A fun, Impromptu weekend

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. The theme for this weekend was impromptu as we went into the weekend with very few plans but ended up having a great, but busy weekend.

Friday night we kicked off the weekend by spending time with our next door neighbors who just welcomed an adorable baby boy into their family. Guy was in a milk coma when we were there and happily slept in my arms for nearly an hour! After our visit we ordered pizza and salad from Table 87 and spent the rest of the night catching up on Grey’s Anatomy.

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Saturday morning we slept until 8:30 since neither of us thought to set an alarm. I quickly made smoothie bowl since I woke up craving something cold. This bowl had blueberries, Calfia Vanilla Almond Milk, Vital Proteins collagen powder, spinach, 1/2 banana, a dash of cinnamon and then topped with my favorite Purely Elizabeth granola!

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Agter eating, I rushed over to Aline Pilates for my favorite class that they offer, Prenatal Pilates. The lovely owner, Carey, teaches the class and even though it is a prenatal class, I leave each week sweating and shaking from the tiny pulses.

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I spent the rest of the afternoon making Southern Tomato Sandwiches, one of my favorite Southern appetizers or party staples. I volunteered to bring a Southern dish to Frank & Melissa’s Derby Party but waited until Saturday to finalize which dish I’d make.  Though they look simple, the mix of fresh, seasonal tomatoes and herbs paired with seasoning salt and mayoniase makes these a delicious combination! Once I was done cooking, I some how found myself on my hands and knees scrubbing our kitchen floor corners before using both our vacuum and Wetjet to scrub the entire downstaris.

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Another thing I didn’t spend much time thinking about was my Derby Party outfit. In years past, I could just grab one of my many Lilly Pulitzer or other vibrant, bright dresses from my closet and pair it with my pink floppy hat. Unfortunately on Saturday when I tried on the five different dresses I’d earmarked in my mind for the derby, they either didn’t fit or were a bit too revealing in the chest area. After a few meltdowns, I decided to wear my Pinkblush dress that is quickly becoming a maternity staple. I hate that i’ve worn it for three different events in less than a month, but at this point, it is one of my most flattering dresses.

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As always, Frank and Melissa hosted an amazing party. Just check out the incredible spread they offered their guests including the adorable horse cake pops, deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese, bbq and more! I’m already looking forward to next year’s party when I can enjoy a mint julep instead of sparkling water.

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My body has clearly reached third trimester exhuastion as I slept until 9:45 yesterday! After a relaxing breakfast and coffee while reading the New York Times, we ran some errands around the neighborhood including shopping at the Greenmarket and picking up more herbs for our garden from our local hardware store.

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Since my body was craving a relaxing yoga class, my friend Elizabeth and I made the last minute decision to sign up for Area Yoga’s Prenatal Yoga class. The 90-minute class was exactly what my lower back and hips needed as it was a mix of some power poses followed by a relaxing and stretching restorative flow. There was a block party going on during the class so our soundtrack included the local DJ’s favorite songs from the 80s, 90s and 2000s. I think my favorite was trying to enjoy savasana while Spice Girls blared below. It was very good practice in finding our center in the midst of chaos.

We closed out the weekend with two episodes of Big Little Lies and an easy but delicious dinner that included flank steak, homemade chimicurri sauce, roasted potatoes and garlic green beans.

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Your turn: How was your weekend?

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Diamond Derby Party 2011

Last night’s party went off without a single hitch! At 6:24pm, over 35 people were squeezed into 500 square feet to watch Animal Kingdom win this year’s Kentucky Derby.

DSC_0032 (640x426) DSC_0037 (640x426)While the Derby itself only lasted a few seconds, are house was alive with the sound of new and old friends for more than 6 hours! 

This year’s outfits were far superior to last year’s Derby outfits and the hats and spectators took up lots of room in our small apartment.

DSC_0026 (640x426) DSC_0022 (640x426) DSC_0060 (640x426) DSC_0052 (640x426) The food was enjoyed by everyone! We set up the buffet on our dining room table and bar area. There was plenty of space for people get food and converse around without it becoming too crowded.

We decorated the area with authentic Kentucky Derby items such as tumblers and pitchers. In addition, we carried the red, yellow, and rose theme throughout this area with red napkins, yellow tablecloth, and red roses.

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DSC_0130 (640x426)DSC_0021 (640x426) The hits of the evening were the macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs, and pimiento cheese. Buying pastry bags and tips from William-Sonoma yesterday made the deviled eggs so much easier to fill and ten times prettier than last year’s eggs!

DSC_0006 (640x426) DSC_0007 (640x426) We set up a full bar on our kitchen counter, using a large tin beverage tub for the wine and beer. Bo was the bartender, making mint juleps and bourbon slushies for everyone!

DSC_0011 (640x426) Blue Smoke catered the meat items last night (pulled pork, barbecued chicken, and brisket) while Bo and I cooked the sides and desserts. We also offered three different types of barbecue sauce for guests to use.

DSC_0014 (640x426)Around 7:30, guests realized they could control the music using Bo’s iPad. This turned out to be the tipping point in the party. For the next two hours everyone danced and laughed as we all made fools of ourselves dancing to our favorite songs. People screamed requests and then quickly downloaded or found it on Bo’s iPad! There was more than one Journey session, random Rihanna dance party, and Ludacris rap session!

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Overall, we couldn’t be happier with the outcome of our 2nd Annual Diamond Derby party! Everyone seemed to have a great time, get along, and enjoy the food and drink.

DSC_0050 (640x426) DSC_0049 (640x426) DSC_0048 (640x426) DSC_0042 (640x426) DSC_0054 (640x426) DSC_0056 (640x426) DSC_0110 (640x426)We’re already looking forward to next year’s party and making note of the changes we’ll make including printed invitations, increased portions, and mint juleps by the pitcher!

Question: Did you watch the Kentucky Derby or go to a viewing party?

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Bourbon, Butter, and Cheese

 

It’s officially Derby weekend! IMG_1965 (478x640)

After toasting the weekend, we quickly started cooking!

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IMG_1905 (478x640) (478x640) IMG_1906 (640x478) (640x478) IMG_1907 (478x640) (478x640) IMG_1908 (478x640) (478x640)  IMG_1909 (640x478) (640x478) IMG_1912 (480x640) (480x640) IMG_1913 (480x640) (480x640) IMG_1916 (640x478) (640x478) IMG_1918 (640x478) (640x478) IMG_1920 (640x478) (640x478)We’ve gone through more butter, cheese, and bourbon tonight than we do in a year. But, it’s all for a good cause and can’t wait until our friends enjoy this delicious food tomorrow!

We still have a great deal to cross off before the first guests arrive at 4:30 tomorrow so I have to get back to business. I’m on mixing duty and silver polishing this evening while Bo makes his mom’s delicious cornbread.

See you tomorrow, if I don’t drown in butter, bourbon, and cheese!

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