Weekend Recap

Peter and I had a really low-key weekend so nothing exciting to report but it was nice just to slow down a bit and relax :) I had Friday off of work so I ran a few errands (Ikea, Michaels, etc.) and stopped at Chik-Fil-A for lunch. I had a "split" (a.k.a. Arnold Palmer; half-lemonade & half-sweet tea) to drink, and it tasted like summer to me :) I only crave those when the weather starts getting warmer. Peter and I took a long walk after he got off of work, stopping in at Starbucks for some refreshment, and we realized when we arrived that we had missed Starbucks' giveaway of cake pops that day by about 10 minutes. Boo! A cake pop would have gone really well with my coffee :( Friday night we watched UMD lose to Duke in the ACC basketball championship. I'm sorry for the disappointing end to the Terps' season, but I'm really looking forward to March Madness!!! I grew up in a basketball town (Go University of Memphis Tigers!!!) and in a basketball family (you should hear my mom cheer for the Tigers!) so March is one of my favorite months of the year :)

Saturday we made Praline Pecan French Toast for breakfast, and it was heavenly!

 (image from Southern Living)

Such a good recipe to make if you have house guests for the weekend and you need something that can be made ahead of time and then just popped into the oven in the morning! I got my hair cut Sat. afternoon, but I just got an inch cut off so it looks pretty much the same :) I'm still toying with the idea of cutting it shorter; maybe when the weather gets hot, I'll be more inclined to go chin-length! I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping (found some cute Lilly pieces at local consignment stores!) and then organizing some things at home and paying bills (not fun but very necessary!). Peter and I watched Easy A on Saturday night.

(image from IMBD.com)

Blech! I'd like to have that one and a half hours of my life back! I usually like modern re-tellings of older stories/books so I was intrigued when I heard that this movie was based on The Scarlet Letter but it really didn't deliver.

On Sunday we went to church and then took another long walk when we got home. It was such a nice day in our area yesterday :) I made gumbo for dinner last night, not realizing that Peter had never tried it before. I was more than happy to introduce him to the deliciousness that is gumbo! I used a new recipe from Southern Living ("Big Easy" Gumbo), and I think it's a keeper. I had forgotten to buy celery at the grocery store so we had celery-less gumbo, but it was still good.

(image from Southern Living)

J. McLaughlin Giveaway at Magnolias, Marriage, and Manhattan!

Magnolias, Marriage, and Manhattan is hosting a giveaway from J. McLaughlin :) The winner will receive this bamboo clutch in natural. MMM will pick the winner on Thursday / March 17 so head on over to her blog to read the contest rules and enter!

Festivals!

As I've been thinking about vacation planning for this summer, I've also been thinking about how much I like to experience travel vicariously through cultural festivals. If I can't actually go to a country, then the next best thing is soaking up a little of that country's culture in the good ole U.S.A. :) I grew up going to Greek festivals in Memphis because my maternal grandfather is Greek and it was a fun way to learn about my heritage. And I've carried on the tradition as I've become an adult.

Since I've lived in the DC area, I've attended the Greek Festival at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in DC several times (great food!), the Smithsonian Folklife Festival several times, the Baltimore Irish Festival, and the Virginia Scottish Games and Festival (where I snapped the picture above - the pipes and drums were fantastic!). Hopefully, this year I'll make it to the Caribbean Carnival in DC; I've heard that it can get a little wild but it's a great party. Any other suggestions for cultural festivals in the DC or Baltimore area? I don't want to miss out on anything :)

Maryland Momentos

Last night while I was grocery shopping, I picked up these just for kicks:

(image from www.snackerrific.com)

Kind of like a crab-shaped Cheez-it with some added Old Bay-like sassiness :) Not bad!

I was curious about the company that makes them since I had never heard of Wye River before, and after a little googling, I found the company's website and I also found two websites that carry Wye River products and a lot of other Maryland souvenirs: Maryland Delivered and The Maryland Store. I like to put together baskets of Maryland-related gifts for friends and family who stay with us and who have never been to Maryland before, and these two sites will be great sources for ideas of things to include. Since I'm not originally from Maryland, sometimes I have a difficult time thinking of local products so I'm thankful for some help :)

Weekend Recap

This weekend really flew by! I actually slept through my alarm this morning because I just don't think that my brain could process that it was Monday :)

Friday night Peter and I ate leftover Indian food for dinner (Yummy!) and watched The September Issue. My husband is such a trooper! He never fusses about watching chick flicks with me :) We both thought it was a really interesting documentary. The world of high fashion is certainly different from my world! I ended up liking Grace Coddington a lot (she's so committed to her work/art) and was surprised to see a softer side to Anna Wintour. You can definitely see the hurt in her eyes when she talks about the lack of respect that her siblings have for her work, and you can also tell that she loves her children when she talks about them.

Saturday morning was my friend LHC's baby shower :) She's having a little boy in April, and I'm very excited to meet him! The ladies of LHC's church hosted the shower on Sat., and they did a lovely job. There was enough food to feed an army :)

Cake & Diaper Cake (I totally thought the diaper cake was a real cake when I first saw it)

Buffet Table

 The Mama-to-Be Hard at Work Opening Presents

I left the shower early because Peter and I had tickets to the University of Maryland vs. University of Virginia basketball game. We had great seats, and it was a ton of fun even thought the Terps lost :( They put up a good fight, and it was exciting to be so close to the action!

Peter and I at the Game 

 An Action Shot

 Cheerleaders at Half-Time

I wanted to get a picture of the UMD mascot, Testudo, walking around, but he never came close to where we were sitting. Am I the only one who thinks that Testudo looks like he might do steroids?  :)

(image from www.hoopedia.com)

On Sunday, the college students at our church hosted a pancake breakfast during the Sunday School hour to raise money for their upcoming mission trip so P and I enjoyed some pancakes before the worship service. Sure beats the cold cereal we usually have for breakfast on Sunday mornings :) After church, we just lazed around the rest of the rainy afternoon and evening (well, I lazed around - Peter actually played basketball for a bit) .

Is it wrong that I'm already looking forward to this coming weekend? I'm getting my hair cut on Saturday, and I'm twelve kinds of excited about it!!!

Dahl House Giveaway at Let the Tide Pull Your Dreams Ashore

EAS at Let the Tide Pull Your Dreams Ashore is hosting a giveaway from The Dahl House. The Dahl House has offered one lucky reader a 5x7 hand painted frame of their choosing. The winner can have the frame personalized with their three letter monogram or name. The giveaway ends Friday, March 11th, at 5pm EST and is only open to U.S. residents. The winner will be drawn using Random.org. Check it out!

Queen Bee Designs Trunk Show

One of my favorite local jewelry designers is Allison Priebe Brooks of Queen Bee Designs. She was one of the vendors at the Junior League of Washington's holiday market in 2010, and I fell in love with her creations there . I also love that she uses a honeybee as her motif; my name means "honeybee" in Greek so I'm partial to them :) I checked out her website recently and saw that she will be holding a trunk show soon.

Champagne and deep discounts on fabulous jewelry - yes please!!!