Thursdays Full of All the Things

The last two Thursdays have been DOOZIES, y'all. Work has been busy all month, but last Thursday I was taking testimony of a witness which means I was up late prepping the night before. Then I was on the record all day, then I went straight to teach my barre class at TCU, then straight to the girls' elementary school where Claire was presenting her history fair project, and then to meet my mama friends for a much anticipated Ranch Water (tequila + lime juice + Topo Chico) or 2 (or 3) and french fries and laughter.

Thursday Stage 2 of 4

Thursday Stage 3 of 4

[Stage 4, Margarita variants and the friends drinking them, unpictured]

This Thursday I also had testimony all day, which meant late night prep last night (and other work late the night before), and a long day. We were off the record minutes before I had to race to TCU to teach and then I got home and forced myself to start dinner because it had to simmer and if I didn't start it immediately we'd be eating at 8 p.m. When I had chopped and sauteed and added all the things and could leave the soup to simmer, I poured myself my Thursday night glass of wine (still 100% successful on the no drinking Sun-Wed resolution!) and sank, with the heaviest of sighs, into the very hottest of baths.

And now I should be in bed, but I haven't been up late by choice in several days, so instead of sleeping I'm watching The West Wing and blogging because that is EXACTLY what I wanted to do.

Maggie would like to know what happened to the fire;
bring it back immediately, pleasethankyou.

As I follow up to the last post, I wore my new shirt to work on Monday, with the aubergine pants I got from Stitch Fix all those months ago, and a navy cardigan (Target!) and I liked it very much and thank you Stitch Fix for adding more yellow to my life.

On Tuesday I was in a meeting when James texted to ask a good time to drop by the office. You see, we aren't allowed to get personal deliveries at the office. Apparently allowing the front desk clerk to sign for something and call us would be utilizing government resources for personal use, so we get an email every year around Valentine's Day reminding us that flowers can't be delivered to us here. [But of course, the president can spend 1/3 of his presidency golfing at his private golf courses and force secret service to pay rack rates to his profit for their rooms with our tax dollars and it's all good, but whatever.] So, every year for Valentine's, my birthday, Mother's Day, our anniversary, and any other time he thinks I need flowers, James buys some, puts them in a vase, and drives them over to my office. Because there's nothing I love more than fresh flowers to brighten my office and he always goes the extra mile (or 6) to make me smile. I love them (and him) so much.

Inspired, I dressed Maggie in her heart pj's and added her Valentine's headband to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day too.

She's a natural model.

She also cost me another $300 at the vet last Friday because that's what it means to have a bulldog. She's in excellent health, a perfect weight, physically fit, and well cared for. She also has double ear infections, a problem in her right eye where she doesn't produce tears so it's dry and scratchy and makes both of us sad, and her skin is yeasty and needs special shampoo and wipes. A clean bulldog bill of health!

Good thing she's so damn cute and brings a burst of unicorns and rainbows to my heart every time I see her.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, a kitschy favorite of mine, and our kitchen table is decorated with our traditional Target table cloth, Dollar Spot plates (5 years running!), candies, flowers for the girls (pulled from my bouquet, shhh), and sweet cards James always takes a lot of time to pick out for each kid. Tomorrow night Landon has his final Cotillion, a "casual prom" theme that will involve a tie and taking pictures at a local country club I've never been to because we're not that fancy. On Saturday we're having a grown-up Valentine's Wine Party and I can't WAIT and on Sunday my parents are visiting on their way up to Colorado. It's their 40th anniversary, so we're taking them to our favorite fancy restaurant in Fort Worth, and then on Monday (a holiday for me and the kids, and my retired parents) my mom and I are going shopping for my birthday and we will all be eating cake that night.

They leave for Colorado Tuesday morning and I have more testimony on Wednesday.

But before another busy week begins, it's going to be a big wonderful weekend and I can't wait! Until then, here's our recipes from the last week- they were great!

Mon: Jambalaya.

Tues: Ground beef tacos. A classic for a reason.

Wed: Sheet Pan Chicken Pitas with Tzatziki

Thurs: Crockpot Creamy Chicken Enchilada Chili

Fri: Slow Cooker Pea Soup, corn bread.

Sat: Out! A long-promised pizza night and it was delicious for all.

Sun: Big Salad Night! Lettuces, diced raw veggies, hard boiled eggs, goat cheese, cooked and chilled farro, kalamata olives, and homemade balsamic dressing.

Mon: Classic Homemade Chili, serve with Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese, per Cora, our Wrangler of the Month's specific request

Tues: Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken (I made this up! I cooked 1.5 lbs. of wheat penne and drained it. In a big saute pan I brought 1 cup of heavy cream to a simmer and added a bunch of pesto, whisked to combine, let it bubble a bit, and then dumped in the cooked penne. I added some diced pre-cooked chicken and it was incredibly delicious.)

Wed: Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo (so good! For the orzo I just boil it, drain it, and stir in a generous scoop of ricotta to serve underneath the meatballs and sauce).

Thurs: Skinny Creamy Ham and Potato Soup (with a thick slice of deli turkey subbing for the ham), wheat crackers and sharp cheddar cheese slices on the side.

Fri: Heart-shaped Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce for the kids; Takeout Thai and great champagne for James and me after they're in bed.