It's not that I don't want to dress cute. Every once in a while I really do try and only end up reminding myself why it's safest for all if I just stick with my Eddie Bauer khaki's and LL Bean sweaters.
I have this cute simple dress that I picked up last year. It's classy for the office but it has no sleeves. No problem! Cardigan!! Even when I bought it I was thinking "Perfect! I can wear it in the office with a cute cardigan now and throw some tights on with it when it gets cold!" See - even I can think ahead!
But as I'm sure you've heard on the news - it's been a bit nippy here this year - even for us. So I haven't pulled out the dress and tights yet. But this morning it warmed up and with it being Valentine's Day I thought it would be a perfect occasion to break out a dress!
This dress is a three color block dress. So for a little added visual oomph I decided to wear black tights with a cable knit pattern instead of just plain old black.
In retrospect I should have left a pattern tight to a seasoned fashionista.
I spent TEN MINUTES trying to get the stripes of the cable knit pattern straight on my legs!!! TEN MINUTES!!!
Finally I said screw it and just opted for the plain black. Otherwise I never would have made it to work. (I wasn't going to make it on time anyway... this was taking so long I was bound to use up all morning on the stupid things...)
I just wanted all of you to know that I actually have it in me to try to dress well. But I apparently sabotage myself....
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
101 Practical Uses for Panty Liners
Other than their original, intended purpose of course.
I've decided this would be the best book EVER. Think about it!! Think of all the women that have panty liners in their bathrooms.
All pre-menopausal women have them because, well, because of their intended purpose. And I'm guessing almost all post-menopausal women use them as pee pee catchers 'cuz it's less embarrassing buying panty liners than Depends.... Trust me - I've seen some ladies buying them that I'm positive are waaay past baby-carrying age. Just sayin'.
And let's be real. Don't you just love it when you find a new use for something you already have? I especially love it when this happens in the kitchen and I don't have to buy a new gadget. (Don't worry - I think I'll still prefer using a kitchen towel or Bounty to sop up a spill versus a panty liner. Although if in a pinch....)
So help me out. I have three to get us started.
1. My good friend, Ms. Lib, uses them as an anti-chaffing mechanism in some of her shoes. When we were getting ready to walk all day at Disney I caught her wrapping the ball of her foot in a panty liner before putting on her sneakers. She explained her sneakers tend to rub a blister on her foot and the liner stays on way better than a band aid. Band aids, and other things like it, tend to roll up and off and cause even more problems. The liner stays put. Ingenious!
2. If I haven't mentioned it, I sweat. A lot. When it's hot, cold, I'm nervous, calm. Doesn't matter. This is definitely a problem when I have to wear a suit and wear a spaghetti-strap cami under the jacket. You see where I'm going with this....
Yes, that's right. I pinned panty liners with wings into the pits of my suit jacket. Worked like a charm!
3. I seem to remember a friend using them as shoe insoles to help with sweaty feet in shoes where you don't wear socks. Adhesive to help stay in place, quick absorption of sweaty feet and odor control! Plus they're easy and cheap enough to pull out, through away and replace with a new pair.
Any other fabulous ideas???
I've decided this would be the best book EVER. Think about it!! Think of all the women that have panty liners in their bathrooms.
All pre-menopausal women have them because, well, because of their intended purpose. And I'm guessing almost all post-menopausal women use them as pee pee catchers 'cuz it's less embarrassing buying panty liners than Depends.... Trust me - I've seen some ladies buying them that I'm positive are waaay past baby-carrying age. Just sayin'.
And let's be real. Don't you just love it when you find a new use for something you already have? I especially love it when this happens in the kitchen and I don't have to buy a new gadget. (Don't worry - I think I'll still prefer using a kitchen towel or Bounty to sop up a spill versus a panty liner. Although if in a pinch....)
So help me out. I have three to get us started.
1. My good friend, Ms. Lib, uses them as an anti-chaffing mechanism in some of her shoes. When we were getting ready to walk all day at Disney I caught her wrapping the ball of her foot in a panty liner before putting on her sneakers. She explained her sneakers tend to rub a blister on her foot and the liner stays on way better than a band aid. Band aids, and other things like it, tend to roll up and off and cause even more problems. The liner stays put. Ingenious!
2. If I haven't mentioned it, I sweat. A lot. When it's hot, cold, I'm nervous, calm. Doesn't matter. This is definitely a problem when I have to wear a suit and wear a spaghetti-strap cami under the jacket. You see where I'm going with this....
3. I seem to remember a friend using them as shoe insoles to help with sweaty feet in shoes where you don't wear socks. Adhesive to help stay in place, quick absorption of sweaty feet and odor control! Plus they're easy and cheap enough to pull out, through away and replace with a new pair.
Any other fabulous ideas???
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Bummer dude
I had an excruciatingly frustrating and disappointing Monday and Tuesday. I don't want to hear about it or deal with it anymore. I'll just leave it at that.
Oh - and I'm really getting sick of snow and "freeze the nose off yer face" temperatures.
Now I'm done.
Thank you.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Dam ice!!!!
I mean, ice dam!!! We have stupid ice dams on our roof!! This winter has been crazy, snow, warm up, snow, re-freeze, repeat. Thus this cycle has caused us to have ice dams. In the almost 7 years we've lived in our house we've never experienced it this badly until this year. And then we get this:
Which means we have a BAD ice dam. We called up a company to come get on the roof and break up the ice. Which they did. For a few hundred dollars. Of course I asked how they did it. (because there were more ice dams forming on the roof and darned if I was going to be shelling out more dough if I could get up there and take of it myself!!)
Ice picks!
Duh!
So I went out and got me a roof rake and some ice picks!
Where was the hubby during all of this? Out of town.
So after work this week I've been going home, changing into my "winter attire": smartwool tights, ski pants, ski parka, "baklava" the hubby got me for Christmas (or as most people call it, a balaclava...), smartwool socks, ski gloves, hat and most importantly, a head lamp!!! 'Cuz by the time I get home it's getting dark out there folks!!! I then bring out the extend-able ladder, and get up on the roof and start chiseling away. I need that headlamp because otherwise I wouldn't be able to see what in the world I was doing!!
Go ahead. Make a mental image of me in this get-up. And I wonder why our neighbors think I'm weird. I think I'm finally beginning to understand... Add the boob-flashing incident and I'm clearly the neighborhood crazy!! (and I was SO sure it was the lady in the house with the yard full of flowers and plants and NO grass... humph....)
Never fear! I have informed my next door neighbor of myantics important homeowner work so he can come outside every 30 minutes and laugh at me check on me to make sure I'm ok.
By myself it is slow going. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve but I will need to wait until the weekend. I was trying to get a lot of snow chunks off before the "HUGE winter storm" hit last night. Luckily it petered out when it got here. We got about 4 " (so far) and for us that's nuthin'.
Apparently I'm not the only one in town with this idea. The single prong style ice picks are all sold out in town so I had to settle for the multi-prong style, as seen here:
I purchased 2 for less than $4 each. However they each now look something like this:
Dont' get me wrong! They still get the job done! But I think I'd probably have better luck with the single prong style, since these ones are apparently aspiring to that style. I guess that's what all the "cool" kids want to be...
 |
| spot above my head in our bedroom.... |
Ice picks!
Duh!
So I went out and got me a roof rake and some ice picks!
Where was the hubby during all of this? Out of town.
So after work this week I've been going home, changing into my "winter attire": smartwool tights, ski pants, ski parka, "baklava" the hubby got me for Christmas (or as most people call it, a balaclava...), smartwool socks, ski gloves, hat and most importantly, a head lamp!!! 'Cuz by the time I get home it's getting dark out there folks!!! I then bring out the extend-able ladder, and get up on the roof and start chiseling away. I need that headlamp because otherwise I wouldn't be able to see what in the world I was doing!!
Go ahead. Make a mental image of me in this get-up. And I wonder why our neighbors think I'm weird. I think I'm finally beginning to understand... Add the boob-flashing incident and I'm clearly the neighborhood crazy!! (and I was SO sure it was the lady in the house with the yard full of flowers and plants and NO grass... humph....)
Never fear! I have informed my next door neighbor of my
By myself it is slow going. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve but I will need to wait until the weekend. I was trying to get a lot of snow chunks off before the "HUGE winter storm" hit last night. Luckily it petered out when it got here. We got about 4 " (so far) and for us that's nuthin'.
Apparently I'm not the only one in town with this idea. The single prong style ice picks are all sold out in town so I had to settle for the multi-prong style, as seen here:
I purchased 2 for less than $4 each. However they each now look something like this:
Monday, January 31, 2011
Staying young
The secret to staying young?
But of course I'm talking about your state of mind.
To stay young always try something new!!!
Be it a place, idea, activity or food!
But just try it. Open your mind. It might not end up like you thought.
It might end up better and you might find the new love of your life! (new hobby, perhaps??)
It might end up worse and then you have great stories that start with "well, it sounded like a good idea at the time... "
So I tried something new on my birthday.
The hubby and I went to a great Indian restaurant and I tried goat.
I was going to get lamb, which I've eaten before, just not at an Indian place. But the hubby heard the goat was less gamey. So I went for it.
I guess the emphasis being on "less gamey" - meaning it's still "gamey".... The least gamey parts were fine. Just tasted like braised beef. But most of the other parts were a little too gamey with lots of connective tissue for my delicate pallet. Andrew Zimmern I'm not. But over all it wasn't bad. But I'll stick with dosa next time, thanks.
I'm not talking stupid beauty creams. People get over it. Skin wrinkles and sags. It's called gravity. But of course I'm talking about your state of mind.
To stay young always try something new!!!
Be it a place, idea, activity or food!
But just try it. Open your mind. It might not end up like you thought.
It might end up better and you might find the new love of your life! (new hobby, perhaps??)
It might end up worse and then you have great stories that start with "well, it sounded like a good idea at the time... "
So I tried something new on my birthday.
The hubby and I went to a great Indian restaurant and I tried goat.
I was going to get lamb, which I've eaten before, just not at an Indian place. But the hubby heard the goat was less gamey. So I went for it.
I guess the emphasis being on "less gamey" - meaning it's still "gamey".... The least gamey parts were fine. Just tasted like braised beef. But most of the other parts were a little too gamey with lots of connective tissue for my delicate pallet. Andrew Zimmern I'm not. But over all it wasn't bad. But I'll stick with dosa next time, thanks.
Andrew Zimmern in Mongolia eating lord-knows-what....
(photo courtesy of the Travel Channel)
(photo courtesy of the Travel Channel)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The princess culture
So I scan a lot of stuff on line during the day. Because I can.
Interestingly enough I read a lot about raising kids. Because I don't have to.
(I hear that parents love to hear you tell them about all the latest and great child-rearing techniques. I just want to be sure to keep them abreast of it all. You know, since I know they don't have time to read any of it themselves. I see it as a great public service!!)
The other day I can across this article with the teaser title "Why 'princess' culture may be bad for little girls".
Really? Someone finally thought long and hard about this??
Gee, I'm glad they finally caught up! Sheesh!! C'mon people! Know what we've known all along! Not everyone looks good in pink or purple!!!!
Duh!
Interestingly enough I read a lot about raising kids. Because I don't have to.
(I hear that parents love to hear you tell them about all the latest and great child-rearing techniques. I just want to be sure to keep them abreast of it all. You know, since I know they don't have time to read any of it themselves. I see it as a great public service!!)
The other day I can across this article with the teaser title "Why 'princess' culture may be bad for little girls".
Really? Someone finally thought long and hard about this??
Gee, I'm glad they finally caught up! Sheesh!! C'mon people! Know what we've known all along! Not everyone looks good in pink or purple!!!!
Duh!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Does he think I make this stuff up??
Often I have side conversations with my boss about all the work the hubby and I have done to our house. And when I say "work we've done to our house" I mean that literally.
Work WE'VE done. Not work we've HIRED OUT.
I've made this exceptionally clear to my boss. Usually in the context of "because we can't afford to have someone else do it."
But who am I kidding. He knows exactly how much I make. I'm sure he's not buying it. But at least I was pretty sure he was clear on the fact that we are DIYers.
And that I wasn't a wife that sat and watched my hubby do all the work. I'm a participating kind of wife. And not in a I'll-help-you-carry-that-dear kind of way either... You get the drift.
So my Admin needed a hole drilled in the top of her desk for computer cords and let's face it - It was just way easier for me to bring in the drill and bits and do it myself than to wait (and pay) for a guy to come do it for us.
And so I did.
And I did it before my boss got into the office this morning.
This is the guy that notices NOTHING. Like the huge new toaster oven that I had ordered for the kitchen, which he didn't want for years because he swore it'd take up too much space on the counter top. Yeah - he didn't notice it all. Or when our Marketing Asst. had been out all week on vacation and finally on Friday asked "Is Little Bit out today?" Uh, she's been out all week....
So today he walks in towards his office, past my door and stops. Backs up and says "A drill??"
Of all things, on all days he notices the drill on the table in my office.
"Yes, boss. It's a drill. I had to put a hole in New Gal's desk."
He looked a me, raised an eyebrow, harrumphed and walked away!!!
What did that mean??? Did he think I was making all the "home improvement" stuff up?!?!?!
I think he was jealous that no one asked him to drill the hole. You know, him being a man and all.... ; )
Work WE'VE done. Not work we've HIRED OUT.
I've made this exceptionally clear to my boss. Usually in the context of "because we can't afford to have someone else do it."
But who am I kidding. He knows exactly how much I make. I'm sure he's not buying it. But at least I was pretty sure he was clear on the fact that we are DIYers.
And that I wasn't a wife that sat and watched my hubby do all the work. I'm a participating kind of wife. And not in a I'll-help-you-carry-that-dear kind of way either... You get the drift.
So my Admin needed a hole drilled in the top of her desk for computer cords and let's face it - It was just way easier for me to bring in the drill and bits and do it myself than to wait (and pay) for a guy to come do it for us.
And so I did.
And I did it before my boss got into the office this morning.
This is the guy that notices NOTHING. Like the huge new toaster oven that I had ordered for the kitchen, which he didn't want for years because he swore it'd take up too much space on the counter top. Yeah - he didn't notice it all. Or when our Marketing Asst. had been out all week on vacation and finally on Friday asked "Is Little Bit out today?" Uh, she's been out all week....
So today he walks in towards his office, past my door and stops. Backs up and says "A drill??"
Of all things, on all days he notices the drill on the table in my office.
"Yes, boss. It's a drill. I had to put a hole in New Gal's desk."
He looked a me, raised an eyebrow, harrumphed and walked away!!!
What did that mean??? Did he think I was making all the "home improvement" stuff up?!?!?!
I think he was jealous that no one asked him to drill the hole. You know, him being a man and all.... ; )
Monday, January 17, 2011
: P Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Mother Nature!
Today I want to kick Mother nature in the face. Not normally a violent person, I find I am driven to such moods when a one has granted me one of my wishes only to slip in a cruel and callous twist.
You know I long for sun during these dreadful winters here. And not just a peek of sun here and there. I want days of sun. Where I can go outside and enjoy the the beautiful white snow. Get my fill of vitamin D. Take the dogs for a walk without fear they will turn into pupsicles. Go skiing without worrying my skin will get sand blasted off my face from icy snow pelting me from above....
Today the forecast is for a FULL DAY of luxurious SUN!!
ALL DAY!!
Except it's frickin' ONE DEGREE!!
FAHRENHEIT!!!
What kind of joke is that??
As far as I'm concerned you can take your crap sun back. I don't want it if it comes with single-digit temperatures.
: P
You know I long for sun during these dreadful winters here. And not just a peek of sun here and there. I want days of sun. Where I can go outside and enjoy the the beautiful white snow. Get my fill of vitamin D. Take the dogs for a walk without fear they will turn into pupsicles. Go skiing without worrying my skin will get sand blasted off my face from icy snow pelting me from above....
Today the forecast is for a FULL DAY of luxurious SUN!!
ALL DAY!!
Except it's frickin' ONE DEGREE!!
FAHRENHEIT!!!
What kind of joke is that??
As far as I'm concerned you can take your crap sun back. I don't want it if it comes with single-digit temperatures.
: P
Friday, January 14, 2011
Martha and a Golden Nose
I'm no Martha Stewart. But you knew that already. I don't even want to emulate her. But I confess I once saw an idea of hers that I thought was pretty nifty that a "normal" person could make.
And so I did.
A few years ago the hubby purchased one of those black, rubber bean shaped boot trays and so I filled it with river rocks from Target. I got the idea from Martha's above pebble-filled tray. It works well at our house so long as you remember to vacuum out the occasional dust bunny that gets caught in there...
On a separate note I am one that really suffers from a dry nose in the winter. Sure, my skin gets dry but I'm really talking about the inside of my nose. Sometimes it gets so dry that I suffer from phantom smells. I literally will smell things that aren't there nor shouldn't be and I blame it on my overly exposed dry nose. Like lilacs in our kitchen in the dead of winter. (I don't even like lilacs.) Or freshly cracked pepper in the bathroom. I'm serious - my nose can really go bonkers.
So last weekend on our way out the door to IKEA I grabbed my jacket, turned to the hubby and said "Ugh! Do you smell cat pee?!?!?!? I smell cat pee!!!" He swore he smelled no such odor. Since it's such a pungent, disgusting smell I assumed my dry nose was up to something again. Plus we've never had any issues with our cats peeing outside the litter boxes.
Today I got a call from the hubby. Well the mystery has been solved. Apparently someone decided to use my Martha boot tray as a litter box!!! We have no idea who. (well a cat, of course... but we don't know which one...) We have no idea why. But we better find out soon! Because that is gross!!!
And for the love of Pete - if you've been in our house lately and have no mentioned that it smells like cat pee then you're fired!! Y'all are all good enough friends to tell us this. This is IMPORTANT information to know!!! So next time please do tell.
And so I did.
A few years ago the hubby purchased one of those black, rubber bean shaped boot trays and so I filled it with river rocks from Target. I got the idea from Martha's above pebble-filled tray. It works well at our house so long as you remember to vacuum out the occasional dust bunny that gets caught in there...
On a separate note I am one that really suffers from a dry nose in the winter. Sure, my skin gets dry but I'm really talking about the inside of my nose. Sometimes it gets so dry that I suffer from phantom smells. I literally will smell things that aren't there nor shouldn't be and I blame it on my overly exposed dry nose. Like lilacs in our kitchen in the dead of winter. (I don't even like lilacs.) Or freshly cracked pepper in the bathroom. I'm serious - my nose can really go bonkers.
So last weekend on our way out the door to IKEA I grabbed my jacket, turned to the hubby and said "Ugh! Do you smell cat pee?!?!?!? I smell cat pee!!!" He swore he smelled no such odor. Since it's such a pungent, disgusting smell I assumed my dry nose was up to something again. Plus we've never had any issues with our cats peeing outside the litter boxes.
Today I got a call from the hubby. Well the mystery has been solved. Apparently someone decided to use my Martha boot tray as a litter box!!! We have no idea who. (well a cat, of course... but we don't know which one...) We have no idea why. But we better find out soon! Because that is gross!!!
And for the love of Pete - if you've been in our house lately and have no mentioned that it smells like cat pee then you're fired!! Y'all are all good enough friends to tell us this. This is IMPORTANT information to know!!! So next time please do tell.
Monday, January 10, 2011
RIP Food Saver II
Well, that is until Food Saver III arrives!!!
As you may recall my Food Saver I (which I bought not long after I the hubby and I got married) conked out on me back in the spring. Which led me to purchase the Food Saver II. I like my FSII because this model is smaller and doesn't take up nearly the counter space!! Plus it has a locking mechanism so I don't have to manually hold down the lid to activate the "suck, then seal" process. Oh, wait. I'm in marketing. I'm sure a better way to state that would be "vacuum and seal process". But an alliteration is so much better on the ears - and this particular one - more amusing on the funny bone...
Well I was suckin' and sealin' my spanikopita two to a bag on Saturday when I had one more bag to do (isn't that always the way...) when that sucker stopped suckin'!! Dern! So I gave it a few hours, tried again with no luck. I was P.I.S.T. - pissed!! This thing wasn't even a year old! I mean I even wrote an ode to my Food Saver!! How could it be so fickle? The hubby asked if I was going to call them about it. I said I would. Later. When I was in a better mood.
A few hours later I called their customer service center expecting to get a message on their Monday through Friday hours of operation. But no!! I got an actual person!! I was excited but the hubby wasn't. I promptly made him turn his Guitar Hero waaay down so I could carry on my conversation with the FS customer service lady. (again, I'm still not sure the hubby is clear that Guitar Hero is a game and that playing the "guitar" with the game does not make one capable of actually playing a real guitar.... )
After a very friendly chat with FSCSL (that would be food saver customer service lady for those of you who didn't get that) and a test run with a spoon in a bag, she too concluded the machine "doesn't sound quite right". The FSCSL was fabulous! I wish all CS people on a Saturday afternoon were so pleasant...
So I'm getting a new one!! YEAH!!
Was it wrong of me to be excited to come to work today just because I was able to ship back my Food Saver which meant I was that much closer to getting my new one?!?!?! Because I had lots of cooking and baking planned for this weekend that had to be postponed because I had no Food Saver!!
So I hope my FSIII arrives soon! This has potentially put a dent in my food plans that I just blogged about! Arg!! But to make up for it I'll be eating more spanikopita this week. I have 2 pieces that have to get eaten!! I don't want them to get freezer burn because they didn't get the special Food Saver treatment before it conked out!! ; )
As you may recall my Food Saver I (which I bought not long after I the hubby and I got married) conked out on me back in the spring. Which led me to purchase the Food Saver II. I like my FSII because this model is smaller and doesn't take up nearly the counter space!! Plus it has a locking mechanism so I don't have to manually hold down the lid to activate the "suck, then seal" process. Oh, wait. I'm in marketing. I'm sure a better way to state that would be "vacuum and seal process". But an alliteration is so much better on the ears - and this particular one - more amusing on the funny bone...
Well I was suckin' and sealin' my spanikopita two to a bag on Saturday when I had one more bag to do (isn't that always the way...) when that sucker stopped suckin'!! Dern! So I gave it a few hours, tried again with no luck. I was P.I.S.T. - pissed!! This thing wasn't even a year old! I mean I even wrote an ode to my Food Saver!! How could it be so fickle? The hubby asked if I was going to call them about it. I said I would. Later. When I was in a better mood.
A few hours later I called their customer service center expecting to get a message on their Monday through Friday hours of operation. But no!! I got an actual person!! I was excited but the hubby wasn't. I promptly made him turn his Guitar Hero waaay down so I could carry on my conversation with the FS customer service lady. (again, I'm still not sure the hubby is clear that Guitar Hero is a game and that playing the "guitar" with the game does not make one capable of actually playing a real guitar.... )
After a very friendly chat with FSCSL (that would be food saver customer service lady for those of you who didn't get that) and a test run with a spoon in a bag, she too concluded the machine "doesn't sound quite right". The FSCSL was fabulous! I wish all CS people on a Saturday afternoon were so pleasant...
So I'm getting a new one!! YEAH!!
Was it wrong of me to be excited to come to work today just because I was able to ship back my Food Saver which meant I was that much closer to getting my new one?!?!?! Because I had lots of cooking and baking planned for this weekend that had to be postponed because I had no Food Saver!!
So I hope my FSIII arrives soon! This has potentially put a dent in my food plans that I just blogged about! Arg!! But to make up for it I'll be eating more spanikopita this week. I have 2 pieces that have to get eaten!! I don't want them to get freezer burn because they didn't get the special Food Saver treatment before it conked out!! ; )
Friday, January 07, 2011
Food Crazy!!!
Note: I have highlighted links in RED. Not sure why but blogger is not formatting my links appropriately. Until I figure this out I just changed the font color on my own. It says they are underlined too but I can't see it on my screen....
Were you one of the crazies that resolved to lose weight in 2011?? Well I didn't. So I'm going to share some food stuff with you. And if you're currently crunching on a carrot or celery stick trying to drop a bunch of pounds then don't read this 'cuz I'll only have you breaking that New Year's resolution one week in....
First I have to apologize in being remiss in not better spotlighting the food blogs of my friends. Let's Dish is the food blog of Mom Outnumbered - otherwise referred to as "the wife of a grad school buddy", aka Danelle. I normally wouldn't use her name but she does - so the jig is up. She makes some VERY tasty recipes and I love them because they are generally easy and fast. She cooks for four boys for cryin' out loud! (that range in age from 6 - "adult". We won't give away her hubby's age ; ) I highly encourage you to check out her blog and her extensive recipe collection. Our favorite is the Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork . Of course I have a lot still to try..... But if the hubby likes it and I can throw it in the crock pot it's a winner!!
And then there's Sara Bir, The Sausagetarian. I've known Sara since we were, well, I don't know - before pre-school?? I know we went to pre-school together. Suffice it to say, a LONG TIME. Sara is a profession food writer and chef and lives in Oregon. Again, I wouldn't have used her name but what can I say?? It's the address of her blog!! While Sara definitely includes recipes she also writes about how the recipe came about, or why she made it, or, well, LOTS of things! She's a FOOD WRITER!! Duh!! But I also love how she writes about her childhood memories of food in Ohio where we grew up. That won't mean much to you but it does to me. It means that she didn't go off to the Culinary Institute of America, move to Oregon and get all hoity-toity about food and forget about all the great stuff you find right along the Ohio river. In other words - she didn't get too big for her britches!
Ok - now that I feel I have sufficiently introduced the foodies I will tell you what I made this weekend.
Well, only after I make a confession.
I've been in a food slump lately. I haven't really been inspired to try lots of new things. Usually I go through fits where I'll be making new stuff for months! But I can't say that really happened in 2010. I did try a new recipe here and there but nothing like in the past. But I'm getting re-inspired!
This weekend I made spanikopita. It's a savory Greek pastry. It's a spinach and feta mix wrapped in layers of thin phyllo dough. I used Emeril's recipe from the Food Network. They rate it as difficult but I don't think it is. I suppose phyllo can be difficult to work with because it's so thin but just be careful with it and keep the sheets you aren't using covered with a wet towel and you'll be fine. Oh - and to make the squares just fold the pastry just like they taught you how to fold the flag in scouts.
Now every version of spanikopita calls for brushing butter between each layer of phyllo. Let's just say it's a lot of butter. But Sara informed me you can use olive oil instead. I'm sure it'll still "grease the tracks" but at least it's healthier and lighter tasting than all that butter.
It just occured to me that I should be taking snapshots of my food to share!! I'm no photographer like Neda and Danelle but at least you could have a visual to go with the story... like if you have NO idea what spanikopita is...
I had a stray sheet of phyllo and decided to see what I could cook up. (pun intended...) so I made little strips of the phyllo and put a dollop of basil pesto and goat cheese on each and rolled them suckers up! Some were triangles. Some were.... some other shape... Appetizer size, of course. They were great! except I put too much pesto in and it squished out the ends. But it was soooo good!
So now I've decided I'm going with that theme and I'm going to add some chicken to the pesto and goat cheese mix and make me some more kopitas!!! I dropped the "spani" because I dropped the spinach... I don't know if that's proper Greek or not but who cares. Maybe I'll call it "Pollo Kopita"!! I mean really - Greece and Italy are close enough to each other I can mix and match, right??
So watch out - my food mojo is back!!
(and really the only person this really impacts is the hubby.... he needs to be prepared for many possible "pizza nights" - my fall back in the event a recipe goes waaaay wrong...)
Were you one of the crazies that resolved to lose weight in 2011?? Well I didn't. So I'm going to share some food stuff with you. And if you're currently crunching on a carrot or celery stick trying to drop a bunch of pounds then don't read this 'cuz I'll only have you breaking that New Year's resolution one week in....
First I have to apologize in being remiss in not better spotlighting the food blogs of my friends. Let's Dish is the food blog of Mom Outnumbered - otherwise referred to as "the wife of a grad school buddy", aka Danelle. I normally wouldn't use her name but she does - so the jig is up. She makes some VERY tasty recipes and I love them because they are generally easy and fast. She cooks for four boys for cryin' out loud! (that range in age from 6 - "adult". We won't give away her hubby's age ; ) I highly encourage you to check out her blog and her extensive recipe collection. Our favorite is the Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork . Of course I have a lot still to try..... But if the hubby likes it and I can throw it in the crock pot it's a winner!!
And then there's Sara Bir, The Sausagetarian. I've known Sara since we were, well, I don't know - before pre-school?? I know we went to pre-school together. Suffice it to say, a LONG TIME. Sara is a profession food writer and chef and lives in Oregon. Again, I wouldn't have used her name but what can I say?? It's the address of her blog!! While Sara definitely includes recipes she also writes about how the recipe came about, or why she made it, or, well, LOTS of things! She's a FOOD WRITER!! Duh!! But I also love how she writes about her childhood memories of food in Ohio where we grew up. That won't mean much to you but it does to me. It means that she didn't go off to the Culinary Institute of America, move to Oregon and get all hoity-toity about food and forget about all the great stuff you find right along the Ohio river. In other words - she didn't get too big for her britches!
Ok - now that I feel I have sufficiently introduced the foodies I will tell you what I made this weekend.
Well, only after I make a confession.
I've been in a food slump lately. I haven't really been inspired to try lots of new things. Usually I go through fits where I'll be making new stuff for months! But I can't say that really happened in 2010. I did try a new recipe here and there but nothing like in the past. But I'm getting re-inspired!
This weekend I made spanikopita. It's a savory Greek pastry. It's a spinach and feta mix wrapped in layers of thin phyllo dough. I used Emeril's recipe from the Food Network. They rate it as difficult but I don't think it is. I suppose phyllo can be difficult to work with because it's so thin but just be careful with it and keep the sheets you aren't using covered with a wet towel and you'll be fine. Oh - and to make the squares just fold the pastry just like they taught you how to fold the flag in scouts.
Now every version of spanikopita calls for brushing butter between each layer of phyllo. Let's just say it's a lot of butter. But Sara informed me you can use olive oil instead. I'm sure it'll still "grease the tracks" but at least it's healthier and lighter tasting than all that butter.
It just occured to me that I should be taking snapshots of my food to share!! I'm no photographer like Neda and Danelle but at least you could have a visual to go with the story... like if you have NO idea what spanikopita is...
I had a stray sheet of phyllo and decided to see what I could cook up. (pun intended...) so I made little strips of the phyllo and put a dollop of basil pesto and goat cheese on each and rolled them suckers up! Some were triangles. Some were.... some other shape... Appetizer size, of course. They were great! except I put too much pesto in and it squished out the ends. But it was soooo good!
So now I've decided I'm going with that theme and I'm going to add some chicken to the pesto and goat cheese mix and make me some more kopitas!!! I dropped the "spani" because I dropped the spinach... I don't know if that's proper Greek or not but who cares. Maybe I'll call it "Pollo Kopita"!! I mean really - Greece and Italy are close enough to each other I can mix and match, right??
So watch out - my food mojo is back!!
(and really the only person this really impacts is the hubby.... he needs to be prepared for many possible "pizza nights" - my fall back in the event a recipe goes waaaay wrong...)
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Need advice
How do you get yourself out of a funk?
I suppose it would help if I knew how I got here in the first place. But I don't have a clue. My first inclination is always to assume it's because it's winter here and there's no sun. But alas. There's been sun. (not to mention I feel like I spent the better part of December in Las Vegas and California!!)
I'm sure it doesn't help when a friend, who shall remain nameless (but I will describe as someone who lives in CA, works in the vet industry, is working on a PhD and does triathlons - see no names mentioned....) sends you a picture message from the BEACHES OF HAWAII!!! While I'm very excited for her and her wonderful trip - she deserves it! - it's really the last thing I want to see when I'm in a severe funk.
So tomorrow I'm setting that alarm clock nice and early (honey I hope you read this so you're prepared) and going to go swimming. I don't care if I have to sleep in my swim suit. I'm going to do it. I've been so wiped lately that I've been using that as an excuse not to get to the gym. Well I'm going. And hopefully it will change my attitude.
Or make me fall asleep at my desk. In which case I'll beg off to my boss I'm sick again and head home.
But I'd love to hear how you guys perk up!! (aside from caffeine-induced all-nighters...)
I suppose it would help if I knew how I got here in the first place. But I don't have a clue. My first inclination is always to assume it's because it's winter here and there's no sun. But alas. There's been sun. (not to mention I feel like I spent the better part of December in Las Vegas and California!!)
I'm sure it doesn't help when a friend, who shall remain nameless (but I will describe as someone who lives in CA, works in the vet industry, is working on a PhD and does triathlons - see no names mentioned....) sends you a picture message from the BEACHES OF HAWAII!!! While I'm very excited for her and her wonderful trip - she deserves it! - it's really the last thing I want to see when I'm in a severe funk.
So tomorrow I'm setting that alarm clock nice and early (honey I hope you read this so you're prepared) and going to go swimming. I don't care if I have to sleep in my swim suit. I'm going to do it. I've been so wiped lately that I've been using that as an excuse not to get to the gym. Well I'm going. And hopefully it will change my attitude.
Or make me fall asleep at my desk. In which case I'll beg off to my boss I'm sick again and head home.
But I'd love to hear how you guys perk up!! (aside from caffeine-induced all-nighters...)
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Pregnant Lady Tips for Non-Pregnant Ladies
Years ago in grad school a wife of a classmate was pregnant. BTW - I'm talking about you, Mom Outnumbered....
I remember her sharing the secret of the rubber band waistband extender. You know when you're not quite ready for those maternity pants.... you loop a rubber band through the button hole of your pants and wrap the ends around the button to extend out ever tightening waists. Of course this method was intended for the growing stomach of a pregnant gal.
However I decided to use it today on a pair of pants that I love - except I think they got the waist dimensions a little to trim in relation to the hip area. Now they are MUCH more comfy. And probably much easier on my digestion too.
Thanks MO!!
I remember her sharing the secret of the rubber band waistband extender. You know when you're not quite ready for those maternity pants.... you loop a rubber band through the button hole of your pants and wrap the ends around the button to extend out ever tightening waists. Of course this method was intended for the growing stomach of a pregnant gal.
However I decided to use it today on a pair of pants that I love - except I think they got the waist dimensions a little to trim in relation to the hip area. Now they are MUCH more comfy. And probably much easier on my digestion too.
Thanks MO!!
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Day late and a (few) dollar(s) short
Last night I went to bed at 8.
Let me explain. I'm back on a daily migraine medication that, last time I was on it, made me REALLY anemic. This time around I thought I was doing ok. So well, in fact, that I donated blood Monday.
In retrospect I shouldn't have done that.
I had enough iron to donate but that sucked any extra I had right out of me. It took me all week to figure out why I was sooo exhausted. I just figured I'd had too much of the fam over the holidays. Duh.
Have you ever been so severely aenemic they make you take supplements?? I get so tired I want to sleep ALL the time. It's like being sick without feeling bad.
Well when I finally figured out what was wrong I started the iron supplements again (and other, ahem, supplements to go with it because iron supplements do quite a number on your GI tract. I'll leave it at that. You're welcome.)
So that's why I went to bed at 8 on New Year's Eve.
And today we drove 3.5 hours (one way) to go to IKEA to get the hubby new "fixin's" for his home office. I pretty much slept all the way there and back. (Except for right now. We should be home in 30 minutes.) And I think the iron's starting to kick in because I'm feeling better. But I suppose it could be all that sleep...
And now I feel like I could stay up until midnight tonight. Figures... a day late.
And did I mention the trip to IKEA??? That should explain the many dollars short...
Let me explain. I'm back on a daily migraine medication that, last time I was on it, made me REALLY anemic. This time around I thought I was doing ok. So well, in fact, that I donated blood Monday.
In retrospect I shouldn't have done that.
I had enough iron to donate but that sucked any extra I had right out of me. It took me all week to figure out why I was sooo exhausted. I just figured I'd had too much of the fam over the holidays. Duh.
Have you ever been so severely aenemic they make you take supplements?? I get so tired I want to sleep ALL the time. It's like being sick without feeling bad.
Well when I finally figured out what was wrong I started the iron supplements again (and other, ahem, supplements to go with it because iron supplements do quite a number on your GI tract. I'll leave it at that. You're welcome.)
So that's why I went to bed at 8 on New Year's Eve.
And today we drove 3.5 hours (one way) to go to IKEA to get the hubby new "fixin's" for his home office. I pretty much slept all the way there and back. (Except for right now. We should be home in 30 minutes.) And I think the iron's starting to kick in because I'm feeling better. But I suppose it could be all that sleep...
And now I feel like I could stay up until midnight tonight. Figures... a day late.
And did I mention the trip to IKEA??? That should explain the many dollars short...
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why is it?
Why is it if I'm on a long road trip by myself I can drive for HOURS without having to stop and pee, but put me in a car with my hubby for 2 or 3 hours and I have to stop at least once, if not more.
Why is it I was sooo excited about getting Guitar Hero for my hubby for Christmas but can't stand for him to play it?? (I actually know the answer to this... it's because he's played it nearly NONSTOP since he opened it Christmas morning....)
Why is it I'm so excited to have family come visit for the holidays yet so happy to see them leave??
Why is it I was sooo excited about getting Guitar Hero for my hubby for Christmas but can't stand for him to play it?? (I actually know the answer to this... it's because he's played it nearly NONSTOP since he opened it Christmas morning....)
Why is it I'm so excited to have family come visit for the holidays yet so happy to see them leave??
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