Yesterday we were like a couple of crazy errand-running fools. We got up bright and early (because for some reason I'm losing the ability to sleep when it's light out, and with the time change I haven't been able to sleep in. I was having a weird dream about zombies the other morning once the sun came up. Unrelated to the story at hand) so I even had time to exercise before we had to leave. Our morning was very carefully planned out. We left at 9:45 and arrived at Babies R Us to shop for the shower at about 10:20. We were done there by about 10:50 and only had to head across the street for an early lunch at Chipotle! (Another tangent: did anyone see the South Park episode a few weeks ago where they said eating Chipotle made you crap blood? They made fun of the show Ghost Hunters in the same episode. It was funny.) Anyway, I tried the pork for a change, which was delicious, and Alfred had his usual (chicken fajita burrito with black beans added). We actually had to wait about 5 minutes before they opened. We were their second customers.
After lunch, we went to pick up some grass fed ground beef from the farm that we've gotten it from before. The owner wasn't there, which was good because we were on a schedule and we would have been there chatting for awhile. We made it home by about 12:40. Plenty of time for me to get ready and wrap the gift (aka put it in the gift bag with some tissue paper.) All of that, with a lot of driving, in only 3 hours!
(I found a funny ecard to go in this post, but I can't get it to copy for some reason. Go here to see it. Then come back. Thanks.)
The shower was nice, even though I didn't know anyone. Well, I know Allison, the pregnant one, and I'd met one of her cousins before. She had a rubber duckie theme, it was really cute. And I bought her a bunch of bath things, so I fit right in. We played a game where we had to come up with as many words out of the baby's name as we could. I did terribly. I got 17. The winner got 45. No melted candy bars in diapers, so that was good.
After I got home from the shower we pretty much just relaxed. We caught up on a bit of TV, made some pizzas on naan for dinner (we're trying to be creative and use up some of the random stuff in the pantry), and that was about it. An excellent Sunday, if I do say so myself.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
paying our debts
To the couch surfing society, that is. We hosted couch surfers the other night! A couple from Germany, actually. They're traveling around the eastern US for 4 weeks. They started in the Bahamas, then flew to Miami, and are driving up and around and ending up in Atlanta. They only spent one night here, so we didn't spend a whole lot of time with them, but it was still fun. It was interesting being in the opposite position from what we were in all summer. It's hard to come up with something interesting to do so your guests aren't bored, which is especially difficult because we don't exactly live in the most exciting area. Luckily they kept themselves busy (and even had dinner) and didn't even get to our house until about 8:00. And I left for work at 7 the next morning. Alfred did stay home and make them breakfast, so that was nice. It was fun hearing about their trip, and they both spoke excellent English.
On a completely unrelated note, I'm all sorts of party-rific this weekend! Yesterday evening I went to a birthday party for a co-worker. There were s'mores and many rounds of pictionary. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it ended up being really fun. Tomorrow I have a baby shower for another co-worker. I found out about it on Thursday, so I haven't bought a gift yet. I better get on that. And last but certainly not least, yesterday was my dad's birthday! Happy birthday Dad!
On a completely unrelated note, I'm all sorts of party-rific this weekend! Yesterday evening I went to a birthday party for a co-worker. There were s'mores and many rounds of pictionary. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it ended up being really fun. Tomorrow I have a baby shower for another co-worker. I found out about it on Thursday, so I haven't bought a gift yet. I better get on that. And last but certainly not least, yesterday was my dad's birthday! Happy birthday Dad!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
rib off!
(No pictures today, unfortunately we had no camera this Sunday because I had accidentally left it at Ilya and Mercedes' house. My bad.) This past Sunday we had a big event: the first ever Meat Off competition between Alfred and Kevin. They both have smokers, and when we were at Universal a few weeks back they got to talking and came up with the great idea to have competitions to see who's best at preparing various meat products. The first competition was ribs. Alfred makes some awesome ribs, but he was doubting himself a bit. He even tried a totally new recipe a week or so before the Rib Off, but it kind of sucked so he ended up going with his old standby for the competition. Anyway, I/we spent Sunday morning cooking: he started his ribs and helped with the cole slaw, and I finished the cole slaw and made cornbread and macaroni and cheese.
The rib off was at Kevin and Gara's house, and they had invited a whole crew to help us eat and judge. In the end I think there were about 12 people there. We watched the Jaguars game technically, but they played so badly that by the end only 1 person was paying any attention. I was a little worried we wouldn't have enough food, but in the end we had a ton of ribs, pulled pork, our sides, baked beans, cupcakes, and Oreo cheesecake (which was flipping amazing). And lots of beer. And tequila. And I think some rum and vodka. I managed to get away with only 1 tequila shot, plus several beers, while Alfred enjoyed at least 5 shots of tequila and God knows how many beers. Yeah, he was still drunk the next morning. I imagine Lucy had to prepare some formula for Ellie that night. They were playing that stupid game where you hit the top of someone's beer bottle with the bottom of yours and make their beer foam up, and glass ended up everywhere. I say "they" because I hate that game and steered clear. There was a dance party in the living room at one point; someone hit their head on the light fixture on the ceiling. It was really a lot of fun, hanging out with friends and eating a ton of good food. The cheesecake and mac and cheese were fan favorites, and as far as the ribs were concerned, general consensus was that Alfred's ribs edged out Kevin's. Which is good, because I kind of told him I wouldn't love him anymore if I didn't like his ribs better. But I did, so our marriage is safe. For now.... I hear Kevin makes a mean pork shoulder.
The rib off was at Kevin and Gara's house, and they had invited a whole crew to help us eat and judge. In the end I think there were about 12 people there. We watched the Jaguars game technically, but they played so badly that by the end only 1 person was paying any attention. I was a little worried we wouldn't have enough food, but in the end we had a ton of ribs, pulled pork, our sides, baked beans, cupcakes, and Oreo cheesecake (which was flipping amazing). And lots of beer. And tequila. And I think some rum and vodka. I managed to get away with only 1 tequila shot, plus several beers, while Alfred enjoyed at least 5 shots of tequila and God knows how many beers. Yeah, he was still drunk the next morning. I imagine Lucy had to prepare some formula for Ellie that night. They were playing that stupid game where you hit the top of someone's beer bottle with the bottom of yours and make their beer foam up, and glass ended up everywhere. I say "they" because I hate that game and steered clear. There was a dance party in the living room at one point; someone hit their head on the light fixture on the ceiling. It was really a lot of fun, hanging out with friends and eating a ton of good food. The cheesecake and mac and cheese were fan favorites, and as far as the ribs were concerned, general consensus was that Alfred's ribs edged out Kevin's. Which is good, because I kind of told him I wouldn't love him anymore if I didn't like his ribs better. But I did, so our marriage is safe. For now.... I hear Kevin makes a mean pork shoulder.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
halloween goodness
Alfred got my camera back (I left it at Ilya and Mercedes' house by mistake the other day) and came home tonight, so I have both pictures and internet! In other words, I get to post! So here are my pictures of our Halloween Festival this past weekend. Here's our fancy sign and Jack the Scarecrow driving the tractor.
I actually did get to drive that tractor a couple of weeks ago. It had been sitting in the museum, and when they started working on construction in that area they decided to move it out front. So one of the guys tied it to his truck bumper and had me steer while he towed it. It was bumpy. But pretty fun. I got a lot of looks. Anyway! Here's a picture of some pirates and a princess. Their dad was a pirate as well.
Some cute little kids with the curliest hair I've ever seen, plus one of our guides all dressed up to scare people.
One of the Dorothys. Her dog was not named Toto, though. Her name was Poochie. The angel was cute too, though Mario was definitely one of my favorites. He was a little camera shy. He did not have a Luigi. Now that would be cute for two little boys.
This car was probably my favorite costume. He kept saying "honk honk" as he walked around. It was so creative and cute and he was having so much fun with it, and all it really was was a cardboard box. Awesome.
And the best family costumes: our other Dorothy, along with a Scarecrow and slightly homicidal looking Tin Man. That mask is seriously creepy looking. Apparently it was hot, too.
We actually turned a profit on the event, so I'd say it was a success. We sold some drinks and some of the craft people sold some stuff too, but we ended up giving away the popcorn and cookies because no one was buying any. Disappointing, considering how much time I spent on my dman cookies, but at least we know for next year. The end!
I actually did get to drive that tractor a couple of weeks ago. It had been sitting in the museum, and when they started working on construction in that area they decided to move it out front. So one of the guys tied it to his truck bumper and had me steer while he towed it. It was bumpy. But pretty fun. I got a lot of looks. Anyway! Here's a picture of some pirates and a princess. Their dad was a pirate as well.
Some cute little kids with the curliest hair I've ever seen, plus one of our guides all dressed up to scare people.
One of the Dorothys. Her dog was not named Toto, though. Her name was Poochie. The angel was cute too, though Mario was definitely one of my favorites. He was a little camera shy. He did not have a Luigi. Now that would be cute for two little boys.
This car was probably my favorite costume. He kept saying "honk honk" as he walked around. It was so creative and cute and he was having so much fun with it, and all it really was was a cardboard box. Awesome.
And the best family costumes: our other Dorothy, along with a Scarecrow and slightly homicidal looking Tin Man. That mask is seriously creepy looking. Apparently it was hot, too.
We actually turned a profit on the event, so I'd say it was a success. We sold some drinks and some of the craft people sold some stuff too, but we ended up giving away the popcorn and cookies because no one was buying any. Disappointing, considering how much time I spent on my dman cookies, but at least we know for next year. The end!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
more tales from the road
Alfred said he liked my post last week about our trip, so here's another one for him. I think some of you may have already heard this story.
The place: Seattle. It was hot. Seattle in general, and Mike's apartment in particular, is not air conditioned. Mike had graciously offered us his bed, but we declined, saying that the couch and air mattress would be just fine for us. Turns out that was a mistake. His bedroom was somehow a lot cooler than the living room, for one thing, and Alfred managed to deflate the air mattress during the night. He has a talent for that. I fared better on the couch, though since I was kind of sweaty I kept sticking to the couch and had to peel myself off of it whenever I rolled over. I tried to keep myself wrapped in the sheet to prevent this, but then the whole hotter-than-hell thing kicked back in. And it wasn't just the heat. Since it was so warm, we kept the windows open at night to try to get some cooler air inside. Mike's apartment was about, oh, 20 feet from 2 major interstates.
You could probably literally get a running start and jump onto I5. So it was loud. And hot. And Alfred somehow deflated the air mattress. The second night, he and I switched sleeping surfaces. I was fine on the air mattress, but he of course was unhappy on the couch. And Mike and I had to listen to him whine all day about being tired. So Mike got proactive. He asked me (via text, with Alfred in the same room as us, if I recall correctly) if it was ok if he crushed up some sleeping pills and put them in Alfred's drink. I said sure. 
So Mike very generously offered to get us all drinks. He was even nice enough to give Alfred the frozen mug. After awhile, Mike took our glasses back to the kitchen (he had noticed some floaters in Alfred's glass and didn't want Alfred to see them) and soon after that we went to bed. And our dear friend Alfred slept like a baby. Success! He's so much happier with a good night's sleep. Now, just so you don't worry that Alfred's seeing this for the first time right now, Mike did tell him about this the next day. And when we finally left Seattle, we had a few doses of sleeping pills in hand, in case of future emergencies. Thanks, Mike.
The place: Seattle. It was hot. Seattle in general, and Mike's apartment in particular, is not air conditioned. Mike had graciously offered us his bed, but we declined, saying that the couch and air mattress would be just fine for us. Turns out that was a mistake. His bedroom was somehow a lot cooler than the living room, for one thing, and Alfred managed to deflate the air mattress during the night. He has a talent for that. I fared better on the couch, though since I was kind of sweaty I kept sticking to the couch and had to peel myself off of it whenever I rolled over. I tried to keep myself wrapped in the sheet to prevent this, but then the whole hotter-than-hell thing kicked back in. And it wasn't just the heat. Since it was so warm, we kept the windows open at night to try to get some cooler air inside. Mike's apartment was about, oh, 20 feet from 2 major interstates.
You could probably literally get a running start and jump onto I5. So it was loud. And hot. And Alfred somehow deflated the air mattress. The second night, he and I switched sleeping surfaces. I was fine on the air mattress, but he of course was unhappy on the couch. And Mike and I had to listen to him whine all day about being tired. So Mike got proactive. He asked me (via text, with Alfred in the same room as us, if I recall correctly) if it was ok if he crushed up some sleeping pills and put them in Alfred's drink. I said sure. 
So Mike very generously offered to get us all drinks. He was even nice enough to give Alfred the frozen mug. After awhile, Mike took our glasses back to the kitchen (he had noticed some floaters in Alfred's glass and didn't want Alfred to see them) and soon after that we went to bed. And our dear friend Alfred slept like a baby. Success! He's so much happier with a good night's sleep. Now, just so you don't worry that Alfred's seeing this for the first time right now, Mike did tell him about this the next day. And when we finally left Seattle, we had a few doses of sleeping pills in hand, in case of future emergencies. Thanks, Mike.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
ah, fall
I've decided that I really like fall. I like when the weather starts to cool off and the humidity drops. I like that work starts to get a little busy: busy enough to give me something to do so I'm not bored, but not so busy that I go crazy. And I like that football is on and we spend all day cooking! Yesterday we hit the farmers market and had all these plans for food to make to eat during the Jaguars game. Unfortunately the Jaguars aren't playing this week, so that plan sort of fell through, so instead we watched the Vikings game for Mike. Pretty good game, especially the fourth quarter, though I must admit I slept through some of it. All that eating wore me out.
We started our day with a smoothie for breakfast (didn't want to weigh ourselves down too early). Then we got cracking with the food. We made 2 dips: 1 with eggplant and 1 with spinach and cannellini beans. Both were awesome. To go along with these dips we attempted to make some butternut squash chips. We do this with both squash and sweet potato fairly regularly, but for some reason it totally didn't work today. So we ended up with some kind of mushy baked squash pieces. Still tasted good. Luckily we had also decided to make some pita bread to have with our dip. Yup, pita bread! From scratch! It was awesome!
You roll the dough out really thin and then they puff right up in the oven. So cool. They were yummy, too. Now I totally want to have a Mediterranean dinner party.
After the game (and my nap) we had one more kitchen task for the day: roasting chicken. Yes, we're currently roasting 2 chickens in the oven.
One's just your basic roast chicken, with garlic and lemon, and the other one has a Caribbean rub and basting sauce. I'm not so sure we'll be hungry enough to eat much chicken tonight, but that's ok. It just means we'll have food ready to go for dinners this week. We have big plans to make some chicken salad to eat in our leftover pitas. Anyway, our kitchen is clearly a bit of a disaster right now, as can be seen in this picture. Alfred tried his best to get out of the frame. Ha! Got him!
I just remembered the other reason I like fall: cranberries are in season! Last year we found this amazing cranberry chutney recipe, not realizing that we were at the end of cranberry season. So we've been waiting months for fresh cranberries to be at the store again. We made our first batch yesterday. It's so damn good. I might have to go sneak a spoonful right now.
We started our day with a smoothie for breakfast (didn't want to weigh ourselves down too early). Then we got cracking with the food. We made 2 dips: 1 with eggplant and 1 with spinach and cannellini beans. Both were awesome. To go along with these dips we attempted to make some butternut squash chips. We do this with both squash and sweet potato fairly regularly, but for some reason it totally didn't work today. So we ended up with some kind of mushy baked squash pieces. Still tasted good. Luckily we had also decided to make some pita bread to have with our dip. Yup, pita bread! From scratch! It was awesome!
You roll the dough out really thin and then they puff right up in the oven. So cool. They were yummy, too. Now I totally want to have a Mediterranean dinner party. After the game (and my nap) we had one more kitchen task for the day: roasting chicken. Yes, we're currently roasting 2 chickens in the oven.
One's just your basic roast chicken, with garlic and lemon, and the other one has a Caribbean rub and basting sauce. I'm not so sure we'll be hungry enough to eat much chicken tonight, but that's ok. It just means we'll have food ready to go for dinners this week. We have big plans to make some chicken salad to eat in our leftover pitas. Anyway, our kitchen is clearly a bit of a disaster right now, as can be seen in this picture. Alfred tried his best to get out of the frame. Ha! Got him!I just remembered the other reason I like fall: cranberries are in season! Last year we found this amazing cranberry chutney recipe, not realizing that we were at the end of cranberry season. So we've been waiting months for fresh cranberries to be at the store again. We made our first batch yesterday. It's so damn good. I might have to go sneak a spoonful right now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
