Turkey Weekend 2011 (that didn't have any turkey)

So I have no excuse why I haven't posted in over a week, well I kinda do, but it's lame.  I downloaded all of my pictures on my computer at home, so I can't upload them while I get a free minute at work, which is when I typically post.  So the only pictures that you currently can have are the ones that I took on my iphone.  Sorry.  Will update later with camera photos

Thanksgiving feels like forever ago already, even though it was only 10 days.  It was a jam-packed 4 days here filled with lots of food, lots of activities, and lots of fun. Mom came into town Wednesday night, so i always have a lot planned to keep her busy. I.E. Also keeping me busy so I still feel like I'm playing a bit of catch-up.

Thursday was a full day of cooking. Our menu was:
-Ham
-Green bean casserole
-Turkey stuffing (Terry is insistent on it being called 'dressing' as it was actually never Stuffed into anything. I say its not Dressing anything either but To-may-to To-mah-to)
-Glazed carrots
-pumpkin cheesecake
-pumpkin pie (yes, i baked two pies, and good thing too! They both gor devoured)

Friday was a little bit of morning shopping although nothing chaotic.  Then we went and had massages and facials, super relaxing (well needed). Friday night, we over into the city to watch the St Louis Blues play the Calgary Flames.  Pictures to come, there is a good one of me and Mom.  Afterwards we took her to her first experience in Broadway Oyster Bar.  For all the times she has visited, I couldn't believe we hadn't taken her before.  She loved it.  Clearly.

Saturday was a bit more laid back. We stayed home most of the morning and watched the JMU - Eastern Kentucky (WE WON 20-17) game.
After the game, we went to the movie theater and watched J.Edgar. Personal opinion, it was ok.  Definitely should have been a renter movie, but still a good experience.  When we got home, Terry and I put together a meal that at least from my opinion was better than actual Thanksgiving.  Roasted Cornish Hens, Roasted and steamed Brussel Sprouts, and Potatoes Au Gratin.  Heaven.  I licked my plate clean!

Mom and I spent Sunday over in the city.  We went and got a few Christmas presents for Terry to start. Then we went to the Old St Louis Courthouse near the Arch.  Finally, we spent about 3 hours in the St Louis City Museum.  This was my second time there, and it felt like I saw everything new.  Again more pictures of this to come, from mom climbing up in the treehouse, to standing in a lifesized kaleidoscope.  Oh, and it turns out that Mom is scared of slides.  Didn't know that before.  Apparently she doesn't know how to stop/slow down.  So color me shocked when she actually did go down one (right when we got there), and was all frazzled for a bit. Then I told about the 10-story slide and I thought she was going to scream.  No way.  Too fun!

Master Bath really coming together! With Mirrors!

 Ummm...so from the last post, seems that I didn't segue this very well, seeing as I don't have a single photo of the new ::eco-friendly:: toilet.  My bad.  Really thought I did.  Oh well. 

But look!  We have mirrors!!  They are a very dark brown (Terry had a better term for it, I will come and replace with that word later).  He found them at Garden Ridge of all places.  For those unfamiliar, it's an enormous deep discount schmorgasborg of anything and everything you can think of.  I may have climbed on a table and was throwing $2 dresses and shirts in the air like it was Christmas with Allison when she visited 2 years ago, but I digress.

 (don't know why, but I think it's so funny when I don't realize I'm in the photo and then upload on here and "catch myself".  Horrible humor, I know. Ha)

Here's the best photo I could get of all of Terry's piping work.  He can add "expert plumber" to his resume now.  Although the left sink drain leaks currently, but that's piping error, not plumber error.  That's what I'm going with anyway.  

The next house post is hidden in all three of these photos, but it's a bit sneaky so not expecting you to catch it. But I will say, it's something Terry has become really good at, and something I AM AWFUL with.  And I love what he did!!!  Complete surprise that I got to come home too after the whirlwind east coast trip. 

The Master Bathroom Sinks and Faucets are in!

We talked about our sink and faucets choices a few posts ago,  but we bit the bullet, ordered them, and shockingly enough, we love them!!  I wish I could say that it all went smooth sailing like that, but we did have one minor glitch in the process.  We bought two sinks online from Lowes and once they arrived, we realized they weren't fully vessel sinks!  While the majority of the sink sat above the counter, we still would have had to cut a huge hole in the countertop to nestle the sink into.  We only wanted to have to cut the hole for a drain, so they were a "no-go".  Thank goodness it was an easy return back to the store instead of re-shipping.

We love the sinks and the faucets.  They're so modern and fun!  CERTAINLY an upgrade!

I suppose the little smidge in the picture gives away that the toilet is installed too....but those pics are tomorrow (not just because of the toilet....because of WHAT ELSE is in the photo!!) 

Bathroom Table and Shower Door Installed

 Yay!! It's all coming along! 

Terry Polyurethaned the wood counter so water can't permeate and rot/mold it.  Then it was quick undermount brackets to hold the table to the wall.

The backsplash is leftover slate tiles.  By the time we finished, we had one tile left.  Talk about "cutting" it close.  Ha.  Pun intended, Terry!

As mentioned from last post, it's easier now to see the paint color, especially with the white trim installed. 

I love throwing this is every now and again.  Yes, this is how we bought the house.  HA

And not to be outdone with the counter, the shower door went in as well!  I was out of town (maybe I wasn't out of town and I was just in class all day Saturday...can't keep up with my life right now), and I came home to this beauty!  Clearly I understand it's a door, but it just means that other than sealing the shower drain on the floor, it is essentially FUNCTIONAL!!  (and update:  It is in use now.  I want to take a shower every morning and every night.....and also during the day on the weekends.  I'm in love)

(Blooper shot: Still in my pajamas)  Hello out there!!

Master Bath Painted

Welp, I am way behind on updates with the bathroom, so here goes the game of catch up.

Last I left off, we had primed the walls, and just added the grout. 

 Just primed:

Cleaned up grout lines.  We love the light gray, makes it look earthy but modern.

 

Then came the game I always lose at good ol' paint color selecting.  With my two previous bedroom mess-ups in paint color, I got nervous of going to dark in a small space with no natural light again. We agreed it'd be better to go lighter than go darker, so we chose one color and went with it. From the picture below, we went with the paint on the top. 

 

 In process, doing the edging.

 Again, more in process, and this is a bad representation because the paint color here is still wet and looks darker....

 

(awful photo again, my bad), but this is the better understanding of why we both instantly went, "Welp, messed up a painted room yet again!"  The wall still looked white. 

 We waited til the morning because we needed the new paint, but we tore into again, didn't take very long, and painted it the second row center gray.  This was taken at night so a little hard to see, but next post you can see the color, and we love it!! It goes so well with the slate!

So with the walls now painted......

The East Coast Weekend Marathon

So from the previous post, you're aware that this weekend was spent traveling back east for Rachels wedding.  What you don't know is the ridiculousness I managed to squeeze in to the time block before and after the wedding.  I don't know how I'm functioning right now to be quite honest.  (Fresno Mom, you're going to get exhausted just reading this ;-) )

I originally had a round trip flight booked (can you already see where this is going??) for the weekend, a quick hop in and a quick hop back out.  Then Sarah (Terry's boss) found out that she was being promoted and relocated to Frederick....the same weekend as the wedding. One cancelled one-way flight, and I was now road-tripping to Maryland in an overnight 13-hr haul.  Surprisingly, it didn't feel like 13 hours whatsoever.  We split the drive with the passenger seat as the makeshift bed. 

I still picked up my rental car in Baltimore, and then was off to get the day going.  There was Rachels wedding Saturday afternoon, then I headed down to DC to hang out with friends. 

David and Meghan (and apparently greasy Lindsey... I swear I took a shower!)  Hey David...that shirt looks familiar...

Ward drove down to hang out! Yay for friends you haven't seen in a while!

 And Yay for friends you get to see all the time even though we live so far apart!

I somehow managed to pull myself together and we went out around Old Town Alexandria.  One glass of wine at her house and I could have been out for the count, but instead I got to watch (and attempt to keep my eyes open) while these two played. 

Love that hair color!

Probably embarrassed by something Ward did.

I got amazing sleep Saturday night, and woke up relatively early to head to Delaware; yes, I drove from St Louis to Maryland to DC to Delaware and then back to Baltimore for my 6am flight Monday morning.  I'm crazy wonderwoman! 
I pulled in to my brothers house just before 1pm, and it was non-stop nieces until bedtime.  It was glorious.  I love those little (and now not so little) girls so much!

Chloe in her Eagles gear!

Miss Maya

We made a leaf pile...

and got leaves stuck in places I didn't think leaves could find their way to!

Jenna looking beautiful!

brother-sister love

This trip Chloe and I had a great time playing.  It usually takes her a little while to warm up, but within 2 minutes of walking in the door, we were running around playing games.  Too cute!

Amazing quick trip.  I will squeeze in time with friends and family any time that I can!  Well WELL worth the exhaustion! 

Rachels a Mrs. !!!

Saturday, November 12, 2011, Rachel married James Myers and I'm so happy I was able to be there for their special day.  They were married in a small historic chapel in Clarksburg, MD, just a little ways from where we lived for our two years together as roomies.  It was so wonderful to see Rachel on the happiest day of her life.  Here are just a few of the moments I snapped.  I can't wait to see all the pictures her pro photographer took. 

She got teary with her Dad.  It was very touching.

Roomie is married!!!

(Her wedding photographer just put some photos up on FB so I'm swiping a few from there to show)

So happy that I was able to be a part of their special day!  Congrats Roomie!!

Rachel's getting Married!

This weekend I'll be heading back to Maryland for the beautiful union of Rachel (who you formerly met here) and James.  I can't wait to see her in her wedding dress!  Many many pictures to come.  In the meantime, here's a few engagement photos.  So excited!!

Birthday Flowers

I'm playing catch-up now with posts I've been meaning to get on here for a while but the Napa posts were taking a bit more time than I intended.  My bad.

Mom sent me flowers on my birthday.  She is so thoughtful. 

Her card:  Lindsey; wishes for health, happiness, and great adventures.  Happy Birthday! Love Mom

Wine Country: The Food Part II

Picking up where I left off from Part I's post:


Thursday, October 13th, 2011
(forewarning, boring day of no pictures)
Lunch: We had a very hearty breakfast from our hotel stay, so we didn't even have a true sit-down lunch.
Afternoon Snack: We had a cheese and crackers plate with a wine tasting in the afternoon
Dinner:  After Emily's flight landed, but before Sarahs (there was about a 2 hour gap), the three of us went closeby in Oakland to watch some sports and finally eat for the day.  I already don't remember the name of the restaurant, but it felt like we were sitting in with the Italian mobs families.  Thick accents, A-Ti-Tude, and hearty Italian cooking.  We weren't sure half the time if we were having fun or if we were just smiling so they wouldn't add us to their hit lists.

Friday, October 14th, 2011
Breakfast:  Bouchon Bakery in Yountville.  I'd been super excited to swing in to Bouchon Bakery for breakfast because it is a Thomas Keller Restaurant.  Yes, I know, food nerd in high gear here, I'll totally own it.  Little did I know that Bouchon caught on fire semi-recently, so their production was very limited.  Boo.  We got coffee cakes and banana nut muffins, and of course coffee to get us all moving.  We also swung in to Napa's Oakville Grocery (seeing a trend at all with how much we love that place??) and Terry got a goat cheese and pepper quiche.  YUM!

Lunch: Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery.  We got the recommendation during our Wine Sensory Experience at W.H.Smith Wines.  It was a gorgeous day so we opted to sit outside in the sunshine.  Emily and I may have friend a little bit, but it was worth how lovely sitting outdoors was for us. 

 We all ended up ordering 4 different things and doing a quad-split.  It was the best of all worlds.  We all got a go at the risotto, bruschetta, crab cakes, and the Calistoga Club. Delicious Meal.  We had a great experience, would definitely recommend going back. 

 Afternoon snack:
We got back to our Barn and put together a delicious cheese and meat spread from our accumulations over the last few days.  The cheese to the left closest to the fork was gouda that they cut open and stuffed with herb and garlic goat chevre and they called it a Truffle cheese. Could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting.... along with the pepper crusted salami.  I'm never going to be skinny ever again in my life.

Dinner: El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma
We all got pretty for a night on the Sonoma Downtown.  We made a reservation for El Dorada Kitchen

I had the Roasted Petaluma chicken with potato purée, corn, mushrooms, summer squash, and torpedo onions.  And other than the bone, I licked my platter clean.

Terry had the Alaskan halibut with a corn pudding, spinach, chanterelle mushrooms and spring onions in a lobster emulsion.  We had never had a main course in a foamy sauce before, so we were both very eager to dig in.  My chicken was juicy and perfect, but his dish won by a landslide.  (and yes for the record, I took that photo.  It was over-exposed...still is kinda, so I dropped the exposure a bit, but it ended up making it so crisp.  Love this photo)

As far as EDK goes, maybe we were just there on an off-night, or maybe it was our waiter, or maybe it was that they were about to host a rehearsal dinner, but for the esteem and clout the restaurant holds, it did not live up for us on the service and setting rank.  The food  lived up in spades though, so ultimately I'd still never give a bad review.

Saturday, October 15th, 2011
It may or may not have been someone's birthday today, so my breakfast was a mimosa with Champagne from one of the wineries we thought we'd be going to in the day....turns out we packed too many things in and didn't get there. Next trip. 
Lunch: Mustards Grill in Napa
We had a very late lunch, and even with it being 2pm, there was still a "45 minute wait" (they ended up seating us quickly because someone with a reservation didn't show.......and I may have told them it was my birthday.  We ate at Mustards last year and have been drooling to get back, so we thought we'd show it off with the girls in tow.

Terry with a James Beard Award.  He'll have one someday.  He already has several Lindsey Gibbons Awards. ;-)

Sharing some Calamari and Dungeness Crab Cake Starters.  After this point, I went into my "I'm in food heaven/bliss/coma" and stupidly didn't take any other photographs.  We had the Grilled Ahi Tuna with basil aioli and picked ginger and then the Chicken Breast with Bellwether Farms Ricotta, green onion-herb mayonnaise and housemade chips, and we attempted to split it.  The Ahi was a little too rare for me, absolutely perfect  for Terry.  The girls split the Mongolian Porkchop and I tell you, that is nothing short of perfection.  No wonder it's Cindy Pawlcyns signature dish. 

Dinner: The best meal of the trip.  Homemade in the Barn by Terry.  On our wine stop at Simi a few days earlier, Terry got hooked and bought a Risotto cookbook, so he wanted his first attempt to be in Sonoma.  Talk about self-stress.  He's a pro though, so while it took forever to make, it was so delicious! 

The girls helping in the kitchen

ideal birthday dinner!

I still luckily got to be sous-chef, so I prepped out the plates once they were all ready to go.

Salad and tomatoes from the garden, saffron risotto, grilled/sauteed squash and zucchini, and tri-trip steak with a cilantro-pepper aioli.  Drooling all over again!

Nothing completes a birthday or an amazing meal quite like a chocolate truffle molten deliciousness of bakery goodness!  Terry looks so entertained.

that's a lot of candles....whomp whomp

yup, and that's the best picture of the cake.  After that, it was food delirium again and pictures weren't even thought about.  Oops.  Trust me, it was divine.  Even the next morning for dessert!   :-)