I Spied Something Pink...

Then I cut it,

 brought it in the house,

 



















 

 marveled at it,






















and photographed it.

All so I could blog about it. For you.

The end.

*But really, it's because I can't help myself...and this way I can really enjoy it!

Loooooong Weekend!

It's a long weekend! Woohoo! I'm so excited!

As always, part of my weekend will include some of this

and this

and will definitely include a trip to the nursery for some more plants (I have a coupon for free stuff!)!

I also hope to enjoy a couple of these lovelies with some coworkers after work this evening

and some of this at a barbecue!

Mmmm.

What's on your agenda this weekend? Whatever your plans, have fun and be safe!

Like a Fiesta in My Mouth!

Last week I was looking for a way to jazz up my grilling and searched for a good marinade. I was hoping to have something to pair with my black bean soup, so I thought a lime-cilantro combo would be just the ticket. After looking at a bunch of options, I decided to try one from RecipeZaar because of its simplicity and rave reviews. {Although, I JUST realized that I left out the olive oil! And it was absolutely fine without it. :-)}

Here's the original, though you know I ended up changing it:

Ingredients

Juice from 2 limes
1/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

1 clove garlic 

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro 

1/2 teaspoon cumin 

1/2 teaspoon chili powder 

2 teaspoons sugar 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

salt and pepper

Directions

Toss all the ingredients into a mini food processor and pulse until combined.
Marinate meat for 1/2 hour.
Grill.
Eat.

First of all, the changes. I didn't have fresh limes and wanted to use up my bottle of lime juice, so that's what I did. I really just guessed at the amount I needed- probably 3-4 Tbsp. Like I already said, I didn't copy the recipe right and left out the olive oil, which was fine, I think. I also used less pepper flakes the first time I made it, but used the full amount (or slightly more) the second time I did it. I like a lil' spice. I also used dried cilantro and ended up increasing the amount too. I love cilantro.

I made this twice- once with a steak and once with chicken breast (which I cooked in a pan on the stove, rather than the grill). Both were great, but I really prefer the chicken overall. I let the meat marinate a little longer than 30 minutes each time, but I almost wish I would've let the beef sit even longer. In both cases, the meat was moist and had a nice balance of tang and spice, though you can absolutely adjust things to suit your taste.

The recipe is quick and easy, using ingredients you probably already have on hand. It's also versatile and can be paired with so many things- a nice salad, black bean soup, fajitas, the list could go on. I know this is a recipe that I'll use often. 

Do you have any go-to marinades you like to use?

Goodwill Grabs

This weekend my mom and sisters came to spend a little quality time together. It was good spending some time with them. We hit up the area Goodwill stores, a plant sale, and tons of neighborhood rummage sales. I scored a few cool things along the way.

Check out what I found at Goodwill!! Cute right?

I think it was $6. It's fairly hefty, which is good because I decided to fill it with birdseed and hang it on the front porch, off to the side of my porch swing.

A couple hours later...

Success!

A Note

I wanted to post more pictures of the Birds and update you on the major drama taking place in my backyard over the last few days, but I'm afraid I don't have much time! I will tell you this...there may be a turf war taking place! An interloping couple seems to be trying to move in on the Birds!

Granted, I don't have any pictures of the actual turf war happening. I tried and tried, but as difficult is it is to catch Mama and Daddy Bird on film, it is infinitely more difficult to catch Daddy and the interlopers fighting and flying about!

Hopefully, I'll have a more detailed update on Monday. Until then, have an awesome weekend! I'll be spending some Quality Time with my mom and sisters. We're doing a Girls' Night tonight and then hunting for good deals tomorrow during a huge neighborhood rummage and plant sale.

Do you have any exciting plans this weekend? Do tell...

A Few Updates, Feathery and Otherwise

Oh my gosh! This is my 200th post! Woot woot! Who would've thought??

In other news...

Wasp season has officially begun. I'm declaring war.

Can you spot the Birds? (psst, try it like this first, then click the pic- it should enlarge the image.)

Those lil' stinkers really blend in, don't they? It's been fun to capture the budding Bird Family and I'm really happy you seem to be enjoying them as much as I have been.

And then I saw this.

Eww. That is one big pile of Bird doo. And feathers. It's not pretty. But clearly, the Bird Family is nesting... and they're not gonna go out very far to "take care of business," if you know what I mean.

On a sad note, this afternoon, when I went to take the above pic (the things I do for my blog, I tell ya), I saw something else a bit farther off to the side.

A tiny, cracked egg. It almost broke my heart then and there.**

Poor Mama and Daddy Bird. I'm mourning your loss too.

There's been some other birdie drama happening... check back later for another chapter in the saga.

**(My heart broke further when my little murderer, Lilly, decided to see if the egg was a snack when I wasn't looking.)

Furniture Shopping

So. K-Dog and I have spent part of the last few days furniture shopping for his office. He needs something new to replace a chair or two that have taken a beating. And the end of our fiscal year is approaching and we can either spend it or lose it. At first, furniture shopping was kind of fun, but today I was just tired of the whole thing. And then, I saw this...

How cute is that!?!?! OK, I know the colors don't show up so well, after all this was just quickly snapped with my phone, but it's a pretty grey and a not-so-obnoxious yellow. And the couch.... so pretty, yet sturdy... K-Dog is actually considering it for his office. You can't really see it well, but it has a gentle curve to it. This chair literally made me say, "If only I didn't HATE the yellow in my bedroom. If only I was keeping the yellow..." And then I clapped because in all honestly, I've been considering a lovely grey for my bedroom! Wouldn't that chair be awesome?! It's super comfy too, and the guy said that this brand is "top tier." Love, love, love it. Sigh.

What I don't love....

Gasp. And no, the ottoman is NOT included in that price. However, they do have a 40% off thing happening right now...

So what do you think? Thumbs (way) up? OR Thumbs down?

New Life

I've been growing some parsley and sweet basil in the kitchen this spring. I have loved watching the tiny sprouts push through the soil, unfold, and stretch up toward the light. 

My kitchen counter and windowsill is crowded with baby herbs.

Mmm, I can't wait to use this parsley!

What are you growing this spring?

Lilly Says...

"Have a great weekend, y'all!"

The Nesting Continues...

I managed to catch a few more pics of my feathery friends the other day. Apparently I've been in the right place at the right time...

One fine Spring day, Daddy Bird was doing his part to help with the daunting task of creating a home...nesting...preparing for his future family.

Mama Bird decided to rest on the patio for a few minutes. It was a fine day, after all, and she had been working so hard all day. 

After a bit, she couldn't help but make sure Daddy was taking care of things. "Is everything still OK in there honey??? Can I help with anything?"

Milk Glass

I'm developing a thing for milk glass. I'm pretty picky about the stuff I will even consider buying, so I can't imagine I'll amass a giant collection anytime soon, but it seems my little collection is growing.

It all started with a sugar bowl. I was tired of having my big container of sugar on my kitchen counter to have with my morning coffee and wanted a sugar bowl. I finally found a cute milk glass sugar dish while out thrifting one day (sorry no pic). Then just recently I found a plain milk glass saucer to put the dish on. I know it's just a simple thing, but I love having a sugar dish I can leave out!

Now my collection has grown to include these pieces. The two on the left I got yesterday, the one on the right, a few weeks ago. 

I got the first one because I thought it would be a great little planter. You might not be able to tell from the angle I took the picture but the one on the left is bigger than the one on the right. Again, I was thinking it might make a nice planter... it might actually be perfect for my Lipstick Plant...

...who just keeps growing and will soon need a new home!


But then I put them up on my favorite windowsill and saw the light coming through and wasn't sure I could fill them anymore. I like the way the light comes through...

The vase will, of course, be filled with freshly cut flowers this summer. I love the scalloped, frilly edge on the top. But the other two....
what do you think? Do I bite the bullet and plant something? Keep them on various windowsills? Put them in the kitchen and fill them with fruit? What would you do?

It's Not All Bad News...

So yesterday was a pretty tough day for me, overall. I had a tough time recovering from the morning's trauma, especially since I a) had to retell the story over and over, and b) I had to endure teasing and jokes and youtube clips I still haven't watched. Oh, and I had to see clients too. And I was sleepy from xanny I took.

After I was finished with a session, I was at my computer when K-Dog told me there was a gift for me outside my door. Huh?? When I asked about it (who, what, when, where, why), he told me just to open it and see. I honestly thought it would be something squirrel-related- a stuffed toy perhaps- from one of my office tormentors.

But no! It was my very own Pam Beesly bobble-head doll!!! From The Office!! Gasp!

Remember that talk I gave a while back? Well I had received a Dunder Mifflin themed thank you note (with a picture of Dwight inside) from the students who organized the event. It was a lovely note that made my day. They mentioned something about a gift being on its way, but I didn't think too much of it.

Well today, the gift arrived! And what an awesome surprise/pick-me-up/thank you.

K-Dog got a Michael Scott bobble-head doll, which was pretty cool also. Of course Michael is holding his "World's Best Boss" coffee mug. Love it!

Traumatic Tuesday

See this dog?

My girl. My fiercely loyal, sweet girl. She's intense. She's like Velcro sometimes. She refuses to sleep with anyone else...oh, she'll snuggle up with you, but as soon as I turn out the lights, she comes to me and snuggles up for the night.

Today, my sweet girl chased and caught a squirrel. It got away once and she caught it again. And she shook it and shook it. Just like the terrier blood in her dictates.

It was the most intense and traumatic thing I've ever seen. I'll spare you the details, particularly because I can't think about it anymore. Call my parents. They'll tell you how hysterical I was.

There was a tiny part of me, as it was happening, thinking, "Holy crap! She finally caught one!"

Then I burst into tears and called my dad.

And then I took a xanax and went to work.

Hmm... as I am finishing typing this the tornado sirens are going off. What a day.

Monday Quote of the Day

Here's a snippet of a conversation that took place recently between me and a good friend of mine, let's call him John. I had just slaved over yard work or some big project and was trying to get cleaned up and ready to start a tough week:

John: Whatcha doin' Heidi?
Heidi: Painting my nails. I want to feel pretty tomorrow.
John: Why????
Heidi: What do you mean, why? Because, I want to feel pretty. (thinks to self: what kind of question is that?)
John: Well normally you don't give a crap.
Heidi: (slightly stunned silence) Gee. Thanks for that.
John: You're always pretty to me, that's all.
Heidi: Good save.
John: Thanks.

The end.

And yes, in spite of a weekend full of hard work, my nails are painted today, too. And I feel pretty. It's better than the dirty nails I had this weekend!!

Happy Monday!


 

More Nature...

Ah, Spring. You had me at "hello."

My little magnolia tree is quite the sight, don't you think? From far away, she looks like a pink cotton candy tree.

Here's one of her blooms, wide-open.

And here is a close-up of the firecracker center.

Pretty cool, eh?