Mother's Day Weekend: Saturday

On Saturday, the McHusband and I each went for a run shortly after getting up. But we didn't go together. He doesn't jog as long as I do, but I think he probably has a faster pace just because his stride is longer. If I kept up with him, I wouldn't be able to last as long as I'd like so we just did our own thing.

The McHusband spent the day helping his dad with projects around the house while the McMom and I checked out a pottery festival and then ran some errands in town. That evening, we went over to Bri's house to hang out and eat pizza with Bri, Nate, Lyla, and my mom.

Lyla showed us how she likes to play "Go to sleep" in her mom's bed. She was doing the whole snoring thing so I ran to get my camera then she wouldn't do it again until almost the end of the video.


Okay, time to get up and play outside!


We got out Lyla's golf clubs.


It just melts my heart to see that little hand in the McHusband's.


Bri and I wandered to the back of the yard (see if you can find us) while Lyla went on an Easter egg hunt close to the deck.








There was more fun to be had after dinner. Bathtime! (And let's hope these are the last naked pictures of Lyla on the internet.)




After the bath, we decided to go on a walk/wagon ride.


The McHusband drove, of course.


Lyla got to stay up past her bedtime in order to maximize visiting time so we spent a while in her playroom and, more specifically, in her tent. It's bigger than it looks (thank goodness!).






And of course there's ALWAYS time for dress up!

"Here, Uncle McHusband, you wear the hat."




We had a great visit, just too short as always. It's so wonderful to see how much Lyla has grown, but a little sad for me, too, since we don't live closer and she changes so much in between visits. She'll be going from the Cozy Coupe to her first car at 16 before I know it.

Meeting P-Dub

The McHusband and I went to Charlotte this past weekend. Normally my mom comes up here for Mother's Day and we work hard in my yard, but Pioneer Woman saved my mom from the usual back-breaking slave labor she's expected to provide.

Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, came to Charlotte for a book signing on Friday. As soon as I read about her making the trip to Charlotte, I asked my mom and the McMom if they wanted to go. It worked out great for it to be Mother's Day weekend, and we girls had a very nice evening together.

The signing was held at Joseph Beth, a bookstore in the SouthPark area.


The bistro inside the bookstore even had food from Ree's book as part of their menu that night.


We didn't eat there, but we did each have a glass of wine (a wine spritzer in my case) while we waited for the signing to start.


{Judging by our glasses - or lack of one - the drinkability of our beverages goes like this: white zin spritzer, pinot grigio, then straight white zin. Just an observation.}

Ree came out at 6:00 and took some questions that attendees had written down before the event started.


The bookstore did a great job of organizing everything, and I thought it worked out really well to have Ree up on the second level while we all gathered below.

In this little video, Ree answers that age-old question: Boxers or briefs? And she's also asked where she and the Marlboro Man - that's her hubby - would move if they could go anywhere. She had a pretty good answer to that one...


Finally the different groups were called to ascend the stairs and get in line to meet Ree. My mom went to the store ahead of time and got our tickets, which put us in Group B, the fourth group (after VIP 1, VIP 2, and Group A) to line up.

The Pioneer Woman and me!


And here we all are together.


She was very gracious and listened to me babble about how she saved my mom from a trip to Raleigh to help me in the yard and how I had some of her lemon bars waiting for us.

Thanks, Mom and McMom, for spending your Friday night with P-Dub and me!

Boot camp

Matt and Andrea are the boot camp instructors, and last week they asked each of us to write up a little something for them to use in advertising material. I had the camera with me that day so you guys can finally see the aftermath of our hour at the park, and I can write about boot camp. Two birds, one stone.

My shirt is actually a lighter color, but it's saturated with sweat so you can't even see a speck of the original hue.


And here's my ponytail, literally dripping with sweat.


Some of you already know this - the McHusband joined me for this four-week session of boot camp. He's doing pretty good so far. He knocks out the push-ups and dips, but he struggles a bit with the sprinting and some other cardio moves. His favorite part is the end.


Okay, back to boot camp. It's hard, fun, challenging, good for me, awful, and awesome all at the same time. It's painful, but not in a bad way. {Does that make sense? My fellow attendees will understand.} I love that we always do something different. That doesn't mean we do all-new exercises each time, just that the routine isn't the same and that makes it fun.

My heart, my lungs, my muscles, my drive are challenged every minute of boot camp, whether we're running sprints or doing squats or struggling through walking lunges uphill. Matt and Andrea expect us to put forth our best effort, but they don't expect us to be perfect. They help us get better: pushing us where we need it, modifying moves if necessary, and asking us to put the burden upon ourselves to get the most out of our bodies and our workout.

They lead. It's up to us to follow.

Boot camp has done wonders for me. I'm a gym rat. Give me a treadmill, a bike, and an elliptical machine and I'm good. But not great. And that's the opportunity that boot camp provides for me. My whole body, my mind included, works during boot camp. I may have very tired and sore muscles afterward, but I feel fantastic. I know I'm doing something great for myself, and Matt and Andrea genuinely care that we are getting the most out of our workouts. We all really appreciate their time and their willingness to work with us. I for one definitely do not feel like just another pair of Spandex shorts in the back of an aerobics class. Each of us matters to Matt and Andrea.

And now I'll let another picture so some talking for me. Here's our group at the end of the session this past Thursday.


We're all hot and tired and sweaty (some of us more than others), but we're all smiling. Except Matt there on the end. I think he's actually sad to see us done with those uphill lunges.

Until next week anyway.

Hello kitties!

I don't post many pictures of the cats so I thought it was time that they got to share the spotlight.

This past weekend after one of my trips outside to check on the McHusband as he labored away at patio prep, I came in to find that one of Tori's arms had suddenly grown freakishly long.

I love how the green blanket matches her eyes so well. I didn't plan it, but I certainly appreciate my decorating and my animals coordinating so well together.

Emma sat patiently at the door hoping I would let her outside with us.

When I didn't, she settled in on the dog bed since the dogs were outside. When I've come home early on a half-day, I've found her there like it's HER bed that she grudgingly shares with Morgan. Silly kitty.

Recipe Recap: Banana Bread Bundt Cake

Remember that chocolate chip bundt cake that I made for Women's Night last week? And remember how I mentioned experimenting with that recipe and my Best Ever Banana Bread recipe?

Well, I did it.

And it was a success! In the words of the McHusband, "That's good bread you made, and it's making me fat."

I doubled the praline topping because that's what I really liked about the Southern Living recipe. Mmm, check out all those gobs of pecan, sugar, and butter.

I stuck the cake in the oven and set the timer for 50 minutes. With 32 minutes to go, I took the dogs on a walk. I got back and the timer had 7 minutes remaining. I don't have the best baking luck so I figured I better test the cake and see how done it was at that point. Thank goodness I did because my cake tester came out clean as that proverbial whistle. Luckily it's a very moist cake to begin with so that worked in my favor.

I had a slice for breakfast this morning. And I'll probably have another later this evening. Gotta love any food that does double duty as a breakfast food and dessert.

Women's Night Take Two

I hosted Women's Night for the ladies in the neighborhood last August and it was my turn to do it again this past Friday. I decided to keep things really simple - some dips and a Bundt cake and BYO alcohol.

On my way home from work on Friday, just a couple hours before the gathering, I decided that I needed something more finger-foodish to offer so I ran into Harris Teeter for some sushi, which turned out to be a hit.

There were two pregnant ladies as well as a vegetarian in attendance so I made sure to get some veggie rolls.

The other two options were cream cheese rolls and Philadelphia rolls

I also made a roasted red pepper and a pesto dip. The former was just okay, but I really liked the latter. If you're a pesto fan, give it a try.

My mom shared a recipe for a healthified spinach-artichoke dip with me so I gave that a whirl. It was just okay as well. I think the problem was that it tasted healthified even though I put way more shredded Parm on it than the recipe called for.

The Southern Living I got about a week before Women's Night had a recipe for a chocolate chip Bundt cake in it, and I thought my Friday night get-together would be the perfect opportunity to try it. The person providing the recipe said her sister often requests two cakes at her birthday - one just for her and one to share. I didn't think it was THAT good, but it's a recipe I'd make again.

The part of the recipe I really liked was the praline topping. I think maybe I should try my banana bread recipe in a Bundt pan and use this praline topping with it. Yeah, I'll be sure to let you know how that experiment goes...

All in all, this Women's Night was a success and was much better than my first. I'm sure it won't be my turn to host again for a while but maybe the next time it is, the weather will be cooler and we can have the get-together on our as-yet-unfinished patio.

Patio Preview

Just wanted to show you what we - well, mostly the McHusband - worked on this weekend.


Full post to come soon.