Lobster Party 2012

The best party of the summer was a bit different this year. Due to the fact that I can't eat dairy and I didn't have a ton of saved milk (so I didn't want to pump and dump), I decided it wasn't worth me staying for dinner and dancing. It was a tough decision to make as the party is seriously so fun, but I knew I didn't want to be drinking on an empty stomach, and literally everything served at the party has butter of some sort on it!

Instead, I brought the boys down to the beach for cocktails and appys and to socialize for a bit. We were able to snap a few pictures. It was out of control hot (above 90 and humid as all get out) but it wasn't sunny, so that helped a little bit. It is awful when it's that hot as everyone is dressed up and looks so cute and then is just standing around sweating through everything. Uggg.... You hate to be outside at one of the biggest social events of the summer and feel gross like that, you know?

Love these two!

Fake smile much, Spence??

This one is better, but I should have been holding Peter upright. Notice the hickey on my shoulder from my little baracuda!!

Spencer and his cousin. He is obsessed with her! They're really sweet together and we're hoping they always love each other like they do now!

I'm going to frame this one!

B's pants and his dad's shorts.

Spencer spent most of his time burying his shoes in the sand. It kept him quite occupied, so I was happy!!

Can't you just feel the humidity when you look at this picture? The air was so heavy.

The pretty grasses at the dunes

After we socialized sufficiently, I took the boys back to my mom's house and put them down. I then ate dinner and watched the Olympics until B called to have me come pick him up (I did not want him driving). He said the band was great (as they always are) and he had fun hanging out with his brother, sister in law, and his cousins. I'm just going to be counting down til next year!!

How many things can I check off my list??

Ahhhh........it's vacation time.  Let's all just take in one long, deep breath of the great northern air, shall we?  We arrived last night and after a dinner at my mom's, put SYT down for "nigh-nigh", and went on a long walk with just my darling hubby.  We had a nice long drive through a few new neighborhoods last night too, but more about that later.......

So, now that we're here, what are our plans?
*Playing tennis (this will be comical as B and I haven't played in years)
*Driving range for both of us
*At least 3 rounds of golf for B
*The full gammet of 4th of July activities, including the Paul Revere Run (a 3 miler- SYT's first!), the Harbor Springs Art Show, the parade, a party on the bluff, and fireworks
*Eating an ice cream cone
*Biking from Gram's into Harbor for said ice cream (we brought the burley with us)
*Pictures of SYT on the beach in the late afternoon/early evening
*Going out on my aunt and uncle's new boat
*Getting sandwiches from Gurney's
*Morning walks with the stroller brigade
*Afternoons on the beach
*Going out for breakfast (B and I have only been out for breakfast once in the last year - Easter brunch!)
*Proper cocktails
*A Vesper concert
*Socializing, socializing, socializing!

We're here, we're happy, we've got time to refresh and rejuvinate.  I'm hoping that your long weekend leads you into some happiness and rejuvination as well!!  I'm promising a picture overload when we return :) 

Mary, mary, quite contrary....

Our beautiful hydrangea bushes are popping out flowers like champagne bubbles from a shaken bottle of bubbly.  I'm not sure how it happened, but we have all three colors growing down our hill.  Last summer I think we got two blooms total (we didn't plant them until July), and this summer.....POOF.....here they all come.  So very pretty!!

These are just some of the blooms I cut last Friday.  Still going strong on the kitchen table!

As you can see, my planter boxes and pots are doing well too!!

As for the edible stuff??

The lettuce is starting to come up

We have our first tomato

and our first pepper.

Our raspberry bushes (all that green stuff in front) are looking good and it looks like I'll have enough berries for two pies.

And our basil is growing like gangbusters!  I made another batch of pesto tonight!!

I am hoping to find a gardening class or two to take this winter.  I adore gardening (way more than I imagined I would, even the weeding!!), and I know there is so much more I need to learn.  Has anyone taken a gardening class before?  Or does anyone have a favorite gardening website or book?

I'll continue to post progress throughout the summer!

Our first night out!

Last Saturday night we were invited out with 11 others to meet at the Bay View dock and head out for cocktails and appetizers on two friends boats and then have dinner at a restaurant in Bay Harbor called Knot, Just a Bar.  It was a gorgeous "up north" day and a perfect day to be on the water.  My mom and Ralph watched Spence so we were truly able to enjoy ourselves. 

One of the two boats we took across the bay.

So not my normal look, but I totally fell in love with this one shouldered top.  It made me feel sexy- hard to do being 8 weeks post-partum.  Another plus about the top?  I can nurse in it so easily.  That's a huge benefit these days :)

Couldn't the pic on the left be in an add for Polo?

We had a wonderful time- one of the best nights of the summer so far.  While I couldn't wait to get home and check on our little one, it was great to feel like a woman instead of a mom for 5 hours!!

Summer Recipes you MUST try!!

Here are a few summer recipes that all of you must try.  I don't care if you are completely inadequate in the kitchen- you can definitely make all of these without any effort.  And they are definitely worth the time and energy.  I promise!!  Plus, all of them are recipes that translate well for summer soirees, so take them with you next time you are asked to bring something besides wine!

Fruit Salsa (or as we call it Fralsa) and Cinnamon Chips
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

Directions
1.In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3.Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.

4.Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.
 
From www.allrecipes.com
 
Lemon and Herb Pasta Salad
Ingredients:

1 pound bowtie pasta
Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cups torn arugula (I used spinach b/c it's what I had on hand)
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

Directions:
1.In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.

2.Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the lemon peel, lemon juice and olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

3.In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, bell pepper, arugula, eggs, parmesan, pine nuts and dill. Add the lemon dressing and toss.

From Rachael Ray

Summer Berry Trifle

1 3/4 c fresh blueberries
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 frozen loaf pound cake, thawed
1 4 oz package white chocolate instant pudding mix
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c sour cream
1 1/2 c fresh raspberries
1 c fresh blackberries

Mash 1/4 c of the blueberries in a small bowl.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of the condensed milk.

Cut the pound cake into halves horizontally.  Spread the blueberry mixture on the cut side of the bottom half.  Plae the top half over the blueberry mixture.  Cut the cake lengthwise into 4 strips.  Cut the cake crosswise into 1 inch thick pieces.

Beat the remaining condensed milk, pudding mix, and milk in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Fold in the sour cream.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pudding mixture. 

Layer the pound cake pieces, remaining pudding mixture, remaining blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries 1/2 at a time in a trifle bowl.  Spoon the reserved pudding mixture over the top.

Chill, covered, for at least 2 hours in the fridge. 

(I did not reserve the pudding mixture as I wanted the top to be all fresh fruit- I thought it was prettier this way.)

From Always Superb JL of Minneapolis/St Paul Cookbook (thanks QBS!)


Enjoy!  I promise that you will love all of them :)

Tagged!- Summer Memories

HB&HB tagged me today to tell you all about my favorite summer memories. While this summer hasn't been a "true" summer for me (hi chilly Chicago summer!), I just adore summertime in general, so I'm super excited about this tag! Without further ado....

Favorite Summer Movie:

Hmmmmm.....this summer I've seen ONE movie. While The Hangover was good, I would definitely not count it among my favorites. So, I'm going to say that I really want to see Harry Potter and The Time Traveler's Wife (one of my favorite books ever) and my plan for the next week is to see both of them! I think maybe a Friday or Saturday matinee is in the works for me!

Favorite Summer Cocktail:
Where to begin............
How about with a Vodka Soda with two limes. Perfectly light and refreshing on a hot night.


Next, I'll have a Pimm's Cup, darlings. Would anyone care to join me for this fruity, refreshing beverage?


Lastly, a summertime staple. A bottle of white is perfect for drinking on the beach in adirondack chairs while watching the sunset, don't you think?


Favorite Summer Meal:
For my perfect summertime soirree (this word is definitely underutilized in the English language!), I would start with either this amazing fruit salsa or shrimp cocktail. I love both!

For dinner I would do it all on the grill- flank steak, either corn on the cob or grilled asparagus, and fingerling potatoes with sprinkle of sea salt.

For dessert, I'd have to go with either a walk to the local ice cream shop or a fantastic strawberry shortcake. Are you a person who likes ice cream or a whipped cream on your shortcake? I'm definitely a whipped cream girl for this dessert!


Favorite Summer Outfit:
Dresses! I adore summers because they are full of weddings and other events in which looking nice is a MUST. I also really like fun, bright colors, and summer just allows for that to come out. How silly would I look wearing a bright yellow strapless dress in mid-January! I adore Lilly, but this summer my favorite outfit must be this one. It received numerous compliments in real life and here in blog world. (Be forewarned, my hair (and everyone else's) was AWFUL this day due to the humidity and the wind- not a good combo!)


(See, don't women just look so darling when they are in bright, fun dresses? If I ran the world, we would wear dresses much more often!)

Summer Reading:
So far this summer, I have loved The Help by Katherin Stockett

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society


And I can't WAIT for this to come in on my library list. Daniel Silva is one of my top three authors of all time. If you or your hubby at all likes spy or CIA novels, this is one author you cannot miss!


Favorite Summer Moment:
The first night we brought our new puppy home! How could I not love this face? She's been funny, horrible, loving, sweet, energetic, lazy, and any other puppy adjective you can think of. I am so delighted to have her as a member of our small family (even if she does love B more than me!)



Thank you so much for the tag HB&HB! I've loved getting to know you this summer, and I can't wait until I can order that pink and green headband that you posted about!

I'm going to tag

Vineyard Vogue
Three for Tippy
Queen Bee Swain
The Preppy Baby
Hopsy and
Post Smith

I can't wait to see what all of you come up with!!