Cupcake Vodka?

I am sure my best friend, Grey Goose has nothing to fear, but I read Cupcake vodka is coming to America. It comes in different flavors and there are drink recipes. The apple one seems like a good idea for Thanksgiving, but it also sounds kind of gross. Either way, it seems like the cupcake gimmick isn't as strong as it was years ago, but I guess with the popularity of the whipped cream vodka, this was bound to happen. Anybody hear anything about it? Think it's worth trying?

Movies Watched October 2011

1. Ides of March

With new television on air, there is a lot less movie watching. However, Husband and I went out for our anniversary and saw Ides of March. We really enjoyed it. So, quality over quantity this month.

Books Read in October 2011

1. Chasing Fire by Chasing Fire
2. Only His by Susan Mallery (NOTE: This book is part of the Fool's Gold series. The order in which to read the series can be found here.)
3. Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl (NOTE: This is part of The Donovan Brothers Brewery series. You can find the order in which to read here
4. More Than Words Volume 7 by Jill Shalvis, Carly Phillips, and Donna Hill
5. Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward (NOTE: This is part of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The order in which to read can be found here.)
6. Ape House by Sara Gruen
7. Covet by J.R. Ward> (NOTE: This is part of the The Fallen Angels series. The order in which to read can be found here.)
8. Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis (NOTE: This book is the second book in the Animal series. The order in which to read can be found here.)

It was a really great month for reading with most of it happening in the first week of the month. I read all electronic books and continued borrowing books from the library for my nook. Very pleased with this month’s books overall.

Halloween

Today was a long day. I took a half day from work to see Little Miss's Halloween Parade as I missed last year. I worked the other half from home. First, I helped some of the kids get ready in their costumes and then watched as they paraded around the parking lot area of the school. They were all just the cutest things ever. Then, there was a big party with lots of food and drink, but it was much more organized than I expected.

After, I took Little Miss home early from school. We ate lunch, and then she took a reluctant nap. After she woke up, I wrangled her into her costume. At this point, she decided she no longer wanted to be a pirate. She was quite cranky all day today. Once we got to my parents' house, she was all in pirate mood once again at least.

On the way to my parents', we stopped in my work to show off the costume (and beg for candy). So, she started the night with a nice bag full of loot. When we got to my parents' house, Sister, Nephew and Brother-in-Law showed up shortly after that. We all had dinner and then got ready to go trick or treating. Last year, Little Miss got the concept, but it was a lot of walking for her little legs and the big kids ran ahead so fast. This year, she could keep up with the big kids (well, nephew anyway). She was allowed one piece of candy and then I changed her into her pjs for the ride home. She couldn't wait to show Husband all her candy and tell him about her night. Then, she was pretty agreeable to brushing her teeth and going straight to bed. I have no doubt we'll all sleep well tonight.

The above photo is the best I could do especially considering those kids didn't sit still for a single second. Good thing we have some from the week before, and we have plenty of pictures of them separately.

Weekend Update - Birthday and Halloween

Little Miss's actual birthday was last Friday. Husband and I hurried to get grocery shopping out of the way so we could spend some time with her in the evening. You can see her evening here.

On Saturday, we had a big day. We got ready, bundled up and went to the bookstore to see Laura Numeroff. Her new book is If You Give a Dog a Donut. We met Mom, Sister, and Nephew for lunch and then the booksigning. When we left the booksigning, it was SNOWING! We got a little dusting, but it fell fast and furious for moments. After the booksigning, we met up with Sister-in-Law and the other Nephew at a birthday party. Then, we head home.

On Sunday, we had a well-deserved day off. I also wasn't feeling 100% so I spent a lot of time in bed or on the couch.

There's a Spider on Yo Head

Bonus points if you know what movie I paraphrased.

This year, we carved a pumpkin for the first time (I think Husband may have helped me with one when we were first together, but it was a poor attempt). You can see my efforts in this previous post, but here it is again:

I was pretty pleased with it.

Happy Birthday, Little Miss!

If you click here, you can see Little Miss Birthday first thing this morning with her birthday shirt and cupcake hat (though you can't see the cupcake portion of the hat).

When she got home, we gave her a cupcake and sang Happy Birthday to her.  Then, she sang Happy Birthday to herself.

Birthday Treats (pt 2)

So, here are the treats I attemted to make. Here are the ones I actually made.

I was disappointed at first, but I think they are good enough to present to 4-year-olds (even if my 4-year-old declared them "disgusting").

Weekend Update - My Girl Wants to Party All the Time

Last Friday, we went grocery shopping to get prepared for Little Miss's birthday party. We did quite a bit the night before and still got to bed at a reasonable hour which is a first for us.


On Saturday, my parents and sister and nephew came over to help set up the community room in our apartment building and then the masses descended at 2PM. It seems like the kids had fun based on the noise and chaos. We had things for them to color and the kids could make their own bookmarks or decorate their own little pumpkin gourd. Then, we had cake (as seen below). Father-in-Law baked the cake and it was delicious!

We had friends coming from out of town so they and others came up to our apartment. The kids had a blast hanging out together. Needless to say, we all slept well that night.


On Sunday, Little Miss and I went through her gifts and set everything up. Then, we went grocery shopping where she fell asleep in the grocery store cart (you can see video of her drifting to sleep in the cart here). Amazingly, she was wide awake enough to get free ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. (You can see how much she perked up if you click here.)


That pretty much summed up our very fast weekend. Little Miss had a blast and then counted down to her "actual birthday party" which is what she called her birth date.

New TV

This week, I checked out Once Upon a Time on ABC. I'm interested, but I need to see where it's going after a few episodes. It's very complex and that can be interesting or too confusing. It'll depend on how sloppy the writers are. They are the same folk who did Lost. Though I didn't watch that show, it helps that they are used to flipping around in time and handling a lot of storylines and characters. Also, it depends on how patient I am with the fairytale aspect of the show. Basically, the Wicked Queen (from Snow White) casts a spell at Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding. Rumplestilskin told them their future for a price. So, in order to save the kingdom, they hide their baby, Emma. So, all the fairytale characters are in present-day reality with no memory of their past life. The pilot also has Emma coming to Storybrook and, hopefully, to break the spell. It was a very busy pilot.


Did anybody else watch? Thoughts? Was it sweet, interesting, wacky, too far-fetched?

Birthday Treats

First, I should say that the photo of the picture was snagged from this website though I've seen the same photo elsewhere as well and am not sure where it originated.


Little Miss's 4th birthday is Friday. Her birthday party was last Saturday (post to follow later this week). However, we now have to bring something to school for snack. I try not to bring big, sugary things. Last year, I brought chocolate chip cookies at her request. This year, I thought I'd try to find something in the Halloween theme. She had a Halloween party for her birthday, but it's also the theme at school this week. So, I've decided to tackle pretzel rod ghosts. I can guarantee now that mine will not look like the above photo. I have the ingredients, but my store was out of black icing pens so I have a pink and blue. I just saw another site where the faces were made from mini chocolate chips though so maybe I'll snag some of those and use the pink and blue as decoration. Or the whole thing could be a disaster and I'll be hitting the grocery store before school.


Stay tuned...

Family Tree Lesson

We talked about families today.  Husband and I said our parents were coming over.  Little Miss asked who our parents are.  So, we explained that our parents are her grandparents.  Also, she was lucky because she has great-grandparents.  She looks up at me and solemnly asked, "Who are my bad grandparents?"

It is an honest question.  Without bad grandparents, how do you know your great-grandparents are great? 

Directions from Little Miss

We went grocery shopping last night. On the way home, we have the choice of going one of two ways. Last night, Husband took an alternate route. Little Miss groaned in the back seat. Then, as we turned to our street, she said, "This road goes to the vodka!"


Sure enough, as we turned the corner, the ABC store was straight ahead. And now, any doubt she was ours has vanished.

Weekend Update - Fall Fun

Last Friday, we had our usual grocery shopping night and then a quiet evening in.


On Saturday, Little Miss and I woke up and got ready to go to Oktoberfest at her school. There were inflatable slides and obstacle courses, food, crafts and all sorts of fun. It was a nice way to spend a morning. Sister and Nephew joined us. Then, the four of us went to Silver Diner for lunch. After, Little Miss and I went our separate way and to the library for new books. Then, she spent the night with the In-Laws.


Husband and I took advantage of the free night and celebrated our 12th anniversary. My parents were nice enough to get us gift certificates to Legal Sea Foods where I had a lovely apple sangria, cream of crab soup and stuffed shrimp - I took most of the shrimp home which Husband and I shared for lunch the next day. Then, we went to see a movie on the parents. It was a great night.


On Sunday, I almost slept late but then Mom called me to chat. After, I got up and went shopping for Little Miss's birthday party and for her present. Never have a Halloween-themed birthday party and go shopping the weekend before Halloween. The party store was a mad house. Little Miss came home and we did her homework. Then, I went to Oyamel to meet friends for dinner. It was a great evening complete with a great margarita.


Quick week until a big weekend coming up - friends and family and Little Miss's friends from school all coming for Little Miss's 4th birthday party.

New TV

Homeland started 3 weeks ago, and I love it. It's so complex and interesting and suspenseful. I'll be curious to see how it fares through an entire season and, if we're lucky, long-term. However, for now, I really enjoy it. I like the cast (Damien Lewis, Claire Danes, and Mandy Patinkin) and it's the first show in awhile that has me genuinely looking forward to the next week to find out what will happen.

On the opposite end of the tv spectrum, Suburgatory is a half-hour comedy. It's very silly and brightly-colored. It does make me laugh though. I don't know if I'll stay tuned for its quirkiness long-term, but it's rare to find a comedy to make me laugh.

School Pictures

Last year, I did not buy school pictures. It was confusing because Little Miss only went to school on Tuesday and Thursday. Pictures were on a Monday, and I wasn't smart enough to figure out when the make-up day was. Regardless, this year, we were prepared. I sent her off to school and crossed my fingers. I was pleased with the final result.

Happy Anniversary!

The good news is that I remembered this year!  I didn't blog about it, but I did remember.  Husband I celebrated 12 years married on Monday.  We plan to celebrate in old married style over the weekend (read that as dinner and a movie).  It was a low-key anniversary day, but that's what happens when the anniversary falls on a Monday.  Still, 12 years!  It seems like a long time, but I swear it flew by in a blink.

You Look Mah-velous!

Husband recently said that he hopes Little Miss has the same confidence that she has now when she's 13.  Case in point:

Over the weekend, she asked Husband to pick her up and put her on the bed so she could see herself in the mirror.  She tells him, "I want to see how beautiful I look".  So, he picks her up and puts her on the bed.  She looks at her reflection and declares, "I look beautiful!"

Weekend Update - Cousins!!!

Last Friday, we did our usual routine of grocery shopping after work. Then, we all were beat after a long week at work. Plus, we had a big weekend coming up.

On Saturday, we woke up at our usual time (8-ish) and had breakfast and got ready to go. We left the apartment to go to Butler's Orchard for their Pumpkin Festival. Little Miss had a great time sliding down slides, playing on jungle gyms, and just running all over the place. Then, in the afternoon, we met Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law and Nephew at the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkin. We, of course, hit the store afterwards to get pumpkin seeds and cider. After we went hit The Kielbasa Factory for some kielbasa and then went to dinner at Matchbox. We were plenty beat after that, and I'm not embarrassed to say that I barely stayed awake past Little Miss.

On Sunday, Sister and Nephew came over and Little Miss and I joined them in walking to the playground. The kids played, had a snack and then we hit the library on the way home for some books and a DVD. The weekend went quickly, but we all had a lot of fun. Little Miss so loves her cousins!

Counting Off

I was using my fingers to count the number of children coming to Little Miss's birthday party.  Each child's name was ticked off by pointing to a finger.  Child 1 - index finger.  Child 2 - middle finger.  Child 3 - ring finger.  At this point, Nephew looks at me and, straight-faced, asks me if those are the names of my fingers.  I'm proud of myself for just answering, "No, they are Little Miss's friends coming to her part."  I figured it may be damaging if I laughed at him... like his mother did.

Daddy's Favorite Things

Little Miss was cuddling with Husband the other night.  She looked up at him and just says, "You love cuddling me."  Husband nodded. 

"You love hugging me," she says.  Husband nods in agreement again.

""You love kissing me,"  she says.  Husband nods.

"You love making coffee." 

At that, I must admit that Husband and I both laughed.  Those actions, according to her, are his favorite things.  I'm disappointed that I didn't even make the list.

Making Up Words

A couple of weeks ago, Little Miss sat down to breakfast.  Husband served her pancakes.  She took a bite and declared them "yumtastic". 

Since then, she's added "- tastic" to almost every word you can think of.

Then, the next day, when asked how much she loved her daddy, she replied, "100 much!" 

I guess sometimes, the words you know just aren't good enough to express what you're feeling.

Weekend Update - Family Time

On Friday, I picked up Little Miss on the way home and we met friends and their two kids.  We had dinner in our neighborhood at The Front Page and then went to our apartment for dessert.  The Front Page is really great with the kids. They bring them snacks as soon as we sit down and crayons and then serve them their food first. After dinner, the little ones get a little toy (Little Miss chose a bouncy ball which I'm sure we've already lost). The kids really had a good time.  Little Miss was sad to say goodbye and asked to see them again on Saturday.  We had plans to, but then the weather turned out awful. 


On Saturday, our plan was to take family pictures in the morning except we hit horrendous traffic and got there over an hour late.  The very nice people at The Picture People took us almost as soon as we got there regardless and were very efficient at taking the pictures.  Little Miss allowed herself to be posed and gave us mostly good smiles.  It was painless!  After, Husband went to get new license plates for our new car while Little Miss and I had lunch with Sister, her boyfriend, and Nephew.  Then, Little Miss and I saw Sister's new house and then hung out at my parents' place until after dinner. 

On Sunday, Little Miss and I ran errands and took a nap and did our Sunday routine - eating, sleeping, more eating, bath time.  I read quite a bit.  It was a relatively relaxing day which is rare this month.

Why We Rarely Have Stickers

Little Miss loves stickers.  However, she will usually find a piece of paper and stick every single sticker from a sheet of stickers one on top of another on top of another on top of another until you have an inch worth of stickers.  It's kind of a waste.  Anyway, if she doesn't do that, she likes to find people on which to stick the stickers.  I have them all over my bathrobe, my outfit I wore today, and on my blanket.  However, sometimes, we're lucky and the stickers just end up like this:

I have no idea why she looks miserable in the photo because she was not miserable.  She was probably reacting to my expression though.

First Day of School

First Day of School picture.  Sorry for the delay in posting.  In my defense, I did post on Tumblr and Facebook and Twitter.  It just took me awhile to load the pictures from my camera.  It was a little chilly that first day so she wore a sweater, but first day of school could always go either way.  I remember it was really warm last Fall.  It's been a pretty chilly Fall this year.  It's an adorable bubble skirt that was on a super summer sale at Carter's.  She wore the same outfit for school pictures, I think, too.  I'll remember once I see the pictures after they come in (they can't possibly be worse than last year's photos).

Little Miss absolutely LOVES school this year.  It's nice to see her interact more with kids.  She also seems to love her teacher.  She seems to have learned so much in just a month so far.  The fourth year is so much fun.  I can't wait to see what else she learns this year.

Sleep Study

Can't help it.  She's totally going to hate me as soon as she figures out how to work a computer, but I had to do it!  For the last week or two, I've been photographing Little Miss while she sleeps. 

In the first, you'll notice she does take after me a little (or a lot depending on the day).  This is her falling asleep with a book (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom).

In the second, you'll see that she loves her Oso stuffed animal and she and he both sleep with their mouths open. 

In the last, it was more to show the strangest position.  She basically flipped herself around and cuddled her bed rail which could not be comfortable.  Later in the evening, she claims she woke up and retucked herself in bed.  She was all tucked in and snug as a bug when I woke her in the morning (and was when Husband went to bed as well).

Well, until she figures out how to work a computer, I'll continue taking pictures of her sleeping.

Books Read in September 2011

1. Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen (NOTE: This is part of a series. You can find the order in which to read here - also note that the books are nothing like the television series except that the names and occupations are the same.)
2. Only Yours by Susan Mallery (NOTE: This book is part of the Fool's Gold series. The order in which to read the series can be found here.)
3. Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl (NOTE: This is part of The Donovan Brothers Brewery series. You can find the order in which to read here
4. Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis (NOTE: This book is the first book in the Animal series. The order in which to read can be found here.)
5. Living on the Edge by Shannon K. Butcher (NOTE: This is the first book in the The Edge series. The order in which to read can be found here.)
6. New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb (NOTE: This is #33 in the In Death series. You can find the order in which to read here.)
7. Already Home by Susan Mallery

It was a really great month for reading because I was on vacation and read more than a book a day. I mostly kept it up, too (though my pace slowed considerably). I read some electronic books, some paper books and started borrowing books from the library for my nook. I also really loved every book I read last month. October has a lot to live up to and already is failing miserably though I have liked the books I've read so far, just not as much.

Movies Watched in September 2011

1. Push
2. Fair Game

Hit or miss. I thought Push was a giant waste of time but full of potential but at least it was just a cable movie. I liked Fair Game (rental). It was more for Husband because he likes documentaries or movies based on real events. So, occasionally, he makes me learn stuff.

Weekend Update Videos

Here are the kids climbing up the ladder to slide down the slide (sorry, I'm too short to get them sliding down). The second video is the inflatable obstacle course. They ran through that quite 3-4 times. Lots of fun in a short time. Plus, all of the activities (that we did) were free which is the best part!

Weekend Update - Clarendon Day

Last Friday, we went grocery shopping and kept the kid out way too late, but it made for a pleasant Saturday morning. I woke up with her on Saturday. We had a lovely morning. Then, Sister came by with Nephew. The kids played and then the three of us walked to Clarendon. They had fun on all the inflatable exhibits - jumping castle (well, barrel of monkeys), inflatable slide and inflatable obstacle course. They were great, and I knew it would tire them out considerably. It tired them out so much that we took the Metro home instead of walking. We met Brother-in-Law at the mall and had lunch and ice cream. After, Brother-in-Law took Nephew and Little Miss and I went home to nap.

On Sunday, I actually woke up with Little Miss (Husband had many weekend mornings because Little Miss preferred him and who was I to argue). Then, when Husband woke up, I went back for a little snooze. His friends came over for football which made Little Miss thrilled. Then, we had bath night, dinner and bedtime. Stay tuned for some short videos of the kids!

Readjusting Expectations

This morning, I asked Little Miss to get dressed.  She has the ability to dress herself, but that doesn't mean she does.  I usually dress her to speed up the process in the morning.  This morning, I added the Mother's Guilt and told her I'd be so happy if she got dressed at the same time I did.  So, she ran into her bedroom and came out wearing just red knit tights.  (No, there are no pictures of a topless girl with tights.)  I wanted to sigh and be disappointed that now I have to undress her to dress her again, that I wanted her to dress herself in the outfit I put out for her.  However, I remembered that my instructions were to get dressed and that's what she thought she was doing.  So, I readjusted.  I let her wear the tights (though I did add a skirt and shirt).  She felt proud of herself and it was somewhat helpful to have her be more productive.  Plus, it didn't rock the boat and she was more agreeable to brushing her teeth and taking her medicine. 

Also, she did see the clothes I put out after and said, "Oh, look, you had it all out for me."  So, she just didn't see the other clothes.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

It's always fun to document what children say they want to be when they grow up. Little Miss has been saying she wants to be a construction worker for the better part of this year. Sometimes, she'll go so far and say she wants to work specifically with bricks. She was very obsessed with bricks. Later, when she got her doctor's kit, she's been wanting to be a doctor. As I posted on Tumblr, as of last month or so, she wants to be a construction worker, doctor, and a hockey player. I'm thinking of leaning her towards sports medicine and at least knock out two of those things.


Regardless, she's been taking her medicine all week and very proud of herself because she's mostly good at taking it despite hating it. So, this morning, she wanted to tell the doctor that she's been taking her medicine. I told her she could when we go to her physical next month. Then, she asked me if the doctor wants to be her.


After a few minutes, I figured it out. If Little Miss wants to be a doctor when she grows up, it's only natural that the doctor would want to be Little Miss.

#2 - And That Ain't Bad

I'm paraphrasing my favorite line from a Jennifer Aniston vehicle.  It was just announced that Arlington is the No. 2 city in America. I'm not sure what the competition or even how the other cities ranked, but it makes me happy. I liked the criteria used - from green space to schools to culture. I know I enjoy living in Arlington and try to take advantage of all this area has to offer.

New TV

Last night's venture into new programming brought me to New Girl.  It was enjoyable.  I know there will be recasting between the first and second episode.  I also think pilots are difficult to use to judge an entire series.  However, it was cute.  I'll give it at least another week.  Anybody else watch?

Weekend Update - Family, Fun and Football

Last Thursday, I went to bowling.  At the same time, Husband had to deal with Little Miss who was having trouble going to the bathroom.  When she peed, she would cry and cry.  It was so traumatic that she ended up falling asleep on the living room floor.  So, I anticipated the worst on Friday morning which is exactly what we got.

On Friday, she woke up and screamed like we were skinning her alive when she went to the bathroom.  I stayed home with her and let her basically watch tv all morning while I worked.  She was quiet and only really was an issue when it was time to go.  She had a mid-afternoon doctor appointment for which Husband came home.  She actually was very good at the doctor's and, after what seemed like forever, even gave a sample.  She was prescribed an antibiotic and we were on our way.  The first dose of the antibiotic went very poorly (though I'm pleased to say that she improved each dosage after to the point where this morning, she came running and took it with no issue at all).  Friday night, we went to Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law's apartment where we met up with In-Laws.  Little Miss played with Nephew.  It was a nice, quiet evening.  It's always fun to see the nephew, too.  If you click the Tumblr link (in a previous post or in the upper right corner), you can see a video of Nephew thoroughly amused by Little Miss.

On Saturday, we all woke up early.  Little Miss wanted to cuddle with Husband on the couch, but she wanted me to hold her while she tried to go to the bathroom.  It was still quite painful through Saturday (though got increasingly better Saturday and back to normal on Sunday).  Husband took her for a surprise in the morning and brought her to the playground.  After, I gave her lunch and drove to my Parents' house where we met Nephew and a friend of the family.  Little Miss played with Nephew.  During playing, she did trip down a stair and her tooth went through her lip which resulted in a fat lip.  After a few minutes of cuddling, she was off and running again and hasn't complained once about it.  She took a nap on the way home and then ate dinner and pretty much went back to sleep.

On Sunday, she got up with Husband while I stayed in bed a little longer.  I developed a bit of a cold and was a little worn down.  She was all excited because Husband's friends were coming over to watch football.  She was ready to impress them all, and she did have fun playing and talking to them all.  That's the price you pay for watching football at our place.  We both took a nap in the afternoon (mine being much longer) and then she did bath, dinner, bedtime after which I watched the Emmys. 

Little Miss is fully healed this morning and ready to start the week.  She was so excited to get back to school and all her friends.  Husband and I are bit sluggish however. 

New Alternative

I get very tired of sandwiches even though I love them.  However, I tried the new Thomas' Bagel Thins.  They're 110 calories and just a little different from plain sandwich bread.  I do not recommend them for PB&J, but they work well with lunch meat and cheese.

Have you recently discovered a product?

Congratulations, Kyle Chandler!

I was already happy when Friday Night Lights won a writing award last night. It was proven that the theme song can make me all misty-eyed just by itself. So, Husband told me that if the writing award was making me happy, I was going to be very happy later on (I was watching on my DVR and about an hour behind). So, when I got to the best actor award, I was still skeptical but then so happy. It's nice to see Kyle Chandler be rewarded for years of failed television shows and decades of work. I was good with Mad Men winning Best Show over Friday Night Lights, but I only wish that Connie Britton could have won with him. It was a nice way to cap the end of the series.


I'll even forgive Kyle Chandler for not thanking me in his speech.

New TV

I don't write about television often though it's probably what I do with the majority of my time (not including work). This season, I decided to give a few new shows a shot. This week, Husband and I both checked out Up All Night and I watched The Secret Circle last night.

I will say that the CW network has a specific demographic. I don't always fall in that category. However, Gale Harold is in it, and I love him. Not in the way I love Coach Taylor but a lot. The show was solid, a good intro. I'll have to see if it can sustain a mystery while growing the characters and expanding the plot or, more importantly, just keep me interested. Seriously, Gale Harold plays such a good bad boy - except it seems like he's just pure bad boy in this and less the heart of gold.

I thought I should add what the shows were about.  The Secret Circle is about a teen whose mother is killed mysteriously by a man outside her house.  So, Cassie goes to live with her grandmother in a small town where she is told she is a witch.  Meanwhile, it looks like the parents of all the witches were all a group, and that's the bigger mystery.  What were the parents into that made all the witchcraft stop and how did each of them lose a parent?

I enjoyed Up All Night. I'm not quite hooked, but I'll give it another week or two. I like everyone in it so that's promising. Also, the parts I liked, I really love. I just have to see if those parts overcome the parts that I didn't like or the show improves over time.

Up All Night is about a set of new parents.  The husband stays home with the baby girl while the wife goes to work on a daytime talk show.  A lot of the baby moments are true to form if not slightly exaggerated, and I found the workplace humor a little over the top.  A lot happens in the first half hour, and I read they retooled it so I'm hoping it finds a good pace. 

Anybody else catch anything new to recommend?

Mark Your Calendars - September 19

September 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Last year, it fell on the weekend which was unfortunate because, every year, I see a man dressed like a pirate. He's usually in Ballston heading towards the Metro. I hope I see him this year and he hasn't moved or lost his sense of fun. It would make for a fun Monday morning.

Tumblr

I have posted the link to the right, but I wanted to take time to mention my other blog. You can click here or click on the link to the right. This is, and always will be, my primary blog full of news and information. However, the other blog is very easy to post to from my iPod so I do quick little soundbites and photos throughout the week. It's not worth visiting daily or even weekly. Also, if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, the other blog automatically posts there as well. Currently, there are a handful of pictures, quotes and videos.

Our post 9/11 Little Miss

Little Miss was born 6 years after 9/11.  Husband put this into perspective by saying Little Miss was born 6 years after 9/11;  we were born 6 years after the moon landing.  The moon landing seemed like forever ago, ancient history.  Little Miss is going to think 9/11 is ancient history.  Insane. 

Obviously, there was a lot of news coverage on 9/11.  Little Miss isn't quite understanding the depth of what was on television, but Husband did his best to simply state what happened.  She looked up at him and told him that it was ok to be sad, but then later impatiently asked when football was going to be on.  Evidently, she did get concerned when she saw the fire.  She didn't like the fire, but overall, she was pretty unaffected still by the images.  All she knew was that there was football on and it was her uncle's birthday.

Weekend Update - Are You Ready for Some Football?

Last weekend was kind of a blur. We went grocery shopping on Friday night (doesn't get any more exciting, right?)


On Saturday, I met book club at Seasons 52 where we had a great time and ate a delicious lunch - and spent 30 seconds giving the book a thumbs up or down. Big moment though because we all actually read the book. Afterwards, I picked up a couple of things at the mall and went home where the rest of the evening was pretty quiet.


On Sunday, we had breakfast and then made chicken avocado egg rolls while Husband made some Asian-inspired ribs. For dinner, I made bulgogi. We usually have lots of food for the beginning of the football season. Also, in the afternoon, Little Miss and I went to the party store for birthday invitations. While we were there, we picked up Little Miss's Halloween costume. It is the cutest thing ever on her. Then, dinner, bath and bedtime routine.

Sunday was also Grandparents Day so Little Miss called her grandparents and wished them a Happy Grandparents Day.  

Books Read in August 2011

1. The Passage by Justin Cronin (NOTE: This is the first book in a trilogy. It does end on a cliffhanger. The second book, The Twelve, is due in 2012.)
2. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley
3. Only Mine by Susan Mallery (NOTE: This is part of a series. You can find more information on the Fool’s Gold series and order in which to read here.)

Moderate month. Just wait for September though! I got sucked into The Passage after getting past the first couple of hundred pages (it’s a long one). I loved The Many Sins of Lord Cameron and it made me want to reread the series. The last was a cute intro to the next arc of Fool’s Gold books.

Movies Watched in August 2011

1. It’s Kind of a Funny Story
2. The Help
3. Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Good movies this month. I saw It’s Kind of a Funny Story on cable. The other two I saw in the theater. I didn’t think any of them was a waste of time.

Vacation Update - Jersey Shore

On Thursday, we hit a comedy of errors trying to leave Northern Virginia, but we finally got on the road.  We ate breakfast on the road and got to New Jersey by mid-afternoon.  We had time to unpack and get to the beach for an hour or two during which Little Miss did not venture anywhere near the water.  It got pretty chilly so we didn't stay that long.  Turns out the pool was cooler so we were back in the room by dinnertime and went to bed fairly early.

On Friday, we got up and head to the beach after breakfast.  Our first order of business was to get Little Miss in the water.  After a bit of whining, she loved it and jumped waves until her lips turned blue.  We stayed as long as we could before heading back to the room.  Again, the pool was cold so Little Miss didn't spend too long in it.  You know it's cold when the kids won't even go in! 

Little Miss took a nap when we got back to the room and we woke her up an hour later to eat dinner so we could go to the boardwalk.  It was Firework Night so we were on a slight time table.  She rode the rides and loved every minute of it.  Then, she saw the fireworks.  On the way back, we convinced Husband to stop for ice cream.  Then, because it was around midnight, we all went to sleep, but the night was worth staying up late!

On Saturday, we didn't even try the pool.  Because it was our last day, we spent as much time at the beach as possible.  The weather had been great all week, maybe a little breezy with rough water, but it was sunny and warm.  On Sunday, we treated Little Miss to some more rides and then headed home after lunch. 

Weekend Update - Rock You Like a Hurricane

A couple of weeks ago, I posted that an earthquake hit our area.  The following weekend, we were scheduled to meet Hurricane Irene.  Based on the newscasts, the entire East coast was going to be demolished.  We didn't quite believe the hype but better safe than sorry.  So, we went to the grocery store on Thursday and stocked up a few things. 

On Friday, we had an Ice Cream Social at Little Miss's school.  She didn't see any of her friends or teachers, but it was nice to have some ice cream.  We also picked up some flashlights (or rather whatever was left that would work if the power went out).  Slim pickings considering the news treated the hurricane as if it was covering the end of the world.

On Saturday, Little Miss and I met Sister and Nephew at the mall for lunch and to spend some gift money.  We went to the Lego Store and The Disney Store.  Little Miss got 2 t-shirts and got to do some activities at the Disney Store.  Then, the kids played at the play area and we had lunch.  After, we went home.  In case the storm was bad, we fed Little Miss and gave her a bath.  Then, we waited and waited for Irene, but she kind of breezed through the area quickly. 

On Sunday, however, Irene did show her face.  She did knock down some power in the area.  Therefore, even though we had power in our apartment building, our building itself didn't have 100% power.  This affected us because we are on a higher floor and the pumps didn't work to pump water to our apartment.  So, we woke to no water.  By mid-afternoon, we prepared for the worst.  We were glad that we bought some water the week before, but we were conserving and didn't know how long we'd be out.  So, we packed up to go to Parents' house to shower and visit with Sister and Nephew a little.  The kids played while we glorified in running water.  We left and hoped for the best, but no water when we got home.  We microwaved some leftovers for dinner and left the dishes in the sink.  Luckily for us, we had water before we went to sleep.  Unfortunately, in order to restore power for the water pumps to work, they had to shut off all power, but it was short-term.

On Monday, I discovered that Irene knocked out phone lines at work for the entire week.  Inconvenient, but it wasn't the end of the world.  Seeing how the rest of the world fared, we got off pretty light.

Nephew Story

We met Sister and Nephew at the mall for lunch on Saturday and, afterwards, I treated the kids to ice cream.  Nephew wanted vanilla.  I explained that they had French Vanilla.  It's still vanilla, but it's a slightly different color.  I assured him it would taste the same.  So, he orders Vanilla mixed with Kit Kats.  Little Miss got chocolate mixed with M&M's.  So, Nephew takes a big bite of ice cream and declares it delicious.  He looks up and says, "It's still vanilla but in a different language."  Sure thing, buddy.

Awesome

Yesterday, Little Miss asked for help setting up her play bowling set.  She had done this task many times before so we told her she can do it.  She looked up at us and said, "but I'm not awesome enough."  Of course, we had to tell her she was the most awesome kid ever and can definitely do it.  She ended up setting up the kit.  I think she was a little peeved her effort to get out of setting up her toy didn't work.  It was cute acting though.

Earthquake!

As everyone knows by now, there was an earthquake in Virginia that was felt all sorts of places from Georgia to Canada. Our building is one floor so, at first, I thought it was someone walking on the roof. It happens and we were having fire alarm testing today. Then, I looked across the courtyard and saw that the other side of the building was shaking, too. Our building is shaped like a doughnut. So, I knew it was an earthquake. I went to head to our internal room in the office, but we were told to run outside (which later we found out, we're not supposed to do in case trees start falling). After the earth stopped quaking, we had to wait 20-30 minutes to allow for any immediate aftershocks and then until after the building maintenance inspected the building. It turns out there was some cracked glass and debris. I knew there was at least some debris because lights were falling and dust was drifting down from the ceiling when we were evacuating. We were given the all clear but told we should just go home. I went to my cube and saw the sight below:

I knew I was safe so I just turned off my PC and grabbed my purse, but I was sad and will take the time to acknowledge the only victim in this earthquake - my lunch. It was such a good lunch, too - broccoli baked potato from Jason's Deli. I was afraid half the ceiling was still in my bowl so I just threw it away. Dinner will be the most delicious meal I've ever had. (No damage in our apartment, and Little Miss and Husband were safe and sound although Husband had to walk from Capitol Hill to Rosslyn which is quite a walk.)