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.

Weekend Update - Goodbye, May!

On Friday, I don't remember what happened. I imagine it was dinner, tv and bed. That's a typical Friday. On Saturday, Husband woke up with Little Miss and put her down for a nap before he left to play golf. Little Miss, however, had other plans. She did not want to nap. At that time, Sister called and asked if we wanted to hang out so I got up and got ready. Little Miss and I met Sister and Nephew at the mall. We walked around, bought flatware, and had lunch. At this point, Little Miss was exhausted so we took a long afternoon nap. Then, Husband came home and made dinner. We ate, and then Little Miss wouldn't go to bed. She stayed up until almost midnight just playing. Then, she woke up pretty much at normal time on Sunday.

On Sunday, I met friends for brunch at Front Page. It super yummy. We also celebrated my birthday early. So, yummy brunch AND presents. Good morning. After brunch, Husband, Little Miss and I went to the pool and met up with Sister and Nephew. The kids played in the pool for a couple of hours and then we went back to Sister's house for bath time and dinner. Little Miss fell asleep on the way home and has been sleeping very well ever since. We watched Burn After Reading. I'm not a Coen Brothers fan, but Husband enjoyed it. This week is Husband's birthday so we'll be aiming for the mid-week blogging.

My Kingdom for a Fork!

Somehow, we are down to a couple of forks. I don't know where all our forks went, but they're gone. So, I took advantage of a sale and bought new forks. It's like the dilemma of missing socks. Where do odd household items go? Is there an island south of the Isle of Misfit Toys? Anybody else have odd items go missing?

Sexy Friday

It was only a matter of time before Jason Statham made Sexy Friday. He's my guilty pleasure. I love The Transporter movies. They are so not my type of movie at all, but I love them. I couldn't wait to see Transporter 2 when it came out. It wasn't nearly as good as the first which is why I've yet to see the third one, but I will eventually. I've seen some of his other movies, but I'll always love him for The Transporter.

To pair up with Jason Statham, I chose his co-star in the first movie, Qi Shu. I can't say I know much about her and have not seen any of her other movies, but she is very pretty and evidently pretty enough to sway Frank from his original task in the movie.

Oh, Well...

Little Miss has been talking up a storm. She's been saying words for months now. She's even strung little sentences together though she's not the most articulate yet. She's spent a lot of time with my mother lately and has started to pick up on phrases. You never know how often you say something until it's repeated back to you. So, Little Miss has started to raise and lower her arm and just say "Oh, well!" Many times this past weekend, Nephew and Little Miss would echo this back and forth. It was adorable. So, I thought I'd record it to share with you all.

Weekend Update - Memorial Day

Last Friday, I got out of work early and picked up Little Miss from my parents' house. My parents, grandparents and Sister and Nephew went to Maryland. Little Miss and I went home to eat and then we played and went to bed early. On Saturday, Husband, Little Miss and I woke up and drove out to Maryland to meet the rest of the family.

We arrived a little after noon. We hung out for a little while and then went to a beer tasting. Some of the adults sampled beer. Some of the adults sampled ice cream. The kids got to run around, see dogs of all sizes and ponies, and play in the water. It was a lot of fun. We went home, took naps (or some of us did), got some take out for dinner and then some of us went to bed early.

On Sunday, we all woke up and went to Wal-Mart for groceries (though I managed to buy a lot of non-grocery products). We met the neighbors for a barbecue out back. The kids played in the hot tub (though the heat was turned off so no kids were boiled). Sister and I went to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian which was cute. We came home, I finished my book for bookclub and went to bed.

On Monday, it was time to drive back home. I went to bookclub to discuss Beach Music by Pat Conroy while Husband brought Little Miss home. She slept a ton today probably because she was exhausted trying to keep up with Nephew all weekend. She also ate a lot which is good because she mostly nibbled all weekend. It'll take a little bit to get back into the swing of things, but I think the weekend was worth it for everybody. It is hilarious that last weekend we were wearing our coats and freezing, and we couldn't have had warmer weather last weekend. Poor Little Miss gets so overheated as you can tell with her rosy cheeks.

Sexy Friday

Sorry for the late Sexy Friday. I had an emergency nap this afternoon and never got around to it last night. Today's was difficult. I had some ideas, but I couldn't find any good photos. I won't go into the details on how I picked these two, but I think you'll be happy.

Sexy Friday belongs to Josh Duhamel. I enjoyed him in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton and, of course, as Leo in All My Children. He's a little too tall to be my ideal man, but he's still pretty. Then, when I looked up his filmography, I noticed he's in a movie with Kristen Bell who, of course, was Veronica Mars as well as Sarah Marshall. The movie the two of them are in is When in Rome and it comes out later this summer. I don't know much about it, but the two of them are cute and, when occasion calls for it, sexy.

Duck, Duck... Swerve!

This morning, I was driving down I-66. I was perhaps going a little faster than I should have been because Little Miss spilled her Cheerios all down the front of her. So, I see Mama and her ducklings at the last minute, swerve to avoid them and am still waiting for my heart to stop racing. Luckily, the highway wasn't very busy (though maybe if there were more cars, Mama Duck would stay off the road). Worst Mama ever! I felt bad for yelling at Little Miss for spilling her breakfast, but at least I didn't lead her into traffic!

Weekend Update - Birthday Boy

On Friday, we had a quiet evening at home. Husband and I caught up on some television.

On Saturday, Nephew turned 4 years old! We went to Sister's house for the big party. It was a lot of fun. We gave him a Cars/Lightning McQueen bathing suit - shirt and trunks - and a matching towel for the summer. We stayed later so Nephew and Little Miss could eat dinner and have a bath together. Nephew actually asked for me to give him his bath and read his story. He still loves Husband, but it's nice that he includes me more in the love.

My parents gave Nephew a bike for his birthday, and he rode it all around his neighborhood. Little Miss is a little slower on foot than he is on his bike, but she desperately wanted to keep up. She even braved walking on the grass to be with her cousin. So, Nephew got off his bike and led Little Miss by the hand until she caught up to where he was. Little Miss doesn't like to hold hands with anyone else but Nephew.

On Sunday,we went to the Taste of Arlington. I felt we got a lot of food. I ended up bringing a lot of food home actually. It was nice to have a taste from my favorite restaurants as well as try new ones. Highlights were from a new place that had shaved ice. They put a little condensed milk on the top so it was sweet and creamy. It would have been a perfect treat on a hot day except the day wasn't hot at all. I took a nap as soon as we got home as did Little Miss. Then, we played and relaxed the rest of the afternoon.

Good weekend. Next weekend is a much-deserved long weekend in Maryland! Plus, bookclub meets so I'll finally get to change the "Book I'm Reading" over on the right.

You Know How I Know You're Gay?

You like Coldplay. (From The 40-Year-Old Virgin.) And, if you like Coldplay, you'll be pleased to know you can download a live album. You can find more details here as well as a clip of Chris Martin when he was on Extras. Just a sidenote: I actually liked the last season of Extras a lot. As for the music, I just downloaded my copy in the time it took to write this post and had time to burn it as well!

Drool With Me...

I totally love this bag. I do prefer it in the orchid not that I expect any readers of the blog to buy it for me. I saw it in Macy's last week, and I wouldn't even allow myself to walk near it or touch it. I wouldn't even go into the store yesterday. I may have to just peek at it again soon though. Updated: Originally, I posted the tote, but it is rather small. This bag is a nicer size. Plus, this one comes in more colors than the tote. I still like the Orchid, but the Hydrangea is nice, too.

Bonus Sexy Friday for Nichole

Because I forgot I had this photo saved, here is Chris Pine from Star Trek in a picture with the least puffy hair. Enjoy, Nichole!

Sexy Friday

I saw Star Trek last night and, though I know some would like to see a certain Captain Kirk as this week's Sexy Friday, I chose the a different Captain Kirk. Chris Pine does have dreamy eyes, but sometimes his hair is too distracting and fluffy. So, he's yet to do it for me. So, this week, I chose Chris Hemsworth who played Captain George Kirk even though he was captain for what, like 12 minutes? Anyway, I thought he was yummy.

To balance out the co-ed Sexy Friday, I chose his wife in the movie, Winona Kirk, played by Jennifer Morrison. I prefer to think of her as Dr. Cameron from House.

Chopping Broccoli

OK, so that reference is a little old. I can't have or make broccoli without singing it though. This is one of favorite recipes with broccoli. It's super easy. I'd actually add 2 small heads of broccoli, but it could use a little more. They don't make broccoli like they used to. I boil water and put the broccoli in and immediately take it out to make it bright green though you can use uncooked broccoli. Don't be like me, however, and forget the bacon!

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients
1 head broccoli
6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup raisins, optional
8 ounces sharp Cheddar, cut into very small chunks
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly. Cut the head into flowerets and the stem into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins if using, and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.

Weekend Update - Mother's Day

Last weekend was a good weekend. On Friday, I had to leave work early so my parents could go to Maryland. They dropped her off at my work and then we headed home. Friday was a quiet night.

On Saturday, Husband woke up with Little Miss. Then, he went golfing so Little Miss and I had the afternoon together. We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and then walked around the mall. The initial thought was to buy a Mother's Day present for my mom and cards, but we may have picked up an item or two for myself as well. Hey, I'm a mother! Saturday night, the In-Laws came over for dinner. We gave Mother-in-Law a bunch of little things - a bracelet with an "L" on it (for Little Miss and Grandma's name), a picture frame with Husband and me and Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law, a little keepsake box with stained glass "Grandma" and a pink glass heart pendant. It was a nice evening.

On Sunday, I woke up with Little Miss, but she mostly ran around for an hour and then, without

breakfast or anything, went back to sleep. So, we got to sleep for 2 hours more. Then, she woke up and got breakfast. We all hung around the house. Then, Little Miss and I napped for another hour before getting ready to go to Sister's house. I made 2 salads and we head out. We had the first cookout of the year (with my side of the family anyway) and it was delicious. We gave my mom a pendant set - a turquoise pendant that says "Mom" in Korean (my sister and I bought matching ones that say "Daughter"). I also bought my mom a picture frame that says "Grandmother", "Mom", "Daughter" and put photos of my mother and Little Miss, Little Miss and me, and Little Miss by herself. Lastly, because my mom has been pitching in and watching Little Miss while Mother-in-Law recovers, I bought her a little joke gift of ibuprofin, gel inserts, a candle, and antibacterial wipes (all good grandma things). Little Miss was exhausted from playing with Nephew all night so she fell asleep on the way home.

I worked most of the evening to help get a leg up on today and then went to bed myself. And it's another week...

However, things to look forward to - Star Trek, Nephew's birthday party, and the Taste of Arlington.

Little Video

Here is a little video to tide you over until I can get to the Weekend Update. Little Miss has been making the silliest faces lately. Plus, she learned to use a fork and spoon. Here is proof:

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who meander their way to my blog! May you receive all the spoiling that you deserve and all the love and adoration that you give to others. I have posted a photo of my mother and the Little Miss who made me a mother (the day after she was born and the first day she was unveiled to family).

I realized I don't have one of the women of the family, but I'm sure I can remedy that at Mother's Day dinner. More on presents and mothers during the next Weekend Update.

We Still Miss You, Nana!

Today would have been Nana's 103rd birthday. We were lucky to have her for as long as we did, but it's still hard to pass milestones without her. If you missed the post to Nana, you can click on the link or her name and see the original post. She was an extraordinary woman and lived through extraordinary times. The picture above is with a sampling of her great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Sorry it's dark, we didn't have the foresight to move to outside the gazebo.

Sexy Friday

I apologize for my tardniness, but I'm getting stumped at whom should receive this high honor. After being inspired by X-Men Origins: Wolverine last week, obviously, this week belongs to Star Trek. In addition, it was only a matter of time before Eric Bana got his own Sexy Friday. Plus, I just read his filmography and read he was part of Finding Nemo. I see a viewing of that movie soon. I also can't wait to see him in The Time Traveler's Wife. I curious about Funny People if only to hear Eric Bana with his Australian accent.

To continue the co-ed theme of Sexy Friday, I've chosen a Star Trek co-star, Winona Ryder. Husband was a big fan back in the day. I recently watched her in Sex and Death 101 with Simon Baker who was also featured on Sexy Friday. The movie wasn't that great, but I did think the end was cute. Still, back to Winona Ryder... I mean, you have Beetle Juice which stars the awesomely underrated Michael Keaton, the totally awesome movie Heathers, the movie that dominated my college life - Reality Bites, and the girliest movie in my movie collection - Little Women not to mention countless others.

Summer Corn and Tomato Pasta

I served this recipe last week at our party and received some requests. It's a super-easy recipe. I actually like it warm, but it tastes good at room temperature as well.

Summer Corn and Tomato Pasta

Salt
1 pound bow-tie pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn, raise the heat slightly and cook until the corn is heated through and golden, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
3. Add the vegetables, butter and basil to the pasta and toss.

Note: I use frozen corn. I just add until the corn and tomato ratio seems about right. I also don't sautee that long. I like my tomatoes on the firmer side so I mostly just heat the tomatoes and corn at the same time until the corn is warm (from the frozen state). I added about a tablespoon of butter. I also added a little salt and pepper because corn and tomatoes taste better salt and peppered.

Weekend Update - Off to the Races!

Last weekend was a little crazy. Mother-in-Law had surgery on Friday, and we were entertaining on Saturday. So, Friday was spent cleaning, but we had stayed up late that week so we were exhausted. Not as much got done as we had hoped.

Saturday, we woke up early and finished cleaning, but we were very behind schedule. We basically didn't prepare to have someone watch Little Miss while we cooked and cleaned. So, I went to the grocery store while Husband finished his chores and watched the baby. I came back from the store the time we asked guests (family including Brother- and Sister-in-Law, my parents, Sister and Nephew and friends) to arrive. Luckily, everyone was late. We had a lot of food (recipe for one will follow). Then, people started showing up for our 2nd Annual Kentucky Derby Party. It was a lot of fun. We had wagers and prizes. People stayed until a nice hour. Then, we had some quiet time and went to bed.

On Sunday, Little Miss slept until 10:30AM! She wasn't feeling quite up to speed, but she was happy. So, she hung out in our bed while we slowly woke up and then ran around crazy. In the afternoon, I went to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine which I enjoyed. Lately, Little Miss has been very loving to me so she cried when I went to the movie, and she's cried every day this week when I dropped her off at Nanny's house. She settles down after I'm gone, but she really cries. It's kind of cute - for me, anyway.

My New Obsession

As a friend will tell you, I'm obsessed with Etsy. I bought almost all of my Mother's Day presents there. I've yet to buy myself anything, but here are a couple of things that caught my eye this week:

1. Bert and Ernie earrings;
2. Chocolate chip cookie earrings and matching ring;
3. A Smurf wristlet which I think are made with a fabric similar, if not identical, to my old bedsheets;
4. A Grey Goose drinking glass;
5. A purple bag which keeps calling out my name;
6. Last, but not least, the one item I may actually buy - a Where the Wild Things Are pendant.

I love all the retro stuff. There's also some Pacman and Ms. Pacman jewelry which is adorable. I love that the stuff is handmade or crafted from existing materials. It also makes me wish I was crafty.

Sexy Friday

This week, Sexy Friday is given to Ryan Reynolds as it is the big opening of Wolverine film and Sexy Friday has already featured Hugh Jackman and Taylor Kitsch. I was running out of hot X-Men though there really seems to be an endless supply. Because I don't actually notice any women in the X-Men movies or know of any in Wolverine, I chose a former co-star of Ryan Reynolds - Isla Fisher. Isla Fisher was in Definitely, Maybe where she played a character named April which is like the best name ever. Sorry today's Sexy Friday was rushed, but it's not too shabby for a quickie. As always, if you have requests, I almost always listen - as my co-worker will tell you.

Books Read in April 2009

1. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
2. Sins of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

This month was rather pathetic. I read both books within the first week of the month. I did start a lot of books, but I never finished any of them. I thought the Curtis Sittenfeld book was good. It did give us a lot to discuss at book club. I enjoyed the Sherrilyn Kenyon book much more than I expected and just got my latest batch of Dark Hunters so I can't wait to dig in. I didn't expect to be enjoying the series as much as I am. Plus, they're quick reads.