Crazy Mad Skillz

My husband is a sucker for new tv shows. And I am a sucker for Food Network shoes. So, when you combine the two you get the new game show - Minute to Win It hosted by Guy Fieri. It is one of those shows than you can have on in the background while doing other things like cooking dinner or cleaning up from dinner.

The object of the show is to complete a series of "drunken college dares" each within a minute. The more you complete, the more money you win. There is this one where you have to balance 5 coke cans on their side. They each have to stay that way for 5 seconds. The cans each start off full of soda... you have to figure out how much to drink in order to get the can to balance. I felt pretty confident that I could do that.

Bam! I tried it this morning. Crazy mad skillz.

Pink and Green Easter

The Easter bunny visited our house over the weekend and left basket full of pink and green goodies for Miss A!

What exactly does the Easter bunny bring for 1 year old little girls?

Sidewalk chalk, bubbles, clothes, books, a sippy cup and plate and hair clips!

And, our little Jake is quickly becoming big Jake. Here he is at 8 weeks old.

Jake and Steve may not be best friends, but they are learning to tolerate each other.

Jake's 1st Walk

No way.

Not gonna happen.

I don't wanna.

You can't make me.

Please don't.

Aw..... no!!!

Ah.....Much better.

Spring Table

I love table linens. I have an entire closet full of table runners, napkins and napkin rings. I change them out on a routine basis and love the way a table looks when it is set...even if it is just place mats and napkins/napkin rings.


For spring, I have some fun fruit napkins with silver pineapple napkin rings. And in the middle, I am have a ceramic egg holder - filled with lemons and garlic! I cook with lemons, limes and garlic all the time, and this is a fun way to keep them all organized.

Strawberries!

Oranges!

Bananas!

Apples!

I also have an egg holder on my night stand that I keep my rings in. It helps keep things organized - which I need!

**New pictures on Baby M**

Hey Good Lookin.... What ya' Got Cookin?

When the weather gets hot, I like to eat lighter food. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies.... grilled chicken... nothing too heavy or greasy. I know it is not hot just yet, but I am already getting into summer cooking mode.



I was at the grocery the other day and came across some yellow cherry tomatoes.... I had no idea what I was going to make with them, but they were too delicious to pass up. I decided to make some creamy tomato basil soup - kind of like the kind you get at La Madeleine - but yellow. And completely fresh.

I added a couple roma tomatoes into the mix because they were on sale.

All of the tomatoes chopped... approx 7 cups total.

I then added 6 cups of my homemade chicken stock and 1 small can of tomato paste.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Puree with a couple handfuls of basil. I had to do it in a couple of batches. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Return to stock pot and add 1 stick of butter and 8 oz of heavy cream. Whisk the soup while the butter melts. Let simmer for a minute or two.

Bright yellow soup!

Serve with wine, sourdough bread and some cantaloupe. Enjoy!

I plan on buying more of these sweet yellow cherry tomatoes and making a couple more batches of this wonderful soup... or maybe some sauce. Or some salsa. Baby A even liked the soup!

**New pictures over on Baby M**

Dining Room Decor

I have been collecting random plates for a loooong time. I love the way they look when hung on walls. In all of my previous apartments, I had these lovelies hung in my kitchen and eating area, but when we moved into our house I decided to pack up the collection. I thought it might be too girlie or not nice enough for a grown up house.

Until a couple of weeks ago. And then I decided that one of the walls in our dining room needed these plates. And they look great! Why in the world had I left these packed up in the garage? The navy walls make for a perfect background for the plates to really POP. This is a growing collection, as as soon as I get 3 more I will add another row.

Here are a couple of my favorites.....

Dallas Blooms

Dallas Blooms is going on right now at the Dallas Arboretum.... I could spend all day just soaking in all of these beautiful flowers.

Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for all of these pictures. My dad took them!

***New pictures over at Baby M***

Problem Solved

What do you do when you have a puppy that is whimpering to be held, yet you are busy cooking dinner and tending to your toddler?

You put him your baby sling!