A Productive Weekend Indeed

Friday morning wasn't great, but the day got a lot better after I left the house. I grabbed lunch at a local noodles place and read my book for over an hour in the sun. The book, American Wife, was recommended by my good friend Lauren. The story loosely follows a certain former Republican First Lady and her bumbling husband with a fondness for booze and hatred of the press. I am hoping this book proves to be a juicy bit of fiction that I will sail through (before the May 1st due date) in order to resuscitate our somewhat failed experiment -- The Cross-State-Lines Book Club for Slackers. I take the slacker part very seriously (and haven't actually finished or discussed a book on our list yet). I feel though, that this is the one.

Reading alone with my noodles was refreshing and reinvigorating. I was going to take the streetcar home, but decided instead to walk because it was such a nice day. On my way home, I stopped in at the hardware store and picked up two rolls of duct tape (for my awesome project), two flower pots and a package each of basil and cilantro seeds. However, I forgot to get potting soil, so the seeds will have to wait until I run errands later this afternoon.

Saturday morning, I prepped Jesse on his duties as a husband (meaning that he would have to spend the better part of the late morning wrapping my torso in duct tape) and instructed him to hand over two of his old T-shirts. I have to admit, it was a lot more uncomfortable than I imagined and by the time he cut me out of my silver body cast I was ready to jump out of my skin. However, the dress form turned out really well. I had Jesse take photos to document the process, but they're just too weird to share with the world. Right now, only the shoulders and bust are stuffed because I ran out of filling. I'll have to stop by the fabric store today to pick up a few more supplies. Just for fun, I tried on a dress that I already own for size and it's a perfect fit! I think I'll pick up a few yards of muslin and experiment with a couple of cute spring dress patterns this week while Jesse is out of town. I might have my own Anthropologie inspired wardrobe this summer after all.

And of course, it wouldn't be a productive weekend without a cooking project or two. For our (very relaxed) Easter dinner, I made Martha Stewart's Perfect Macaroni and Cheese, but added my own little twist. Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite side dishes, but so are collard greens. So, I halved the recipe, and added a ton of sauteed mushrooms and collards before baking. The spicy greens were a nice touch. I imagine you could do this with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just remember to saute or roast the veggies until all of the liquid is cooked off -- you don't want a watery mess when you pull it out of the oven!

Today, I am dropping Jesse off at the airport again. He'll be in D.C. for a couple of nights for a work project. I think he is sad that he's going miss dinner at home tomorrow and won't get to enjoy the leftovers. Maybe I'll save him a serving or two. Maybe.