Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, but my gratitude continues. :)

I’ve so much for which to be thankful.

Yesterday my home was full of family, deliciously decadent food, laughter, and sharing of memories–all while making new ones.

I hope you were able to take a moment yesterday to look around and acknowledge your blessings. And I hope that we will all continue to be grateful for everything we have.

The small daily blessings, in the end, are really the big things that matter. May we never lose sight of that.

I appreciate each and every one of you. May this holiday season bring you joy and peace.

Olympics, Tales of the Cocktails, a Triathlon, and Man, I must be crazy!

I’ve been MIA lately, but I swear I have a good reason! No, really–a good reason, which would be: I’m CRAZY!

With 1,438 items on my to do list, I agreed to participate in a triathlon this weekend with two of my girl friends. ”Oh, how good for you,” you may be thinking. ”You must be in great shape to take on a triathlon!”

Um.. No. Let me explain. A good friend participated in her first triathlon this past spring (Sarah!) and was so exuberant over her wonderful accomplishment that she was able to convince me and another friend to sign on for a round of self-punishment at the hottest time of the year! (Did I mention I must be crazy?)

MexiCajun Shrimp & Orzo Salad

Have I said how much I have come to love orzo recently? I have? Well, here I go again…

It’s just that orzo is so… so… small. lol There seems less to feel guilty over. Instead of loading my plate with penné or mounds of spaghetti or even rotini, I can toss this tiny little pasta with just about anything to create a full-flavor meal. (And I’m all about one-dish meals, if you haven’t figured that one out already!) The more I can cram into one dish, the better! It’s faster that way, as well as saving on clean up. :)

Mo’ better!

Happy Hour Friday: Keenan Cab

As you all know, C and I have been on a grueling cleanse diet. Bleeech! :(

This means we are off the alcohol completely. No wine, no cocktails… nada, nothing, zero. So I don’t have to explain how that puts a slight kink in my “Happy Hour Friday” series.

Well, not to fear! We shall persevere and carry on. Don’t worry, I didn’t break my diet. Instead I’m sharing a wine review that I posted on my old blog a while back–long before “Happy Hour Fridays.” :)

Happy Easter!

I just want to take a moment to wish all of you, my friends, a wonderful Easter weekend. No matter what your faith, religious inclinations, or lack thereof, I hope you take this weekend to breathe in the rebirth all around you. Stop and smell the flowers. Enjoy your family, your friends, some good food and good times.

I will be enjoying a peaceful weekend away and fully unplugged. {if I can manage that! }

Happy Hour Friday will return next week with a fabulous seasonal concoction. Please come back to share your favorite drinks of the past couple of weeks at the link up party.

But for now: Peace and Love to you all.

Link Up and Foodista Drink Blog of the Day!

I’m so excited to announce that my little blog is going to be the Featured Drink Blog of the Day on Foodista! It will be featured tomorrow, Tuesday 31 January–All Day! If you remember, my last Happy Hour Friday post was on Spicehubby’s concoction, the Pearl Martini. This is the cocktail that captured Foodista’s attention.

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to pop in to say “Happy New Year!” to each and everyone of you. 2011 was such a wonderful year filled with new challenges, new friends, new adventures and some technical frustrations here and there. lol Boy, have I had a learning curve with blogging! Not to mention photography–which I’m still working to improve with every snap of the shutter.

Thank you for visiting with me here In the Land of Spice. Thank you for sharing this journey, for letting me into your lives as well and for making it all so fun and worth doing. :)

I wish health, peace and true joy to you all for 2012. I believe together we will make it a year to remember

Under Construction…

My blog is currently under going a serious makeover. I am in the process of moving my blog to WordPress, and it is taking a while to iron all the kinks. Thank you for visiting and for your patience. I hope you will return again soon or subscribe to see my new and improved blog once it is unveiled!

Creative Projects: Veggie Paintings

Unfortunately, I’ve been so busy at work and with my outside “chores” when I get home in the evenings that I haven’t spent much time in my kitchen. With Easter approaching, I’ve been itching to bake and decorate all manner of sugary delights, but I just haven’t had the time. Since my day is spent in the confines of my shop, I decided to make the most of whatever down time I may have throughout the day. So I set up my craft table and got to work.
In the past three days I’ve managed to be quite productive. When I could steal away short blocks of time, I sketched and painted and actually finished these four veggie canvases. (see more of them at my etsy shop)
I also finished a Louisiana water lilly that I’ve worked on for the past couple of months. It was nice to release some creative energies and feel like I accomplished something!
If you happen to make it to etsy, also take a look at themilkandmoon. You’ll find great recipes and some pretty crafty jewelry.

Vegetable Garden: Day 16

It was a great weekend, but an exhausting one! We finally finished our privacy fence–100%! Cleaned, repaired, (in some cases) built, stained and sealed. DONE! (Spice-hubby is the best b/c he pretty much did everything all by himself. I only helped a little.)