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We all contributed food to the bridal shower. So, here are the recipes for the dishes I contributed.

Arugula Salad with Almonds and Parmesan
Ingredients:
1/3 c toasted natural almonds
3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
coarse salt and ground pepper

1 bunch arugula (1/2 lb) trimmed

1/3 c shaved Parmesan

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine almonds, oil, lemon juice and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Add arugula and Parmesan and toss to coat. Serve topped with more Parmesan. (NOTE: I have to mention I throw the arugula, almonds and Parmesan in a bowl and mix the other ingredients in a container with a tight lid. I mix the dressing and then toss to coat before serving.) I love this because it's such a simple, quick salad.

This next recipe is one that I got from a friend. Online, there are many similar variations. This one is a funny salad because if you describe it, many people will turn up their noses, but it's super tasty.

Chinese Salad
Ingredients:
2 large bags of cole slaw OR 2 heads Napa or Bok Choy cabbage
6 green onions
2 (3 oz) pkg of ramen noodles with Oriental Seasoning packages
1 (6 oz) pkg slivered almonds
2 TBS sesame seeds
1 c vegetable oil

1/2 c sugar

6 TBS white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Slice the green onions. Crumble the ramen noodles into a broiler pan, add the almonds and sesame seeds, and broil for 2 minutes, being careful not to scorch. In a jar with a tight lid, combine the oil, sugar, vinegar, and salt with the contents of the ramen seasoning packets. Cover the jar and shake. Refrigerate. (NOTE: I make this ahead and keep the cabbage, noodle mixture and dressing separate and combine right before serving.)

The next recipe is a beverage. It's almost all alcohol so it won't work, obviously, if you don't drink alcohol.

Sparkling Pomegranate Punch
Ingredients:
3 TBS sugar
1 c pomegranate juice
2 (750-mL) bottles sparkling wine, chilled
3/4 c late-harvest white wine, such as late-harvest Riesling, chilled
2 oranges, thinly sliced crosswise
1 c diced fresh pineapple (1/2 inch)
1/4 c pomegranate seeds
Ice cubes, for serving


Directions:
In a punch bowl, dissolve the sugar in the pomegranate juice, stirring vigorously. Add the sparkling wine and late-harvest white wine, then add the orange slices, diced pineapple and pomegranate seeds. Serve the sparkling pomegranate punch over ice cubes.  (NOTE:  um, funny story.  When I made this recipe originally, I thought it said 3/4 of a bottle of Riesling so I just added the entire bottle.  I've been making this recipe revised with 2 bottles of sparkling wine and 1 bottle of Riesling.  It's super delicious.  We doubled the recipe for 20 people on Saturday and it went in a blink of an eye.  I didn't add all the fruit, just sliced oranges.)

Weekend Update - Bridal Fun!

As I may have mentioned before, Little Miss and I are in a wedding in May. This past weekend was the surprise bridal shower and surprise bachelorette party.

The theme of the bridal shower was nesting dolls. It started with the invitations and extended to the cake, favors and prizes during the shower. The cookies above were the favors, and they were absolutely adorable. I am not lying when I tell you that half of the pictures I took over the weekend were of the cookies. The cupcakes are below. One of the bridesmaids did a fantastic job of arranging and decorating. I know I couldn't have done as good of a job.

Although, the shower was a surprise, the bride knew she'd be getting a shower. So, in preparation, she had her fiance bring a gift for Little Miss. The Little People bridal set was a great gift. Little Miss plays with it often already. You can't see it in the picture, but Little Miss is also wearing a t-shirt that says "I'm the cutest Flower Girl ever". She'll be wearing it some more so I'll have to take a picture of it before the whole journey is over.

Last, but not least, here is a photo of the bride with her bow bouquet. After the shower, we all kidnapped the bride for a surprise bachelorette party. We had a nice dinner in the city, went around the city and then spent the night. We had a lovely brunch the next month to cap off a fun weekend. It was a fantastic weekend, but I'm looking forward to lying low this weekend! 

The Pledge of Allegiance

The video speaks for itself.  I'm very impressed that Little Miss has learned the pledge throughout the school year, and it's absolutely adorable.  I love how the one word she's always had correct is "indivisible" and absolutely love how she says "America".



Weekend Update - No News is Not Necessarily Good News

I did no Weekend Update last weekend or the weekend before. This is mostly due to the fact that I did nothing. The weekend before I had the beginnings of a cold. So, I spent most of the weekend in bed or on the couch. I did small errands, but essentially the weekend was lost.


Last weekend, Husband had a friend over on Saturday to watch sports. On Sunday, I cleaned a portion of the apartment with the rest of the apartment in the schedule over the next week or two.


So, that's my exciting life. Don't be too jealous.

Book News

A friend of mine has a book coming out. First, all the details - The book is called Her Own Best Enemy by Cynthia Justlin. You can buy it from the following sites: Barnes & Noble for the nook, Amazon for the Kindle, and Smashwords for the ePub file. I mean, the book is only $2.99 - why not treat yourself to a nice, Tuesday morning treat?

Here is the blurb:
Desperate to track down her ex-husband who disappeared along with their son, Grace Stevens delves into his past and uncovers evidence of a shocking dual life. The man she thought was an ordinary computer consultant is in fact a former high-ranking Special Forces officer with unique skills in military intelligence. With nowhere to turn she is forced to plead for help from Keith King, the one man she hoped to never see again. Against her better judgment she’ll have to put her child’s fate into his hands.

Keith has officially hit rock bottom. Framed for the theft of deadly missile components, the cynical Special Forces officer is in danger of losing the only thing he can count on: his career. His one shot at clearing his name lies in locating Grace’s ex, who was working with Keith on a secret mission to take down a cutthroat military traitor. But to team up with Grace he’ll need to spend 24/7 with a woman who has every reason to hate him. Out to use each other for their own agenda, desperate mother and disillusioned soldier find they must work together to stay alive, and in the process discover that sometimes even the best of enemies fall in love.

You can also read the first chapter if you click here.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree (or Preview to the Teen Years)

Because Little Miss has been very sick this week, I bought her a giant Princess balloon to raise her spirits and for being such a trooper. The balloon came with a clothespin to weigh it down as well as to attach it so it won't fly away. Little Miss evidently pinched Husband with the clothespin. When she asked me if she could pinch me, I said no. She rain from the room to Husband and whined, "That's not fair!"


It's only partially amusing because it was such a normal reaction, but it's also scary because I know somewhere my mom is laughing her butt off at karma's cruel joke.


Usually, when this happens, Little Miss runs to husband and says, "Daddy, talk to Mommy!" She hasn't figured out that her daddy is not the boss of me.

March Madness

Cartoon by Andrew Toos

Husband was doing his favorite routine today - watching tv. He's been watching college basketball and yelling at somebody. I ignore him most of the time (if not all of the time). After he yells, he usually turns to Little Miss to assure her that he's not mad at her or yelling at her though, to be honest, she barely bats an eye when he yells either. Tonight, he turned to her and explained he was just yelling at basketball. She looked at him and exclaimed, "Again?!"

Lullabye and Good - wait, a minute!

The other day, Husband went to pick up Little Miss. After a rough day, she was sleeping when she got home so he carried her upstairs with his briefcase and her bags. It is quite a struggle to carry everything and then unlock the door, but he does it. He gets her inside and put her in bed. After all the jostling and shifting, Little Miss stays sleeping until her little head hits the pillow. At that point, she opens her eyes, looks at Husband and says "It's not night night time, Daddy!" She then sits up, gets out of bed and runs around the apartment. Husband, I imagine (as I wasn't home) just heaved a big sigh.

Weekend Update

Last weekend was super busy. Husband was out of town last week for business. On Friday, I went to bed gloriously early.


On Saturday, my poor nephew was sick so his mommy and I couldn't go to the movies, but I equally enjoyed watching cartoons in my jammies with Little Miss. After lunch, we drove to the airport to pick up Husband. She enjoyed watching the planes land and take off. She ran to Husband when he exited the gate and then went to pick up his bags from the baggage carousel. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and she took a pretty long nap when we got home. We had a nice dinner and then Husband went to a friend's birthday celebration at a nearby bar.


On Sunday, we got up and went into the city for brunch with Husband's current and former co-workers. It was a lot of fun. I may have had too many mimosas which gave me a hangover (without the buzz) later in the day. We took a little nap after brunch before heading to Sister's house to celebrate Mom's birthday. We bought Mom Unbroken and a basket of flowers. We also made shrimp cocktail, stuffed tomatoes, arugula salad and cupcakes. Sister made Crab and Corn Chowder and bought yummy cheesy bread. We came home to watch the Oscars. It was good fun that left us exhausted. It's now Tuesday and we're still recovering.

Movies Watched in February 2011

1. Ramona and Beezus
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
3. Red
4. The Social Network
5. Queer as Folk
6. The Dresden Files

First, I should mention that you may have remembered that I saw The Social Network already. I rewatched on DVD. Second, the last two are TV on DVD. I watched the first disc of both series and am continuing with them. I’ve already seen most, if not all, of Queer as Folk and I’m watching The Dresden Files for the first time (I read the first book on which the series was based).

Books Read in February 2011

1. One Day by David Nicholls
2. Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb (NOTE: This is book #32 of the In Death series. The order can be found here.)
3. Promises by Marie Sexton (NOTE: This is part of a loose series though the author writes you can read the books out of order. You can find more information on her website.)
4. Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning (NOTE: This is part of the Sinners on Tour series. You can find the upcoming order here.)

I was a bit distracted this month so not a ton of reading. Just wanted to note that the second to last book is male/male romance and the last is an erotica book so stay clear if you’re not into that type of thing.

Going Mad

We're hanging out and having the last of our girl time before Husband comes back from a business trip. Little Miss was playing with my iPod while I was reading the end of my book. First, you need to know that, ever since I've let Little Miss play with my iPod, I've been very careful to teacher her to treat it well (it's a process).  Anyway, she was spinning around on the floor on her bottom. She placed the iPod on the floor and continued to spin. She then looked up to me and said, "Mommy, I didn't drop your iPod and you didn't go mad."

Speaking Spanish

As you may remember, Little Miss knows a little Spanish. Today, she was counting her toys and informed me that she was going to count them in Spanish. She's since learned to say "cuatro", but she really only counts to 10. So, she starts counting her trains and figurines. She counts to ten and insted of continuing with once, doce, trece, she says diez y one, diez y two. She had the right idea down and I liked that she was counting above 10. It made me laugh quite a bit.

Best Friend, Minnie

Little Miss goes through phases with her favorite stuffed animal, but when it all comes down it, Minnie always comes back. I also think it's because the Disney Channel has been advertising a new Minnie movie soon. (Sidenote: I have to remember to record it if it airs on tv or maybe an Easter present if it's a DVD release.) She likes her stuffed friends on her bed, the more the merrier, and she'll hug them, but she doesn't necessarily cuddle when she sleeps. So, it was just adorable when I walked in last night and saw her hugging Minnie in her sleep. I just had to take a picture. I know she's going to love meeting Minnie in person this summer at Disney World.  Plus, what's really adorable is that Minnie was a gift from Aunt, Uncle and Cousins before Little Miss was born so she and Minnie go way back.

Where is that Mysterious Thumbkin?

Little Miss sang Where is Thumbkin all weekend. At various times, she'd say "Where is pumpkin" which is the cutest, but now she kind of says Thumbkin. The "TH" sound is still tricky for her. Anyway, without further ado, here is Little Miss singing:

Skipping a Beat

I wanted to take this time and space to recommend you read Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen. I was lucky enough to win an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) in a contest. The book really takes off in the first chapter, and the author is super lovely. If you have a chance to read the book, do let me know your thoughts, and, if you have nice things to say, you can find the author on Facebook and Twitter. The book is not my usual genre of romance, but I branch out every so often (more often than not lately). I suppose, if I had to choose a genre, it's kind of in between Women's Literature and Chick Lit.

Connecting the Dots

Little Miss has been showing the very early signs of reading in that she's noticing familiar letters on signs. She also is identifying letters in words. Last week, we spent a half hour naming words that have the letter "S" in them. She also points to things constantly and wants to know what they say. Last night, she wanted to know what her fork said. I told her it said "Gerber". Then, she turned it over and asked what it said. I had no idea so I peeked and then told her it said, "China". Her face lit up and she said, "Just like where the Wonder Pets went to save the panda!" I think it's kind of cute how she can put her tv shows into other situations and connect the baby panda to her fork. I'd normally say she's the smartest kid ever, but the same kid ran into a table at school last week because she wasn't looking where she was going so we clearly still have some areas on which we need to work.

Weekend Update - Busy Bees

We had quite the busy weekend!  On Friday night, I raced home and had Little Miss dropped home early.  We changed into our Disney princess outfits (I had an Ariel t-shirt on and she dressed as Snow White), and we met Husband in the city to see Disney on Ice.  Little Miss was happy enough to be on the Metro.  She was even more thrilled to see her favorite princesses ice skating!  She had a blast and her eyes were wide open the entire show.  She was allowed one keepsake and chose a magic wand.

The next morning, we got up early (for a Saturday) and drove to Wisp Resort where my parents have a townhouse. We settled in and had some lunch. Mom, Sister and her boyfriend and Nephew were there. Later, we met Dad and went ice skating.  Little Miss loved it, but as it was her first time, it was a bit challenging.  So, she took a half turn or two and called it a day.

On Sunday, we took the kids skiing. Little Miss informed us she wanted to go all the way to the top of the mountain. So, we took her to the top of the bunny hill.  She rode the Magic Carpet lift all the way up and her aunt helped her ski all the way down three times.  After the third time, Little Miss was more than ready to go home, but it's still fun for her.  She actually wants to snowboard, but we told her she needs to ski first.

We mostly watched a movie on Sunday night and then took the big drive home on Monday. You can see Little Miss and Sister (and Nephew right in front) skiing in the video below:

Genius!

Unfortunately, the genius to whom I refer in the title is not me. I bought an iPod Touch around Christmas. Little Miss has a couple of games on there which she enjoys. Since Christmas, she can now turn on, locate her game and play. She can also open other applications and make changes if I don't supervise her well enough. Because she doesn't know my password, it is nearly impossible for her to purchase anything at least. The other day, I was on the PC on Facebook and noticed that I had a new status update. It was a bunch of random letters and symbols. Little Miss was on the couch looking at my Facebook page.


The infinity symbol refers to my ride home last night which, yes, does seem like eternity sometimes, but that is not why I chose the symbol. I discovered that Little Miss also knows how to go into my song library, play songs and also put my music on loop. I don't know what's worse - the fact that Little Miss can manipulate my iPod that well or the fact that it took me 20 minutes to realize that the same song was playing on loop during my drive home.

Weekend Update - Books, Chocolate and Flowers

I owe you two weekend updates. Because I have the memory of a puppy, they'll be brief. Two weeks ago will be very brief. Two weeks ago, we went ran errands on Saturday and picked up a new wireless printer (and groceries). Then, on Sunday, we went to the indoor pool where Little Miss was thoroughly tired out. It was a nice weekend. Low-key family time.

Last weekend was a big busier. On Saturday, I was pretty much gone all day. I had book club at lunch time where we discussed the book. Then, afterwards, I stayed behind at my friend's house and we watched two movies and did pizza delivery. It was a good day. Then, Sunday, it was a lazy day. I did go to the mall with Little Miss to pick up a few things - a prescription and ice cream (though I didn't eat mine, it's still in the fridge).

Then, on Monday, Little Miss received her Valentine's Day present from us - helmet, pads and roller skates! She seems to enjoy them. They're only at Stage 1 which is basically marching as the wheels are fixed. Stage 2 has wheels that only move forward and Stage 3 has anything goes. On Tuesday, Little Miss celebrated Valentine's Day at school (last weekend, she admitted to liking a boy - the only boy in her class - in a sing-song voice). She came home to find that Husband bought her roses. He also bought me a dozen roses as well. She picked the pink and left the orange ones for me. It was very sweet.