Sex and The City 2

Last night I joined my Cinci girlfriends to see the new Sex and The City movie at midnight. It was.... good. Not fabulous, just good. I am in LOVE with the series and the first movie, but I think their time is almost up.

The first 15 minutes (at least) were hard to watch. I felt like they were trying so hard to make everything they said funny and just did not working. Thankfully the girls finally went on their little vaca to Abu Dhabi and everything fell into place. A few scenes were.... interesting. Singing "I am Woman" at the club. Seriously?!

I'm glad I went to see it, but I'm probably not going to rush out and buy the DVD when it comes out like I did with the first movie. Let me know what you think!

Memorial Day weekend is always the first big weekend at the lake and this weekend is even bigger! WE ARE OFFICIALLY DONE WITH THE NEW HOUSE! I received word this afternoon that our inspection was approved! FINALLY.

As of last weekend. Still a few things to add.

We have a lot of other things to celebrate besides the house being done. My sister got engaged and we have at least three birthdays that I know about. :) Needless to say I am going to be having a great time this weekend. Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

xoxo,
T

The Buffet Experience

Well I knocked off another goal on my nonexistent bucket list this week! Dylan and I went to the Jimmy Buffet concert at Riverbend Music Center. Our Cincinnati friends are big Buffet fans and they invited us along this year. I have wanted to go to a Buffet concert for a long time now. Lucky for us it was actually on the same day as Dylan's birthday. If you know Dylan at all, you know he is not a concert fan. (I pretty sure it is the crowds. ha) But like me, he's heard that the Buffet concert is all about the experience.

So we took Monday off from work to relax before leaving for the concert after lunch. Riverbend opened up the North end of the parking area to tailgaters and we wanted to make sure we got a spot. Unfortunately we slacked on our decor, but we had all the other necessities.... Burgers, Corona and Tequila!

All in all the show was great! Riverbend is tiny compared to Verizon Wireless Music Center. I would probably pick Verizon over Riverbend, but I'm still planning to see the Dave concert there. Supposedly Riverbend is one of the best places to see Buffet because it was the first place to start dressing up. They also coined the term "Parrot Head." We made some new friends at our tailgate that told us all about it. They traveled by limo from Buffalo, NY. Crazy!

Here are some of the approved blog photos. ;)

Me and Ashley (fellow Girl Scout)

Watch out!

Me, Ashley, Rebecca (fellow Girl Scout) and Katie

Collin, Jessica, Dylan and I

xoxo,
T

My New Favorite Cook Book

"No matter how busy you are, at the end of the day you want fresh, flavorful meals that are easy to prepare. And you want lots of choices and variations—recipes that call for your favorite foods and take advantage of excellent (and readily available) ingredients. In the first book from the award-winning magazine Everyday Food, you’ll find all of that: 250 simple recipes for delicious meals that are quick enough to make any day of the week. Because a change in weather affects how we cook as much as what we cook, the recipes in Everyday Food are arranged by season. For spring, you’ll find speedy preparations for main-course salads, chicken, and poached salmon that minimize time spent at the stove; summer features quick techniques for grilling the very best burgers and kabobs as well as no-cook pasta sauces; for fall, there are braised meats and hearty main-course soups; and winter provides new takes on rich one-dish meals, roasts and stews, and hearty baked pastas. Finally, a chapter on basics explains how to make year-round staples such as foolproof roast chicken, risotto, couscous, and chocolate sauce.Designed in a contemporary and easy-to-read format, Everyday Food boasts lush, full-color photography and plenty of suggestions for substitutions and variations. With Everyday Food, even the busiest on-the-go cook can look forward to meals that bring freshness, nutrition, and a range of flavors to dinner all week long."

A friend from Cinci told me about this book. Every time we go over to her house she is making something out of it. I finally decided I needed to get one for myself. I probably don't need another cook book, but oh well. So far I've made two of the recipes, but I have so many picked out.

Last week we made Chicken Stir-Fry/Fajitas. It is called Chicken Stir-Fry Wraps in the book, but we substituted the lettuce wraps for tortillas. No pictures for this meal (sorry), but it was DELICIOUS!

Last weekend we made Baked Spaghetti. Again, this one is called Baked Ravioli in the book, but we decided to substitute the ravioli with spaghetti because we already had it. Martha said we could! I think we made too much, but two days later it is still delicious!

Sorry for the picture quality. I took it with my phone.

I have over 26 recipes marked to make, we'll see how long it takes. Up next could be the Baked Shells with Winter Squash or Shrimp Pad Thai! Come visit and I will make you something. :)

XOXO,
T

California Vacation

It seems I just can't find time in the day to upload pictures and put together one of these little blogs anymore. I love reading them, but I just can't get myself to sit down and put mine together. It has been a month and I finally have something to share!

WE WENT ON VACATION!! This is the first trip (besides Chicago) Dylan and I have gone on together. We were able to spend a lot of time with Peyton and Nick last summer before their wedding. They moved out to California immediately after their honeymoon and I immediately starting thinking about a SoCal vacation. Unfortunately, it was a short trip (I don't get a lot of vacation through the Girl Scouts....), but we fit a lot in and had a great time.

Here are some pics! Enjoy!

Driving through the mountains.
Me and Peyt

Saturday we spent the day in Temecula Valley or "Southern California Wine Country."
It's my kinda place!

First stop, Callaway Vineyard & Winery - Yes, it was started by the golfer, Eli Callaway.

Next stop, Wilson's Creek Winery. - Beautiful grounds and delicious wines.

Having a fabulous time!

Last stop, Leonesse Cellars Winery. - My favorite views of the day!

I propped up my camera on a wine bottle and used the self-timer for the first time.
No bad, huh?

Sunday brunch with the Tschuor's at Devane's. This is William Devane's restaurant. We had a drink there Friday and he was eating at the bar. I had to google him on my phone. ha

Sunday Farmer's Market in "Old Town"

Peyton's parents invited us over for shrimp and filets on Sunday night.
What do you think of their views?

All in all we had a fabulous trip. Thankfully we will get to spend more time with them this summer for Nick's sister's wedding and Molly's. Thank you again, Peyton and Nick! See you in June.

XOXO,
T