Summer is here

It's always a sign that summer is here when I put my flags out! I love putting them out for Memorial Day and leaving them up through July. What makes me love these the most is that they look like those really expensive ones in the Pottery Barn catalog. You know the ones that look vintage? It's really simple to get that "vintage" look, all you need to do is buy the cheap cloth flags that they sell everywhere, soak them in a big bowl of warm water with a couple of tea bags, air dry them, and your done. Simple and pretty!!!

Baseball, Baseball, Baseball

I am excited to be spending my holiday weekend with these awesome boys and there families...

Quick Egg and Veggies for Breakfast

I have really been trying to add more veggies to my diet lately. This morning, I added tomatoes, red peppers, and spinach to a small lightly greased bowl, topped it with two eggs, covered it, and microwaved it for 2 minutes. YUM! This was a super easy way to add a couple more veggies, and next time I'm planning to try it with egg whites only.

Spending the day in Susie's room....

I have been spending my day in Susie's room cleaning out the winter clothes and adding the spring/summer clothes. I realized that I don't post many pics of my house, but this room definitely makes me happy, and is worth showing. It really suits her personality! It's a happy room, bright, fun, and always looks like a party happening. This is exactly how I would describe this beautiful middle child of mine! AND yes she is 11 and loves to play dress up.....I have a feeling she will never stop!!

The Best Lemon Pepper Marinade

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, finely minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• fresh course ground black pepper, to taste
• grated zest of one lemon********* I love love to add 2 to 3 tsp of honey to this recipe!

Mix all the ingredients and use the marinade immediately with meat or fish in your choice of a zip-lock plastic bag or container. Cover or seal and marinate in refrigerator. Use this as a basting sauce as well, but bring to a rolling boil before using after using as a marinade. With or without marinading first, you will find that if you are grilling, this works best for most fish. (Note: if you want to add a sweeter caramelizing effect. Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to the marinade recipe). It's great on chicken, fish, and pork chops!

Grilled Veggies With Couscous

It's getting that time of year again that I just want to add as many fresh veggies in our diet as I can. I love playing with new recipes, so I thought I would see how my family would like couscous. I found this recipe in an old magazine and changed the veggies to what we like in our family. You can add any veggies you want.

• 2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise
• 1 package of brussel sprouts cut in half
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, quartered
• 1 small onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• Cooking spray
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 package (10 ounces) couscous
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

• Spritz vegetables with cooking spray; sprinkle with  salt and  pepper. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Prepare for indirect heat using a drip pan.
• Arrange vegetables over drip pan and grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
• In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Stir in couscous. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• Cut grilled vegetables into 1/2-in. pieces. Fluff couscous with a fork. Add the vegetables, green onions, lemon juice.

Creative Easter Eggs

The beautiful weather in Texas this week has given me a little spring fever. Along with spring fever I realized yikes Easter is coming up fast this year. My absolute favorite holiday! We have so many fun little traditions in our house for Easter, and  I love all of them! One of our traditions is that we don't just dye eggs, we try to be a little more creative and come up with something a little different with our eggs. Not sure what we will do this year, but here are some pics of our past Easter Eggs.