7 Quick Takes

--- 1 ---

Last weekend was fantastic! We kicked off the weekend seeing The Amazing Spiderman at the cheapie theater, which actually was a really good movie. We did some grocery shopping, bought paint for the porch, and went to Mass. Afteward, we had our Cathsorority meetup, which was a blast. I was a bit nervous because I've never hosted that many people before! There were 10 of us and I think 6 was my previous record. Luckily it was potluck so I was off the hook trying to figure out how to cook a full meal for that many people! They all brought good food, but Caitlin's chocolate turtle cheesecake was TO DIE FOR. Yes, I'm still thinking about it. It was SO much fun to all hang out together, and those of us who hadn't met felt like we already knew each other since we all read each other's blogs. We'll definitely have to do it again!

The ladies

The guys- none of whom protested this photo! 

--- 2 ---

Sunday, Steven and I headed to South Carolina to spend the day with my parents and a family friend, Jay. He is my dad's friend from work and they've known each other for a LONG time. He came to our wedding, which was really sweet because he has only met me a very few times and it was a 4 hour drive + overnight stay by himself! He has a breathtaking house on a lake with mountains as the backdrop, and invites my parents over each year for Labor Day. We spent time on his pontoon, sat out by the water talking, grilled out, and even made friends with a dog who swam across the lake and tried to adopt Jay. Hopefully she got home ok! It was a lot of driving (9 hours) for a relatively short visit (5 hours) but so worth it because we had a really amazing day, and actually had quite a bit of fun in the car ride, too!

I told my mom that in 20 years I will look at this photo and say "hmm.... wonder where mom was that year?".

--- 3 ---

So I got some ideas for homemade detergents (thanks!), but what I ran out of this week was not detergent but all purpose cleaning spray. When I say run out, I mean I ran out of the green cleaner that I like, and couldn't bring myself to use the Target green cleaner that smells like death. So I googled around for different cleaner recipes with the ingredients I had (borax and vinegar) and found this super simple recipe. Well, after using it here's my review. It works WONDERFULLY and smells SO BAD. Steven has pretty much forbid me to use it again until I get some essential oil to put in it. I think it will be a winner once I do that!

--- 4 ---

Guess who we're voting for in this year's election? And yes, my husband has  turned me into a total nerd. For those not in the nerdy know, Rogers is Captain America and Stark is Iron Man. While I do have a few concerns about Iron Man as VP, I am totally in support of Captain America as president.

--- 5 ---

Running update: We're done with week 4 (as of this morning) but have decided to re-do it next week. Want to know what's totally frustrating? We have been running for 5 weeks now (because we repeated week 2) and I haven't lost ANY weight yet. When I've done weight watchers, I've lost weight steadily throughout, almost weekly for over a year. I'm not counting points now, but we eat generally healthy, save for maybe one naughty meal and/or one naughty dessert a week. We eat whole grains, fruits and veggies, watch portions etc. So for me to ADD this work out program to that and not lose anything is really frustrating! It almost makes me want to quit, but I won't. I see my doctor on the 13th so I will mention it then.

--- 6 ---

If you read last week's quick takes and then my awkward announcement, you're probably wondering why I'm not blogging from my new domain. Well friends, that's because this week has FLOWN by and we decided we would rather spend the week doing fun things together than working on the site, especially since we're spending a long weekend apart. That included seeing two cheapie movies, going out for pizza, watching some B movies at home, going for a walk at the arboretum, and sharing some local NC ice cream. Note to self: never announce anything because then it won't happen for forever. Lesson learned!

--- 7 ---

In a few short hours, I'm headed off to Vegas for my brother's wedding. He and his fiance have had a whirlwind romance (6 months from meeting til I do!) and I'm asking for prayers for them as they begin married life together! We are just finishing a novena for marriage, which we were so excited to be doing leading up to their nuptials! Sadly, Steven has to stay behind because we couldn't afford two last minute plane tickets, but he has been given the green light to eat all the fast food he wants this weekend, so I think he's ok with staying home. I fly back on the red eye Monday night/Tuesday morning and I'm SO excited for 3 days with family! 

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