candy & tacos

This post is about candy and tacos.  Obviously.  I'm not very original with my blog post titles.  I need to work on that!

Friday afternoon my husband and I both got off work at 3:00 PM.  He mowed the lawn really fast (we had to borrow my dad's mower because ours blew up last Thursday... smoke and everything!), showered, and then we were off to begin the first weekend of "summer"!

First stop:  42nd Street Candy Shop before they closed...  cross that off my summer bucket list!

entry to 42nd Street Candy Co.

truffle, milk chocolate filled candy, dark chocolate filled candy

mmm... dark chocolate!

good stuff!

the remains.  there were none!

Second stop:  dinner at Big Truck Tacos!  We got gorditas (buffalo and beef), flautas (chicken and beef), and a 5th Amendment Taco!

5th Amendment Taco for Friday night was chile rubbed pork with slaw tossed in Caesar sauce...  really yummy!

Third stop:  the mall.  No pics to share here (actually, I have one, but it's pretty awful so I'm leaving it out!) but we ended up getting me a new pair of heels that I can actually wear for a couple hours, a new dress from GAP (will show that later!), and a new wallet for my hubs from Fossil.  We haven't been to the mall in ages, so it was fun and kind of a flash back to when we were dating.  <3

Last stop:  groceries.  Actually, it was two stops (Sunflower Markets first and then Crest).  We were in and out pretty fast.  Meat was on sale, so we bought up quite a bit of that. 

you can't see all the gorgeous produce here, but there was tons of it!

So that was our Friday night!  We had a lot of fun and it was a great start to the summer...  crossed one thing off my bucket list!

Summer Reading

I announced to the world that I want to read 30 books by the end of this summer (see this post).  Normally, that wouldn't be a problem...  I'm a total bookworm.  I devour books.

But, I've gotta be realistic.  I'm a busy gal.  I work full-time, teach music lessons, try to keep a home running smoothly, and volunteer at church...  In addition to all that, I try to keep up with all my "hobbies":  cooking and baking, hanging out with my main man, exercising, and finding time to chill with friends.

I try to be like this:

But usually end up like this:

So what??  I know that's what (some of) you are thinking...

Well, reading and getting lost in a good story really helps to alleviate stress.  At least, for me.  That's why I'm making it a priority to read this summer... a minimum of 20 more books by the end of summer.

I've got a pretty small summer reading list right now.  Normally I end up at the library and just pick a bunch of books that look good.  Yes, I'm guilty of judging a book by it's cover.  Shame, shame!  But the next few months, I'd like to have a list of at least 20 books to bring home.  I'm sure I'll grab a few extras that look good, but I'd like to have an intentional list to go off of this summer.

Please feel free to comment and give me some suggestions for intentional reading this summer.  I'm trying to get a good mix of fiction and non-fiction.  I know there are readers out there (unless my husband is sitting there refreshing the page 30 or 40 times a day, in which case please do NOT tell me and let me live in blissful ignorance).  Seriously though, leave me a note!  Except, I'm not interested in Hunger Games, Twilight, Harry Potter, or Fifty Shades of Grey... either too overdone, or just not my style if you know what I mean.

Summer Reading List 2012
1.  The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks - Kathleen Flinn
2.  The House at Riverton - Kate Morton (LOVE her!)
3.  The Secret Keeper - Kate Morton
4.  The Shifting Fog - Kate Morton
5.  The Diet Cure - Julia Ross
6.  The Mood Cure - Julia Ross
7.  The Lost Years - Mary Higgins Clark (excited about this one!)
8.  Her Mother's Hope - Francine Rivers
9.  Her Daughter's Dream - Francine Rivers
10.  A Voice in the Wind - Francine Rivers
11.  The Man in the Rockefeller Suit - Mark Seal

Edited to add suggestions:
12.  The Wretched of Muirwood - Jeff Wheeler
13.  The Blight of Muirwood - Jeff Wheeler
14.  The Scourged of Muirwood - Jeff Wheeler
15.  A Homemade Life - Molly Wizenberg
16.  Cooking for Mr. Latte - Amanda Hesser
17.  The Paris Wife - Paula McLain
18.  The Skinny Rules - Bob Harper
19.
20.

summer 2012 bucket list

I've got big plans this summer.

Actually, every summer, I come up with big plans and a huge bucket list.  Inevitably, I don't get to cross everything off my list... but this year, I'd like to try and blog about everything I do have a chance to cross off my bucket list.

2012 Bucket List

1.  Ride the canal boats downtown.
2.  Stop by 42nd Street Candy Shoppe and taste something.
3.  Eat outside at The Wedge (eating inside does NOT count!)
4.  Go fishing.
5.  Have a picnic.  Outside.  Not in the living room.
6.  Read 30 books from the new library. (So far: 10 down)
7.  Take a chocolate class with a friend.
8.  Jog 5K.
9.  Organize our office.
10. Organize our guest bedroom.
11. Organize our laundry room.
12. Deep clean the house.
13. Work on art for the living room.
14. Go somewhere.  Anywhere.
15. Make my closet look like this: The Lookbook's Closet
16. Have a "themed" date night (like, French date night or Animal Safari date night).
17. Star Wars movie marathon with my husband and lots of popcorn.
18. Go out on a boat.
19. Water ski and water tube.
20. Try to make a complicated dessert.
21. Eat somewhere in The Paseo.
22. Go to the Paseo Arts Festival.
23. Volunteer somewhere.
24. Visit the farmer's market.
25. Make cupcakes from scratch.
26. Paint the outdoor dining furniture.
27. Host an "end of summer" fiesta.
28. Have a crab boil.
29. Grill corn outside.
30. Perform at least one RAK each week.

Of course I'll be adding to the list as I think of things...  and I realize that I'm probably not going to accomplish everything (numbers 9, 10, 11, 12... I'm lookin' at YOU).  But as I complete things on the list I will make sure to update you all...  with pictures to prove it really happened.  I know you're all hanging onto every word and will check back in daily to see what's new... right?!

Summer is...

lake time!

pool time

grillin' out!

watermelon... anytime, all the time. (credit: http://ilovedonutsandwatermelon.tumblr.com)

fireworks on the Fourth of July.

<3 our first wedding anniversary <3

What all do you have planned?  Any ideas to add to my bucket list?  Please share in the comments section!