I never have this much energy on a school night! Maybe it was the Americano I had after school, or just the way things have been going lately. YAY for a great weekend and a happy outlook on the coming week! I am pretty busy at school, but every teacher is as the year comes to a close.

This weekend Tom and I enjoyed good food as well as company. I was able to start an herb window box, do a little organizing, and finish up a knitting project. Unfortunately, this weekend also included a going away dinner for our friend, Michael, who is moving to North Carolina to start law school. I am so happy he is going for his dreams, but we will miss our Thursday TV and dinner night. I loved using him as an excuse to try out some new recipes!

To wrap up this post, I must also mention that in 30 minutes I will be tasting fresh bread from my new-to-me bread maker!! Tom and I picked it up today from John, a nice man who sold it to us for an awesome price via Craigslist! I hope it is good! I used this recipe, from the amazing, Finding Joy in My Kitchen blog. I want to try all of her bread recipes! I am planning on making french toast in the morning as well as use it for my sandwich for lunch...we'll see!

a little girl talk...

So this isn't the most significant post I've ever made, but wanted to share that I am slowly making the transition from cheap makeup to mineral makeup and I was wondering if any of you out there use mineral makeup. I recently bought a kit for mineral powder, blush, and finishing veil for only $13 at Target (it was on sale). The brand of the kit is Physician's Formula. So far, I LOVE IT! It is so clean and feels so natural but I still feel covered (i have a lot of freckles and while I do love my freckles i like the ones on my face to be a little muted). I've heard of Bare Minerals and Pur, but I can not afford these at the moment. Just wondering if any of you out there have a different mineral brand that you swear by or can say from experience that Pur or Bare Minerals are awesome brands.

Just wondering...somewhere down the road I might try these out but would love to know what others think before I fork over the cash! I've really been conscious lately of the beauty products I own. I don't buy a lot of products, but I am slowly running out of all the makeup I had throughout college. I've probably held on to too much of my old makeup as it is. Most have only a little bit left and I'd say some of my stuff is over three-five years old. That is kind if gross now that I think of it.

I think taking care of your skin is SO important (especially because I have such fair skin), but I feel at the same time a responsibility to use the money God has given me wisely. I've decided though that I value quality over quantity and would rather spend a little more if it is better quality and then just conserve whatever it is. So, anyway, I would like to slowly use more and more organic and plant-based products [I have my eye on some tasty Aveda shampoo and conditioner but that will have to wait :)]. Any suggestions/thoughts are greatly appreciated :)

I am off to finish my first design for a knitted washcloth!

-Sarah

So take a last lick of your ice cream cone and lock up what you still want to own...

Lyrics from a song, "Rag and Bone" on the album, Icky Thump by the White Stripes. I am ready for a new White Stripes album!

SO! I think it is safe to say that the strawberry jam was a hit! I didn't want to say one way or the other until I received some kind of feedback from family/friends, but yesterday I did receive my grandma's stamp of approval! Now, I am hooked and have plans to make a couple of small batches of blackberry and peach jam.

Then, later this summer I will take on salsa, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, and green beans. I REALLY want to can pickles but think I will save that for next year.

After some thought, I have decided to start planning Tom and I's meals for the whole week. SO, I will now try to post each week (sometime before Monday) the dinners I plan to cook for the week. I think this will make grocery shopping faster and more efficient and will hopefully help Tom and I to drop the marriage pounds we've both accumulated during our first (ALMOST 3) years of marriage :) I was inspired by my friend, Tera as well as this website.

I worked in the garden with my mother-in-law, Patty, for most of the day yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed all the physical labor of weeding. My heirloom tomatoes are doing quite well. I think I am the most excited for them as well as the carrots. Their tops are growing much faster than I expected! The zucchini (of course) is gigantic and we will probably be sneaking zucchini into all kinds of meals to eat it all.

This past week I devoted myself to organizing and a little redecorating. I used all things I already had with the exclusion of one purchase: a new bed frame with a headboard! I love the difference it makes in our room...I now feel like I have a place to go for a quiet, relaxed place. I am slowly decorating our room in yellows and grays and love the results so far! I painted our two side tables and a three-tier stand that I use for plants a beautiful yellow color. It is called "Fresh Pineapple" but is much more creamy than you would imagine when you think of real pineapples.

I also started 3 new scarf projects. My friend, Marcia taught me how to knit with colors in a really neat way and I am very excited to be knitting something other than washcloths at the moment. I DO love washcloths though and have plans for at least 8 different patterns I want to attempt.

Well, for us, summer is fully in effect and I am really liking it :)

More with my menu plans later...

-Sarah