Three Day Weekend

I love three day weekends. This past one was great - I was busy enough to feel like I wasn't wasting my days away but not so overwhelmed with things to do that my three days of freedom flew right by. Here are just a few highlights.

Saturday night I headed down to the suburbs of DC for a girls' night with my older sister Katie. The night consisted of football watching, high school reminiscences, YouTube videos and wine. I made decadent chocolate peanut butter brownies with bits of Reese's cups and peanut butter swirled throughout (my own secret recipe). Delicious! 

I was introduced to the amazingly talented PS 22 Chorus that night. This fifth grade chorus based in Staten Island covers popular songs and the adorable kids sing with attitude, style, and talent beyond their years. They cover everything from Coldplay to Lady Gaga to Phoenix to Jay Z. Here they do "Kids" by MGMT.

 

Mike and I had a date day on Sunday. We went to see Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. It is definitely not a mainstream love story, or even really a love story for that matter. A bit dark, I actually would compare it to Revolutionary Road (though I liked Revolutionary Road a bit more). The performances were great, but the content and feel of the movie felt as bleak and depressing as the cloudy winter weather. 

Then we had some fun poking around at Ikea before dinner at The Fair Hill Inn in Elkton, MD. During my time as an undergraduate in a hospitality program, the chef and owner of the restaurant came to speak at one of my classes. I immediately fell in love with his philosophy about life and food, and was particularly marked by his unwillingness to settle for anything less than the pursuit of his wildest and most passionate of dreams. Even though his restaurant is a bit pricey, I was able to convince my parents to take me out there during one of their visits back in the day when I was still in school. And I've been dreaming about that meal ever since. 

Mike was thoughtful enough to treat me to dinner at Fair Hill as a Christmas present, but the threat of snow pushed our reservations back to this weekend. It was definitely worth the wait! We had delicious soups (mine was Creamy Leek, his was Roasted Squash, both topped with fresh seafood), succulent meat (moist Apple Butter Pork Medallions for me, unbelievably tender London Broil for Mike) and tasty vegetables (Cauliflower Risotto and Roasted Brussels Sprouts anyone?). Great Christmas gift!

Other than that, my weekend consisted of a little redecorating around the house, watching lots of Freaks and Geeks, and indulging myself in general laziness. Hope your weekend was just as splendidly slow!

Mike thought it'd be a good idea to try and stretch out his shirt by stuffing a pillow inside it. Digby thought it'd
be a good idea to use said pillow while inside of Mike's shirt as a bed.

I was quite impressed with my attempts at dressing like a girl on Sunday night. Unfortunately I hate
taking photos of myself so all I have to show for it is this shot of my tights and shoes.

All that remains of the chocolate peanut butter brownies... Sweets never last very long in my house, but at least I
used whole wheat flour in this one to increase the healthiness quotient.

Awesome mosaic-style candle holder I scored for a few bucks at Homegoods.

Finally found a place to display the awesome Beatles pint glasses my parents got us for Christmas. Mike and I are kind of notorious for breaking glasses, so we thought it'd be safest to use these as decoration rather than what they were originally intended for.

Gorgeous table runner I received as a Christmas present. Love the detail!

Love the details on this paper that I got from an import store at Rehoboth Beach last summer.