Showing posts with label celebrate good times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celebrate good times. Show all posts

Sunday, March 25, 2012

it's a great day to put up my saturday post a day late!



so, we celebrated my birthday and anthony's awesome new job at the pub friday night with friends & family
slept in on saturday morning, then went to see one of the youth group kids in a play
and then anthony told me that he wanted to take me shopping for my birthday
he knew what he wanted to buy me, but knew that i would want input.

he wanted to buy me a north face jacket (which i've wanted for YEARS but haven't justified the money spent)
so we went to a couple of stores, and ended up finding a triclimate jacket on *clearance* for a hundred dollars off normal price...and a light hoodie on clearance as well.
i ended up walking out of the store with two jackets -- and a pair of reef flip flops that ALSO happened to be on clearance, all for well under the amount he had budgeted and set aside for the original jacket.  
i'm spoiled, blessed and happy :-)  


today is church, lawn mowing, and once upon a time/gcb with natasha.
i'm kind of not wanting this weekend to end!


happy sunday, all!

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Saturday, March 17, 2012

it's a great day for a st. patrick's day party!



not much to say today, as i'm in prep mode for our party!  
we are irish, scotch and german in our home, so an open house to celebrate the gaelic side is only fitting :-)

i hope you all have a wonderful St Patrick's day!
previous year's posts:
irish blessings (2011)


this year since it's all-consuming for me, i'll just post today's menu. some of the recipes can be found on my recipes tab, but if you want my recipe for something not listed just let me know and i'll email it to you!

Biachlár
(menu)





géarú goile
(appetizers)
corned beef bites
irish cheddar potatoes
coleslaw
the orange and the green veggies w/spinach dip

entrée
shepherd’s pie (with lamb)
corned beef and cabbage

milseog
(dessert)
sugar cookies
bailey’s brownies *alcoholic*
mint oreo truffles

deochanna
(drink)
the orange and the green punch
shamrock shakes
water

tábhairne
(bar)
irish coffee
irish car bomb jello shots
bubbly irish nut
guinness
woodchuck hard cider
bailey’s irish cream
jameson irish whiskey



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Monday, January 2, 2012

monday's memory: the one with the bachelorette party

have i mentioned that i have amazing friends?
and they throw a pretty kick-awesome party.

my maid of honor asked if i wanted to know what she was planning or if i wanted to be surprised.  i told her i trusted her completely, that they could use our house if need be, and the dates i was free.

that was IT.

since she was temporarily living a few states away, she recruited the other girls to help with the planning and execution.  to this date, i don't know whose idea was what, so just know...my girls ROCK.

on the day of the party, i was asked to be out of the house for the majority of the afternoon, and to stay in communication with the girls on my way home.  they literally came and met me in the driveway with a homemade iced coffee, and blindfolded me.





i was led upstairs (i'll spare you all the butt shots of this part) where i was able to change clothes and get ready (they also brought me some champagne...the beverages kept flowing so i was entertained and happy!) plus, the girls had to change and get ready too, so i was soon joined upstairs




at one point there were four girls in my master bathroom putting on makeup together.  and one pissed-off kitty hiding from the mayhem!

the girls then disappeared down the stairs, and eventually i was led out of my bedroom.
i walked down the stairs and immediately was told to remove my boots
and given bracelets to put on
oh, and i had a "veil" to wear the entire evening.



the downstairs area of the house had been transformed



all furniture was covered in colorful fabric, and extra seating had been created along the window with huge throw pillows.
i even had a "throne" complete with canopy.

there was an amazing food table spread with all sorts of yummy looking things.
they had even incorporated anthony's glass animals into the decor, including this very hungry hippo!


people started gathering in, and once most people were there we were invited to dig in to the buffet.  it was then i realized that these girls who know me so well had brought nearly all the food at my favorite grocery -- trader joe's.  unfortunately, i discovered a couple of new favorite foods that night that are now staples!







we milled around, snacked and chatted for awhile and then i began opening gifts.  i'll leave out the details there, but you can imagine...


gift time was interrupted by the arrival of "someone"...which was my only moment of slight panic.

but the person walked in and immediately started handing out scarves.  she was a belly dance instructor, and that's what we spent the next bit of the party doing -- learning a few belly dance basics!

 and took time for some group shots.  fun group of awesome ladies!



she was amazing, and fun.  now that laura (my maid of honor) is back in town we have mad plans to start taking her classes a couple of times a month.  a fitness class that anthony supports fully, haha!


three of the girls stayed overnight, so there was much more fun (and other crazy late-night photos) to be had even after most of the guests left.

all in all my bachelorette party was exactly what i wanted -- time spent with amazing girls, and lots of laughter.  the gifts were amazing (and all fit!), but the time spent with these girls who i dearly love was the best part of the night.



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Saturday, December 31, 2011

it's a great day to exchange one great year for another


current status: living room couch, finishing an episode of suburgatory while possibly the best shepherd's pie i've made to date bakes in the oven
we have sparkling sangria chilling in the fridge
several episodes of big bang theory to watch
and a multitude of board games to choose from

we decided to spend the last few moments of 2011 alone together
for a few reasons
{1} we spent a lot of time with friends and family over the Christmas holidays...which was great, but
{2} we haven't seen a whole lot of each other between that and working and
{3} we're spending the first DAY of the new year with some amazing friends after worship, and we have plans to spend time with good friends several times in the next couple of weeks.

so we decided to decline invitations and just stay in

i'm sure next year we'll throw a party or attend one
but this year we kind of wanted to spend on our own

i hope your new year's celebration is a great one
that you reflect on the joys and sorrows of 2011
and look forward to similar moments in 2012

be blessed, be safe
i can't wait to spend another year with you all :-)

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Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas, 2010

when it all comes down to it

it doesn't matter if we wrapped our gifts perfectly
with creased paper and curled ribbons

it doesn't matter if the presents contained in the beautiful wrappings
are perfect for each recipient

it doesn't matter if we gather with a small family unit
or a large ball of chaos

or if the food is perfect
or if the table settings match

it doesn't matter if we've pleasantly wished holiday greetings
or militantly insisted that only CHRISTmas be used

it matters that in the most unlikely place
to the most unlikely people
and in the most unlikely way
a tiny Child was born

and He would save the world

merry Christmas, all
and much love

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Friday, December 17, 2010

LOVE this



enjoy!

tonight's gonna be fun because it's our youth group outing to buy items for Youth Encouragement Services holiday store...followed by a little party. time spent with middle schoolers who are passionate about making a difference? that makes a pretty good night.

what about you?

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thursday's Ten: yummy!

for a myriad of reasons and new convictions, i'm choosing not to observe october 31st this year as anything other than a sunday where i will be together with friends eating, laughing and (yes) watching a couple of movies.  one will be "scary" but does not in any way glorify the day we aren't observing.

i realize this is kind of a polar opposite switch from my stance on the day last year...but i am kind of wrestling through some things and how i want to live my life.  so while i reluctantly participated in the trunk or treat at my church last weekend, will be watching a couple of thriller movies this weekend (which is find to me only because they are thrillers and not specifically about the day), and bought some obligatory candy to eat i will not be observing the date until further notice.

i'll be happy to explain, although all i have right now is how i feel.  and i'm certainly not going to tell anyone else what to do or tell people they can't enjoy the day or celebrate. 

it's just not for me.

i'll be happy to share more in depth what has led me to my non-observance this year if you like...although honestly right now it has more to do with feeling convicted about it than anything else.  i'll be doing research and a whole lot of praying before (a) next year and *definitely* before (b) we have children.

so, i'm not doing a theme this week about costumes or trick or treating or anything else specifically linked to the day...

but i think it's still fun.

what are your 10 favorite...


candies?

here's mine, in no particular order
1. starburst







2. skittles
3. milk duds
4. milky way
5. reese's pieces
6. butterfinger
7. 3 muskateers
8. heath bar
9. bit o honey
10. kit kat/twix










join me in my virtual sugar rush?
:0)



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