 'cushiony', and not clean enough lines.  For some, friends had bad experiences with their furniture sagging.  Some were too expensive and one store I refuse to visit after 2 bad customer service experiences with them.

The top contenders:

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It was a trying day.  (Did I mention that I'm picky?)  I decided to search online, on my phone, while we traveled between stores and I came upon this chair at Target.

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I loved it. We hadn't purchased the original chair yet and I was glad, this one changed my mind.  I definitely wanted this one instead.  Now only if I could find a sofa.  Suddenly I remembered that JCPenny has furniture in some of their stores and online.  That's when I found this beauty from the Napa collection:

and its matching chair:

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They fit all of my criteria.  I was skeptical about ordering them because I hadn't actually seen them in person.  We made our way to one of the larger local JCPenny stores but they didn't have any in stock.  In the end, after much deliberation, we took the plunge and ordered them (in a lighter color).  Despite the high delivery fee ($225, Yikes!) and the fact that we hadn't seen them yet they fit all of our (my) criteria and we both liked them.  Now we're in wait and see mode as it takes 4 weeks for them to arrive! (Enough time to paint the walls,  shampoo the carpets and try to sell the old furniture)

The next day we got online to order from Target because it was 15% off if you spent $125+ and free shipping.  It was definitely cheaper to do that then to purchase in store.  Only one problem, the chair (the bottom one) was out of stock.  So frustrating.  In the end we went with the original choice and ordered the striped chair.  It arrived and it's great, I love it.  Then I was online today, and noticed that the other one has become available again.  Now what do I do?  Order it and return the striped one?  Stick with the striped one?  We didn't have any shipping costs or anything so that's not a problem.  I'm not usually a person to order things I haven't seen.  I hate ordering items online because I want to see them first and make sure the material is nice and that they're going to fit.  I hate bringing things back to the store.  I still haven't decided what to do.

We still had a dilemma of tables.  Looking at the picture of the room as is, a coffee table is too big for such a small space.  I like the 2 Leather Ottomans look on Young House Love (Living Room - Halfway down).  We looked around and ended up ordering two of these from Target.  They arrived, they look nice and I think they will fit in great.  KC has trouble picturing things so I think he's still skeptical.

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We'll be spending the weekend painting this weekend.  We're still in search of window treatments and what do to about side end tables (1 on each side of the sofa or just 1 on 1 side).  On the plus side, we did find some 'wall art' for over the couch which tends to be my biggest problem when I'm redoing a room.  Our bedroom went for a year with nothing on the walls, awesome.

Why is decorating so hard?  Has anyone else bought furniture from JCPenny or any other store on-line without seeing it first? I wish I could hire a decorator to do it all for me!

Weekend Recap & Recipes

It was a great weekend.  I had hoped to post this weekend but didn't get around to it.

Friday - It was the Friday before a holiday so my manager let us out at 11:30.  It was great to not have to stay late and to be able to have the afternoon to myself.  I went to lunch with a friend, which we so very, very rarely do just the 2 of us and we sat there for 1.5hrs.  It was a lot of fun.  I came home to these from my awesome husband.  (Sorry for the iPhone picture)

It was a great start to the weekend.  We picked up some paint for a project this week (I'll blog about it when I'm done), stopped by the mall and then grabbed some dinner.  All in all it was great to just spend the evening together.

Saturday - Since KC went out-of-town to play Ultimate Frisbee for the day, I had the whole day to myself.  I ran errands, had lunch with another friend and then started baking.  I love banana bread and save all of my rotten bananas in the freezer to make some banana bread.  The bananas started to pile up so I make 4 batches of banana bread, some for Easter and some to share with friends.  I also made an ice cream cake for Easter and it was delicious.  (Recipes below)  I love Funfetti cake and at the store the other day, there was a box of Funfetti cookie mix.  Yum, Yum!  I definitely made some of those for Sunday and they were delicious (despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of frosted cookies)!

Sunday - Sunday was Easter.  It's so hard not to spend the day with family.  I know it's been about 6 years that we've been away from them but that doesn't make it any easier.  We decided to go to 11:30 mass so we could work out beforehand.  It was packed.  We found a parking spot but ended up in the Fellow ship hall because the church was full already when we got there at 11:10.  It was a beautiful service, I just love the hymns that were sung.  After groceries, we lounged around and I made some pretzel salad before we headed over to eat with some friends.  We had a nice meal and everything was delicious.  Afterward, we watched Opening Night, which I will say was a little disappointing, but hey it's only the first game of the season.

I hope you all had a wonderful and joyous Easter weekend.

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Weekend Recipes

Pretzel Salad
1 cup crushed pretzels
1 cup sugar (divided)
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz.  Cool Whip
1 stick of butter (melted)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix pretzels, 1/2 cup of sugar and melted butter in a bowl.  Press into a 9x13" pan.  Bake for 7 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Whip cream cheese, Cool Whip and 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl.
• Break pretzel mixture into pieces and fold into cream cheese, Cool Whip mixture and enjoy!

Ice Cream Cake
1 vanilla ice cream (softened)
1 chocolate ice cream (softened)
1 tube chocolate chip cookie dough
Cool Whip
Caramel and/or Fudge topping
Candy toppings

I use a springform pan for this so it was easy to add/remove things and then cut when ready to serve

• Bake 1/2 of the cookie mixture in the pan and then remove from pan to cool
• Bake 2nd 1/2 of the cookie mixture and leave in pan
• Put 1 layer of vanilla ice cream over the cookie, freeze 30 minutes
• Put the other cookie (that was removed from the pan) on top of the ice cream
• Put 1 layer of chocolate ice cream on the second cookie, freeze 30 minutes
• Put a layer of Cool Whip on top, freeze 30 minutes
• Garnish top with Caramel/Fudge toppings and candy
• Freeze until about 10 minutes before serving, remove edge of spring form pan and leave on counter to soften

You could do this with many different types of ice cream.  I think it would be good to put a layer of fudge or caramel on top of the ice cream or cookie as well

Menu Monday - 4/5

Menu - Week of 4/5:

This week's menu includes some of our normal meals.

• Monday - Chicken Stir Fry Packets - We each put what we want in our stir fry into a tin foil packet and cook it on the grill, it's delicious.


• Tuesday - On my own - KC is out for a team dinner, so I'm fending for myself.


• Wednesday - Pasta alla Marlboro Man - KC loved this the first time but we're going to make some modifications this time.


• Thursday - Pizza Night - RIT Hockey is playing at 5, so we're all getting together to watch the game and order some pizza.


• Friday - Flex Day/Indian - I have Indian if we are around for dinner, but lately we seem to be out on Fridays.


• Saturday - Spiedie Chicken - I will marinade some chicken on Wednesday or Thursday and by Saturday it will fall apart in your mouth it's so delicious!


• Sunday - Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa

Hopefully we'll be doing some painting this week/weekend so I'm not sure how the menu will work out this week but I'm crossing my fingers!

Happy Friday!

I had fun with Fill-in-the-blank-Friday last week, but Lauren's not doing it this week so I thought I'd try 5 Question Friday.

Five Question Friday:

1. Do you sing out loud in the car when you're driving?

Definitely!  Even if I don't know the words I still try to sing.  I figure at some point I'll learn them if I keep messing them up.  I love to crank up the music and sing.  It keeps me awake if I'm sleepy.  Though I think it's hilarious when I catch other people doing it, I can't imagine what people think when they see me singing.

2. What would you never be caught doing?

Cheering for the Red Sox! Die hard Yankees fan right here.  I've been a fan since I can remember.  When I was younger I used to watch as many games as possible with my dad.  For a few years I could even recite the entire line-up.  I love the Yankees and KC loves the Red Sox, so it's a battle at our house.  You will never see me cheer for the Red Sox.  Never ever!!

3. Will you go #2 in a public restroom?

Only if it's an emergency.  I try as hard as possible not to put myself in that situation or the possibility of the situation.

4. Have you ever broken a bone?

Kind of.  Last year on NYE (2008 into 2009) I was playing dizzy bats and I may or may not have had a beer or 2 beforehand and fell in the middle of my spinning.  I caught myself with my hand and was in some serious discomfort.  It was a tiny break around the knuckle where my pinky on my left hand meets my hand.  Yeah, imagine telling people at work the story when they ask how you broke it (and you can barely type)!

5. Do you prefer cooking or baking?

Baking, absolutely!  I love to bake and bring it in to work or to events.  I prefer baking and then sharing with everyone so I don't look like a pig when it's all gone a few days later.  I'm getting better and liking cooking better.

New Friend Friday:

Click on over to participate yourself or let me know if you stopped by from there.

I hope that you all have great weather this weekend!  We will be enjoying the weekend and celebrating Easter with some great friends.

Happy Friday!

TV Show Music

While watching The Biggest Loser this week, I heard a song and I just couldn't get it out of my head.  I searched and found that NBC lists the music that they featured in their shows and I spent some time listening and I ended up buying 2 songs from iTunes afterwards.

Walk on Water - Britt Nicole - Her YouTube site where she explains the inspiration for the song  (Featured on The Biggest Loser when Stephanie goes home to her family)



The Show - Lenka (Featured on Parenthood)



I love hearing new music I've never heard before and TV is a great place to start since the radio seems to play some songs over and over again.