I failed to folllow-up to my blog over a week ago about our first family party at our condo.  Everything went really well!  Jack cleaned the condo on Saturday while I cooked the day away.  Then on Sunday, we went to church and got straight to work once we were home.  My parents offered to come early to help with the final preparations and it was a good thing they did!  My mom helped get some of the food plated and ready for everyone.  My dad and Jack did a number of miscellaneous things - basically anything I asked them to do.  And they saved the day with my cupcake frosting!  I was using the standing mixer my grandma gave me and was thrilled to put it to use, but while I was trying to whip the frosting, the speed kept getting slower and it wasn't fluffing it up.  So, my dad and Jack made the switch for me and used the hand mixer while I kept prepping and cooking and all went well after that. 

We had more than enough food and drinks for everyone.  And thankfully, we had enough seats too, especially since people brought a few for us to borrow.  The families got to talk with one another and the kids played together, which was the whole point of this get together, so it was a great success.  Everyone said they like the food, so I was thrilled for that too!

The final menu was- Appetizers: Guacamole & Chips, Bruschetta with toasted french bread and a big veggie tray, Dinner: homemade Italian beef, marinated chicken wings and drumsticks, green bean and tomato salad and pasta salad, Dessert: Brownies, Cupcakes (made from my grandma's cake recipe-YUM!) and a fruit tray with fruit dip.

Here's a bunch of photos from the preparations and the party.

Me with my new apron, our crockpot and the standing mixer my grandma gave me. :)  (Jack didn't want us to register for a mixer since he didn't think it would get used enough, so I was very lucky when my grandma offered to give me hers.)

Making "Grandma" cupcakes - YUM!

Our Italian Beef - Thanks for the recipe, Aunt Lor!

Bentley was so well behaved all day. He got a BIG treat after everyone went home for the night.

Much like my mom, I had a list of everything that was supposed to get put out for our party, so that I woudn't forget anything. Jack was helping me checking things off while my dad and I got our fruit tray ready.

Me and Annalee

Rhys and Andrew playing on the kitchen island

Jack and I with the dinner all ready for everyone. Let's EAT!

Andrew and Rebecca

We had so many people with March birthdays in both of our families that we put a candle in all of their cupcakes and we all sang Happy Birthday to them.  Happy Birthday Andrew, Rhys, Ania, Mom and Dad!

How's that brownie, Carys? :)

Here's a shot of everyone just relaxing and enjoying dessert.

Most nights this week we've been working to get ready for our family party this Sunday.  I would so much rather do a little bit each night than be completely overwhelmed and have to whip things into shape in a day or two.  Last night, I compiled all the recipes and make my grocery list while Jack volunteered to clean both of our showers.  Normally, I clean the bathrooms as my mom used to tell me that I could make a bathroom sparkle, and Jack handles some chores that I can't stand (like dusting), but who am I to turn down an offer for him to clean the showers?!  He did a great job and really saved me some time and work.  In the words of my mom, "I am pleased but not suprised" that he could do it. ;)

I was a little nervous about the noise we might cause our neighbors, since we have discovered that the insullation between the units is not great.  On top of that, our neighbors downstairs have their condo for sale and we didn't want to cause them any problems in case they have any showings.  Jack emailed them last night to let them know, so hopefully they'll be understanding about it and it won't bother them too much. 

Next up in the preparations are the grocery shopping, condo cleaning and some cooking tomorrow.  Today is our 6 month anniversary, and although we talked about going to dinner, I think we might spend it at CostCo and Dominick's.  Nothing says romance like picking out meat and produce!

In and amongst our preparations, we are going out tomorrow night to celebrate our friend Jen's birthday.  We are heading for a show at Improv Olympics and then out for drinks.  Happy Birthday Jen!

And Happy 6 month Anniversary, Jack!  I feel so lucky to be your wife.

This past weekend, Jack and I headed to my parents' house on Saturday to take care of some things for them.  My brother, Jim, and his two kids were there also, so it was nice to visit with everyone too.  Upon arriving, my dad very quickly offered to make us some french toast.  Now you have to know, my dad makes the BEST french toast (I might be a little biased), so who was I to turn down an offer like that!  I didn't even ask Jack if he wanted some - I just said YES!  While we were enjoying our treat, we all got to talking and my dad asked how I liked the leftover slices of quesadillas that he had sent me home with earlier in the week when I had visited.  Jack immediately turned to me and gave me a look that said "You got quesadillas and you didn't share them with me!!" to which I responded without him having to say anything and said, "He only gave me three tiny slices" and even my dad piped in and said that they were meant for me to eat on my way to pick Jack up from where his car had broken down.  This immediately created a whole lots of jokes and laughter amongst us all, but then while still finishing our french toast, my dad offered to make us some quesadillas to take home.  I know this might sound silly and like it was food overload, but again, he makes the BEST quesadillas.  I don't know what it is and there isn't anything very complicated about it, but I think he just has the timing down right and clearly, they are made with love.  So, within a matter of minutes, we had a bag full of quesadillas to take home. :)  And let me tell you, they were delicious as always!

Then on Sunday after church, Jack offered to make us waffles.  Now, this shouldn't have really surprised me because he does love our waffle maker, but I did wonder a bit if he was trying to make up for the previous weekend when I actually had a taste for a waffle and asked if he was up for making them and he really wasn't.  None the less though, they were quite tasty!

Thanks Dad and Jack!  Love you!

...take some ibuprofen and make chicken fajitas anyway!

So, I left work a little late last night and was stopped at the light to turn onto 22nd Street, which for those not in the area, is a pretty busy street.  I was in the far right turn lane and someone behind me honked for me to go.  I pulled forward ever so slightly (because the person to my left didn't leave me any room to see the oncoming traffic) and I saw more cars coming.  I stopped, but the person behind me didn't and hit the back of my car.  UGH!  Thankfully, she wasn't going 20mph or anything so it wasn't too bad, but she bumped it hard enough that my head flew forward and back again against my headrest.  My head immediately started to hurt and I had QUITE the headache for the rest of the night.  I got out right away and checked my car; thankfully, there was no damage.  We exchanged information anyway, and as I got back into my car nad put my seatbelt on, a car pulled around us to turn, clearly very irritated that we were there and gave me the most evil glare!  Talking outloud to myself in the car said, "So sorry for stopping since someone hit me!"  The rest of the drive was rather uneventful and rather quick because of the holiday.

Once at home, I got a hug from my husband, took some ibuprofen for my headache, and proceeded to make chicken fajitas.  We had invited Steve and Kati over for dinner since Steve and Jack had spent the afternoon together, as they were lucky enough to have the day off.  Jack was a great husband and helped me cut up the fruit for our pre-bottled Sangria and then made dessert while I focused on dinner.  The ibuprofen thankfully started to work and we had a great time with friends.

I forgot to take a picture of this meal.  So many blogs I follow include pictures of the food someone prepares, I have to try to remember to do that more often.

One thing I've been looking forward to is being able to grill out on our balcony.  The only thing missing was the grill!  It turned out that Kristen and Jay had an extra one that they so kindly delivered right to our condo!  I finally got to take it for a spin last week and grilled up some pork chops.  Mary made a fantastic marinade for it as well as a really great red wine vinaigrette salad.  I ended up over-cooking the chops a bit as they were a little dry, but they still had some great flavor.  I'm hoping I'll only get better!