Parties!

Chili with all the fixings!

One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to make time CELEBRATE more! (It's a tough gig, but somebody's gotta do it.)

We started out with a New Year's Eve celebration. Hubs made juicy steaks, we invited my family over, and we shot fireworks! (I absolutely LOVE shooting fireworks with my Dad. He loves them so much that it makes me love them more.) Clay and Dad were both driving everyone crazy with those poppy firecrackers that you throw at people's feet! They are both big kids!

Then, we hosted a fun Super Bowl party. I made a giant pot of chili, a big bowl of guacamole, some cornbread muffins, and a pitcher of margaritas. We polished it off with chewy, nut-studded brownies. I invited some of my best buds over,

Clay's celebration dinner

and we watched the game (in the cases of some) and the commercials (in the cases of others).

Also in January, I had a bunch of people over for my birthday. I was turning (coughcough) years old, and I thought I should mark it by making the most decadent chocolate Nutella berry concoction I could find on Pinterest. (Needless to say, the cake was a hit.)

Then, there was Valentine's Day. Hubs and I usually don't go out on the actual Valentine's Day, mainly because every restaurant is crazy-crowded. But this year, Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday, and there was a swanky restaurant I'd been wanting to go to with him. Seafood R'evolution has opened a branch in Ridgeland. I've eaten at their New Orleans location before, and I knew hubs would love it! So, I made a reservation and pulled out my red dress.

Hilariously, about three days before Valentine's Day, I got an abrasion on my eye. So I had to wear an eye patch out on my Valentine's Day dinner. And just let me say this - if you want to set all the Jackson suburbanites talking, roll into Seafood R'evolution on Valentine's Day all gussied up and wearing a black eye patch. (Bonus points if you go with your husband but forget to wear your own wedding ring!! Heee heeee!!)

Happy birthday to three of my favorite guys!

In March, hubs and I took little man out for a special dinner in recognition of his AWESOME report card. We told him he could pick any restaurant he liked, and he chose Table 100. We gussied up for the occasion. (He wore his sweet little vest, tie, and hat - ADORABLE!) It was such a fun night, and he felt so special!

In April, I celebrated the birthdays of three of my favorite guys! Both of my nephews and my daddy have early birthdays, and I thought it was the perfect occasion for another get-together. I made a big, beautiful leg of lamb, with crispy roasted potatoes and asparagus. We bought a rich chocolate torte from Broad Street, put some candles in it, and broke out the party hats and noisemakers! It was so much fun that I'm thinking of making this a tradition!

Sweet Erin Kate and our Kentucky Derby table

In early May, one of my best friends hosted a Kentucky Derby party! We all threw on big hats and brought covered dishes. We drank mint juleps, gabbed, ate delicious food, and cheered like longshoremen for our chosen horses. I bet on American Pharoah!

And lastly, to celebrate our anniversary, hubs and I went to Washington D.C. for a week! (More about that trip later.)

But so far this year, I'm thrilled to be actually keeping one of my resolutions! Maybe the trick is to make resolutions that you really WANT to keep? ;-)