Happy Friday! And Happy (early) Birthday Steph!! We're having a birthday brunch tomorrow for Steph's birthday and I don't have much else planned except checking on (aka playing with) my friend's adorable kittens while she's out of town.

..........(I LOVE finding heart shaped cactus leaves.)

..........(Nana Judy, I still need to find a big hill full of bluebonnets for you!)

Last week of teaching before finals! And the weather couldn't be more perfect right now. I took these photos when I was out at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.

I haven't posted anything since last Happy Friday..bummer. I didn't really make much this week. I did make some chocolate banana bread, but I didn't love it. I went through a sewing book and picked out a dress to sew and got too frustrated looking for my fabric that I didn't even start the project. Our tiny apartment is busting at the seams; my fabric is spread out in various containers tucked away and usually having to find it is enough to deter me from wanting to sew anything.

On a brighter note, we should have a really fun weekend. We'll be celebrating two birthdays this weekend (both Kathy and Amy!). I've been craving fried chicken and waffles for a while now, and conveniently Kathy's birthday brunch is at a place that has the best chicken and waffles in town.*

Happy weekend!


 *Brad, Gordough's donut version is a close rival.

Happy Friday

So happy that Mad Men is back! (This should have been the Happy Friday a couple weeks back, huh?) I'm really impatient waiting a week between the new episodes though.

flowers in the hood

I know everyone's sinuses are paying the price, but I can't get enough of the flowers in bloom right now. There's a house pretty close to us that has their whole front yard full of wildflowers; I've been going on a walk in front of their house almost every day to see them.

sangria

I'm usually not in favor of the overdone American versions of non-American foods (or drinks), but I have to admit that I like the overdone Americanized sangria much more than the regular ole Spanish kind.

Actually the first time I ordered sangria in Spain, I was really disappointed. I watched the server mix red wine, lemon soda, and a small amount of liquor into a pitcher. She threw in a few lemon slices. It was not good and there was too much lemon soda in it.

I modified a recipe I found and it came out something like this:

1 bottle of red wine
1 lemon sliced
1 orange sliced
1 lime sliced
1/4 sliced apple
sliced strawberries
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
Splash of lemonade
2 Shots of triple sec
2 Shots of brandy
2 Cups ginger ale

I love having much more fruit than necessary and I think this recipe is a keeper.