We had such a fun Labor Day weekend! It started off with cleaning the house on Saturday. I know that doesn't sound so exciting, but I really like when we do a good cleaning. It makes everything feel new again. I also (finally, after like a year of looking) found curtains for the family room and kitchen! Of course I found these and had to have them up the same day. Marco and Billy were kind enough to hang the curtain rods I bought months ago and we got the curtains up. It's amazing the difference curtains can make. I really like them! Now we just need to get them up in the bedroom.
Our friends Jona, Chris, Stephanie, and my brother Billy came over for a bbq on Sunday. I think I had more fun than I've had in a long time. I made some homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream (Marco is now addicted) and I also made some lemon bars which came out great! I discovered a new favorite drink with Jona a few weeks back (blueberry vodka and sprite) but thanks to Stephanie it has a new and even better twist....add a little lemonade on top! WOW! Needless to say, there were drinks flowing, card games going and more food than necessary. The company was and always is my favorite part! We are very lucky to have such a great group of friends. We are excited for Jona's fiancee, Logan to come to town in a few weeks. Then we get to do it all over again!
Monday was an adventure in itself. It started of innocently enough. We slept in. Bella even slept in until 10am! Whenever we have people over she just gets so tuckered out by the end of it all. She's like a child who had too much excitement. We lounged around, cleaned up the rest of the kitchen and got ready to head to my mom's house for another round of bbq goodness! I love bbq's so Labor Day weekend is always a favorite of mine. :) Bella always comes to 'grandma's house' with us. She loves the car ride and I can't see leaving her home.
We are pretty good about not giving her people food, with a few exceptions. She gets Cheerios as treats instead of dog biscuits, and occasionally will get a little piece of cheese or bread. She has had other things in the past... For example, it is hilarious to watch her eat corn on the cob. We will hold both ends and turn it and she nibbles all the way around. Last night grandma was being nice and went to give Bella a little bit. Zoey was too close (her competition) and Bella lunged for the cob and bit off the end! She swallowed the damn thing whole (Marco says it broke apart, but I didn't see that)!
So now, after I called the emergency vet who told me to watch her closely because if she tries to throw it up it could get stuck and she could choke on it, I am panicked. Bella slept upstairs with us because if she choked on it downstairs, I would never know...and this morning I stood outside with her for 10 minutes willing her to poop (she didn't). I called Marco to ask him to bring her outside and try to get her to poop (she obviously does not do this on command, but I was determined). Fortunately, being the little shit she is (pun intended) she pooped on the kitchen floor for Marco to find it after I left for work. LOL! He reports back there is corn in the poop. I ask if there is cob in the poop. He responds, I don't know, I didn't inspect it! But I did leave it right on top of the trash if you would like to dissect it when you get home. Fabulous.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Summer Deliciousness and My Culinary Muscles
Pretty much everyone who knows me knows cooking is not necessarily on my radar. Thank goodness Marco loves to cook, or else I would probablly not eat at all! Well, I had a few days off and decided to try out some fun summer recipes. Here are two of my favorites. Flexing my culinary muscles actually felt pretty good! Enjoy!
Shrimp Ceviche
• 1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used ½ lb)
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
• 3/4 cup lemon juice (juice from 2-3 lemons)
• 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced (I used a Poblano b/c Serrano is too hot for me )
• 1 cup chopped cilantro (I used much less b/c I don’t like cilantro)
• 1 cucumber, peeled diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Method
1 In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts of water, salted with 2 Tbsp salt. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute to 2 minutes max, depending on size of shrimp. (Over-cooking the shrimp will turn it rubbery.) Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
2 Drain the shrimp. Cut each piece of shrimp in half, or into inch-long pieces. Place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix in the lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.
3 Mix in the chopped red onion and serrano (or poblano) chile. Refrigerate an additional half hour.
4 Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and avocado.
Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
...• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 drops green food coloring (optional)
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring. (I used 4 drops)
2. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 20 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours. (put in the back of the freezer)
Shrimp Ceviche
• 1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used ½ lb)
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
• 3/4 cup lemon juice (juice from 2-3 lemons)
• 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced (I used a Poblano b/c Serrano is too hot for me )
• 1 cup chopped cilantro (I used much less b/c I don’t like cilantro)
• 1 cucumber, peeled diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Method
1 In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts of water, salted with 2 Tbsp salt. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute to 2 minutes max, depending on size of shrimp. (Over-cooking the shrimp will turn it rubbery.) Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
2 Drain the shrimp. Cut each piece of shrimp in half, or into inch-long pieces. Place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix in the lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.
3 Mix in the chopped red onion and serrano (or poblano) chile. Refrigerate an additional half hour.
4 Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and avocado.
Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Ingredients
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
...• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 3 drops green food coloring (optional)
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring. (I used 4 drops)
2. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 20 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours. (put in the back of the freezer)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Our Greatest Fear, from A Return to Love
Our Greatest Fear
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light , not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make and manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-Marianne Williamson
“Our Greatest Fear” from her book “A Return To Love”
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light , not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make and manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-Marianne Williamson
“Our Greatest Fear” from her book “A Return To Love”
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Raindrops....And the Dog
It has been raining here all week. I can't really remember the last time this happened when it was so consistently wet. I like the rain. It's a nice change from the usually monotonous weather. Even thought I like the change, I am realizing more and more that I could probably not live on the east coast again. It's not like there is a realistic chance of that anyway, but it's still the unfortunate realization that I am now a west coast girl.
Bella, the best dog in the history of the world, hates the rain. She refuses to go outside to potty and she doesn't like the feel of the raindrops on her or the smell of the rain. I know this and still try to take her out and shield her with the umbrella. It's quite a scene, I'm sure....me following her around holding the umbrella over her as she tries to circle around and find her spot. She usually starts out like it's not so bad, then changes her mind mid-circle and darts across the backyard back to the door. Then she's all wet and stinky. So, yesterday we set up the potty pad even though she knows she is not allowed to potty in the house. I just felt so bad for her. She holds it all day long while we're at work (usually....she is a very spiteful dog and we will sometimes come home to a surprise in front of the fridge) and when she wouldn't go in the morning, I knew there is a 9 hour gap until she'll have the chance again. So, we set the pad right by the door she uses to goes out. Being the creature of habit she is, she decided to pee in front of the refrigerator instead. It was seriously a gargantuan sized pee! We have those large 16" tiles in the kitchen and she covered like 6 of them, not including underneath the fridge! Of course it catches in the grout and just keeps spreading. It was everywhere!
So, yes, I like the rain, but it ends up turning my dog into the peeing queen of the west so I am ready for it to be over. We were smarter today and left the potty pad in front of the refrigerator...
Bella, the best dog in the history of the world, hates the rain. She refuses to go outside to potty and she doesn't like the feel of the raindrops on her or the smell of the rain. I know this and still try to take her out and shield her with the umbrella. It's quite a scene, I'm sure....me following her around holding the umbrella over her as she tries to circle around and find her spot. She usually starts out like it's not so bad, then changes her mind mid-circle and darts across the backyard back to the door. Then she's all wet and stinky. So, yesterday we set up the potty pad even though she knows she is not allowed to potty in the house. I just felt so bad for her. She holds it all day long while we're at work (usually....she is a very spiteful dog and we will sometimes come home to a surprise in front of the fridge) and when she wouldn't go in the morning, I knew there is a 9 hour gap until she'll have the chance again. So, we set the pad right by the door she uses to goes out. Being the creature of habit she is, she decided to pee in front of the refrigerator instead. It was seriously a gargantuan sized pee! We have those large 16" tiles in the kitchen and she covered like 6 of them, not including underneath the fridge! Of course it catches in the grout and just keeps spreading. It was everywhere!
So, yes, I like the rain, but it ends up turning my dog into the peeing queen of the west so I am ready for it to be over. We were smarter today and left the potty pad in front of the refrigerator...
Friday, January 15, 2010
A Bit Scary....
So I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while now. The only thing that has been holding me back is a silly fear of throwing my thoughts into the abyss of the internet and that someone somewhere may see them (and judge them). The more and more I thought about it, the more I put it off. I have decided that with the new year, I will try some new things and this blog is on my list. So here I am. Braving the online blog world to add my two sense to anything I feel deserves it. Mostly, I imagine, this will end up being like a little window into my world, and I am ok with that. :)
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