Weekend Blues

This past weekend I spent both Saturday and Sunday at work and it wasn't fun. Saturday I ended up working for almost 10 hours. So by the time I got home, since I drove into work, it was already 7:30 and I was beat. Sven and I watched a movie and I can't even remember what it was called. Obviously I didn't stay awake.

Sunday I ended up only working for five hours, thank goodness! On my way in to Philadelphia I made a quick stop at IKEA. I have been wanting to buy some storage containers to put our sweaters in. We already have two, but Sven and I have a lot of sweaters and needed more. I ended up picking up some of these...

(I got four of the blue ones. The color should add a little cheer to my closet!)

Then on my way out I passed these baskets...

I really, really liked them but had no idea what I would do with them. So instead of buying three like I wanted to, I bought one. Hopefully I think of somewhere to put it and see that I need the two more I wanted

Summer Lovin'

When I knew I was moving back to Pennsylvania I was excited because I would get to experience a real winter again. Well here it is only the end of January and I am already over the cold weather. I can't wait for it to be warm and to wear spring/summer clothes. I'm tired of wearing sweaters and spending 5 minutes each morning making sure that I'm properly bundled up to fight the frigid temperatures. Plus, all of the store have already put out all of their spring clothes. So if I wanted to buy something new to wear to work, it wouldn't be season appropriate, and I would freeze. But these are some things that I do like for when the weather decides to get warmer:

Old Navy Tunic - I love the color and pattern Gap Metallic Sandals - love em'!

JCrew Cami - it's cute but waaaaay overpriced. I'll have to find something similar but more in my budget.

JCrew Skirt - I love the neutral color.

Now I have the urge to go shopping. Maybe I'll hit up the outlets that we have by our house. That's where I seem to find great bargains and stay within my budget!

Inauguration Day 2009

Happy 2009 Presidential Inauguration. I will be watching the live events at CNN.com. Check it out if you're at work and don't have access to a television. It really is going to be a monumental day for American history.

BFF

Jamie, Betsy and Kristin - Boston 2007

This past weekend Sven and I had more visitors come and see us. Well, actually we only had one visitor, my best friend Jamie. She had to work Saturday morning, so by the time she got to Lancaster it was dinner time. Sven and I ended up having a late lunch that day so we weren't very hungry for dinner. We decided to take Jamie to Annie Bailey's for her to get something to eat, while Sven and I had a drink. Annie Bailey's is a great Irish bar/restaurant that is right around the corner from where we live. It is great to walk to when the weather is freezing and you don't want to go too far. After spending a few hours at Annie Bailey's we headed back to our place and spent the rest of the night chatting away.

Annie Bailey's Irish Pub

Sunday morning we all got up and Sven cooked us a yummy breakfast. Afterwards we got ready and headed off to the Tanger Outlets. Jamie and I found some great deals. Deals that unfortunately I couldn't pass up. I really think I have a problem when it comes to shopping. I ended up purchasing a pair of jeans from DKNY Jeans. I LOVE them and can't wait to wear them. And the good news they were only $29. I also got a pair of seersucker pants from the Gap, as well as a pair of red gloves. (Both pictured below, I couldn't find a picture of the jeans)

Red Gloves - Gap Outlet

Seersucker Pants - Gap Outlet

After spending a few hours shopping, Jamie and I made our way back to the house where Sven had already prepared a smorgasbord of snacks for the 3pm football game. Both Jamie and Sven are huge Philadelphia Eagles fans, so it was a must that we all watch the game. Unfortunately they didn't pull off a win like we had all hoped. But we did end up having a great weekend.

Quick and Easy

Even though Sven is the cook in our household, he too likes to find quick and easy recipes. One that we found that fulfills all of our eating desires is Jambalaya Bake. It's from a Sandra-Lee cookbook that Sven got me a few years ago. There isn't a lot of time needed to prep the meal. You just have to make sure you allow enough time for it to bake. If you try it let me know what you think.

Jambalaya Bake

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with onion, celery and bell peppers (we get Hunt's)
1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth
8 ounces of hot sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 box of Zantarains Jambalaya mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all ingredients into a 2-quart casserole dish until thoroughly combined. DO NOT DRAIN TOMATOES.

3. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 70-85 min.

Enjoy!

Weekend Visitors

This past weekend my parents, sister, brother-in-law and niece came to visit Sven and I in Lancaster. It was a quick visit, but we managed to have lots of fun anyways! They got here around dinner time on Saturday, so we were all able to have dinner together. Sven and I made spinach manicotti and salad, which everyone enjoyed. Then afterwards we played Rock Band! Jessica and my mom took lots of pictures/videos, which I'm sure they'll post on their blogs, so you'll have to check there for the evidence. While we all played Rock Band my dad and Sven chatted it up in the kitchen.

Then on Sunday Sven and I made breakfast for everyone and I was finally able to use the electric griddle I got for Christmas. Afterwards my mom, sister, Mabry and I ran to Walmart to pick up a few things and then headed to the mall to look around. Jessica and I both found great dresses at H&M that we got for a steal and my mom finally got a new cellphone. That night we all just hung out and relaxed.

Everyone got up early this morning and we all headed different directions. I went to Philadelphia, Sven went to Harrisburg, and my family started their way back to Georgia. I'm really glad that they all came to visit and hopefully it won't be too long till they come back.

Just in case anyone is interested here is the yummy spinach manicotti recipe:

Spinach Manicotti

8 dried manicotti shells
1/4 c. sliced green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c. milk
3 ounces Swiss cheese, torn
1/3 c. chicken broth
1 beaten egg
10 ounce pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
3/4 ricotta cheese
1/2 parm cheese, grated
1/4 Tsp. lemon peel, shredded

1. Cook manicotti shells accounting to package. Drain. Let cool.
2. In a medium saucepan cook green onions and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add Swiss cheese and broth, stirring until cheese melts.
3. For the filling, use a medium bowl and stir together egg, spinach, ricotta cheese, parm cheese, and lemon peel. Use a small spoon and fill the manicotti shells with filling.
4. Arrange shells in a 2-qt rectangular backing dish. Pour sauce over the filled shells.
5. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree over for 30-35 min or until heated through. Let stand for 10 min before serving.

Enjoy!

Giveaway

No, I'm not having a giveaway...but my older sister is. She is very crafty and always thinking of new things to create. These memory cards are great if you have younger children or even grandchildren. They're not your typical memory game cards which makes them even better. To enter all you have to do is leave her a comment here. Simple, I know. So hurry on over to Mamashood before it's too late.

A New Year

Today is January 4th, the day I've been dreading for the past two and a half months. Why you ask? Because tomorrow I start my daily commute into Philadelphia and our holiday vacation is officially O.V.E.R! The things that I'm going to miss from being able to work from home are:

1. Sleeping in later since I didn't have to drive to work.

2. Being able to do laundry while working.

3. No rush hour traffic to deal with. (If you have/haved ever lived in Atlanta you understand why avoiding rush hour is necessary. You could probably live an extra 5 years.)

4. And lastly, not having to dress up. (I enjoy dressing up, just not everyday)

(The arrow is pointing to the office building where I will be working in Philadelphia)