33 before 33

I've noticed a lot of people have been making lists of things to get done before their next birthday rolls around. Seeing as I lack in the goal-oriented behavior department, and I *just* had a birthday, I thought I should give this a try. Really, I'm not goal-oriented at all. I tend to fantasize about finishing projects, but when it comes to actually taking action or sticking it out when obstacles arise, I bail. Yes, I realize saying I'm not goal-oriented is just a fancy way of saying I'm lazy. I'm okay with that.

Anyway, I made a list. In fact, I got so caught up in making the list, that I actually made a 35 before 33 list. "35 before 33" doesn't have the right ring to it though so I'm going to aim for 33 and just let the other two fall by the wayside. Why go the extra mile (or two)?

I'm not sharing the whole list here for two reasons. One, it would be boring for you to read, unless you like lists about rearranging cabinets and scraping the crud from the floor under the fridge. If you do like reading lists like that, I'm more sad for you than I am for the goo under the refrigerator. The other reason I'm not sharing the entire list is that in the event I don't finish the list (hello, I'm not goal-oriented) I don't want you to know just how lazy I am. I might get around to washing my hairbrush or labeling my magazine bins (all 5 of them!), but there's a good chance I'll never bake a loaf of bread from scratch. I mean, it has to sit there for hours. HOURS! In that time I'll have gotten bored, gone to a movie, spent a small fortune at Target and then arrived home to find that I no longer want bread and am okay with tossing the whole thing in the trash. I told you I was lazy, er, I mean, not goal-oriented.

I promise I will try. And when I do cross something off the list, I will post about it here. Bet you can't wait for me to tackle the kitchen floor, huh?

Backyard Improvements - Part 2

We've made good progress since I first posted about our backyard. As Mister, I, and my mom have all said at various points, we're ready for the fun part. Yep, the landscapers have been sent home with the second largest personal check I've ever written. They leave in their sweaty, muddy wake two decks and a decomposed granite patio.

We still have a lot of work to do in terms of landscaping, but that is the aforementioned fun part. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that my bank account might be a bit of a party pooper. I wonder if our neighbors would notice me digging up their plants in the middle of the night. (Just kidding neighbors. If your plants go missing overnight, it wasn't me.)

We also have to stain the decks (probably a rich, deep brown), but that can't be done until September. The wood has to spend a month drying out in the August heat. This is where living in Dallas comes in handy. This forecast should help that happen quite nicely:



Here's the backyard as it currently looks.

That's new sod under the old hammock. We'll probably put in a flowerbed and a fig tree where that dark brown dirt is next to the patio. The metal chairs are rusted to the point that they're unsafe to sit in, but I don't have the heart to throw them out. Any interesting repurposing ideas are welcome. And no, those rocks aren't going to stay like that. You can also see the progress on the house next door. It's going to be beautiful!




We got these adirondack chairs & ottomans from World Market on sale! They only had two of the green ottomans left so it was meant to be.


Jon made this awesome wooden doormat to help knock the granite off your feet before you go inside. We'll stain it to match the deck.


This is the view from the laundry/mud room window. Eventually we'll put a door here instead so that you don't have to go through the bicycle garage (yes, we have multiple garages) to get to the backyard.

Weekly recipe roundup

In the interest of our health and various other things, Mister and I have been trying to eat better this summer. That means we've had to get our butts in the kitchen to make our own food instead of answering the front door and tipping the delivery person for bringing the Thai food to us. For the most part these meals aren't worth writing about, but there were a couple that stood out this week. Thank you Internet gods for throwing these into our path.

First, we have the Asian Turkey Burger with Sriracha Mayo, or as the author so truthfully and eloquently put it, A Turkey Burger That Doesn't Suck. We made this one with a leaner ground turkey and regular ol' bread crumbs instead of Panko, but it was still totally nom-worthy.

Our other standout of the week was this Broccoli-Bacon Salad. Yeah I know, this has bacon and we're trying to be healthy, but three slices spread over several plates is not that bad. It occurred to me after we made this that we could have used Fage 0% Greek yogurt for additional calorie savings, but we didn't. This was delicious exactly as is, and a serving or two is plenty filling for a meal.

Happy Birthday to Me!

My official birthday portrait.

Okay, I'm only 32, which isn't that old, but I don't exactly feel young either. I'm still not used to being in my 30s. It's a weird decade.

Backyard Improvements

So in lieu of a vacation this summer, Mister & I are dropping some serious money into our backyard. We're getting two decks & a gravel patio built. That of course has necessitated the installation of a drainage system, gutters and some sprinkler system improvements. Hopefully, when all is said and done our backyard will be a lovely, hospitable place rather than the lumpy, uninspired eyesore it was before. We'll also have a place to put a grill so we don't have to haul it out in the driveway when we want to use it.

See the progress for yourself.

An old before shot:


Last week:



A couple of days ago:



As it is today:

The official salad dressing of the summer of 2010

I can't stop eating this dressing. I've made it 5 days in a row. It's perfect over fresh chopped spinach, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, green onions and feta cheese. This was a Martha Stewart recipe that I tried to make healthier. She used 2 tbsp of olive oil and full throttle sour cream. That version was thick and delicious, but I think mine is just as tasty without quite as many calories. Score!

Creamy Vinaigrette

1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp Greek yogurt (I prefer Fage 0%)
3/4 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

In a small bowl, stir the vinegar, yogurt and salt & pepper together until smooth. Stir continuously while slowly pouring in the olive oil. Continue stirring until completely blended. Pour the dressing over your salad and then lick the rest from the bowl.

I'd show you a picture but I always devour the whole batch before I think to grab a camera.