Spring

I woke up this morning to sunshine pouring in through the windows in our bedroom...

{Aw.....yaaaawwwn...streeeetch}

What a beautiful day to wake up to! :)

Now it's the afternoon... and as I eat my "breakfast for lunch" meal of granola and berries (hey, it's Saturday..don't judge me!)...my thoughts turn to Spring. The very sound of the word makes you want to jump up and be productive...or maybe even work out! No wait...bad word. Think happy thoughts. Okay, just kidding. But anyways..........back to Spring.

I've been hearing a lot of people in blogland say that they've got Spring Fever...and I gotta say, ladies, I'm with ya!

Wikianswers just told me Spring won't be here officially until March 20th, but one can dream, right? And besides, that's less than a month away! Yay!

So what does Spring mean to me?

I found an old journal entry that I wrote back in 2005 about Spring. I think it pretty much sums it up:

"The redbuds lining our driveway are starting to bloom. The sun is out and the grass is slowly turning green again. I believe Spring is finally approaching. I am very ready for it to come. It's funny how I just can't wait for each new season to come. Like this winter, for example~I wanted it to be cold again cause I was all tired of it being so hot. Well, not anymore. After the excitement of Christmas, Thanksgiving and the New Year have passed, you start to settle into it just being cold, and that can be kind of dreary sometimes. I'm looking forward to afternoon swims, watermelon spitting, friends coming home,parties, dances, sun dresses, tans, picnics, working in the yard, and everything that has to do with the outdoors. I want to smell fresh cut grass, I want to take long bike rides, and I want to see things come to life again~baby birds, trees, flowers, grass~oh, everything! In winter everything dies. In some small way I think part of me does, too. I just don't know what. Maybe I'll know this Spring when I get it back again. Maybe." ~March 7, 2005

{Photo source: here}

Have a lovely Saturday!

xoxo,

Gail

Face ParTAY

I would never normally do this....but my sweet sister Grace linked herself up to a blog party today at "The Stories of A to Z" about sharing your before & after of your morning makeup regimen... so I thought I'd give it a try. Most days I go without makeup (not because I look good without it, but because I'm just that lazy) unless I have a reason to get out. Therein lies the danger of being in-between jobs!

So let's give this thing a go...

My scary, very shiny "before" right after I got back from an hour long walk:

And now after a good, clean shower. Not much better!

I look like a greasy monkey! Ha! :)

Ta da! Much better I think. :)

Here's what I use:

From L-R: Neutrogena lip gloss, Loreal mascara,

Jason (all natural) face scrubble, Aveeno lotion,

and the best...Jane Iredale makeup. I love this line

of mineral makeup. It's known for its clean ingredients

and amazing coverage while at the same time not looking

heavy. Also a favorite of mine is my makeup brushes that

I got at none other than....Michael's! They're high quality

paint brushes (Lowe Cornell) and are made up of all-natural

boar bristles just like high-end makeup brushes...but

for a fraction of the cost!

If you're reading this and are participating in the party...have fun girls! I've already viewed many of your entries and you're all stunning! :)

xoxo,

Gail

Best Friends & Bowtie Pasta

Every Wednesday night I'm busy.

If you call my phone, I won't answer.

If you text me, you'll have to wait awhile for an answer.

And if you call or text my husband, he'll say I'm out.

Man do I sound like I'm playing hard to get or what!

Actually no.

Because actually....every Wednesday night I reserve the right to have time with my best gals for a weekly ritual we call "Girl's Night Out".

These are seriously the best girls ever.

We have a ball together. Many of them I've known for 10 years...and one (you know who you are) I've known since I was 7. That's nearly 20 years folks!

I love that when we get together we can be completely real. It's not always easy, but ultimately I know these girls have my back. We're there for each other in the good times and bad...through bad relationships and good...through diets and dessert....and times of sadness and surprise.

A lot of times when we get together we'll meet for dinner or maybe just coffee. Yes, you guessed it. That's where the bowtie pasta comes in.

One of our favorite places to eat is la Madeleine's french cafe. The salads are scrumptious and the soup...oh my...delicious! One of my menu favorites is their bowtie pasta salad. They serve it chilled, but set aside a cup of steaming tomato basil soup, it serves as the perfect compliment.

One day after our weekly GNO, I decided to scour the Internet for their recipe. And girls....drum roll please......I think I've got it. I've tried it several times and I'm more than pleased with the results. If you decide to give it a go....you won't be disappointed. It's, well....delicious! :)

~la Madeleine's Bowtie Pasta Salad~

16 oz. bowtie pasta

8 Tbsp. pesto

1/2 Cup sun dried tomatoes, diced

1/2 Cup Roma tomatoes, diced

4 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 Cup spinach, diced

1/2 Cup green onions, diced

4 Tbsp. Caesar dressing

*Cook pasta until al dente. Let cool slightly. Add all the other ingredients

& mix well. Serve chilled with hot soup or alongside

crusty bread. Enjoy!*

*And girls, if you're reading this....I love you all and

I'll see you tonight!!!*

xoxo,

Gail

A {LOVE}ly Weekend

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's weekend! Here are a few photos of ours....

Dallas, TX got a record-breaking snowfall of 9 inches!

I've never seen snow like this in Texas in my lifetime so far,

so needless to say, I was thrilled!!!

Matty & I beside the snow igloo that we

(mostly Matt :)) built out at my folks'

house. It was so cool!!

Inside the igloo. :)

Daddy & Me with our snowman "Mr. Puddles"

in front of my childhood home.

~Valentine's Day~

My card to Matty

Tomato basil soup with cream heart for lunch :-)

*My Valentine*

Yummy Valentine cookies for dessert

My handsome hubby getting

ready for our Valentine dinner date!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Vintage Punch Bowl

I got an excited phone call from my mother the other day....

Mom: "Gail, I bought something for you that I think you're really going to like. I'm excited!"

There was enthusiasm in her voice....which made ME excited as well!

Gail: "Oh really? What is it? It's not even my birthday!" :)

She proceeded to tell me that she had been to a local antiques store browsing for do-dads for the house when she came upon a gem of an item that had my name all over it....

...a vintage punch bowl.

I love having people over and throwing parties and for the last 2 1/2 years I've always just borrowed her punch bowl and hosting service items. I know she never minded....but it's fun now to start adding to my own hosting collection.

I love the etched glass detail...

...and how sparkly and light reflective the glass is.

And did I mention she also picked up a set of 12 glass plates as well? :) What a sweet mom I have. Thanks, Mom! I'm already starting to plan our next party... and you can be assured that there will be some fabulous punch! YUM.

xoxo,

Gail

I'm linking this post up to "Vintage Thingies Thursday"

at Colorado Lady:

Wreath Love

A few days ago I was inspired to make a wreath when I saw these ideas on Tip Junkie. I adapted the one made from old scraps of fabric and created a unique wreath of my own.

I started with an old wire hanger and fashioned it into the shape of a heart....

Then I took pieces of cut up fabric in different shades of pink and red and tied them securely to the wire, repeating a pattern of the different fabrics over and over (and over and over and over) until the entire form was covered.

Here's how it turned out...

I'm happy with the way it turned out...and although I think it's just a tad too small for my front door, nowhere else seemed to fit...so there it shall stay!

Have a LOVEly week!

xoxo,

Gail

Weekend Breakfast

I love cooking breakfast on the weekends...it seems like the only time Matthew and I can actually enjoy it together away from all the craziness that a week brings. Today I cooked up something special to honor this month....

I think Matthew liked it too! ;)

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,

Gail

Winter Luncheon & {White Dishes}

I had 3 very special women in my life over for lunch today....so I just had to share our goings on with you!

Meet my Grandma, Linda; my Mother, Cindy;

and my Mother-in-law, Ruthanne. :)

I set the table with a white tablecloth,

some vintage linen place mats and napkins that I

bought at an estate sale ( I love vintage linens!)....and I my new

white dishes!

Pale pink roses with privet berries that I clipped

from our bushes were used as a centerpiece.

Very feminine. :)

For lunch I served sliced fruit with poppyseed dressing,

curry chicken salad, rosemary cheddar muffins, tea,

& orange pound cake (not pictured).

Three generations. :)

One of my passions is having people over and meeting needs through food, conversation and a beautiful atmosphere. I'm grateful to the Lord that I had the opportunity to do this today because it surely blessed MY heart!

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Here are some additional photos of my new white dishes without the food on them! They're called "Classic White" by Lenox and I'm really loving them! (pardon the poorly lit photos...it was raining today).

I was glad to find a pattern that came with so many pieces! Each place setting includes 1 dinner plate, 1 lunch plate, 1 salad plate/dessert plate, 1 bread & butter plate, 1 cereal bowl, 1 soup bowl & a teacup & saucer! I love the versatility of the different size plates and bowls and I'm loving how clean and classic they look. And funny thing, they are the EXACT same shape as the "Chirp" pattern I was looking at...only white! Only I got them at none other than T.J.MAXX. Love that store!!

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo,

Gail