mushy mushy

So apparently there was a big old wonderful wedding this morning...  And no, my sleep deprived self didn't join the hordes up at ungodly hours to watch the whole shebang. However, I have spent the first part of my morning catching up.  I don't know why, but this whole thang has me feeling just a bit nostaligic for when Seth and I tied the knot way back in September.  So while this is not a big old recap of the  happy day, I figured I would share a couple of my favorite pictures...  Well, maybe more than a few of my favorites...

Up first, a couple getting ready shots.  I got ready over at my mamas and my sisters were crucial to helping me out.  Sister #3 did my makeup, girl is gifted with that stuff.  Sister #2 helped with my hair and sister #1 got me in my dress, jaws of life, I'm telling you.

Can't have a wedding without bubbly

Sister helping me get ready

Seth and I opted to see each other before the wedding (we did a first look) and get all the family pictures out of the way...

Hi!  Its me!!!!

mama and my sisters

Dad, his wife and my sisters

Seth's family

wedding party

It was a million bazillion degrees that day, so we sent the wedding part back to the AC and snapped just a few more...

And then it was time for the wedding!

I sure do look like my daddy

 

 

Vows

Blessing of the marriage

smoochies

We're married

I won't say that our wedding day was the happiest day of my life, cause lets face it, Seth and I have had lots of very happy days and anticipate a lot more very happy days.  I can say that it was so wonderful to finally be legally joined with my partner and best friend.  Okay, I promise, all done with the sap...

Any one else feeling mushy today?

The Hazzards of Pet Ownership: Take 2

Last night, I had to work late and arrived home with a massive headache.  Fortunately, my darling husband had dinner made and Chuck queued up in the DVD player.  All in all, not a bad evening, and then...

Let me back up for just a moment first.  The weather here has been lovely and we just love having our windows open.  The kitchen door has a screen, but sadly, due to wear and tear it developed some holes and rips.  A couple of weeks ago we noticed that Ava could fit her little head through one of those holes.  Seth attempted to fix the holes and we didn't think much of it.  That is until one night, when Seth noticed a new much larger and a missing kitty.  Luckily, after a little panic on our part, we found Ava hanging out in one of my garden beds.

So back to last night, it was way hot and stuffy in the kitchen and Ava seemed to be down for the evening, so it seemed pretty safe to open the screen and let a breeze in.  You can see where this is going...

I was in the middle of getting ready for bed- contacts out, teeth brushed, night shirt on (a lovely picture, I assure you).  I was just cleaning out my stinky gym bag when I heard Seth yell "I think the cat got out again."  Sure enough, Ava was no where to be found.  I quickly joined Seth outside on the Hunt for the Little Gray Kitty.  Seth quickly figured out that the freaked out kitty has hidden herself beneath our neighbors very big van.  We tried everything we could to coax her out, but girlfriend was not budging.

Seth suggested that I run inside and grab a string that Ava likes to see if we could tempt her out with that.  I ran back inside, where both Matilda and Oliver were running around all jacked up.  As I made my way back out of the kitchen, Oliver made a break for it.  Yes, we now have two pets running wild through the neighborhood and 1 inside barking nonstop.  Seth ran after Oliver (I was wearing only a night shirt, luckily it was long and no shoes) and I continued to try and figure out how to get the cat our from underneath the car.

Seth finally got a hold of Oliver after a mad dash around the neighborhood.  Fortunately, one of our neighbors also has a compost pile, and y'all know how much Oliver loves compost.  That gave Seth the chance to catch the big guy.  Once Seth deposited Oliver back in the house, we were both pretty cranky and more than ready to finish this game of capture the kitty.

Noting that gentle coaxing had not worked, I decided it was time to scare the kitty.  I grabbed a rank and scratched under the car.  Fortunately, Ava went running straight for the garage.  Major success.  We closed the garage door, chased her a bit more and finally trapped her in a corner.  Kitty-0, Seth and Katie-2.  Thus ends our Tuesday night adventure.

Anyone else have naughty pets?

veggie fajitas

Y'all I'm gonna be honest, I did not expect to be writing a post about veggie fajitas. I mean how exciting can they be, right?  Well, let me tell you, these things BLEW us away.  They are so freaking good.  Get you some...

Fajitas with Chipotle Sour Cream
from Vegetarian Times


Ingredients
1 c. sour cream (you can use light or non fat)
2 tsp. canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
10 inch flour tortillas
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, cut into strips
2 zucchini, cut into strips
1-2 poblano chiles, cut into strips 
2 tbs. canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbs. vegetable oil
store bough salsa and lime wedges


Directions
To make the sour cream, mix the sour cream, 2 tsp. chipotles in adobo and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Cover and refrigerate, this can be made up to a day in advance.


Preheat over to 350.  Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and heat for 15 minutes.


In a large bowl, combine onion, bell peppers, zucchini, poblanos, chipotles in adobo, lime juice, salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tbs. vegetable oil and cook vegetables in batches until tender, adding oil as needed.


Serve warmed tortillas with chipotle sour cream, vegetables, salsa and lime wedges.


Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Happy Plates

 

Pretty Pets

My mother-in-law has this beautifully framed, black and white picture of the family dog, Carl.  I can't even describe what a lovely and sweet homage this picture is to Carl and his memory.  And as much as Seth and I are in love with our pets, its only fitting that we honor our pets in a similar way.  And luckily we have the perfect space to display our puppy (and kitty)  love...

Lovely Green Kitchen

While we haven't hung anything yet, I have selected the portraits that will be hung...

I love this picture of Ava.  It's pretty classically her.  I can just hear her thinking "hooker, if you don't get that camera out of my face, I'm gonna get real angry..."

Matilda knows shes pretty and she has perfected the "I know you're there, but I'm going to stare off into space and look uninterested" look.  I swear this pooch could be a model if she wasn't so finicky.

And Oliver.  I can't even begin to describe how much I love this picture.  He's just such a goofy, sweet, lovable pup. 

So there are the babies in all their black and white glory.  While I have no idea when we'll actually get around to printing and framing these bad boys, I am so excited at how good they're gonna look.

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and White Beans

This dish is a simple, one pot meal that combines gnocchi, chard, tomatoes and white beans.  Find the recipe below or check it out on EatingWell.

Ingredients
1 tbs. olive oil
1 16 oz. package shelf stable gnocchi
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. water
1 bunch chard, chopped (if you are scared of chard, you can use spinach instead)
15 oz. can diced tomatoes with italian seasoning
15 oz. can white beans
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. shredded low fat mozzerella

Directions
Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until they begin to soften.  Add the gnocchi and saute until slightly browned and plump.  Add the chard and water and cook until the chard begins to wilt.  Add the tomatoes, white beans and pepper.  Bring to a simmer.  Add the cheese and heat until melted.

While Away...

As I mentioned yesterday, Seth and I were out of town for the weekend.  Happily, we returned on Sunday to very sunny, warm weather and a few surprises....

Our tulips are blooming!!! And...

1 of our remaining camellias is literally falling over under the weight of all those beautiful blooms...

Of course, we left Ava alone with her favorite pet sitter (sister #3), but she (Ava, not sister) was in a mood when we got back...

That would be Ava getting ready to eat the beautiful centerpiece that the mother of the bride sent home with us.  Normally, yes, she does eat flowers, but I'm pretty sure this was done out of pure spite for leaving her.

Oliver and Tilly spent the weekend with my mom (who despite her protests that she isn't ready to be a grandmother, had picked out her grandmother name- mimi, prompting her to call sometimes and say "do mimi's granpuppies want to come over and play?).  Luckily, mom has two equally as nutty dogs and a good time was had by all.  Poor Oliver sure was all played out...

No Shame

Sweet tired puppy...

Cherry Blossom Festival

Seth and I spent last weekend in DC celebrating his brothers wedding.  The ceremony was great, as was the food and of course, the bride was beautiful.  That is all I will say about the happy occasion.

Despite the less than spring like weather, we did get to enjoy the cherry blossoms, which were at their peak...

If you've never been to the cherry blossom festival, I highly recommend it!

Dressed up Dresser

After tackling project closet over the weekend, I noticed that my dresser was looking a bit cluttered as well...

Man, oh man.  No wonder I never wear necklaces and my poor teddy bear is being strangled to death by headbands.  My bad, teddy, my bad.

Lucky, we had a spare set of hooks lying around, so after a quick zip zip with the power drill and some even quicker organization, I present you with this...

So much better.  It almost looks like a grown up owns this dresser, almost.  And I can now find my lovely necklaces.  And my poor, beloved bear is no longer being strangled by headbands- I wonder what Rachel Berry would think about that...