Things I Learned This Weekend

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Good Monday morning my friends! I hope that you had a great weekend and are ready for this week. I don’t know where you are in the world right now, but the weather here in Chicago today is AMAZING!! Fall is definitely in the air and while I am still clinging to my last few days of summer, I am just about ready for my absolute favorite season. And the food that comes with it. Mmmmm food….

Moving on. This past weekend was my sister’s bachelorette party and despite some less than favorable circumstances, I think that everyone had a fairly good time. I’m not a great party planner, and as the MOH I’ve put together her shower and this party. I was really worried that I would throw the worst shower and bachelorette party ever and Jodie would fire me as her sister and MOH. I promise I’m not dramatic at all. But with the help of my mom, sister, and tons of other people, both parties have gone fairly smoothly.

So this weekend was spent with friends and bridesmaids doing things to honor and celebrate the bride-to-be and her upcoming wedding! Here are a few things that I learned this weekend:

Plans can and will change

I mentioned before that we had a few bumps in the road with planning and executing this party. Without going into extreme detail, my sister wasn’t feeling 100% this weekend but didn’t want to totally cancel her party because it was one of the only weekends before the wedding that we could do things. So in about the span of a few hours we worked to totally restructure the weekend to work a little better for her. While we might not have done what she originally wanted/planned, we still managed to have a good time. I was very surprised at my ability to remain fairly calm and collected while all this plan changing was going on because I am a big control freak. Maybe I’m finally maturing. Hahaha yeah right.

Chickens and how they reproduce

Bet you didn’t think that this would come up at a bachelorette party! But hey, we didn’t have a stripper so why not talk about chicken sex. We were playing a game and how chicken’s reproduce came up, don’t ask how. One of my sister’s bridesmaids explained it to the group and we were both intrigued and disgusted. There are some things that might be left to the imagination. If you really want to know, you can check out these charts, but I warn you. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Also, there is a dark and seedy underworld of black market chicken porn…. you had to be there.

I can do art…. sort of

Things I Learned This Weekend | Life Healthfully Lived

I made this!

One of the things that we did this weekend was a wine and art event. You’ve probably heard/seen of these things. Basically, you go to this art studio, bring along some wine, and then an art teacher will teach you how to paint a picture. We went to Bottle & Bottega in Evanston and it was really fun. I highly recommend if you’re looking for a fun activity to check it out. Some of the girls (me included) were a little worried because we aren’t the strongest artists. I regularly mess up stick figures, but we were assured that the instructor really helps you make a good painting. It was fun to do something different and we walked away with some pretty art that we had made with our own little hands… and a few glasses of wine.

P.S. There might have been a pterodactyl in one of the paintings….

There is a lot of love for my sister and her fiance

I have to say that my sister has some amazing friends. People never thought twice about having to change plans at the last second and were always putting my sister and her needs first this weekend. As her big sister, it really touched my heart to see these girls surround her with love and support. Not only do they love her, they really love Andy her fiance and can’t wait to see them get married and start their life together. Plus these ladies can make me laugh until my sides hurt and tears are streaming down my face. I can’t thank them enough for coming and celebrating with Jodie and making this the best bachelorette party I have ever put together (ok, ok it’s the only one I’ve put together!)

We love you Jodie and Andy and can’t wait for your wedding in October!!

Tomato Cucumber Salad and Old Favorites

July 31, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Does anyone else watch TV shows that they have seen a million times? I do. All the time. While I love watching new shows and finding new things to love, a part of me loves the comfort of an old favorite. If you know anything about me, you can probably guess which show I always turn to.

Friends

I own all of the episodes on DVD (even though they are now on Netflix, I still watch the DVD version because there are scenes that are cut out on the Netflix versions) and I will routinely watch them over and over. I can pretty much quote whole episodes, recognize obscure lines, and know what each scene looks like. If Marta Kaufmann and David Crane called me up and told me they needed someone to recreate every single episode on their own, I would be perfect for the job.

Why do I continue to watch Friends over and over and over again? It’s a security blanket. When I’m feeling blue, I know one of Chandler’s jokes can cheer me up. When I’m under the weather, there is no better medicine than Phoebe’s ditzy yet surprisingly poignant logic. I see myself in some of Monica’s obsessive tendencies, Joey gives me encouragement that even if I’m not great at something if I keep at it I can achieve some kind of greatness, and who doesn’t love the on again off again relationship between Rachel and Ross?

It also connects me to the people I love. My mom, sister, and my friend Ashley are all just as big a fans as I am when it comes to Friends. I can randomly text them lines from the show and they know exactly what episode I’m watching. I often relate my life to certain scenarios and they know exactly what I mean. So to make a long story short, Friends is awesome and I’ll never stop watching.

This simple salad is almost as awesome as Friends. It’s the perfect summer side dish because it takes 2 minutes to put together, doesn’t require a stove or oven, and uses in season vegetables. You probably already have most of the ingredients, so whip up a big batch to eat all weekend long because the longer this salad marinates, the better it gets!

Tomato Cucumber Salad- based on this recipe from Rachel Ray

2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
16 oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quartered
3/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste

Wash, peel, and cut the cucumbers and place into a large bowl. Wash and cut the tomatoes and add those in along with the red onion. Mix everything so it’s well combined
Pour in the vinegar and olive oil and stir once again. Finally, add in all the seasonings. Mix everything really well.
Cover and place in the fridge and if possible allow it to marinate overnight. Once it has marinated, taste and adjust any seasonings.

Also, if you’re looking for a delicious and healthy treat to cool off during this hot weekend you should check out my post on Girl.ish this week. I made a PB & J milkshake that tastes like it should be so bad for you but it’s not! Go try it and let me know what you think!

Have a great weekend everyone!

My Weekend in Rolla

February 2, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Hopefully you are all digging yourself out of the snow or maybe you’ve decided to just hunker down and hibernate through this storm. I’ve done a little bit of both. I didn’t do my normal run this morning because there is still snow EVERYWHERE, but I did make a quick trip to the store. I plan on spending the rest of the day inside working though.

I actually had a really great weekend. Thursday I made my way down to Rolla, Missouri to visit my friend Ashley! I hadn’t seen her since she came to Chicago in September so we had some catching up to do. And let me just say we lived it up in Rolla!

We went to the vacuum cleaner museum. Yes this is a real thing. Fun fact, old time-y vacuums freak me out. I don’t know why but they look evil and I feel like they are going to attack me.

Cleaning in the 1920’s with a creepy demon vacuum

We saw the world’s largest rocking chair on historic route 66. Sadly you can’t climb up and sit on it.

We drove through Cuba, MO and looked at a few of the murals and then we spent the rest of the day going to antique stores finding the creepiest children’s toys. Seriously, who made those things? Definitely have demons inside them.

We talked, laughed, ate (delicious taco salads and my Turmeric-Scented Mushrooms), watched Friends and a whole season of The Killer Speaks. Ashley and I are a unique kind of fun and like macabre things like shows about serial killers. Another fun fact, you have a very high chance of being murdered in Missouri. Three out of the five serial killers interviewed on the show were from/killed their victims in Missouri. Good times. Good times.

Sadly, I had to cut my trip a little short and come back early so I could beat the snowstorm. It was great to hang out and laugh about ridiculous things though. Sometimes it’s nice to break out of your normal routine and spend time with friends even if they live in a place where you might run into a murderer…

Have a great Monday and try to have some fun after you dig yourself out of the snow!

How To Have An Amazing Thanksgiving

November 26, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I thought that I would share how to have an amazing day. It’s really quite simple.

Gather your dearest family and friends.

Throwback Thanksgiving!

Add in some laughs, stories/memories, and lots of love.

Stir in some hot apple cider.

Mix in delicious food of all different kinds.

And finish off with a big piece of pie (pumpkin, pecan, apple…. you get the idea)

Our humble dessert table last year

The great thing about this recipe, is that it does well with variations and changes. Whatever your traditions may be on this holiday, I hope that you are able to spend it with the ones you love and remember what you are most thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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