Ain't it been some kind of day.

In case inquiring minds want to know, currently I am...

Reading -

This is seriously hilarious and a super fun read.

Rocking -

Can't. Stop. Repeating. This. Song. You listen now, too.

Eating -

Black beans!

Lime shrimp, rice, corn, tomatoes, and black beans.

Eggs!

Eggs baked in tomatoes with rosemary potatoes.

Drinking -

Everything takes better in Pyrex.

Annoying -

The dogs. As per usual.

"How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways," says Heidi.

Dreaming of -

VACATION!

A week from Tuesday!

Something of the avian variety.

Once the excitement of the baby birds out front died down (well, I never stopped being excited - they just flew the coop), I focused my birding energy on the backyard. To refresh your memory, I bought my first bird feeder this spring -

It certainly made me feel like the most popular girl on the block, with sparrows and robins fighting for a spot on one of two small perches. I quickly learned birds are pigs (they deplete the feeder in 3 to 5 days!) and slobs (they throw crumbs ALL OVER the place), in addition to being brutes - they knocked one of the perches right off (and it fell into a mouse hole - eek!)! With a mangled, too-small feeder on my hands, I headed to Home Depot for a replacement. The goal? Get some color in my backyard! Love the sparrows, of course, but I wanted to attract the cardinals I see hanging around but are too big for the perches.

Bigger perches, new "attract other birds" seed.

I moved the gimpy feeder across the yard, so the sparrows wouldn't feel displaced. It's just as popular as ever over here. They manage the uni-perch.

I've only caught quickly glimpses of cardinals in the feeder, but over the weekend I caught, and managed to photograph, the holy grail of backyard bird feeders.... The male woodpecker!! So.... beautiful.

Bird is the mother-f-ing word.

Workin for the weekend.

I think it is quite fair to say there was no laboring being done over our four-day Labor Day holiday. We certainly weren't idle - my legs were so sore by Sunday that I could barely run a mile - but other than some errands here and there, we certainly made the most of our weekend. Kicking it off Thursday night with nine holes and margaritas with our favorite bartender, Kevin. Among other shenanigans we got up to Friday, we took Heidi for an impromptu early morning swim. This made her very happy. And very sandy.

Georgie just watched.

But he was still happy.

Bbqs with friends and family. Bike rides to Benton Harbor. Antiques with my gal Hillary. Brunch and bloody marys with dear old friends. Beach picnics and polka dot innertube floating. And then, whilst grocery shopping, Brad got a call from NYC Lisa - calling to see if we were free for a visit! SURPRISE! (Her and other Brad were in Michigan for vacation but not in our neck of the woods.) I love surprises! Especially when they reunite the four of us - all together for the first time since April of 2010!

"I miss you, other Brad," says Brad with his eyes.

Where did we take them? The Boat House, of course!

And then to town for ice cream at Cabana's and ball sitting on the bluff.

And then home, to sit on our PORCH! The Zs, were on... our... porch.

Come back soon!

aaaaand.... Now we're halfway through our week back to work. Why do weekends ever have to end? Sigh.

Don't just stare at it.

What once started out as a primarily food blog has morphed a lot over the years. And I've come to terms with that. But every once in a while you need some good food porn, right? Tonight seems like the night. Brad had a fantasy football party at work (lame), so I took advantage and decided to make breakfast for dinner. I haven't been to the store in a bit, so I had to make do with what little produce I had in the fridge - why, huevos rancheros! (Sort of.) And now that is has been made and consumed, I'm not sure why I've never made a meal like this before.

Bottom - very quickly pan fried tortilla (my favorite jalapeno corn tortillas). Middle - leftover black beans sauteed with a dollop of salsa, a squeeze of lime, garden basil, and some yellow pepper from Saturday's farmers market. Top - two fried eggs.

Close, but something is missing....

Greek yogurt and pepper!

Plop.

This was just plain yum. Now, if I'd remembered to chop up some onion and had a jalapeno to add, this would be amazing. But seriously, this was clean and fresh and flavorful. And satisfying. Especially now that I've been running a lot, I'm hungry ALL the time. I feel like I'm almost always immediately hungry again after I finish eating. But this has some lasting power! (two hours and counting - still not hunting for snacks!) 

While I've got you, some other recent exploits...

Summer potato salad with fresh corn and red peppers, and rosemary from my garden.

Homemade zucchini bread grilled cheese. 

Adult milkshakes (Rum Chada + ice cream - a Ceile special).

Had to throw in a drink because, while I rarely have more than one, I've been mad craving the beer and cocktails this summer!

And just for good measure, antiques!!! Picked this up a few months ago and never shared. I adore it. 

I'm on the lookout for this so I have a pair for the windowsill......

Swoony swoon, all around.

Sailing.... da da.

Nothing makes you feel older, quicker, than watching an award show on MTV. Just saying.

Anyway....

I recognize I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but we've had an awesome, awesome month. The weather has been beautiful, the company has been amazing, and, as per usual, much delicious food and drink has been consumed.

Staycation, all I ever wanted....

(seriously, this 14-year-old girl is performing in a circa 1987 prom dress. wtf?!)

Also this weekend, our girl Heidi turned seven. SEVEN. How can that be possible? Also making me feel old.... the recognition of how quickly years pass, and how the world changes with each year. (And how many wrinkles and gray hairs accompany each passing year.) Anyway, Heidi could still pass for a puppy, with her energy and spunk and, of course, her puppy wrinkles that she never grew into. Only giving away is her slowly whitening face, which shows her depth and wisdom.

You claim it is my birthday, but I see no treats, only this stupid 

bandanna you are making me wear.

Okay, that's more like it.

Ahhhh.

And then... YES and more and then...

I went on a boat! Loaded up on Bonine, I never felt heavy in the belly - even with the fairly wavy ride. It was an awesome, awesome evening, and I send many many thanks to the Smitses for taking a chance with Pukey McGee and getting me out on the lake for my first time ever.

My trusty boating partner.

My gracious hosts.

Weird flippin beach house with fake gondola back yard, including - look closely - 

a giant fake gondolier mannequin.

Happy as a clam

Or a non-seasick Church.

(It is, however, comforting to see Sway is still an MTV VJ. BTW, Kennedy totally wrote a memoir.)

Biggest one in four counties.

Holy late August, where did August go? Seriously! This is getting to be ridiculous. Luckily, the summer continues to be awesome, so I can't complain too much. Last weekend, St. Joe was overtaken by Churches, when Brad's brother and family visited. Much hilarity ensued.

Sunday left Brad and me to our own devices. Beach picnic! (A habit I'm really beginning to like!)

If you look closely, you'll see the corn and blueberry salad I made, which is deeelicious. Check it out here. I'd put it together the night before for dinner with the fam, but due to a last-minute change (Chinese food!), it didn't really get eaten. Fine by me! This left us with lots for our Sunday picnic, and with the addition of feta, it was a hit. Of course, it goes even better with Italian herb pitas from the farmer's market. Also on the food front, quiche porn!

Did someone say porn? How about some knitting porn!

Our very dear friend Patrik, of Munich, has a new addition to his family, so I knitted up a little hat and picked up a cute Michigan onesie, shipping it across the pond earlier this week. Good thing I get a significant FedEx discount if I ship at work! Sheesh. :)

And then.... (and no and then!) I spent the day with Rachel. For realsies. Swoon.

This guy was there, too.

If you are asking yourself, "I wonder if he is wearing a hot pink thong underneath his speedo shorts?" The answer would be.... y-e-s.

Annnnnnnd then.... we drank some beer and shucked some corn! Who could ask for any more?!

Watching the wheels go round and round.

Holy August, where did July go? We've been keeping busy, enjoying the amazing weather -

Beach picnic.

Watching sunsets -

And visiting with friends. Including very exciting visits from home - three cheers for not one visit, but two visits from my dear dear Sara in one week...

And, of course, we've been working on the house. Something about putting a million dollars into the exterior of your house (okay, it was slightly less than that) makes you want to finish all your outdoor projects so the beautiful paint job (and all new windows!) really shines. For me, this meant finishing our front porch. One of my favorite parts about the summer is sitting out front, drinking my morning coffee or reading in the evening or just plain getting some afternoon sun. New light fixture, check. New mailbox, check. And we've wanted to get real porch furniture for the past few summers, but, like rugs, that stuff is hard to pin down. Finally, finally!! we found something online at Home Depot that was just perfect. We ordered Monday night and by the end of the week, we had a giant box on our porch.

Before --

After --

I didn't think the porch looked bad before, but it kind of looks college apartment-like, now that we have mature, adult furniture!

The chairs even rock! Literally! Ha! I just... there aren't even words. My heart is full with love for my front porch. It even looks sweet at night, courtesy of our new light (and Edison bulb) -

To celebrate our cozy new corner, we spent our Saturday night out front, with cocktails and Scrabble.

Clearly explains how Brad actually beat me. By one point. ONE! All vowels, all boozy.