Easter Weekend with the Days

I must say this was a terrific three day weekend and I could use a few more of them in my life.  Friday I spent the day shopping with my sister and niece then went out for sushi with my love.  Saturday we spent the day piddling around the house until it was time to go to a dear friend's wedding.  It was a beautiful spring afternoon for an outdoor ceremony.  God was definitely smiling down on Young and Shelby.  It was a perfect Southern wedding between a southern gentlemen and an Asian beauty, under the stately oaks on the family's estate, just wonderful!

 A beautiful Live Oak tree.

What a sunset! 

Today we celebrated Easter with our church family and with our Day family.  Bro. Jay's message was so great and not your typical "Easter Sunday Message."  I thought I would share a few of his key point with you.  

His title for today was, "A Better Life."  Bro. Jay said, "that through Jesus' resurrection power, change is possible in any and all aspects of our lives, but only if we open up to Him.  We can begin to live a better life by doing three things,"

Open Your..

• Mind to God's Power- Romans 12:2
• Heart to God's Grace- Romans 3:22
• Life to God's Love- John 10:10

If you have a few minutes, read these versus and I hope they speak to you in the same way they did me.

Now on to Easter lunch which I'll share with you via photos, it was so delicious!

Cuttin' up some filets

Dad/Chef/Butcher/Builder/Lover/Pilot/etc...he pretty much does it all!

Great fresh salsa made by Jackie  

 Mmmm...beef tenderloin steaks.

Does it get any better?  No ma'am!

 Twice baked potatoes made by Erin

 Orzo pasta salad made by yours truly

(I recreated the Whole Foods version, which I love.

Get the recipe here.)

Fresh spinach and strawberry salad with homemade poppy seed dressing also

made by Jackie.  Two words:  "So go-od."  I'll post the recipe when she sends it to me!

I was so excited about dessert I forgot to take pics, Drew requested homemade coffee ice-cream made by yours truly.  For my first time making coffee ice-cream I'd say it turned out pretty good, especially when paired with Erin's homemade choc-chip cookies, macaroons, and hot fudge!  YUM! 

 Poppie and Carrie

 Jax and Rigby

 Jackie and Nate

 Jax checking Carrie out

 Sweet baby girl.

While I missed my Mom & Dad so much today, I am so blessed to be apart of the Day family also.  There is never a dull moment and I always laugh so much when we are all together; if I have to get wrinkles I'd much rather laughter wrinkles over worry wrinkles!  

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and I hope you all have a truly blessed week!

The Backyardigans

As soon as the weather starts to warm up I begin to twitch with anticipation wanting to go outside and play in the dirt.  This year Drew was almost as bad as I was, he had all of these plans for our garden this year and couldn't wait to make them a realization in our back yard.  His love for gardening has grown tremendously over the years.  I find it fascinating how our likes tend to rub off on each other.  And while he prefers vegetables over my more aesthetic flowers, his appreciation for those has grown as well or maybe it's more for the work I put into them he appreciates.  Either way, he oohs and aahs right along with me and I couldn't ask for anything more.  (God, I am my mother's child.)  

 I love trucks, tractors, dirt, and him.

A few annuals to plant.

 Jax wanted to help out too.

 New trellis for my Star Jasmine.

 "What?!  I'm just taking a little break."

"Leave me alone while I work on my tan."

 I'm pretty much in love with my herb garden this year!

I planted basil, dark basil, cilantro, Italian and Greek oregano, lemon thyme, chives, leeks, and lavender.

And then on the pink trellises I planted cucumbers per Erin's request. :)

 My husband planted these tomatoes the first week in March.

They are huge!

 And this is Drew's garden he planted every kind of tomato I've ever heard of:

Purple tomatoes, Golden tomatoes, Springfield tomatoes, Better Boy tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Creole tomatoes cherry tomatoes and the list goes on...

 We also planted squash, zucchini, bell peppers, jalapenos, and okra.

Aaaah, I can't wait to have fresh produce!

I also planted some Shasta Daisies this year.

A while back we started this little project, which turned into a much bigger project.  But the only thing we have left to do is add the fire pit.  It's going to go where the missing rectangle is on the back row.  I just can't decide what I want, do I want a brick one, a metal one, a bowl shaped one, or a concrete one?

 Star Jasmine blooming and smells heavenly.

 Lots of buds getting ready to bloom!

 One of my favorite flowers, Hydrangeas 

 Day-lily buds  

And finally fuzzy magnolia buds!

In just a few weeks I'll have beautiful Southern blooms all over my yard!  Ew-we, I can hardly wait.  Don't worry I'll post plenty of pictures of each in all their glory. :)

DD2's First Annual Crawfish Boil

On April Fools Day we hosted Daiquiri Daze's First Annual Crawfish Boil.  The weather was perfect and we had a great turn out.  The guys ended up boiling 800 lbs of crawfish and we didn't have any left over!!  I can't imagine ever going a spring or summer without weekend crawfish boils, I don't think these two seasons would be the same without them.

 A BIG THANK YOU....

to our friends who had four pots going from 11:30 until 6:00 that afternoon!

 Just a couple of damn Yankees,  Nate & Jackie just moved here from Philly.

Nate and I work together so I sort of adopted them.  I love them so much already, their northern personalities crack me up! :)

 A little entertainment compliments of DJ 21.

Online Shopping

Recently, thanks to my sis-in-law Sydney, I have a new favorite online shopping website that I want to share with ya'll!

Zulily! 

It is very similar to Rue La La, but caterers more to moms, children, and babies.  Check it out and I hope you find some great deals on items you simply cannot live without!

I've found a few things like Art and Cook Kitchen knives, trafalgar's square art , and The Cool Sack perfect for the beach!