Monday, February 20, 2012

Three Day Weekend!!

I don't think students realize how much their teachers like three day weekends.  There are times I think we look forward to them more than they do.  On the other hand, half the time the kids don't even realize one is coming until the day it starts.

So the rundown: Friday afternoon, for the early release I was able to go through all of Jocelyn's summer clothes from last year and pull out what no longer fits (i.e., everything).  This was separated into what I could consign and what I could resell.  And what I needed to just throw away.  Dinner was a new recipe: chicken and dressing casserole.  Simply put: cut up stewed chicken breasts (4), top with cream of celery and cream of chicken soups mixed together with milk and chicken broth, top with stuffing mix (prepared with melted margerine and more chicken broth).  Bake.  I love the richness of the chicken flavor, but the cream of celery flavor is overpowering and I'm not so much a fan of that flavor.  I would like to retry it with cream of mushroom instead.  Had a stay-in date night with John and we watched a disc of Burn Notice, which is one of our current favorite series.

Saturday: With the very exciting tax refund we are getting, we have enough to replace our very sad dining room arrangements.  We went to a couple different furniture stores and realized that we were very skewed in our idea of what we were going to be able to afford.  We also dropped off our clothes for resale and received a little bit of cash!  Then off to Red Lobster for my father-in-law's birthday dinner.  Oh My Goodness, I love the Cheddar Bay biscuits they have.  BTW, Food Network has a VERY similar recipe in case anyone is interested.  I got the clam strips, stuffed mushrooms, and bacon-wrapped scallops appetizer for my lunch.  YUM!!  I took David to a Wildtree tasting party at my friend Maggie's house and I was able to get the Banana Banana bread which John is very much looking forward to having again.  The remainder of the evening was uneventful and calm and the kids were wonderful.

Sunday: I was able to put away all of David's clothing that have been sitting on his floor for almost a month now.  John is VERY happy with all this new space.  We picked up a couple pizzas for lunch and I spent some time on Craigslist looking for affordable dining room tables. :)  To my utter amazement, I found a beautiful Queen Anne table and 4 chairs that someone was selling for a mere $275.  WOO-HOO!  Then I had to talk John into it :)  Believe it or not, he went for it and we made arrangements to pick it up!  She even dropped her price to $250 - Yay us!  To celebrate we decided to take our accumulated gift cards and try out Bonefish Grill.  And then it started snowing.  We got all of two inches, but it was absolutely beautiful.  Bonefish was really good too - got a glow-in-the-dark drink (my first alcoholic beverage in over a year!), fabulous appetizers, and amazing dessert.  John's entree was the best fish dish I think I've ever tasted and I was disappointed with mine.  The service was slow, but the restaurant was slammed.  Came home and went to bed.

Monday: Spent the morning at home relaxing, watching movies, and playing with the kids.  John went to pick up our new furniture while I went to consign the remainder of Jocelyn's clothes and my maternity clothes.  I got home to John finishing the "new" dining room!  See:
Before (with Miss J):
And After:
We've decided to keep the old chairs for a couple reasons.  Firstly, we wanted more than four chairs, which is what we had to begin with.  Secondly, we have a two-year-old, and our old cushions already have their own stains, unlike the new ones which have never had the plastic removed.  Finally, David's high chair is a space-saver, which means that it sits on a chair that we already have.  We don't want more marks on a new chair.  We're going to try and buy chairs to match the new set maybe once a month or every other month.

So: Busy.  Productive.  Expensive. :)  And I am so excited that it's only a four day work week this week so that I can have another weekend just like it.  Except it will only be two days long.  Next break April 3... God give me patience....

1 comment:

  1. I love your new dining room setup! I'm so happy that you all got such a good deal! :) You four deserve the BEST!

    -Stephanie A.

    ReplyDelete