Happy Friday + Friday Favorites!

H-A-P-P-Y Friday!

This week went by seemingly slow... perhaps it's this heat? But I've had that darned day-ahead syndrome! Ya know? Where you're mind is a day ahead of ya'!.... On Tuesday, my mind was convinced it was Wednesday.

Nonetheless, FRIDAY has arrived. Since we finallllllly see non-90 degrees days in our weekend forecast, Alex and I are thinkin' of going on a picnic.  I loved when we did a picnic for our 2-year "dating" anniversary, it was SO fun! + Alex really enjoyed my veggie Chik'n Salad recipe, so we're re-creating it, but veggie style this go around! :)

What can I say, we're a little weird!

June 2009 - Perfect weather!

I've also been wanting to check out a closer by Farmer's Market since the one we used to frequent is a haul and by the time I get there (especially since we moved to this house in 2010), everything is sold out and I'm left with perusing a 3/4 empty market on a hot Saturday morning, so I'm checking out a new one!

Alex will likely be gardening  He has been crazy amazing at what he has done to beautify our front and backyard this summer... Gotta love him! + fixing wherever Poncho keeps getting out of since I got a knock on the door yesterday from a person a street over and north asking if I was missing a beagle?! BAD.DOG.PONCHO.

His nose takes him everywhere and he somehow got over/under/through our fenced in yard and a very nice neighbor brought him back (Not to mention, Alex already has made very many attempts to securely pad the back of the fence for any holes or places he could climb and jump, so we thoughtttt this was taken care.....)

So there's a not-so-memorable moment of the week, but on the flip side!....

I finalllllllllly got to watch Season 6 of Mad Men, which is essentially how I spent an oh-so-not-productive last weekend, but Sunday was so darn H.O.T. that I could barely step outside without melting away, so this was a perfect alternative!... and a good excuse to be a wee-bit lazy ;) 

While I love that this show is smart enough not to drag something out, even when it's oh-so-crazy good, for every show, it's a good idea to end on a high note instead of people saying, is that show really still on?... but it's crazy to think there's only 1 season of this left :( Better savor it! #nothavingcableprobz

This is why I love that I can work from home so I can capture the sweetest moments of our furry kiddos when I can... 

Ruckus (yes, my husband named her after a Wu-Tang Clan song) is known to many as the "devil kitty" cause' she's never not always particularly nice to anyone but Alex and me.... and has an unusual hatred for my father-in-law we still don't really get?!... but seriously, how darn precious does she look in this picture?! She really is the sweetest and cutest looking cat ever! 

She used to hate me too while Alex and I were dating, but then she warmed up to when she realized, I ain't goin' anywhere! Now she's taking an over-liking to me (more than Alex!), maybe cause' I'm home more?... but she kneads SO hard, I can only take it for like a minute before I have to gently push her aside :\

Danger to the wallet alert! Jimmy John's now delivers to our house, and I devoured this delicious #6 Vegetarian sub unusually fast.... but it's gosh-darn-crazy-good!

.... Mouth watering... Better go onto the next one before I accidentally order one.

My boss, Yvonne, I'm telling you... she has a heart unlike anyone I know.  She is the most kind, thoughtful, precious, gentle, gracious.... there just aren't enough adjectives to describe how truly unbelievable she is.  

Not only did she buy me a beautiful bouquet of a dozen roses, but also this incredibly sweet Thank You card came in the mail on Wednesday for hosting the Research Team BBQ last week.  I could not have a better job or a better boss, I'm tellin' ya!

Commence brag on husband-of-the-year award to my Alex cause' I'm tellin' ya'... I really caught me the best fish there ever was! <3 

Alex built (yes... he built and stained that himself!)... and then put up.... and then planted this BEAUTIFUL flower box to jazz up our beforehand pretty boring front yard (except the other great additions Alex has added throughout this summer to punch up that curb appeal for whenever we sell this house... nothing soon, just sayin'!

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...... Had to save the best for last <3

#Internetprobz

I've only been married for coming up on 2 years, so by no means am I proclaiming to be a marriage expert, but I'm just sayin', the little things are the biggest things.. to really make and keep a marriage strong.  I would so much rather get a text like this, than some extravagant gift to "brag about" (which is not me), cause' like I said, THIS is a true gift! Love you babes!

Hope you had a good week and have some fun weekend plans comin' up! Don't melt away for anyone else experiencing my-insides-are-burning-as-I-walk-outside temperatures!

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Now for some great finds from around the WWW!

Click on the link to go to the original source!

Favorite Food: GAZPACHO Since we are up to our ears in cucumbers from our garden since they were hidden under those HUGE leaves, I'm thinkin' this is in order thanks to a great tip from a friend & chef we know.... If you're a fellow Midwestern-ers, stop by his restaurant in St. Quincy, Illinois The Main Course!

I'm not usually a fan of cold soups, but I'm trying to think of it more as a "liquid salad" and does that picture not make you want to lick your screen?!

Favorite MUST-HAVE-NOW: Hot Chocolate If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you've heard me griping saying how desperately bad I have been craving hot chocolate seemingly the very second this heat wave started.... I know, completely crazy! My body thinks backwards apparently?!.. and I'm one of those people that since high school has sudden and very intense cravings that only get more intense until satisfied... and with a picture like this... I'm about to brew me a cup!

Favorite Place: Isle of Capri - Blue Grotto 

My junior year of high school, my step sister, mom and I met up with my sister and other step sister who were both studying abroad in Italy at the time for a 10-day "tour of Italy" where we started in Florence and made our rounds and at one point landed in the Isle of Capri... SUCH a gorgeous little place!... And besides being known for its beauty, known for the "blue grotto" that to my dismay, we didn't go and see as planned and I've been determined to go back one day and see this beauty! You take a boat and go through this teeny-tiny hole into a cave with fluorescent, CRYSTAL blue water unlike anything you've ever seen!.... Must.Go.Now!

Favorite Dessert: Pina Colada Sorbet TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IN ONE DISH a) Pina Colada, b) Sorbet.... I'm not a huge ice cream person, but I loovveee sorbet!... and this in this hot weather, sign me up for a bowl of this please! 

I made a raspberry sorbet last summer that turned out SO DELICIOUS... And for a husband with a sweet tooth the size of Mount of Everest, sorbet is....of course.... the ONE dessert he likes but doesn't inhale in 2 days like everything else. Nonetheless, I'm gonna give this baby a go at some point! :)

Favorite Furry Photo: Can I get some extra ice on the side please?

This picture just cracks-me-up... and I could totally picture my neighbors dogs (who are the cutest pugs ever!) face-planting into a mountain of ice on these crazily hot 100+ degree days!

So.unbelievably.cute.

Have a spectacular weekend my friends!

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You can find me on:

Twitter: @IndysVeggieFix

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