Tuesday Rambling

Not much has been happening in my neck of the woods, hence the lack of blogging. Without the commitment or accountability of a challenge, writing when there isn't too much to write about can be tricky! So here is an assortment of the everyday I've been living! 

This past weekend here was  mucky, rainy and  grey so it was spent mostly indoors. Although, Saturday we did venture out to the gym, followed by some Mexican food (because balance) and managed to go to both Lowes and Home Depot. Because apparently they have different things... Anybody else's husband particular like that? Apparently Home Depot has the better selection of valves needed for a few leaky pipes, but Lowes has the paint selection we want.  So both it is! Conveniently, they are literally right across from one another which I find rather curious. 

Speaking of paint...we were picking out some samples for the "master" bathroom. Why is that in quotes you ask? Because our master is itty bitty, so itty bitty I actually use the guest bath instead, so calling it a master seems a bit silly. Nevertheless it's getting a facelift which hubby and I are both super excited about! I posted the demo picture in a previous post but we've pulled out the fiberglass insert shower and are having the shower walls tiled with a lovely grey oversized subway tile. And so, we decided to also go ahead and paint since the current color doesn't fit the color scheme we're going for. So we went to Lowes (after Home Depot) and picked up about 20 color swatches - whoops! We essentially picked up all of their light grey shades, particularly the ones with a blueish undertone to bring home and examine closely. We've narrowed it down to 6 which feels like good progress. We won't do any actual painting until the tile is up, so stay tuned! 

Also on Saturday, I received this fun package of earrings! A sweet friend of mine from college has started a business selling these beautiful, fun, unique handmade earrings. I gifted several to family members for Christmas (and myself!) and these lovely stud packs were from the newer release. If you're looking for some new earrings or a great gift her shop is called Mixed Off Main.

Sunday was of course Mother's Day but hubby and I unfortunately couldn't be with either of our moms. So instead we made several phone calls and Facetimes. We talked to my mom, hubby's mom, and all the grandmothers. It's hard not to be with your mom on Mother's Day, particularly when you're someone like me who is so close to their mom, but its those days when I am extra thankful for the invention of Facetime! My momma sure is extra special and I gifted her this picture of us on my wedding day. Having my mom with my on my wedding day was the most precious and special thing. Many loved ones were unable to attend due to travel restrictions, including my sister, so having my mom by my side every step of the day was exactly what I needed. And that's who she is, someone who is there for me every step of every season of life. 

And outside of all the phone calls we managed to squeeze in a grocery run, some sushi for lunch and several episodes of the new show we've been watching. Which is definitely not a new show, but it IS new for us. Boardwalk Empire- all about the men who "ran" Atlantic City in the prohibition era. 

And this little one here...has something going on with her foot. She's been limping around for several days, just looking absolutely pitiful! I've got her a vet appointment for tomorrow to hopefully figure out what's going on. She is the world's sweetest dog, and I sure do hate it when she's not feeling like her cheerful, lovey self. 

The last thing I will leave you with is my favorite summer pasta recipe...it is not summer here. It's May and this weekend was a high of 42. But I am working on some serious wishful thinking to get summer to show up soon! I made this veggie side dish last week and then the following day put it over pasta- with a little extra liquid added. It's always been a favorite both ways- on it's own or with pasta. And in the summer when squash, zucchini and tomatoes are ripe and readily available it's the best! I don't have an exact recipe but roughly...

Ingredients: 

• 3 (ish) yellow squash/zucchini- quartered 
• 1/2 yellow onion or a whole one if your onion is small- diced
• 1 cup (ish) fresh tomatoes- chopped (I prefer grape or cherry tomatoes but whatever you have will be great!) 
• salt/pepper
• garlic
• Mozzerella cheese- shredded, or fresh whatever you have!
• pasta (optional)

Directions: 

1. Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan- I prefer one with high sides particularly if you're going to go the pasta route. 

2. Let the onions, and squash saute by themselves for about 5 minutes and start to soften. 

3. Add the tomatoes and let them begin to blister and release their juices- most of the "sauce" element comes from how much tomatoes you add. If I'm doing pasta I typically add a few more tomatoes than if I'm just doing a side dish. 

4. Give everything a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

5. Let everything saute together for about 10-12 minutes until the squash is soft, and the tomatoes have released their juices but aren't total mush. 

6. While the squash is cooking, boil your pasta if you plan  to use it.

7. After everything has cooked- add in your mozzerella. Fresh is great in this, because it gets really stretchy and you end up with these gobs of cheese throughout. But shredded works just fine. 

8. If using pasta, drain it and add directly to the squash mixture and toss. If needed, add in some pasta water for extra moisture- I don't typically find this necessary. 

9. If not using pasta, then just spoon up and serve alongside some grilled chicken, steak, whatever you want and enjoy! 

Unfortunately this is the only picture I took and while it's not great you can definitely see the glorious summer colors of this delightfully flavorful, chunky dish/pasta sauce. Enjoy!