I Got One!!!

I've been researching and studying and saving all my pennies, and David and I finally went to the Le Creuset outlet mall today to get the Dutch Oven I've been wanting! They were offering a 40% off coupon this month, so we just had to take the plunge! My commitment-phobic self had great trouble in deciding which size and which color I wanted to be married to for the rest of my life (this is a total investment, trust me), but I finally decided on the 5.5 quart Kiwi Dutch Oven. Ahhhh....ooooohhh....I came right home and cooked our first meal - Pork Chops with Creamy Cabbage - thanks to Martha Stewart. It was delicious!

The girls loved it, too!

I Stole from Sur La Table

Well, I didn't actually steal this, but it was such a great bargain that it totally felt like I was stealing! I have been wanting to make my first Le Creuset purchase for quite awhile! I covet these amazing pieces of cookware everytime I watch Food Network ("hello, my name is Kristen, and I'm a Food Network addict.") and I found an awesome deal on a covered casserole dish at the most fabulous store ever, Sur La Table. The piece was on the clearance table for $49.99, then the sign said to take an extra 20% off, and then I had a coupon for $10 off my purchase! I basically got this $80 casserole dish for $30.00!!! Whoo-hoo!!!

Now, I have to decide between retirement or the covered 5.5 quart Dutch oven I would like to purchase. Watching Food Network is total peer pressure.

When life hands you lemons...

Well, ok, life only handed us one lemon...one much anticipated lemon...but our little lemon tree finally was finally ready to give us some fruit! David and I shared 2 glasses of refreshing lemon water!

Happy 30th Birthday, Byron

Today would have been my brother Byron's 30th birthday. But, instead we are getting closer to the 5 year anniversary of his death in Iraq. Byron used to LOVE his birthday - really, to the point of being obnoxious. It started when he was little and he would start his birthday countdown, at least 2 months before the actual date. I can just hear the annoying little song he would sing, "37 more days until my birthday!!!" I hold my own countdown now. We didn't get to celebrate his last few birthdays with him, because he was always deployed. In 2002, he was deployed on a Navy ship for 6 months, and David and I wanted to send him a package for his birthday. We picked the most ridiculous card we could find - it was a Justin Timberlake card that said, "It's Your Birthday, Girl!" I know he loved opening that card in front of his fellow Marines!

Now for his birthday, our family meets for dinner at a restaurant that Byron loved, Baby Acalpuco's, and we've been lucky enough to be able to sit at the same table we once shared with him. After dinner, we spend a few quiet moments lighting a candle and sharing a piece of cake with him at the cemetery. It's so incredibly hard to continue to get older, leaving Byron behind at a young 25. Happy Birthday, little brother - I love you.

Bon Appetit!

I was so excited to see the new "Julie and Julia" movie tonight! David made it home from work at a decent hour, so we decided to have a lovely French-inspired evening. First, we saw "Julie and Julia" - which I thought was really cute! Julie is actually from Austin, which is pretty cool. I totally loved the idea of cooking your way through a cookbook - it's totally something that I would do. After the movie, we went over to one of my favorite restaurants, La Madeline's for some French food. David said we could even go over to the Le Creuset outlet mall to buy one of those enameled cast iron pots I've been wanting for awhile, but I've got to put some research into that. Oh, the yummy food I could make...

Maybe the economy is improving???

I'm thinking this may be a sign (pun intended) that the economy is improving. Large banks are crashing, small businesses are struggling, but there is enough work for this company to stay in business?