Weekending - April 22, 2016

Oh my goodness -- was this weekend fun!  I hosted a friends weekend at my house and I truly wish it never had to end.  The festivities began on Friday when my friends Mary, Nick and TW arrived around noon.  The rest of the crew would be rolling into town a bit later.  We loaded up in my car and headed out - the fun begun!

We headed to Sugaree Baking Co. to pick up the quiche I ordered for brunch on Sunday.  I've blogged about this find before HERE.  Love this place!  I ordered the roasted cauliflower and sweet red pepper quiche.  It was hard to wait until Sunday to dip into it!  Picture below when I get to Sunday.

After our stop at Sugaree, we needed some body fuel so decided to pop in Twisted Ranch for a quick lunch before heading to the St. Louis Premium Outlets.  My closet has a few more items and my shoe rack is a bit more crowded.  Thank goodness there were great deals and my purchases didn't completely drain my wallet.

The rest of our weekend crew was rolling into town in the evening and we were all meeting up at Modesto's.  This group has been visiting Modesto's almost every time we get together in St. Louis.  It's a great place for friends to gather, try a wide variety of small bites and have a cocktail.  We shared several tapas plates and a couple pitches of sangria.  Perfect beginning to our weekend!

No friends weekend is complete without some fun goody bags!  I know I've said it 3948349 many times before, but I just L-O-V-E my Silhouette Cameo.  This little baby die cut the names for me and all I had to do was spray glue and stick on the bags I picked up at Michael's.   Adorable if I must say so myself.

 I loaded the bags up with several spa goodies, including a Namaste yoga eye pillow.  They are scented with lavender and can be heated or cooled for your eye soothing enjoyment.  Not for just after yoga!  You will be seeing these later on my Mother's Day Gift Idea post.

Saturday we woke to a beautiful sunny day!  The weather in St. Louis could not have been more perfect this weekend.  We kicked off the morning with a mimosa bar and breads.  The print was found on Etsy and I'm hoping to use it many times!

The first stop of the day was Fezziwig's for a cooking demonstration.  While we sipped on a nice glass of wine, Ellen, the shop owner, demonstrated cooking an entire meal with lemon flavors.  We loved watching her whip up lunch and learned so many little cooking tips along the way.  The food was superb!  Great culinary experience!  If this is your thing, you should check out their website and book an experience of your own. 

After our cooking demonstration, we browsed around the shop and found some items that had to go home with us.  Then it was on to the Anheuser Busch Brewery for a tour.  Even though I've lived in St. Louis for years, it was only the second time I've done the tour.  Have you ever done a brewery tour?  The one we did was free and quite interesting.

The beer was very clear (that's what the tour guide said).  Honestly, I'm not a beer fan but this very fresh brew did slide down quite well.  

Seeing the Clydesdales was definitely a highlight!

We ventured over to Maplewood to do some more retail therapy before our dinner reservations at Peacemaker.  Seafood anyone?

The evening was finished off with watching the sad, sad lose of the St. Louis Blues and playing some cards.

Sunday morning we enjoyed the quiche that was picked up on Friday.  The mouthwatering all-butter crust was filled with savory roasted cauliflower and flavorful sweet red roasted peppers with cheddar and Swiss cheese added in.  OMG -- yes it was GOOD!  We sat around my dining room table chatting about books, recipes, and TV shows.  Just what all friends should do on Sunday mornings!  Heck, it would be a great thing to do ANY morning.  Or afternoon.  Or evening.

Everyone headed home early in the afternoon.  As my friends pulled away, a feeling of gratitude swept over me.  I'm so humbled to have great friends in my life.  I'm not going to lie, I also felt a little sad to see everyone go.  The weekend had been so enjoyable I just hated that it had to end so soon.

The rest of the afternoon, Eric and I worked on our little garden.  By little, I mean little.  We have a small patch of dirt off our patio that we use for our plot of land where we plant our tomatoes and herbs.  There's something about fresh tomatoes in the summer that I just love.  Add a little mozzarella and fresh basil - YUM!  I'm counting the days until that can happen.

Now's it's Monday and off to work.  So sad this weekend is behind us and already looking forward to the next time we can all be together!  

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

More Pieces of Me

Bella and the City
The Quinntessential Mommy
How To Get Organized At Home
Over the Moon
This post contained affiliate links.  I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase.  Thanks!