Saw it, Pinned it, Did it - Yogurt Dip!

SPD.  I made this, which I realize is a horrible picture that looks like goo but it tastes awesome!  It's my go-to snack at work now.  Cinnamon Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip.

Yogurt Dip

Here is the original pin:

http://pinterest.com/pin/161003755400167918/

Basically it is 1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt, a tsp of ground cinnamon (or more for taste), 1 Tbl unsweetened peanut butter and either 1/2 Tbl honey or agave nectar.  I used agave nectar and it's plenty sweet for me.  You can use it as a topping for fruit or as a dip with graham crackers.  Tastes delicious and has very few calories.  It helps when I have those sugar cravings and I keep a batch in the fridge at my office.

Etiquette

I consider myself a VERY laid back person and I am usually not too hung up on formalities.  That being said, I was also raised in the South by a mother that could be described as "high strung" which is a nice way of saying that she will put a boot up your ass if you commit an etiquette sin.  I'm trying to roll with the modern times and I get that people are far less formal thanks to technology but there are a few things that my inner Emily Post just can't abide.

Pinterest - This is a lot like me sometimes

1.  Email Thank You's for Formal Events/Gifts.  An email thank you is fine for a last minute or small kindness, such as a friend picking up the tab for your glass of wine or a "thanks for getting the dog food last night" to the hubby or roommate.  However, I do not think email thank yous are appropriate for formal events and gifts - wedding gifts, shower gifts, birthday gifts.  Send a written thank you.  You don't even need to buy fancy stationary but if someone cared enough to come to a party for you, celebrating some event in your life, then it won't kill you to write out a thank you card, put a stamp on it and drop it in the mail.

2.  Evites for Events, Instead of Real Invitations.  I am fine with Evites for informal, last minute get togethers or for recurring events like monthly girls book club.  However, if it is your engagement party, wedding, shower for wedding or baby or a big to-do event like your parent's 50th wedding anniversary or something along those lines, then buy or make decent, paper invitations.  I am lazy so I tend to just go to Papyrus and order a bunch and have them printed but I know that there are waaaaaay less costly ways to get formal invites out.  Personally, I think invitations set the tone for the event and I think people are far less likely to bail last minute if they RSVP'd to a real invitation, which brings me to my next point....

3.  Last Minute Bailing.  I will admit that even I have been guilty of this.  I am really bad about remembering to put things on my calendar, like book club which tends to move around.  If it's not on my calendar then it's about a 50% chance, or less after I get into my wine cabinet, that I will remember it.  However, if I do remember it or it's on my calendar, then I will do my best to get my butt there.  Sure, there are plenty of valid reasons to pull a last minute bail, including illness, work, last minute issues with kids, house, etc... I don't get too judgmental about the last minute bail on informal dinners, parties, etc...  I really get miffed though if someone has RSVP'd to a formal event (like a wedding) and then just pulls a no-show with no excuse, call or notice.  That's just rude b/c I can guarantee that your food and drink has already been paid for by the host.

4.  PayPal.  Okay.  [Insert prolonged sigh]. This is a new one to me that just came up this week and got me thinking about etiquette. A "friend" of mine ( fine, it's a family member), just got engaged two weeks ago.  Great - congrats to her.  However, on her Facebook page, she has installed a Paypal link and has requested that people make cash donations to their "Wedding Fund."  Am I insane or is this unbelievably tacky?  I get that they are a young couple w/o a lot of money for a fancy wedding.  Guess what?  Neither was I.  We saved, put things on credit cards and cut back on a lot of things we wanted for our wedding and cut our guest list short so we could have a small event that was half-way decent and hopefully enjoyable for everyone.  We never asked for donations and that thought would have never crossed my mind.  My feeling on this is that people give you wedding gifts to help you start your new life together - they do not pay for your wedding.  You should be focused on the marriage part, not the wedding "I get to have a party" part.  This just rubbed me the wrong way but maybe I am being old fashioned.

5.  Paper Plates.  Unless it is a really casual BBQ at the lake, your backyard or you are serving young children, I do not want to see a paper plate at a dinner party.  It's just a thing I have - sorry.  Not even that fancy Chinet crap is acceptable. I have heard every excuse in the book on this one from "I don't want anything to get broken" to "I don't want to wash all those dishes."  I understand that sentiment so the answer is "Don't agree to host."  Last time I checked, there are not any rogue bands of armed people going around forcing you to host random dinner parties.  Real plates and glasses, please.  Unless you're doing a white trash themed party and then break out the Red Solos and the Dixie Plates.

Any other etiquette pet peeves?

Did it! Ran a 15K!

Ran my first 15K this past weekend.  9.3 miles, which is the longest I have ever run.  I realize it's no marathon but given that I couldn't have run even a half mile 2 years ago, I'm pretty proud of my accomplishment.  I also knocked one of my new year's resolutions off the list as I wanted to run at least a 10K this year.

I have to say that the race was much easier than I thought it would be.  By the time I hit the halfway point I was thinking what a piece of cake it was.  Don't get me wrong, I was sore and tired the next day and my ankles and quads were feeling it but overall it wasn't bad at all.  My husband Steve and next door neighbor Gary ran it as well.  I finished it in 1 hour 28 minutes and 7 seconds with an average pace of 9:32 per mile.  My goal was to try and finish with at least a 10 minute mile pace so I exceeded that as well!  Of course, Steve left me in his dust and finished with a pace of 8:36 per mile but who's counting?

Steve and I after the race!

Austin Weekend!

Steve and I had an amazing weekend in Austin. The weather could not have been more perfect - 75 degrees and sunny the entire time. We walked everywhere, had amazing food, sat outside on every patio we could find and enjoyed every moment.

We arrived on Friday afternoon, checked in at The Four Seasons on the lake and had a cocktail in the lobby bar. Then we walked down Congress Avenue for dinner at Perlas,  an amazing seafood place. Chargrilled octopus, wood plank grilled scallops, cheddar grits and a great bottle of white wine were fantastic. Everything was delish. A few more drinks at The Cedar Door bar downtown and we called it a night.

Cocktail at the Four Seasons

Dinner at Perlas - Steve is not sleeping, I have bad timing

The next day started off with a light room service breakfast of coffee and granola.  After that we went to the spa for massages. I also used their eucalyptus steam room.  We cleaned up and headed out for South Congress Avenue and lunch.  We sat on the patio at Doc's on Congress and had some great chips and guacamole...and a margarita.

Chips and Guac at Docs

We walked and shopped for a few hours before heading back to the hotel to freshen up.  We decided to cancel our dinner reservations for Fonda San Miguel and stay downtown instead.  We ended up having tapas at Malaga on 2nd Street, which were great and then had a few beers and watched some live music at Fado's on Fourth Street.

On the patio at Malaga

The next day we slept in, went for a nice run on the lake and then had brunch at our hotel with Steve's mom.  We shopped a little more in the 2nd Street area before catching our 5pm flight back home.  The weather was so amazing that it was really hard to leave!

View of downtown from Congress Ave bridge

View of the Colorado River (Lady Bird Lake)

The Austin Motel on Congress Ave - an Austin landmark!

The weekend went by way too fast!