Inspired...Welcome Spring!

Since Melon Man works nights, we don't often actually celebrate mid-week holidays such as St. Patrick's Day because he doesn't like to eat before he leaves for work.  So, I try to do something once in a while for the holiday on the weekend instead.  We came home from church today and I had put a corned beef in the crockpot before we left.  Something just didn't smell right.  Maybe I'd cooked it too long or too high.  I guess we'd find out soon enough!  Because Melon Man needed to go to bed soon, I hurried and put the potatoes on to boil and then started making our fried cabbage.  When they were done, I pulled the corned beef out of the crock pot.  It was literally falling apart.  It was SO tender and yummy!  The potatoes turned out awesome.  And the cabbage...yummmmmm...except a little spicy.  Spicy, you ask?  Yes, I like it a certain way.  Not too spicy, but with just a little kick.  Today, however, it was, indeed, a little too spicy.  But, the whole dinner was still really good, nonetheless.

(Cabbage recipe...Melt one cube margarine in bottom of extra large pan.  Add one onion, quartered and sliced.  Add one whole head of cabbage cut into pieces about 2"x2".  Drizzle some crushed red pepper infused olive oil (about 2 T) over the cabbage.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.  Drizzle about 1 T Sezchuan Stir-Fry Sauce over the cabbage.  Cover with lid.  Cook on medium high, periodically "tossing" cabbage, etc. to even coat and cook.  Uncover and let moisture evaporate as cabbage finishes cooking and browns just slightly.  Serve when cabbage is almost fully cooked.)

The last couple of days or so, I realized that St. Patty's is now over (even though we just ate St. Patty's dinner today) and my green theme to my blog just needed to go. But, I just hadn't felt like doing anything new with my blog design so I hadn't.

In comes sister #1.  I just so happened to check her blog and she'd changed it over to pretty pastels for spring.  Today IS the first day of Spring, ya know!  So...she inspired me.  I started working on updating my header for spring...but my version of spring.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a pastel girl.  I am a vibrant color or dark muted type of girl.  And, since Spring is not for dark muted colors, I went to vibrant...as you can see!  Sorry...don't mean to burn your eyes out or anything, but I'm LOVIN' it!  It's gone from this...

 ...to this!

So...Jen...thanks for inspiring me to make the change over today.  It helped me put off doing the taxes for one more day!  And...it just makes me HAPPY looking at it!