Spring Cleaning and Home Improvement

Okay, I really think Spring is here. I really do. The trees are blooming, kids are playing in the park, and people are shedding the layers of fleece and wool.

I got the Spring Fever yesterday and decided to do some minor home improvement projects. Cleaned off the patio and replaced the chair cushions with something a little brighter and cheerier...

Planted pretty flowers (which I hope I can keep alive this year!)

Rick put together the new chair I ordered, and I have to say I love it!

And, I found a steal at HomeGoods where I bought a little cabinet to put in our bathroom. Installation date to be determined...


We ordered a new sectional sofa for the deck that should arrive next week, which I am psyched about. We do so much outdoor entertaining during the summer, I can't wait to use it!

Happy weekend all around!

Happy Birthday Maizey!

Our little girl is all grown up! Maizey celebrated her first birthday on Friday with a special play date the previous night, a very special dinner and some fancy new toys.

We think she felt pretty special!

Happy birthday to the the little girl who nearly caused a divorce, who has eaten more inedible objects than any other dog, and who has become a celebrity at the local vet. We love you!

I Take It Back...

Spring is definitely NOT here. The day after my last post, we awoke to snow sprinkles on the ground and a forecast of a crisp 40 degrees. Oy.

The past week has been full of ups and downs. It started with Passover at Allie and Hart's house on Monday evening. Allie worked so hard to make such a beautiful evening come together. I was beyond impressed with her hostessing skills...

Though the evening didn't go quite as she had planned, there were lots of cute babies and funny Passover memorabilia that made us all smile.

 

I love my brother-in-law, Hart, a lot. He gave me a beautiful niece and he makes my sister really happy. However, when I woke up Wednesday morning with the most horrendous stomach bug I have ever had, I blamed him for giving it to me at the seder. I still love him, but I think he took Passover a bit too literally and passed over some really nasty germs!

I spent Wednesday and Thursday at home clutching onto the toilet and the kleenex. Thank you, Allie and Rick, for taking such good care of me!

Luckily, I recovered just in time for my trip to Atlanta on Friday. I had planned to visit Candy and Marion's new fancy house and celebrate Ash's birthday and though I wasn't feeling 100%, I was more than ready to get out of the frigid north and bask in some sunshine and sister time. We had a fantastic weekend of lounging in the backyard, shopping, eating and catching up on some lost sister time. Of course, I managed to leave my camera at home, so I came back today without a single snapshot.

I'm looking forward to some healthy happiness this week!

Spring is Here!

Though today's frigid temperature would lead one to believe Spring has not sprung yet, in our house, we are welcoming the new season with open arms. Because gosh-darnit it's April, and in my book that means Spring.

Fall is definitely my favorite season, but Spring sweeps in as a close second. I mean, the term Spring Cleaning alone makes me drool with excitement. I love waking up to sunshine instead of dark. I love the tulips and blooms of color that spring up around the neighborhood. The park is full of life again and the city has come alive for the next few months!

Perhaps one of my favorite elements of Spring is that Rick takes over a lot of the cooking. The grill and the meat smoker are his two loves (after me and Maizey, of course!) and I take full advantage of his love for cooking outdoors. So today, we threw some kabobs and fresh corn on the cob on the grill and welcomed the new season with our forks.

Initially, the name of this sauce caught my eye today at Whole Foods. "Soy Vay"... what Jewish girl could pass that up? Turns out it's awesome! I look forward to merrily marinating with this stuff for a long time! 

Of course, I had to reward my loving husband for whipping up such a fantastic Sunday meal. So I baked up some cheesecake brownies from scratch (of course, recipe available upon request).

Happy Spring everyone! 

More Happiness!

Lazy or busy? I'm not sure which to blame for not blogging as much lately.. but here's some happiness that's been flooding our home in the past few weeks...
 

Baby Reid came home!

Izzy's moving and grooving!

Spring table settings and flowers!

Kisses from Maizey

Long Overdue

Though I've been absent from the blogging world for awhile, the happiness has been flowing! A couple weeks ago, Elliott turned 3! The whole Mathews clan arrived in Chicago to celebrate the little guy's big day. He was showered with love, toys and flashes of my camera!

There was a VERY apparent Toy Story theme to Elliott's presents this year...

Elliott's scooter needed assembly, so Uncle Rick took a stab at it...

He then called for reinforcements...

Aunt Lori tried to help...

Finally! 

We ate cheeseburgers for dinner (on Toy Story plates of course!)

And cookies with candles! 

Happy birthday buddy!

 

Days 118-25: Seriously... I Deserve an F

I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed with myself that I managed to blog nearly every day for 100 days straight. I'm pretty proud that I lasted that long and committed to doing something and made it 1/3 of the way through without complaining. Mazel tov to me!

But, damn this is getting tough. Not finding the happiness... that's easy. The hard part is really finding the time to sit down to write without feeling guilty that I'm not doing school work or house chores or snuggling with the pup or cooking dinner for my man. So today, I am declaring to the blogging world that I am "giving myself permission" to not blog every day. I rid myself of guilt in not documenting the happiness that fills my heart every single day. The blog will be here tomorrow.

So in the last week, what has brought me happiness you ask??

Finishing a good book.

Babysitting E :)

Visits from Poppy!

Mom's homemade meat sauce (actually cooked by her!!)

New shoes -- I'm embracing my height deficiency and loving it!