Visitors

We've had a busy couple of weekends. My mom was up the weekend before last, and my dad visited this past weekend.

My mom came up so that the McHusband could give her car a tune-up.


He got FILTHY in the process. I think he blamed it on the brake work.

In return, my mom hemmed the curtains in the den. It's always bothered the McHusband, decorating diva that he is, that they were a touch long and sorta "sat" on the floor. Tori, not Tucker, was the Helper of the Day for this task.

Tori held down the unruly panel and double-checked our measurements.

My dad flew into Charlotte last week on Wednesday and spent some time at Bri's visiting with her, Nate and Lyla, and Shannon and Owen stayed there one night as well. Then the McHusband and I met up with Bri, Nate, and Lyla at the Chili's in Asheboro on Friday for dinner and the Daddy Swap.

Lyla pretended to be shy at first, but she warmed up pretty quickly once the McHusband and I switched places so that I could serve as a buffer between her and scary Uncle McHusband.

Lyla playing hard to get.

Still not too sure about Uncle McHusband, but coming around...

Silly face!

It was nice to visit with Lyla, Bri, and Nate and of course it went by too quickly. But we couldn't stay at Chili's all night so it was time to hit the road and get back home.

We went to Furnitureland South on Saturday - that place is impressive! First of all, it's HUGE and second, it's amazing what these companies charge. We saw a dining set ON SALE for $27k. Can you imagine?

Later that night, Tori decided that my dad was okay in her book. Here's her seal (maybe that should be seat) of approval.

The end, I promise!

One last picture from the McWedding.

The photographer had a portable photobooth at the reception. I've seen some of the pictures and they are really fun. I have a feeling Melissa and Kyle are going to look back and think that the photobooth was one of the best decisions they made.

Here's Jenny, Kevin, the McHusband, and me crammed into the photobooth. Looks like fun, doesn't it? Am I the only one who wants to go back in time and have one at her wedding?

Recipe Recap: Spicy Torte de Mexicana

This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen site. (Could I get any more links into one sentence?)

My mom was visiting this past weekend, and I knew this dish would work for the three of us. We're all fans of Mexican food, and this way there was extra person to help the McHusband and me eat it.

Once the meat was browned with the onions and garlic and everything was seasoned, I started layering.

First came two tortillas, then half the meat, then half the cheese. I added a couple more tortillas and covered them with beans. Guess what's next? Yep, two more tortillas, the rest of the meat, then you know what to do - slap on two more tortillas. Basically, if in doubt, add a couple tortillas.

My pie plate overfloweth.


Layers: they aren't just for trifles.


You top everything off with the rest of the cheese, cover it with foil, and stick it in the oven for 40 minutes.

Fresh out of the oven.




Have yourself a slab of tortilla pie.




So long as we have a few extra people to help us eat it, this recipe's a keeper. Other than offering lots of protein, it really didn't have any redeeming healthy qualities. But it was easy to make and it tasted great. I think it'd make a great hearty dip, too, if you took out the 28 tortillas and instead served it with chips.

A McWedding: Part IV

Okay, this is the last post about the wedding. It was a sticky night and I'm a sweaty girl so I knew it was only a matter of time before my dress showed that I wasn't exactly keeping my cool. Unlike the McMom, Jenny, and Christine, I didn't dance until after the sun (and a fair amount of White Zin) went down, but I don't think that really mattered except that maybe the sweat marks weren't quite as visible in the dark.




Melissa and her bridesmaids all danced together. I don't know if I'm out of touch and this was a dance that most people know or if it's something the girls came up with as a group. Either way, it was cute.


And later, it looks like the McMom's leading the group through a few moves.


Apparently the girl wearing my dress and I each like our drinks pink, too. We finally ran into each other at the "bar," and of course I had to get a picture.


Now, let me explain my wet dress. Okay, the part around the belt, that's sweat. But the straps are wet because the girls behind the bar were giving me a paper towel dipped in the ice water in the cooler each time I got a refill. So that's why I'm so wet up top.

I don't remember her name or what we talked about, but we had fun together.


And the girl in this picture in the black and white skirt and purplish shirt asked me about the McHusband. Except she didn't know he was my McHusband. She asked, "Do you know anything about the guy in the blue shirt?" I told her he was my husband and she said he was cute. I agreed.


And the last picture of the night and the weekend. I didn't remember the McHusband taking this picture so I was surprised to see it in the camera the next day. The guy in the picture is the McHusband's cousin, Brian.


We had a great time visiting with everyone during the weekend and really enjoyed the wedding and reception. For the next summertime wedding, though, I think I'll go with a black or navy dress instead.

A McWedding: Part III

Random pictures of the McHusband and me:


Do you see me (and Kevin, the McDad, Jenny and Chase)?


My glamour shots:




The McHusband, striking a pose.


I definitely practiced the art of taking self-portraits at the wedding.


Note that I said "practiced," not "perfected."


Next up: dancing, sweating, and bonding with the girl wearing the same dress as me.

A McWedding: Part II

Okay, so after the tractors, some ducks, a 35-minute run, a dip in the hotel pool, and a Mellow Mushroom pizza for lunch, it was time for the wedding. Melissa was beautiful in her dress and grandmother's veil, which her mom also wore in her wedding, and the groom looked very dapper in his light beige suit and orange paisley tie.


We blew bubbles over the newly married couple as they made their way to their getaway car.




Finally, we made our way to the house for the reception. Time to party!

Melissa and Kyle started the reception off the way we did - with the dances.


Unfortunately, I didn't get too many great shots of their first dance, but I did get a couple good ones of Melissa and her dad, Daniel, dancing.




One more thing to check off the list: cutting the cake.




I actually didn't try the wedding cake. There was chocolate groom's cake that called my name. Loudly.

The McDad was keeping Chase occupied during all this. Can you believe an almost-two-year-old wasn't all that interested in first dances and cake-cutting?


Oh man, look what Chase found - another tractor. Boy, was Saturday his lucky day or what?


And when he was done with the tractor, there was an equally awesome pile of gravel to play with.


Chase found a hole on the other side of the fence and, well, holes are meant to be filled, right? At one point, Chase got a little too ambitious when he went to unload his handful of gravel and he ended up hanging on the fence. Thank you, Kevin and Jenny, for NOT going to his rescue and instead saying, "Quick, get a picture!"


Speaking of Kevin and Jenny...

Here's us girls on the fence:


And the boys:


And a little while later, Jenny and I found the McMom:


Part III coming soon. Just a warning: it might be full of all the random pictures of the McHusband and me from the reception.