Weekend Things

The last weekend of March, wow!  Baseball is back and crazy spring weather is here!  Let this be a reminder to myself that I may not feel in total control during this busier less predictable season and that it will all be okay.

Our schedule is about to ramp up, so I was thankful for a cool and cloudy Friday that made it feel 100% right to lay low at home with leftovers, pajamas and a movie.  Got to watch the Rockies win beforehand ♥  Joey has been making the argument that ALL you need to have seen to understand Avengers: Endgame are the previous Avengers films and I do NOT agree, but I’ll indulge him for now.  This is all to say we started The Avengers on Friday night.  Why are all these movies so long though??

Joey got up to go skiing one last time on Saturday, so I cuddled a dog then made Whole Grain Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pancakes that were so thick and fluffy and delicious.  Truly!  I also made some pizza dough for later this week, then went to the grocery and spent $25 on crabmeat (scream face emoji).

cc99520c-e660-40a4-a201-88a1ae3ca0829f261d25-c29b-4578-9241-154037056009

Most importantly though, we celebrated Joey’s birthday at Bar Dough!  We’ve been wanting to go for, uh… three years… We just hadn’t gotten around to it.  We finally remembered it when brainstorming where to go and now we’re kicking ourselves because it was SO GOOD.  Yelp had mixed reviews, but we had zero complaints!  Service was so professional, drinks were delicious and the food was KILLER.  We got “Fancy Toast” (how could we not?), culurgiones (basically a potato-ricotta noodle dumpling!) and were thisclose to ordering another pasta dish when I suggested the saltimbocca chop and what a good last minute change it was.  They gifted us dessert and I LOVED IT SO MUCH.  We are coming back!!!

1e6abfd5-a398-454d-b6d7-ecd05d3c9fe4

Sunday morning puppy cuddles are my favorite!  It is a genuine joy when I open my eyes and see him leaping over Joey to me ♥♥♥  There’s been a sort of changing of the guard over at The Source and we were momentarily terrified when Babette’s and Boxcar Coffee Roasters both left, but comparable new businesses have moved in, so all is good.  I just really love an almond croissant, so I guess I’m truly my mother’s daughter.  We checked out our schedule for April and it’s packed and I’m scared.  But also really excited!

Back at home, we tag-teamed salads for the week and I made some snack bars for us, while Joey did laundry and does whatever he does outside all the time 😛  I also spent a good chunk of Sunday (and some time on Saturday too) reading and god, it felt good!  I am a BAD weekend reader and I’d like to change that.  I took myself to yoga later on and then we made Mediterranean Eggplant and Halloumi Bowls with Lemon-Dill Sauce for dinner, while watching Avengers: Age of Ultron and I’m starting to think I only live for Tony Stark’s arrogant humor and Stan Lee cameos.

It’s a week of celebration around these parts, with Joey’s birthday on Wednesday and Rockies Home Opener on Friday, so let the madness and excitement begin!

Weekend Things: July is here!

I know I could just wait a day and post about our weekend and the actual 4th of July all at once, but what’s the fun in that?

img_0760

Joey texted me mid-afternoon on Friday (from his office, 5 steps away…) to say he could be persuaded into leaving early for a happy hour drink/snack.  It wasn’t even on my radar but as soon as he brought it up, I was like “HUDSON HILL!”  Been wanting to try that coffee/cocktail bar for weeks so we pretty much had to, ya know?

The Green Hour is the prettiest of pastel greens and even though it’s not on the HH menu, I really needed to order it.  Probably the creamiest drink in all the land!  Plus pickled okra?!  Can’t pass that up.  Joey isn’t into pickled things quite like I am, but he’s gonna come around, I just know it 🙂

img_0762

Back at home, post-hammock hang and garden admiring — I know it sounds like we do that every day, but it’s just because we do that every day! — we real quick made some Blackened Shrimp Tacos and you know when you make something and you’re like “this is good but I think I know how to make them even better next time”?  Had that moment with these tacos.  All ♥ for taco dinner in our backyard though!

P.S. Spent the rest of the night watching the Rockies and I fell asleep on the couch and didn’t even see them win.  Also, it was the second time I fell asleep on the couch during a Rockies game this week…

img_0764img_0765

Do you even know how excited I get to go to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday?!  Yes, probably you do, but thought I should tell you again.  Biked over and bought… um two mini pies.  And then, because I felt we couldn’t leave without purchasing some actual produce, we snagged some real good-looking snap peas.  Kinda ready for peach/shishito/corn season to be upon us though.

Turned Friday’s taco into Saturday’s salad when we got back home, then had the energy to run a bunch of errands: cheese shop, liquor store, beer supplies, coffee beans.

img_0775IMG_0797IMG_0798

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the annual Shakespeare Festival outing!  We loved our picnic from last year so much that we did it all over again!  And honestly, is there anything better than drinking wine and eating cheese with your mom and your sister?  Answer: NO.

As for the play, I need you to know some things about The Taming of the Shrew.  #1: Shakespeare is my homeboy but this play is so freaking sexist!  It’s basically about submitting to your husband.  Only after suffering enough sleep deprivation and starvation though.  How bout no?  I’ve seen this play twice and the actors can do a lot in the way of body language and line delivery to make the plot less offensive but still.  #2: At the end, the entire cast did a dance together and afterwards, both my mom and my sister turned to me (sitting between them) and said “that was my favorite part!”  #3: 10 Things I Hate About You is still better than the original play 🙂

IMG_0777IMG_0799img_0783img_0784IMG_0800IMG_0792

Sunday started with a 5-mile run.  Not all that recommended if you went to bed past midnight the night before, but I lived.  Afterwards, we took ourselves to Thump Coffee for breakfast and I did what millenials do best, pay for the kind of toast I could make at home.  Did some adulting afterwards, aka grocery/lunch prep/house cleaning then shifted into R&R mode with the newest 5280 Magazine and a pedicure.  That color is called “Pixie” and I really love it.

To cap off Sunday, we (and the entirety of Denver) headed to City Park Jazz.  We sat further back then in past years because it was PACKED but it meant we could spread out more, plus we could still hear the live band so it was all good.  Replayed Saturday’s picnic spread + hummus and radishes from our garden.  Should have bought another mini pie for dessert but freezer cookies to the rescue!

*******************************************

And now I’m off to contemplate whether I’m proud or worried that I ate cheese and sausage for dinner two nights in a row and to celebrate the 4th early, with new summer highlights in my hair, hopefully a Rockies win, some Biker Jim’s for dinner and get this, we may even stay for the fireworks tonight!  Wishing you all a happy holiday tomorrow!