Day 11 - makes you happy

What makes me happy? My son, first and foremost! Here he is with his dog, Gypsy. They were standing on the couch & looking out the window waiting for Dada to get home! Makes me melt <3

Day 10 - self portrait

Eh...not the greatest pic, but hey, it's me! I took this while sitting on the floor doing my makeup. YUP!

Day 9 - front door

Gorgeous, right? It's ok, I don't think so either. See, we're living in a rented house that is stuck in the 60s or 70s. Notice the wood paneling on the wall? Oh, and that thing on the floor? That's to hide the hideous BROWN SHAG CARPETING...and the scratch pad for the cats hanging from the doorknob. WELP...there's our very lovely front door. FINGERS CROSSED, by the end of this year, we'll be back in SoCal living in an updated house. :) Till then, our eyes will all suffer as I post pictures of our humble abode...

Day 8 - sun

This is SORT OF the sun...went grocery shopping and the sky was beautiful, but the sun decided to hide. Took this pic with my old school cell phone. Oh yeah! :)

Day 7 - button

Here's more than just a few buttons...grabbed these out of my craft supplies. Buttons are GREAT to keep on hand for spontaneous crafting impulses. :)

Day 6 - dinner

Seriously, this was my dinner tonight. A little full from pigging out on our leftovers from our Super Bowl party, so I had a handful of these along with some slices of brie cheese (yum!). I found these at the grocery store a few days ago and hadn't tried them yet. But, let me tell you, they are DELISH!

See, I really did eat them for dinner. Straight from the bag to my hand to my mouth. They are so cute and tasty, how could you not?

Got company? Quick & easy recipe!

A few years ago, a bunch of us girls were hanging out (actually...I don't really remember what we were doing or celebrating, but whatev!) and one of my friends brought a new dip she'd made. In a word? HEAVEN. Another word? ADDICTING. Good thing she made a double batch, because I pretty much planted my hungry little self (ok, hungry large self) in front of the dip and pita chips and went at it! It is THAT good. So, as a Super Bowl gift to you (does anyone give gifts for the Super Bowl? Well, they should) I am sharing this recipe. I had to beg, plead, bribe, and cry for this recipe, which finally landed in my email inbox one fine day. Was I excited! I've made this for all kinds of gatherings, and it is always a hit. (My advice: keep all the ingredients on hand always, in case you are ever surprised with some visitors and want to impress! The only ingredient that is fresh is the cilantro, which I usually always have in the fridge anyway...and keep those almonds in the freezer - they will last forever.)

More Addicting Than Crack Dip (<-- I named it, just for fun) :)

3 roasted red peppers (I buy the kind in a jar)
1 cup cilantro
1 1/2 cups blanched almonds, roughly chopped
1 T tomato paste
1 T red wine vinegar
2 t minced garlic

Toss everything into a food processor or blender until as chunky as you'd like. (We like it chunky!) Put into the fridge to let it chill out for a bit, then you're ready to serve it! It goes great with pita chips, but I've started serving it with raw veggies too. Hope you enjoy it!! (And make a double batch - you'll be happy you did!)

Once the little guy wakes up from his nap, I'm going to make a few batches of this, and I'll post a picture. (Don't want the food processor to wake him up!)

Although I'm not a football fan, I wouldn't feel like a proper American if I didn't partake in the Super Bowl festivities today. We are having some family over to celebrate and watch the game - any bets on who will win? I'm just excited for the commercials! :)

*UPDATE:  Here is a pic I took of the dip that I made tonight for our Super Bowl shindig - I didn't have enough almonds to make a double batch, and boy am I sorry!! Everyone loved it (as promised) and it was the first thing to run out. I know you will love it too! If not, you have no heart. (Just kidding. But really, you probably have no heart if you don't like it.)

Sorry for the awful picture, and I know it doesn't look too appealing, but TRUST ME! YUM-O-LICIOUS!!