It was such a nice weekend. When did the beautiful weather decide to grace us with its presence? Weather like this makes me forget how much I want to leave Florida.
We had a wonderful time at the park on Saturday with Theresa and little Cash. He's getting so big, at fourteen months! My little one decided he didn't need a nap before the park and played in his crib for an hour instead, and was not the happiest little one while we were there because of it. The playground that we originally went to only had one baby swing so we went to another smaller one and that was definitely a good decision. Pictures are below, and we all had a fantastic time.
Later we came back to the house and the boys joined us for dinner. I made Chicken Bryan, steamed broccoli, couscous and Caesar salad, and then the boys decided that PW's Apple Dumplings were a must to complete the evening, so they went out for supplies and I popped them in the oven while they went out to smoke cigars.
Today! Spencer was in an awesome mood today, and we went to Lenoce's again for breakfast and then for groceries. Came home and realized Mr. Spencer cut his first tooth! I was super excited and made sure to update the baby book (I'm not so good at that) and then he was crawling around and decided to pull himself up to his feet on the coffee table! Another First!
I made Alosha's Taglierini with Bay Scallops tonight for dinner, and it was fantastic. I had to make a couple changes out of neccessity. I used fettuccine nests instead of taglierini because they didn't have tag at Publix and I don't like linguine, and I didn't have french bread or bread crumbs, so I toasted a couple pieces of potato bread and ran them through the food processor. I couldn't find chervil anywhere, so I put Italian parsley. It was still fantastic! Served with a simple salad and white wine, and I have a little leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Yum!
Can't wait for next weekend already!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
A Beautiful Saturday
How is it that I sweat my butt off, and as soon as it "technically" turns to Autumn the weather is entrancing? I'm sitting in my backyard in the grass because I don't have a decent (or any) lounger while the dog stares at the palm tree daring whatever's up there to come down. There isn't anything in the tree -- a slight breeze is blowing and the fronds are rattling and she assumes that some critter is moving among the tree tops.
It is an amazing Saturday afternoon. Christen is working an extra shift today, and usually that means I'm finding nothing better to do than troll Target or the mall, looking for something to do. But today Spencer and I went over to the in-laws' house for a little bit so they could adore him some more, and now he's laying down pretending to take a nap while I hang out here and continue to be amazed by the weather.
The plan today is that Theresa and Cash are supposed to come over and we'll go to the park so the boys can play and we can adore them. Of course, considering that pictures are supposed to be taken, Spencer went and smacked his cheek on the coffee table last night and gave himself a little bit of a black eye. Today it's just a red scratch, but I was worried that it was going to be worse. I'd say he lost his footing, but wouldn't it be more correct to say he lost his handing? He was trying to fit himself under the coffee table and his hand slipped and bam! No worries though, it doesn't even hurt him when I push on it. But so much for flawless pictures! :)
I drove through Pollo Tropical for lunch today. They're more prevalent than McDonald's on this side of town, and I've always wanted to try one but never had the guts (don't ask, I have trouble with such things). So today I drove through and got a cuban sandwich wrap and a large sweet tea and it was delicious! You should all locate your closest one. :)
Anywho, my feet are falling asleep so I'm definitely going to need to get a lounging chair for out here, but for now I'm going to have to get up and move around. Hopefully later I'll post park pictures!
It is an amazing Saturday afternoon. Christen is working an extra shift today, and usually that means I'm finding nothing better to do than troll Target or the mall, looking for something to do. But today Spencer and I went over to the in-laws' house for a little bit so they could adore him some more, and now he's laying down pretending to take a nap while I hang out here and continue to be amazed by the weather.
The plan today is that Theresa and Cash are supposed to come over and we'll go to the park so the boys can play and we can adore them. Of course, considering that pictures are supposed to be taken, Spencer went and smacked his cheek on the coffee table last night and gave himself a little bit of a black eye. Today it's just a red scratch, but I was worried that it was going to be worse. I'd say he lost his footing, but wouldn't it be more correct to say he lost his handing? He was trying to fit himself under the coffee table and his hand slipped and bam! No worries though, it doesn't even hurt him when I push on it. But so much for flawless pictures! :)
I drove through Pollo Tropical for lunch today. They're more prevalent than McDonald's on this side of town, and I've always wanted to try one but never had the guts (don't ask, I have trouble with such things). So today I drove through and got a cuban sandwich wrap and a large sweet tea and it was delicious! You should all locate your closest one. :)
Anywho, my feet are falling asleep so I'm definitely going to need to get a lounging chair for out here, but for now I'm going to have to get up and move around. Hopefully later I'll post park pictures!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Free Handbags!
I'm excited, and I never win anything so I doubt I'll win this either. But still, free handbags! Go there or be square! Handbag Planet!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Love me, cancerously (God, I love Ludo)
I changed my mouse out on my office computer, and I swear it’s worse than before. They supplied us with the old ball-roll mice, and finally after almost four years I changed it to an optical mouse and the scroll is so stiff! I’m giving it a couple days to see if it’s just because it’s an old, unused mouse, but gee wiz.
We’re adapting well to Christen’s schedule change. I usually get up first because he’s still incapable of getting up right away, so I get ready and then he stumbles into the closet to start getting ready, and I get Spencer up and changed. He’s usually awake when I go in, and it’s nice to have a few minutes with him before I have to leave. I used to look in on him before I went to work but he slept late so I didn’t get any interaction. I get him ready for the day and put him in the playpen so he can watch Daddy getting ready, and then I leave. Christen has been having daycare feed Spencer, so his mom gets the honors this morning. It has made the morning a little less hectic. Spencer doesn’t freak out if he doesn’t eat right away, so it’s not really a big deal, and I usually have his bag packed the night before so changing his diaper and his clothes is the only “getting ready” that he requires. I hate getting ready around someone, so thankfully the delay of Christen getting up helps me get moving so I don’t have to deal with someone else.
Work is good too. I’m surprised at myself when I realize that, although I hate leaving my family, I actually really enjoy my job. I’ve never really disliked it in the 4 years I’ve been here, but I really have started feeling less stress and more hunger to know more, to do more. I think the change came when I came back from maternity leave, but then I was so stressed because I hadn’t done it in three months that it took a little while to feel comfortable again. They’ve been laying more on me, and usually that would stress me out but instead I kind of feel like knowing how much I can handle. Being able to handle it really makes me feel like more of a grown up. I’ve also started keeping cases that will eventually necessitate some travel, and I’ve discussed that with Christen and he’s amiable to the idea that I might have to be out of town for a day or two every once in awhile.
I made Pioneer Woman’s Penne a la Betsy last night, and it was delicious! I had made vodka cream sauce before and thought it was going to taste like that, but since there’s just a little tomato in this sauce it really has a completely different flavor. Especially with the shrimp and basil … mmmm …! Tonight I’m going to try my hand at her enchiladas. If those go well, I’m going to try them as chicken next time but I didn’t want to mess too much with the recipe until I know what it’s going to taste like since I don’t know Mexican flavor combinations too well. I could have used ground turkey, but I don’t have any in the house after the last meat run and I really don’t feel like buying yet more meat right this very instant.
We’re adapting well to Christen’s schedule change. I usually get up first because he’s still incapable of getting up right away, so I get ready and then he stumbles into the closet to start getting ready, and I get Spencer up and changed. He’s usually awake when I go in, and it’s nice to have a few minutes with him before I have to leave. I used to look in on him before I went to work but he slept late so I didn’t get any interaction. I get him ready for the day and put him in the playpen so he can watch Daddy getting ready, and then I leave. Christen has been having daycare feed Spencer, so his mom gets the honors this morning. It has made the morning a little less hectic. Spencer doesn’t freak out if he doesn’t eat right away, so it’s not really a big deal, and I usually have his bag packed the night before so changing his diaper and his clothes is the only “getting ready” that he requires. I hate getting ready around someone, so thankfully the delay of Christen getting up helps me get moving so I don’t have to deal with someone else.
Work is good too. I’m surprised at myself when I realize that, although I hate leaving my family, I actually really enjoy my job. I’ve never really disliked it in the 4 years I’ve been here, but I really have started feeling less stress and more hunger to know more, to do more. I think the change came when I came back from maternity leave, but then I was so stressed because I hadn’t done it in three months that it took a little while to feel comfortable again. They’ve been laying more on me, and usually that would stress me out but instead I kind of feel like knowing how much I can handle. Being able to handle it really makes me feel like more of a grown up. I’ve also started keeping cases that will eventually necessitate some travel, and I’ve discussed that with Christen and he’s amiable to the idea that I might have to be out of town for a day or two every once in awhile.
I made Pioneer Woman’s Penne a la Betsy last night, and it was delicious! I had made vodka cream sauce before and thought it was going to taste like that, but since there’s just a little tomato in this sauce it really has a completely different flavor. Especially with the shrimp and basil … mmmm …! Tonight I’m going to try my hand at her enchiladas. If those go well, I’m going to try them as chicken next time but I didn’t want to mess too much with the recipe until I know what it’s going to taste like since I don’t know Mexican flavor combinations too well. I could have used ground turkey, but I don’t have any in the house after the last meat run and I really don’t feel like buying yet more meat right this very instant.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Pics of the Boy -- you know you wanted them
I finally got Digital Image Pro on the new (ish) laptop, and I'm therefore gracing you with pictures of Spencer. You know you wanted them :)
3 months (5/31/08)
4 months (7/4/08)
5 months (7/17/08)
6 months (8/13/08)
(8/21/08)
(9/7/08)
7 months (9/14/08)
Enjoy!
3 months (5/31/08)
4 months (7/4/08)
5 months (7/17/08)
6 months (8/13/08)
(8/21/08)
(9/7/08)
7 months (9/14/08)
Enjoy!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Meat, oh glorious meat!
`So I went to a butcher yesterday to check out their prices on the three staples in my cooking: boneless chicken breast, ground beef, and shrimp.
I left with $60 in meat.
Chicken was $2.99 a pound. But if you bought 10 lbs, it was $1.49 a pound. Done. Beef was on sale for $12.99 for five pounds. Done. I decided to make Chicken drumsticks stuffed with ricotta and herbs (although I might change it to goat cheese) for Sunday football. 99 cents a pound for five pounds. I bought 2 thick cut pork chops for sometime next week. And they had peeled and deveined large shrimp, so I got two pounds. I’m highly allergic to the raw shellfish proteins, so I was excited for that, and it was about the same price as if I bought them shell-on in the grocery store.
I came home, split all the food up into individual freezer baggies. I now have 18 meals of meat. Well, 17. I made beefy mac & cheese last night for dinner.
Sadly, I still have to buy fish tonight because I only buy that fresh and I planned on making fish tonight for dinner. Tilapia with browned butter sauce, asparagus, and wild rice. Yum!
***
In other, non-meat related news, Christen’s shift changed to 7:45-4:45. I don’t remember if I’ve blogged about this yet and I’m too lazy to check. He started on Wednesday, and so far it’s going well. I’m happy that he’s home early, and I know Spencer is happy he’s home early. That way we can all sit on the floor and he can climb all over us, which is his new favorite hobby. The only real problem with the arrangement thus far is that Spencer is used to getting up around 8am, and now he has to get up at 6am. But he’s not used to going to sleep any earlier, so he threw a fit yesterday when I put him down at 7pm even though he was falling asleep while he ate and was being generally crabby. Hopefully the schedule will even out a little soon, because I really don’t want to have to deal with that as an on-going problem. I love spending time with him; I don’t want him to be crabby, you know?
I left with $60 in meat.
Chicken was $2.99 a pound. But if you bought 10 lbs, it was $1.49 a pound. Done. Beef was on sale for $12.99 for five pounds. Done. I decided to make Chicken drumsticks stuffed with ricotta and herbs (although I might change it to goat cheese) for Sunday football. 99 cents a pound for five pounds. I bought 2 thick cut pork chops for sometime next week. And they had peeled and deveined large shrimp, so I got two pounds. I’m highly allergic to the raw shellfish proteins, so I was excited for that, and it was about the same price as if I bought them shell-on in the grocery store.
I came home, split all the food up into individual freezer baggies. I now have 18 meals of meat. Well, 17. I made beefy mac & cheese last night for dinner.
Sadly, I still have to buy fish tonight because I only buy that fresh and I planned on making fish tonight for dinner. Tilapia with browned butter sauce, asparagus, and wild rice. Yum!
***
In other, non-meat related news, Christen’s shift changed to 7:45-4:45. I don’t remember if I’ve blogged about this yet and I’m too lazy to check. He started on Wednesday, and so far it’s going well. I’m happy that he’s home early, and I know Spencer is happy he’s home early. That way we can all sit on the floor and he can climb all over us, which is his new favorite hobby. The only real problem with the arrangement thus far is that Spencer is used to getting up around 8am, and now he has to get up at 6am. But he’s not used to going to sleep any earlier, so he threw a fit yesterday when I put him down at 7pm even though he was falling asleep while he ate and was being generally crabby. Hopefully the schedule will even out a little soon, because I really don’t want to have to deal with that as an on-going problem. I love spending time with him; I don’t want him to be crabby, you know?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Events
It was an eventful weekend for Spencer. Friday, he learned to sit up on his own. He can now officially get from his stomach to his butt without me picking him up and putting him there. It was so exciting! His daycare woman told me when I picked him up that he did it for her, but sometimes he doesn’t do things at home that he does there right away. But I took him home, put him on the floor and he was like a giant Weeble Wobble! He just sat right up!
Saturday he started crawling forward on his own. It’s still more of a “Move hands forward, scoot knees forward, launch self face-first into the ground. Pick face up, get back on hands and knees and do it again.” Thankfully we did baby proof the fireplace with foam edge protectors, but that only covers the edges of the top, not the side that he rocks his head into when he gets to that side of the living room.
Sunday he took his morning nap (which I call his morning nap but really it’s at noon). He usually takes a two-hour nap then, but refuses to take an afternoon nap (he just cries for 20-30 minutes until I finally let him up). Around 1 ½ hours into his morning nap, I check on him but he generally keeps sleeping for awhile. Well, this time I looked in and he’s sitting on his knees with his hands on the top of the crib looking over! Looks like it’s time to move the mattress down! It was awfully cute, though. He was excited about his accomplishment.
Speaking of that pesky afternoon nap, does anyone have any suggestions on getting him to take that nap? I’m this close (purses fingers) to just skipping it and start putting him to bed earlier, but Christen doesn’t get home until 7:30, and he doesn’t get to see Spencer if he goes to bed too early. Plus he’s so happy to see daddy when he gets home. I’ve been trying for the past week to lay him down and let him stay there for a specific amount of time whether he sleeps or not, and I’ve been thinking about just putting some toys in there too so if he doesn’t sleep, at least he can play quietly for a half hour and maybe he’ll get some rest that way. Any suggestions?
Anyhow, as far as my weekend (as opposed to Spencer’s), Acie and Tom came over Friday night which was a lot of fun, and the USF game was great! I made mojo pork kebabs and black beans and rice, mini corn muffins and sangria, none of which was very hard so it was a nice relaxing evening with friends. Spencer went to bed before the game even started.
Saturday we did garage sale hunting (I bought a bunch of kids books and some books for me) and did a bit of needed shopping: we walked around BJ’s and got a membership (it’s like the Target to Sam’s Club’s Wal-Mart). They carry Spencer’s formula at a discount, which is great, and it’s nice and clean and well stocked … and they take manufacturer’s coupons, which is nice too! Christen wanted to check out the new Best Buy since he was working when Ian, Spencer and I stood in line, so we walked around there and then headed to Lowe’s where I picked up some more plants and seeds to continue my growing (haha) luck with my plants. When we got home Christen worked on putting in my new radio in, and got it working by the time I had Spencer in his bath. Sunday he put in my Sirius satellite radio, which was significantly easier. The only annoying thing so far is that he didn’t check to see if I had a CD in the old radio, and now my new Regina Spektor album is stuck in the old player. Arg! The rest of the day we watched football … sort of. I read instead.
But all in all, I’m excited about my new radio. I listened to a gamut of different music, from Madonna’s I’ll Remember to White Lion, to some random coffeehouse singer. I tried listening to comedy, but at 6:45am when you’re trying to negotiate the new traffic patterns of the Veteran’s Expressway (!!!! Ack!) it’s no time to try to get in a good laugh. So I sang instead.
Saturday he started crawling forward on his own. It’s still more of a “Move hands forward, scoot knees forward, launch self face-first into the ground. Pick face up, get back on hands and knees and do it again.” Thankfully we did baby proof the fireplace with foam edge protectors, but that only covers the edges of the top, not the side that he rocks his head into when he gets to that side of the living room.
Sunday he took his morning nap (which I call his morning nap but really it’s at noon). He usually takes a two-hour nap then, but refuses to take an afternoon nap (he just cries for 20-30 minutes until I finally let him up). Around 1 ½ hours into his morning nap, I check on him but he generally keeps sleeping for awhile. Well, this time I looked in and he’s sitting on his knees with his hands on the top of the crib looking over! Looks like it’s time to move the mattress down! It was awfully cute, though. He was excited about his accomplishment.
Speaking of that pesky afternoon nap, does anyone have any suggestions on getting him to take that nap? I’m this close (purses fingers) to just skipping it and start putting him to bed earlier, but Christen doesn’t get home until 7:30, and he doesn’t get to see Spencer if he goes to bed too early. Plus he’s so happy to see daddy when he gets home. I’ve been trying for the past week to lay him down and let him stay there for a specific amount of time whether he sleeps or not, and I’ve been thinking about just putting some toys in there too so if he doesn’t sleep, at least he can play quietly for a half hour and maybe he’ll get some rest that way. Any suggestions?
Anyhow, as far as my weekend (as opposed to Spencer’s), Acie and Tom came over Friday night which was a lot of fun, and the USF game was great! I made mojo pork kebabs and black beans and rice, mini corn muffins and sangria, none of which was very hard so it was a nice relaxing evening with friends. Spencer went to bed before the game even started.
Saturday we did garage sale hunting (I bought a bunch of kids books and some books for me) and did a bit of needed shopping: we walked around BJ’s and got a membership (it’s like the Target to Sam’s Club’s Wal-Mart). They carry Spencer’s formula at a discount, which is great, and it’s nice and clean and well stocked … and they take manufacturer’s coupons, which is nice too! Christen wanted to check out the new Best Buy since he was working when Ian, Spencer and I stood in line, so we walked around there and then headed to Lowe’s where I picked up some more plants and seeds to continue my growing (haha) luck with my plants. When we got home Christen worked on putting in my new radio in, and got it working by the time I had Spencer in his bath. Sunday he put in my Sirius satellite radio, which was significantly easier. The only annoying thing so far is that he didn’t check to see if I had a CD in the old radio, and now my new Regina Spektor album is stuck in the old player. Arg! The rest of the day we watched football … sort of. I read instead.
But all in all, I’m excited about my new radio. I listened to a gamut of different music, from Madonna’s I’ll Remember to White Lion, to some random coffeehouse singer. I tried listening to comedy, but at 6:45am when you’re trying to negotiate the new traffic patterns of the Veteran’s Expressway (!!!! Ack!) it’s no time to try to get in a good laugh. So I sang instead.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Sept. 12
9/11 is the "Where were you when" of my generation. My mother was three years old for "Where were you when JFK was shot?". "Where were you when they first walked on the moon?" happened a full year before I was born. So where were you when 9/11 happened? Here's my story:
My boyfriend and I were supposed to be in German class, but our favorite bands (his was Ben Folds, mine was TMBG) were both releasing new albums, so we skipped class to hit Best Buy as they opened to get the new CDs. We walked in, walked around, and were in the TV section when the news started showing footage of the airplanes. The feed was so grainy we thought it was a joke. We watched for a few minutes, and then decided to leave. We didn't fathom the gravity of the situation, and went across the street to the mall, where we were told they were closing. Who closes a whole mall because there's an accident a thousand miles away? We were also told the colleges were closed, to which we thought, "Hey, we won't get in trouble for missing Frou Lothe's class!"
We went home, and I didn't work that day so I stayed home and my boyfriend went to work. We were sharing a car at that time, so if I didn't drive him to work I was pretty much stuck at home all day. I watch the coverage non-stop. By the time he got home 8 hours later, I was crying inexplicably (I'm not a crier over major things, so it's still amazing to me that I was crying). He scolded me for immersing myself in the news all day because it had depressed me so much, and I think we went to dinner to get away from the TV. The days after are a little bit of a blur. Life went on, I suppose.
So this Sept. 11, I found it fitting that I ended up at another Best Buy, doing my best to contribute to the economy. The Oldsmar Best Buy had their grand opening, and the first 50 people got $20 gift cards. I suppose in retrospect it's probably silly to stand in line for an hour and a half for $20, but hey, free money! I picked up my brother and Spencer and we sat on the sidewalk while we waited, Spencer lathered up in sunscreen and an umbrella shading him. Christen and I had decided to get me a new radio for my car that was compatible with my new Sirius radio. I bought my brother a new CD for waiting with me (The Toadies' new album) and Regina Spektor for myself and we went for Winghouse afterward (the boy can devour wings). I always have a blast with my brother. We can talk about anything, always have been able to. I wish that I spent more time with him. So seven years we come full circle to yet again being in Best Buy, buying CDs.
Tonight Acie and the gang are coming over to watch the USF game, and I'm making mojo pork kebabs with mojo chili sauce, black beans and yellow rice and corn bread mini muffins. I'm slightly worried about the mojo sauce because I made it myself, and I've made it before but I couldn't find the recipe I used last time and I couldn't find a good recipe this time so I sort of winged it. I'm excited to have people over, and none of them have seen the new house yet (well, Tom saw it when he helped us move, but not with things actually put together). Having people over means we get to enjoy our friends as late as we want, but Spencer still goes to bed in his crib on time. If we were to go over someone else's house, we do have the playpen we could take to set him up in a bedroom, but nothing is as comfortable as your own bed, even as a 7-month-old.
My boyfriend and I were supposed to be in German class, but our favorite bands (his was Ben Folds, mine was TMBG) were both releasing new albums, so we skipped class to hit Best Buy as they opened to get the new CDs. We walked in, walked around, and were in the TV section when the news started showing footage of the airplanes. The feed was so grainy we thought it was a joke. We watched for a few minutes, and then decided to leave. We didn't fathom the gravity of the situation, and went across the street to the mall, where we were told they were closing. Who closes a whole mall because there's an accident a thousand miles away? We were also told the colleges were closed, to which we thought, "Hey, we won't get in trouble for missing Frou Lothe's class!"
We went home, and I didn't work that day so I stayed home and my boyfriend went to work. We were sharing a car at that time, so if I didn't drive him to work I was pretty much stuck at home all day. I watch the coverage non-stop. By the time he got home 8 hours later, I was crying inexplicably (I'm not a crier over major things, so it's still amazing to me that I was crying). He scolded me for immersing myself in the news all day because it had depressed me so much, and I think we went to dinner to get away from the TV. The days after are a little bit of a blur. Life went on, I suppose.
So this Sept. 11, I found it fitting that I ended up at another Best Buy, doing my best to contribute to the economy. The Oldsmar Best Buy had their grand opening, and the first 50 people got $20 gift cards. I suppose in retrospect it's probably silly to stand in line for an hour and a half for $20, but hey, free money! I picked up my brother and Spencer and we sat on the sidewalk while we waited, Spencer lathered up in sunscreen and an umbrella shading him. Christen and I had decided to get me a new radio for my car that was compatible with my new Sirius radio. I bought my brother a new CD for waiting with me (The Toadies' new album) and Regina Spektor for myself and we went for Winghouse afterward (the boy can devour wings). I always have a blast with my brother. We can talk about anything, always have been able to. I wish that I spent more time with him. So seven years we come full circle to yet again being in Best Buy, buying CDs.
Tonight Acie and the gang are coming over to watch the USF game, and I'm making mojo pork kebabs with mojo chili sauce, black beans and yellow rice and corn bread mini muffins. I'm slightly worried about the mojo sauce because I made it myself, and I've made it before but I couldn't find the recipe I used last time and I couldn't find a good recipe this time so I sort of winged it. I'm excited to have people over, and none of them have seen the new house yet (well, Tom saw it when he helped us move, but not with things actually put together). Having people over means we get to enjoy our friends as late as we want, but Spencer still goes to bed in his crib on time. If we were to go over someone else's house, we do have the playpen we could take to set him up in a bedroom, but nothing is as comfortable as your own bed, even as a 7-month-old.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
How Lucky We Are ...
Listen to this song:
Don't mind the Sims animation.
It's beautiful.
Anyhow, things have been good this week. I know, it's only Tuesday, but I'm being positive! Sunday night we grilled salmon and it was amazing! We used a cedar plank, and I made a fresh basil and tarragon pesto to smother the top and it was heavenly, really. Paired with whole wheat couscous and broccoli rabe (which was a total failure, does anyone have a good recipe for that which makes it less bitter??). Last night I made Pad Thai with some sauce I bought at the oriental market. It really didn't taste anything like Pad Thai, but it was pretty good. I also tried my hand at making poached eggs yesterday which was a disaster. Any help from regular poachers that doesn't involved buying a new pan?
I missed dear Autumn's call because I was out back fighting with jasmine. I love the jasmine on my back fence, but it's overtaking everything back there, and I really really want my electric fence to go up so I don't worry about the dog so much (she's still been digging, but since she only goes out when I do, I catch her pretty quickly). I can't really do anything about the electric fence until I can see my wooden fence since I'm attaching it to the existing fence.
Spencer's been doing the rocking thing for awhile. He can only negotiate moving backward, so he scoots backward around the living room and gets stuck in the oddest places, like under tables, because he can't see where he's going. It's really quite amusing. But we've only babyproofed to the extent of plug covers and bumpers for the fireplace (although he still ends up rocking his head into the side of the brick, nothing I can do about that). We've gotten the other stuff, so I guess we'll get there slowly. He's moving just as slowly right now anyhow :) ... don't everyone tell me at once how I need to get on it because he'll start running around before I know it! I know, I know ... hehe ...
In other news, we got a Wii Fit on Friday. I haven't been able to get on it since Friday with all the football in the house lately, but I'm hoping to start working with it at least through the week. It's so fun! And a bit painful. I'm worse at yoga than I remember ... but hula hoops and skiing is way fun!
Don't mind the Sims animation.
It's beautiful.
Anyhow, things have been good this week. I know, it's only Tuesday, but I'm being positive! Sunday night we grilled salmon and it was amazing! We used a cedar plank, and I made a fresh basil and tarragon pesto to smother the top and it was heavenly, really. Paired with whole wheat couscous and broccoli rabe (which was a total failure, does anyone have a good recipe for that which makes it less bitter??). Last night I made Pad Thai with some sauce I bought at the oriental market. It really didn't taste anything like Pad Thai, but it was pretty good. I also tried my hand at making poached eggs yesterday which was a disaster. Any help from regular poachers that doesn't involved buying a new pan?
I missed dear Autumn's call because I was out back fighting with jasmine. I love the jasmine on my back fence, but it's overtaking everything back there, and I really really want my electric fence to go up so I don't worry about the dog so much (she's still been digging, but since she only goes out when I do, I catch her pretty quickly). I can't really do anything about the electric fence until I can see my wooden fence since I'm attaching it to the existing fence.
Spencer's been doing the rocking thing for awhile. He can only negotiate moving backward, so he scoots backward around the living room and gets stuck in the oddest places, like under tables, because he can't see where he's going. It's really quite amusing. But we've only babyproofed to the extent of plug covers and bumpers for the fireplace (although he still ends up rocking his head into the side of the brick, nothing I can do about that). We've gotten the other stuff, so I guess we'll get there slowly. He's moving just as slowly right now anyhow :) ... don't everyone tell me at once how I need to get on it because he'll start running around before I know it! I know, I know ... hehe ...
In other news, we got a Wii Fit on Friday. I haven't been able to get on it since Friday with all the football in the house lately, but I'm hoping to start working with it at least through the week. It's so fun! And a bit painful. I'm worse at yoga than I remember ... but hula hoops and skiing is way fun!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
So ...
So evidently I like to start my blog posts with "So". Don't worry, I do it in real-speak too. So anyhow ... last weekend I made lemon bars, which were delish. We ate a couple each over the weekend, and I brought the rest of them to work where they were quickly devoured by the crowd. It took me awhile to find the recipe because I have a bunch of foodie websites that I browse regularly but only a couple on my blog roll. So I had to go through all of them and finally came upon them. This weekend I copped out and made cupcakes with boxed cake mix and pillsbury icing, but I bought a cake decorator a few weeks ago and I was itching to try it out. I had one of those ones with the bags and it never worked well for me, so this is a pump. I decided to make mini cupcakes, and I make 6 dozen!! I packed up a couple dozen for work, and a couple dozen for Christen to take to work, and I figure the rest we'll just graze on for the next few days until they're no longer good.
Last week I made a pesto lasagna which turned out terribly. It tasted okay, but it was so heavy and oily and the spinach was so strong that I just felt ill after eating a piece. I'm going to have to tweak that recipe before the next time I attempt it. My chicken tacos were freaking awesome on Wednesday, and we had the leftovers for lunch yesterday and they were still awesome. Freaking awesome. I've given up on beef tacos, for real. Why bother?
On the menu this week is salmon tonight with broccolini (Christen hates salmon, but we're going to try it again and see if he can put his anti-salmon ways aside if he grills it himself), mojo pork kebabs, dirty rice, spaghetti with homemade sauce (I messed around with homemade sauce a few weeks ago when I was sick at home and bored, and Christen has decided we can't have it any other way now ...) and Pad Thai. I picked up Pad Thai sauce at an oriental market awhile back and haven't used it yet, so I bought bean sprouts, a turnip and rice sticks and I'm trying my hand at Thai food. Wish me luck!
Lola got groomed this weekend, so she's half her former self. I love when she's shorn and clean. Tomorrow I put Advantage on her, and maybe her skin problems will clear up a bit.
But anywho, work is going okay, I'm healthy for once, Spencer's healthy for once, Christen's always freaking healthy. Do I use "freaking" too much too? Spencer's been trying to crawl but can only go backwards everywhere, and trying to inhale everything he comes in contact with. He's such a happy baby, especially when he's not sick. He's gotten a little clingy during the week when I pick him up from daycare he won't let me go about my business, and only wants me to play with him. He does thankfully let me cook, but only if he's in the kitchen with me. Otherwise he gets whiny the moment I put him down. So nothing is getting done during the week, but whatever. Keeping the boy happy is more important, right?
Last week I made a pesto lasagna which turned out terribly. It tasted okay, but it was so heavy and oily and the spinach was so strong that I just felt ill after eating a piece. I'm going to have to tweak that recipe before the next time I attempt it. My chicken tacos were freaking awesome on Wednesday, and we had the leftovers for lunch yesterday and they were still awesome. Freaking awesome. I've given up on beef tacos, for real. Why bother?
On the menu this week is salmon tonight with broccolini (Christen hates salmon, but we're going to try it again and see if he can put his anti-salmon ways aside if he grills it himself), mojo pork kebabs, dirty rice, spaghetti with homemade sauce (I messed around with homemade sauce a few weeks ago when I was sick at home and bored, and Christen has decided we can't have it any other way now ...) and Pad Thai. I picked up Pad Thai sauce at an oriental market awhile back and haven't used it yet, so I bought bean sprouts, a turnip and rice sticks and I'm trying my hand at Thai food. Wish me luck!
Lola got groomed this weekend, so she's half her former self. I love when she's shorn and clean. Tomorrow I put Advantage on her, and maybe her skin problems will clear up a bit.
But anywho, work is going okay, I'm healthy for once, Spencer's healthy for once, Christen's always freaking healthy. Do I use "freaking" too much too? Spencer's been trying to crawl but can only go backwards everywhere, and trying to inhale everything he comes in contact with. He's such a happy baby, especially when he's not sick. He's gotten a little clingy during the week when I pick him up from daycare he won't let me go about my business, and only wants me to play with him. He does thankfully let me cook, but only if he's in the kitchen with me. Otherwise he gets whiny the moment I put him down. So nothing is getting done during the week, but whatever. Keeping the boy happy is more important, right?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Breathe new life into my blouse (I don't like how that sounds)
I'm beginning to have an addiction to Dunkin' Donuts coffee. It's sad, really, but at least I'm only shelling out $1.92 every time I get that craving. A couple mornings a week if I'm running on time (rather than late. I'm never running early) I'll drive through and get a large decaf (I know I'm lame, I just can't handle caffeine) with cream and sugar. Oh god, that's good stuff. I'm really not much of a coffee drinker. Which is to say, I don't need it to function. But it does taste awfully good.
And I need to find a new dry cleaner. I used to go to this place on Busch when I was living with the in-laws, and it was way too expensive, but they always did an awesome job. I don't have a lot of clothes that I dry clean, but I have a fuchsia blouse that I adore that Spencer spits up on or spills his milk on me every time I wear it. It's not even technically a dry clean shirt, but the one time I hand washed it, it looked terrible. So I dry clean it. The last place was always able to get the stain out, but this one doesn't even seem to notice the stain. This is the second time I'm just not happy with the service (and I've only been twice) so it's time to find another one. They're on every corner. Anyone have one that they like, maybe in the T&C area? I drive past 6 through there every time I pick Spencer up from daycare, so it wouldn't be out of the way.
I've been thinking of doing a political post. I don't usually write about politics, mostly because I'm fiercely moderate and I hate when anyone tries to force their politics onto me. Just like religion, I'm suspicious when anyone is too radical in any direction, and I have views that straddle the political line just as I have beliefs that straddle the religious one. But I think that a political dialog really needs to be opened, and people on both sides really need to be able to ask, why do you believe in this? How do you believe this works? Did this policy really work for you? No finger pointing, no hypocrisy, just an honest dialog. I have no problem with someone voting for a political figure they believe in, as long as they are informed and are not voting based on false statements, misconceptions or bold-faced lies. Vote for McCain, vote for Obama, vote for ... who's that other candidate taking Nader's place? Just know your facts and don't be so emotional about your choice.
Anyhow, maybe more on that later, or maybe I'll decide that politics really doesn't have a place in my blog. I'll have to do more research.
And I need to find a new dry cleaner. I used to go to this place on Busch when I was living with the in-laws, and it was way too expensive, but they always did an awesome job. I don't have a lot of clothes that I dry clean, but I have a fuchsia blouse that I adore that Spencer spits up on or spills his milk on me every time I wear it. It's not even technically a dry clean shirt, but the one time I hand washed it, it looked terrible. So I dry clean it. The last place was always able to get the stain out, but this one doesn't even seem to notice the stain. This is the second time I'm just not happy with the service (and I've only been twice) so it's time to find another one. They're on every corner. Anyone have one that they like, maybe in the T&C area? I drive past 6 through there every time I pick Spencer up from daycare, so it wouldn't be out of the way.
I've been thinking of doing a political post. I don't usually write about politics, mostly because I'm fiercely moderate and I hate when anyone tries to force their politics onto me. Just like religion, I'm suspicious when anyone is too radical in any direction, and I have views that straddle the political line just as I have beliefs that straddle the religious one. But I think that a political dialog really needs to be opened, and people on both sides really need to be able to ask, why do you believe in this? How do you believe this works? Did this policy really work for you? No finger pointing, no hypocrisy, just an honest dialog. I have no problem with someone voting for a political figure they believe in, as long as they are informed and are not voting based on false statements, misconceptions or bold-faced lies. Vote for McCain, vote for Obama, vote for ... who's that other candidate taking Nader's place? Just know your facts and don't be so emotional about your choice.
Anyhow, maybe more on that later, or maybe I'll decide that politics really doesn't have a place in my blog. I'll have to do more research.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Please, no more cowbell ...
So Spencer's finally getting better. He had a fever Tuesday through Thursday, and finally on Friday that broke. He couldn't drink his bottles very well because he was so congested, and he didn't sleep much Wednesday through Friday because of the congestion. He cried a lot, and I cringed a lot. What else could I do? I spent most of Wednesday home with him, and Thursday Christen called out from work and stayed home. I relieved him once I got off work, but I worked a little late and they were both cranky from spending too much time together. Friday he was off anyhow, so I was able to work that day too, thankfully. I needed it.
By Saturday he was still congested but at least in a better mood. He was sleeping through the night, taking his nap, and playing with his toys. His nose was still running like a faucet, and we did the saline a lot trying to get as much out as possible. We were going to the Rays game with Theresa and Andrew, so we dropped him off with the in-laws and had a nice evening out. We had such a good time! The game was great; very close but we still won. The perfect kind. And even though technically I hate baseball, I've been watching the Rays lately because it's always on my tv (Christen watches) and anyhow, it's much more enjoyable in real life.
We were in the all-you-can-eat section, and I can say that I'm glad I cooked hot dogs for dinner last week, because I have a feeling that I'm not going to want any for a long time. I also learned that it can be considered justified for beating on people who wear their hats at stupid angles, women who scream "say hi to the camera!!!" to take still shots, and cow bells. Lots of cow bells. Christopher Walkin would turn over in his grave and he's not even dead.
After the game Christen and Andrew went to the cigar bar and Theresa and I went to the wine bar, and had a great time and a really good talk. Every time we spend time with them I think, why don't we spend more time together? So maybe we'll start that.
The only problem with Saturday was that we didn't get back to Christen's parents house until 11:30pm, and Spencer still wasn't asleep because he was still stuffy and his parents didn't want him to cry so they didn't lay him down. I understand being worried, but he was actually less stuffy then before and he was sleeping as of Friday so I assumed that he would be asleep when we got there. But no. And he was cranky because he was three hours past his bedtime. But he fell asleep on the drive home, and he slept in on Sunday morning and by Sunday his nose was finally starting to dry up. He's been a little snorty, but not nearly as bad, and now it seems he's catching up on his sleep. He slept until 8:30 yesterday and 9:30 today! And I kinda sorta woke him up this morning. I didn't want him to lose his schedule. Plus, I missed him.
Today we haven't done much of anything. I broke down and joined Christen's fantasy football league, so our draft is this afternoon. My team is "Plethora of Pinatas". Woohoo! We'll see if I even care about it after the first couple weeks ...
By Saturday he was still congested but at least in a better mood. He was sleeping through the night, taking his nap, and playing with his toys. His nose was still running like a faucet, and we did the saline a lot trying to get as much out as possible. We were going to the Rays game with Theresa and Andrew, so we dropped him off with the in-laws and had a nice evening out. We had such a good time! The game was great; very close but we still won. The perfect kind. And even though technically I hate baseball, I've been watching the Rays lately because it's always on my tv (Christen watches) and anyhow, it's much more enjoyable in real life.
We were in the all-you-can-eat section, and I can say that I'm glad I cooked hot dogs for dinner last week, because I have a feeling that I'm not going to want any for a long time. I also learned that it can be considered justified for beating on people who wear their hats at stupid angles, women who scream "say hi to the camera!!!" to take still shots, and cow bells. Lots of cow bells. Christopher Walkin would turn over in his grave and he's not even dead.
After the game Christen and Andrew went to the cigar bar and Theresa and I went to the wine bar, and had a great time and a really good talk. Every time we spend time with them I think, why don't we spend more time together? So maybe we'll start that.
The only problem with Saturday was that we didn't get back to Christen's parents house until 11:30pm, and Spencer still wasn't asleep because he was still stuffy and his parents didn't want him to cry so they didn't lay him down. I understand being worried, but he was actually less stuffy then before and he was sleeping as of Friday so I assumed that he would be asleep when we got there. But no. And he was cranky because he was three hours past his bedtime. But he fell asleep on the drive home, and he slept in on Sunday morning and by Sunday his nose was finally starting to dry up. He's been a little snorty, but not nearly as bad, and now it seems he's catching up on his sleep. He slept until 8:30 yesterday and 9:30 today! And I kinda sorta woke him up this morning. I didn't want him to lose his schedule. Plus, I missed him.
Today we haven't done much of anything. I broke down and joined Christen's fantasy football league, so our draft is this afternoon. My team is "Plethora of Pinatas". Woohoo! We'll see if I even care about it after the first couple weeks ...
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