A spoonful of events (like alphabet soup or something...)

I made the granola bars yesterday, yummy! I ate one for breakfast this morning. Really quick and easy to make, the are a keeper.

Also tried a yummy new black bean soup recipe from the More with Less cookbook. I use that cookbook at least once a week, it has been a good investment. The recipe called for a pound of dried black beans, 1 green pepper and a ham shank. Pretty simple.

::Here's a recap of the past couple of weeks::

Mike and Edna (Hubie's sister and brother in law) had baby Emmett. Don't they look like a fun bunch of people?


Hubie took a week off work to rehab more of the house.

New window in the dining room- looks great! (There used to be a steel door in its place)

Hubie and I spent some nice time on our back patio. I am so glad we put that in last summer. Now is the perfect time to enjoy it, no bugs (only raccoons when it gets dark!!)!!


Take a look at this guy!

Before...

And After...

No More Braces! Hube got his braces off after only having them a year!


This is our orange wall...it was only orange a few hours before we painted it over. Just thought people would like to see the evidence.


We had a wonderful time at Heather and Ryan's wedding. Heather wore her grandmother's wedding dress. Isn't she beautiful?

We spent time with Kenny and Melissa and Melody (pictured above in the black and white dress) too! Went to a cute coffee shop with them in between wedding day things.

Here we are all spiffed up, I even bought a new maternity dress for the special event.


...we've had a busy couple of weeks right?

Lastly, but certainly not of least importance! Amanda Davis's 25th Birthday celebration! She invited us out to Distrito for brunch after church. We had a nice time dining together:).

As you can see, we have been busy. We definitely needed some time to just relax and be silly the past couple of weeks.




Hope you all enjoyed Easter, and had time to reflect during Holy Week. It was a meaningful time for us.

We had some guests!

My Aunt Deb and Uncle Brian came to see Hubie and I this weekend! My parents were here just a few weeks ago to visit. I have such a super cool family to drive down to Philly to see us!

Time with my parents was very laid back, as I was recovering from some medical issues. We went for a walk on Kelly Drive and out to IHOP for breakfast before they left. They drove 18hrs in 2 1/2 days!! My parents are quite amazing, it was so nice to have them here.

Since I had more energy this weekend, we got around a bit more in the city. We went to Vietnam Restaurant for dinner, a great place! We liked the atmosphere a lot.

Here are some pictures.
The Windows were open in the Restaurant, it was hot on Sunday night!! Uncle Brian thought the restaurant had a Saigon feeling.

Aunt Deb and me, I really like her shirt. It is cute.

Uncle Brian had Duck Legs. The waiter said they wouldn't fill him up, so he opted for some spring rolls for appetizer too. Yummy stuff.

Rhubarb Strawberry Pie!! It is fantastic! Uncle Brian is an aspiring Iron Chef, and I would say makes some amazing food. He brought this to us as a gift.

We had a nice Memorial Day weekend. Monday we had a BBQ with some good burgers, sweet corn, and ginger beer. All the neighbors were celebrating too, it smelled great! Hope you had a nice day too.

As you can see, we have been busy with guests! Hubie and I have discovered our enjoyment of hosting people....always nice with most of our family so far away!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Valentine's Day is one of those weird holidays that make some people sick with vomit and other sick with love (or hope for love). In the past I have celebrated with good friends or tried to forget the day. Often I finished out the day saddened by the sight of no flowers, chocolate or a swooning boy at my window.
Two years ago, I wondered what would happen on Valentine's Day. Hubie had asked me on a date in early January, but we weren't necessarily dating. I had to brace myself for a regular night at home, as I did not want to be too disappointed if he did not ask me out. But, of course Hubie came through. He asked if I wanted to go out for dinner "tomorrow night." Failing to mention, "for Valentine's Day," for sake of possible embarrassment on his part. Good job Hubie!! (Thanks to Rich and his brother's excellent advice).

so I was a little nervous with the whole V-day dinner, especially since Hubie and I had not known each other for long. I could tell Hubie was too, hence him not mentioning this dinner was for V-day. I asked PJ, the guy I was co-leading small group with how I could overcome our anxiety about the Valentine's day subject. He suggested that I make a little joke about it. He even demonstrated how I could phrase the joke (he could see I really needed some help). I figured PJ is a guy, and maybe Hubie would respond to his guy lingo.

...he didn't get the joke...more awkwardness endured.

This year Hubie started off Valentine's Day early with red roses and monkey bread (in the shape of a heart) yesterday. Tonight we are going to Vietnam Restaurant. It has been fun!

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Here I am with my new reading glasses. Pretty hip right??


The optometrist said the glasses will make reading easier for my eyes if they get tired. He said I could wear them on the end of my nose for knitting... Talk about GRANDMA!!!
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It snowed in Philly, and we took pictures of our backyard. Hubie and I are so proud to have outdoor space. It is rare in the city to have such a large space.


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Juliana's 29th Birthday!!


Bethany, Juliana and I celebrated Juliana's birthday at Las Cazuelas restaurant on Girard Ave. It is a great place to dine, and no wait to get a table. We got arroz con pollo, saite of some kind and chile relleno. The owners are from Campeche, one of the places I traveled in Mexico.

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I can't wait to take pictures of our kitchen at our house in Kensington. It looks so much better with the back splash tiled and a couple more finishing touches. My dad will be very pleased! He rehabbed it a year ago October.
The porch is almost redone, just need to fill screw holes when it gets warmer. Plus, the new outdoor light fixture really makes the place look better.
Hubie and I enjoy rehabbing together. It feels nice to make a home into something more functional and aesthetically pleasing.

O, and I started to volunteer in a nursing home near our house. It is good for me- I got dressed up- almost like going to work. It felt good to do something outside the house. I haven't experienced that for four months now.

That is what I have been up to in Philly! I do love it here! Come and see this wonderful/crazy/dirty/work in progress city sometime:)