Sexy Friday

Jennifer Connelly is this week's recipient of Sexy Friday because I've been suffering through The Day the Earth Stood Still all week. Every night, I watch a few minutes of it. I'm actually seeing the movie for the brief moments Kyle Chandler appears. I've liked Jennifer Connelly since The Rocketeer, but I can't say I've seen all of her movies just because they're so heavy with a few exceptions. Man, I'm still traumatized by House of Sand and Fog. (I've actually heard the book was better, but I can't put myself through that - too sad!) So, here's hoping the last 30 minutes of The Day the Earth Stood Still is much better than the first hour plus.

Weekend Update - Relaxing Weekend (More or Less)

Last Friday, we did the usual dinner and bed. I was very tired, and I had to wake up early with Little Miss on Saturday. On Saturday, I woke up with Little Miss. She asked for Cheerios for breakfast and then decided she didn't want them. She let me know she didn't want them by throwing them all over the table. After discipline and clearing the table, I made myself a ham and egg omelet which Little Miss decided was much better than her Cheerios (which she requested) and ate the entire thing. After Husband woke up and got ready, we all went to Oak Marr. Husband hit golf balls at the driving range while Little Miss and I walked around. Husband let her hit a few balls from the driving range and then taught her how to hit golf balls with her little Minnie Mouse set. She plays golf all the time at home so it was neat for her to see people play real golf. She fell asleep on the way home. We woke her up to go grocery shopping and then she and I took a nap when we got home. There was dinner and bed (though I stayed up a little longer than she did).

I should note that, later in the evening, Little Miss got in so much trouble even Husband was mad at her. She was told not to throw her toys and, in defiance, she threw her toy right at my eyebrow. So, now I have a little bruise and a cut above my eyebrow (which totally ruins my plan to wax them this week). She got a big time out in which Husband tossed her in the crib and shut out the lights and shut the door. Then, when we calmed down, we went back in there and made her apologize. As easy as the 2's have been, she's just now embraced her inner princess and really wants things her way. So, she has to learn the lesson we all do, you don't always get your way. Tough cookies.

On Sunday, Husband woke up with Little Miss. Then, I woke up when he went to golf. Little Miss and I hung out and acted silly. Then, we got ready ready and took a walk. Because it was starting to sprinkle, we went to the mall. We bought some ice cream and then walked home. She and I took a gloriously long nap. Then, she woke up when Husband got home. We had a nice family dinner and then she went right back to bed. I didn't stay up too much later.

So, that was the weekend. It was relaxing overall. On Saturday, I really felt it was Sunday so it was nice to have a bonus weekend day in there. Below is a very short video of Little Miss golfing. It was not as windy as it sounds.

Fail.

Wow, just wow. If you are a parent or are going to have children or think you may spawn one day, just take a peek here for the slide show. Fail Blog which, if you've never visited, is hilarious. Case in point is totally inappropriate yet makes me snicker everytime I look at it.

Sexy Friday

I know I've said I don't like bad boys. It still holds kind of true, but lately, there are some that are kind of sexy. Mark Salling from Glee had me from the moment he started singing "Sweet Caroline". Then, I found the above photo as part of his photo shoot for GQ and thought, "YUM". Also, he's standing next to a plate containing bacon so I'm not sure what interests me more.

Best. Thing. Ever.

If you were friends with me from college on, you must know that I loved Daria. It was hilarious and only slightly reminiscent of my life without the goth best friend. Then, I see this link on a website today. The t-shirt is hilarious. I was bummed that it was sold out, but then I found it. If you haven't watched Daria yet, go put it on your Netflix queue and enjoy!

Favorite Daria quotes (that I could find on short notice):
Mr. O'Niell: "Right here and now, let's pledge to make Daria's dream a reality."
Daria: "You mean the one where people walking down the street burst into flames?"

Forget it. I don't like kids. I didn't even like kids when I was a kid. ~ Daria

Quinn: "Don't worry, it's fake."
Daria: "Aw, you got a tattoo to match your personality."

Creamy Mac & Cheese

I usually make a Baked Macaroni and Cheese, but I wanted a good old-fashioned creamy macaroni and cheese recipe. So, last night, I made a new recipe from The Cooking Photographer. Now, you may remember my last disaster based on a recipe from the site, but that was all my error and not the recipe/website. Plus, it was dessert. I'm incapable of making desserts. Regardless, this time was a success! Plus, specialty cheese was on sale this week so I got some great extra-sharp cheddar cheese for not a lot of money. The rest of the items I had in the pantry so it was a relatively inexpensive dinner (and lunch for the next week). Below is the recipe from the website in case you don't want to click the link. Please note that the photo above is NOT of this recipe, but it was a close approximation. My macaroni & cheese, even with bright orange cheese, came out light yellow. Also, I used cavatappi for something different.

Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
Use flavorful, good quality cheese in this pasta. It makes all the difference.

1 pound good quality sharp cheddar or vintage white cheddar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 & 6 tablespoons unbleached flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
Lots of freshly cracked pepper
1 pound macaroni, cappelletti, or other pasta of choice
Salted pasta water

1. Begin boiling the water and cooking the pasta according to package directions in heavily salted water. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and toss with 3 tablespoons flour. Set aside.

2. In a large pot melt the butter over medium to medium high heat. Stir in 6 tablespoons flour (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons to make it easy), and salt. Cook until golden stirring frequently. Very slowly pour in the milk stirring completely into the flour as you go so lumps don’t form. Add lots of freshly cracked pepper and stir the mixture constantly until thickened. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Stir until melted.

3. Set aside about a cup of reserved pasta water. Drain the pasta and add it to the cheese mixture. Stir gently to combine. Add pasta water as needed to make creamy.

We Could Have Had a Boy...

... but we didn't. This morning, I was getting dressed. I left Little Miss to Koko, Brewster and Wilson while I got dressed. It was quiet in the other room, but she was pretty tired. After, I went in to get her when I finished getting ready, and she looked like this:
What you can't see in the photo is her hands. Her hands are also covered like Clinique Vintage Wine made gloves for toddlers. The bright side is that the mess was only on her hands and face and not all over the apartment.

Ego Boost of the Day

I just got a text from Brother-in-Law. He was driving Nephew to school and passed a garbage truck. Nephew said, "That garbage truck is much bigger than Auntie April." The thing is that this is not the first time he's done this. He's passed items before and exclaimed how much bigger they are than I am. I responded that I don't think his teachers in grade school will accept Auntie April as a unit of measurement. Also, it's nice to know a garbage truck is bigger than Auntie April. I'd be pretty mad if he said the opposite.

Zabka - Best Bully or No. Discuss.

Seriously, William Zabka was a fantastic bully. I'm not even positive he's ever played a character who was not a bully. On one hand, I know bullying has reached new frontier in this decade, but no 80's movie was complete without a good, two-dimensional bully. The more evil the bully, the better it was when he got his in the end. So, when I ran across this clipfest at Best Week Ever, I had to share it with you all. Please note the language is rough so don't play it around little ears or overly-sensitive ears. Watching makes me want to watch some 80's movies. Who was your favorite movie bad guy (or girl)?

Money Tree

I hate spending a lot of money on things we need. The price of our new mattress hurt a lot last Fall, but it was worth it. I'm sure the other items we need will be worth it as well. Although, once I find the elusive Money Tree, we're hitting the mall. However, I can't quite say I need the first item yet.

I love my camera. I love that it's purple. However, I have dropped a few times so it's kind of a shell of its former self. I wish I could blame Little Miss, but she's pretty gentle with it. I dropped it last weekend at the party. It was a impulse reaction when the camera closed and pinched me. I just kind of went "ouch" and jumped, and it flew off my wrist. I put all the pieces back on it, and it worked just fine last night. So, it's not an immediate need, but I'm looking into a new one. This camera also comes in purple and comes with a case. I'll have to see if its wrist strap tightens around the wrist.

First things first (besides the big girl bed over which we are kind of in denial), I think we're going to need new dishes within the next year. I love our dishes though, but we've broken a serving bowl and the bowls and plates have many chips. I'm pretty sure my bowl last night had a giant crack in it, too, but I forgot to throw it away. The set is almost 11 years old and was discontinued right after were were married (we had to scramble to get all the pieces and I even bought a lot on ebay). They're just so sturdy and happy-looking. I don't want to spend a ton on a new set, but I want the new set to stand up to our use. Plus, I'd ideally like to find something to match the remaining pieces of our original set. You can view the original set here. I've added to the original set by adding plain white pieces as well as just plain blue pieces that matched perfectly.

We'll see. We need to get through the summer and get Little Miss a big girl bed first (I'm hoping for a Fourth of July sale). Then, I find the Money Tree and then I purchase the rest of my wish list (you know, after I make sure I have all the books I want and these shoes - you can see where it's hard to stop buying fun things and start buying things the apartment needs).

Weekend Update - Friends and Family Fun

I actually don't remember Friday night so I'll assume nothing happened. I believe we watched some sports while we ate dinner and then I went to bed because Saturday is my morning to wake up with Little Miss. That's how my usual exciting Friday nights go.

On Saturday, I woke up with Little Miss. She had a light breakfast and was pretty good. We played and watched a little tv. Then, I left to meet up with friends and go to the Gaithersburg Book Festival. My one friend just got engaged and was kind enough to ask both Little Miss and me to be in her wedding next year. I'm positive Little Miss will make the cutest Flower Girl ever. We all had fun, had ice cream (which is very important when having fun) and got to meet Sarah Pekkanen and Sarah Blake. Both authors signed books for us as well. I didn't get the opportunity to read either book before Saturday, but I can't wait. They both sound great and I loved hearing the authors read their own work. (Sidenote: Sarah Blake is also an adult film star so if you want to visit her website, I'd recommend clicking on the link provided and not just randomly type in a website you think is hers.) Then, my friend and I had dinner at Dogfish Head Ale House.

Little Miss had a great day with Husband. They went to buy new shoes which is her favorite thing in the world and went to the playground. Little Miss took a 4-hour nap and basically woke, had a light dinner and went right back to bed. So, good Saturday all around.

On Sunday, Husband got up with Little Miss. Then, I got up for breakfast. Husband took a nap because he wasn't feeling well and I put Little Miss in for a quick morning nap. Then, we all went to Sister's house for Nephew's birthday party. He's 5! Nephew had a construction party and here is a photo of Little Miss hammering little "nails" (they're really tees into styrofoam). Little Miss was really looking forward to going all week. It was really cute. She had so much fun with all the big kids. Then, she had fun playing with her cousin. At one point, Nephew got injured and Little Miss got in trouble for not eating a good dinner, but Nephew thought Little Miss was getting in trouble for hurting him and, amid his tears, he cried, "It's not Little Miss's fault!" It was very nice of him to think of her and protect her. He was also a good big boy and gave Little Miss some trains of his. This is huge because Nephew is a big train enthusiast and he values his trains more than any other possession.

Little Miss was equally as excited to go home because, without her afternoon nap, she was tired and borderline cranky. So, after dinner, we went home, gave Little Miss a bath and she asked to go to bed. We put her to bed even though she hadn't eaten much all day, and she slept straight through to this morning.

Good, exhausting weekend!

Love - It'll Kill You

I'm totally stealing this from Best Week Ever, one of the funniest sites around. I catch up on the site weekly or so. Yesterday, they had this post which contained an excerpt with Ryan Gosling talking about The Giving Tree. I haven't read the original article, but the quote is the following: "That book is so f**ked up; that story’s the worst. I mean, at the end the tree is a stump and the old guy just sitting on him; he’s just used him to death, and you’re supposed to want to be the tree? F**k you. You be the tree. I don’t want to be the tree." I totally agree. I never liked the book though know many who do. I always hated that the tree got totally destroyed. I understand that the tree loved the boy and would do anything for him, but I always felt like the love was one-sided. The boy just kept taking and taking and taking. Anyway, I'll stick with Where the Sidewalk Ends, you can keep The Giving Tree.

If you're interested, the original article is found here on the NY Magazine's website.

Energizer Bunny

Remember those commercials? The Energizer bunny just keeps going and going and going...

The other night, Little Miss ran around our apartment. You can run in an entire circle through the living room, dining area, galley kitchen and hallway. So, she did. For maybe 8-9 circles, she ran. And screamed. I only caught the last two on video. I'm jealous of the energy. Maybe if I had nap time, I'd have this much energy, too. Doubtful.

Weekend Update - Mother's Day

Well, last Friday, I wasn't feeling 100%, but I figured it was allergies. On Saturday, Little Miss and I woke up and got up and out as early as we could to travel to Union Station for National Train Day. We missed Taye Diggs, but the Metro was super slow and crowded. However, Little Miss was so good. She walked most of the time while I carried the stroller. She shared a seat with a fellow train lover. Then, when we got there, it was just too crowded to see anything. So, she mostly watched the model trains for awhile, we ate lunch and then we left. Sidenote: Little Miss saw the model trains and pushed her way to the front of the display so she could see. Luckily, the kids she pushed were all bigger so they could see over her, but it's kind of embarrassing to have her just muscle her way through the crowd (yet kind of cool at the same time). Because the Metro trains were still running slow, I figured I'd walk to the Orange Line. Little Miss fell asleep between Union Station and the Capitol so I kept walking. Around the Air & Space Museum, she woke up (partly because I walked by a fountain and she got wet) so we we had ice cream. Then, we proceeded to the Smithsonian Metro Stop and rode home. When we got home, she heard that Nephew wanted to play with her so we met Brother-in-Law and Nephew at the playground. Little Miss played hard for an hour. Nephew was very cute with Little Miss. He'd bounce back and forth between annoying Little Miss (who was tired and cranky) and defending her against everyone else in the playground. We often heard him say "that's my baby cousin" if someone got too close to her. Then, we both went home for a much-needed nap. We napped for an hour before Husband came home from golf. Little Miss must have been startled because she cried and sobbed for an hour after he accidently woke her. By Saturday night, I definitely wasn't feeling well. I did stay up to watch half of Saturday Night Live.

On Sunday, I felt lousy. I spent the entire day in bed. I got up to shower around 2:30 and then took an hour nap at which point I did wake up to go to the In-laws' apartment to celebrate Mother's Day. We had a nice dinner with the In-laws, Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law. Then, I went straight back to bed. Monday was a sick day for me, but I've been improving all week except for the runny nose which I fear may never end.

Big plans for this weekend - Gaithersburg Book Festival and Nephew's birthday party. So, the next weekend update should be fun!

What I Sang All Week

Except I did go to work.

Weekend Update - Horses and Trains

Two weekends ago, we had a busy weekend. On Friday night, we cleaned and tidied and rearranged our apartment to hold a party for the Kentucky Derby. On Saturday, we cooked and cleaned some more. Our friends and family came over and we ate (seriously, we got cleaned out and I'm not even going to list the amount of food through which we ate). We have a little pot to wager on the horses ($5 for a randomly-selected horse for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for cash and prizes). Then, a few stayed a little longer and we socialized until around midnight. It was a lot of fun! Plus, it was nice to see the place relatively clean for once.

On Sunday, friends of ours, Brother-in-Law, Sister and Nephew met in Baltimore where we went to Day Out with Thomas. It was a thousand degrees outside. Little Miss had a blast though. She got to lead her new friend around, got led around by Nephew, and mostly just enjoyed seeing so many trains.

Sidenote: See that flower in the above photo? The balloon flower? I waited in line almost an hour for it. Little Miss wanted one so I was like sure, I'll stand in line. The guy was awesome, but he took FOREVER. So, we JUST MADE our trip on Thomas. We were the last ones on the train because I the guy was making her balloon flower while we were supposed to be boarding the train. The flower is now is the pink petals and a nasty green deflated balloon stem. Little Miss still carries it around. I'm thrilled she still loves it. It makes the stress worth it.

When we got home, she also enjoyed a cupcake. See below to see how much she enjoyed that cupcake.

Our next weekend update involves National Train Day and Mother's Day. I'll try to get that out tomorrow before we pass another weekend. Sorry for the delay!

Books Read in April 2010

1. Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins
2. A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
3. Dream Chaser by Sherrilyn Kenyon (NOTE: This is part of the Dark Hunter/Dream Hunter series. You can find the order in which to read here.)

It was a slow month. I'm actually surprised I read 3 books. Still, decent books all around. I'm nearing the home stretch with the Dark Hunters/Dream Hunters books which is nice to know after starting them what seems like forever ago. It'll be weird to be all caught up. That's actually ok because I've started a new series (see next month).

Friday Night Lights

It's my annual Friday Night Lights post. First, the fourth season premieres on NBC this Friday. This is the same season that aired on DirecTV last Fall. Second, it is the perfect season to start watching if you haven't started already. Third, if you really think you'll be lost, click here for Everything you need to know about "Friday Night Lights". It's a great primer of Seasons 1-3 as well as answers some general questions. The picture above is literally how Season 3 ended. Oh, and I love Kyle Chandler. I'm a little wary of his rumored next project, but I always follow him everywhere even if I don't stick (yes, I'm talking about The Lyon's Den which had Kyle Chandler and Rob Lowe and I couldn't stick with it).