Just like Olive Garden

Hello, there! Are you enjoying these every "two-day" updates? I feel like I'm going to run out of things to say, but alas, my camera chip always has something to say.  : )

The chevron painting episode of 2011 has been a success! I'm sadly, though, not ready to show her off just yet. David works really long hours and has just not had time to do the touch up needed to really finish her off. He works 6:00 am-4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, and every Saturday, 6:00 am-2:30 pm. He is a really hard, loyal, committed worker. When he comes home, I just really want him to feel that his time here is peaceful, so I try not to "push" too much on him. Tonight, he tackled the office space and tons of paperwork that needed sorted and filing, so I think tomorrow will be a better day for ol' Chevvy.

The process involved some ludicrous measuring. David uses Excel in his sleep, so it is always his go-to when he needs some exact measurements. Once the lines, widths, heights, rows, and angles were all sorted out {you know, the easy part}, he was ready to get started! 

I'm feeling sorry for him at about this point.. he had just come in from mowing our shoebox in the city and was already tired {but not hot! Remember, we stay in the 80's here! Ha!}

So... technically, we are way past this point. The paint has dried, the tape is down, and dining room decor and drapes are hung. It is a bit wild and I know super trendy {which will deter many of you from doing something so wild as this}, but I never regretted doing our harlequin wall and, quite frankly, it single handily sold that house. She said she and her husband would never be able to do something like that on their own and it was worth it to her. And then they made a full price offer. Now, I'm not saying paint will sell your house, but it could make you happier while you cook!

Speaking of which, I made a new recipe that I thought was worth sharing. It is called "Hamburger Soup", but I am renaming it in my cookbook file. We are calling it, "Just Like Olive Garden." No lie. This tasted just like Olive Garden's Minestrone soup. I served mine with french bread and David said more than once how he couldn't believe the similarities. You should try it! It made a big batch with enough for another dinner of leftovers.

And because I just had to share this with my family... I set up the tripod for a few pictures of Harbor and me on Wednesday. Sadly, we just weren't positioned correctly on the couch and I blocked his little body and almost didn't get him in any shots. Poor kid. Ahem.. for example:

Yes, this is the Jessica show. Shameless. and a total accident.

But alas, I found a little gem. I almost skipped right over it. Just look at those eyes and that dimple! I think he loves me in spite of my hogging the camera.  : )