As Easy as Falling Off a Ladder...

On Sunday, Mom, Sister and Nephew went to Maryland for the week. Shortly after their car pulled away from the curb, Dad was cleaning the gutters. It rained earlier in the day and the deck on which the ladder rested was wet. You can see where this is going. Technically, Dad didn't fall off the ladder so much as fell with the ladder. Details aside, he still has a broken leg. It was the right leg like with the kitty above, but I couldn't find a picture with a blue cast and, after some of the nasty photos I saw, I just took the first cartoon photo with crutches and a cast. So, as of today, Dad has a pretty blue cast. Well, maybe not pretty... He drove himself to the hospital and back on Sunday despite the fact that I was home napping and would have gladly gone with him. Similarly, he drove himself today to the doctor. I did go over yesterday to see if he was hanging in thereand to pick up life's cure-all - ice cream. The bad news, other than the broken leg, is that Mom, Dad and Nephew can't go to Disney now. I'm sure that's disappointing.

Weekend Update - Nothing was Everything I Thought it Could Be

Last weekend was a blur of nothing. On Friday, after work, I met a friend and went to Borders to see David Sedaris speak and sign books. I'm sort of familiar with his work, but I hadn't actually read much. He was a great speaker despite having laryngitis. It was a fun night. After the signing, we went to shop a little and grabbed a bite to eat at La Madeleine. I didn't get the tomato basil soup, but now I want it. Seriously good. I don't even like tomato soup. That said, I wasn't in the mood so got the French Onion soup and a salad. And that summed up the most exciting part of my weekend.

Saturday and Sunday involved a lot of sleeping and grocery shopping. Seriously. This is the lamest weekend update ever.

My Lunch Date

I had a lunch date today with my favorite 4-year-old. I met Sister and Nephew for lunch and picked up Husband from the Metro. The four of us had a good time. Later, I'll post a photo that Nephew took of Sister, Husband and me. He's not a bad photographer. It's not his fault he took the photo into the "sunlight". At least he got all of us in one frame. Fun times, and he's a good, little boy.

He helped me with my straw. He took the straw wrapper off my straw and then put it into my Diet Coke. I guess to test how fresh the soda was, he took a sip, let out a big "aahhhhh" and then tried to drink it all. I took it away, but it's nice to have a royal tester for my food and drink.

It was a nice break to the workday and a nice way to end the hectic work week. I needed some 4-year-old laughs.

Sexy Friday

Last week, I mentioned that I saw The Hangover. I'm still laughing at the movie. So, this week, Sexy Friday belongs to Bradley Cooper and Heather Graham. Plus, this week brings back the theme of men in the bathtub (see Johnny Depp or David Boreanaz). I can't say I'm a big follower of either of this week's recipients. However, I enjoyed He's Just Not That Into You even though Bradley Cooper played a complete jerk. Plus, I am totally intrigued by The A-Team movie. As for Heather Graham, she looked fabulous in The Hangover and doesn't look near her age (39 according to IMDB). I'll still always at least like her because she had the good sense to go on one of my favorite television shows, Scrubs. Stay tuned for future Sexy Fridays. We'll see if Sister's suggestion ever makes it.

Video of Little Miss

This is from the pool a couple of weeks ago. I had to wait until I was at Sister's house to upload it. Nephew kept dumping water on Husband, and Little Miss thought it was hilarious. Then, Nephew dumped water on her and it wasn't as funny. She was a good sport though. I just found out that Nephew was saying, "PIE!" He's a big fan of Tom & Jerry. The cat and mouse often throw pies in each other's faces so that's what he's doing to his poor Uncle. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

My original thought was to have Little Miss hold the birthday sign, but she took a pen and thought she'd color it. So, now it looks like she wrote the birthday sign. Either way, happy birthday to my dad! I'll see him tonight after I pick up his present. Little Miss won't be there, but she sends her love and this message below:

Dogs Have Nothing on Little Miss's Begging

The other night, we sat down to dinner. Little Miss ate at In-Laws' apartment and ate a little at our place. So, we let her roam around before bedtime while we eat. She turned down all sorts of food. The minute I sit down, I see this across my plate:She proceeded to eat half my dinner, begging for each piece.

Happy National Chocolate Eclair Day!

Did you know that June 22 is National Chocolate Eclair Day? It is. Therefore, below is a recipe for Cappuccino Eclairs from Bon Appetit.

Cappuccino Éclairs
"My éclair is everything an éclair should be," says pastry chef Tariq Hanna. That might seem like a bold statement, but customers at his bakery, Sucré in New Orleans, snatch up the éclairs as soon as they hit the pastry case.
MAKES ABOUT 12
Recipe by Sucré
September 2008

Ingredients
Filling
2 cups water
1 cup finely ground full-flavored coffee beans (such as French roast)
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced

ÉCLAIR DOUGH
1 cup water
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
4 large eggs
4 oz imported milk chocolate, melted
Powdered sugar

Preparation
Filling
Brew 2 cups water and coffee in standard coffeemaker. Pour 1 cup brewed coffee into heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean, then cream. Bring mixture to boil.

Whisk sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl, then whisk in yolks. Gradually whisk hot coffee mixture into yolk mixture. Return to same saucepan and cook until cream thickens and boils, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes. Add butter; whisk to melt. Transfer cream to small bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface; chill until very cold, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

ÉCLAIR DOUGH
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring 1 cup water, butter, and salt to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour all at once; using wooden spoon, stir until dough forms ball and thick film coats pan bottom, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Using handheld electric mixer, beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until dough is smooth after each addition.

Spoon dough into pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain round tip. Press dot of dough under each corner of parchment to anchor. Pipe 4-inch lines of dough onto paper, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 15 minutes (do not open oven). Reduce temperature to 350°F; bake until crisp, about 20 minutes. Cool shells on sheet.

Using serrated knife and starting at 1 long side, cut each shell in half. Fill shell bottom with 2 tablespoons filling; cover with top. Spread with melted chocolate.
Arrange éclairs on platter. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve.

Weekend Update - Father's Day

On Friday, Sister-in-Law and I had dinner after work. It was super yummy. Then, we hung out before going to see The Hangover. Everyone I knew already saw it, but the movie lived up to the hype. It's been awhile since I came home from a movie and said I would totally see it again. Plus, we were in the second row so I'm curious how the movie is without my neck in an odd angle.

On Saturday, Little Miss and I woke up early to go help Mom with a tag sale. It poured so she didn't really need the help, but it was fun. Little Miss was bold with the kitty again and gave him some kisses (which is more than she gave my parents). After the tag sale, we left to go to Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law's house. The boys picked up lunch, and we all went to the pool. Then, we went back to their place. Little Miss screamed through a bath (sometimes she doesn't like taking baths at other people's houses) and then took a nice nap. We had dinner and then head home.

On Sunday, Little Miss woke up but went back to sleep when we just couldn't physically move out of bed. Husband woke up with her. Husband opened his presents - he received a "Not Right Now, I'm Watching the Game" t-shirt, a "Let's Play Steak" magnet (from Scrubs), and I bought Little Miss two t-shirts - one that says Daddy's Little Sweet Pea because that's what husband calls her and one that says "I Love my Dad". She took a half hour nap and then we went back to Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law's house for Father's Day. We had some food, chatted, had golf on, ate dinner and dessert, exchanged presents and then went home exhausted. I really wasn't feeling well so Husband put Little Miss to bed. I woke up with a headache still, but my tummy was better. And now it's another week... No plans that I know of for next weekend yet. I may see David Sedaris on Friday though.

What Were You Doing 2 Years Ago?

This is what we were doing! We got to see Little Miss for the first time! We already heard the heartbeat, but it was nice to see her especially to hear the good news that everything a healthy baby needed, she had. Oh! And we found the baby was, indeed, a she. Husband was correct. He thought the baby would be a girl. I thought the baby would be a boy. We had a lovely technician who spent a lot of time explaining everything to us. It was reminiscent of an anatomy lesson. We got to see each of her 10 toes and 10 fingers. She also had the hiccups while we viewed her. We were given many photos which we couldn't wait to show everyone (and we did - I think all our friends and family saw the photos within days). It's hard to imagine it was only 2 years ago and now she's such a big girl!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to Little Miss's Father...

Here is a photo of Little Miss and you when she was 3 days old! It was her first bath. This is one of my favorite photos because her eyes are open, and she's all clean and snuggly.


To my Father...

Here is a photo of Little Miss and you when she was 4 days old. She was a pretty good sleeper back then (and still is). My original plan was to post the photo of the two of you napping together from Thanksgiving, but I decided against it.


To Husband's Father...

This is a photo of Little Miss and you last summer. It's one of my favorites. The two of you were super happy together, and it was such a beautiful day.

... and to Nephew's Father!

This is from just last month of Nephew and you. It was a great day even if it was a little chillier than I had hoped. Any day full of food has to be a good one.

I hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day and get all the attention and appreciation that you deserve.

Sexy Friday Continues

The above photo is from Savage Chickens which is always good for a laugh. I spent hours on that site once. Anyway, I saw this really hot guy today while running errands. Tall, athletic, blond, yummy. So, I was just thinking how nice it must be for people to see you walking down the street and think you're hot. I like to think hot guy doesn't notice it because he doesn't consider himself hot because in my dreams, he's hot and modest. In reality, I'm sure he knows he's hot but doesn't know he's a total d-bag. Then, I looked down and noticed I was carrying a huge bag of diapers. So. Not Hot.

Sexy Friday

Today is Hugh Dancy's birthday so what better present than to be the ricipient of Sexy Friday? There are probably better photos out there, but I liked this one. Sometimes, he's a bit too pretty in photos. Though I know he has been in many movies, I've actually only seen him in Ella Enchanted. I've wanted to see others in his filmography, but I just haven't yet. It was in Evening that he met his fiance, Claire Danes. I've seen a handful of her movies at least, but she'll always shine the most as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life. I loved that show, and I still get tickled when I see a castmember show up in projects to this day.

16 Years Ago Today...

We started dating. This is only funny because I never remember our wedding anniversary correctly, but I can remember this anniversary. Anyway, Happy Dating Anniversary, Husband! We had no idea back then what we were getting into.

OK, after chatting with Husband, I remember not much about our first date. Here's what he tells me happened. Our first date was actually June 18. I didn't really think it was a date. I just thought it was dinner. I actually wore like shorts and a t-shirt until my mom told me to change. We had dinner at a Chinese food restaurant that turned into a gym last time we drove past. He added that the waiter loved me, but I don't remember much except eating a lot. Then, he also added that we went to my house to watch a movie. I don't remember this let alone what movie it was. We talked for hours... and hours... and hours. So, in the wee hours of the morning, he asked me to be his girlfriend so I agreed. He called early the next day to talk some more and the rest is history. If more details surface, I'll post them. I do remember that it was a sunny day. Otherwise, it's all a blur. Hey, it was a long time ago!

Oh, and no, you won't be getting a photo from back then. No for so many reasons...

Happy Anniversary, Brother- and Sister-in-Law!

Happy Anniversary! I hope it's the best one yet. Your present is on the way (and may have delivered already). We wish you the best then, now and always.

Achoo!

Little Miss is the smartest child in the world! She has an Elmo doll that you can examine. He asks you to check his boo boo under his bandage. He asks you to listen to his heart. He also sneezes and asks you to blow his nose with a tissue. Tonight, Little Miss took his tissue and blew his nose! Of course, her nose was also running and, when asked to go to Daddy to blow her nose, she just used Elmo's tissue to wipe her nose. Not quite the result we were seeking, but it's nice to see her understanding and reacting to what we say.

On a somewhat related note, we run the dishwasher at night. So, in the morning before we leave, Little Miss opens the dishwasher and helps me empty it. She takes the bowls and plates off the bottom drawer and hands them to me. Then, when it's empty, she closes the dishwasher up. Lately, too, she'll find trash on the floor where we may have missed the trash can, and she'll pick it up. Now, we just need to teach her not to be scared of the vaccuum cleaner and get her to really work for us.

Weekend Update - I'm Pooped!

On Friday, I had to work a little late because work has been a little busy. Husband went to meet with friends while Little Miss and I hung out at home. We had an appointment at JC Penney for Little Miss's 18-month portraits even though she's 19-months old. My plan was to take formal portraits in her Korean hanbok, but it's still a touch too big. So, we took just regular portraits. Husband came home at Little Miss's bedtime with a pizza, and that's pretty much how the rest of the evening.

On Saturday, Husband went to play golf. We had breakfast. Little Miss took a small nap. We had lunch. Little Miss took another short nap. Then, we head to the mall to take pictures! We arrived early to hopefully sneak in early. They actually took us early. We got into the room and Little Miss freaked out. She started crying, clinging to my leg. So, the photographer said we could regroup and come back at our appointment time. So we did. Little Miss started smiling as soon as left the room. We were at the front desk and she started smiling, climbing on the chairs, coloring. So, we went back into the room. She was still clingy but she didn't cry. She sat on my lap and the photographer draped me so you couldn't see me. He snapped a couple of photos. She started warming up to him. She still wasn't very cooperative, but we got 3-4 good pictures, and that was good enough for me. When we got home, we both took a very long nap. Sister came to my neighborhood for drinks and asked if I wanted to come out, and I was too tired.

On Sunday, Husband got up with Little Miss who woke up with enough energy for 4 people. She ran around constantly for a couple of hours laughing and giggling. She had breakfast. Husband tried unsuccessfully to put her down for a nap. I fed her lunch and then put her down successfully for a small nap. Then, after she woke up, we went to Sister's pool. We all had a lot of fun and sun. Little Miss was a rockstar in the water. She slid under water twice and didn't fuss at all. She put her face in the water. She splashed. She tried to drink the water, but we tried to stop her as much as we could. I'm sure more water than we wished got through though. Little Miss and Nephew took a bath. Nephew had dinner and Little Miss refused dinner. So, we left. Little Miss fell asleep in the car and has been sleeping ever since. She hasn't eaten since lunch so the question is: should we wake her or risk the chance she wakes up in the middle of the night hungry? She may just sleep because she got a lot of sun and used a ton of energy today in the water. We shall see. *fingers crossed*

Sexy Friday

Totally forgot today was Sexy Friday. I was too busy being thrilled it was just a regular Friday. So, considering today is a rush, I'm pretty happy with the pick. True Blood returns to HBO this weekend with its second season. I don't really like the show that much, but it's clever. It always ends with a cliffhanger, and Ryan Kwanten is often without his clothes. It does have its moments where it makes me laugh or even the moments where I genuinely want to know what will happen, but I am not obsessed with it like many. The show is based on a series of books by Charlaine Harris which I have not read yet, but I have the first, Dead Until Dark, at home so I can compare the tv series with the book series. I already know they differ quite a bit.

For the female counterpart, I went with Anna Paquin who I still view as a child when she was in The Piano. I know she's been in a zillion movies since then, and I've seen a lot of them, but I still picture her as a child. I'll get over it eventually.

Happy Birthday, er, to ME!

I put Little Miss in her "I Love My Mom" t-shirt today. I like to think it's what she wanted to wear. She does pick out which shoes she will wear. She's been a little sick, but she still gave me lots of hugs and smiles today. (EDIT: While Little Miss has been sick this week, she learned to blow her nose. We put the tissue up and she blows! She's genius!) Plus, she gets to be with family tonight. Mom, Sister, and Nephew are coming over. I'm making bulgogi. Husband offered to cook on my birthday, but he cooked for his family on his birthday so I thought it only fair. Plus, I did all of the prep work last night so all I have to do is fire up the skillet and cook up some rice.

Little Miss Mischief

See that photo above? That was our floor last night.

Little Miss went to bed perfectly around 9PM which is around her bedtime. She'll go to bed between 8:30PM and 9:00PM. She went right to sleep. About an hour later, she stands up and starts to cry. We go in and get her, and she says she's hungry. So, we give her some Cheerios and some of our dinner. This is after she had a chicken and string bean dinner with some ice cream for dessert so don't go thinking we don't feed the child and she wakes up hungry. So, at one point, we look down and she's spilled her Cheerios everywhere. So, we order her to pick them all up. She does. She picks them up one at a time and brings them to me. She ended up picking maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of them before we put her back to bed.

Husband and I had our mean parent faces on, but it was kind of funny.

Weekend Update - Fun in the Sun

First, this video is from Wednesday. For Husband's birthday, we had the In-Laws over, and Little Miss had some fun with a game of peekaboo.

Now, back to our regularly-scheduled Weekend Update. On Friday, we had a nice Girls' Night In. Husband, Brother-in-Law, and friends went to the Nationals game while the New York Mets were in town. So, Sister-in-Law came over and spent time with Little Miss and me. We had wine, an appetizer, a simple dinner, and dessert. Little Miss entertained us, and then she went to bed. Sister-in-Law and I chatted and watched bad television (so bad it would break the confidentiality agreement we made if I disclosed what exactly we watched). We both saw Rent a couple of weeks ago and have been obsessing ever since. So, because I have Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway and she has Rent, the 2005 film, we traded. After she left, I watched half the movie before bed.

On Saturday, Little Miss slept in a little while was nice. Then, we got up and ate and played. Little Miss took a nap, and then we took her to In-Laws' house for the night. Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, Husband and I had plans for a night out. We went to Bullfeathers for dinner and drinks and then went to Nationals Park to see night 2 of the Nats v. Mets. The Mets won Friday night and got killed the night we attended. It was kind of painful. The game was also only 2 hours though so we were home by about 10:30PM. Because we already had the night free of child, we watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall which I got for my birthday. We enjoyed it. I've already seen it, but it's always funny to me, and I had never seen the extended version so parts were new to me.

On Sunday, we slept obscenely late. I'm not even going to tell you how late. It was that late. I did manage to read half a book which I'm enjoying more than I expected. In the afternoon, we went to the In-Laws' pool. Little Miss was more than happy to ignore us most of the afternoon to continue being spoiled by her grandparents. The pool was a little chilly for her so she didn't do much more than stick her feet in. Then, when the sun hid below some buildings, we changed her into her regular clothes. At that point, she decided to go into the pool and get drenched. Of course. We changed her into the clothes she wore the day before and headed home. She had a bath and has been sleeping since 7PM - no dinner, nothing. We're very afraid she's going to wake up at 2AM starving, but there's a chance she'll sleep until morning. We had a nice dinner, will finish watching Frost/Nixon, and will probably head to bed.

Sexy Friday

I've noticed the USA Network has been playing Casino Royale lately or at least commercials. So, Mr. Daniel Craig is today's Sexy Friday. He actually wasn't my first choice, but I think he'll do nicely.

His counterpart, of course, had to be Eva Green. The runners up for today's Sexy Friday will make a future appearance, I'm sure. I just didn't have the time to find the perfect pictures.

National Donut Day - June 5

Today is National Donut Day. You can pick up your free donut Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme. Dunkin' Donuts has a free donut with a beverage purchase. Krispy Kreme has no purchase required. Both are while supplies last. I'm not sure if they set aside so many or if they run out of donuts at some point. Either way, have a Happy Donut Day!

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Happy birthday, Husband! I hope you have a good day even if it is one that includes work. Little Miss is wearing something special just for you. Your girls love you!

Books Read in May 2009

1. Vision in White by Nora Roberts
2. Beach Music by Pat Conroy
3. Sophie's Secret by Tara Taylor Quinn

Though this month was kind of piddly, the books were good. Nora Roberts rarely fails to deliver. Her book was sweet and romantic and the good start to her new series. I can't wait for the other three books. Pat Conroy's book was for book club. It has been over a decade since I've read his work, but I do like his storytelling even if I'm an impatient reader. I always want to follow the book and enjoy the way he weaves a story. He is a very visual writer and I bet his books are great as audio books. Last, but not least, I squeezed in Tara Taylor Quinn. She writes Harlequin novels and always is a pleasure to read because of her unique plots and characters. I wanted a little more out of this book especially at the end. It left me with questions. As this is part of The Shelter Valley series, I may get answers eventually. It's always a good book when you want more. Good month. I'd love to keep up the reading trend. I started Susan Mallery's book, have J.R. Ward's close by, and I also have Shannon K. Butcher and Geralyn Dawson so I'm not lacking of anything to pick up.