On the list for today!

To do:
1. Hang-out with Riley
2. Try out a new recipe.
3. Play with the camera.
4. Get to the gym.
5. Do some holiday returns.

Ok, let's see how I did.
1. I got the opportunity to hang out with Riley all day. Eric was off-duty to enjoy a much needed day out with his friends. It has been too long since he spent a day to himself, or in this case with several friends watching the Football playoffs. So Riley and I went shopping....not his favorite task, but he did great. We went to the outlet mall and IKEA. We had some swedish meatballs, Riley and Eric's favorite and listened to the guitar player. I know, who would have thought there would be live music in the IKEA cafeteria. The guy was actually pretty good. He played Zeppellin, to which Riley said, "Listen I hear Daddy". Eric has trained him well. Here's a picture from IKEA.














That about finished up our shopping, so we went to a little spot tucked away by the hustle and bustle of the Galleria. It is a little photo studio that has a picturesque little outdoor area perfect for taking whatelse..pictures. So we get out and take some pictures. Someone was not too keen on looking at the camera, but it was fun to practice. Then we went on a little playdate with Ms. Melissa and Baby Jack. Jack will be turning one this week. We had a good time hanging out and on our return home Riley fell asleep.













2. After coming home from our playdate, I decided to try out a new recipe. I flipped through the pages of my January/February Food Everyday Magazine by Martha Stewart. I decided on the Escarole salad with Apples and Pecans and Pan-seared Turkey Cutlets with Wine Sauce. I've been trying out these recipes for the past week and this was one of my favorites. The hardest part of this recipe was finding escarole. Whole Foods, Central Market and Market Street let me down. Thankfully, Eric remembered to look when we were in Sprouts. Not only did we find it, but it was only $1.29. Anyway, this was one of the easiest recipes and the most successful. From prep to plating it took less than an hour. Bonus to the Turkey Cutlet recipe is that you are cooking with 2 cups of white wine, so in order for the rest of the wine bottle not to go to waste you get to drink as you go. Not too worry, Riley had plain old spaghetti and meatballs, he won't be getting wine for another 19 years. Check out how great it turned out.














3. As I said in #1, we made it to a super cute little outdoor area for pictures. Here's a few of my favorites:















Note: I still haven't read the manuals or gone through the software training.

4. Ok, so this didn't quite happen. But the goal is four days a week. I guess today wasn't meant to be one of the four days.

5. Only partially accomplished. Eric did our Kohl's return on his way to watch the games. Riley and I went to the Outlets in Allen to return some stuff to the Coach store. Unfortunately, I forgot one of the receipts, but thankfully I did remember the one with the majority of the items on it. Riley and I walked out of the store with a nice chunk of change. Let's see how long until we spend it all. Oh wait....too late...I guess that all went to my camera. Still on my list is Target (hopefully, I can get out of there without buying more than I returned).