Weekend Update 02-11-12

Ok, this is more of all all-week update :)

Tuesday John's dad was in town and took us out for a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant with grits to die for. Smoked Gouda cheese grits to be exact. Oh my, they were out of this world. And, he came up on his motorcycle, so John took me around in our neighborhood for a bit. We only had one helmet so we could not go out on the main roads. Let me tell you, even in our one road neighborhood I was praying almost the whole time that we would not crash. I've been on motorcycles before but for some reason this time it made me very nervous. But all went well.

Friday John called to tell me that he finally found an item I've been seeking at a yard sale- a rolling pin.
I had quite a good laugh when he showed me the pin with such triumph:

He honestly thought it was a rolling pin in a stand. Poor sweet guy. He just did not believe that it was a paper towel holder.

Friday night I was also taken on a surprise date! We just got a Brazilian BBQ restaurant and John took me to the grand opening! I ate way too much meat off of spits and too many carbs. And all while wearing some sexy heels!

Saturday we did our usual yard sales. I got a pair of black boots with ruffles down the side for $1. I think they are really cute.
When I went grocery shopping that evening, I saw a rather amusing sight. A lady was standing at the Redbox machine near the slot where you pickup and return your DVDs. I couldn't quite figure out what she was doing, until I realized she was trying to force a DVD into the slot. I politely informed her that she had to touch "Return" on the screen first. We both had a little chuckle over that one.

Monday night I tried out a new recipe from my fave site Skinnytaste. It was a Latin stew recipe, and it turned out remarkably well. John and I both had second helpings. I only wish I would have made enough for us to have lunch the next day. I recommend doubling the batch if you do make it.
Anyway, the recipe does call for 1/3 cup of light beer. This presented a problem, as we don't drink.

But, I'm not opposed to cooking with alcohol. So off to the gas station I went to purchase one light beer. Which I will now call, a trip to lose my youth.
You see, I was prepared. I had my ID at the ready. To my dismay, I was never asked for it. How devastating! Apparently, I now look much older than 21. Waaaaaaaaah!

I felt really conspicuous walking out with my brown paper bag

Well, I guess that's all there is to tell for now. Tomorrow we'll be celebrating Valentine's day by  making breakfast for dinner and watching Harry Potter :) We own all the collection but one and have been working our way through them again this week. It really is such a well-produced series. Someday I hope to read the books also.
We are keeping tomorrow low-key, because my really gift is coming this weekend. John is whisking me away to destinations unknown. I just love surprises!

I am making these pretties for work tomorrow:

Recipe

Happy Valentine's!

Gratitude- Miss Manners

So I've been thinking quite a bit about social customs through reading blogs and personal experiences, especially as it relates to propriety.

Since I've got a couple areas I'd like to cover, I've decided on a new label, "Miss Manners". Where I'll post what the proper social rules are and my personal opinions and experiences. I've sort-of already covered RSVPs. I did not include a direct quote from Emily Post, but here's a great article on RSVPs as it pertains to weddings:Be a gracious wedding guest not a royal pain

Today we'll discuss obligations of the host or recipient, rather the the guest or giver, the infamous and mostly forgotten Thank You card. Remember this series is Miss Manners, not Miss Grammar. Please ignore my punctuation and capitalization issues.

In our "now" and "paperless" society, the art of delayed written communication is almost extinct. We love to design wonderful invitations and Christmas card, but forget the follow up of written thank you notes.

I myself lack in this. It really is polite to send thank you's even after something as small as a dinner, especially when the host invites you to their home. I have the best intentions of doing this, and almost always forget to actually do it.

But when is a simple thank you when receiving the gift appropriate, and when should you put pen to paper to show you are both thoughtful and grateful? You can never go wrong asking Emily Post.

The article confirmed just what I suspected- written thank you's are expected for any shower gift. And wedding gifts should be acknowledged within 3 months of receipt of the gift. That was a little different than my thought of 3 months from the wedding.

At showers- a popular trend has started to have envelopes on a table and to have the guests write their address on them to make things easier on the "thanker". While a highly practical idea, I can't shake the feeling of being a bit miffed. I think part of the expectation of a thank you is that, if I as the giver put for the effort, time and money to select, purchase, wrap and deliver a gift to you, the minimum expected in return is that you spend around a dollar and 5 minutes of time to write and address a card.

And in all reality, if you were able to attend a shower that you likely already received an invitation to, shouldn't someone already have your address? Shouldn't you be that close to the recipient of your gift?


Perhaps I'm sounding snotty with my reasoning, but even the simple reasoning of being a grateful gift-receiver is reason enough. Don't be so quick to take gifts for granted. Everyone appreciates being well-thanked.

Weekend Update 02-04-12

We had a wonderful time this weekend, and the Superbowl was only a small part of it :)

My friend Elise, who I visited a couple weeks ago, returned the favor and visited us (along with her sarcastic yet adorable hubs Reuben).
Another mutual friend of ours, "M" had invited her to make the trip over for "M's" birthday party. So they came and stayed with us.

Friday night we had dinner and then fondue (at home). It was so tasty, and a good reason to use up the leftover chocolate still melted in the pot from the bridal shower. Then we did a little Dance Central with the Kinect to burn off some of those calories. Of course we stayed up way too late talking.

Saturday we got up much earlier than we would have liked to, but all for a good cause. We went out in search of great yard sale deals. It was looking pretty bleak for the first 90 minutes or so. Overcast skies, very few signs, and listings on my app that apparently decided to not have a sale after all.
But then, we pulled up to the World Series of yard sales. The best one I've ever been to. Seriously. It was just a single lady having a moving sale. Only it looked like World Market, Ross, Pottery Barn and Ikea had thrown up all in her house. She was getting rid of EVERYTHING. By the time we got there the sale had been going on an hour and several people already had MOUNDS of things set aside to buy. One older lady was fiercely guarding a big pile in the backyard and I overheard her say she was going to offer $200 for it. I wish we would have been there when it opened, but I probably would have been taking money out of savings to buy all the cool inexpensive stuff she had. We definitely would've needed to call John for the truck.
At first we were nervous because 99% of the items did not have prices. But once Reuben asked about a bathroom cabinet and she said $5 and he overheard her saying $1 for clothes, we too started a pile. We
probably spent 45 minutes in this lady's house. Then we spent another 15 minutes waiting in line to pay her. But in the end we came out with this:

Elise got:

All clothes, $1 each

Cabinet, $5, wall art  $5, pic frame $2, white bedspread and white duvet $10, candles, wall crosses, new chocolate fountain $10 and decorative pillows (a couple bucks)

Then my loot:

I spent $20 altogether and got 15 items. Thanks to Elise for modeling.

Woven square basket, black purse, 4 napkin rings, toss pillow, decorative plate, pewter bowl, 2 vinyl wall art (large flowers and "Always Kiss Me Goodnight), glass vase, star mirror and my fave deco- silver pear. You can put a votive candle under the pear and the light shines through the holes

Really nice shirt for John. The patio lights ($20) are for mom and the other two shirts ($3) are from another yard sale.

Included in my $20 haul from Pottery Barn lady was a pair of Toms "Vegan Wrap Boots" that I got just to sell. I think they are pretty darn ugly, but they're worth around $40-$60 bucks!

Later when John came homes (we went separately so we could take our time and not slow him down) he showed me what he bought:

A tandem bike! Or as I like to call it "a bicycle built for two." I have to admit I was nervous to ride it and when we first took off and stopped I shrieked a little. But once we got going it really was fun. And trust building. Lol.

We'll enjoy it while it lasts, cause this puppy is for sale.


Then Saturday night was "M's" party. I forgot my camera :( We ate and talked way too much. I made a recipe that caught my eye and reminded me of holidays meals as a child: Watergate Salad. Aka "fluff, green fluff," etc. Oh my did it hit the spot for me! So light, fluffy and sweet. After my fourth serving I finally got rid of my craving for it!

Sunday we took a little time after church to photograph our faces :) So I could prove Elise has a head, lol.

Showing Reuben the rapid fire capabilities of our camera

And then to top off the weekend, the Giants won. Not that either of "our" teams were playing at all, but the hubs wanted the Giants to win, so I was glad they did. And that we could witness it with gracious hosts and good friends, the Seymores. Who also grilled burgers and hot dogs for us.

Now back to healthy eating and exercise :)

Happy Monday