How's this for a Future Mother in Law from Hell

Heidi Withers is a 29 year old bride to be. After visiting her fiance's mother and stepmother and staying in their home, the future Mrs. received an email from the stepmother, Carolyn Bourne, a 61 year old florist telling her a thing or too.....

Here's an excerpt.

from: Carolyn Bourne
to: heidi withers

subject: your lack of maners
Here are a few examples of your lack of manners:
When you are a guest in another's house, you do not declare what you will and will not eat - unless you are positively allergic to something.
You do not remark that you do not have enough food.
You do not start before everyone else.
You do not take additional helpings without being invited to by your host.
When a guest in another's house, you do not lie in bed until late morning in households that rise early - you fall in line with house norms.
You should never ever insult the family you are about to join at any time and most definitely not in public. I gather you passed this off as a joke but the reaction in the pub was one of shock, not laughter.
You regularly draw attention to yourself. Perhaps you should ask yourself why. No one gets married in a castle unless they own it. It is brash, celebrity style behaviour.
I understand your parents are unable to contribute very much towards the cost of your wedding. (There is nothing wrong with that except that convention is such that one might presume they would have saved over the years for their daughters' marriages.)
If this is the case, it would be most ladylike and gracious to lower your sights and have a modest wedding as befits both your incomes.
One could be accused of thinking that Heidi Withers must be patting herself on the back for having caught a most eligible young man. I pity Freddie.

Yowza...I bet this poor girl can't wait for fireworks with her future mother in law on the big day! Hopefully they don't have to spend too many holidays at this lady's house and hopefully they don't live too close by to the in laws.

There's been a lot of chitter chatter about this week's cover of Newsweek....personally, I love it.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Woo Hoo for Wednesday...not just any Wednesday...it's the Wednesday of a L-O-N-G weekend!

So what am I loving this Wednesday??

I love this steal from Old Navy. Normally I don't buy a lot of stuff from there. I get some staples like tank tops, yoga pants, but when it comes to clothes clothes, I feel like their stuff just falls apart on me, washes weird, and is a waste of money. However...every once in a while I'll find a little gem or two. Here's one of them...their maxi tube dress. I have this in Navy Blue and love it. You might read my blog and say...Hey..didn't you just write about how you hate that most maxi dresses are strapless and you can't wear a regular bra under them?? I did...so my solution..I wore my regular bra under this... as I was at an all day outing..and to camouflage...I threw a cardigan over it. Maybe a huge fashion faux pas..but I did it anyway. This dress is insanely comfortable and what I love most about it...the elastic drop waist. It gives you a little shape so you don't feel like you're wearing a maternity dress or a moo-moo. As a somewhat newly married lady I need to keep outfits like that away so the whispers don't start.

available at Old Navy. Online only has a couple colors left..but I was at Old Navy last week and they had tons of them. PLUS..this dress is a steal at $34..and I had a Groupon worth $20...so I paid $14...so I guess even if I just wore it once..it was worth it!

I'm also loving that the pool is open! I had the fantastic idea to go "green" with the pool chemicals last year. We opened it this year to see an absolute disaster of murky water. It took Mr. Allan a couple trips to the pool store and little bit or work...but his hard work paid off. Our yard (and pool now!) look absolutely beautiful.

I'm also loving that the garden is growing. This year I've gone as organic as I can. We're not using any type of pesticides or chemicals and things are going a lot better than I thought!

and my favorite...my herb boxes full of basil. I use so much of this stuff!

I'm also loving that it's Mr. Allan's BIRTHDAY this week!!! I love celebrating birthdays. Just think, it's one day that's all about you! Every other holiday like Christmas, Valentine's day..you share it with others. So, this Friday, I'm celebrating this wonderful, patient, respectful, smart, handsome guy who puts up with me..all the time!

Just looking at one of engagement pictures makes me smile at how insanely head over heels in love I am with this guy 

just one more ... 

ok..maybe just one more...only so I can remember that smitten little cute look Mr. Allan had on his face the whole day and night of our wedding

I have a little celebratory night planned and can't wait to shower him with birthday gifts. Normally I'm not that good of a wife when it comes to this stuff...but having Mr. Allan away a lot this past year and the fact that he's flying home the night before his birthday..makes me want to put in the extra special effort to make it a great night!

Happy Wednesday! Be sure to link up to the What I'm Loving Wednesday posts at http://www.littledaisymay.blogspot.com/

I have an addiction

to Chipotle. It's like my crack. I can't get enough of it, I get very excited at the thought of it, and when I see it, I have no impulse control and need to have it.

I also have a confession...I've eaten Chipotle 4 times in the past 6 days. Hey..the husband is away..although one of those Chipotle trips was with him. I also order the same thing every time I go...my beloved burrito bowl without rice...now if only Chipotle would get some brown rice..it'd be a perfect place!

Meditteranean Crunch Salad and Chipotle Honey Pork Chops

I love trying different side dishes that can be used at BBQ's or just nights when we're home grilling outside. Every weekend I usually make a couple side salads so they're in the fridge ready for a quick lunch on the grill or dinner later that night. This weekend I tried a Mediterranean Crunch Salad recipe that I got off of http://www.wholefoods.com/. As I made it..I was a little unsure..all the veggies were raw and I thought it would be too much..but I was very surprised at how much we loved this recipe and all the good healthy vegetables that were in it. To pair with it...a very easy pork chop recipes with a chipotle honey glaze.

First up..some center cut, bone in, pork chops. Since these bad boys were thick, I cooked them for a few minutes on the stove top (about 3-4 min on each side) only because I was a little scared the honey in the glaze would scorch in the oven if I left it in too long.

Sorry for the jacked up pictures...Picasa web albums are not letting me edit this morning!

The glaze..basically 3 chipotle peppers that I ran under cold water, patted dry, and diced mixed with some honey, a tiny bit of water and salt.



The glaze..

The final product...the salad was delicious..all the veggies are raw, so it basically took some chopping and then chilling in the fridge for an hour or so

Mediterranean Crunch Salad
courtesy of Whole Foods

1 (15-ounce) can no salt-added garbanzo beans
1 cucumber, chopped
1 cup small broccoli florets
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup finely sliced kale, tough stems removed
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped Kalamata olives
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Combine all and chill for 1 hour.

Nutrition

Per serving: 130 calories (35 from fat), 4g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 140mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 6g protein

Just a couple notes...I omitted the red onion...only because I loathe raw onion. I also forgot the thyme and just did without. I thought I had some planted in my garden and was wrong! I also had a heavy handed pour with the red wine vinegar...I love that stuff. I also added maybe 1-2 tsp of olive oil so it was more of a dressing on the veggies..but I used it very sparingly.

Chipotle Honey Glaze

3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Rinse the chiles and pat dry. Dice into very small pieces. Add the remaining ingredients.

This would be excellent on chicken, pork ...hmm..any meat!

My Current Summer Want List

Mr. Allan is probably chuckling to himself reading this title and commenting..my wife's want list is never ending. But..a girl can want, can't she? In my house I can want and buy as long as I never ever use a credit card! It's the secret success to the financial part of our marriage and  keeping my shopaholic tendencies that sometimes get the best of me at bay.

So...I've been organizing my want list in my head all week, trying to figure out what's a must for summer and what can wait....

#1 Want...A maxi dress that doesn't require a strapless bra. I think of maxi dresses and how they're everywhere..they look so comfortable..but one thing that I need are straps that I can wear a normal bra under. Because...once you put on a strapless bra..the comfort of wearing a maxi dress will last me about 2 hours. So I found my dream...at Banana Republic..the stores are selling this in a blue and white print as well...the reviews are saying it's long so I'm hoping my 5 foot 8 amazon frame is just right for it. I'm already picturing all the fabulous dinners Mr. Allan can take me to as I wear this....

available at Banana Republic stores..it's constantly sold out online to the point where they remove it from the dress category!

#2. A new purse. Mine is something like 8 or 9 months old. Doesn't sound too bad, but when I buy a new one that I really really really like, I use it daily, hardly every swap it out, and wear it to death. I love this Cynthia Rowley bag that I have.

But..it's seen better days as the tassels are falling off and the handle is practically changing color on me at this point. While I'd like to go out and spend $300 or $400 on a fancy new bag, I'm trying to be economically responsible and decided I need a Longchamp bag..the Mini..it comes in lots of bright cute colors and is a steal at $98...well at least compared to the others I was looking at!

Longchamp Mini Tote available at Nordstroms

#4..I need a back up pair of sunnies...I love the ones I have now but need a back up pair to alternate with so I don't wear my favorite ones out...so I feel like I need a pair of aviators. They're on Nordstrom's list of the top ten trends for this summer, so I'm using that as a sign that a pair is a necessity. Ray Ban seems to be the way to go.

Ray Ban Semi Rimless Light Weight Aviators available at Nordstroms

#5...Stripes are everywhere. I was always against the horizontal stripe for fear it would make me look wide..but I love the blue and white I want to be a sailor looks...a touch of nautical is where it's at this summer

Martime Dress from JCREW

or

the short sleeve Row Boat dress from JCREW

I grabbed this for our weekend trip and was surprised at how much I loved it...super comfortable, provided just a little something to throw over an outfit.

Long Sleeved Cardigan from Ann Taylor Loft

I also own this cardigan from Ann Taylor Loft..maybe not so nautical with the grey and white stripes but I love this stupid thing. The picture off their website doesn't do it much justice...

Here it is in person...and it's on sale for $34.99 plus the Loft is having a sale with an EXTRA 40% off sale..what a steal!

#6 Want....a nice, clean lined, tailored, button up shirt. I love the classic look of a woman in a nice crisp button up shirt. I seldom wear them for work because I fear I'll be sweating with so it layered under a suit..mostly because I run around family court like a chicken with my head cut off most of the time. I usually can't find one long enough where I can tuck it in and wear a nice pair of pants with a belt..so my hunt continues. I also love this look for a nice casual summer outfit...a nice pair of khaki short or capris and a crisp cotton button up.

classic button up from JCREW

These are my current wants...we'll see what next week brings!

Bachelor/Bachelorette Contestants get engaged!

He was the nice, good guy, landscaper from Cape Cod. We fell in love with him on his hometown date and his close knit family who was still dealing with the loss of his mom. Ali rejected him for Roberto and left him standing at the final rose ceremony.

She was the tall blond who tried to win the heart of Andy, our triathlete Navy man. Then she went on to the Bachelor Pad where she was linked to the tattooed bad boy Jesse.

Now, they're a couple made in reality tv heaven. Chris Lambton and Peyton Wright have been dating since August, 2010, and this past Saturday became engaged as Chris proposed to Peyton at his Cape Cod, MA home.

 "I knew it the first day I met her – she walked in and I was like, 'Oh, my God,'" Lambton tells PEOPLE of Wright.

"It's one of those things where I've had a ton of serious relationships and I met this kid and he was genuine, outgoing and hilarious and we just click," says Wright.

A big awwwww for the good guy Chris!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Time for What I'm Loving Wednesday with Jamie from http://www.littledaisymay.blogspot.com/!

So what am I loving this Wednesday?

I'm loving that I had such a great weekend on the island of Nantucket with my husband and some of our friends. It was a beautiful place, a great time with such a good group of friends, and we had a blast.

My two favorite pics from the weekend

me and Mr Allan at the local brewery

and 4 wheeling on the beaches in the Jeep

ok..maybe a beach pic too since that's why everyone heads there!

I'm also glad that my sisters were able to take my dad out for lunch on Father's Day weekend since we were away. We gave him an album of professional pictures of the three of us...the same thing we had done for my mom. Here's a post with the pics we had done. Click HERE

Here's the Pops opening his gift! He looks just as happy as my mom did!

Now onto my guilty pleasures...flame me if you will...but one huge guilty pleasure that I'm loving this week...that this wretched show is back on! The Bachelorette is boring me...I'm soooo sick of hearing about Bentley, Bentley, Bentley....so I'm loving that this is back on!

Here's a clip from last season!

 Hope you have a great Wednesday!

A Little Weekend Getaway with Friends

was just what we needed. This past weekend we headed to Nantucket, an island off the coast of Cape Cod, MA, for a weekend with some great friends. It was just the right mix of personalities..everyone went with the flow, enjoyed each other's company, and there were no whiners or complainers which led to one hell of a good time. Now to rehash the weekend through photos.

Mr. Allan always gets a good seagull shot..here's the Nantucket version

 leaving Hyannis, MA

Me doing what I do best..why reading trashy magazines of course!

a lunch with friends at a great sandwich spot called So Natural

since the day was a little cloudy, we opted to save the beach for the next day and headed to Cisco Brewery

Figawi Wowie (hopefully I'm not hacking the spelling too much) a drink created at the Brewery that pops up all over the island

then onto Mojitos

Mr. Allan and his Cisco beer

Me and Mr. Allan enjoying the Brewery

couldn't have said it better!

of course we couldn't leave the Brewery, Distillery, Vineyard empty handed

the next day..it was onto enjoying the Nantucket beaches..with our Jeep. The boys deflating the tires to do a little 4 wheel driving

we really liked our Jeep

one of my favorite parts of the trip..driving down the beach trails to explore some new beaches

Mr. Allan found a friend on his walk down the beach

later that night...exploring a different beach for Happy Hour Nantucket beach style

we were some of the only people down the beach..

and discovered a beached whale :(

me and the hubs on Madaket Beach during our Happy Hour

My friend, Sue, and I put on quite the spread...I think we learned from all our Happy Hour practice on our yearly Martha's Vineyard trips

Mr. Allan's other great love...a good cigar and a gin and tonic

beautfil sunset to end a fabulous weekend!