Parental Invasion

Blogging this weekend may be intermittent as my parents are in town for a visit. They live most of the year in Florida so I made sure to order up a good foot of snow to remember what it’s like living in Ohio. Speaking of snow…..in the bathroom at work there is a little sign that says ‘Let it Snow’ and there’s a snowman on it. Every day I want to punch that snowman in the face. Spring can’t come fast enough. I digress. I really enjoy when my parents visit, however, in the winter it’s difficult to come up with activities for them. When the weather is warmer, the men golf and the ladies shop. Well, the ladies can still shop but what are the men to do? This Saturday we’ll be having a romantic Valentine’s Day observed dinner in so that we don’t have to mess with restaurant crowds. Romantic, no? We’re having salmon, as yet undetermined side dishes, and hot fudge sundae cake in the crockpot! I was going to do Martha’s lava cakes but don’t really feel like putting in the effort. I think I’m using a Martha recipe on the salmon though. I trust Martha.

John and I are not huge celebrators of V Day. We haven’t done gifts for it since college but he did send me flowers to work earlier this week. Wasn’t that nice? What did I get him? Nothing. I’ll have to come up with something, even though he told me not to worry about it. I still feel like a schmuck giving him the V-Day shaft. I’m also trying to come up with a different meal for Sunday night that I would cook for just the two of us after my parents leave. It was going to be steak but we ended up at Outback last night (which was pretty rough after you’ve had Fleming’s). So, I’m left scouring my cookbooks for a suitable romantic menu replacement. Suggestions welcome……

Push, a novel by Sapphire

I have not yet seen the Oscar nominated, Golden Globe winning movie Precious. You know how I like to read books before seeing the movie. So, I waited quite awhile on the hold list for Push, by Sapphire -- which Precious is based on. Push is the story of Clareece 'Precious' Jones, an illiterate teen in New York City in the 1980's. Physically and sexually abused by her mother and birthing two children after being raped by her father, one at age 12, the other at 17, Precious finds herself kicked out of school because of her pregnancy. Her first child, born with Down's Syndrome, is taken away to be raised by her grandmother. By the time she's pregnant by her father again, Precious thinks there's likely no hope for her son and the rest of her life.

Eventually, she goes to an alternative school for illiterate teens where Miss Rain takes her under her wing and guides her through life. Precious works hard to learn how to read in a quest to better her life and be rid of her mother. Push is utterly heartbreaking. It's a depressing story but, well, I won't tell you about the ending. Can't wait to see the movie now!

I am not a baker.

I never should have let my baking successes at Christmas fool me. I am not a baker. I am a decent cook. I cannot bake. My sister likes to bake and I like to cook. She is the yin to my yang in the kitchen. Stupidly, I thought I would attempt to make homemade fortune cookies for my staff for Valentine's Day. I had grandiose visions of dipping the ends in white chocolate and sprinkling them with red sugar. How foolish of me. This recipe seemed easy enough. It had very few ingredients, always a plus. Things even seemed like they were going so well. See?


You fold them over a glass to get the classic shape. See my fortunes to the right there? They say Happy Valentine's Day. That's not really a fortune. More of a well wishing. Anyway, check out my first two. Not bad, eh?


After that it all went down hill. The next few cracked and I was forced to eat them. I even ate one cracked one while John took Sadie outside to get rid of the evidence of my defeat. Then I burned my fingers multiple times because you have to work quickly or they don't fold right. I only finished five. I needed 12.

I know I'm not a good baker. It's ok. It's just frustrating when things don't work correctly the first time. But I suppose, if at first I don't succeed....maybe move onto cut-outs?

Productive Weekend

For a weekend that we didn't have much going on, we sure did a lot. First, on Friday night, we found ourselves quickly buried under what would become 8 inches of snow. That led to a lazy Saturday morning when we told ourselves that surely the rec center was closed and there was no possible way we could work out. Might as well brew a pot of coffee and watch TV under a blanket.....until 2:00 pm. Oops. By that point, we decided we ought to venture out bravely and accomplish something worthwhile.

So, we went to AT&T. Yes, we FINALLY made the decision to switch carriers. John is over the moon for his new iPhone. I got an iPhone too, begrudgingly, although I do like it. I just feel like it's an added monthly expense that I don't really need. I'm sure it won't be long before I feel that my iPhone is like an extra appendage and I can't live without it. I would trade my iPhone for a new right foot though. Oh well. At least the never-ending debate over which carrier to go with has now ended. Praise be!

After more than an hour at AT&T, (why does that always take so long?) we got ready to go to dinner with some friends down south. We met at BJ's Brewhouse which is a chain but they brew their own beer. We had a tasting sampler trying their Hefeweizen (really good and citrusy), a Red (also delightful), a Porter (dark and creamy), and a Stout (not our fave -- a bit too intense). Good conversation with good company and then back home to free the beast (Sadie). Oh, and prior to dinner, I bought three pairs of shoes at Dillard's! They were all 70% off so even though I'm not supposed to be spending money and even though they're all brown, each serves a very specific purpose and replaces a worn and sometimes painful to my feet counterpart. 3 pairs for $60, you can't beat that with a stick!

Sunday was busycleaning, running errands and doing our taxes. Hello, refund! And also getting Sadie's hair cut. I feel badly because it's very cold and her hair is now very short but she couldn't see and it was long overdue. Then, running at the rec and home to prepare for the Super Bowl!

I like the Super Bowl for a few reasons. First and foremost, the food. Because this type of fare is not something I eat often (wings, potato skins, etc.) I feel like the Super Bowl gives you a free pass on calories, even though that's not really true. John and I made meatball subs. They were ah-mazing. I used a meatball recipe from Martha. She never lets me down. I also made a knock-off version of my very favorite dip in the world, Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno. Chuy's is my favorite Mexican restaurant, found only in Texas. My sister rolls her eyes at me because Chuy's is a chain and not 'authentic Mexican.' I guess it only takes 4 years of living in Texas to become a Mexican food snob. Anyway, this dip is outta sight! It's not spicy, despite the jalapeno. Well, my first attempt at this recipe-a-like was just so so. I cut it in half because otherwise, it called for a quart of mayo. A quart! Even halving it made a ton. We'll be eating this for weeks. Anyway, I used chiles, which was a mistake, because they don't pack hardly any kick. I got nervous when the can of jalapenos said "HOT" on it. And also, do not use Miracle Whip as your mayo. It has a very distinct flavor that I don't mind on sandwiches, but does not suit this dip. So, next time I will follow the recipe a bit more closely, and use Hellman's. But, it's not bad.....if you've never eaten Chuy's, that is. You wouldn't know what you're missing anyway.

Another reason I really like the Super Bowl is that it ends football season. WHEEE!!!! I like to try to be a supportive football wife (this sounds like I'm married to a player -- let's be clear that I'm not). I watch the games with John and try to feign interest (sorry, honey) but it wears on me. Week after week, month after month. Much like our cell phone debate, football seems never-ending. But, also much like our cell phone debate which ended this weekend, so does football! I'm free until pre-season, well, until the draft really but that's only one weekend in April. OH! I just found out we'll be in Florida for the draft which means John will just be glued to his iPhone instead of comandeering the TV. I used to also like the Super Bowl for the halftime show but they only ever have boring people on now. Also, the commercials aren't as good as they used to be. So to sum up, the Super Bowl is good for: 1) eating sporty foods, 2) celebrating the end of the season.

Hope you all had a great weekend like I did!

Pet Silhouette

I wasn't going to post this until I found a suitable frame for this project. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening any time soon. I keep forgetting I need this frame when I'm out and about. Plus, I've got some busy weekends coming up which will make it difficult to shop. Anyway, here it is!

I forget where I first saw this project but since there was no accompanying tutorial with the picture I found, I went it alone.

For this project you will need: animal (one), scissors, two constrasting pieces of printed or plain scrapbook paper (I used 12x12), a pencil, and glue or some sort of adhesive to stick the silhouette on the background.



1) Have a photo shoot with your pet. Sometimes they are uncooperative with this task. Persevere. If you don't get a good profile picture, this project will be crappy. Try to get a standing and sitting shot so you have some choices.



2) Print out your favorite photos. Oops, I guess I forgot to tell you that you'll also need a computer and printer. My bad.



3) Now you begin the arduous task of cutting out the pet part of the photo only. This will not be difficult if your pet has short hair. If your pet is of a poodle breed, like Sadie, this will take some fancy ninja cutting skills. You want to be sure you get all those curls, right? This is the cut out Sadie (I chose the seated version because her head was turned in the other one.) And also the peacock blue and paisley paper that I'm using.



4) Once you've cut out your Sadie photo (or your pet of course), you will still need to cut out the silhouette from the pretty paper. I suggest tracing the outline of the pet onto the back of your printed paper but flip it first, so she's facing the right way on the other side. You won't have to worry about pencil lines on the front and if you have a dark or busy print, the pencil traces will be hard to see when cutting.



5) Here is paisley Sadie. I love paisley.


6) Then, you can adhere paisley Sadie to the background. I used one of those wheels with little adhesive strips that you use in scrapbooking. A gluestick would probably work just as well. Elmer's glue probably is not what you'd want to use. TA-DA!




See? She needs a frame but you get the idea. I'll probably crop it closer to the silhouette depending on the size frame I find. Don't you want to silhouette your pet?

The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol is the third Robert Langdon novel by Dan Brown. I'm sure you've read or know of the other two, The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. I have been on the hold list for The Lost Symbol since it came out in October. So, I've been waiting quite awhile to read this. Anyway, in The Lost Symbol, Robert Langdon is summoned to Washington D.C. to crack a code (Surprise!) Along the way, Robert consorts with an old friend (sound familiar?), a female scientist (no kidding!), a demonic protagonist (creepy, bald guy!) and a cast of characters that could be good or evil (For reals?!) My point is, if you've read the other two, this one follows the exact same formula. The Lost Symbol delves into the society of Freemasonry and the secrets it holds....enter Robert and his code-cracking ways. It also pits religion against science and weaves a web between the two.

Although it may not seem like it from the above paragraph, I did enjoy The Lost Symbol. It was suspenseful and I like Brown's writing style which is jumpy but keeps you interested. The story moves. I also liked that it was set in D.C. The other two were European based and it was nice to be able to picture the places Langdon went that I've also been to. If you've never read anything by Brown, start with Da Vinci Code, but this is a close second.

Nocturnal Admissions

I think I've told you John often talks in his sleep. Usually when this happens I try to keep him talking and have a nonsensical conversation. Because it's hilarious. Last night:

John (raising his hands up in the air): Why is there blue everywhere?
Ashley: What?
John: Blue. It's just blue everywhere.
Ashley: What's blue?
John (shaking hands in the air): There blue everywhere!!
Ashley: I think you're asleep.
John: No, it's blue.
Ashley: Go to sleep.

Apparently, he was talking about blue highlighter. The highlighter had leaked all over his hands. He couldn't tell me that this morning when we woke up and I asked him, but he remembered that fact just now as I relayed the events again. He was quite adamant during this particular sleep talking and the hand gestures were just icing on the cake.

Do you have a sleep talker in your life? This woman at Sleep Talkin' Man does. If you want to laugh for hours, check out her blog. Her husband is way more loquacious than John. Something for him to aspire to.

SOOOOOO EXCITED for the season premiere of LOST beginning in less than an hour. WHEEEE!!!!