Catching Up

 

It's been awhile! Here's a little catch-up from my life lately.

 

Last weekend we went to a friend's b-day celebration on Friday & to another friend's baby shower on Saturday. It was W's weekend off, so we filled it with fun. I am so thankful for the friends that I have! The 3 with me in the picture above are from high school. It's super rare that we're all together at the same time! I'm happy for these moments. 

 

 

On Sunday, we met up with another set of friends for a hike & then dinner at Sly Fox Brewing Co. On the way to dinner, we passed a craft distillery, so after we ate we walked over & tried it out. We were impressed by Manatawny Still Works. They distill vodka, rum, & whiskey. Between the 4 of us, we tried all 3 & we were impressed. Plus, aren't the drinks so pretty?? 

 

I saw this little thought-provoking list on Jessica's blog & thought it would be a fun thing to share:

Eating / lots of Mexican - enchiladas, guacamole, & salsa! also, grilled pizzas.
Drinking / kombucha!  it's also on my summer fun list to try a few new cocktails. i've been pinning some ideas here
Practicing / patience. yikes.
Mastering / headstands & a 30-day ab challenge. i'm aiming to learn an arm balance & mastering these two things should help.
Learning / to really listen when other people talk. i'm good at interrupting & i'm trying to stop that.
Trying / not to freak out that 2014 is basically half over. life is speeding by.
Playing / with new hairstyles. i'm trying lots of braids & some no-heat curling techniques.
Finishing / all the food i have stored in the freezer, to make room for preserving this summer's goodies
Reading / Inferno by Dan Brown
Remembering / last weekend & all the fun with friends.
Wearing / shorts, at last!
Cooking / lots & lots of veggies. tis the season!
Working / in our garden. things are flourishing & there is a lot to pick & weed! plus, i still have some planting to do & i'm trying not to let my tomato plants get out of control this summer.
Traveling / nowhere for awhile, but looking forward to future plans
Wanting / a simpler life

Berry Boost Smoothie

Don't you just love a good smoothie? Thick & creamy with the bright flavor of berries? Yum!

Sometimes I get carried away with smoothies & add all kinds of stuff, but these are pretty plain & simple. The berries & banana add plenty of sweetness, so there's no need for added sugar. The chia seeds add healthy omega-3 fats, plus protein. They also make it super thick. I think it's much better with them added, but if you don't have any on hand, you can substitute ground flax seeds, or omit.

I love the super subtle coconut flavor the coconut milk adds, but any milk will work. Usually I would use almond milk, but I made a batch of coconut milk this weekend (recipe here, it's super simple!) & wanted to try it out.

Adding a handful of greens is just a nutritional bonus. You can't taste them, but you get all of the nutrient goodness. Too easy! 

As far as smoothies go, these are on the lighter side - no protein powders or nut butters - so they could be a light breakfast or a nice afternoon snack. Either way, they're delicious!

Enjoy!

Berry Boost Smoothie

Serves 2

1 bag of frozen mixed berries (12 oz.)

1 frozen banana

2 T chia seeds

2-3 c refrigerated coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)

1 handful of kale (or spinach)

Combine all ingredients, starting with 2 cups of milk, in a high speed blender and blend. Add more milk if needed, blending until smooth.

If you don't own a high speed blender, see my tips on blending the greens first here.



Mint Chocolate Green Smoothie + Green Ice Cubes

I have a little secret to share! I'm sure you have all heard about the green smoothie craze that's everywhere. Maybe you've thought they're gross, or maybe you've wanted to try them, but are overwhelmed by all the fresh greens you'd need to keep on hand.

If you think they're gross, I promise you they're not! Start small, with just a handful of spinach, and I guarantee that you won't even notice it's in there. Even if you never add any more than that, at least you're still getting in some greens & all the nutrients that they hold!

If you're in the second group & overwhelmed by the vast quantity of greens you'd need to keep on hand, this tip is for you!

Whether you're a gardener or shop at farmer's markets, there's no question that greens are fresher, tastier, & cheaper when they are in season. I grow kale, Swiss chard, spinach & mixed lettuces each year. They're easy to maintain & they produce quite a lot! Toward the end of the season, I always have an abundance of kale & Swiss chard that I hate to see go to waste when the first frost comes. I take an hour one day in the fall to pick as much as possible, clean it, and make green ice cubes for our winter smoothies. It's easy & I'm always so grateful to have them when greens aren't so abundant.

Taking the time out to make the green ice cubes encourages me to make more green smoothies in the winter. I never have to worry about whether I bought fresh greens or how expensive they might be. I just reach in the freezer, pull out a handful of green cubes, & my smoothie is suddenly full of extra nutrients! I love knowing that these greens were freshly picked & frozen right away, straight from my garden.

 I know that now isn't the best time to be making green ice cubes, but I hope that you'll remember this & try it in the fall. If you start now, you could even try growing some kale yourself! Plant the seeds, water them occasionally, & watch them grow. You can dine well this summer/fall + have green ice cubes during the winter. In the meantime, if you want to try this smoothie, just use a couple handfuls of whatever greens you have on hand.

I thought this smoothie tasted like mint chocolate chip ice cream, so I just had to share. I think that if the Bup wasn't eagerly awaiting his half, I might have drank the whole thing! :-)

 
Mint Chocolate Green Smoothie
Serves 2

2 frozen bananas
6 green ice cubes (or 3-4 handfuls of spinach/other greens)
1 tsp. chia seeds
1/4 tsp. mint extract
1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used vegan, non-GMO Pure Matters Chocolate Pea Protein)
2-3 c unsweetened almond milk

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender & process until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses and serve immediately. Smoothie can also be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days. Shake/stir before serving.

Green Ice Cubes

3 bunches of kale, washed
3 bunches of Swiss chard or collard greens, washed
water

Remove the tough bottom part of the stems (about 1/3 up the stalk - the rest should blend just fine). Working in batches, tear leaves into pieces and blend in a high speed blender* with just enough water to allow the greens to move around. Once the first batch is blended, pour 2/3 of the greens into ice cube trays. Add more torn leaves into the 1/3 remaining mixture and blend again. By leaving some of the mixture in the blender, it allows the greens to blend more easily so that you don't need to add as much water. Continue this process until all greens are blended. Place filled ice cube trays in freezer. Once frozen (to be safe, allow at least 10 hours), remove cubes and store in zip lock freezer bags in the freezer. Remove cubes as needed, making sure to reseal the bag. Frozen green cubes should last about 6 months.

*If you don't have a high speed blender, I think you could use a food processor or a regular blender. You may need to completely remove the stems & add more water to get the greens properly blended.

Christmas Cookie Baking

Last Saturday we went to my parents' house & baked 6 batches of Christmas cookies!

My mom made the Lime & Ginger Chewies shown above, plus some Spicy Gingerbread Twigs. Both recipes were from the December issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Their cookies recipes for this year are full of variety.

We had some issues with the first batch of the Lime & Ginger Chewies. They spread a lot during baking & we wound up having to cut them apart (hence the squares in the upper right of the pic above). If you make these, space them far apart on the cookie sheet! They really are chewy cookies, which we love. Plus, the lime flavor shines through perfectly without overwhelming the cookies.

The Spicy Gingerbread Twigs are like hard sticks of gingerbread cookie. Much easier to make than rolling & cutting out gingerbread men, but with the same flavor. I'd suggest omitting the cayenne pepper if you're serving them to kids. It adds quite a kick.

I baked 2 kinds of biscotti. The ones pictured above are Anisette Biscotti from BrownEyedBaker.com. I used sambuca for the anisette liquor, & coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.  They're more soft & crumbly than what I think of biscotti as being, but the flavor is sooooo good!

The other biscotti I made was from Eating Well. I made this Double Chocolate Biscotti before a few years ago & it is just as good as I remembered! The traditional Italian biscotti does not have any added oils/fats, but uses eggs instead. This recipe follows that tradition. It has a rich chocolate flavor without being overly sweet.

If you're a huge chocolate fan like me, try dipping these into hot cocoa. It's delicious!!

Dad & Bup made pizzelles. Can you tell we have some Italian background in this family? :-) My grandma gave us this pizzelle iron as a wedding gift. I made pizzelles with it once before the Bup took over that job. He & my dad make a great team.

Dad mixes up the dough & then the Bup cooks them. He has a timing system down pat.

Their first batch was Almond Apricot Brandy flavored & the second was Anise. I'd share the recipes with you, but Dad guards his recipe card with his life. He has so many alterations to the original recipe that you can barely read the card. I'm going to have to copy it down at some point so we can preserve the recipe.

They're hard to tell apart by sight on a cookie platter. We store them in separate tins & label them so we know what we're getting without having to take a bite.

We had pre-dinner drinks to finish off a successful afternoon of cookie baking. This recipe was a new discovery from one of our drink books. It's called Fire & Ice, and is made from equal parts Sambuca, Brandy & Triple Sec.  Our day had an anise theme to it: biscotti, pizzelles, & drinks.

Having tasted these once before, I opted for the small glass. This is a strong drink!

 Here's to a festive & joyous Christmas season full of cookies!

Cheers!

Fresh Apple Beet Juice

Our town's juice bar just closed. One of our favorite things to do on Saturdays was to go to the local market for a few items, & get a fresh juice at the same time. We made one final stop a few weeks ago on their last day open, & have been thinking about it since.

When I found myself with some extra produce, I decided it was time to try our juicer again. My mom gave us her old one & we had used it once, then put it away. I brought it up from the basement to try again.

It's fun to put in the chunks of fruit/veggies & watch the juice & pulp come out in 2 different spots. Juicers are pretty amazing!

Fresh juice is a great way to pack in vitamins & minerals from fresh produce without all of the bulk. Your body is easily able to assimilate the nutrients in juice form. While you wouldn't usually sit down & eat several fruits & veggies in one sitting, it's easy to drink them all.

It is a good idea to use organic produce when juicing. Since you are ingesting so many items at once, the pesticide content is more concentrated. If it's not possible to get all organic, at least try to buy organic for the Dirty Dozen. (For this recipe, the apples are highest in pesticides.)

My favorite part about fresh juice? The foam on top.

Just look at it! All frothy & delicious.

This particular juice is fairly sweet, perfect for beginning juicers. Although I think some cabbage or romaine lettuce would be great additions, we didn't have either to add. The lemon adds a nice tartness & the apples add enough sweet to counter the earthiness of the beets. The combination also produces such a pretty color of pink!

Fresh Apple Beet Juice

3 small beets
3 medium carrots
1 large apple
1 lemon

Trim stems from beets & carrots. Peeling is not necessary. Chop each into chunks small enough to fit into your juicer. Remove stem & seeds from the apple; chop into quarters. Peel the lemon & divide into quarters.

Feed chunks into the juicer, following juicer instructions. Drink immediately. Reserve pulp for future use or compost it.

If you do not have a juicer, you can still make fresh juice! Just use your blender to combine all of the ingredients & then strain through a cheesecloth, squeezing to release all of the juices. You could also make a smoothie, if you don't want to bother with straining.

Hot Apple Cider with Peach Rum

Last week, I posted about our dinner at Great Sage Organic Green Cuisine & I mentioned that the Bup had the Fireside Orchard to drink. It's been on our minds ever since, so I decided to try to replicate it.

I knew we had a random bottle of peach rum somewhere, & when I found it, I realized it had just enough to make us each 1 drink. Perfect!

To keep the cider from losing it's edge, I did not bring it to a boil. As soon as it started to steam, I turned off the heat & stirred in the rum. If you prefer your cider to have a smoother taste, you may want to boil it briefly.

I love the way the peach plays off the apple in this drink. It tastes just like summer mixed with fall, with the juicy peach & the crisp apple flavors blending perfectly.

This would make a great after dinner drink for with Thanksgiving dinner! It's light & warming, perfect for settling down with while visiting with family & friends, or for wrapping your hands around after coming in from the cold.

Hot Apple Cider with Peach Rum

Serves 2

2 c apple cider

1/4 c peach rum

2 cinnamon sticks

In a small pan over medium heat, warm the cider. When it starts to steam, remove from heat to prevent boiling. (This should take about 5 minutes.) Stir in peach rum. Divide evenly between 2 glasses or mugs & garnish with cinnamon sticks. Enjoy immediately - that's an order! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Blueberry Oat Super Smoothie

For our 3 year anniversary, my parents gave us a VitaMix. Since then, we started the tradition of having a green smoothie every Sunday morning before church. I usually stick to the same general mix, but when I come across a tasty looking smoothie recipe online, I can't resist trying it out.

I don't often have all of the right ingredients, so I can't say that I've ever recreated any recipe exactly, but many have come close. This particular smoothie inspiration came from the Whole Foods recipe site. I added spinach for extra nutrients & changed up a few other ingredients for things we had on hand.

It's very dark because of the blueberries & spinach together, but don't let that fool you. It's delicious!

This one drink is loaded with antioxidants from the blueberries, omega-3 fatty acids from the flax, and vitamins & minerals from the other ingredients. It's a super smoothie, guaranteed to fuel you through a busy morning. Drink & enjoy!

Blueberry Oat Super Smoothie

Adapted from Whole Foods

Serves 2

1/2 c orange juice

1 c coconut milk (refrigerated, not canned)
2/3 c frozen blueberries
1/2 c old-fashioned oats
1 T flax seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small frozen banana

1 large handful spinach

If using a high speed blender:

Add all ingredients to the blender, process, and enjoy!

If using a regular blender: 

Add spinach, flax seeds, milk, and orange juice to blender. Process until mixture looks smooth, and then process for another 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour and enjoy!

Note: Smoothie will keep in an airtight container overnight in the refrigerator but may have a thinner consistency than when fresh.



Lime Rhubarb Margaritas

How was your weekend? Mine was great!

On Friday night, we enjoyed these yummy drinks while we waited to see if it was going to rain. After we decided it wasn't, we headed out for a walk. Ten minutes later, the rain came. Since we were already soaked, we just continued our walk. One of our happiest dating memories was when we went for a walk in the rain at his church's camp grove, so we love rainy walks!

Saturday I got a free food processor from a neighbor/friend. I immediately went home & made cashew butter & pizza hummus. Yum!!

I had wine & homemade pizzas with some girlfriends on Saturday night, along with some great chat time. We don't see each other often enough!

Then on Sunday, we played handbells for the last time of the season (yay for summer break!) & then went to lunch w/ the in-laws.

Since we didn't have any real plans for Cinco de Mayo, I figured it was important to at least have a margarita! These were a delicious blend of sweet & tart, with the all important hint  of tequila. If I had more patience, I would've salted the glass rims, but by the time we got to that, I just wanted to have one. :-) Feel free to experiment to suit your taste.

Cheers!

Lime Rhubarb Margaritas

Syrup adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Serves 1

1.5 oz. tequila

1 oz. triple sec

1 oz. lime juice

4 oz. rhubarb syrup (see below for recipe)

slice of lime

ice

Add a few ice cubes to a medium glass. Pour in tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and rhubarb syrup. Stir. Garnish with a slice of lime & enjoy!

Note: A salted rim would be delicious here! Wet the rim of an empty glass with your lime slice, then dip in a shallow plate of salt.

Rhubarb Syrup

Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Makes about 3 cups

2 pounds rhubarb stalks, chopped (6-8 large stalks)
1 c raw sugar
1/2 c honey

2 c water

1/3 c freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)

In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, & honey. Stir to coat & let set for 30 minutes, stirring now and then. The sugars should begin to pull out the juices of the rhubarb, creating a syrup on the bottom of the pan.

Add the water & simmer gently over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for about 10 minutes or the rhubarb starts to break down. Strain into a bowl through a fine-mesh strainer. Pour liquid back into the now empty pot, stir in the lime juice, & return to a simmer. Allow simmer for about 15 minutes or until the syrup starts to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator.  Extras can be used for more margaritas, on pancakes, with seltzer water, etc.

Note: The rhubarb pulp can also be kept in the refrigerator & used like a jam. We've had it on toast, biscuits, & by the spoonful!

Cherry Infused Vodka

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

From the beginning of January until mid-March, I have the same thing on my to-do list: file taxes. It stays on there for a long time because first I have to wait for all the paperwork, & then I have to wait until I'm ready to commit to actually spending a precious evening pulling everything together.

So since this is no one's favorite thing to do, I've designed the perfect process for us.

1. Slowly accumulate all your tax info into a folder 

2. Buy some cherries & a bottle of vodka

3. Combine the two

4. Mark you calendar for 1 month later

5. Strain out the cherries

6. Pour some of your creation into a glass with ice

7. Sit down & do your taxes

See? Fool-proof! Maybe we should make this an annual thing.

I started making this on February 11. It really took a lot of effort.

 It requires 4 weeks of patience, but don't let that intimidate you! It's simple. Just a little shake each day to keep things mixed.

Look at how much richer the red is after just 1 week! The cherries are almost white because the vodka leached out most of their color. They look pretty gross, actually.

A month later, wah-lah! Flavored vodka. The real deal, no artificial flavors or food coloring. Just pure sour cherry.

It didn't get much darker as the weeks went on, but the longer soaking time makes it all the more flavorful.

Let's have a toast to taxes!

Note: Don't eat the cherries after soaking, unless you're into chewing on intensely vodka flavored rubber.

Sour Cherry Infused Vodka recipe at MyMansBelly.com

I used 1.5 pounds of washed, stemmed, & pitted frozen sour cherries & 1.75 L of 80 proof vodka. The recipe said that I didn't have to pit them, but we received them that way. I feel like the pits probabaly contributed a richer color, but either way, this still tastes like cherries!

Chocolate Martinis

In 2009, I discovered martinis.

For Valentine's Day, the Bup & I went to a Martini Mixology class as part of Chocolate Covered February. We learned how to make 5 martinis, one of which was the signature Hershey's chocolate martini. The class was a ton of fun, so if you ever have an opportunity like that, try it!

I never really had a martini before then, but I've tried a bunch of flavors since.

Chocolate, peanut butter cup*, blueberry, candy cane, apple, key lime & lemon drop, to name a few.

*These are dangerously delicious. It's like dessert in a cup. The peanut rum creme liqueur for this is super hard to find, so I've only made them once as a birthday celebration with some friends. Try it!

I read somewhere that if you offer someone who's full dessert, they'll say no, but if you offer them a martini, they'll say yes.

Hello, chocolate martinis!

This drink is a spin off of the ones we created in the mixology class. For New Year's Eve this year, we had these, & when I went to the store for the marshmallow vodka, I saw chocolate whipped vodka on sale. Buying it was a no brainer (can't resist chocolate!), but when I got home, I just stuck it in the basement & sort of forgot about it.

So then last weekend I went back to the store for something else (recipe coming soon!) & saw crème de cacao on sale. Another no brainer purchase.

When I got home, I told the Bup that I'm never shopping for liquor again. I keep seeing yummy flavors on sale & telling myself liquor doesn't really go bad, I'll come up with something I'll definitely want that for! He can go in for 1 item & leave with 1 item. I need to practice restraint.

At least the same theory applies to me when I'm in the produce section. "Oh look! Eggplant & broccoli are on sale!" & then I get home to find there's not room in the fridge. We never have trouble finished the veggies though!

Don't judge me. :-) Those martini glasses are always spilling. Whoever decided to put pure alcohol into a glass like that was either really dumb or really smart. I haven't decided yet.

 We split this recipe into 2 smaller martinis, but the full recipe will fill a regular martini glass.

So now, after all that, I bring you this yummy creation.

Chocolate Martini
Serves 1 (large) or 2 (small)

3 ounces chocolate whipped vodka (vanilla vodka would work, too)
2 ounces crème de cacao
1 ounce amaretto
hot cocoa powder


Pour a thin layer of hot cocoa powder onto a shallow dish. Use a small amount of water to wet the rim of a martini glass. Turn glass upside down in the cocoa powder to coat the rim. Combine all ingredients (I measured using a jigger but a measuring cup works fine) in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until cold. Pour into martini glass & enjoy!

My January Garden

Welcome to 2012! I'm easing into the year slowly, but I think I'm finally recovered from the flu that had me beat for the first 5 days of January.

Did you all celebrate the new year with a bang? We stayed at home & had my parents over for dinner & games. Dinner was good, but the drinks were the real hit. Creamsicle mimosas. Oh.my.deliciousness. Just do it. It's totally worth the splurge on a bottle of marshmallow vodka. It might even still be on sale - I was pleasantly surprised & figured it being on sale meant this must be the perfect drink. I'm already pondering spiked hot cocoa...

Things are looking brown with some splashes of green around the garden. Nothing like during the summer, but I'm happy to report that I still have some kale, lettuce, & spinach growing!

I baby it by tucking it under a sheet every night.

And un-tucking it in the morning so that it gets some sun. All of the leaves that fell from our tree give it some insulation, too.

The other lettuce has a glass cover, so I don't need to uncover it during the day. I love seeing the lines of frost on the glass in the mornings! 

The kale looks like palm trees & tastes so sweet. It's hardy enough that I don't cover it at all. Some nights it freezes, but during the day the sun thaws it out & it keeps growing. We've been enjoying it as salad & lightly cooked with garlic.

It's a little extra work to remember to cover & uncover the garden each day, but it's worth it for fresh greens. Here's to eating plenty of greens in 2012!

Fruity Sangria

 

Yum.

It was a food & fun filled weekend.

1. Sort of sleeping after an evening with some great girls!

2. Eating Saturday morning bagels & playing Bananagrams

3. Marching in the Christmas parade through town

4. Roasting an entire huge pumpkin & eating at least half of it (Why am I not orange yet? I can't get enough of this stuff!!)

5. Decorating our Christmas tree

6. Reading a hilarious version of the 12 Days of Christmas

7. Drinking Sipping Chocolate from Trader Joe's

8. Watching the children's Christmas program at church

9. Having lunch with my church family

10. Baking 10 kinds of cookies with the Bup, Mom & Pops

11. Eating a zillion cookies & loving every bite

12. Trying out the new elliptical

 

Fruity Sangria
Serves 6

1 bottle of dry red wine(750 mL)
2 c fruity blush wine
8 oz. seltzer water
2/3 c orange juice
1/4 c brandy
1/3 c Triple Sec
1 orange
1 apple
1 lemon
1 lime
1 c pineapple chunks, fresh or canned

Thinly slice the orange, lemon & lime, peeling off some of the rinds to eliminate any bitter flavor. Core & thinly slice the apple, keeping the peel in tact. Combine all of the fruit in a large pitcher or other glass container (I used our sun tea container!). Pour both wines, seltzer water, orange juice, brandy & triple sec over the fruit. Stir gently with a large spoon to combine. Refrigerate 12 hours or overnight. Enjoy cold, garnished with the soaked fruit.

The Birthday Celebration That Just Doesn't End!

I'm prolonging this birthday as long as possible. So far, it's going on 1.5 weeks. :-D

Don't count, okay?

Mom & Dad were away for the week, so they had us over for the "official birthday dinner" on Sunday.

We started with olive bruschetta & goat cheese toasts. They were really good! The recipe was from Better Homes & Gardens, and it was actually an Olive-Cherry Bruschetta, but Mom left the cherries & prosciutto out. I'm glad, cause it was delicious as it was. We decided that anything with lime juice in it is always excellent.

For pre-dinner drinks, I brought Pumpkin Mudslides. The Food Network posted a mini-recipe on Twitter that I had to try. If you like pumpkin & you like Bailey's, this is for you. Yum!

To compliment the pumpkin in the mudslides, we also had roasted butternut squash candy.

Dinner was a white lasagna that was chock full of veggies!

Broccoli, cauliflower, onions, mushrooms, kale, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, & tomatoes with whole wheat lasagna noodles & a variety of cheeses.

Pairing Wine: Riesling, compliments of Dad's wine making

When we go to dinner at my parents, Mom always makes sure to have a super huge salad. Half for me, a quarter for her, the rest for the guys to split. :-)

My traditional birthday cake is always white with chocolate icing. It's my all time favorite, at least when it's made by Mom! She made Happy Day cake, which is an older recipe that she's tweaked a little to make it healthier. I love cake!

After dinner, we played pinochle. All of my hands looked about like this...decent but nothing special. Mom & I were a team against the guys, just like last weekend. We lost, but only by a little! I guess they deserve to win sometimes, too. ;-)

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! It always goes by WAY too quickly!