taking note!

This blog is really the best way I have of remembering some of the fun things I get to do, and the enjoyable things of everyday life.  The weekend before last my church hosted another women's day.  I love these!  I worked on my sewing cutting fabric skills,

hung out with awesome ladies (and Lucy the dog),

and of course, ate.  Everyone was asked to bring a salad of any sort.  Isn't that great about the south?!  Growing up with northern parents salad was just green salad.  Leaves, and that's about it.  I remember when I was in 5th grade ordering a "chicken salad" and being perplexed at the mayonnaise-celery concoction on lettuce that came to the table.  I've since learned and love that when you say "salad" it can mean a number of different things.  It could be a tuna salad.  Pasta salad.  Potato salad.  Chicken salad.  Fruit salad.  Jello!  Couscous salad.  Or of course a green salad, which is the route I went for this women's day.  The pastor at church is known for her salads--they're soooo good!  She adds whatever fruit & vegetables she has in the kitchen to a field greens base and serves it with a vinaigrette dressing.  I wanted to make an attempt:

In mine I put apples, cucumbers, almonds, & blackberries.  I love berries on salads!

Last weekend was fun; on Saturday I went on an (awesome!) early morning run, went to a great prayer training, and hosted a "cinco de dip" party.  The premise of "cinco de dip" was easy--everyone bring a dip to share.  I made a homemade guac, and a dessert dip--chocolate chip cheesecake dip.  Both were really, really good.  For the guac I sauteed garlic and onions before adding them to the avacado/tomatos/cilantro/other random spices.  I made the chocolate cheesecake dip with only a few tablespoons of butter instead of the stick the recipe calls for and I couldn't even tell a difference.  Also on the menu was a festive (alcohol free) drink--I crushed (and by "I" I mean the blender) some ice, added fresh strawberries and orange juice, and donesies.  Festive & easy.

On Sunday I went to a friend's baby shower.  Earlier in this week I had met up with her to catch up, and also to give her daughter her 2nd birthday present from me, a book.  Last year on her first birthday I decided that I wanted to get this particular little girl a book every year from me on her birthday.  This year when I went to Barnes and Noble to find a book I was expecting a long hunt, but then I saw this:

BABY JANE EYRE.  Done, and done.