lazy or amazing?

There is a short list of things I hate doing.  Here they are...in order.
1) Working out - this is because I have an exercise allergy called Cholinergic urticaria. It is the rise in body temperature that produces the itching, swelling, and small hives that some people experience. People who have this may also experience the same reaction in hot tubs (not me), saunas (nope), and see that they are more likely to get it on hot days (perhaps, but it happens on cold days, too).
Treatment of Cholinergic urticaria:

• Antihistamines
• Avoid exercising on warm or humid days
• Reduce the intensity of your work-out
• Stop exercising at the first sign of flushing, itchy skin or hives (this would be all the time...so it makes it hard to work out) 

that's me when I exercise

2) Grocery shopping - I don't know how this one started, but it is definitely something I dread.  If I absolutely have to go, I like to go to my local Safeway because I know the layout with my eyes closed.  I make a list at home starting with the 1st aisle so I can easily get everything in 10 minutes or less without backtracking.  I hate backtracking.  If I forgot something back in aisle 6 it's my fault and I'll just need to live without it...there is no going back.  Recently, however, The Husband suggested we get our groceries delivered.  Genius!  I feel pretty lazy and a little bad about spending $6.00 to have them delivered in a 2 hour window, but if it saves me from people who can't park, the Real Change guy who always looks so sad, those indecisive people who just stand in the aisle, parents who are yelling at their children and the temptation to buy 2 gallons of chocolate and peanut butter ice cream because it's on sale...I'm OK with it.  So is it lazy or amazing that you can grocery shop online and someone will deliver it right to your door?    

That's it...I only hate doing 2 things.  I don't hate going to the dentist or paying bills...I don't hate cleaning (although The Husband may disagree with the current state of our home) or doing laundry.  Just working out and grocery shopping. 

What do you hate doing?

one more new thing

So after what seems like a lifetime I'm happy to announce that The Husband and I are expecting our first baby in September!

We found out the day after Christmas, which was the best present ever.  With this news comes more home improvement...shocking, right?  Well, our third bedroom is perfect for a nursery, as it has a half bath.  Well, I'm not sure that a bathroom makes a great nursery, but it makes it nice for handwashing after changing poo-filled diapers.  I know you're thinking a little paint does not a home improvement project make (I'm tipping my hat to Laura on that sentence).  Well, you're right, but this room needed more than just paint.  This room had a floor that had been raised 4 inches for no apparent reason and a weird shelf around the upper portion of 3/4 of the room...not to mention paneling over the sheet-rock.  The Husband immediately ripped out the floor and everything that made it 4 inches taller and ripped out 2 walls of sheet-rock (including the weird shelving) so he could insulate.  It took a little longer than I thought it would, but the floor is redone, the walls are insulated and have new sheet-rock AND the room is painted a nice, soothing green.  And in case you're wondering, yes, we will be finding out the sex so we can plan the rest of the room.  = )  The bathroom needs to be redone, too, but we'll do that a little later.


Here are some before photos:

Notice the "step down"

We'll wait to show you the final results when it's all done, but here are some work in progress photos and the finished floor.  Notice the original bathroom door reinstalled...it will show you how high the floor was.

Before

After

Wait, did you want to see Baby Beals, too?  = )

Yay!!

cooking makes me happy

I'm officially back!  Took a short break because I wasn't feeling well for a while. 

So, I'm not a huge cook, but I definitely love to eat...so I figured I should practice cooking so the eating would be easier.  ; )

I'm pretty good with brunch, but I dabble in other things, too.  It helps that our kitchen was fabulously updated when we bought our house (which by the way is under construction...AGAIN).  My dad has always raved about gas ranges and how you really can't cook on anything else, but none of my rentals nor my condo had gas so I didn't know what he was talking about until now.  I would never go back to electric, but don't worry electric friends...I'm not snobby about it. 

One thing I made recently was Tortilla Soup...I even made the tortilla strips that went on top.  In addition to the strips, I made chips.  I bought the salsa.  It was simple, easy and delicious.  For some reason I had it in my head that it took hours and could easily be ruined, but neither of those things are true.  Not sure anyone could mess this one up.  The Husband liked it, but he would eat a baked shoe so I guess that isn't really a good measure.

One thing I do exceptionally well is Aebleskiver, it's like a sweet, yummy Danish pancake ball.  My grandma taught me, my sister and our cousins how to make these.  If you haven't had them I highly recommend it.  I'm more than happy to share the recipe.  Williams-Sonoma sells an Aebleskiver pan which I think it great, but they also sell a mix (don't ever tell me you used the mix...I will judge you).  My grandma puts apple sauce in them after about 1 minute in the pan, but I think that makes them too mushy.  I think my sister puts in small pieces of apple, which sounds much better.  Sister, is that right?

A staple dinner in our home is lettuce wraps with ground turkey because it's healthier.  I think The Husband only likes this dish because it's easy AND he can make a pile of "slop" when he's done with the wrappers and use tortilla chips to scoop up the "slop".  He makes me smile.   With the salsa, light sour cream, iceburg lettuce, lean ground turkey and low fat cheese...it's pretty darn healthy.

I love gnocchi!  Period.  I thought it would be cool to make it at home, but I was terribly wrong.  It is a long process and can end up inedible in a matter of seconds.  First of all, I made way too much dough, which I guess ended up being a good thing because I could try a million variations.  The final product, paired with a homemade creamy red sauce was actually really good.  I will not do this again.

Overnight Baked French Toast.  Enough said.

Man, I love food.  I also love bacon, who doesn't?  So, I think if you wrap anything in bacon it just makes it better.  I think asparagus is delicious, not super psyched that it makes your pee smell weird, but it tastes great!  So why not wrap it in bacon?  Have it as a side dish with lighted breaded, baked chicken...DONE!

Cheers and happy cooking (eating)!

I didn't die...

Not that there are people out there thinking "Why the hell hasn't she posted recently..." but I've been busy.  I've been decorating, shopping and working...in that order. 

So, what I've decided is that I'm going to post my top 5 online videos.  My go to videos.  Videos that make me happy.  Videos that make me laugh.  I hope you enjoy!  Oh, these are in no particular order.


#1) This goes way back and is a simple, dumb pleasure.
Kitty Cat

#2) My mother loves Shirley Temple, so I'm pretty sure my sister and I have seen every movie.  Poor Little Rich Girl is a good one if you're a newbie.  This is a clip from that movie and you have to watch it all the way through to really embrace it.  In short, she's a rich girl with no friends, so her dolls are her friends.  Disclaimer: This is NOT a PC clip.
Poor Little Rich Girl

#3) This is a recent favorite of mine.  I can't help it, I love this kid.  He is really putting a lot of feeling into this song.  Enjoy!
All I Want For Christmas is You


#4) This one is always good for a laugh.  The woman on the left is the news reporter.  I could watch this over and over again.  Her colleagues back in the studio are SO supportive.
News Reporter


#5) Last, but surely not least, is my favorite.  I know I said they weren't in order, but this is my favorite.  It's weird and cute and I love it.
Marcel


I once thought about having a party where everyone brought their favorite/funniest online video...wouldn't that be fun?  I also thought that a "Come as your favorite SNL character" party would be pretty awesome.  = )


Sorry it took me so long.  My next post will be soon.


xoxo
Gossip Girl

Oh, Christmas

Let people know if your HOLIDAY PARTY is going to be a t-shirt and jeans kind of shindig...because no one wants to be the overdressed asshole(s).  This is what we wore to a party...no one else was even remotely dressed up. 

OK, I'm done complaining for now.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, but this year it seems a little forced.  I really am trying to get into the spirit...my house is decorated, we went downtown to hear Christmas carols, we attended a White Elephant party, I drank eggnog (eww)...but here are a few things that make me happy and will hopefully help your holiday gift giving this year.

My 'white elephant' gift this year was pretty clever if you ask me.  I bought an affordable lunch box from Old Navy and filled it with my homemade Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares.  There was a little wiggle room left on top of the squares, so I filled that with Chocolate Chip Cookies.  It weighed a ton, but it was a sweet tooth's dream come true!

Old Navy lunchbox

 

I'm not a big, fancy ribbon or bow person, so when I wrap my gifts I like to add things to the simple ribbon I do put on the gift.  You can buy a whole box of cheap ornaments for under $5.00 at your local home goods store, or you can buy holiday candy or chocolate to decorate your gift. I normally choose Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark Squares because they are very seasonal.  You could also use candy canes...I'm not a huge candy cane fan because straight peppermint reminds of a foot scrub, but a lot of people like them.  = )

Here is how I wrapped The Husbands 'white elephant' gift:

Another thing I did, which may or may not become a gift for someone, wasn't super cheap, but definitely didn't break the bank.  A while back I picked up some 'made to look vintage' Vogue postcards for a dollar at Borders because they looked really cool.  I've been waiting for some picture frames to go on sale and low and behold Bed Bath and Beyond had a great sale on some wood frames.  They were $6.00 each, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.  I had to cut down the postcards a little, but overall they turned out really great.  This is definitely a gift you wouldn't be able to pick up anywhere, but has unique charm to it.  Enjoy!

Now I'm going to wrap all of our presents...maybe that will shock me into the Christmas spirit! 

3 tricks

Sometimes I hear things and I'm like...seriously...that's pretty fucking amazing.  I say sometimes because there are other times when I hear things that are supposed to be amazing and just aren't, like the Bumpit.  Here are three things that just might change your life:

1) Murphy's Oil Soap - this is a magic stain fighter!!  Yes, the same Murphy's Oil Soap that is made to get wood floors clean.  Well, my mom used to work in the hospitality business and because she's generally a friendly person, she made friends with some of the housekeepers.  One day she must have been talking about stains or had a giant stain...who knows...but one of the housekeepers told her to put some Murphy's Oil Soap on it before putting it in the washing machine.  She was skeptical, but tried it and POOF, stain gone.  Want more proof?  My mom and I had a Girls Weekend at the family cabin with her friends and my friends (I think the ages ranged from 24 to 65 or something).  Essentially we started drinking wine at 11am, then went wine tasting in Leavenworth, then went back to the cabin and drank more wine.  While sitting down to eat dinner at 11:45pm my friend accidentally knocked over a glass of red wine on the white table cloth.  In the morning my mom used her magic Murphy's Oil Soap on the table cloth, threw it in the wash and POOF, stain gone.  Wondrous!

2) Ice Cubes + Table Salt + Dirty Coffee Pot = Super Clean Coffee Pot!
So, The Husband and I were being domestic the other night...cooking dinner together, doing the dishes, etc.  He grabs the coffee pot and fills it with ice then dumps a whole bunch of table salt in it and I'm all "Jigga What?" and he's all "Jigga Who? I'm cleaning the coffee pot"!  So, apparently he learned this while working in one of his food service jobs.  You put the ice in the pot, then dump salt (so it coats the cubes) and twirl it around so the cubes circle the pot.  While he's doing this I immediately think of his favorite part of Finding Nemo when that little octopus says one of her tentacles is shorter than the others, but you can't tell "especially when I twirl like this...".  He does an amazing impression.  Anyway, once he's done twirling the ice cubes he rinses out the coffee pot and voila...it's spotless.

3) Maroon Underwear - the best color to wear under white or light colored clothing.  Seriously!  While in college at the University of New Hampshire I did two things that were very out of character for me: I joined a sorority - Chi Omega to be exact - and I got a job at Express.  Who did I think I was back in 1998?  OK, so back to maroon.   The only thing I learned while working at Express was the maroon bra trick.  Most women think that nude is the way to go when wearing white so you can't see your underwear/bra, but those women are wrong.  I would encourage my lady friends (or my guy friends who might wear thin, white, linen pants from time to time) to go to the lingerie department and find some maroon bras and underwear.  If you don't believe me you could always get an old maroon shirt or sock (or something maroon) and hold it underneath a white shirt.  I sold a shit ton of maroon bras while working at Express...I'm just saying!

(Hanky Panky Pants)

Those are my 3 tricks for you.  Marvel...Use...Share!

DIY holiday

It's snowing as I type...so fitting!!

So, yesterday The Husband and I were out and about doing a little Christmas shopping and I couldn't resist running into Michael's to see if there was anything that inspired my crafty self.  I thought of the black, glittery skull that we bought for like $8 a couple years ago for Halloween...I could do that.  And so it began...here is what I bought:

I know what you're thinking...a "B"...really?  Yes, really...it's my mantel damnit, don't judge me.

So, I took over The Husband's workshop in the garage and made it a glittery wonderland.  I'm sure he'll love that later!  Well after about 2 minutes I realized that I needed that really fine glitter, not the kindergarten friendly giant glitter that I bought, but Michael's is too far away to go back, so the giant glitter would have to do.  Styrofoam (again, don't judge me) + spray adhesive = sticky, but not sticky enough for giant glitter, mess.  My fingers still have spray adhesive on them 3 hours later and it has now turned brownish-black...awesome.

Here is what the mantel looked like while the Michael's contraband was still sitting on the table:

 

(The Husband's grandpa built the mantel...cool, right?)

So, I did my little, crafty project and felt pretty good about myself!  The Husband brought me the small box of decorations we have (it's so sad how few decorations we actually have...maybe that is what inspired this project?) so I could decorate the mantel completely.  Here is the final result:

The wide shot

Glittery Styrofoam

Glittery "B" and pretty ornaments

So, this is our Christmas mantel!!  Once our Christmas stockings are hung it will be 100% complete and Santa can squeeze down our tiny chimney.  I think the entire project only cost like $25, which is pretty good considering spray adhesive is pricey.

Happy decorating!!!