Easter Eggs and Dream Coats

My motto has always been "Better Late Than Never."  Well, usually that isn't my motto, but its gonna be the motto of this post.  Its nearly three days after the fact, but I had such a great weekend that I still think its worth sharing.

Caleb and I weren't able to go home for the holiday so I wanted to make the weekend special.  He doesn't tend to get as carried away with holidays as I do, but he humored me just the same!  :)

I decided that for Easter our counter top needed a little change.  We don't have any outdoor space at our apartment so I decided to go with some fun colorful place mats and napkins that reminded me of patterns I would like to use if I had an outdoor patio area.  I am obsessed with green glass bottles right now and I thought they looked perfect!

I think Caleb thought I was crazy, and he refused to join in, but is it really Easter without coloring eggs?!  I love the bright colors, but what I love even more is eating the boiled eggs with tons of salt afterward.  :)  I also love how sometimes the color soaks through and makes the egg whites funny colors!

And I think he thought I was even CRAZIER when I got out of bed before him and hid the eggs for our own personal Easter egg hunt.  I was totally amused by watching a grown man hunt for eggs, but I don't think he was having quite as much fun... Ha!

This is Caleb in action.  As you can see
he is wearing his Easter finest.

We ate the eggs from the hunt for breakfast with some toast and fruit.  I made homemade rhubarb and strawberry compote to top the toast.  It was delicious!!  I love rhubarb.  It reminds me of my grandma.

Since color seemed to be the theme of the weekend, I made some yummy salmon with lemon, dill, and red onion.  D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!

We also went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at the Civic Theatre over the weekend and it was awesome!  I had never seen it before, and it was definitely one of my favorites.  What made it even better is that Caleb's boss played the pharoah.  Soooo funny!  If you live in the area you should definitely check into it.

How was your Easter weekend?

Meat Loaf Meat Loaf... Double Beet Loaf.

I will admit.  I like a good mystery.  As a child, I just couldn't seem to get enough Nancy Drew.  If I thought that it was still acceptable (or more like I wasn't too embarassed at the library) I would probably still read the books.  Hello??... Carmen Sandiego anyone?  I like the game Clue, and I'm all about a good Murder Mystery Dinner Party.  I like surprises.  I do.  But you have to draw the line somewhere people and my line is definitely drawn at mystery meat.

This may look all inocent and sweet with its ketchupy glaze all heaped up in a pile, but this ain't your grandma's meat loaf folks.  You know, maybe its becuase I've been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, but I don't know how this can be acceptable.  I decided not even to post a picture of the inside of the meat loaf because, honestly, it looked like something you would find in the backyard. 

Then they put what looks like a sandwhich on your tray.  Cut all triangly and cute, but really its just a butter sandwhich.  Correction.  A marjoram-like substance sandwhich that leaves a waxy coating on your tongue and the roof of your mouth.  Reminded me of what I would imagine eating a candle would be like.  Yuck.

Don't ask me how.  Dont' ask me why.  Don't ask me how it was humanly possible, but I choked down every last bite.  I do it for the kids, ladies and gentlemen.  Actually, I was really hungry and I thought, 'If they are eating it, I can eat it.  How bad can it be?'  B-A-D. 

The only healthy item on the tray was the baby carrots.  And honestly, the only reason the baby carrots were on the tray was becuase I chose them.  The kids get to pick on additional item and the other choices aside from carrots were pudding and jello.  I had to pay 75 cents extra to get a small piece of fruit and a dollar extra for a baby sized bottle of water (8 oz). 

This very well may be the last school lunch of my life.  Oh school lunch, how I used to love you so.  That must have been way back before I had any common sense...  Are we really letting our kids eat this crap?  And to think... this is the only nutritious meal that some kids get in a day.  It seems like we could do a little better than this.

Random Ramblings of a Saturday

 Splinter loves when we open the windows.  He climbs, more like scrambles, to the top of the couch where he perches in hopes of catching a glimpse of a passerby, bird, or a random bug that dares get close enough.  There is actually a small ledge outside the screen, and Caleb thinks that we should slide up the screen and let him stand on it, but I'm hesitant.  We live on the 3rd floor and I'm afraid he'll jump... Maybe I'm being an overprotective mommy.

Us Whitted's like to be lazy on the weekends.  Me, I like to curl up in an afghan in my sweats.  Splinter rolls around on the floor until he finds the perfect position in which to take a catnap.  He rolls and rolls and rolls.  I think he hopes to get a nice belly pat.

Okay.  This part doubles as my simple joy#2.  Nail Polish.  Not just any nail polish.  It has to be bright, and as Val likes to say, garish.  The more obnoxious the better.  My sister-in-law had this metallic silver and I couldn't agree with her more that its amazing!!  Hey.  Don't judge.  I tell myself its okay.  I work with kids, right?

Doesn't this make you so happy?!

Usually the weekends are our time to go grocery shopping.  Usually this is an enjoyable experience for me.  I like to plan out the weeks menus and imagine myself cooking each meal.  I like to think of new ideas for dinner that I think Caleb will enjoy.  I'm trying to be more eco friendly so I have recently made it a point not to use the plastic sacks that the grocery store provides.  And you know what?  These are SO much better.  No more broken plastic bags halfway up to my apartments and a trail of cans behind me in the hallway like Hensel and Gretal.  So much better.

See.  Splinter likes grocery day too.

The daffodils are blooming!  I'm always tempted to pick a few to bring up to my apartment.  I restrain myself because I know that they are for everyone to enjoy and they will last much longer planted in the ground where they belong.  Aren't they beautiful?  They are one of the first signs of impending warm weather, outdoor picnics, and long walks along the trail by our apartment.  

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is my dream house.  And guess what?  It. is. for. sale.  I can just imagine coming home from a long day of work and relaxing in front of the fireplace or cooking dinner in my kitchen with not one, but two ovens and a walk-in pantry.  Oh, and the brunches and get-togethers I would host.  Don't forget the Christmas tree that I would place in the front room, visible from the window.  Me and Caleb here.  With a little baby one day.  Hey!  A girl can dream can't she?! 

This is the Frog Baby fountain.  Don't you love it?  I love the Copper frogs turned green from the rain and fountain water.  Oh frog baby, with your little green froggies spouting water as you frolic and play...

Shadow kisses.

These are my favorite.  Caleb apparently has an ongoing love affair with Legos.  He requested going into the toy store with the front that we were going to look at a new video game for our Wii.  Caleb rarely wants to buy anything frivolous so obviously I went along with the request.  We proceeded into the store, passed up the video games, and walked down every aisle looking at toys.  His favorite were the Legos.  I received a lesson about how Legos are actually very difficult and complex and that one day he will work on these intricate structures with his own child.  Toys R Us.  Where a kid can be a kid.  :)

My big kid.

I hope everyone is having a happy weekend!

The Refrigerator Door

I was standing in front of my refrigerator the other day, staring at all of the crap stuck to the front, and I started thinking about how much the front of a refrigerator really says about someone.  If a stranger stood in front of my fridge and examined the contents, they would probably know quite a bit about me.

Like the fact that I love goofy fruit magnets.  Doesn't everyone?  They actually belonged to my great-grandmother... a future family heirloom might I add...  You will notice that the beloved apple (he looks kinda sinister, doesn't he?) holds up photo booth-style pictures of me with my hubby.  These are right by the Marsh magnet that outlined the Ball State Football schedule.  Definitely a must have when your husband works in athletics.

And the menu for the local organic market/restaurant located around the corner as well as a guideline for all things recyclable in Muncie.  I haven't actually eaten at this market, but have very good intentions of becoming a regular customer.  Someday.  The bottle cap magnets were made by my friend Jess, by the way.

It tells you that I love learning to sew and buying new and beautiful fabric.  My favorite online fabric shop.... Hawthorne Threads.

That I have a thoughtful friend who sends thoughtful gifts in cards, belong to the Cardinal Varsity Club, and love a little boy named Cannon.

Oh, you know... my refrigerator also advertises the fact that I am lazy and can't keep up with my schedule.  :)  Oops!

Now, don't get me started on the inside of my fridge... I don't think you want to see a picture of that!