Crafty days

I recently dived into pinterest. I'm still not 100% sure how to work it (I only have three pins). However, my bff pinned this:

Source: flickr.com via Annie on Pinterest

I thought it was super cute and I had a t-shirt with an annoying stain that I couldn't remove. Perfect! Mine did not end up perfect. My strings never rolled up, no matter how thin I cut them. Mine is more of a necklace/scarf.

I do love the color. It was a fun project for a lazy Sunday.

Any thoughts on how to make the fabric roll? Note: most of my strips are wider, but even the uber thin ones didn't roll.

Attack of the Fire Alarms!

Last night, when I got home from the gym, I set out to make Heather's Stuffed Acorn Squash. I'd even done some prep work before going. It turned out very tasty. However, this involved cooking bacon. No, I did not set the house on fire. However, bacon does get smoky. We turned on the vent and opened the window. Ten minutes later, I set the stuffed squashes into the oven. The smoke detector immediately went off.

Now, this is not just the normal smoke detector annoying beep. This was an incredibly loud alarm(s). We sighed and opened up a few more windows. I stood under the smoke detector and waved around a towel to get air circulating. Three minutes later, loud noise still going on. Jake and I looked at each other, and said "this isn't normal." Jake began investigating the alarm system (which came with the house and we've never used). I grabbed a stool and started disassembling the smoke detector. I managed to yank out batteries from both detectors in the hall. I also managed to ram my head into the doorsill. Ow... the blaring alarm was not helping matters.

We couldn't figure it out. There was NO smoke in the house anymore and the alarms kept going. I finally found the ATD help line and called. Ten minutes later, we'd detached every wire, pulled every plug, and still the blasting continued. The lady finally said there must be another system involved and suggested turning off the circuit breaker for the whole house. (At this point I remembered the squash in the oven and rushed to save them.)

We hung up and flung every breaker. Now the house was pitch black. And yet the alarms continued. Tears of frustration were forming in my eyes. We finally yanked out disassembled the remaining smoke detectors (there were two others hiding around the house) and yanked their batteries. Silence. Blessed silence.

Moral of the story: when you move into a new place, make sure you know where all the smoke detectors are, to what system they are hooked, and how to turn them off.

Silver lining: if there ever is a fire, those things will wake us (and our neighbors) up.

Domestic Before and Afters

Last weekend was the Atlanta Reception. It was fantastic! I was so touched by who all came - old high school friends came from out of state! I almost cried seeing everyone.

One of Dad's friends is an amateur photographer and came about an hour early to take family photos. Once he sends his photos, I'll post. He already brought my parents a poster sized picture of Jake and me. My photographer is still MIA. My parents are sure she's absconded with the money. Dad wants me to sue - he said I could use the practice.

I got home a few days before the party and asked to be put to work. Mom had me polishing silver - a tiny fraction of the work my parents put into the event. Did I mention Dad was washing pebbles at one point? Mint julep glasses, pitcher, and tray - very tarnished and dusty.



About an hour and a half later - look how shiny they got?

I am super glad now that Jake and I did not register for any silver. We will have more than enough once my parents downsize (which they constantly talk about doing).

Also on the domestic side, today I tackled our pantry. There was way too much stuff in it and it was driving me crazy. It ended up taking over the entire kitchen. You can't see, but the rest of counter and floors are just as crowded.


I still need some gripper thing for the brooms, but I got rid of the giant pile of user's manuals, warranties and random papers in there. I got all the sodas off the ground. and reorganized the baking dishes so there is no longer a danger of them falling on me (that happened once, and hurt). There is even some open space!


Now I just have to reorganize the office...

Fun Fall Friday

Sorry for the delay in posting wedding recap. My wedding photographer has decided to stop answering my email = lametown supreme.

Friday night Jake and I hosted a small dinner party. Two couples came over. All four of them have gotten new jobs in the past month so there was reason to celebrate. I made an Indian feast. First, Jenna's Channa Masala for the vegetarians. I also made Jenna's Chicken Tikka Masala. Both are amazing. If you are new to cooking Indian, I highly recommend both recipes. They are simple, though a bit of work, and garner rave reviews.

I also made this delicious creature.


Yellow cake mix frosted with a cream cheese frosting and decorated with strawberries. Mostly, I wanted to use my lover, the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, to make frosting. :) A successful and fun party menu. Much beer was enjoyed and we lit the chimenea for a perfect Fall Friday.

10 years ago

Ten years ago, I was sitting in my early morning chemistry lab at Georgetown. It was my Freshmen year and I'd been in DC for about three weeks. Around 8:30, a TA ran into the room and said "we've been attacked." A bit of pandemonium ensued as the 15 or 20 of us tried to figure out what had happened. We turned on the radio, which first said Reagan National Airport had been hit. As I looked out the window, a huge plume of smoke rose into the air.

Our TA asked that we finish the lab as quickly as possible. When the news corrected itself and said that the actual target in DC had been the Pentagon, things got worse. Our TA's father and fiancee both worked in the Pentagon.

By 9:30, we'd all finished up the lab as best we could and went racing back to our dorms. Everyone was glued to TVs. About one out of 35 phone calls was going out. The RA was coming around making sure all of us could get hold of our family. I finally got a hold of my parents after an hour of trying.

My floor organized a prayer circle, where we prayed for the worst to be over, and for the families of all those lost. We had no idea how many had died at that point. We had just watched both towers fall.

Later, my roommate and I just sat and watched HBO - we couldn't watch the news anymore. We watched "Where the Heart Is." When it finished, the same movie began again and we just sat there.

Georgetown canceled class that Tuesday afternoon, but was adamant that school would resume the next day. Many students had loved ones working in the towers or the Pentagon. One boy on my floor had lots of family working in the twin towers. He spent most of the rest of September home in New York attending funerals.

I still do not understand how any person can hate that much or be that sure to use other humans as weapons to kill other humans.

Today, I pray that such acts of terrorism lessen and finally cease. I pray that humanity can grow closer together and learn to live with one another.

Wedding Recap: Rehearsal Dinner

Hi y'all! This is the first of my wedding recaps. This one focuses on the rehearsal Friday night.

This is the Villa, where we held the ceremony, and where everyone stayed (all 48 of us!) for the weeekend. We started the rehearsal around 6, when we hoped to hold the ceremony the next day. Jake and I really wanted to be outdoors. In Colorado, gorgeous views abound and we wanted to celebrate where we currently live.

Dad, Karl and I waiting for our cues in our mafia sunglasses. Can you tell I got my mother's height?


Once we got the music figured out (played by my uncle), we started.

Karl and Mom

Jake and his mom

Dad and I and my high heels negotiating the tiny steps

This is when we worried none of the guests would be able to actually see the ceremony due to sunlight. But it's so pretty!

The rehearsal went well. We ironed out some kinks and got through the readings and blessings (more on those later).

After the rehearsal, it was time to eat! Jake's parents spent the afternoon prepping for it. Jake's dad is an avid fisherman and known for his fried fish. We asked Jake's parents if they would do a fish fry for us.

All hands in the kitchen! We had enough fried fish to feed three times as many people. Delicious!

I hope to post more wedding recaps this week. Be on the lookout for "The Cake(s)," "The Ceremony," "The Reception," and "Odds and Ends." You don't want to miss the cake!

Worst Blogger Ever

Life has been extra crazy recently. We bought a house, moved in, painted, recarpeted, went to Vegas for my bachelorette party, and are getting married in 10 days!

I am surprisingly not losing my mind. People keep asking me how stressed out I am.

I am in love with this kitchen. I just got a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer as a wedding gift and I'm in love. I've made meringues and key lime pie.There is much more clutter happening right now. :) Turns out wedding gifts come with about a million boxes.

Two of my bridesmaids and I spent a weekend in Vegas. They planned entire incredible trip.


Let's just say these boys were involved.


Nice. I promise it won't be too long before I post again!

You want how big a check?

I do have a good excuse for not posting recently, I swear.

Jake and I bought a house!!! Well, we're under contract for one, at least. We started house hunting about three weeks ago, with the idea we'd start slow and not rush into anything. After seeing about 20 houses, we found one we really like.

It's in a fun neighborhood right outside of downtown. The house was built in 1895 and was totally redone. One of our favorite things is the gorgeous open kitchen. We made the offer on Saturday, only to find out that there were two other competing bids. Wah wah. But, thanks to our having already lined up the loan application, we won with our second bid! :) We had to pull lots of paperwork and financial info. Now we're trying to get out of leases early, setting up inspections, and, oh, yeah, planning a wedding.

On that front, we got our officiant officially signed up. And, I figured out the wedding band conundrum. My engagement ring was designed by Jake and none of the ready made wedding bands I was looking at worked. After some googling, I found a jeweler in Denver with a strong background in custom design. As soon as I met the guy, I felt comfortable. He looked at my ring and immediately said, "there is one premade band to try, but I think you'll want custom." Much better than the other stores that kept showing me super shiny bands that clashed. The band is going to match the design of my engagement ring, which meant I had to leave my ring behind for the jeweler to sketch and make a wax mold. My left hand feels naked! Oh well, I'll have it back in a few weeks. :)

Arches!

Jake started a new job this week and had a few days off after the old job ended. We decided to head out of town. We ended up at Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah.


Here's our campsite


Gorgeous sunset


The Double Arch

Day 2 = 10 miles of hiking in the desert. Hardcore for me and I got a bit dehydrated. Whoops.

Landscape Arch is over 60 feet wide and only 6 feet thick at its thinnest point. In 1991, a huge chunk fell off, narrowly missing tourists.


Partition Arch - can you spot me?


The rock just wears away, which creates a lot of honeycombing. Eventually, new arches or fins will form. That's one thing I really liked about the park - it's not like it will all be gone in 100 years. Even if the current famous arches fall (one of them, the Wall Arch, completely collapses overnight five years ago), new ones are forming all the time. Jake wished for his climbing gear.

What a ham.


The Delicate Arch - this is when the wind started to really pick up. I'm standing like that so I don't get blown off the side.

The Delicate Arch through another arch.



Second night had crazy winds (gusting over 30mph). This wouldn't normally be too big a deal, unless you are sleeping in a tent on very fine sand. We both ended up covered in a layer of sand as the night progressed. I maybe slept 4 hours in total. There was sand in my ears and embedded in my hair.

We decided not to try and cook over an open flame and headed into Moab for breakfast. We started discussing the possibility of cutting our trip short from 5 days to 2.5. We headed into Canyonlands National Park and cruised through there, but the wind didn't die down and the weather got colder and rainier. Around noon, we decided to head on back to Denver. Sad, but we still got in 2 great days of camping, hiking, and marveling at nature.



Here's a bonus shot from my cousins wedding the weekend before camping. :)

100!

Silly life, getting in the way of blogging. :) Things have been busy over here. The past ten days have included: Jake's birthday, going to a musical, dinner at friends, celebrating Jake getting a new job, ski tailgating, caterer tasting, and poker night. So, while there is lots to talk about, I want to talk about something else - my 100th post!

That's right, I someone made it to 100 posts, even though I post so sporadically. My goal for April is to post ten times. :)

Oh,wedding update: the caterer tasting went really well. I like the company we are working with and feel excited about our food choices. Our plan is to do passed appetizers, then a buffet dinner. The buffet will include salad, bread, sides, and a fish dish. There will also be a carving station for the meat eaters. I need to pick linens now. There are so many small items to think about!

Did I mention the invitations arrived? My mom and aunt have beautiful calligraphy and offered to address the invitations. Mostly, I think they were afraid of my handwriting. Who knew addressing invitations was so detailed? Do I want formal or informal? Are friends Mr. and Mrs. John Smith or John and Sarah Smith? I decided friends our age should be John and Sarah Smith, while family adults are Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. Invites won't go out for a while, but it's so nice to have them done!!

Cake Balls Disaster

Today I had an epic baking fail. I decided to make Jessica's Cake Truffles, also called Cake Balls. I've seen different versions all across the blog world and wanted to make them. I decided the combination of St. Patrick's Day and Jake's birthday would be a good time.

First up, bake a cake. I used a red velvet cake mix. No problems. I baked it last night to get a start on the whole process (and it is a long process). Then you mix in the frosting and put it in the fridge for at least two hours. No problem, except the kitchen looked like a murder scene with all the red smears. Then you have to roll the balls. TWSS.

Then came dipping in chocolate. This was the major fail. The recipe said it would make about 40 cake ball - I got over 60. It said I needed 6 oz of chocolate, I started with almost ten. Once it melts, you gently roll the balls in the chocolate and place them on a parchment. The chocolate seems really thick. I was using around .5 oz per ball. After struggling through 4 balls, I thought to myself, "why not make a ganache instead of just melted chocolate?" I have made ganaches before with no problem. Today, I got this.


That doesn't look delicious at all! Lame. I threw that out and grabbed the last bag of chocolate. I started again. An entire bag of chocolate covered 10 more balls. Obviously I need more practice with the chocolate enrobing.*


I have 45 balls of cake/frosting left. Any suggestions what I can do with them? I sure as hell am not enrobing any more. To make matters worse, they aren't even that good. Jake tried one and was like "eh. I'd rather have the real cake." I will not be making these labor-intensive balls again. Sad face.

*It's the actual technical term.

Ski challenge and results

Skiing Sunday started off fun enough. I decided to challenge myself and do some harder blacks than I normally would (steep with bumps and trees). It was slow going and I accidentally went backwards for a bit, but I made it down in one piece.

That got me feeling pretty confident, so later in the day, I decided to go fast down Starfire (very steep bits). I made it down fine the first time, but had a bit of trouble the second time. By trouble, I mean I completely wiped out. My skis flew off and I tumbled head over heels. At one point, I remember thinking "grab the ski." This happened as the ski was flying towards me. I did catch it, with my face. Luckily, besides that bop, I was uninjured. Jake was right behind me and grabbed my other ski. My hero!

Last night though, most of me ached. My face feels twingey when I make a long face, yawn or smile too hard. (I took a picture, but you can't really see the mark.) My shins ached and the top of my back was very sore. I think the shin ache was from not stretching enough after skiing and then doing my long driving commute yesterday. I sat on the couch with a heating pad for an hour or so and that helped. This morning, I feel fine. :)

Moral of the the story: skiing fast is fine, as long as there is a heating pad waiting for you at home.

Biggest Loser Rant - possible spoilers

I've been watching the Biggest Loser for three seasons now. When Mike ran a 5K at over 350 pounds, I decided then and there that I could run one, too. I've enjoyed watching the contestants lose weight and change lives. This season, Arthur has annoyed me to no end.

I get that he is the biggest contestant ever, and that everyone wants to help him. I was just so glad he got voted off. His crying and everybody fawning over him just grated me. Do I hope he loses a ton of weight and lives a happy and healthy life? Definitely. Do I want to watch him for several more weeks? No. Am I excited for next week's episode after watching the all-girl black team completely dominate? Heck yes.

And, rant over.

ABCs

Because everybody's doing it.

A. Age: 28

B. Bed size: full. I am a small person and don't need much room.

C. Chore you hate: taking out the trash. I loathe it. Always.

D. Dogs: meh. They're cute, but I prefer cats. I like the way cats ignore you.

E. Essential start to your day: Put in my contacts. It's the first thing I do once I get out of bed. Sight is important!

F. Favorite color: Pink! All shades.

G. Gold or silver: Silver. I own one pair of gold earrings and hardly ever wear them.

H. Height: 5’1.

I. Instruments you play: currently none. I've played clarinet, piano and handbells.

J. Job title: Attorney

K. Kids: maybe later? I nannied for a year and feel no urgent desire to have babies right now.

L. Live: Currently in Denver

M. Mom’s name: LuAnne (we're Southern girls with our double names)

N. Nicknames: Annie (what everyone calls me), Ree-Ree (Grandmere calls me this), the winks, twinkle toes, stinkerbellsky (last 3 are courtesy of my dad).

O. Overnight hospital stays: a week when I was 13 at summer camp. Stupid spiders + yellow jackets = hospital for Annie

P. Pet peeve: people who are chronically late.

Q. Quote from a movie: "They're not the lost boys of Peter Pan - they're the bloodsucking Brady Bunch!" I'm not sure why I love this quote so, but I do. :)

R. Right or left handed: right

S. Siblings: Karl, my older brother

T. Time you wake up: between 5:45-6:45

U. Underwear: I wear it

V. Vegetables you dislike: um... I honestly can't think of one I dislike.

W. What makes you run late: very little. I'm the girl who is awkwardly early.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: one at 14 to check for a broken arm - it wasn't.

Y. Yummy food you make: I'm known for my brownies

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: Big cats and adorable otters (have you seen them hold hands? I die from cuteness).

There are my ABCs, what are yours?

Loot

Whew. I managed to be quite productive this morning. I got my shot, called my landlord re: broken disposal, and got my oil changed! I had a coupon for an oil change, so I ended up driving to the suburbs instead of my normal garage.

Afterward, I spied with my little eye something ULTA! I needed new eyeliner. Seriously, mine is over 2 years old and making my eyes itch. I was greeted by giant signs of "FREE GIFT!" Sweet. If you spend $17.50 on Ulta brand makeup, you get to pick one of three free gifts.

So, this is what I bought: black eyeline, brown eyeliner with smudger, and black mascara. Total cost $26.

And here is what I got as my FREE GIFT: makeup bag, four brushes, travel mirror, two eyeshadow quads, two double-sided eyeliners, mascara, lipstick, double-sided lip gloss, blush AND a nail polish.

Not too shabby, especially since I bought makeup I 'needed' anyway.

After Ulta, I ran into a Ross. Y'all, I need it to be spring so I can wear these treasures. Wedge sandals and a pair of colorful gladiators. Best part - each pair was $16.99. Reason #18 I love Ross, great prices on shoes.

So that's my loot for the day. Now I need to crank out some quick work.

Have an incredible weekend, my lovelies!

New friends

Meet Gatsby the Great.


Sadly, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew II passed on. Jake and I decided we wanted another Beta fish. We settled on this blue beauty.

Yes, he lives in a gin bottle. No, there is not gin in it. Yes, there is enough room for him. Most beta bowls are 1/3 the size of this bottle.

When we went to get him at Petco, they had two cats up for adoption. :( Neither of us has room for a cat in our current apartments. Maybe once we get married and move in together, we can get a kitty. I am allergic, but I really want one!

Valentine's Day

Hello lovelies! I hope y'all had a wonderful Valentine's Day. I got home from work to find these on the table. Jake is not normally a flowers guy, so I was pleasantly surprised to see these beauties.

We were wavering back and forth on whether to go out or just stay in and cook together. We finally decided on Ototo's Wine Bar.


First we posed for a few pictures. :)

We decided on Ototo's because we'd walked by it several times and it never seemed full. We thought we had a shot at getting a table without a reservation. I am so glad we went! The food was amazing. Ototo does a variety of small plates, so we shared and got several things.

We started with two stone crab claws. My family is from Florida and stone crabs are an integral part of my memories of childhood Christmases. These were delicious. We also enjoyed a crispy tuna roll. Ototo is the third restaurant by the same two brothers. All three of the restaurants serve the crispy tuna roll - because it is amazing. The rice itself is fried, then covered with tuna, avocado, jalapeno and roe. So good. Our third starter was a selection of one meat and one cheese. We chose a smoked prosciutto and a tangy sheep's cheese. The plate came with pickles, olives, a few slices of apple, a crispy flatbread, some jam and the best honey I've ever tasted in my life. Jake and I truly enjoyed the dish. We were seated at the bar in front of the open kitchen and the chefs made sure we were enjoying everything.

Next up were scallops. Perfectly cooked, but they didn't make me as happy as the first three dishes.

Last, we tried Ototo's Egg in a Jar. The description sounded interesting, so we went for it. When it came, it looked so interesting I took a picture.

On top, there is an egg, with fish roe. Underneath is a layer of serrano ham and truffle whipped potatoes. You add some of the diced red onion and stir everything together. Then you serve it on the grilled bread. Amazing. This dish was so fun to eat and incredibly good.

Jake and I walked in to Ototo's with sort of low expectations. I was blown out of the water by how good everything was. It was a delicious and fun meal.

After dinner, I made Jake watch The Proposal. Excellent way to end the evening.

Super Bowl and a Night Out

So Saturday night, Jake and I actually went out! Like, out for drinks with friends. It has been awhile since we went out on a Saturday night. I decided to get fancy. I finally got to wear my new sweater and belt.

True story: we were meeting a couple we'd only met once before, at a mutual friend's party. It's very awkward to try and spot people you've met once, two months ago. There were several, "is that them?" looks before we finally spotted them. We went to El Diablo, a Mexican place on Broadway with phenomenal margaritas. I had two to celebrate that I wasn't driving. :) I told Jake if he drove Saturday night, I'd drive for Superbowl fun.


Speaking of the Superbowl, I made several treats to take to a party.

I made Averie's Special K Bars, because they looked and sounded delicious and I wanted to try something new. First, I made a gooey mixture. Then I poured it over Special K.


Easy peasy and totally yummy.




Jessica's Better than Crack Brownies were requested by the hosts. Once again, they were a huge success.


I managed to save a few to send to my folks for Valentine's Day. Now I just have to make it to the post office before I eat them all.

The Calm Before the Storm

This Saturday was gorgeous. Sunny and mid-60s. Jake and I took advantage of the weather and headed to the Botanical Gardens to catch the end of the Henry Moore exhibit. Mom got us memberships to the Garden as part of our Christmas gift. Typically, when an exhibit is at a garden, the pieces are woven so they co-exist with the plants. As it's winter, there aren't a ton of plants in bloom right now, so the sculptures really stood out.


Rolling hilltops


After the gorgeous Saturday, the weather took a down-turn. It kept getting colder and colder. My drive to work on Monday took 2 hours (instead of 1 hour 15 minutes). I actually had to pull off the interstate to de-ice my windshield wipers. Freezing rain turned to snow throughout the day. My boss sent me home early. I spent 5 hours at work and 3.3 getting there and back. Not the best time usage ever.

This morning I awoke to -7 degree weather. I rebelled by putting on my fleece leggings and staying inside ALL day. It's supposed to be colder tonight. :(

I do what I want!

Today was one of those days when I was glad I don't work full-time. Sometimes I moan over the small paycheck, but today I got to do what I wanted.

I attended my first ever Body Pump class at 7am. I was very nervous going in - I have never done a group class before besides yoga. The class was small, only three of us all told. The instructor made a point to find out what kind of weightlifting experience I had and watched my form throughout the program. I really enjoyed the class. I thought my legs were going to collapse at one point, but I made it! I bought a Groupon for ten classes and I will definitely be going back.

I did do some work today, but didn't have to go into the office. This enabled me to make what I really wanted for dinner - pulled pork. There is a 7 lb pork shoulder in the oven right now and I can't wait to eat!

In celebration of my afternoon off, I decided to watch a movie. I wanted a throwback, so I picked Jaws! I always forget how scary it is. I managed not to shriek, but I did jump a time or two.

I hope you get to do what you want this weekend!

Back on track

This week I feel like I'm getting back on track. Last week I was sick, so I didn't really work out besides skiing once. I'm getting back into my workout schedule and even signed up for a Body Pump class on Friday. Yay for Groupon!

I also got back into my cooking groove this week. I made Angharad's Whole Wheat Molasses Bread.

I followed her recipe, but had to add another 1/2 cup of yogurt and about 2 Tbs of milk. My dough was too dry to start. I baked my for 1 hour and 20 minutes to get this deliciousness.


For dinner, I made Moroccan Lamb Stew from Everyday with Rachael Ray. Super simple dinner. Brown ground lamb. Remove, brown an onion, add cumin and cinnamon. Add a can of tomatoes, a can of chickpeas, and some water, bring to a boil. Add lamb back in and stir in some fresh parsley. Served over couscous.

Sorry the pictures are so yellow. They were taken on my iPhone with poor lighting.

Ending the post with what I wore yesterday. My boss brought this scarf back from India for me. I felt quite sassy. :)

Have a wonderful day, my lovelies!

Meet Big Blue

The laptop drought is finally over! On 1/13, I ordered a Lenovo from Office Depot. Delivery scheduled for 1/20. Still no laptop by 1/22 (Saturday). I call to check the status and am told "Oh, it's showing it shipped. We'll call Monday with further news." Monday comes and I get this call "Yeah, that Lenovo is back-ordered indefinitely."

Moral of the story, customer service will lie to you. I canceled my order and was determined to walk out of a store with a new computer that night.

I walked into Best Buy and pointed at this computer (previous second choice) and said "I want this one." Agent explains there are no more in stock in the state. "Fine, I'll take the floor model." Strange man tells me he admires my decisiveness. Agent tells me I get $55 off. I get distracted by the giant Bernese Mountain Dog wandering the store but make the purchase.

Meet Big Blue!

I am so excited to have a working laptop! It even has Word on it and a working version of iTunes! Yes, my last laptop had been on its last legs for awhile.

Hopefully, this will lead to better updating and better blogging. ;)

Back in the swing

Turns out it is not easy to keep up a blog when you are without a computer. My new lappy should arrive today or tomorrow.

Quick recap: Last week was good. Jake took Friday off for my birthday and we headed out to Breck to ski. I had a great day on the mountain and felt very confident. Then we grabbed Thai for dinner and saw the Green Hornet. I'd definitely recommend the Green Hornet. It's a comic-book type movie without all the angst those movies have deemed fit to add in. Stuff gets blown up, judo chops are thrown, and laughs are had. Two thumbs up!

Saturday, my hormones were completely out of whack. I burst into tears in the car because I didn't get any birthday cake - crazy!girl! right? Luckily, that didn't last for long.

I didn't cook much last week because we had lots of plans and gatherings to attend. This week, I've gotten back on track. First, I made Jenna's Chicken Parm With a Twist. Make this soon. Very good, but it does create a bit of a mess in the kitchen.

Last night, I made beef stroganoff. Recipe from Cook This, Not That.



1/2T canola oil
12 oz mushrooms, stems removed and caps halved (I used a package of 16 oz)
1 lb sirloin, cut into thin strips (next time I would trim a bit more of the fat off of the steak)
Salt and pepper
1 yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T flour
3/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock (I used 3/4 c)
1 T tomato paste
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until softened and caramelized. Remove to a plate.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the same pan and cook for 5 minutes or until well-browned. Add to the mushroom plate.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan, cook until translucent (8ish minutes). Stir in the flour until it evenly coats the vegetables. Cook for one minute. Stir in the wine, stock and tomato paste. Scrape the pan to get all the good brown bits up. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes until the liquid thickens and reduces by half (I kept it at medium high and it reduced in about 6 minutes).

Return the mushrooms and beef to the pan and heat through, then remove the pan from heat. Allow it to cool slightly (30 seconds) and stir in the yogurt.

I served it over butter noodles. This was such a comforting dish. The boy and I are both fighting off colds, so this hit the spot.

Enjoy!




Fingers crossed my computer gets here soon!

Wolf Creek

Incredible sun on day one. Then 10 inches of powder on day 3.

Critical Error

Wah Wah. Lappy had a major breakdown last night. I keep getting an error message that says "Critical Error: no hard disk space available." Then this "fixer" started up and told me there were six problems to fix, only I had to upgrade to its paid service to do so. Pretty sure that's a scam, as it isn't connected to my anti-virus...

I can't be too mad. Lappy is 4.5 years old. I got her summer before law school. She's served me well. She broke around this time last year, but I was able to reboot/reinstall/redo everything and get her back. Still, she hasn't worked 100% since then. I blame the Korean websites where I would watch tv.

Thankfully, between Christmas and birthday money, I should have enough to cover another major purchase. (First one was a new timing belt for my car. Being an adult is awesome!

Anybody have suggestions for computers?

Happy 2011!

Happy 2011, my lovelies!

I hope you all had a fun and safe New Year.

I'm jumping on the resolution bandwagon a little late, but I think they still count.

In no particular order:

1) Get married in August without turning into a bridezilla. I'm pretty laid back about the whole thing, but others in the family are not. I need to work on my patience with the endless planning questions.

2) Lose weight/tone up! I want to look and feel my best for my wedding (and life in general). In order to accomplish this goal, I have several mini-goals.
2a) Get back to running at least 3 times a week. I got a little sloppy and lazy with working out over the past month and need to get back into it.
2b) Run some more races! The Komen 5k really motivated me in my running. I'd like to do another 5k (hopefully in less than 32 minutes) and maybe even a 10k.
2c) Return to my weights. I want to weight train three days a week.
2d) Go deeper into yoga. I do yoga occasionally and always enjoy it. I will try to do it at least 2x a week. I'd also like to try taking a class at a studio - it's been years since I've do that.

3) Make flossing a habit. Right now, I floss sporadically. I want it to become part of my nighttime routine.

4) Take another skiing lesson. Last season, we skied almost every weekend. I would like to take another lesson to work on moguls and trees. I've been very wussy about that since this season started. Time to man up!

5) Blog more frequently. I enjoyed the November challenge and want to get back into my blogging groove. Two posts in one day is a good start!

6) Continue growing my relationship with Jake. Every relationship takes care and work. I am so delighted and thrilled to be marrying my best friend in August. :)

2010 Christmas Recap

Hello lovelies!

I was a bad blogger and didn't post for too long. I had a wonderful vacation with Jake's family in Minnesota and my family in Atlanta.

We arrived in Minnesota after the state had just received a crazy amount of snow. Can you tell the snow drift is above my knees?

We got to spend lots of time with Jake's extended family, but also saved some time to play.

This little two-seat is Jake's dad's plane.


I went for a ride as co-pilot. I was given strict instructions not to touch anything!


That great stretch of white is the lake.

On Sunday, I left Minnesota for home. I somehow misplaced a lot of those photos.

Mom, Grandmere, Tia, and I saw Mannheim Steamroller perform at the Fox. They were incredible. You could tell the musicians were having a blast and the music was incredible! Great gift from Mom.


For the Notre Dame Bowl, Dad and I watched with his good friend, a double Domer. For the three of us, this is the amount of snacks Dad thought was necessary. :)

Cheese platter, trio of hummus, carrots, celery, pita chips, spinach dip, ranch dip, veggie fries and a cookie platter. :)

Notre Dame played really well and beat Miami! Go team!

As my early birthday gift, my parents got me an iPhone! I've been wanting one for awhile. My old Razr was starting to drop calls.

I feel so fancy now.

Billy Bob obviously did not want to be a model while I played with the camera feature.


He's still adorable.