Sunday Strollin'

There's been a miracle! 

     

Of our three acres, about 15% is wooded, 5% is mint (NEVER plant mint in the ground. Containers only, trust me), and the other 80% is weeds. 

But not today. 

     

VICTORY!

Best (And Easiest) White Sangria Ever

Here it is, as promised. The best (and easiest) white sangria recipe ever, adapted from here:

• One bottle of white wine*
• 1/8 - 1/4 cup of sugar (We always use 1/8 cup per bottle of wine, but we like it a little less sweet)
• Juice from one lemon
• One apple and one peach, sliced
• Fresh mint, if you like

Mix it all up, pop it in the fridge and call it a day!

*OK, here's the kicker, my secret sangria weapon: I always use Gazela Vinho Verde white wine. It's not too sweet, and lightly carbonated, so it gives the sangria just the right amount of fizz. Lovely and refreshing on a hot summer night.

Just fyi, we always double the recipe, especially if we have company. Strangely enough, one bottle of wine never seems to go as far when mixed with fresh fruit and poured from a pitcher. I'm sure there's some kind of scientific explanation...

Cheers!

Turning Weeds into Wildflowers

You. Guys.

It has been FOREVER since I last posted. But let me just say, it has been one of those months around here. You know the kind: nothing too terrible goes wrong, but absolutely nothing goes right, either. We've had a whole lot of first world problems over here at the ole' Could-Be Cottage lately, and things have only recently started looking up.



Allow me to give you an example:

About a week ago, Justin took on an extra Saturday shift at the clinic where he works, so Buggy Boy and I were on our own for the entire day/evening.  So, of course, there was a freak tornado warning out of nowhere, and we had to get into the basement in a matter of -30 seconds. This involved wrangling:

1. An almost-2-year-old with a penchant for putting gross things in his mouth and rubbing his belly like they're yummy in his tummy
2. A 100 lb. dog who, for the record, is a huge baby and refused to go down into the basement without being dragged by the collar
3. Every toy within arm's reach because the only other interesting thing for a toddler in our basement is an ever-growing collection of dead bugs, and there isn't enough wine in the world to make that game fun
4. And our emergency kit, including a flashlight, blanket, water, (possibly a couple of 10 lb. weights) and snacks, because heaven forbid we have to sit anywhere for any period of time sans honey Teddy Grahams

While we were down there poking dead bugs with an old board I found reading stories and doing puzzles, I noticed some water had leaked in on one side of the basement. Of course.

We survived the storm, and the next day, Justin went down to the basement to search out the source of the water. It appeared to be coming from a removable panel in the ceiling that leads to God knows where. In a brief, but stupid moment of boldness, he steeled himself, looked up and removed the panel. A flood of mouse poop and this little relic rained down upon him in waves.

(Please note I did not watermark this picture. If you'd like to claim this little beauty as your own, by all means, help yourself.)

Yes, folks. That's a snakeskin. So now we've got that to deal with, as well as a possible (read: definite) black mold problem from all the moisture in the ceiling and wall.

Although, I will say it almost made it all worth it to watch my 6'3", 215 lb. husband, the love of my life, father of my child, yelp and flail his entire body like he was in a Taylor Swift video.

I won't lie guys, it was good.

So here's the good news: things may not be perfect, but we're choosing to focus on the positive. We have our health, a beautiful (if a little waterlogged) home, and each other.

So tonight (the first night in a MONTH that it hasn't been raining), I thought it would be fun to spend a little time with my favorite guy. Defender of basements. Slayer of snakeskins.

Thanks to all the rain we've had lately, it's been impossible to mow, so the yard has been taken over by Queen Anne's lace and Black-Eyed Susans.



And I can't think of a better way to spend an evening than sipping sangria in a field of weeds wildflowers.

I'll be back tomorrow with the world's best white sangria recipe. Seriously, you're going to thank me for this one!