Friday Fun

With the 2nd week of July already looming ahead, it's fair to say this month is in full swing.  We had an ultra fab 4th of July weekend, spent attending any number of parties, get togethers, bbq's and the like.  We celebrated with great family & friends and even managed to fit in a night of cuddling on the couch, watching movies (well, I watched while Mike slept, per usual).

Being supah busy at the j.o.b. (umm...being important is taxing) def helped push this week along.  Working from home a day or two a week also helps to break things up, and then, before ya know it, it's Friday.  I made an appointment at the salon in my building for a mani/pedi during lunch and tonight brings me to my old stomping grounds of Oak Park for dinner in La Bella's outside patio with one of my oldest pal's, Joellen.  Since the weather is perfection, I plan to doll it up with some super simp cotton shorts and a peasant top (said peasant top will do double duty of looking adorbes and discreetly hiding my pasta/dessert/wine belly).  Dinners with Jo are usually hours-long affairs as we're not short-winded individuals, so likely I will head straight home after, but don't quote me.

Tomorrow will totes be spent laying out at my pool, and as for the evening...it's still up in the air.  My bestie is trying to convince me to meet her and the Godbabies at a carnival just down the street from the casa, attempting to entice me with promises of a beer garden.  We shall see.

Sunday, as ye all know, is my day of rest.  As such, I will be resting.  The day may just take me to Costco, where I will do some shopping to prep for...(drum roll please).....

BIRCHWOOD!  (whoop whoop)

That's right folks...exactly one week from today, we will be packing up to hit the road for our summer place.  I seriously can.not.wait.  The obligatory planning phone calls with our Birchwood besties have already commenced and the count down officially begins tomorrow.  Get ready to hear more than you've ever cared to know about Birchwood, WI.

In the mean time, have a Happy Friday peeps!

Feel The Love

best.family.ever.

xoxo

All You Need Is Love....And Maybe A Stiff Drink

This past week has been interesting, to say the least.  It seems like so much has happened in 4 short days, fraught with emotion (both good and bad), that frankly, I'm exhausted.  Last weekend was amazeballs and was spent with the bestest friends a girl could ever hope for.  Friday we celebrated our dear pal Mikey's birthday, who flew in from NOLA to spend the weekend in style in the Chi.  I met Mikey & his fab sister (my Birchwood besties) Megan at Tavern on Rush for a late, liquid lunch.  We spent the afternoon sipping Prosecco and basking in the late afternoon sun.  We made our way back to Peg's (aka Megan's...confused yet?) to continue the fun, where my loving husband met us and then finished off the night at Moe's Cantina in River North.  Saturday I was up and at 'em early to help some friends move, then off to an evening fiesta at another friend's.  Despite the ridic weather on Sunday, we made our way to Geneva and had the.best.time.ever at Kristen and Justin's.  Everytime I sit and chat with Kristen, I am reminded of how wonderfully lucky I am to have such a genuine and smart friend....how lucky Mike and I are to have such an amazing network of friends.  Monday I laid out at our pool (loaded with the SPF, doncha worry), and then the whole fam went by my deeder's for a delish BBQ. What a spectac Mem Day Weekend, so many memories to cherish, and I returned to work on Tuesday happy as a clam.

And then real life reared its ugly head.  Being back to "the struggle" (as my gf's husband refers to the j.o.b. ) itself wouldn't have been a big deal, as I truly am one of those crazies who loves her job.  Combine the stressers of work with everyday bs, or not so everyday bs but still your life's problems, nonetheless and by Wednesday of this week I had myself a little mini meltdown.  You know, the times where you call your mama and scream like a complete spoiled a-hole about the unfairness of life, how you can't be Wonder Woman and do it all, how you just can't take one.more.thing.  And then, something really major happens to wake your ass up and make you realize just how lucky you are and how all these things, while difficult and hard, and yes oftentimes, totally unfair....are not breaking.

I came in to work the following day to hear that the 37 year old consultant, whose office was just down the hall, was rushed to the ER over the weekend.  The same Mem Day Weekend that had come to a close on Monday night, while I sleepily lazed about in my bed, over-tired and over-sun-exposed, thinking of all the love of my friends and family.  He had felt "off" and decided to shower before turning in.  After a while, his longtime girlfriend checked in on him, to find that he had collapsed and was unresponsive.  After an agonizing week, holding vigil next to his bed, his parents, 90 year old grandfather and longtime love decide to take him off life support.  37 years old.  Another colleague flew out of work the Friday before the weekend after receiving a call that his daughter, just returning home for the summer from her freshman year of college, was struck by a car that blew a stop sign, while riding her bicycle.  She has been in ICU since and is thankfully improving to where they were able to take her off her ventilator.  19 years old.

Perspective, anyone?

So, while this week in and of itself was difficult for a multitude of reasons, I can't help but feel blessed.  If you would have asked me if I felt this way on Wednesday, I would have said a big hell no.  Not so long ago, I received some difficult news and immediately called one of my closest gf's, where I proceeded to bawl on the phone.  I was angry, sad and afraid and I instinctively knew that she would make me feel better about things.  And she did.  She reminded me of who I am, my strength, my character, and most of all, she reminded me that I have friends like her who will be there for me through it all.  She made me feel loved and, as a result, helped me to see what really mattered.  I have so many friends, so many people in my life, that love and support me and most of all, who help me to count my blessings. 

I am fairly certain that in the coming days there will likely be times when I am sad, when I feel life is treating me unfairly, and when I am throwing a pity party for one...but I'll get over it.  For all of you out there, who have these same bonds of friendship, who have the loving family who would do anything for you and will always be there to listen and love.  For those of you who have stellar partners, like I do in my loving husband...just remember...in the end no matter what happens, as long as you have the love and support of those around you, all will be okay <3

Put Up, Or Shut Up!

Don't mind if I do, thank you very much!

I am going to be so bold and say I am a canner. I decided this about 3 weeks ago on a recent trip to Meijer's with my mama and stumbled upon the aisle with all of the Ball Brand canning and preserving materials.  Anytime I've been out shopping and have seen preserving materials, I've always been drawn to the concept.  I love, love, love to cook and the thought of being able to even further control what I put in my body by "putting up" (i.e. preserving food) ingredients I've prepared in my own kitchen, is a win-win.  I heart tradition, and the thought of creating a new tradition within my family, makes this new adventure all the more appealing.

So, getting back to the story...I'm at Meijer and decide I'm going to go into it full throttle.  Allow me to mention that canning supplies are not cheap.  Purchasing all the supplies is definitely an investment, and the way I looked at it, would pay for itself over the years (at least that's what I told myself).  I've decided to hold off on purchasing the steam pressure canner, which will set me back $300 smackers, so that means I will be limited to preserving high acid foods.  So, it's water bath canning for me until then, and mostly means I will be gifting you all homemade fruits and jams.

After reading and re-reading my dog-eared copy of the Blue Book Guide to Preserving, I felt I was ready to begin:

I decided on two recipes to begin my canning adventure, and tonight it began with a recipe for Lemon Curd that I found here.  I love this blog and cannot recommend it enough to anyone who is even remotely interested in this amazing art.  Anyhooter, I digress...so I got all my loot in order, sterilized my jars and got to work on prepping my ingredients:

From start to finish, it probs took over 2 hours (not including the first batch of egg yolks and sugar that I scorched...oops).  Finally, the time arrived where I was to drop my golden goodness in the water bath to be processed and sealed:

Once the little buggers were snug in their water bath, they processed for 20 minutes:

After all was said and done, my jars came out, not only perfectly processed, but with perfectly formed seals. Done & Done!:

I can't wait until tomorrow, when the plan is to put up 4 half pints of sour cherry preserves for my deeder.  My pal Kris is the lucky recipient of this here lemon curd (guniea pig, anyone?) and I can't wait to bring it on Sunday for the BBQ...after all, that's the main dish.  Right, Kris?

I'm Baaaack!

It's been nearly a year since my last entry and I've been oh-so-busy that I've had zero time to blog.

Not really. I'm just lazy.

Quick recap: Lots has happened since the last entry in June of last year, but don't worry, I won't bore you with the details of it. Besides, the 6 of you who actually read this, already know what the hell I've been doing. In January, for Mike's 30th, I threw him a surprise party:

I'm a totally awesome wife and worked super hard to pull the big ol' reveal off. He totally had no idea, and also had no idea I was slowly siphoning money out of our bank account to pay for said surprise party. The poor kid had some big shoes to fill and didn't want to let me down when it came to my birthday (who would?) So, I made it easy and announced that I wanted to go on vacation for my 30th birthday. The way I looked at it, why spend all that money on another party when we could just spend it all on ourselves? Exactly. Besides, all our friends were turning 30 and everyone's spouse was throwing them a "surprise" 30th birthday party. Uh, newsflash...when everyone you know throws their spouse a "surprise" party, it's hardly a surprise. I mean, you can't possibly expect us to believe that your spouse didn't expect this party (and in some cases, likely helped plan it). I also would like to add that Mike's birthday was in January, so I totes threw the first party. I'm such a trend setter. Booya.

But, I digress. So we decided to do the ultimate roadtrip since there were a couple stops we wanted to make, with the ultimate destination being New Orleans. A super good friend moved down there in September of last year and we've been anxious to visit him. So, the plan was to stop in Memphis on the way, move on to NOLA and then stay a few nights in Nashville on the way back. We were gone for 10 glorious days and we had the time of our lives. First stop: Silky O'Sullivan's while in Memphis. The drink you see before you is fondly referred to by Memphians as The Diver...and yes, I drank it all:

And then Mike finished his on Beale Street. We're classy like that:

Upon arriving in NOLA, Mikey Meredith (Birchwood bestie #2) promptly took us to Bourbon to Lafitte's for a beer, or two, or three and I heard my first ever live Zydeco band (who stole my chicken?)

We ended the night on Frenchman Street to listen to live Reggae. It was hot, humid, and I was hammered:
Nothing says Easter Sunday like an afternoon spent at Pat O'Brien's, consuming several hurricanes near the infamous fountain:

Clearly, a trip to New Orleans would not be complete without Benignets:

And a 30th birthday dinner cooked in true NOLA fashion (it's fire chicken!) by one of my bestest buds at his place:

Nashville was the last stop and the BBQ was to.die.for:

Last stop was the Grand Ole Opry, and was a great way to cap off an amazing vacation:

I couldn't have asked for a better vacation, a better family, better friends, or a better husband. In true Sue fashion, my 30th birthday lasted about 3 weeks total. If you count the dinners from my parents prior to our trip, the trip itself and the week following when we celebrated back home with friends, one might reflect and say I had a pretty ridic fab birthday. And I did. I wouldn't have it any other way <3