Damn you Oak Trees

Allergies are killing me over here in the Florida Panhandle. That crazy storm that has taken over the US has shaken the early pollen out of the trees around these parts. I am hurting! The past week I was nursing a mean allergy attack in the form of a congested/ head cold feeling. I still hurt a little, but I am just so grateful I can't give this sickness to the babe. It really doesn't help that I have a huge backyard filled with mature Live Oaks that l-o-o-o-ve this roller coaster ride called weather.

This is the view from my kitchen window. In the summer it is green and gorgeous but right now it is sad and brown. Almost every square inch of ground is covered in leaves from those trees. No way do we rake them! You run over those little devils with your lawn mower and make mulch. And nope those are not all of the trees. There are five more to the left of the hammock! I cannot wait until it heats up a little and my allergies recede long enough for me to sit outside and enjoy a little sun. I need some Vitamin D. It is supposed to get up to 70 today so I am thinking me and the munchkin might put down a blanket in the yard and have a little pick nick.  

 

Luna had the right idea last summer. lol. Crazy girl. I can't wait until every day is that beautiful again. Oh summer hurry up already! And I'm no where near the worst of winter!

What are you looking forward to this summer? What is the first thing you are going to do when the sun is out everyday? 

Weekend Goodness

This weekend felt like a fantastically long weekend that's for sure. So I'll take it from the top! Friday night, Lizzie Rose went to her first bar. Kinda sorta. We went out with friends to a little neighborhood place and no one had been there before, so we all assumed it was more of a restaurant that had a bar. It ended up being more of a bar that served food. But it was super yummy and a really cozy place. Kinda like if someone transformed their home into a tiny bar/restaurant. Thankfully we were there early before the real 'going out crowd' came so no one even seemed to really notice that she was even there. The only give away was her car seat under the table lol. She was a champ. Slept in my arms almost the whole time and let us relax and have dinner with some friends that we hadn't seen in a while. What a trooper.

Saturday, Mama got some time to herself! Wa Hoo! I had the second best massage of my life this weekend. The only one that has been better was the prenatal massage I got in my third trimester when I was as big as a house and achey all over. (Magic hands that masseuse had, magic hands.) Then I did some light shopping afterwards; all by myself. Daddy ended up having a lot of one on one time with the little lady that morning. I'm not going to lie, it was nice but kinda weird to be all alone without either one of them. I am so used to having the munchkin in tow that I truly did not know what to do with my hands when I didn't have a stroller to push. I felt like I was missing something the entire time I was out. I was constantly checking to see if I had my phone or looking to see if my keys ran away. I felt like I was missing my left arm I was so thrown. The best part of my solo shopping was when I started talking to myself and attracted some side eye stares. I usually talk to Lizzie when I shop. You know the usual "What do you think of this shirt baby?" "This one is too blue, don't you think?" Yeah, I was talking out loud to my invisible baby in the middle of TJ Maxx. I was a true weirdo. So, when I text Hubby to see how they were doing and got this picture back as a response:

I knew it was time to head back home. Poor babe still fights a bottle and she was hangry!  

Sunday was brunch and errand day. Oh I love brunch. Eggs Benedict are the way to my heart. And mimosas. Yum. When you finish brunch day with a little antiquing and a Jo Ann's run, it's a really good day. I am starting my newest sewing project this week; a spring/summer baby carrier cover. The one that I made a few months ago is a winter fleece cover that would not mix well with the coming Florida heat. Poor Lizzie would melt! So be sure to come back later this week for a tutorial if you want to make your own!

I can't wait to get started! 

One late, late post day

Hey y'all. Sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday but it has been a messy few days 'round these parts. (Did you just say that with the southern twang I intended. lol. I hope so) So Saturday we had our Housewarming Party. I think it was a huge success! In fact, I didn't get the chance to take one picture the entire afternoon or night. Which now, I regret, but at the time I couldn't care less. I was just enjoying having people over at our new home and enjoying the fruits of Hubby's labor. He woke up at 3am on Saturday to begin smoking all of the delicious meats for the party. Yeah, can you tell he takes this hobby very seriously? But you know what, it totally paid off. Brisket, beef ribs and spare ribs were the highlight of the festivities for sure. Well that, and his new butane torch that the guys loved playing with in the fire pit. Oh men.

Some of the guys were still here when I passed out cold around midnight, so of course nothing got put away or cleaned that night. Those boys and their scotch, I swear. So I have spent the last few days alternating between party cleanup and Whataburger runs. I have this massive peeve about cooking when the kitchen is already a mess. I can't do it. The idea of making food with only one pan or with spices & food strewn about is just so frustrating that I don't even attempt it anymore. So in honor of me finally getting the kitchen back in working order, tomorrow will be a recipe share day. Remember my Fish Tacos & Bruschetta pics {here}, well y'all are getting the details on how to make them yourself manana. Ole and Salute!

     

What Weekend?

There was a weekend? I am pretty sure I slept away the past three days on the couch. I remember waking up at some point and making a lasagna. I think that was Friday. Maybe Saturday. At least I had the for thought to leave something in the fridge for hubby to eat while I was comatose. I am not sure if I am getting a sinus infection or of it is just some ungodly tree blooming away its evil pollen just for me. It looks like a doctor's appointment is in my future this week. Boo on sickness. Boo.

A Weekend of Chicken, Flowers, and Beer

It sounds a little odd, but those were our highlights of the weekend. Chicken and flowers and beer! Saturday and Sunday were some of the most beautiful days we have had in Pensacola so far. It had been chilly on and off all week so I never had the chance to start my biggest project in the new house. A garden. I have always wanted a garden, but apartment living doesn't exactly align itself with open spaces to dig up some ground. Now that I finally have a patch of grass to call my own, I dug it up and planted some gorgeous goodies!

Thankfully, whoever lived here before us did attempt a garden at some point so there was a nice sectioned off spot in the front yard just begging for some beauty. Naturally I obliged :)

The soil was surprisingly in really great condition but there were a few surprises hiding below the top layer, like fake flower bits! I kept on finding fabric leaves and yellow silk petals while I was digging in the dirt. I think someone took the easy way out a few years ago when it came to pretty-ing up the front of the house. lol. I love it.  But now the garden is a real garden again with dainthus and japanese snowball seedlings that are hopefully growing some strong roots. The little flower bed is fast becoming one of my favorite places in the house. Now all I need are two rocking chairs and I will finally have my southern bell front porch.

My fresh little garden wasn't the only good thing to happen this weekend, oh no. Check out Doug: 

 

That's Doug the chicken. Yes, we name our food. What can I say: We are weird, weird people. Hubby beer-can BBQ'd on Saturday night and it was a huge success. Just look at how golden it is! Yum. I cannot BBQ. I have tried and it always turns out blah. Since I am not the grill master in the family, I do not know what the exact recipe is that Hubby follows, but {this one} is the closest in time and temp to make that gorgeous chicken. Honestly, the only thing I contributed to this recipe was the stand.  

Williams-Sonoma. 29 bucks. Can't go wrong. I can seriously get used Hubby using the grill as often as possible this summer. And cooking with fire wasn't the only thing he did this weekend. Oh no. He made beer. He finally broke open his Christmas present and made beer.

One of my guest bathrooms is a brewery for the next few weeks but I cannot wait to sample the end result.

I LV DC

Hubby and I both love Washington DC. It was one of the first cities I ever left Texas to visit as a teenager and I was completely in awe of the monuments, museums, memorials, and traditions associated with DC. Hubby went to college at G.W. right in the heart of the city. He spent some of the best years of his life there and made some of the most amazing friends. His friends are honestly one of the reasons I fell in love with him. You can always tell a person by the company they keep, and he keeps some fantastic company. Even at our wedding, the best man, Tim, gave his speech and called up all the guys to help. You can't beat that kind of friendship and loyalty.

Oh memories 

So naturally, this past weekend was definitely the most bitter sweet time that we have spent in DC. We were saying bye to honestly some of the best people I have ever met. Especially now that the guys have wives, fiances, girlfriends, and babies that I absolutely adore. It makes saying good bye even harder.

We started with a Birthday/Homecoming/Bon Voyage brunch at Old Ebbitt Grill that was fantastic. If you are ever in DC and hungry for not only delicious food, go there. You will not be disappointed! The gentleman sitting on my right was our 'welcome home' guy Tom. He has been stationed overseas in Japan for the last three years and everyone was so glad to have him back stateside.

Almost the whole gang at brunch 

Hubby and Tim, the Birthday Boy

Sweet victory!

After day drinking...I mean brunch...we moved on down memory lane and headed to the guys' college hang outs: Froggy Bottom Pub and Buffalo Billiards. 

They moved to a new fancy location. No more basement dive bar.

Look! Actual glass cups!  

Not everyone was thrilled about the changes. Sorry Bob. 

I found out I am terrible at shuffle board

I will miss that crazy bunch, but it won't be long until we are all going to meet up again. We have two weddings in the books so far for this year and everyone has invitations. I just can't wait until someone gets sick of  the cold weather and decides they want a beach vacation. I've already starting bribing them with free room & board and a DD if they come to Pensacola! lol. I hope someone takes us up on the offer sooner rather then later. Yall know you're sick of the snow! Come on down to the beach! 

You know you wanna!

Luna Mae's weekend

 To say she had a good weekend might be her biggest understatement to date. She had a fabulous weekend full of shenanigans!

PETAs national offices are here in Norfolk and they have a fantastic dog park that is open all year round. Rain or Snow, blue skies or winds, they always leave the gate unlocked. She loves it there. Luna is a champion runner and tries her hardest to round everyone up, children included, and play together. What a ham! She was definitely enjoying her afternoon.

The Saturday park trip was our one outing as a family this weekend. Yep, we were shut ins. It was the humans' turn to sit around and sleep all day. So worth it for Lu. While the humans were sleeping, guess who helped herself to the forgotten pancakes that were on the table? Oh you guessed it...Luna Mae did. Thank goodness they were gluten free. Too much wheat is not good for her little belly. We didn't even realize they were gone until that night when I was picking up our weekend rats nest we made in the living room. lol. We are so gross when we veg out.

Now it is onto the new week ahead. More Thanksgiving prep, bills to be paid and a house that desperately needs a good scrubbing. Hmmm...what should I do first? I know, I'll take Lu to the park. It is her happy place after all :)

5 on Friday {6}

Yay, first post of the week! 

I am a slacker. A big one. But it is time to link up with The Good Life, Carolina Charm, A. Lizz Adventures and Hello! Happiness for another fantastic addition of {5} So with this being my first update of the week, I shall make it about all of the fun stuff that has happened this past week and weekend. I hope I can fill it all in in five spaces. 

{one}

   Halloween was a nice, mellow night in our house this year. Since we don't get trick-or-treaters at our house, Hubby and I put on some last minute costumes and went to the Chipotle down the road for their costume discount! Yeah, mellow. And our costumes...bah....high school shirts, a tiara, a crown and letterman jackets. I had to dig through some boxes and a few closets to find everything but it worked! Who says you need to shell out 50 bucks for a crap costume you will never wear again? On the contrary, thanks mom for buying my letterman sophomore year. It's still getting its money's worth!   

{two}

   Halloween was the debut of the costume I made for my friend Katie's son. Here is the finished product. Ta Da!

Little marshmallow man! So stinkin' cute! His little smile is what kills me the most. He was so happy in the body pillow fluff thing that I made, that he fell asleep sitting up with a smile on his little face. His mom and I were laughing for about 5 minutes straight when we put it on him.  

{three}

   The weekend after Halloween was a travel filled one for Hubby and I. Friday night we went up to DC for a Navy Ball/ Marine Corp Birthday Ball at his alma mater G.W. Thankfully it wasn't just he and I at the party. Our friends Kenny, Bob and Adam, who also graduated from George Washington, made it to the military festivities. It was weird being the "old ones" at the dinner. And when the dancing portion started, yeah, we high tailed it out of there and went to the first bar we could find. 

Yes, we were looking for the perfect place :) 

Hubby and I decided that night, that we are waaay past college fun. When the youngest person at the party was born in 1996 you can't help but feel old and immediately want a glass of scotch that is older then them just to prove a point!    

{four}

   Saturday was another day of travel, this time to Philadelphia for our friends Tim and Marisa's engagement party. It was good party at the City Tavern in Old Town Philly. Great food, even better company and John Adams even made an appearance with some great pearls to give the new couple about marriage. 

  

That's Tim giving his speech and his adorable fiance Marisa. 

Tim is mildly obsessed with John Adams so his appearance was very appropriate.

My little cutie Audrey was there! And naturally, we had to take a couple selfie. I think it turned out pretty good

{five}

   This week was full of Thanksgiving preparation purchases. Plates and serving bowls. Silverware and gravy boats. All of things that people told me to not bother registering for I suddenly needed and kicked myself for not putting on my wedding wish list. This is my first Thanksgiving away from my family so naturally that means it is the first one were I am in charge of ALL food preparation. I am trying to make it as idiot proof as possible; hence the pie tan ring and turkey pop timer. But I have a feeling that the oven rack is going to be my new favorite kitchen tool. You cannot beat doubling your oven space! 

Now all that is left is making a menu and giving a few new recipes a trial run. I am sure Hubby will not mind being my taste tester.