DIY gifting

Two of my very favorite people, Mr. and Mrs. M, are new homeowners and I am completely uninspired when it comes to housewarming gifts. Sadly, plants and booze are my go-to gifts. 

For this occasion, a bottle of vino or a succulent just weren't up to snuff. Sometimes, the best way to say "yay!" is with a little homespun goodness, so I grabbed my camera and the dog and we were off on a walk to find some significant digits. 

The neighborhood was a serious disappointment when it came to sevens, so I had to take matters into my own hands... 

                                                                                                

Address plate...

Parking strip...

It's a little weird walking around, taking photos of other people's things. I expected someone to come out of their house and start squawking at me {part of the reason I brought the Teeb along}. Here's the finished project:

(please forgive the wonky iPhone photo)

Mr. and Mrs. M-- I hope your new home gives you years of happiness and memories-- and I can't wait to completely overstay my welcome! ♥♥

Food, Friends, Firespitting?!

S & J were oh-so-kind as to invite the whole gang to their neck of the woods for a BBQ over the weekend. Few things are better than getting together with this bunch— lots of laughs, loads of great food... and for the first time ever: FIRESPITTING!

FOOD

First up: my contribution to the bbq— the ooey gooeyist mac n' cheese of all time. Nothing redeeming about this recipe (which actually isn't even a recipe so much as a bunch of cheese with heavy whip and butter). Special occasions call for especially decadent tastiness.

Cheese.

Whip.

4 other cheeses.

Almost there.

Mix in elbows, pop in the oven for an hour or so. Don't even look like pouring breadcrumbs over this goodness! (I'm actually anti-breadcrumbs in ANY mac n' cheese to be perfectly honest)

All the other delicious bbq fare--

FRIENDS

Miss Mac and Bella

Pretty respectable daytime conversation... I'd even go so far as to say "innocent."

As soon as the sun set, did somebody say Johnnie Walker TROUBLE?

So it begins...

Bottoms up— until the bottle was emptied (womp, womp).

Asked Amwilli to take a picture of me and the girls (as all the other boys were doing). THIS is what ended up on the camera... Thaaanks, dear.

I hope Miss Mac doesn't mind that I yoinked the one from her page to make up for Mr. Willi's ineptitude.

Bet you thought I forgot, but really— how could I?

FIRESPITTING!

Guess that's what Johnnie Walker will get you. See you crazies in Philly :)

Saturday in a nutshell

Fact: life is busy.

But every once in a while the stars align, schedules mesh and wonderful little get-togethers are born. This was the case Saturday!

Preparations began early, and after running around like a chicken with its head cut off all morning, I got a nice stop-and-smell-the-roses moment courtesy of Amwilli:

Now onto the menu. Of course the entrée is always easy—carryout (cue Timbaland and JT)— but dessert requires a little thought. I went with Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars from the lovely folks over at Southern Living.

1 cup flour

⅓ cup packed light brown sugar

4 tbsp butter

Mix until dry ingredients are well coated and in crumbles.

Spread into 13 x 9 inch pan, bake til golden brown.

24 oz cream cheese

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

⅓ cup sour cream

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix til fluffy and delicious.

Spread over the crust, bake til it sets.

Still testing the theory of not actually needing egg yolks— so far, they're completely unnecessary. Nice!

Melt some chocolate, swirl it over the finished bars et voila:

Not as pretty as the picture in the recipe, but tasty, light and airy. Fantastic Summertime treat!

Onto the most important part of the evening: before...

and after...

Why yes, that is a large batch of Mon's beer margaritas on the counter ☺

Highlights: After stuffed bellies and probably THE most competitive two rounds of Taboo the world has ever seen, the Teeb decided to start wooing Joe.

This little munchkin was showing off allllll night! Thank goodness she's not a devil dog.

Highest Light Food, Friends, Funnnnn... I ADORE YOU CRAZIES ♡

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Lowlights: Being shunned by Mathew because I *may or may not* have thrown a pen and stained his shirt during the aforementioned Taboo incident.

This face. Smile next time!

Lowest Light: Forgetting a bottle of wine in the freezer, which subsequently cracked and slushified. Perhaps a sign to finally get one of these babies.

Us by the end of the night. Hosting is hard work.

Siiiike. Way too much fun. Come over more often!

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Saturday in a nut crabshell

Saturday was one of those days that started out great, but ended up that much better. Being a full-time everything right now isn't really conducive to those days, so when they come around I just sit back, let the goodness roll and try to soak it all in.

It all started with a trip to the mailbox on the way home from Friday night activities. I adore surprises, and Mr. Willi is really outdoing himself lately (see Date Night).

US Open, here we come!

Breakfast: Way to a man's heart/way to say thank you for being awesome— is definitely through his stomach.

Who knew bread, egg whites, vanilla and cinnamon could be so ridiculously tasty together?

Can't forget the bacon— thick cut, applewood. We don't play.

What a delicious way to start the day.

After breakfast Amwilli was off to the races (aka a little league tourney), and a little while later I was off to spend the evening with Amy, Minta and several unfortunate crustaceans.

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Nothing says Summer in the DC area like fresh steamed crabs; the stuffed-to-the-gills paper bag with pooled steam bubbles and one liiiitle claw sticking out just builds the anticipation for the feast yet to come.

But first, the essentials: Newspaper ☑

Awesome side dishes? ☑☑

Refreshments? ☑☑☑

Time to feast!

They didn't stand a chance.

All that was left. Sorry little dude.

Highlights: EVERYTHING

Highest Light: Fantastic nights with best friends make my heart sing. Now, let's make this Miami trip happen! ♡♡♡

Lowlights: see above.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Fourth of July weekend!

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