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I feel like it’s been forever since I recapped what I would consider an “average” weekend for us. I was so excited to be home this weekend. I lost all but one of my weekends to travel in November, so being home and having virtually no plans was something I looked forward to all week.

We started our Saturday morning off with a little shopping. We absolutely hate shopping, especially during the holiday season when other shoppers seemingly turn into slow-moving zombies, so we grouped all of our miscellaneous trips into one big one.

One of our stops was to the pet store for a jacket for Matilda. She of course loves it. Too bad the weather is in the 70s…

I tried to put Clive’s on, but he stubbornly muscled out of it…

We then hit up Bed Bath & Beyond for some new kitchen utensils. We’ve been holding on to more than a few that are well past their prime. I’ll spare you a photo, just take my word for it. It’s embarrassing.

By the third store, Neil was starving, so we stopped by House of Chow  on our way home for veggie stir-fry and Springfield-style Cashew Chicken. They are the only people in town who really do it right, so when we desperately need an emergency homesickness fix, we always turn to them.

When we got home, I started washing and putting our new utensils away, and decided that it was pointless to just clean out one drawer, so I rearranged my entire kitchen. Go big or go home right? Oh wait, this is home.

I got rid of a TON of stuff and freed up 4 drawers and plenty of shelf space for future use. We’ve been downsizing in bits and pieces over the past few weeks. Getting rid of unused tools and appliances, and just trying to declutter a bit. We love to cook and eat just as much as ever, but I think we do just as well with less.

What does anyone need with this many pie pans?

My cleaning frenzy continued late into the afternoon and all over the house. Somewhere in there I pulled our little Christmas tree from storage and set it up. It doesn’t have ornaments just yet, but looks pretty just the same. If only I could get one Felix the Cat to stop dragging the skirt around…

While we cleaned, we tuned into the Outlaw Open, a CrossFit competition that our trainer Nate was in CA to participate in. They were awesome enough to put together a livestream, so we could track Nate’s progress and enjoy some of the WODs. At one point, we had it streaming in our living room, kitchen and the loft. Definitely inspiring, I’m ready for the CrossFit Open WODs in a few months — even if I’m only doing it for fun.

Neil put a late dinner in the oven to slow cook around 8 — a pretty sizable pork butt. It made the house smell amazing, even more so than the combination of our breakfast bacon and the evergreen candle I lit for the first time. Just a simple rub of Dijon mustard (to stick), paprika, salt, pepper, coconut sugar and garlic powder a few hours beforehand. I have a feeling it will be dinner for a few days.

I spent the rest of the night reading Cloud Atlas on the couch while Neil played computer games. It’s so good, but man it’s taking me forever to finish it. I actually had to buy a copy because the library insisted I give them back their copy. The nerve of them to go and lend me good books for free and then want them back.

Sunday morning brought us to Cafe Berlin, our favorite breakfast spot. I always order the Spinach and Swiss Omelette with fruit and a huge piece of Uprise Bakery sourdough. So worth the cheat. Neil opted for a huge egg and bacon breakfast sammie on a homemade biscuit with home fries on the side.

Sunday afternoon was spent crafting — or attempting to craft — with Chris. We’ve been wanting to have a craft day since we created the most epic wedding rehearsal bouquet in existence, but my pesky workload constantly got in the way. She worked on a DIY ring design she saw on Pinterest and I attempted to teach myself to knit for what has to be the millionth time. I made progress, but I still suck. Regardless, we definitely need to make this a recurring calendar event because it was so nice to take some time for hobbies and personal goals I’ve sorely neglected!

Afterward Neil and I settled back into the couch with a big helping of pulled pork and mashed cauliflower — so good! I’m kicking myself for not making this Paleo staple sooner.

And that was pretty much it. A good, long weekend. Now to survive another insane week!

How was your weekend?

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