3rd anniversary

John took the day off on our anniversary, May 3rd, and we went to lunch at Rutherford's in Napa. It was a nice, sunny day, so it was fun to sit outside.


We got home and John went to the porch to get a package. He walked in the door with it, I read the box that says "Georgetown Cupcakes" and freak out! We've been watching the show "DC Cupcakes" and have been wanting to try them. He ordered some for our anniversary, and was pretty happy with himself for finally being able to surprise me.

They were delish, even though they weren't fresh.

My mom's visit

I just realized that I didn't post about my mom coming in April. She came for 4 days, and we had a great time.

Us at the Farmer's Market in Davis.
Getting flowers for my porch at Lowe's.
My new porch.
We went to church on a Saturday night and then went to dinner. We also went to yard sales while she was here, and she helped me with some home projects. I wish my mom was here all the time!

Shoe makeover

I bought some pink flats at Old Navy for around $5 last year, and had been wearing them.



I then saw a tutorial for putting a little flower on them, which looked fun and easy. Then I saw a similar shoe at the J. Crew outlet for over $100.


So here's what I came up with.

Sausage Manicotti

Here's a really easy good and easy recipe to help your dinner rut.

1 lb turkey sausage (I like Italian sausage)
2 cups (16 oz) 2% cottage cheese
1 package (8 oz) manicotti shells
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. In large bowl, combine sausage and cottage cheese. Stuff into manicotti shells. Place in greased 13-by-9-in. baking dish. Top with spaghetti sauce.

2. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into center of a shell reads 165 degrees.

3. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 14 manicotti.

Here's the pretty magazine picture of it.

Easter

We spent Easter at my friend Emily's house (her husband is in John's squadron). I met her through the AF spouse's group and she's in the Bible study I was in (before I started working). It didn't seem like a normal Easter, being away from family and everything, but it was nice to do something somewhat festive. We went to a great church service in the morning and then had lunch at their house.

They put a lot of work into their backyard, and it looked really nice.

Wedding #3

John was in the Saber Arch (an Air Force tradition) at his friend Jason's wedding in St. Martin, CA. The venue was at a beautiful winery. It was one of the prettiest weddings I've been to, and Jen was a gorgeous bride.

We had a little trouble getting there on time...long story, but basically John's friend was supposed to give him the rank to put on the shoulder of his uniform, but was still looking for it when we stopped by to get it on the way to the wedding. After looking for half an hour and still not finding it, we had to drive half an hour back to base to buy it, which made us late. John was pretty stressed, so I took over the driver's seat and sped my way down I-80. I'm surprised I didn't get a ticket. John was the head of the arch, so he had to talk to the other guys on the phone to give them instructions on what to do. I made up 10 minutes by speeding (plug your ears, Mom), and we got there right before the vows. The Saber Arch wasn't until the end of the wedding, so we made it just in time. If we had been 10 minutes later, he would have missed it! We were stressed the whole way there (2 hours), but once we got there, everything went well.

John is on the far left in the navy uniform.
The bride and groom go through the arch. The swords stop them so they'll kiss.
We had this at our wedding, too.

Home projects

I've been doing a lot of home projects lately, with John's help in hanging. He's been home for over a month now, by the way, which has been amazing. Here are some before and after pictures.

PROJECT #1

The guest bathroom BEFORE.
And AFTER.
I got the clock at a thrift store and painted it green (above). Not sure if I like the color...it didn't turn out the way I thought it would.
My Frank Capra picture is in the middle, and I got the 1, 2, 3 towel holders at Pottery Barn.

PROJECT #2

Living room BEFORE.
Living room AFTER. I got that decorative holder at a yard sale.
I put the basket from the living room in this corner by the bathroom.

PROJECT #3

Here's the family room BEFORE.
Family room AFTER.
I finally made the coffee filter wreath that was everywhere in blog land a few months ago. I think I need to trim it up a bit, but I like it.