I am not known for being patient. I have my moments when I have a little self-restraint, but I'm in no way patient. For instance, I have had my St. Patrick's Day background and Photo of the Day since the day after the last holiday, Valentine's Day. It's driving me crazy. I want to change backgrounds, photos, colors constantly. Husband once told me that I should stick to one background to brand myself, but it's my blog. I'm not getting any money off it so there's no need to brand myself. It's just to make me happy. I'm happy when it changes daily. That said, I've never looked forward to March 18th more. Stay tune for changes and maybe then my leg will stop bouncing up and down in impatience.
I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. Charles De Secondat (1689 - 1755)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Odd Couple - Patience & Me
I am not known for being patient. I have my moments when I have a little self-restraint, but I'm in no way patient. For instance, I have had my St. Patrick's Day background and Photo of the Day since the day after the last holiday, Valentine's Day. It's driving me crazy. I want to change backgrounds, photos, colors constantly. Husband once told me that I should stick to one background to brand myself, but it's my blog. I'm not getting any money off it so there's no need to brand myself. It's just to make me happy. I'm happy when it changes daily. That said, I've never looked forward to March 18th more. Stay tune for changes and maybe then my leg will stop bouncing up and down in impatience.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Dear NBC, please don't make me hate you more...
I know, you thought you had some time before I started the propaganda up again. However, I just read that there is the possibility that Friday Night Lights will be picked up and, if so, it will be for TWO SEASONS. I have my fingers crossed. I do have my doubts about a few things, but I don't really care if Kyle Chandler is still on television. I watched him when he got tomorrow's newspaper today, I can certainly watch him coach high school football.
24 and Why The Show is Dead to Me
Update: According to this article, James Morrison is going to be on Private Practice to close out the season. Yay! He'll always be Bill Buchannan to me.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Bonus Monday
Then, I was at work and went to a booksigning. When I got home, I was met at the elevator by a Little Miss (Trouble!). Evidently, Husband went to open the front door for me, and she demanded he carry her outside and wait for me. She kept saying my name and pointing out the door into the hallway. So, this greeted me when I got home. Her shirt has Little Miss Trouble on it and says "Trouble Maker", but I couldn't get the entire shirt in the photo.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Weekend Update - At the Carwash
On Saturday, Husband had to work. I took a walk with Little Miss. We bought some shoes for her and shared lunch at Chick-Fil-A. In the afternoon, In-Laws picked her up to go to Annapolis for the afternoon while I headed out to bookclub. At this point, I had only finished about half of the book. We talked about the book a little and walked around Bethesda. I was proud and only bought one thing (a book I had my eye on for quite awhile). Then, we had a yummy dinner at Dogfish Head Alehouse. Then, we chatted and, at my insistence, played a little Wii. I'm trying to improve next time I play my cousins. Little Miss was home when I got home so I got some hugs and kisses before she went to bed.
On Sunday, Husband played golf very early in the morning, and Little Miss slept until 12:30! It was glorious as I was exhausted. Granted, the time changed, but still, that's a lot of sleeping. After she woke up, I fed her breakfast. Then, we took a drive to get gas. I wanted to find a playground with swings, but I couldn't find one or find one with parking so I just gave up. We got a car wash on the way back to clean up the effects of the snow storm and all of winter. I was curious to see if she'd like the car wash. I got my answer. She didn't. Then, we hung out at home. I got a massively horrible headache when Husband got home so he watched Little Miss while I moaned and groaned. All is better now (and I finished the bookclub book) so hopefully this week will go well (or at least better than the last couple)!
What My Birthday (allegedly) Says About Me
| Your Birthday Predicts You're Sensitive |
Ever since you were born, you've always been able to cooperate. You enjoy supporting and being inspired by others. You appreciate the dynamic of a group. Getting along with others is essential to you. You are both fair and well mannered. You are very intuitive and easily effected by other people. Sometimes you are too delicate. |
Ever since you were born, you've always been able to assert yourself.
You are confident in carving your own path. Soon enough, other people will be persuaded and follow along.
You are driven and competitive to the point of being impulsive. You'll do just about anything to win.
It drives you crazy when you have to stay still in life. You are too dynamic to stay stagnant.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Sexy Friday
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I present to you the first of four Irishmen. All month long, Sexy Friday will feature a man born in Ireland. It was tough to find photos that fit the bill, but I'm content with them. If you have any suggestions, in the meantime, let me know. Perhaps they will be better than the ones chosen.First up is Stuart Townsend. I really liked him in Trapped and even watched Queen of the Damned for him. Mostly, I suppose he's known for dating Charlize Theron. Still, if he ever tires of the tall, leggy, blonde types, I'm free. Well, not free, but I'm sure I can work something out...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Blah Blah Blah
Little Miss has been repeating certain words to us adding to her list of words (up to this point, Mama, Dada, and Num Num and, most recently, up and down though we also think we hear Night Night and Oh, Yeah). Tonight, Husband said something and ended saying, "blah blah blah". Little Miss looks at him and goes, "aaah aaah aaah" and then starts giggling. So, all night, Husband would just look at her and say, "blah blah blah", and she would mimic him. So, the fun begins as we censor everything we say.
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Today is the anniversary of Dr. Seuss's birthday. He was born in the town next to my hometown. That combined with the fact that my mother was a nursery school teacher and Dr. Seuss's biggest fan, I'm very familiar with his work. He has a fascinating life and, whether you are as big a fan as my mother, you can't help but know at least a couple of his characters. My favorite book is The Sneeches and Other Stories. Though I don't have a Sneech, I do have Thing One and Thing Two. As I've been more active blogging than I thought I'd be when I started this, I thought the below is a nice reminder to keep things brief.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Weekend Update - Everybody has a Birthday!
On Saturday, we had a lazy morning and afternoon. Then, we got ready to go to Mom's house for her birthday. Grandma (G.G. to Little Miss) and Papa (G-Pa to Little Miss), Sister and Nephew were also there. Little Miss does love playing with Nephew. He rough houses a little with her, but you can see it makes her stronger. She keeps her balance better around him and tries to mimic everything he does. Little Miss did eat a good dinner, and she coincidentally woke up right before dessert was served. She didn't want cake, but she's not one to ever turn down ice cream. She then stayed up on the ride home and through grocery shopping but had no trouble sleeping after her busy night (with no naps).
On Sunday, Little Miss slept a lot... and ate a lot. She must be gearing up for a growth spurt. A friend and I went to see He's Just Not That Into You this afternoon after a lunch at Chipotle. We liked the movie a lot. It was a good afternoon. I came home to play with Little Miss. She ate a big dinner and dessert and then went to bed. She just woke up a little after 11PM, but she fell asleep right away. She hasn't woke up during the night in awhile, but it happens.
So, good weekend all in all.
First - the stepstool, Next - the stroller, Tomorrow - Mount Everest!
Well, we all know that she learned to climb onto a stepstool. Today, I was sitting on the couch watching tv while Little Miss ran around the room. Next thing I know, I see a little face peering above the love seat. I ran to grab her and put her on the floor and she reenacted her little climbing skill. (Note: She had one sock on all day. We're not sure where it went and never bothered to take the other sock off.)
Future in Photography?
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Books Read in February 2009
- Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann. (Note: This is part of a series. The order in which to read the Troubleshooters series is found here.)
- Stud Finders Incorporated by Alexis Fleming. (Note: This is a book in the erotica genre. I will admit that the book is pretty tame considering others in the genre. The title and cover are the steamiest parts of the book. However, the plot was actually cute though the book could have been a little better in my opinion.)
- A secret book which I promised not to mention though I wanted to keep track of my total. I very much enjoyed it though. If you're very curious, I will tell you privately but not on the blog.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Adventures with Nephew
Here is how the conversation went:
Mom/Nanny: Stop copying me!
Nephew (in a sing-song tone): Stop copying me!
After a brief time and some more copying:
Mom/Nanny: You're cranky!
Nephew: No, you're cranky!
There may have been more, but I couldn't stop laughing after this part. Maybe you had to be there to hear his laughing tone and my mother's patience rapidly slipping away. Also, to know how the two of them are completely at odds most afternoon is hilarious. I mean, Nephew goes out of his way to aggravate my mom. He's not mean-spirited, but it's like he's bored and there's nothing else to do. It's like how my sister and I mostly got along, but sometimes, it rained or there was nothing to do, and we'd just start to bicker. It's like that.
Then, I asked to speak to Nanny again, and he told me no. After some begging, he still wouldn't hand the phone over. So, I told him that if he didn't hand the phone over, he couldn't play with his cousin this weekend and, next thing I knew, my mom was back on the phone with Nephew going "Little Miss coming this weekend?" We assured him that she would be there.
Last story, yesterday, my mom was responding to an e-mail and Nephew looked up and said, "that's my name!" He can't read, but he can recognize and spell his name. So, he sat at the computer and typed his own name which is better computer skills than my mom!
He's a funny, funny kid (and brilliant)!
Sexy Friday
Oh, Simon Baker, it was only a matter of time before you got your time to shine in the Sexy Friday spotlight. I do apologize for bumping you off last week's spot. Right now, Simon Baker can be seen on CBS in The Mentalist. I loved him in Something New though he's been in many other tv shows and movies.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Presidential Address to Congress
A New Trick!
Weekend Update - It's Oscar Time!
Sorry for the late Weekend Update.Let's see... on Friday night, I went from a hectic work week to visit Sister-in-Law. We went to see Slumdog Millionaire. I loved it. I really did. I know how it seemed to hijack the awards on Sunday, but because it was the only movie I saw, I didn't care. We had a good dinner of Chinese food, saw the movie, and then I went home.
Over the weekend, Husband had an overnight guest and a weekend-long bachelor party for a friend. So, when I got home on Friday night, I made up the air mattress and set everything up (put sheets and blankets on the "bed" and set out towels). The boys had a poker night on Friday.
On Saturday, I slept as long as I could and made a nice breakfast for myself. I surfed the Internet. Then, I got a manicure/pedicure. It was great. I should mention here that Little Miss stayed with the grandparents all weekend and was completely spoiled. It's going to take all week to de-program her. The In-Laws and Little Miss came over on Saturday to meet Husband's Friend. She flirted heavily. Then, Sister-in-Law came to pick me up so we could go to Chipotle and to the mall. I ate like a pig and then bought jewelry and shoes for the wedding next month. I previously bought a dress on clearance. We went back to my place to watch Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway. It was, as always, fantastic. We popped popcorn and watched the movie in preparation to seeing the tour in the Spring.
On Sunday, we both slept and then woke up to see Husband's Friend off. Then, we fought with the ever-dying and annoying television. I watched the Independent Spirit Awards in the afternoon, made dinner and prepared to watch the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Each year, Husband, Mother, and I have a pool to see who can choose the most winners. Most years, Husband wins though I won a couple in there. This year, we let Little Miss have a ballot as well. We lined up Cheerios for her to eat. If she ate the furthest Cheerio, it would be a vote for the first nominee. The second Cheerio would correspond to the second nominee listed and so on and so forth. She did fairly well actually. I may try that tactic next year.
So, that was our busy yet not busy weekend. We're onto a crazy work week. Next weekend is Father-in-Law's birthday dinner and Mother's birthday dinner. So, hopefully, I'll get some photos to post.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Oscar Menu
The actors going to The 81st Annual Academy Awards will dine on lobster and caviar, but we will not. However, tonight's menu is one of our favorite meals and often a quick and easy pantry meal for us. Our grocery store has 2lb. bags of frozen shrimp on sale all the time so we always have shrimp in the freezer. I thought I'd share the recipe from Everyday Food. Shrimp, Tomato, and Basil Pasta.
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails removed)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
½ pound linguine
1 ½ cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces, plus extra leaves for garnish (optional)
1. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 4 teaspoons oil over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
2. Make sauce: To the same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic; cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add canned tomatoes and their juice, along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and are saucy, about 15 minutes. Remove sauce from heat; stir in cherry tomatoes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add tomato sauce, shrimp, and basil; season with salt and pepper, and toss. Serve immediately, garnished with basil leaves, if desired.
Per serving: 483 calories; 10.8 grams fat; 44 grams protein; 52.2 grams carbohydrates; 2.9 grams fiber
NOTE: I almost always double the recipe so we can have it two nights. I make 2 lb. of shrimp and season with garlic salt and pepper instead of regular salt. I also don't add the cherry tomatoes anymore. They're good, but it makes it extra chunky. It does stretch the recipe if you add them though. For a second meal, you can store the leftovers and then add a little water as needed and simmer for leftovers. I don't always add the basil either. Sometimes, I'll put a dash of dried basil or oregano for some extra taste. It's definitely something with which you can experiment.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Sexy Friday
Just for Sanna, Hugh Jackman is the subject of today's Sexy Friday. He is this Sunday's host of the 81st Annual Academy Awards. I bumped another perfectly good candidate for Sexy Friday for this Australian and, though there was a bathtub photo of Hugh Jackman to continue with my unintentional theme of the past two weeks, I chose this one. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Great Cookie Caper - The Sequel
My mom made heart-shaped M&M sugar cookies. Little Miss took a liking to them. I mean, what's not to like? So, my mom packed us up a couple to take home. Tonight, because she finished her entire dinner, we took out the last M&M cookie. She ate some pieces of plain cookie. Then, I gave her a piece with M&M. At that point, she would no longer eat plain cookie. She would scrape off every little bit of cookie and then eat the M&M. At the last bite, she could taste a bit of cookie with her M&M. She put her hand in her mouth, took out the itty, bitty crumb and handed it to me. At that point, she was given no more cookie. Again, Husband just laughed until he turned purple.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Great Cookie Caper
The above photo is staged with the cookie box (though empty of actual cookies to the great disappointment of Little Miss).
Weekend Update 2 - More Stories about the Kids
First, Nephew has become more spontaneous in declaring his love. He's always said he loves people when prompted, but now he'll say it whenever he wants. So, he crawled up into Husband's lap and said, "Uncle, I love you." This, of course, melted Husband into a pile of mush. I've yet to be the recipient of his declaration of love, but then again his uncle is one of his favorite people. I'm much further down the list.
Second, Nephew, Sister, and I were having a conversation on the chairlift that resulted in the following conversation:
Sister (to Nephew): Do you want a brother or sister one day?
Nephew: A sister.
Sister (to Nephew): Really?
Nephew: I want (Little Miss) to be my sister.
It was too cute. The kids are really adorable together. I know it seems he's really rough with her, but he's just enthusiastic when hugging her. I think it's great that it doesn't scare her. She just kind of braces herself. As they both get older, she really looks up to him a lot, too.
As for a Little Miss story, she had her 15-month Well Baby visit last Friday as well. She was super cranky the entire afternoon, but she slept as soon as we got home which helped. She was healthy and growing at the same rate she always has been. The doctor said we'll see a big leap in her speech this year. She already babbles a lot and is SO CLOSE to saying real words. Right now, we're just guessing at what she's saying, but it'll be great to have a conversation with her.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Weekend Update - (Finally) A Winter Wonderland!
Then, on Saturday, we drove to Maryland to my parents' vacation house. We saw flurries as soon as we left Virginia, and the snow just got heavier and heavier as we headed west. The kids played in the snow a little. Little Miss only had a brief nap in the car so she was a little cranky, but I think she was a little fascinated with the snow, too.
On Sunday, Mom, Brother-in-Law, Sister, Nephew and I went skiing/snowboarding. Husband stayed inside with Little Miss. It was fun especially watching Nephew ski. He took to skiing very quickly. At one point, I told him I'd race him. The next run, he shouted, "Auntie April, stop!" so I came to a quick stop to see him ski right by me. While he passed me, I heard him say "I won!" Stinker.
This morning, we went swimming before heading home. Nephew loves the pool. Little Miss was ok with me, but she
Nephew and Little Miss really get along well. When Little Miss was cranky at dinner, he offered her his ice cream to cheer her up. When Nephew got in trouble for rough housing a little too hard, she went over to him and kissed his leg. This morning, while I was getting ready, Nephew watched Little Miss to keep her out of mischief and away from the stairs.
Below is a video of the kids sledding:
And it's time to start another week...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Sexy Friday
Now, I'm not the biggest Johnny Depp fan, but he does have his appeal. I loved him in Finding Neverland and absolutely adored him in Chocolat. I mean, it's Johnny Depp playing the guitar, having a role where he's super nice and charming and there's chocolate. Anyway, this wasn't the sexiest photo I could find, but I liked it. Plus, you can't see it, but I'm on the other side of the tub just out of view. You know how make up runs in the bath. I was way too embarrassed to show my face with eyeliner running down my cheeks.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
No Mr. Darcy for Me
This result says: You are Anne Elliot of Persuasion! Let's face it; you're easily persuaded, particularly when friends and relatives try to use "the Elliot way" against you. But this doesn't mean that you don't have conviction. Actually, your sense of duty is overwhelming. And though you won't stick your neck out too often, you have learned to speak up when it counts. To boot, you know how to handle sticky situations. You love deeply and constantly.
My friends are still talented!
I've mentioned before that Sanna is totally talented, and she has a lot of contests. Continuing in my theory that you can't lose if you don't play, here is my entry. Who doesn't want chocolate and a mug of something yummy for two on Valentine's Day? Good luck!
Time to Retire?
I read this morning a segment that suggested ten celebrities need to retire. We've seen their best, they've peaked, they need to go. This is inspired by Joaquin Phoenix's decision to retire. I don't know if I agree with the list, but what do you think? Who do you think should retire?The list is as follows: 1. Tom Cruise , 2. Al Pacino , 3. Will Smith , 4. Mickey Rourke , 5. Russell Crowe , 6. Kate Winslet , 7. Steve Martin , 8. Jennifer Aniston , 9. Sean Astin , 10. Miley Cyrus
Anyone you think is underrated as an actor, that should have been a superstar? I was thinking this about Liam Neeson. He's always a solid actor and pops up every now and then and a leading man. There are plenty of underrated actors who are character actors or non-leading men.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Very Quiet Cricket
Weekend Update - The Temperature is Rising
On Saturday, we finished cleaning and went grocery shopping. Husband cooked a huge meal of meat sauce with meatballs and sausage, cavatelli and raviolis, chicken cutlets and sour cream coffee cake. I did a cheese and cracker platter and baked chocolate chip cookies. We had a nice meal and hung out.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Sexy Friday
Sorry for the delay in Sexy Friday. Last week, it was actually going to be Christian Bale, but I thought, in light of recent events, I would choose a different sexy star. So, today's Sexy Friday belongs to David Boreanaz of Bones. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Staring Contest
Tonight, Little Miss was getting into mischief of one kind... and another. Husband spoke firmly with her and stared her down. Little Miss stood her ground and stared right back with her hands on her hips. This is the part where I have to admit that, unfortunately, Husband lost the staring contest and started to laugh. Little Miss went on her way as victor continuing to make her mischief.
Not Fade Away
Today was the day the music died, the day that the plane went down carrying, along with the pilot, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. I, obviously, wasn't alive yet, but I'm familiar with their music. So, I thought I'd do my part to keep the legacy alive.
Is That Your Final Answer?
See below:
She's been shown in less on the show, but the Wienerlicious outfit is one of his favorites. She no longer wears it much to many men's disappointment. Anyway, at his statement, I turned quickly around in my seat and said, "In the world?" He's about to say yes when he realizes he's looking at his wife, the love of his life and then backtracks, "Well, of course, you know, after you..." Don't get me wrong, she is a really beautiful woman, but seriously, how dumb you gotta be to forget you're talking to your wife who just wants to hear lies about how beautiful she is? I mean, in his case, it's not a lie, of course.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Weekend Update - Superbowl Sunday
Yesterday, it was a slow day. Little Miss woke up. I fed her breakfast and we watched a little television. At 10:30AM, we took a 3-hour nap. We woke up, had lunch, and lounged around. Husband fixed us a nice dinner for Superbowl Sunday, a surf and turf meal. We watched the game. I may have read a book during the game and then peeked at some of the commercials. Then, Little Miss went to bed. We watched a little more tv and followed shortly after. Lazy Sunday... my favorite.
What We've Watched - 2020
I forgot a bunch! So, just to round out 2020, here we go. Let's see... I watched Enola Holmes on Netflix which I found adorable, and I...
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Sometimes, you throw the kid a soft ball. So, today, we made fudge. It was 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet morsels, 14oz sweetened condensed milk, ...
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A very small part of me wanted to March, but I can hardly stand the Metro during rush hour, and chaos and crowds give me anxiety. So, I st...
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This begins our crazy busy February. On Friday night, I left work and went to my parents' house. My sister was borrowing their house f...