Citrus Mint Iced Tea

For about the 100th time, I'm trying to kick the diet Coke habit.  This time it's going surprisingly well.  { Guess it helps to start when you're not feeling well and already taking medicine so that the withdrawal headache doesn't come back to bite you. }

But with limiting myself to just one can of diet Coke a day... I've been getting bored with water.  And with as warm as it's been, I took Saturday as the perfect opportunity to test out an iced tea recipe I've been mulling over. Last spring, I was at a shower and they served a fabulous citrus mint iced tea.  I've been trying to recreate it ever since, and I think this is it!

Citrus Mint Iced Tea

Yield - One Gallon

Three tea bags (I used Lipton decaffeinated)
1 lemon (or lemon juice)
1 lime (or lime juice)
1 cup granulated sugar (although I used Splenda)
Fresh mint springs (I used two about 3-4 inches long, plus additional for garnish)

• Fill a 2-cup measuring cup with water, add tea bags, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
• Remove measuring cup from microwave and remove tea bags.  Add mint springs and replace tea bags.  The tea bags should hold the mint beneath the surface of the liquid.
• Allow tea and mint to steep at least 10 minutes.
• While tea is steeping, pour sugar into pitcher or other container.  Add hot tap water and stir, dissolving sugar.
• When tea is finished steeping, pour over sugar water.  Squeeze out tea bags and discard mint sprigs if desired.
• Add the juice of 1/2 the lemon and 1/2 the lime (or 1-2 tablespoons of each juice) to the pitcher and stir well.
• Fill remainder of pitcher with water and add more lemon/lime juice or sugar to taste.
• Serve over ice and garnish with lemon/lime slices or mint sprigs.

Crisp, refreshing, and perfect for a sweltering summer (or at this point, spring!) day.  Next time I throw a baby shower or a brunch I think I'll serve this instead of punch.  I made a pitcher Saturday and we drank the whole thing in 24 hours... so I might be making more tonight.  Enjoy!

A Terrible Typeface

Thanks, Kates.  I love that you knew I would love this!

Comic Sans is, of course, the primary travesty committed by this sign.  But good grief... exclamation points much, buddy?

Have Trunk, Will Travel

As part of this week's TV shoot, we spent a day here.  Look familiar?

No?  How about now?

Well, we didnt have any alligator-esque aliens, nor did we see Captain Kirk or William Shatner.  But... we did have a celebrity!  Meet Tai.

You may recognize her from Water for Elephants with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. { I highly recommend the book, if you haven't read it. } This not-so-little lady is a doll!  At 42 years old, she's still got a good bit of life in front of her.  And she's not afraid to prove it.  See?

Girlfriend travels in style, too.  If you see a big, shiny unmarked semi-truck trailer rolling down the 405, it might just be Tai!

California Dreamin'

I love it when a work trip feels sort of like a vacation.  And this has definitely been one of those trips.  When you can walk to great breakfast, sit with your laptop overlooking the sea, get a pedicure at Fred Segal and have dinner beside Reese Witherspoon, I think it's safe to say it's been a good one.  The only thing that would make this better is if SDK were here.

{ Now, I say it feels like a vacation as of this moment, but we're only halfway through the first of two overnight TV shoots.  It's 11:30pm and we'll probably go until 4:00am.  Ask me later and I may have a slightly different answer. }

Regardless, Santa Monica is beautiful.  Case in point from my walk on Monday morning:

Our hotel overlooks these bluffs, the PCH, the enormous beach and the Pacific.  Growing up on the Atlantic coast of Florida, this is an entirely different kind of beach than what I'm used to.  The water out here is freezing, but it sure is gorgeous.  And the landscaping!  All of this lush greenery has me dying to grow things back at home. { Even though I've already managed to kill both a basil plant and cilantro in the last three weeks.  At least my mint and rosemary are still alive.  Looks like I'm going to have to work a little harder to claim that I inherited mom's green thumb. }

But check this out.  There are succulents literally growing on the walls outside our hotel, and they're like none I've ever seen.

Seriously, these bad boys are HUGE!  Those bright green ones at the bottom are the size of a dinner plate.  Does anyone know what they are?  { Carmen?  Alison?  Mom? } Succulents don't take much water, so maybe these would be more my speed for now.  I don't really like killing things.  It's kind of discouraging.

Along those same lines, I am loving the color of my room.  It's the most perfect, calming shade of blue.  So sweetheart, get the paint brushes ready.  I've finally found the color to paint our bathroom!  I love how quickly a change in scenery brings instant inspiration.

And I've had lots of changes in scenery this week.  Like now, for instance.  This is what I'm looking at right now.

I love my job. : )

Flat Stanley

Ever heard of Flat Stanley?  It's a children's book about a boy who gets smushed (technical term, I know) by a falling bulletin board.  It doesn't hurt him... just makes him, well, flat.  And Stanley realizes that now that he's flat, he can go through the mail for adventures around the world.

My mom used to do this project with her kids when she taught school.  And as luck would have it, Spencer and I are currently in possession of a Flat Stanley.  I'm not sure who's going to have enjoyed this more when all is said and done: me or Travis, the second grader whose camouflage-clad Stanley we've been toting around for a few weeks.

We took Stanley to work with us...

{ He made himself comfortable at Truett's desk }

{ And learned how to make a milkshake. }

And then we took him to San Antonio last week.

{ Hey, look!  Stanley's at the Alamo! }

{ And like a six year old, I sat in the cockpit with Stanley before the flight home. Be jealous. }

Basically I intend to go down in history as the coolest recipient of a Flat Stanley ever.  Except for maybe the kid in mom's class who knew someone at the Today Show and got Stanley's picture with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer.  Show offs.

Either way, I'll soon be sending Stanley back to Musella with a scrapbook full of fun photos, a herd of everyone's favorite chicken-promoting cows and a gaggle of other goodies.  Being a teacher's kid apparently sticks with you for life. : )