A Beautiful Day in the Yard

It was sunny and in the mid-60's here in Houston today. Absolutely beautiful. We had already planned to do yard work, and it ended up being great weather to be outside. This morning, when Jason was coaching his soccer kiddos, I went by Buchanan's to pick up a few replacement herbs (our basil didn't last the freeze and our cilantro had bolted) and a few new veggies/ berries to replace our broccoli and cauliflower that we recently harvested. I also got an annual to put out front.

Pretty flowers I picked for the front porch.

All settled into their new pot.

Flowers in their new home on the front porch. I sure do hope they survive. My porch flowers always seem to have the least chance of survival because I forget to water them.

Yard all cleaned up. I also added mulch to my flower pots on the left of the house.

Here are the new herbs/ veggies/ berries. Clockwise from left - basil, cilantro, buttercrunch lettuce, black seeded simpson lettuce, red sails lettuce, and two sequoia strawberries.

Our little lettuces planted.

The lettuces look so tiny among the other plants! I can't believe our swiss chard is still thriving. We've had the swiss chard grilled, sauteed, & in quiche. I guess I'll need to find some more recipes.

The classic Radar in the backyard photo.

I also bought a blackberry plant, but we haven't decided where it is going quite yet. I can't wait for strawberries and blackberries. I really do hope they do well this spring.

Melanie's Baby Shower

In preparation for the babino coming in April, a lovely shower was thrown for my sister-in-law on Saturday.

The hostesses, friends of Melanie's from college, did a wonderful job with the food and decorations.

The cake was delicious.

The flowers were beautiful.

Mmmm.... deviled eggs. One of my favorites.

I so did not do well at this game.

It's a boy!

Baby boy got some great presents. Lots of cute blue and green outfits. Carseat & pack-and-play. A fun play-mat. Oh, and he'll start off with a great book collection.

The future grandmas and great aunts had fun gabbing and taking pictures of all of the cute presents. It was really a good time!

The Man Cave

Remember how I've accused Jason of taking over the sunroom with his turntable and records? Well, there's one other area of the house he's taken over. But I'm okay with him taking over this area.

Jason, the garage is all yours, honey.

Jason and our friend Steve have become obsessed with playing darts. It started with casual playing at the Flying Saucer. Then they started looking into dart leagues.

They each have gotten themselves nice dart sets. Steve got a dart board in November and Jason got one for Christmas. On nicer days, they usually play darts over at Steve's since it is out on the back patio. Our dart board offers a nice alternative on rainy days since it is in the garage.

There are two areas of the house I would ask you not to judge us by: the garage and the water heater closet. Scratch that - three areas. The attic is pretty nasty as well... eek! We're not quite sure why prior owners decided to try to insulate the garage without finishing it out. Also, on rainy days, water comes in under the garage door. It's not really up to par with the rest of the house. But, it functions great as a dart room.

Jason even set up our old turntable. Right above the weed killer and next to where we store our Christmas tree.

An old patio set provides seating for observers. Don't mind all of the trash bags. They are full of leaves we are saving for our summer compost.

But more importantly, the boys have a place to play in peace.

Cauliflower, Broccoli, & Peas Oh My!

Before the expected freeze this week, we wanted to harvest some of the vegetables in our garden. Our cauliflower, broccoli, and some peas were just right for the picking.

Here's the cauliflower. Don't mind the purple color. Apparently, that's a side effect of getting too much sun. We could have pinned the leaves over it to keep it white. Purple or white - it's delicious either way.

Here's one of the two broccoli heads. We have a third beginning to grow as well.

Our peas are taller than our fence.

I only harvested six pods, but there were a ton more and a bunch of little ones popping up as well.

The harvested broccoli and cauliflower.

We chopped them up and washed them.

We steamed half of them for a chicken stir fry and left the rest fresh to take to work and share with co-workers.

Also, the snap peas were absolutely great! I can't wait to have a full serving of just them. Yum!

Vinyl Has Taken Over My Reading Room

Jason treated himself to a turntable, speakers, tuner, and amplifier for Christmas. Each were Craigslist or second hand store finds.

New turntable.

While it's peachy that we have a much nicer sounding record player, I have one itsy bitsy complaint. Or maybe it's a pretty big complaint.

The set up has taken over our reading room.

Seriously, look at this. Other than a new car, I'm not sure that he could have gotten a much bigger present. My Christmas present (my new Canon T1i) is a mere 5.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 in and a total of 1.1 lbs. I can tuck it away in a drawer or closet and it's like it doesn't exist. But this thing? There is no tucking it away in a closet.

The full set up.

Also, it's not like it's the prettiest thing to look at. The old wood look doesn't really do anything for me. Suddenly, my pretty little sunroom was taken over by this monstrosity. So, yesterday I rebelled. I attempted to take the sunroom back, one fluffy pillow at a time.

This is our sitting setup.

We moved the little chair in from our front porch so more than one person could enjoy the room at a time. The little chair has already gotten much more use in here than it ever did on the porch. Yesterday, I added the matching white pillows to try to visually bring the two chairs together.

Another view of the sitting setup.

We moved the bookcase which was originally along the far wall to the other side of the room.

View into the kitchen.

New accessories.

I bought the floral vase and dove yesterday as well. Take that manly turntable. You totally got girlified. I expected Jason to complain, but he actually likes the new accessories.

So what do you think? Do you think the look is cohesive, even with the turntable monstrosity vs. floral designs? Overall, I like it. I would LOVE to paint the white walls a nice butter color, but we're lazy, so I don't know if it will ever get done.

Our Favorite Houston Restaurants

Jason and I are pretty predictable when it comes to our dining choices. We've tried enough restaurants in Houston that we can now say that we have favorites. These restaurants always do right by us. For us, the food has to be good, the atmosphere has to be right, and the price has to be decent. If you ever come to visit, it's a big possibility that we will be going to one or more of these places.

1. Mexican - Teotihuacan Mexican Cafe
1511 Airline Dr (713) 695-8757

This restaurant is literally located a stone's throw from our former apartment in The Heights. Solid Mexican food, good margaritas, and decently priced beer. Half of the restaurant is a room with plastic windows (like a soft-top Jeep Wrangler) that they keep open on nice days. Favorite dish: Fajita Ploblano with Charro Beans.

2. Italian - Spaghetti Western
1608 Shepherd Dr (713) 861-1313

Decorated very kitschy with movie posters and memorabilia from 1960 spaghetti western films, this place has darn good pasta and Italian dishes. Favorite dish: The Formal Wear (bowtie pasta with chicken, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, in garlic cream sauce) or the Cheese Tortellini. Also, Jason loves the Italian margaritas.

3. Sushi - Blue Fish House
2241 Richmond Ave (713) 529-3100

We've mentioned this place several times on here. It's probably our favorite place to go on Friday evenings. We have their happy hour (5-7 pm) down to an art. We can get full on sushi for under $40 - which is a steal in sushi terms. Favorite dish: Hard to choose just one. We like the Tuna Tataki, Salmon Sashimi, and Volcano Roll.

4. Thai - Kanomwan
736 1/2 Telephone Rd (713) 923-4230

Located in our neck of the woods. The owner of this place, formerly known as the Thai Nazi, passed away a few months back and all of Houston (or at least those in the know) were scared this place would close. But, his wife has always been in charge of the cooking, and waitresses have taken over the task of taking orders and manning the cash register. Also, this is the one establishment that my office will actually get in cars to visit during lunch... that must say a lot for the place. BYOB if you go in the evenings. Favorite dish: S1 (Tom Yum Goong) and H6 (Gai Pad Prig Phoa.) You'll just have have to trust us on this one.

5. Order in Chinese - 888
403 Winkler Dr (713) 644-8888

Great for nights when we are too lazy to cook. 'Nuf said. Favorite dish: Can't go wrong with General Tso's Chicken.

6. Soup/ Salad/ Sandwiches - Dacapo's Pastry Cafe
1141 E 11th St (713) 869-9141

Known for their desserts and cakes, but have a great selection of salads and sandwiches. Or try their quiche or soup of the day. Favorite dish: I like the Chicken Salad Sandwich with Pea Side Salad. Jason usually goes for the Soup of the Day and Club Salad. (Although the Club Salad is now an off-of-the-menu item, they will still make it if you ask.)

7. Burgers - Lankford Grocery
88 Dennis St (713) 522-9555

Per their mission statement, "We have nothing small, nothing healthy, and nothing fast. We never give you a check, but that does not mean its free. You pay at the register as you leave. If you do not have 30 minutes to spend, you should try us another day. We have great food, but its not fast food. Everything is made to order just like you like it!" Two things to remember - 1) bring cash and 2) closed on Sundays. Favorite dish: Any of the burgers are good, just depends what you are in the mood for.

8. Breakfast - Java Java
911 W 11th St (713) 880-5282

Good coffee, homestyle cooking. You'll usually find the owner of the place taking orders, running the cash register, or in the kitchen. My only complaint is that this place can be a bit slow. Bring a book and don't go if you're in a hurry. Favorite dish: I like the Quiche with a side of fruit, and Jason usually gets the Eggs Benedict.

Runner up in this category - taco truck a block away. I swear they put crack in their hot sauce it is so addicting.

9. Best Place to have a Beer on the Patio - Onion Creek
3106 White Oak Dr (713) 880-0706

One of my first favorites within the loop. Makes you feel like you are in Austin. Good selection of beers on tap. Great patio. Couches inside. Technically a coffeehouse, but I would say there is a 90/ 10 ratio between beer/ coffee orders. Also, amazing food. You can eat healthy, or go for one of their yummy burgers. There are 4 restaurants owned by the same people here in Houston, and you basically can't go wrong with any of them, but this will always be my favorite. Favorite dish: The Med Plate (hummus) and either the Goat Cheese Salad or Karma Salad.

10. Dessert - Empire Cafe
1732 Westheimer Rd (713) 528-5282

Hip Montrose restaurant. Dim lighting inside. Nice covered patio outside. A glass of wine and a piece of cake is the perfect end to a weekend date night.

11. Coffee - Antidote
729 Studewood St (713) 861-7400

Good coffee, chill vibe. Sit inside on couches or outside at the tables. Also, they serve wine and beer so it is a great place to take a book and hang out in the evenings. Or, if you forget a book, step inside Kaboom Books next door and pick up something new (well, used... but could be new for you.) Pretty sure they have wifi too, but we aren't really the "take a laptop and work in the evenings/ weekends" type of people. Tip - they keep mosquito spray on the side patio if you want to sit outside in the summer without getting eatin up.

12. Trivia Night - Flying Saucer
705 Main St (713) 228-9472

I feel a bit obligated to add this one to the list since we spend one night a week here. Jason loves playing darts here, they have a HUGE selection of beers on draft, and pretty decent bar food.


Side Bar:

When we were in The Woodlands, we loved Cresent Moon Wine Bar (best Caprese Salad and Beef Tataki), Babin's (wonderful Cajun seafood), and Hubbell & Hudson (technically an upscale grocery store, but I loved the Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich you can get in the deli line.)

In College Station, my favorites were Coco Loco (cheap Mexican food done right) and Blue Baker (the Chicken Salad Sandwich and Chocolate Decadence Cookies were my comfort food for four years.)

Located in Dallas, we often have cravings for Burger Island (greasy no-nonsense burgers), Snuffer's (to die for cheese fries), and Baker Bros (another chicken salad sandwich I love.)

Ten Years

Happy New Year! Today not only marks the beginning of a new year, but something a bit closer to my heart. At the stroke of midnight ten years ago, Jason Ryan asked me to be his girlfriend. TEN YEARS! Wowzer.

In a lot of ways, it feels like only yesterday. But as I laid in bed this morning, I tried to put it into perspective. No, I didn't count US Presidents or the number of wars the US has been in the past ten years, but I put it in terms of our life. In the past ten years, I've lived in twelve different apartments & houses. Jason and I both have obtained two degrees each. I'm in my third position with the Bank, and Jason is in his forth year of teaching.

2007 was probably the biggest year for us. We graduated from college, got married, adopted our crazy dog, and started working. 2010 was pretty big too. I lived in San Francisco, started in my new position here in Houston, we bought a house, and a new car. I'm looking forward to quiet, status quo 2011. I think we will spend it further settling in to our home, our jobs, and our city. However, I am looking forward to becoming an aunt and seeing my best friend get married. I can't wait to see what else 2011 has in store for us.

Ten Years in Pictures

Christmas - December 2000 Prom - May 2001
Jason's High School Graduation - May 2002
At the Beach - June 2003
Christmas Snow - December 2004
Rome, Italy - June 2005
Dallas Botanical Gardens - April 2006
Our Wedding - June 2007
4th of July - July 2008
Vegas - July 2009
Our First House - April 2010

Trip to the Hill Country - August 2010

Happy Ten Years, Babe! I love you!