Pick Up Sticks

Easter

We had a glorious day for our Easter celebration.  The day was sunny and fairly warm.  The only sad part of the weekend was that my parents didn't make the trip from NC as dad had the flu.  I was disappointed as I haven't seen them since December.

We still had 12 for dinner and had a great day of good food and drinks! We baked a ham, made 2 roasts on the smoker, roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus and had a huge salad. YUM!

Since my youngest son's birthday fell on Easter this year we had birthday cake for dessert. He requested a chocolate chip bundt cake which is a cake I have been making for years.  Made the cake Friday...when I took it out of the pan the whole top half stayed in the pan!  I scraped it out and hoped that the glaze would cover the cracks...but it looked horrible!  My son still ate the cake - it tasted delicious but wasn't presentable to be served on Easter.  So Saturday we bought an Oreo ice cream cake...which was a hit.

I got teaes a lot on Sunday because every time someone commented about something I made I said I got it at Costco....the spiral cut ham, the fingerling potatoes, the gorgeous fresh asparagus...all from Costco.  Not precooked mind you...I did do all the cooking myself. 

Even the gorgeous tulips I used for a centerpiece...from Costco.  And it was funny because I bought red tulips with frilly yellow edges....my son and daughter-in-law brought me a pot of mums in the same color - red with bright yellow centers...they matched perfectly!

Spring!

Spring is here...or at least that is what the calendar says.  We finally have had some sun but it is so cold and windy.  But I'll take the sun no matter what the temperature.

One of the perks of working for a school district (I'm not a teacher but an accountant) is having a long break over Easter.  I was off yesterday, today and also have off Monday!  I spent yesterday doing some Spring house cleaning.  I washed windows and curtains, washed down walls and woodwork, etc.  I LOVE clean windows.  If I get nothing else accomplished in my house but cleaning the windows then I am a happy girl.  They looked especially wonderful with the sun streaming in this morning.

I am getting ready for hosting Easter dinner.  My parents are coming from NC for the weekend and we are also having some of my hubby's family.  So there will be 15 of us...which doesn't sound like a lot except that I don't have a dining room!  Always a challenge...but we'll set up tables in a 1st floor den which requires us to move out my armoire filled with yarn and craft supplies, a desk, a wing chair and some shelves with more craft supplies.  Whew...such work!  This is making my hubby realize that we need to add a room onto our tiny cottage house.  I have been wanting to do this for years but he has not.  But I think he is coming over to my way of thinking!

So Easter dinner will be cozy to say the least.  It will be a double celebration as our youngest son turns 19 on Easter as well.

Just a side note...there is a contest over on cinnamongirl's blog for Spring to win 2 skeins of malabrigo.  Be sure to stop by and enter.  She is asking what your favorite flower is.  Mine usually depends on what is blooming in the garden...but if I had to choose just one I would have to say peonies.  The ones I grow in my garden are pale pink and so lush.

Right now nothing is blooming in the garden...it is dreary and grey.  But I bought some pansies to plant in a pot for the front porch.

And in the house - a huge pot of tulips - red with frilled yellow edges.  Also a huge vase of flowers in the guest room for my parents...filled with irises, gerbera daisies, roses, eucalyptus and more.  They smell heavenly!

Happy Easter!

Weekend

Thank goodness for the weekend!  It was such a long week at work.  This dreary, wet late winter weather is getting the best of me and making the days seem so long.  I do like the change in time though - I like that it stays lighter longer...it makes me more productive at home when I get home from work.

Last night a bunch of us went to Chili's for happy hour - free endless chips and salsa - yum!  We ended up staying for dinner as well.  I had one Presidente Margaurita - but it was huge and last me the whole evening.  Today I remember why I don't do tequilla - it gives me a headache!  One drink and I feel like I had a few.  I ordered a caesar salad with grilled shrimp for dinner.  I know they always say salads aren't always the healthiest choice - I usually order the dressing on the side but didn't last night.  Now I realize I should have.  When I looked up the nutritional info online last night it said 1010 calories and 76 grams of fat!!!  Holy sh*t!  My husband had loaded mashed potatoes with his dinner and his meal had less callories and fat than mine.  Lesson learned - dressing on the side and check nutional info before your go!

The reason for all this is that I am trying to lose weight...for like the millionth time in the last 10 years. I have gained so much weight this winter and feel miserable...so I joined weight watchers online.  I had planned for happy hour last night but didn't plan on eating dinner out.  But surprisingly the scale was down this morning.  Hopefully all the lifting and moving of boxes at work for 3 hours yesterday afternoon helped offset the calories.  No I don't work for UPS - we are cleaning out the archives at work and had to go through hundreds of boxes of records, mark some for saving for scanning and mark the others for shredding.

And now a little fun...the meaning of my name.  Check it out at the website below.  The funny thing is I think I agree with a lot of what it says....even if it is just for fun!

What Karen Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?